"OMG! TELL ME EVERYTHING!!!" Val shrieked as she ran towards me as we went out from my AP Literature class.
Magkaklase kaming tatlo nina Val and Xy sa subject nato. Pagpasok ko pa lang kanina, I already saw Xy's teasing smile and Val about to interrogate me at sinabi ko na pagkatapos na ng klase kaya eto sila ngayon.
I just rolled my eyes at her as she behaved like a coked up chipmunk. I heard Xy chuckle at my side while Val is jumping up and down at my other side. Pinagit-an talaga ako eh.
"ASH!! Tell me na nga. You're killing me with anticipation here" dugtong pa ni Val na nakanguso, I laughed at her.
"It isn't really a big deal you know?" Sabi ko as we arrive at the lockers, we'll drop off our stuff there kasi muna bago pumunta sa caf for lunch.
I opened my locker and hurriedly put my things and nagitla pa ako nung pagsara ko tumambad ang mukha ng dalawa sakin na parehong pinanliliitan ako ng mga mata.
"Excuse me Karlee Astrid Villegas Ray, do you hear yourself?" Val said. I just shrugged and went ahead and walked to the cafeteria and agad naman sila sumunod.
"Unless you forgot, bestfriends mo kami since time immemorial and alam namin how difficult it is for you to make friends but then I hear that you made a guy friend. ALL.ON.YOUR.OWN and Xy said you looked quite chumy with him too, for someone you just met yesterday and you tell me it isn't a BIG DEAL?" mahabang lintanya niya sakin sabay taas ng kilay na tinawanan ko ng bahagya.
"It really isn't that much of big news you know. Hindi naman toh first time that I made a friend on my own eh" pagdadahilan ko. I saw Xy roll her eyes and scoff.
"Well of course we know that. Jax is the living proof of that first time and considering your relationship with him 'di mo kami masisi why we'd find it newsworthy that you'd made another friend and another guy pa at that"
Tumango naman si Val sa pagsang-ayon na nagpasimangot sa'kin. Pinagkakaisahan talaga nila ang pagcorner sa' kin ah.
As we enter the cafeteria agad naming nakita si Caleb na kinakaway kami to a table and I saw how Margo nodded at him and how Val's eyes shined.
Isa pa tung dalawang toh eh. We approached them and as we did ay bahagyang nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita kung sino ang nandoon.
"Kay!" bati ni Lawrence habang kumakaway pa na parang bata at may napakalaking ngiti. He's so childish that it makes me chuckle but still, I raised a questioning brow at him na ginantihan lang nya ng nagpapacute na ngiti while I took a seat in front of him.
Squares kase yung table si cafeteria and pinagsama lang nila Caleb yung dalawang table, anim kaming magbabarkda. Caleb, Timothy, Jax, Val, Xy, and me. Nakita ko kaagad ang pagngisi ni Caleb. Always na ganito ang set up namin tuwing lunch and kumukuha ng table kung sinuman yung nauuna sa amin dito.
"Kay? Ilang nicknames ba talaga ang meron ka Ash?" birong tanong ni Caleb na tinawanan naman ng iba at napa-irap na lang ako. Ba't parang ako ang trip nila ngayong araw?
"Hi! Ikaw ba si Lawrence?" Dagling tanong naman ni Val na tinanguan naman ni Rence at ikinunot ng mukha ni Caleb. "You know him V? How?" tanong niya.
Val nodded at him at ininguso ako kaya ako ang binalingan niya ng may nakakalokong ngiti pero 'di ko siya pinansin at ng akmang may sasabiihin pa ata siya nang biglang may bumati sa amin.
"Yow, andito na pala kayong lahat!" Timothy said while he was beside Jax na nakakunot ang noo at halos mag-isa na ang mga kilay sa sobrang pagkasalubong nito habang nakatingin kay Rence.
Tumango naman ako sa kanila na bagong dating kay and I gave a small smile too. I saw Xy nodded at them while Val said 'hi' back, pumunta naman siya kay Caleb and they did their handshake and manhug thing too.
Naramdaman ko naman na naupo si Jax sa tabi ko habang nakita kong kinukulit na ni Timmy si Xy kaya nahampas siya nito. May pagka amazon kasi yan eh pero trip talaga ni Timmy na asarin si Xy, ganyan naman sila palagi eh.
"Nakapag-order na ba kayo ng pagkain?" tanong ni Jax tapos tumingin sa akin. Inilingan ko siya tapis narinig ko din sumagot yung iba na hindi pa rin kase hinintay muna silang dumating na tinanguan naman niya.
Napatingin siya kay Rence at tumikhim "Hi, it's...Rence right? Sorry if I was a bit rude kanina" sabi niya.
"No problem bro" sabi naman ni Rence tapos kinindatan pa ako. Ano naming trip neto ngayon? Kaya tinaasan ko lang siya ng kilay at napatawa siya tapos bumaling ako kay Jax who now has a small frown on his face na nawala din naman when he saw me looking at him.
"Kakain ba tayo or what?" maarteng tanong ni Xy. Patay, hangry na yan pag ganyan,
"Let's get food now bago bumuga ng apoy si Xy" natatawang turan ni Timothy at pinangliitan naman siya ng mata ni Xy. I just chuckled at that at akmang tatayo na rin ako ng biglang
"Lee, do you want the regular?"
"Kay, ano gusto mo for lunch?"
Sabay na tanong ni Jax and Rence sa'kin and I could feel the stare of my other friends sa aming tatlo. Natigilan din ang dalawa and I saw Jax looking at Rence na bahagyang nagtataka while the other was just smirking at him.
I cleared my throat at tumungo nang sumagot "Just water, I'm not that hungry."
