In Between Calms and Storms

Chapter 10

Since I am not fond of any sports, nor do I play one—and thankfully, so does Kio, ang ginagawa lang namin ay ang pagtulong sa pag-cheer sa Psychology Department at ang simpleng pag-attendance na may plus points.

I was wearing my white department shirt with the College of Psychology printed on it, highlighted in green. I paired it with a dark denim baggy jeans, and my white sneakers. The only thing I also had was my ID and a small backpack.

Kio and I were wearing the same shirt, although he had on colorful jeans and red sneakers. His bag and ID lace were also decorated with little trinkets.

"Sa coliseum ba ang basketball?" He asked and adjusted his cap. Sobrang init din kasi lalo na't kakagaling pa namin sa kabilang sport. Kakatapos lang no'n at papunta kami sa kung saan ang basketball.

I nodded as we walked towards the school coliseum. I heavily sighed because of the sweat on my forehead and the hotness of the sun's rays. Kung hindi lang talaga 'to mandatory at may plus points, I would've just stayed in my room all day long.

My forehead creased when I immediately saw Ryx dribbling the ball the moment we entered.

At talagang may sports pa. No wonder he really does have a fanbase here in the school.

While in the middle of the game, he suddenly looked at our side. I doubt if he even saw us, sa sobrang daming tumitili sa paligid.

His pace while dribbling the ball slowed down, while he was still looking in our direction. Hindi ko halos makita ang reaksiyon niya. Habang ang mga katabi naman namin ay tili na ng tili.

Nang makahabol ang players ng kabilang team sa kanya, binilisan niya ang pagtakbo. He even went through two players who were waiting for him in a snap. Ang bilis niyang kumilos—he immediately reached the 3-point line and swiftly shot the ball.

"And that's Eryx Vitale, jersey number 16, with his iconic 3-point shot!"

The big LED screen focused on him right after the shot. He stood there with his left hand on his waist, looked for the camera, then winked with a smirk. He ran his hand through his hair before dashing off again.

Everyone in the coliseum cheered at his gesture. I even heard Kio gasp.

Ako lang yata ang umismid.

Pasikat ni gago.

After the games scheduled for today, I didn't even hesitate to go home immediately. Ni hindi na nga nakaaya si Kio sa akin na magkape dahil uwing-uwi na ako.

Walking around the campus, cheering, and being in a crowd drained my energy for today. Gusto ko nalang bumulagta sa higaan ko at matulog buong araw.

Kio:
chat ka if nakauwi ka na
and send deets if magb-book ka
ingat!!

Nagr-reply pa ako kay Kio habang papalabas ng school nang may makita ako. It was an athlete who happily ran towards his parents and his little sister.

Malumanay akong napangiti sa sarili habang inaalala sina Mama. Miss ko na sila. Homesickness really hits hard at random times.

Minsan, kapag may nakikita kang pamilya habang mag-isa ka sa labas. O minsan ay kahit may kasama ka, hahanapin mo pa rin ang presensya nila. There is really no place like home.

Mabuti na nga lang at agad akong nakasakay ng jeep pauwi at baka umiyak na ako sa gate ng school.

Xiel:
ikaw rin. gagala pa ba kayo nina theo?

Kio:
depende pa
inaya ko kaso mukhang busy 😞
saka na lang kapag kompleto na ulit tayo 🙏🏻

I bit my lower lip and smiled. It felt like I had really become part of their group. Maybe that's the counterpart of homesickness—you can also find a different kind of home in other people.

I was still typing a reply when someone entered the elevator. Hindi ko sana mapapansin kaya lang panay ang mabibigat na hininga niya. He didn't even press any button.

Umawang ang labi ko nang magtama ang mga mata namin. Unlike what he always does when he sees me—teasing and smirking, he averted his eyes this time.

"Ano'ng nangyari sa 'yo?" I asked Ryx, who was still in his jersey... kaya lang ay may pasa ang mukha niya.

That explains his heavy breathing.

He just gulped and didn't answer. Timing din at bumukas na ang elevator sa floor namin.

I should've just left him alone, because like what I said, we're not even friends. Pero sino namang tamang tao ang iiwan lang na ganito 'yan?

I tsk-ed.

Hinila ko ang keycard na hawak niya at ako na ang nagbukas ng unit niya. Surprisingly, he didn't even budge. Hinayaan niya lang ako.

I held his hand and made him sit on the sofa. Nang ilibot ko ang paningin sa condo niya at naging malinis na ito—which was the least of my concerns.

I closed the door and went back to him. "Nasaan ang first-aid kit mo?"

He closed his eyes and slowly grunted when he tried to rest his back on the sofa. Nanghihina niyang tinuro ang cabinet, tuluyan nang sumandal sa couch at ipikit ang mga mata.

Agad akong tumabi sa kanya nang makuha ang kit at sinimulang gamutin ang pisngi at labi niya.

Napanguso ako sa sarili nang mapagtanto ang ginawa. I shook my head slightly and continued what I was doing.

He didn't say anything. Nakapikit lang siya, unti-unting huminahon ang mabibigat niyang hininga. I also didn't say anything. Ni hindi ko na pinilit tanungin sa nangyari dahil hindi ko naman kwento iyon.

Maya-maya ay dumilat ang mga mata niya. Ang kabilang pisngi niya naman ang ginagamot ko, the proximity made it easier for me to notice his eyes immediately.

Umiwas ako ng tingin at itinuon ang atensyon sa pisngi niya. Based on his bruises, it looked like someone punched him.

Naiilang ako sa tingin niya dahil hindi ko masungitan, kaya naman nagsalita nalang ako. "Ang ganda ng laro niyo kanina."

His lips tugged upwards, ngunit agad din iyong bumaba nang maramdaman ang sakit.

"Did you cheer for us?" It sounded like a tease so I rolled my eyes.

"No choice kasi required," sagot ko dahilan para mahina siyang matawa. He suddenly coughed. Agad akong tumalima para bigyan siya ng tubig.

I stayed by his side for a few minutes to still check on him. Mukhang ang galos lang naman sa mukha niya ang napuruhan. Maybe he was also just exhausted from the game earlier, then he got into a fight, which is why he looked weak.

I checked his face again and cleared my throat. "Okay na 'yan. 'Yan lang ba ang sugat mo? Okay ka na ba? Alis na 'ko."

He stared at me for a while and nodded.

"I owe you one this time. Thanks... 1-1 na scoreboard natin."

I bit my lower lip and suppressed a chuckle before going out. Siraulo.