Gellian and I were eating silently as our parents talked about their business. I guess it's part of their pride to share their achievements and success with one another, which makes them superior. I'd rather play with my toys at home than listen to them brag to each other.
"If you need my help, you can say it now, Simon." prankang ani ni Tito Allen kay Dad nung matapos kaming kumain.
My mom handed the orange juice to dad when he coughed. "I'm fine, Allen. We're doing our best to handle the situation—"
Hindi siya pinatapos ni Tito Allen nung tumawa ito nang pabiro. "How should the situation be handled? You're now broke as hell since your investments are all failures. What do you think will happen to your son's future right here?" He pointed at me.
Aunt Cecil slammed the dining table really hard. "Allen, stop! The kids are here, and it's not the best time to talk about this stuff."
Gellian held my hand under the table. He probably noticed how I was trying to resist the urge to cry. I felt bad for my parents. They don't deserve this. They might be lacking in giving me attention, but I know how much they care.
"Why?" Uncle Allen's shoulders shrugged. "I'm just telling the truth, honey. They shouldn't be hiding this from their only child, especially now that I found out that they were trying to beg for the other companies to invest in their one last resort—"
Mom disrespectfully stood up from her seat, which made Uncle Allen pause. "I'm sorry, but we have to go. M-my child needs to sleep early due to his class tomorrow. Let's chat again next time, Cecil.
Kaagad akong tumayo nung hawakan ni Mom ang palapulsuhan ko. Sumunod naman si Dad palabas ng mansyon ng mga Zamora. Binaling ko ang aking tingin pabalik bago ako sumakay ng kotse nung marinig ko ang sigaw ni Tito Allen.
"Gellian!" hiyaw niya nung makitang sumusunod sa amin ang kanyang anak.
Gellian was breathing raggedly. "D-dad, k-kailangan ako ni Zein."
Bakas ang pag-aalala sa mukha ni Tita Cecil habang pinagmamasdan ang kanyang anak. She's trying to send signals to Gellian to obey his dad. Uncle Allen is known for being stern when it comes to his family and work, so I understand how she feels.
"Son, just... stay here. Zein is gonna be okay." awa ang siyang namayani kay Tita Cecil.
I saw him whimpering and it broke my heart. I rarely see him cry, so it's breaking my heart to see him like this. Gellian had such a contagious smile, but he also had the most pitiful face whenever he was sad.
"G-gellian, I'm... fine." I lied to stop him from following us. "See you tomorrow..." is what I said before I went inside my dad's car.
Maaga naman akong nagising kinabukasan para mag-prepare. Hindi ako masyadong nakatulog kagabi kaya umpisa pa lang ng araw ay pagod na ako agad. Hanggang ngayon ay bumabagabag sa akin ang sinabi ni Tito Allen tungkol sa kalagayan ng aming resort.
I sat on the vanity chair as I talked to myself in the mirror. "Should I stop studying? I should help my parents, right? But how? I'm only 14 and I haven't yet graduated from highschool."
I shrugged when I heard my phone ding on top of the side table. I let out a deep sigh, feeling confused upon seeing the message from Kyle to our group chat.
GC Name: BesTea's forever<3
@kyle.ateniano:
Zein, dito ka na sa likod ng school pumasok kapag nakarating ka na. We have already reserved your seat.
@levi_sullivan:
I agree with Kyle. Kasama mo ba si Gellian, @zein-garcia?
Me:
Wait, what's happening? Is there something wrong?(˘･_･˘)
@ezra.g.carson:
Don't feel nervous. We are here to protect you, our baby Zein.
I went down to our living room with a heavy heart. I was fully prepared to go to school when I noticed I was the only one in our mansion. Loneliness enveloped me as I grabbed the small note with a thousand peso bill on the center table.
Baby, we just need to deal with urgent business. I'm sorry if we can't take you to school, but I promise I'll pick you up later. I hope you understand. Dad and I love you, our little sweetheart.
-Mom
Sumakay nalang ako ng taxi papuntang Ravenwood University. Looking at the driver in front of me, I suddenly missed Mang Noel. I was praying every night for their safety too, just like my family. Nanny Fe and Mang Noel are much older than my parents, so they're prone to sickness, and that's what I'm afraid will happen.
I tensely clasped my hand when someone threw a piecake on my face right after I made an entrance from the back gate. I was stuck and I couldn't move my body. This is not how I expected my day to start.
"Oops! Sorry..." I heard a girl sarcastically utter.
Pinunasan ko naman ang aking mukha at nabigla nung makita ko kung sino ang aking kaharap. I really thought that I wouldn't be seeing them after the comfort room incident a year ago. These three girls had become mature, and their fancy headbands have never left them ever since.
