Sa Ngiti Mong Nakakatakot

I'm a rather tall girl with long flat black hair that fell like a sheet, dead and straight. I wear it around like a curtain. I like it that way because it hid me from the world. Nung bata pa ako, I used to tie it into a pony-tail, but after the bullying about me being some demon spawn from hell, I just let it like that. It protected me from the stares and the glares, at humina yung pandinig ko, kaya hindi ko na naririnig yung mga insulto ng ibang tao. 

Demon-witch. Iyan yung tawag sakin. The demon came from my name; 'Desdemon', and then the witch thing was from the appearance later on.  Curse you, Aunt, dahil binigyan mo ako ng pangit na pangalan.

Hey, this cursing thing isn't so bad.

I chuckled humorlessly under my breath at sinirado ko yung locker with a loud BANG.

Ngayong araw wala akong dadalhin papauwi. Mahaba-haba yung weekend at gusto ko lang namatulog at magpahinga sa dalawang araw na 'yun. Since lahat ng homework ko natapos naman, inisama ko narin sila sa mga libro ko na ipinasok ko sa locker. Sigurado naman akong kaya naman ng locker ko na i-defend yung mga assignments ko from those who wish to copy...

Not that anyone will...

Ako pa lang siguro ang taong aalis sa paaralan. Well, last period naman at yung guro namin absent dahil maaga siyang nanganak or something like that, at wala namang sub kaya walang last period these last weeks. Hindi na akong nag-abala na mag-paiwan dahil wala namang halaga 'yun. Wala akong mga club na sinasalihan at wala akong mga kaibigan na dapat hintayin ko. Pumunta na lang ako sa school secretary para sabihan siya na aalis na ako. 

But she didn't care.

Nobody cared.

Oh well.

Para sa isang private school; yung St. Paul's Academy ay hindi masyadong disciplinary. Kahit na pinag-uuniform kami at binibigyan ng ID, parang regular public highschool parin ito. May mga bullies rin at mga stuck-up cheerleaders at soccer jocks. At ofcourse, merong ako. I just love the way I have a personal classification in school types. Since private school nga yung pinapasukan ko, maraming pera yung mga estudyante dito. Nakapasok lang ako dahil ang tiya ko boyfriend yung principal namin. 

I had to walk all the way to the terminal(hindi naman ganun kalayo. Only a kilometer and a half) but I didn't mind much. I liked being able to stretch my legs and see the city, no matter how polution-filled or noisy it is. At sabi nga ng tiya sakin, good daw kapag alam ko yung syodad. That way, alam ko kung anong mga kalye ang pupuntahan kapag may trabaho na ako. 

Maliit pa lang yung mga pasahero ng mga jeepney na dumaadaan sa Pavia kaya nga maraming mga driver yung naka-stambay lang. Pinili ko yung pinaka-mabilis tingnan at sumakay na ako dun. Sa loob, may isang guy at may dalawang babae at saka si Manong driver narin. The guy was hunched over, sitting nearest to the driver's seat, earphones plugged inside his ears and texting furiously(even I can't type that fast. I don't even know how to handle cellphones. I only use them for telling my Aunt what time I'd be home) at nakatalikod sya. He was wearing a blue hoodie and ripped jeans. 

Huh. Ripped jeans might be a new fashion sense the youngsters have now.

Oh great. Ka-edad ko lang sya! Bakit ba 'youngster' tawag ko sa kanya!?

Ang dalawang babae yung nakaupo malapit sa labasan at dahan-dahan, I made my way over to their side. That is, sobrang busy ko sa pag check ng pocket ko --to see kung ninakawan ako ng random holdapper-- na hindi ako napatingin kung saan ako tumatapak at accidentaly, natapakan ko yung paa ng isang babae.