SH2: Stitches and Burns (On-hold)

Chapter One

“I’m pregnant.”

I looked up to stare at his face. I wanted to memorize those lines. His chinito eyes. He was holding his helmet with his one hand. He was too yummy with his Pyrotect driving suit. With that dimples of his that made the earth turned 360 degrees in its axis. Great. I tried to smile at him. His expression was priceless.

Not even worth five million pesos.

He looked at me as if I’d grown two heads. Or that my stomach bulged in front of his very eyes.
Ano bang inaasahan ko? Magtatalon siya sa tuwa. O kaya magpa-ice cream? Kasi sa dalawang taong pagtitigan namin sa wakas may nabuo?

He started laughing. Humorlessly. Forced.

“Is that a joke?”

Nakitawa din ako sa kanya. Malakas. Tapos tumigil ako at tumingin sa kanya. 'Yung tinging parang nagsasabing: ano satisfied ka na? I wanted to think that life was having the biggest joke ever on me. 

Napatingin kami sa dumaang street racing car. It had a Superman logo on it. I raised one brow as girls crowded around whoever stepped out of the luxurious sr car. Why, had Edward Cullen materialized with his Volvo with a Superman imprint on it?

I wanted to think that perhaps Superman is real and that he’s inside that sports car. With the five million pesos in kind. Syempre, ang hirap-hirap ng buhay ngayon no, ang hirap gumising sa umaga, kakain, tapos magne-net pagkatapos. Ang hirap kaya! Sinong magbabayad ng pangkain? Pangbayad sa dsl? Sa telephone? Sa kuryente? 

“Buntis ako Brad at ikaw ang gusto kong maging ama.”

Gusto. Sa katulad kong naturingang matalino, bakit sa lahat ng pagkakamaling magagawa ko eh, 'yung magkamali pa ng kwartong pinasukan? Kung pwede lang na idemanda ko ang telephone company sa pagiging choppy ng line ng araw na 'yun. I gingerly touched my stomach. I didn’t regret having a child inside my womb. 

Malas nga ata ako. I shook my head. Hindi totoo 'yun. Jeannie kept telling me. Hindi mo ba naisip na: sa milyo-milyong sperm cells na nakipagkarerahan para sa nag-iisang egg cell ikaw ang nabuo sa mundong ibabaw. Kaya… congratulations! 

How would you blurt something the same old same old infamous break-up line like: I love you Brad, but it’s not you.

Was money really important? 

“Yes. Truthfully, we can’t live without money; But money can’t buy me happiness. All I need is my family and the… one person I love.”

It was like I could hear the people rooting for me. My parents smiling at me… and Brad. And of course the judge Julian Sunico, asking that particular question. God. I thought I won the Ms. Beauty of the Year contest because I’d been true to myself. Mali pala ako.  

I now so hated the song ‘love will keep us alive’. Pano? Mababayaran ba ng lintik na pag-ibig na 'yan ang tumataginting na limang milyong pagkakasanla sa bangko ng bahay namin? 

You’d thought beauty was a blessing. But now… it seemed like a curse to me.

Of course, I thanked God I was given the face and the body. But sometimes… I wished I could just blend into the crowd. Siguro kung sa iba hiniling na nilang makatanggap ng sangkaterbang I-love-you notes kapag bukas mo sa locker na hindi mo naman alam kung pano nila nabubuksan. Na ipagpapasalamat mo pang may stalker ka na baliw na baliw sa'yo. Na sana boyfriend mo ang isa sa mga pinagbubulungan sa campus.

In short, they were wishing to be me. Jean Rose Leviste. 

I was very flattered yes. But somehow… expectations were higher. Na sana hindi nila tinitignan kung kailan ako magkakamali. O kung tabingi ba ang ilong ko? At hindi pinagdedebatehan kung maganda nga ba ako dahil lang maputi ako.

When you get the pretty face… you tend to have both worlds. The fans and the haters.

Ipupusta ko ang kakambal ko, sisikat na naman ako sa pasabog ko.


“So… it’s already set?”

Julian Sunico tilted his head to the side and didn’t even care a bit. My heart was bleeding through and through. I didn’t want to lie, to deserve. Oh, well. Kaya nga may white lies 'di ba? Hindi ko na kasalanan na naging mayaman si Julian Sunico.

He could have been a prince charming with his Korean features.

“So when’s the baby due? Kailangan na natin kayong mapakasal bago pa lumaki ang tyan mo.”

I almost choked the meat I was chewing.

“I… I want my twin sister here before the wedding.”

Usually, the first-borns get to mature first. I don’t know about all of you. That’s my opinion. Opinion. 
In short, walang tama o mali. At hindi ko kailangang i-explain kung bakit iyon ang tingin ko.

Sometimes… it’s very tiring to be one. It didn’t matter if you’re one year or even five minutes older. Ang bottom line? Ikaw pa rin ang panganay. Kailangang ikaw ang umunawa. Kapag pareho kayong naglalaro at nasaktan siya. Sa'yo ang sisi dahil ikaw ang panganay. Kapag may pareho kayong gusto,  hindi dahil maunawain ka kundi dahil panganay ka, you have to give over. And of course… you should be the role model to your other siblings. God. Kulang na lang maging Santa ako. At lalong hindi dahil mas maganda siya sa'kin. As she always claimed. Sometimes… I even envy her.

Like now… it was wrong of me to wish. That she could replace me.

I smiled as I remembered our catcalls before.

“Jeannie Freak! Freak!”

“Jean Pig! Pig!”

I opened my eyes. Brad was still standing there. Sumasakit lang ang ulo kong isiping ikakasal na nga ako. I frowned when someone stepped out of the street racing car with the Superman imprint on it, with a pyrotect overalls and his helmet on. At dahil assumera ako, alam ko titig na titig siya sa 'kin.

“Sino… Jean?”

“Hindi… ko alam.” Bulong ko habang nakatingin pa rin sa driver na nakatayo hindi malayo sa 'min. He was tall… and big. One woman waved at him. The man’s mouth was visible. He slowly turned around and before I knew it…

I gasped. His lips curved. He stuck a middle finger in the air!




I felt like the whole world was spinning. I tried hard to look at the two street cars racing together. Brad was winning. But he was too fast... like he was putting all his anger to the race. Damn… I couldn’t shake the bout of nausea. My eyes watered.

“You’ll regret it.”

I arched one brow when I looked at my best friend. Ano bang pakialam niya? I didn’t want to sound b!tchy. She was more than a friend to me. She was more like… my sister. Pero ano bang mas mahalaga? Kaibigan o ka-ibigan?

Third lap.

Fourth lap.

My head was spinning now.

Through my fogged brain I heard everyone’s cheer. My eyes grew wide. Dina screamed.

I was only dreaming… only dreaming wasn’t I? Brad’s red sports car toppled over. I froze in my place. This wasn’t… happening! He was mad at me one minute… then he was… The car with the Superman imprint on it stepped out. I didn’t know why… The rude 'effin guy who’s only good with his middle finger had his face still unknown to me. Thanks to his helmet. A hand with a sweet-smelling handkerchief clamped my mouth before I could even scream. Nobody minded me.

What the hell was happening?! I couldn’t be mistaken! That guy—no, Judas himself smiled at me from a distance. Was he responsible? What was he doing? For Pete’s sake! Did I even wish secretly earlier that he would be my savior? My guardian… angel? Utang na loob! Ngayon ko nare-realize totoo pala. 

Maraming namamatay sa maling akala. In my case… I would be dead.

That was the last of my full-blown thought.


“Nooo… Brad…”