Every Bad Thing

Chapter Twenty-Nine

May meeting kami sa isang reporting ngayon, but all of my groupmates left. Ang kalahati ay naghanap ng reading material na maaring gamitin bilang source. A few escaped, maybe? One worked on the computer. Ako naman ay nagpaiwan na lang mag-isa sa table.

My eyes warmed. I closed my eyes and gently placed the side of my face flat on the book on top of the table. I pursed my lips tight. My jaw clenched underneath the table. Now is not the best time, Laurene...

A soft thump echoed in my ear. It was an inaudible sound. Kaya ko lang narinig ay dahil nakadikit ang tenga ko sa lamesa. Sunod kong naramdaman ang mainit na mga muta sa mukha ko. Idinilat ko ang mga mata at nakita si Silas na nakaupo na sa tabi ko at titig na titig sa akin.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He immediately knows my mood whenever I let my guard down.

I stared at him, not knowing what to say or how to reason out. My sight passed by him and saw someone fiddling with her phone. It gave me an idea. I brought eyes back to his. He's still watching me, waiting expectantly for a response.

"Si Mommy... She grounded my gadgets..." I quietly said. Kumunot ang noo niya, na parang hindi maintindihan kung bakit ko pinoproblema iyon. I pursed my lips. "Hindi na tayo makakapag-usap."

"That's it?" ngumiti si Silas at napailing. "It's only for the mean time, Laurene. We see and talk to each other at school." 

He's right. I have to do something about that too, huh?

Naputol ang pagtitigan namin nang umusog ang ilang upuan na nakapalibot sa lamesa. Umayos ako ng upo at nakita si Hadeon, Orion, at Takumi.

"Boy, may naalala kang nagsabi na magc-C.R. lang daw pero hindi na bumalik?" the cookie started in an accusing tone as he sat across me. His eyes glanced from Silas to me, casually back and forth. 

"You're such a clingy best friend. It's disgusting." Hadeon made a face.

"Kasalanan ko ba na gusto ko kasi sa akin lang siya?" ngumuso pa si Orion at ipinikit-pikit ang mga mata.

"Sino?" gumuhit ang isang ngisi sa labi ko.  "Ako o si Silas?"

Nasamid si Takumi. Si Hadeon ay nalaglag ang panga. Orion looked taken aback. His expression fell, not expecting those words from me. Hindi ko na tiningnan pa ang reaksyon ni Silas. I can already feel his heated gaze on me.

Orion let out a chuckle when he recovered from his shock. "Silas, of course. I'm not into disinfectants."

"If I know, you're probably secretly in love with me." I scoffed and flipped my hair.

Orion's chuckle died. The emotion on his face dropped once more. None of them said a word. I glanced at Silas. His forehead was furrowed and his jaw was clamped tight. Nakatingin siya kay Orion. Ang seryosong mga mata naman ni Orion ay nasa akin.

"Bigla akong ginutom." tumayo si Takumi at hinawakan ang kwelyo ni Orion. "Tara, boy. Kain tayo."

Hindi umangal si Orion at nagpahila palayo sa table namin. Nalipat ang tingin ko kay Hadeon. He threw me sharp and accusing looks. I just blankly started at him, like I didn't do anything wrong. Umiling si Hadeon bago tumayo at sumunod kina Takumi.

Silence wrapped me and Silas. The guilt slowly started to seep in my skin. My heart clenched but it felt like it was being crushed inside my chest.

Tiningnan ko si Silas. Namumula ang mukha niya. He's mad. Frustration was written on his face but his eyes remained gentle as he looked at me.

"Don't flirt with him, Laurene." he weakly demanded. Kahit na galit ay maamo pa rin ang boses niya. Na parang hindi niya makuhang magalit sa akin.

"I wasn't flirting." I feigned a laugh, trying to downplay what he's saying.

"Don't say things to him like that." hirap na sabi niya. Mas lalo akong nilamon ng guilt.

"I-I wasn't flirting, Silas." ulit ko. 

Naging tahimik si Silas pagbalik ng room hanggang sa matapos ang klase. May short meeting siya at si Hadeon kasama ang mga ka-grupo sa isang presentation bukas kaya naghintay ako sa kanila bleachers katapat ng covered court.

Nakatulala lang ako sa aking sapatos habang naghihintay. Hindi ko magawang magphone dahil sa kasinungalingan na sinabi ko kay Silas. I wasn't really grounded. I just needed the excuse to cut ties with him slowly.

Something changed in the atmosphere. I had a feeling that someone's in front of me... staring. I lifted my eyes from my black shoes and found Orion standing in front of me. Napasinghap ako sa pagkakita sa kanya.

"What are you up to, Laurene?" he darkly asked. His eyes were sharp that I could feel it penetrating through me. 

"What do you mean?" patay malisya ko. Lumakas ang tibok ng puso ko, may kaba at takot na naghahalo sa dibdib ko.

"You can't fool me, L. I'm not like Gallego." he gritted the words through his teeth. His eyes never left my face. He's got me trapped in a cage. "Silas is my bestfriend. I respect your relationship with him. I never crossed the line. But I'm not a damn saint. Martyrdom and selfless acts aren't my thing. If you make a move, I won't fucking say no and I'm not gonna fucking stop. So, don't try me, Laurene."