The chubby girl on the left side hit the arm of their so-called leader playfully.
"Grabe ka naman, Cindy. Bakit mo naman ginawa 'yon? Kawawa naman yung bata."
Cindy sighed. "Kawawa? Alam mo ba kung paano ako binalewala ni Gellian? At kung paano ako ipahiya ni Levi, na kaibigan na rin nito ngayon!" She yelled while pointing her finger at me.
Kagat ko ang aking labi habang pinagmamasdan ang madumi kong uniporme. Ang dami ko ng problema at ayoko ng madagdagan pa. I don't want to fight. I want to fix everything as best as I can. If I need to swallow my pride, then I'm more than willing to do so.
"A-ano po bang problema niyo?" mahinahon kong tanong.
All three of them laughed. The thin girl on the right with red lipstick answered. "Ikaw! Ikaw yung problema namin! As far as I know, all of the students here are coming from corporate families. Sadly, you're not anymore..."
Cindy grabbed my collar and pushed me hard against the wall. Due to the sudden shock, my body seems to just contain the pain. I roved my eyes around, but I couldn't see anyone else aside from us.
"I couldn't take the audacity of your dad to rob us of big bucks of money!" Cindy cupped my jaw to make me focus on her. "I bet your great dad is now hiding because of his plenty of debts, so if I were you, I would plead with him to surrender himself to the cops."
"Cindy, stop!"
Bahagya akong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ng boses at napanatag nung makita si Gellian kasama sila Kyle. Napasinghap si Cindy bago siya humakbang palayo pero huli na ang lahat nang buong lakas siyang itulak ni Levi.
"Di ba sinabi ko sa inyo, na kahit anong mangyari ay wag niyong papatulan ang kahit sino sa mga kaibigan ko?!" Levi said in a mocking tone.
Lumapit sa akin sila Kyle at pinunasan ang aking mukha. Masama man ang ginawa nila Cindy sa 'kin, ay nakaramdam pa rin ako ng awa nung makita ko silang tatlo na nanginginig sa takot dahil kay Levi.
"L-levi, kasalanan naman kasi 'to ng dad niya. Their whole family are fraudsters and they should go to jail–"
Ezra slapped the face of Cindy to cut her off. "Tito Simon is not a fraud. He just borrowed the money, but he'll definitely pay it back. Now tell me how much he borrowed from you all and I'll pay for it to shut you up!"
"Ezra, I think t-that's enough. This is my fault and... I couldn't blame anyone else." I wiped my tears before they rolled down my cheeks as I bowed my head to them. "My parents will pay you guys back soon. I'm really sorry for this inconvenience."
I screamed in surprise when Gellian carried me on his back, not minding how dirty I looked. He sent a signal to my friends before he walked carefully. I'm sobbing while my arms are wrapped around his neck for support.
"Look, magkasama na naman sila."
"If I were Gellian, I wouldn't lower myself to bond with that... kid."
"My mom said that their resort would be sold soon. I guess it's time for him to pack up and leave our school."
Bulungan iyon ng mga estudyanteng nakatingin sa akin. Bawat salita ay wari mo'y direktang sumasaksak sa aking puso. Tinago ko ang aking mukha sa likod ni Gellian sa sobrang hiya. Mas lalong binilisan ni Gellian ang paglalakad nung humagulgol na ako nang tuluyan.
"Zein, kaya mo pa bang... pumasok sa klase?" Gellian asked worriedly after I changed my uniform, which he let me borrow.
"Oo naman," I bravely said while wiping the my neck using my handkerchief.
Tumingala ako nang marahan sa harap ng salamin para masiguro kong walang matirang dumi mula sa pie kanina. I noticed Gellian looking away while I was cleaning myself, which made me curious. He seems like he's thinking very deeply. His brows are furrowed and his forehead is creased.
"Are you okay, Gellian?" I asked as I got close to him.
His mouth formed an "o" shape. "Huh? Y-yes. Susunduin kita sa room mo mamaya. Hintayin mo 'ko, please." pag-iiba niya ng usapan.
I just raised my brows twice to let him know I agree. Pagpasok ko sa loob ng klase ay hindi na ako nabigla sa mapanuring titig ng aking mga kaklase. Wala mang lumalabas na salita sa kanilang mga bibig ay batid kong marami silang nais iparating sa akin. Umupo nalang ako sa tabi nila Kyle matapos humingi ng tawad sa aming guro dahil huli na akong nakarating.
I badly want this nightmare to stop.
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🌈💅