Stay Awake (ORIGINAL DRAFT)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Agony

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Agony

"Asshole," he says, gritting his teeth.

Sasagot sana ako nang bigla siyang lumapit sakin, and he punches me in the face. I hardly feel it, though, not because I'm drunk, but because it's too damn soft. Seriously, was that even a punch?

"Woah, man. Relax," the man with the curly hair says, putting a hand on the shoulder of the guy who punched me. "You want to get into trouble or what?"

"Siya naman kasi talaga nag-umpisa, eh. I was just standing there, chilling with my friends nang bigla niyang tinulak 'yung matanda."

Tumingin sakin si Felicity, her eyes full of concern. "Ano bang nangyari? Bakit ba bigla mong tinulak 'yung lalaki na 'yun? Don't you know na siya ang may-ari ng club na 'to?"

Psh. Sa itsura nu'ng lalaki, sino ba naman ang mag-aakala na siya pala ang may-ari ng club? He looks so out-of-place. Kung hindi pa dumating 'yung anak niya, malamang hindi ko pa malalaman. Isa pa, he acted like a fucking lunatic. Sabihan ba naman ako na totoo ang mga aliens?

"He was harassing me," I tell her. "I tried to be reasonable, to just let it go, but he suddenly grabbed me. I had no other choice but to push him away."

"You should've called the bouncer!" the guy with the blonde hair says, aghast. "Edi hindi ka na sana napaaway. Tapos dinamay nyo pa ako."

This guy is getting on my nerves. I'm trying to explain myself here, but he's being unreasonable. He's the real definition of 'asshole.'

"Can you just shut up?" I exclaim, losing my patience. "Pare-pareho lang naman tayong pinalabas, hindi ba? Why are you whining like a little girl?"

Dahil sa sinabi ko, mas lalo siyang namula sa galit. He clenches his fists so hard that veins start to show in his arms.

"I'm not a little girl," he says, glaring at me like a red bull on a stampede. Man, I'm not even scared. Not a little bit. I've dealt with guys like him before, mostly with the new guys at my school's basketball team.

"Really?" I taunt. Oh, yes, I'm enjoying this. "Because it looks to me that you are. With all your whinings and shit. Sorry, man. I can't see the difference between the two."

"Shut up."

Felicity grabs my arm. "Stop it," she whispers to my ear. "He's drunk. Huwag mo na siyang patulan pa."

I know I should listen to her, that I should stop playing games with this asshole. But I can't help it. I'm too fucking pissed off to control myself. No, assholes like this guy should be put in their rightful place.

So I ignore Felicity, turning to the guy with the blonde hair with a sneer on my face and a pair of raging eyes. "Should I? Don't you want to hear the other words that I'm going to say?"

He takes a step forward. "No. I don't want to hear any more words from that filthy mouth of yours."

He looks so angry, so enraged because of a simple, useless reason that I almost laugh at the absurdity of it all.

"What if I don't want to? What would you do, then?"

Hindi na siya sumagot pa. Instead, mabilis siyang lumapit sa akin at muli akong sinuntok sa mukha. It was harder than the last time, and I feel the sting on my lower lip.

Damn. This is what I'm waiting for.

I grit my teeth, and before he can even fathom what is going on, my fist connects with his right cheek. I let out a huge grin when he staggers and finally falls to the ground.