Living With The Psychopath (GL) [Completed] [Self-Published]

Episode 12

"Joke po ba 'yan?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Mabilis kong nilingon si Rosendale. "Ikaw alam mo 'yon?"

"Well, of course, yes." She answered like it's not a big deal samantalang ito ako, gulat na gulat sa nalaman. Parang ang hirap paniwalaan.

"What the hell?" I can't help but to blurt it out. Papa squinted his eyes at me and I quickly cleared my throat. "Sorry. I'm just really...shocked."

"You're still so young that time so I can't blame you kung nakalimutan mo na iyon, Echo. Isa pa, Ten's three years older than you kaya siguro natatandaan niya pa."

"Hindi tayo magka-age? Bakit hindi ko alam? Hindi halata sa'yo." Gusto ko sanang idugtong na immature siya pero hinayaan ko na lang.

"You never asked."

"Pero bakit nga Ten?" I asked, ignoring Rosendale's answer.

"Bulol ka kasi noong bata ka pa, 'nak." Mama said, "You pronounce her name as Lo-ten-del. You even said before that it's hard to pronounce so you settled with calling her Ten." she explained. "Basically, naging Ten ang nickname niya dahil sa pagiging bulol mo."

Ramdam ko ang pag-iinit ng pisngi ko. I felt embarrassed with what she said. I suddenly regretted asking.

--

I was at my room right now, chatting Cheddy. She's asking kung may assignment ba. Kasi, eh, hindi marunong makinig sa klase. Hindi rin palasulat ng notes. She always say that she will remember what she heard pero in the end, she will still ask me. My best friend was really troublesome.

I wasn't yet sleepy so I played some music. May pasok pa bukas, I didn't want to sleep late. School life was really exhausting after all. Napapaisip tuloy ako what If I'll be going to work someday, will it be this hard, too? Thinking about the future was a little bit overwhelming. I was taking the course I like and yet when I think about what I wanted to be a few years after, it's still vague. It was making me not want to think about it.

Narinig kong may pumipihit sa doorknob kaya napalingon ako ro'n. I saw Rosendale. I face palmed. Nalimutan ko palang mag-lock. Dang it. I turned off the music and hid my phone. Umayos ako ng pagkakaupo at sinipat siya. I saw her locked the door. She's wearing a really big shirt na aakalain mong naka-panty lang siya. I sighed. "May kailangan ka?"

She didn't answer and sat beside me instead. Hindi pa siya nakuntento at prenteng isinandal niya rin ang likuran sa headboard ng kama. Sumandal na lang din ako. Magkadikit ang mga balikat namin.

"Rosendale, bakit ba nandito ka?" tanong ko ulit. Hindi naman siya sumagot. Tingnan mo 'tong baliw na 'to, nakakainis talaga. "May tanong pala ako."

"Kanina ka pa nagtatanong."

Inirapan ko siya. Eh, hindi naman niya sinasagot! She's really stupid. I composed myself. Calm down, Echo. "Bakit wala ka man lang nasabi sa akin na magkakilala na pala tayo dati pa? Ni hindi mo man lang nabanggit 'yang nickname na 'yan."

"You didn't ask," simpleng sagot niya. Nakaka-stress talagang sumagot itong babaeng 'to. "And one more thing, I know that you already forgot about me so I don't find the need to tell you."

I didn't know if it's just me but I thought her voice sounded sad for a moment when she said those words. I decided to just shrugged it off.

"Uso namang magpakilala, hindi ba?"

"Will you believe me if ever?" she asked, "Given the reputation I have at school?"

Natahimik ako. May point siya. We started at the wrong foot. Kung hindi pa siguro siya tumira dito sa amin, kung hindi ko pa nakita ang side ng personality niya na hindi ko nakikita kapag nasa school kami, malamang hanggang ngayon kung anu-ano pa ring masasama ang iniisip ko patungkol sa kanya. It's not that I changed my opinion about her completely, she's still that suicidal girl I know. But the good thing was, somehow, I was starting to understand her.