"B-Buntis?" He paused, swallowing hard. "Were you… really?"
"Ugh! Bakit naman ako magpapa-disgrasya kay Saavedra!? Isa ka na rin ba sa mga nahihibang d'yan, ha, Elvis!"
Mas lalong nangunot ang mga noo niya, obviously perplexed. "S-Sandali. Ano bang—"
"Hayaan mo 'kong magpaliwanag, Elvis!" mas lalong dumikit si Angel sa kan'ya na walang ginawa kundi ang magtago sa likod.
Sayang lang at hindi ko siya naabot dahil patuloy na ipinangsasangga ni Elvis ang katawan niya.
“Totoo lang naman ang sinabi ko, I saw both of you at that night’s party!”
The fact that she stuck her nose into my business was already a mistake, adding false accusations and spreading lies just to ruin my reputation crossed my fucking line! It was only fair that I ruined hers too!
My brows only rose higher. “Seeing something doesn’t mean you actually heard something. Akala ko ba matalino ka? How can you not tell the difference?”
“But…” her voice trailed off, but Elvis halted us before she could say anything in her defense.
Seryoso ang tingin ni Elvis sa'kin ngayon. “Go back to your room, Prescilla.”
I exhaled a quick, sarcastic laugh.
Hindi ako mapaniwala na kakampihan niya ang babaeng 'yon kesa sa’kin!
Ganun ba siya kainis sa’kin para balewalain ang nararamdaman ko?
“No. I will not. Not until hindi nalilinis ang pangalan ko at napapanagot ang babaeng ’yan—”
“I’m not saying you won’t. Bumalik ka na muna sa klase mo. Each of our classes will start soon. Later, when all our classes are dismissed—ipapatawag ang pangalan niyo sa committee para magpaliwanag at makapag-usap kayong dalawa ng maayos.” he spat the words firmly, reassuring me that he wasn’t going to let what happened today slip past in his radar.
I turned my head, eyeing everyone who kept staring at us like we were in a Broadway performance.
Halo-halo ang bulungan na halos hindi ko gaanong maintindihan sa dami. Mostly, I chose to ignore them, but I couldn’t help feeling a little anxious from all the attention.
Considering my position, mas mabuting umatras. I wanted to look fierce, not dumb. Isinantabi ko ang naipon kong sama ng loob laban sa kan’ya para tumalikod at bumalik sa sarili kong room.
While our subject professor discussed today’s lecture, various judgmental, ridiculing eyes never left me until the class was dismissed. Some of them tried to approach me, buzzing me with questions just to see if the rumor was true. At alam kong kahit bigyan ko sila ng katotohanan, ang iba sa kanila hindi agad mapapaniwala.
To see is to believe.
They saw recklessness in me, and they believed that was reason enough to call me lewd. When I only ever thought of those things as something I did for fun, always within sexual boundaries—of course.
You know, exactly the way Casanovas toyed with women like us. The only difference is, boys get praised for doing exactly what I did. Pero kapag babae, wala raw delikadesa.
Sa murang edad, I’m practically used to being labeled as a whore.
Babaeng mababa ang lipad, hindi makuntento sa isa, namamangka sa dalawang ilog… parausan.
The exact why I didn’t react when Elvis’s father accused me of sleeping with his brother.
Hindi naman sa wala lang ’yon sa’kin.
But…
Nothing hurts more than being accused by someone you least expect would do such things..
Higit na masahol pa ang mga akusasyon na ganito noong junior ako, dito mismo. It was just more good to know na lumipas iyon, at pagkatagalan napalitan ng ilang pagka-intriga at paghanga sa kakaibang karakter ko.
Kaya naman hindi ako makapapayag na muling may sumira sa reputasyon ko. I am tired of speaking in silence. Natuto na ’ko sa nakaraan ko.
Malaking pagkakamali ang palipasin lang ang isyung ito tungkol sa akin. People may forget, but they will always recognize your name… or your face, for that matter.
I smiled at each of those people who looked sincerely concerned; pantay rin ang mga ngiting hinayag ko sa mga gusto lang makiusyoso sa buhay ko.
Inayos ko na ang aking mga gamit para magligpit.
Plano ko na sanang dumiretso na sa office, nang biglang umalingawngaw ang isang anunsyo mula sa PA system. “Prescilla Zalde of S.A. Block B and Angelica Capriño of B.A. Block A—please go to the office now.”
Ilang segundo nilang tiningala ang sound system bago nito nabaling ang kabuuang atensyon sa ’kin. Mariin akong tumayo at lumabas, sukbit ang bag sa balikat. Natanaw ko sa hallway sina Mercy. Mukhang hindi pa tapos si Jeremy sa kanyang klase ngayong hindi niya kasama ang kasintahan.
Rinig ang lagapak ng aming mga sandalyas hanggang sa tumigil kami sa tapat ng isa’t isa.
We looked at each other for half a minute, as if our eyes were already plotting about the plan. Nang magkasundo, pare-pareho kaming nagngisihan. We all nodded once, in rhythm, bago pa sila humarap. Nauna akong naglakad, hinayaan ko silang sumunod sa likuran ko, na may kasamang determinadong mga tingin.
My obsidian eyes looked like they were about to hunt one particular prey. And yes, I knew exactly who it was. Lalo pa nang matanaw ko ang pagpasok ni Angel.
Kita ko ang marahang pag-alalay ni Elvis sa kan’ya papasok, matapos siya nitong pagbuksan ng pinto. Daig pa niya ang mga taong may kapansanan kung magpa-awa—at least sila, they have the right. But that leech doesn’t deserve any empathy from anyone! Not from him, and certainly not from me!
Siguro ay tuwang-tuwa ang bruha matapos niyang makilastis ang iba pang parte na may kinalaman buhay ko.
I can imagine her smile getting bigger after she caught me under the rag! I can imagine her smile growing wider after she caught me under the rag! Paano na lang kung malaman niya pa ang pinakatatago kong sikreto? I’m certain I’d end up in a situation worse than being accused of teenage pregnancy!
Chapter 17
Mulai dari awal
