REYNARD
"I WON the bet!" I declared when I met my partner in community service. We just finished polishing the trophies, medals, and plaques in the university's hall of champions. Nakapalad ako sa kaniya habang pinanonood ang pagbunot niya ng isang five-hundred peso bill mula sa wallet. He got a lot of blue bills there!
"Darn it," Michelangelo muttered as he slapped the yellow bill on my palm. His face used to have a smug look. Now it's gone. "I really thought that 'Ric will be the next VP."
"Not gonna lie, he's been disappointing quite recently." I held up the money before the light to see if it's real or fake. "No'ng una, inurong niya ang impeachment complaint. Ngayon, hinayaan niyang makalusot sa LEXECOM ang napiling VP ni Priam. Where's the entertainment you've been bragging to me?"
"I don't know!" He threw his hands in the air. "'Ric never disappoints. 'Ric always gets what he wants."
"That doesn't seem to be the case now." I pocketed the bill. May pambili na ako ng burger with fries and drink mamaya. "Parang tigre siya na nabahag ang buntot. Ay, hindi pala tigre. Kuting."
A week ago, right after Valeria's resignation, Michelangelo and I made a wager. It started as a joke, pero sineryoso niya kaya napasubo na rin ako. I bet that Alaric wouldn't be the next VP. Never. He bet his friend would take that spot through some clever maneuvers. He even said that everything leading up to this point was part of that guy's overly complicated plan.
Confident akong 'di mangyayari 'yon kaya malakas ang loob kong pumusta. Why? Because Castiel would never allow it. Priam wouldn't also be an idiot to nominate someone who tried to drag him off his throne. Except for mind control or hypnotism, there's no way we would be seeing the title "Vice President" before Alaric Esteban's name—at least, not through the usual nomination process.
"Hindi basta-basta mababahag ang buntot niya," pailing-iling na tugon ni Michelangelo. He had been a staunch Alaric supporter and defender since day one. He might be an apologist, too. "They must have threatened him or something. Nagawa nga nila ro'n sa isang CSC chairperson, 'di ba? Magagawa rin nila 'yon kay 'Ric."
"That makes sense." My eyes narrowed into slits. "But does Alaric have any skeletons in his closet that they can use against him? Kasi kung meron, posible ngang binlackmail din siya gaya ni Chevy."
Napahalakhak ang kasama ko na parang may mabenta akong joke na sinabi. Is he trying to laugh it off?
"Walang bahong itinatago si 'Ric," sagot niya matapos maubo. "Kahit gaano pa katalas ang kanilang sense of smell, wala silang maaamoy na umaalingasaw galing sa kaniya."
Because he's quite good at covering his tracks? "Then why did you mention na baka tine-threaten siya kung alam mong walang magagamit laban sa kaniya? What will they use to blackmail him in the first place?"
Napakamot siya ng pisngi at umiwas ng tingin. "B-Baka tine-threaten siya sa ibang paraan?"
My eyes narrowed further at him. He knew more than what he was letting on. Let me dig deeper.
"Everyone has secrets. That's a fact. I'm a hundred percent sure you have at least one, too." I crossed my arms and sat on the edge of the table. "Maybe you don't know a secret or two about Alaric because you two aren't that close. Maybe those scumbags in the USC are good at sniffing out secrets, and that's how they found a way to blackmail him—"
"Imposible 'yan!" He cut my words short. Whoa! Why so angry? "Kung may sekreto man si 'Ric, isa ako sa mga unang makakaalam n'on! Gano'n kami kadikit! Remember when I told you that we were classmates in senior high?"
"How about Alaric? Do you think he's capable of blackmail?" I changed the subject, like a car making a sudden U-turn drift in the highway.
He swallowed hard while staring at me. He didn't have to say a word anymore. His silence spoke for him.
"'Ric will do everything to get what he wants," he answered after beats of awkward silence. I waited for more, but he didn't elaborate any further.
"I take that as a yes." I smirked at him before checking the time on my phone. "Anyway, 'tapos na ang duty natin. You still have basketball practice while I have a yummy burger waiting for me. Good luck on your practice."
"Ingat."
I grabbed my bag and exited the room before him. Michelangelo and I had gotten close over the weeks, thanks to the mess that Castiel created. Ang dali at ang sarap mag-bonding kapag may parehong tao o bagay kayong pinagti-trip-an. A so-called common enemy could be a common ground for two total strangers to bond together. Could we become friends? Not sure. Ayaw kong magkaroon ng personal attachment sa sources ko dahil baka maimpluwensiyahan ang judgment ko.