"Water isn't a meal, Astrid" agad na puna ni Val sa akin and I sighed. "I'm really not that hungry so water will be--"
"No, you will eat a meal Lee. I'll be back" putol sa akin ni Jax at nauna nang bumili at sumunod naman sina Caleb and Tim sa kanya, habang nakatingin pa rin sa akin si Rence. I just gave him a small smile and he nodded then went to buy food too.
I heard someone sigh beside me and nilingon ko si Xy na mariing nakatingin sa akin while Val scooted to Rence's place kanina to be in front of me.
"Ash, you need to eat properly, we don't want a repeat of what happened last time, okay?" sabi ni Val sa akin and I chewed my lip and sighed. I felt someone take my hand and squeeze and I saw that Xy held it.
One time kase, I got so hectic and stressed with finals that I unconcsciously was skipping my meals and got dehydrated to a point that when they checked for me sa library, they found me unconcsious. I had to get an IV and of course, pinangaralan nga nila ako. I really didn't mean to push myself that hard tho, but I admit that I do have a tendency to starve myself sometimes.
"I just, I think I have to lay off with food for a while. I think I gained so much during summer and--"
"Ash, you know skipping meals isn't the solution to controlling your weight diba? Ilang beses na nating pinag-usapan toh" mahinahong sabi ni Val.
"And what are you saying that you gained weight, bahagyang pumayat ka nga compared to when we saw you last Ash. So please kumain ka ng maayos okay?" dagdag pa ni Xy at tumango na lang ako.
Well, its not that I'm anorexic or anything, pinacheck nga ako nila Mom after that incident pero wala naman daw. It's just that sometimes, even when I don't want to, I get so insecure and conscious lalo na I'm always with this 2 girls. Xy had always been petite, she has a slim and small shapely frame. Si Val naman, balingkinitan din, she's got a cheerleader's build, at 'di ko mapigilan at times na hindi sadyang ikumpara ang sarili sa kanila.
Hindi naman ako mataba, mas malaman yung figure ko kesa sa dalawa. Sabi nga ni Xy, curvy daw ako but still, I still get really conscious of my not so flat tummy, I have baby fat and flabs here and there. So masisisi niyo ba ako if I feel insecure?
I was brought out of my reverie ng may maglapag ng pagkain sa harapan ko at napakurap ako at napatingala. It was Jax putting a plate of rice with fried chicken in front of me and he put a bottled water beside that. Binalingan niya ako at nang maupo siya ay binigyan ako ng kubyertos na tinggap ko habang nagpasalamat sa kanya.
I went to grab the bottled water but somebody took hold of my hand before I could hold it and open it. "Eat first, Lee" sabi sa akin ni Jax habang mataman akong tinitignan. I just sighed and started to eat even though my stomach seemed to squeeze everytime na naglalagay ako ng pagkain sa kutsara.
Tahimik lang ako while kumakain at pinipilit ang sariling lumunok. Nagsimula na silang magkwentuhan sa lamesa.
"So Rence, paano ka napunta dito?" tanong ni Xy sa kanya and I looked at Rence since nagtaka din ako. Bahagyang nagitla ako when I saw that he was already looking at me.
"Magkaklase kami nung period before lunch and I found out na bago siya dito and we vibed so I invited him to lunch with us. Nagulat nga ako kanina ng tinawag niya si Ash eh, akala ko ako yung unang kaibigan nito tapos di pala" sagot ni Caleb at inakbayan si Rence na tumawa lang naman sa kanya.
"Nah bro, my first friend is Kay" sabay baling sa akin, "Magkaklase kami in two subjects kahapon, doon ko sya nakilala and naging kaibigan"
"What? ASH MADE A FRIEND ON HER OWN?" eksaheradang tanong ni Tim. Inirapan ko lang siya habang natawa naman ang ibang kasama naming. Sumulyap ako kay Jax and saw that he remained quiet.
"Is it that surprising that she made a friend on her own?" tanong naman ni Rence at sabay sabay naman silang tumango at binalingan naman ako ni Rence ng nakakalokong ngiti.
"So am I the first?" tanong niya ulit.
Tinapik naman siya ni Tim at inakbayan "Nah, that was Jax. Kaya nga ganyan yang dalawang yan. He was the first friend she made on her own. Mailap kase lalo na pag nagbabasa parang nawawala sa mundo at medyo focused"
"Me and Lee met through our brothers and we've been close ever since. Kaya nga gulat ako nung nakita ko na she was being close to you yesterday while you were at the lockers" sagot naman ni Jax habang pinatong ang kamay sa ulo ko at ginulo ang buhok ko.
Tinampal ko naman yung kamay niya kase mabigat at ba't ba trip guluhin yung buhok ko di naman siya inaano eh.
"He talked to me first, I didn't want to be rude and he turned out to be nice so we became friends" sagot ko and I shrugged, still not getting why it seems like a big deal at pinatuloy ang sapilitang pagkain.
"Ganoon ba? Friends lang talaga kayo?" tanong naman ni Caleb na may nakakalokong ngiti sa labi habang pinaling ang tingin sa akin at kay Rence na tinawanan lang ng huli.
"So wala kang planong ligawan si Ash?" Xy asked bluntly.
I choked at that and dali kong inabot yung tubig at mabilis na uminom. Wala talagang filter tung amazonang kaibigan ko minsan eh.
"Hmmm, no promises" sagot naman ni Rence sabay kindat na nagpanganga sakin.
This guy... tumawa pa siya ng tumili yung iba at magsimula siyang tuksuhin nung dalawang lalaki habang bahagyang nangingisay naman si Val na parang kinikilig at nakangisi naman na nakatingin si Xy sa amin.
Nung binaling ko ang tingin kay Jax ay nakita kong natigilan din siya at mariin lang na nakatingin kay Rence na nakangisi lang sa 'kin.
Weird...
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<3