Loving a Believer

Chapter 19: Oppressed

I was now on the bed and Ate Peachy was compressing my ankle with an elastic bandage. Tinitiis ko ang bawat kirot habang ginagawa niya iyon. Nang matapos siya, dahan-dahan niyang binitawan ang paa ko. "Magpahinga ka na lang muna," aniya.

"Thank you, Ate Peachy," mahinang sabi ko.

"Maiwan ka muna namin. Baka hinahanap kami ni Lolo Max. We'll just tell them that you're here."

"Take care," Kuya Tyler told me.

I just nodded my head.

Lumabas silang dalawa ng kwarto. Kakasara pa lang ng pintuan ngunit muli na namang bumukas iyon at niluwa si Storm. His gaze landed on me and then on my bandaged foot. Worry crossed his face. "What happened to your foot?" he asked.

I looked away and replied, "I tripped."

Napasulyap ako sa kanya nang lumakad siya palapit sa akin at lumuhod para tingnan ang paa ko. "It will heal on its own. Just rest," he said. Nang masiguro niyang maayos ang pagkaka-bandage niyon, muli siyang tumayo at saka tumingin sa akin.

Napatitig ako sa kanya. I actually didn't know how to talk to him knowing that he was angry with me. The way he looked at me, I knew that he had something to say about what I did to Demi.

"Did you really push her off?" he seriously asked.

"I know you believe your cousins more than me."

He heaved a sigh and shook his head in disgust, "I'm not siding with one of you. That's why I'm asking you if what they told me about what you did was true."

"Really? You believed your cousins when they accused me that it was my fault," madiin na sabi ko.

"Because I was there when Demi fell down the stairs, and she was really with you."

"So you're accusing me now that it was my fault?" I said with brows met.

"No. That's why I'm asking you."

"I did push her off . . . but I didn't intend to make her fall down the stairs!"

"Why did you push her off?" he asked.

"Because I don't want her near me. I don't like her. She's annoying!"

His brows furrowed and his lips patted together. "Just because of that, you pushed her off?" mahinang tanong niya ngunit bakas ang pagtitimpi ng galit.

"You don't understand what I feel everytime I see her!" My voice raised.

"That's not her fault! It's a lame excuse to hurt people just because you don't like them! That makes no sense!" his voice raised, too, in anger.

My eyes moistened but I gave him a sharp look. "So, y-you're siding with Demi now?"

"I'm not siding with Demi."

"Then why are you blaming me?! I said I didn't mean to make her fall down the stairs!" I snapped.

"You admit that you pushed her off because you don't like her! Do you think that's a good thing?"

"But it's not my fault that she fell down the stairs!"

His jaw clenched and his breath became heavy as he got more angry. "You're making me mad, Fara," madiin na sabi niya.

"You're mad at me because you care more about Demi!"

"No! I'm mad at you because what you did to Demi is not okay! You're acting like a brat kid who doesn't know what is wrong and right. I don't want to tolerate that attitude of yours! You're not a kid anymore!"