Right now, Michelangelo was nothing but an onion... or a cabbage. I was peeling each layer delicately to get to the core. Was I any closer to it? I couldn't tell at the moment. But I was making some progress, no matter how big or small. It might take more time though. But as long as I was taking one step at a time, I could loosen his tongue soon.
Instead of going to the editorial office, I decided to grab a bite in the food hub. Sakto, may five hundred pesos ako. Meron din akong ka-meet dito kaya I might as well hit two birds with one stone. I bought a burger and a soda from a food stand before looking for a table. Makiki-share sana ako sa isang MedTech student na mag-isa sa table, pero umiling siya sa 'kin. Mabuti't may bakanteng mesa sa likod niya kaya ro'n ako umupo.
"We could have met somewhere more discreet," I said after taking a big bite off my cheeseburger. I hadn't had lunch that's why I was starving. "Why choose a public place?"
"As long as we're not sharing the same table, it's going to be okay," Valeria Encarnacion replied. Yup, it's her again. Noon, magkaharap kami. Ngayon, magkatalikod na. This reminded me of my supposedly secret meeting with Fabienne a few weeks ago. Magkatalikod din kami no'n.
This was the second time we had met since the restaurant meeting. It had been a week since she told me about Oplan First Lady. It's a tell-all exposé. Oh, boy! She told me every juicy detail—mas juicy pa sa burger na kinakain ko—that could make any investigative journalist salivate. Kapag lumabas 'yon, siguradong katapusan na ng USC. The scheme was mainly Castiel's idea, but the whole council consented to deceive the student body in order to win reelection. Priam couldn't claim innocence this time since he was fully aware of it. Sadly, Fabienne would also get dragged into this mess.
All this time, Valeria had been carrying a silver bullet that could put an end to the werewolf that was the USC. But she couldn't bring herself to load it in a gun and fire it.
If I were an unscrupulous reporter, I would have published everything by now. I could end the USC's reign with a few taps and clicks. I wouldn't lie. The temptation was strong. But a deal is a deal. I promised to not expose any piece of information until a certain condition was met. I couldn't compromise my principles for a sizzling scoop. The right time would come, but it wasn't now.
"Cas is now the vice president," I said next after sipping from my soda. "If he was a cunning student-politician, he would be scheming to steal the presidency from Priam. Are you not worried at all?"
I expected Alaric to not be picked as the next VP. What I didn't expect was Castiel's appointment. If serving in the student council was like a television or movie production, he would have been the director and scriptwriter, not the second male lead. Masyadong out of character para sa kaniya na umalis sa likod ng camera at pumasok sa mismong scene. That's not his strongest suit.
Well, even he didn't expect it either. Napansin koang pagkagulat niya nang banggitin ni Priam ang kaniyang pangalan no'ng announcement. Namutla ang mukha at halos malaglag ang panga niya. Parang nakakita siya ng multo! It's as if he won the lottery, but the lottery was for The Hunger Games. He didn't want to take part in it, but he didn't have any choice. Alaric was probably willing to volunteer as tribute, but Castiel didn't want him to take his place.
Given his grip on the council, he probably had another person in mind for that position, but the president decided not to follow his wise counsel. Something must be going on behind the scenes.
"Cas didn't ask for the VP position. He would never ask for it. The appointment was entirely Priam's idea," Valeria replied, confirming my theory. She was enjoying a small bucket of fries on her table. "I don't think it's a wise decision, but I respect the president's constitutional prerogative."
"Now you sound like Alaric." I chuckled. That's exactly what he said in The Herald's article. "But you're right. The wiser decision is to appoint someone from SALVo, the USC's allied party. Priam doesn't strike me as dumb, so he's probably factored that in, right?"
"Everything is under control. A deal has been made anyway."
"Mind going on record to tell me what that deal is?" I teased, giving her a side-eye. "LEXECOM naman ang beat ko. Some inside information will be much appreciated."
"I'm not in the right position to speak of that matter. Sorry."
"Okay, fine." I lazily threw my hands up, then I quickly withdrew them. Wala pala akong kausap sa harapan ko. Valeria couldn't even see me. Baka kung ano'ng isipin ng mga estudyante sa katabing table.
This back-to-back arrangement was getting tiresome! Nate-tempt akong lumingon sa kaniya para hindi ko na kailangang magpanggap na may kausap sa phone o nakikipag-usap sa hangin.
