Demon's Obsession

Twenty-three

"Dean," I called, my eyes getting heavier. "‘Wag mo na ulit ako pasundan sa bodyguard mo... Ayokong may sumusunod sa akin..."

He uttered a curse. That was the last thing I heard before I fell into a deep slumber.

-♦-

"THERE! IT'S empty." Turo ni Lili sa table sa bandang gilid. Tumango ako.

"Tara," yaya ko kay Nicki na tahimik lang sa aking tabi. Nicki's an irregular student like me. Classmate ko siya sa halos lahat ng subjects kaya kami na lagi ang magkasama.

"Oh, it's you again," she said nang magkita ulit kami sa pangatlong pagkakataon. It was my second class that day. Akala ko nga snob siya but that's just her normal. She usually wears a poker face. And for some reason, we clicked. Kahit ang tahimik naming dalawa.

Then Lili tagged along with us. Simula nga noon, lagi na kaming magkakasabay. I don't know how Lili does it but her sched seemed flexible. Basta bigla na lang siyang lilitaw. Sabay kaming mag-lunch everyday except Monday.

"Bakit ba jam-packed ang dining hall ngayon? Ang hassle tuloy!" reklamo ni Lili habang paupo kami sa table na napili niya.

Kahit ako, nagtataka. Akala ko talaga noong una, hindi mahilig kumain ang mga tao rito sa Briston. But looking at the full dining hall right now, I guess I was wrong.

"What are we trying today?" Nicki asked. Tapos na siya mag-ayos ng gamit. Lili was busy with her phone kaya ako na lang ang sumagot.

"American?" hindi ko siguradong sagot. Iyon kasi ang malapit sa puwesto namin. "Lili? Ano sa'yo?"

Nicki nudged her since magkatabi naman sila. "That's fine with me," she answered before putting her phone down. "Tara?" yaya niya at tumayo na. Nagkatinginan kami ni Nicki bago tumayo na rin. "Saan tayo?"

Napasentido na lang si Nicki habang napailing naman ako.

Dala ang tray namin, we carefully walked through the crowd. Nicki and I both got burger and fries. Lili opted for Cobb salad.

Huminto si Lili na nauuna sa amin. I abruptly stopped too. "Kaya pala punuan ngayon." Pumantay ako sa kaniya at sinundan ko ang tingin niya. Nakita ko sa bandang gitna ang grupo ng mga lalaki. Mukhang athletes. Maiingay rin sila. Maraming lumalapit sa table nila na pinagdikit-dikit na para magkasya ang malaki nilang grupo, mostly girls.

A familiar man was in that group too. Kumaway siya nang magtama ang tingin namin. I just smiled and nodded at him because of the tray I was holding.

Lumingon si Lili sa akin, namimilog ang mata. "How the eff did you know Zachary?" she asked, shocked.

Before I could answer, Nicki interrupted us. "Guys, we're congesting the way."

"Sorry," sabay naming sabi ni Lili. She looked at me with that 'I'm-not-yet-done-with-you' look. Napipilitang tumango na lamang ako. We continued in our tracks.

"Let's feed our stomachs first before you feed our ears," Lili said, to me particularly, as soon as we placed down our trays and slid in our seats.

Pagkatapos nga naming kumain, Lili started interrogating me. Dahil doon, naging interesado na rin si Nicki na nagulat pa nga nang nalamang magkakilala kami ni Zach. Apparently, Zach is the capatain of the basketball team. Kasama niya iyong buong team nila kaya ang dami nila roon sa gitna.

"This is the first time I saw him smiling to a girl! Tell me, how did you two become close?" She even squinted her eyes at me.

"Hindi naman kami close. We're just acquainted with each other."