Tinitigan iyon ni Elliot at kumunot ang noo. "You're not the type to have something like this," sabi niya at hinawakan ang nakasabit na strap doon.
After a second, a grin appeared on his face. "Bigay ba 'to ni Luna?" he asked, looking at me with that familiar glint in his eyes.
Tumango ako. At naging dahilan 'yon para kumislap ang mga mata niya. Mabilis niyang binitiwan ang hawak na strap at lumapit sa akin.
He looked way too excited.
"Anong nangyari kahapon?" he asked, almost giddy.
Tinitigan ko siya. Sobrang laki ng ngiti niya at para siyang isang bata na excited dahil makakatanggap siya ng isang regalo.
Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin nang maalala ang ginawa niya kahapon. This idiot!
"Nothing," sagot ko.
Saglit na nawala ang ngiti niya, pero kaagad din naman iyong bumalik.
"Did you confess?" he asked.
I sighed. "No," sagot ko.
This time, tuluyan nang nabura ang ngiti sa labi niya. Bumagsak ang balikat niya at kitang-kita ko ang disappointment sa mga mata niya.
"Why didn't you confess?" he asked, sounding frustrated and disappointed that I didn't confess to Luna.
Instead of answering, I just stared at him for a moment bago lumayo. Ayokong sayangin ang energy ko sa kanya. Sobrang aga pa at hindi titigil si Elliot sa kakakulit sa akin hanggang sa ibigay ko ang gusto niya.
Lumapit ako kay Rive.
Nginitian niya ako.
"Kamusta?" tanong niya, at alam kong hindi ako ang kinakamusta niya. He was asking about yesterday.
Akala ko pa naman nakatakas na ako, but now Rive was picking up where Elliot left off. Ugh.
Inirapan ko siya na nagpatawa sa kanya and thankfully, he dropped the subject. He started to talk about something else which made me sigh of relief.
Ganoon lang ang ginawa namin sa clubroom buong umaga hanggang sa mag-lunch break.
Pumunta kami sa cafeteria para kumain.
"Wala pa rin si Luna," sabi ni Zeira.
Tinignan ko ang group chat namin na panay ang mention kay Luna at tanong kung nasaan na siya.
"Hindi rin siya nagsi-seen sa mga chat natin," sabi ni Rive na nakatingin din sa cellphone niya.
"Baka naman natutulog pa 'yon," Elliot added, nodding at all of us.
Yeah, that's possible. Maybe my "words of wisdom" weren't enough, and she stayed up late last night because of the nerves, and now she's still asleep from staying up too late.
It's something that could happen.
Tumango si Rive. "Baka nga," sabi niya.
After we ate, we went back to the clubroom. I started tuning my bass, and Zeira did the same with her guitar while Rive prepared himself. Elliot, on the other hand, was tapping his lap with his hands, and based on the rhythm, he was playing the song we were going to perform.
Seconds turned into minutes. And minutes turned into an hour, but still no Luna. We tried reaching out to her again through the group chat, but there was still no reply.
"Wynther, tawagan mo na nga si Luna! Baka ikaw lang hinihintay nun," Elliot teased, but I could see in his eyes that he was starting to feel uneasy.
I understand him. Even though we still had an hour before our performance, the fact that Luna still hadn't shown up was starting to make everyone feel on edge.
YOU ARE READING
Strings of Memory
Teen Fiction"Hating the one thing you love is a pain worse than losing it." - Wynther Fynne Clemenceau Wynther never had a dream-until he heard his father play the bass. In that moment, music became his purpose, his passion, his future. He dreamed of standing o...
Chapter 23
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