The Story of Us

21: Freedom Wall

This is just a short update. I'm sorry. :)

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21: Freedom Wall

My eyelids are starting to fall. Please don’t. Antok na antok na ako. Bakit pa kasi napatapat ang History ng hapon?! I badly need rest. Emotional, physical, mental rest. Huhu. May vigil pa mamayang 7:00. I am tired. I am tired. I am tired.

I don’t know what to say. I am tired. Five days na ang nakakalipas mula nang nangyari yun, bakit hindi ako maka-getover? LIMANG ARAW. Omaygad, Allison. Freaking sleep and get it over with.

“Okay, goodbye class.” Pagpapaalam ni Ma’am Ventura.

“Effshiz oyeah.” I said and then closed my eyes and leaned my head to the desk.

“Bes, waiver mo?” It was G. Hindi ko pinansin.

“Bes?” Answer or Reject?

Reject. Ignore. Block.

“Bes, huy?”

“Bes?”

“Bes. Palapit si Luke, hoy.” Napabangon ako. “Hm.”

“Joke. Waiver mo. Kinukuha na ni Miss Yuri.” I glared at her.

“Pwede bang hindi na ako umattend ng vigil, bes?” I pleaded her.

“Nope. Umattend ka.”

“Please. I need rest.”

“No.”

“I EFFIN’ NEED TO REST. PLEASE.” I said.

“Okay, fine. Bakit ka ba nagkakaganyan? What happened nga kasi nung dinala ka niya sa observatory?”

“Nothing. Don’t mind me. Thank you very much.” I said and then concentrated again on my sleeping.

“Mamaya ka na matulog. You still need to post SC’s announcement at the bulletin board.” G spoke.

“Okay. Pagkatapos kong i-post yun, pwede na ba akong umuwi at matulog?”

“Yep.”

**

“Sino yun?”

“Ang cute nung shot.”

“Familiar yung girl!”

“Sino yan?”

Ang daming nagkakagulo sa freedom wall. Kakapost ko pa lang nung Student Council announcement tungkol sa upcoming Foundation Day, pero mukhang naunahan kami ng isang post sa freedom wall. Hmm.

Lumapit ako dun sa wall. May picture with the caption: “Searching for this mystery couple. Have you seen them?” It was from the Photography Club. I asked Gail. “Bes, alam mo ‘to?”

“Yep. Nate got that shot last week, I guess. There were two people daw on the parking lot, dancing together with the radio’s music. Fearless. Naglalakad daw siya sa path when he saw the couple. Hindi siya ganun ka-familiar eh.” Gail explained.

Oh. My. Gosh. I hate to admit it, but it was freaking us. Me and Luke.

“Do they seem familiar to you?” Tanong pa ni Gail.

“Uh, no. Not at all.” I answered, still looking at the picture. Hah. Good thing, I wore my school coat. Hindi ganun ka-familiar yung suot ko, dahil kung oo? Gail would’ve known by now that the girl was me. And she, of course, will assume the guy would be Luke.

Paglingon ko sa tabi ko, there was him. Looking also at the picture. He leaned in and whispered, “Buti na lang, they weren’t familiar with our faces.” He laughed silently.

Woah. Pinansin ako? For five freaking days he never communicated with me. Makikipag-usap lang siya if it was necessary like, ‘pag may pinatanong si Gail sa akin o kaya sa class discussions. That was all. He was giving me the cold shoulder to be exact. I didn’t know why.

The thing that I can just remember eh yung time na he confessed. Err. That time, my brain was in knots. And the stupidest and only thing that I could say was, “Okay.” And I walked out.

Yeah, I know. Ang tanga lang nung sagot ko.

**

Nakasakay na ako sa tricycle pauwi when I realized I forgot my laptop bag! Shiz.

“Kuya, pwede pong pabalik sa EA. May nakalimutan po ako.”

Pagkabalik ko sa school, nakasara na yung main gate. Pero andun si Kuya Guard.

“Kuya, pwede po pumasok. Naiwan ko lang po yung bag ko sa SC office.”

“Sige. May tao pa ata dun.”

I walked through the hallway when I caught a new post on the freedom wall.

I’m sorry, princess. I’ll make it up to you. –L.

That was just the note.

Hindi naman sa assuming ako o ano, pero I have this hunch that that was for me. And I know who wrote it. L.

Umakyat na ako sa second floor nang madatnan kong sinasarhan na ni Luke yung office, carrying the bag which I left.

“Let me get this.” I approached him, getting the bag away from him. We both walk downstairs, and passed the freedom wall na tiningnan niya while we were walking.

“Someone caught our craziness in the parking lot last, last week.” Sabi niya.

“Oo nga. Ha-ha-ha!” I laughed. More like, fake laughed.

Awkward silence.

Hanggang makarating kami sa guardhouse, awkward silence. Nung nakita ko si Kuya Tricycle Drayber na nag-iintay, sumakay na ako sa tricycle. Agad-agad.

But before the vehicle left, akala ko papasok nung tricycle si Luke, pero may binulong lang pala. “The note was for you.”

He said that. He just said that, and walked away, while the vehicle went away.