"But I trust that Priam knows what he's doing," she added. "He won't make a rash decision."
"Do you trust Castiel though?" I asked. "Do you trust what he might do with his newfound position and power?"
She took a short pause. I couldn't tell if my question made her reflect or she just drank some water. "Well, the vice president is mostly a spare tire and a glorified facilitator."
"You think he will let his job description restrain him from doing what he thinks is best for him... and the council?"
"I hope he will. I hope he won't pull off an impeachable stunt again."
"I hope so, too." I bobbed my head as I chewed the meat in my mouth. That reminds me... "I wonder if the First Lady is gonna be upset with the president's decision. Aside from Alaric, Castiel must be the last person she wants to be the VP."
Natahimik na naman ang kausap ko sa kabilang table. Curious why she fell silent, I glanced at her over my right shoulder. Hindi ko masilayan ang mukha niya, pero napansin kong huminto siya sa pagkain.
"If she trusts Priam, she should understand." She broke her silence shortly. "If she knows him better now than the first time they met, she should understand. Otherwise, she doesn't deserve to be the First Lady."
Parang may hugot ang sinabi niya, ah? If she harbored any strong feelings toward Fabienne or her pretend relationship with Priam, that's none of my business.
"So what are you gonna do now?" I asked before licking the ketchup-mayonnaise combo off my thumb. "You took responsibility for the coercion scandal and you resigned out of shame. You committed a political suicide."
"Well, I'm enjoying my life as an ordinary student," she answered with a tone of relief. "Mas nakapagpo-focus na ako sa academics. Mas nakaka-bonding ko na ang friends at classmates ko. I came to realize recently that I had neglected a lot of stuff since I joined the USC. Ngayon, parang gumaan ang pakiramdam ko. Parang nawala na ang mabigat na pasanin."
I chuckled. "If you want to retire peacefully, you wouldn't have exposed the blueprint of Oplan First Lady to me. You still wanna be in the game, don't you?"
Some people had this certain type of addiction. Once they got into the game and tasted even just the sweet droplets of victory, they wouldn't easily let go anymore. Kaya nga marami ang nalululong sa sugal.
"The only game I want to play is to protect Priam," she said with conviction. I could visualize her face looking firm. "Wala akong ulterior motive maliban sa paninigurong matatapos niya ang kaniyang term at kung papalarin ay ma-reelect siya. I will be cheering for him from the shadows."
"By stepping out of the spotlight and stepping down the stage, you will be able to move freely," I commented. "Wala nang nakabantay sa mga galaw mo. Wala nang nakatutok na camera sa 'yo."
"Which made my past week a bit peaceful," she added. "Parang bumata ulit ako. Nabawasan ang eyebags at ang pagka-haggard ng face ko."
"Enjoy these little moments of peace." I crumpled the burger wrapper and finished my soda. "Kung talagang desidido kang tulungan ang USC mula sa labas, paniguradong sasakit ang ulo mo at mai-stress ka ulit kapag may ginawa ang opposition. The impeachment was just the first wave. It's not and never gonna be smooth sailing for Priam and the USC."
"I know."
"So I'm assuming you didn't call me here to give the go signal?" I asked. We had been talking about a bunch of stuff that I forgot the purpose of this meeting. "Sa totoo niyan, kating-kati na ang mga daliri kong i-send ang exposé article sa editor ko."
"No, I'm only making sure that the insurance policy is still intact. Cas' appointment is not the betrayal that I'm worried about. But now that he's the VP, if he makes any move to oust Priam for whatever reason... that will be the signal you've been waiting for."
"You think he's capable?"
"No, but I can't be sure. People change over time."
I wiped my lips with a napkin and crumpled it in my hand. "If there's nothing else, I have to go now. Next time, sana'y meron kang bagong juicy scoop para sa 'kin. I can't eat those delicious Oplan First Lady-flavored ice cream scoops yet."
"See you around."
The food hub was implementing a clean-as-you-go policy, so I got up and threw my trash in the nearby bin. I hope that Valeria knows what she's doing, too. She shouldn't mistake me for an ally because I wouldn't take sides between the USC and the opposition. My job was to report facts and expose lies. Matamaan na ang mga dapat matamaan. Masagasaan na ang mga dapat masagasaan. Again, I had no horse in this race.
Like eating ice cream, once I was finished with one scoop, I would finish the other next—regardless of its flavor.
30
NEXT UPDATE: Fabienne reacts to Castiel's appointment.