I love you but I hate you

12 : Nicknames

TYRONE LIM

I have no idea kung saan niya balak pumunta. I've been following her for almost an hour. Is she having her school tour now? Alone? I heard she's in the same class with Elocin. Then she's supposed to be in her class right now. But why is she here in the gym?
After some time, bigla na lang siya tumakbo papunta sa Mikota Garden. What's up with her? Did she notice me? Why, hindi pa rin ba niya ako naaalala? She didn't notice me yesterday. Ano bang problema niya?

I found her sitting in the grass while kicking, as if she's having tatrums. She's crying and yelling. Lalapitan ko ba? What if hindi niya pa rin ako naaalala?

I stopped looking at her when I felt my phone vibrating.

"Kaykay's missing. She's inside the campus, we need your help. Sabihan mo ko kagad pag nakita mo siya."
Naliligaw siya?

Nakatayo lang ako sa likod ng puno ng santol. I don't know how to approach her. She's still the same... She's charming in whatever she does. Even when she's crying like a brat. But wait, hindi ba siya aware na nabobosohan na siya?

Mabilis kong iniiwas ang tingin ko sa kanya. It's time to make her remember me. Naglakad ako papalapit sa kanya, while she's sitting there, with her bended knees, crying like a baby.

"Alam mo ba'ng nakikitaan ka na? O sinadsadya mong ipagmayabang yung brand ng panty mo?"

Nagkatinginan kami nang tumingala siya.

"Teka! Ikaw yung..." She started covering that part of her... Um, whatever. "Kaklase ka ni Jett, 'di ba?" she asked.

But before I could even answer her, she already bursted out, "Hoy ikaw! Wala akong pakialam kung kaibigan ka ni Jett. Manyak ka! Umalis ka nga dito! Magkasing-sama kayo ng ugali! Manyak!!! Manyak!!!"

"Ouch! Ouch!"

She started hitting me with her bag.
"Wait, ouch! Sandali!" I said while blocking her bag.

"Umalis ka dito kung ayaw mong sumigaw ako! Ah~~~~~"

She haven't changed. Not even a bit.
"Ela, sumusobra ka na, ha!" As expected, a single name would stop her.

"Anong tinawag mo sa'kin?!"

"Here" I offered my hand. "Tumayo ka na diyan, Ela. Maraming monster dito." That's what I always tell her back when we were still young... Tuwing papaiyakin siya ni Jett. Tulala siya. And I don't know if it's because everything's not yet sinking, or maybe... I don't know.

Hanggang sa tumayo na lang siya bigla and hugged me in a sudden.

"Eron~~~" She finally remembered.
Pinisil ko ang pisngi niya nung kumawala na siya sa yakap. "Hindi mo ako pinansin kahapon. Hindi mo rin ako nakilala ngayon. What's up with you?"

"Sorry, marami akong iniisip kahapon. Tsaka, ang laki kasi ng pinagbago ng itsura mo. Ang guwapo mo ngayon, ah? Binata ka na!"

"Stop talking as if you're older than me. Remember that I'm two years ahead."

"Huwag mo ko maenglish-english diyang intsik ka! Ikaw ang hindi namansin! Bakit hindi mo man lang ako binati kahapon, eh nakilala mo pala ako!"

Alam niyang half-korean ako, pero palagi niya akong tinatawag na intsik.

"Eh nasaktan mo na ako, eh! Apat na taon lang tayong hindi nagkita, hindi mo na nakikilala bestfriend mo" I said while acting mad.

She's my best friend. I met her 8 years ago through Jett. I've been friends with him since prep times, while Kayela came to our school when we were in Grade 5, I think. She was in Grade 3 then.

She was not normal. She's annoying too. She's so noisy. Sobrang kulit. I don't like talking, but when I'm with her kusang bumubuka ang bibig ko para magsalita. Our first encounter was in the library. I was sleeping in a corner that afternoon when I just felt like someone was watching me.

"Huli ka! Bakit ka natutulog dito. Isusumbong kita."

I tried so hard to avoid her. But she's just not that easy. She's everywhere. And everytime I went to their place, she keeps on talking to me, asking to be friends.

Till she got the answer she'd been waiting from me. At first, I just said yes to shut her up. Kaya lang simula nun lagi niya na akong kinakausap, anywhere and anytime. I got used to her. Nasanay na ako na kasama siya. I felt so comfortable being with her. That's just how we became friends. The rest's history.

For four years, we've became best buddies. Hanggang sa magpaalam na lang siya na dadalaw daw siya sa mama niya na matagal niya nang hindi nakikita. Four years have passed, at ngayon lang siya bumalik. Up until now, hindi ko alam kung bakit ganun ang nangyari.

Before I met her, I was this dull and loner friend of Jett. Meeting her opened up my mind to a whole new world. Kaya nung nawala siya, sobrang paga-adjust ang ginawa ko. Hindi ko kasi alam kung paano magiging ako. And before I knew it, I came back to being the old me.

I was able to move on thanks to someone. Slowly, I was trying to complete me but here she goes again, coming back to my life for some reasons I don't know.

"Uy ano na?" Her voice pulled me back to the present. "Ihahatid mo ba ako sa room ko? Baka galit na 'yung teacher ko."

"I'll bring you somewhere else first" I told her, then grabbed her bag and her wrist.