Between Life and Death

Priority

After the greetings, the party started. And I decided to go outside the gym. Ano pa nga ba ang purpose ko doon, I only went there to have a chance to talk to Maxon, or at least see him. Yes I did see him, but with someone else.

I walked outside while holding the arm that the man in black hit as he was running. And then realization dawned on me.

How come na mayroon taong naka black dito while all of the male students are wearing white polo with navy blue blazer and slacks. Same goes for the person who helped me wearing all white.

Who are they? Maybe wearing their jackets? But we are only allowed to wear our own jackets every friday na naka PE Uniform kami.

I brushed the thought away, it's the least of my concern right now.

My thoughts flew back to what I saw earlier. Carrie in the arms of Maxon. Gusto kong burahin iyon, gusto kong mawala sa utak ko pero hindi ko magawa. It will be embedded in my mind for a long time.

I gripped the straps of my backpack and headed straight in the rest room. Hindi naman porket broken hearted ako eh hahayaan ko na ang sarili ko maging panget.

I put my bag on the sink and looked for my blotting paper inside. Sa dami ng tao kanina, at sa dami na rin ng nangyari ay masyado nang oily ang mukha ko.

I found it along with my face powder, brush, comb and lip gloss. After dabbing the blotting paper, I brushed a little amount of the powder on my face. And next I swiped some lipgloss. I returned it in the bag and started to comb my hair.

I stared at my reflection, satisfied. Even though deep inside I know that no matter how I make myself prettier, it's still Carrie.

Ang hindi ko maintindihan sa sarili ko ay kung bakit ako natamaan ng ganto sa kanya. I was preparing to head out when suddenly I noticed a tumbler beside the sink. Maybe a student accidentally left it here. And it reminded me of Maxon.

I was already inside the gates of the school when I remember I left my tumbler at home again. I groaned. Bibili nanaman tuloy ako ng tubig mamaya sa cafeteria.

First one week of school at wala pa kahit isang araw na nadala ko iyong tumbler. I need to be more organized.

8:00 am ang start ng classes, I still have 5 minutes before my first subject so I headed straight to the cafeteria. Medyo uhawin kasi ako.

When I entered, I was surprised to see a bunch of students on the line. All boys. Bakit ang dami? I went outside again, beside the cafeteria's door is a bulletin board.

Oh, I see. The varsity team of Juniors and Seniors will be exempted from the classes for their preparation for the Campus Tour.

Bumalik ako sa loob. Nakakunot ang noo kong tinitignan ang linya. If I fall in line I will be late for my first class.

I debated in my mind if I should risk it. Mabilis naman kumilos ang mga staff.

I sighed and then surrendered. Sobrang ingay ngayon lalo na at puro lalaki sila. Some are walking around, sitting on their tables laughing, and some are just simply eating.

As I was walking towards the line, a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned to see who is it and it was Maxon.

He's still in his uniform like the rest. His white polo and navy blue tie are in place, his navy blue blazer and slacks are neatly ironed. And his smile just perfectly fits everything.

"Hi, Amaris, right?" He said. I nodded and stopped myself in obviously checking him out. "Anong ginagawa mo dito? Malapit na mag start ang classes." Pagtatanong niya. He tilted his head on the side.