My Bubbly Girl

4: MARY JENINE OCAMPO

JACOB'S POV

“Oy!bakit ngayon ka lang?” tanong ko kay AG nang nakita ko siyang papalapit sa may staffers’ office. Ang aga kong dumating and as usual, late pa din siya.

“Hehehe, na-late ako ng gising eh, pero promise!last na yun!di na mauulit.” She raised her right hand.

“Alam mo bang kanina pa ko dito ha?! At ang ayoko sa lahat ay yung laging late!”

“Hmp..taray talaga.”  She whispered.

“Anong sabi mo?”

“Walaaa po. Anong gagawin natin ngayon?” she smiled at me. That innocent yet evil smile for me.

“Before we start, kailangan mong malaman that I have my own rules for you to follow to make it all clear.”

“Ok.” Hindi siya nakatingin sa’kin. Palinga-linga siya sa paligid na para talagang isang bata.Hayyy, para lang talaga akong ginawang baby sitter ni Mrs. Cruz sa babaeng to. Ewan ko ba, bakit hindi ako makatanggi.

“I have three major rules. First, stay focus when I’m saying something. Second, ayoko nang makulit at pasaway, otherwise, there is a punishment. And third, don’t talk to me when I am angry. Are we clear?”

“Yes sir!”

“Good. Nakakaintindi ka naman pala eh. Ikaw na ang bagong photographer for our school publication and you should know- - - - “

“. . . . that the school paper is the most important pagdating sa Northville University.” She finished the sentence.She smiled at me. Naisahan niya ko dun. Nag research ang isang to.

“Very well. And I guess alam mo na rin na ang position mo ang isa sa mga mahalagang position sa mga staffers. Because without pictures, . . .. “

“. . . . there’s no action.” She cut me off again. But then that was good, matalino naman pala tong isang to eh.She was now looking at her camera na nakasukbit sa leeg niya.

“Bakit mo alam yon?”

“Syempre lolo, este sir sungit, pinag-aralan ko na yun no!nag-research na ako about that and I so love photography kaya  I remember every principle by heart.” She said that with a very proud tone.

“Fine. Easier for me. “ I continued walking. Nauuna ako sa kanya.

“Sir sungit?”

“What?”

“Do you want to formally introduce yourself to me?kasi hindi pa kita kilala eh.”

I thought about it for a moment. I raised one eyebrow to her. She was looking at me, waiting for my answer.

“You already know me. Jacob Alexander Ramirez, editor-in-chief of “The Warriors” and the president of the diciplinary committee of Northville University.”

“That’s it?”

“ANONG THAT’S IT?!”

“I mean everyone knows that, you know, a deeper details about you?’

“And why are you interested?”

“Wala.Just to have a closure. Syempre, diba, on my side, dapat kilala ko rin ang sinasamahan ko?”

“So pinaghihinalaan mo pa ako?!” loko to ah, closure pang nalalaman.

“Nope. I was just saying that I should get to know you more so that we can be together without any problems dahil kilala natin ang isa’t isa di’ba?”

“Then get my records sa office of the registrar, kung gusto mo pa kong makilala.”

“Antaray mo talaga no?ganito na lang, I will make my own set of questions for you to answer.” 

"No." I continued on walking. She was running to cope up with me.

"Basic lang itatanong ko." she smiled at me and then, kumuha siya ng isang maliit na notebook at pen sa loob ng bag niya.

"Is that gonna stop you from talking?!"

she smiled at me. And then tumango siya.

"Fine. pero konti lang."

"Let's start, what's your course?"

"BS Chemistry."

"What's your hobby?"

"What?!is this some kind of a slambook?"

"Hep!sabi mo sasagutin mo." I raised one eyebrow to her.

"URGH!reading and sports."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Blue. URGH!Stop this.I sound like an idiot. Tara na. Marami ka pang dapat aralin." she just giggle in front of me. Loko talaga to ah!natuwa pa?

Napadaan kami sa football practice ng isang team ng university sa fields. I was about to talk to her pero nung mapatingin ako, she was already holding her camera and taking shots of the players.

"Every August, nangyayari ang inter-campus, at doon nagiging busy ang mga staffers, especially ang katulad mo dahil sa dami ng sports na kailangang icover and that means kailangan lahat nandoon ka." Nakatingin ako dun sa fields at mga players, habang siya, nasa side ko, kumukuha na ng mga pictures.

I continue to hear clicks of camera. Ni hindi ko nga alam kung nakikinig tong isang to.

". . . . at dapat may action ang mga kuha mo. Nakikinig ka ba?"

"PERFECT." she was looking at her camera and it took a moment bago niya ko narinig.". . .ha?ah/..ou naman."

"Good. Let's move on." It was already 2 pm in the afternoon.Kung saan-saan pa kami naglibot, halos maikot namin ang buong campus. Si AG naman, mukhang hindi pa rin pagod, lahat ng madaanan namin, kinukuhanan niya ng picture.

Hindi ko magawa ang plano ko, dahil superwoman yata itong isang to. Nauna pa kong mapagod sa kanya.

NAG-IISA KA MARY JENINE OCAMPO!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Sir sungit,"

I looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"What?"

"Pwedeng bukas na ulit?"

"At baket?!"

"I have class at 3."

"Oh. fine. Sige, pero bukas, bawal ang late. Do you understand?'

"Yes sir! smile!"

CLICK!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. what is that for?"

"Heheh.. hindi ka na naman kasi ngumiti eh. At hanggat hindi ka nangiti, kukuhanan lagi kita ng picture." she then again smiled at me. ". . . .  sige, ba-bye."

"What?!" tumakbo siya palayo.

"Hoy!burahin mo yan! I'm telling you!" pero hindi siya bumalik. . . 

A-G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!