That Boystown Girl [COMPLETE]

12

AND I THINK the boy doesn't like it that much either.

"Why do you have these clothes, anyway? They fit perfectly on me, but they are going to be two sizes larger to you."

Hindi ko siya pinansin habang nag-aabang ng dyip. Hinintay lang naming maunang umalis si lolo kanina bago kami sabay na lumabas. May sukbit akong backpack kung saan ko nilagay yung mga ecobag na bibitbitin namin mayamaya dala ang mga nabiling gamit. Hindi ko na rin naman hinayaang bigyan ako ng lolo ng pamalengke dahil nga binayaran na ako ni CJ kahapon. Hindi ko nga lang alam kung alam ni Knight. Kaso sa tingin ko, alam niya.

"Para!"

Nang huminto ang dyip ay kaagad akong nagtungo papunta sa pasukan pero naalala kong ay kasama pala ako kaya naman umatras ako para sana paunahin siya. However, this boy rolled his eyes and sassily said, "Stop stereotyping me. I know how to commute." And he climbed for a jeepney seat.

Sumakay na rin naman ako at medyo maluwang pa ang loob ngunit mapapansin mo talaga ang pagtungo ng mga ulo at mata ng mga nakasakay sa gwapong pasahero na nasa katapat kong upuan. Hindi naman ako hipokritang dahil lang sa hindi kami magkasundo dahil sa ugali niya eh hindi ko na i-a-acknowledge na may itsura talaga siya. Gwapo siya.

Hindi ko inasahan ang biglang paglipat niya sa tabi ko at saka dumikit na tila may ipinag-aalala.

"Ano?" tanong ko habang dumudukot sa bulsa ng backpack ng baryang ipambabayad.

"Did you lock the house out?"

Bigla naman akong napahinto sa tanong niya at pasaglit na napaisip. Mahina nga rin pala ako sa ganito. Ikinandado ko nga ba?

Samantala, bago pa ako makasagot, may bulong akong narinig sa matandang babaeng nasa malapit sa amin. "Naku, ang babata pa, nag-li-live in na."

That's when I realized, Knight spoke too loud. Wow, so much for the effort of moving from his seat.

Hindi ko na binalak pang patulan ang matanda pero nang ipinaabot ko na sa kanya ang bayad para sa ain ni Knight, nagpatay-malisya ito at hindi inabot ang bayad. Kaya naman napilitan pa akong umangat sa pagkakaupo at saka lumapit nang bahagya sa drayber bago muling bumalik sa pwesto.

"Ano, na-lock ba?"

At hindi ba talaga nakakaramdam ang isang ito? Ano bang importante doon at siya pa ang nababahala? Kunsabagay, mamahalin ang mga gamit niya.

"Oo, kinandado ko."

Nagkalkal na ako sa aking backpack para sa ecobags nang makababa kami ng sasakyan. Iniabot ko sa kanya ang isa at saka siya pinasunod sa bilihan ng bigas.

"We're gonna put the rice in here?" he asked as the vendor started scooping for the rice to be weighed.

"Oo, nakaseal naman eh at saka konti lang bibilhin natin. Ako na ang magbibitbit kung 'di mo kaya. Pagkatapos nito, sa grocery muna tayo. Kailangan ni lolo ng gatas at kung anu-ano."

I didn't notice him say or murmur a silent word but I think that's okay with me but not until the vendor handed me the rice that he actually took it and placed it inside the bag and started walking off to as if he knew where to go. And I actually ran to catch up with him and I found him waiting in front of the grocery establishment, handing over the baggage to the counter. Inihabol ko ang backpack ko, not forgetting to bring ecobags and began walking beside him.

And it took me for about five minutes to realize what this guy is actually doing this time. He was making me push this whole cart behind him as he casually just picks up stuff and tosses them into the cart and I was trying so hard to earn my voice and say, "Hold your horses, Satan. May listahan ako sa utak ko."

And I just said it out loud.

"Who cares, you're with me and you're eating a lot more from now on."

"I have no money to cover all those up!"

I never really cared to understand what he just said because all that's important t me is the virtual calculator in my mind, flashing digits I can't recognize.

"You have money. CJ paid you."

And that did it.

I can't argue with him. Everytime I get between him and the shelves, he just tells me, "If anything, there's a CCTV in there that would support me if I told everyone that you're forcing me to kiss you in public."

So what I have become for the last twenty minutes in here was a maid to push the cart and add up the numbers as he tossed new items in the cart. I'm not paying for this. What the actual fuck?

And then we reached the shelves for essentials and he began picking things for himself I think. Now that I realized, yeah malapit na rin akong datnan. At wala akong stock ngayon sa bahay. The pads are literally on my left, within arms' reach and just one quick toss for him not to see. And suddenly, he walked to the cart with the soap bars and shampoo bottles and in a swift motion, picked a couple set of ladies' pads and tossed it in the cart as if it's nothing.

And he decides to push the cart now for himself, leaving me in shock as if he knew that I need to recover from what just happened.

Damn, he picked the ones I use.

WERE WE'RE FINALLY waiting in line and two customers to go before our turn when I began searching for my pouch in my pockets. I started counting the bills that I got and mind-weaved the numbers the cart weighed until time ticked and I was up.

I was sulking as I started taking out the items from the cart, watching the cashier punch every bar code in the scanner. He was not even helping me until the last item.

Nakatayo lang siya sa tabi ko, at naghihintay na matapos na lahat.

I could not fathom the feelings I suddenly felt as the green digits appeared in total. I can afford it. However, I will never have enough money to afford the other items I was supposed to buy at the wet market later on.

However I want to get things done. Sisingilin ko na lang siya pagkatapos.

I was just about ready to place the money on the counter when a hand slid down the steel countertop and pushed a black card to the cashier. I looked up to him and yet he did not look back at me, as if trying to tell me off that I thought wrong and no one told me to pay for the stuff.

The cashier looked at the both of us though, and looked as if she's about to ask whether whoever between us is really going to pay. As if to get it easier on her, Knight decided to flick his card and gave his PIN out nonchalantly and walked out the store. Me and the cashier shrugged in confusion but can do nothing but get on with it so absolutely, I was left to take these out and his card so I could go on with the wet products without his credit card intervention. Which I need to discuss with him later.