Cost of Taste | ✓

Kabanata 35

ADREN

Kabanata 35

"I love you."

Those words are constantly being use everyday. Almost every hour, every minute, every second in this world.

It is used a little too much that it already lost it's meaning.

Madaling bitawan. Madaling sabihin. Madaling itanggi. Madaling bawiin.

"I'll be going back in the Philippines. I think it won't work." I said, faking my tone of regret.

I just really wanted to cut it off with her. We only dated because of our parents wanted to. Sa rason na 'yon, hindi ko maiwasan ang galit sa aking sistema. Even my lovelife is controlled by them.

At some point, maybe I did crave for love and affection. Yet every girl I've dated are only after three things - the wealth, the looks or the power.

No one really wanted to see what's beneath those three things. Para sa kanila, ang tatlong bagay na 'yon ang tanging mahalaga pagdating saakin.

So, I believe that too. It's easy to just believe in what other people believe in. It's harder to build your own belief, so why not just go with the norm, right?

"You'll come back for me, babe? Adonis?" she asked, desperation in her voice.

I only smiled at her.

Of course not.

Pagbalik ko sa Pilipinas ay agad kong pinutol lahat ng komunikasyon namin. Honestly, I don't even remember her name. The girls in my life come and go...

Until this certain girl came.

Short hair. A small beauty mark on her face. Thick eyelashes. Goldilock's lips.

She was pretty in a conventional way. I've seen better but there's something about her that bothers me, probably because she just announced she wanted five thousand pesos from me if ever I did like her back.

I just smiled. Never. She's a little too wild. Girls like her are not easy to get rid of.

I'm always smiling, just like the emoticon - a smile can hide your inner feelings. It isn't only for joy but it could also hide your pain, anguish, sadness, and more. It was easy that way, walang makakaalam ng tunay mong nararamdaman.

They couldn't use it against you.

"Chicks 'yung mga nasa TVL 'no?" I heard one of my blockmates.

"Malamang! Maraming time mag-ayos ng sarili. Nagluluto lang naman 'yung mga nasa culinary!"

"May mga kaibigan ako na nag-TVL kasi mas madali 'yata."

"Sus, sa TVL at HUMSS naman talaga bagsak ng mga di marunong sa math at gusto ng easy easy lang."

The sound of their laughter made me winced. It's full of judgement and stereotyping. Wala akong kakilala sa ibang strand, I keep my circle as little as possible when it comes to school so I don't know if what they're talking about is real or it's just to feed their ego and boost their fake superiority.

Siguro nga, mas madaling manghila ng tao pababa upang makaangat ka. That kind of mentality is a norm nowadays that people consider it as a daily thing to do.

Bata pa lamang ako ay pinakilala na saakin ang mga dapat kong kilalanin at kaibiganin. Those who are only on the same social class are the ones who are worthy of my attention. Even my friends are already arranged by my Grandpa's Secretary. In this case, Giorgion San Pedro only became my friend because my Grandpa is impressed with their firm. Gio treats me as his genuine friend though despite of my little participation in his life.