Three.
-
Kathryn
"Wow. You look beautiful, Kath." Bati sakin ni Seth pagkalabas ko ng kwarto. I examined myself in front of the oval-shaped mirror before facing him.
"You don't look bad yourself, Mr. Gothico." I remarked. "Sino pa iniintay natin? Akala ko tayo na lang matagal?"
"The ugly troll DJ." Seth. As if on the spot, lumabas ng kwarto niya si DJ habang nagpapa-bango. DJ sprayed some perfume on Seth's face dahil tinawag siyang ugly troll.
He wore a button-up black polo, his usual skinny jeans and a pair of supras.
"You're not ugly." I said. Screw that. I managed to say dahil napapa-nganga pa din ako sa kagwapuhan ng nasa harap ko ngayon. Tinaas pa niya yung buhok niya tapos effortless yung pagka-pogi niya. Pucha, ang bango pa.
"I'm just a troll, then?" Pabiro niyang sabi sabay taas ng kilay. He took my hand at inikot ako. "Well, pag katabi kita. Mamumukha nga akong ugly troll nun."
Naramdaman kong namula yung pisngi ko. Nahiya naman yung blush on ko sakin. Just then, I heard Lester from downstairs.
"BUMABA NA KAYO AT AALIS NA TAYO." And so we did. We travelled from the complex to MOA as we listened to a bunch of Jason Mraz's songs. Si JC yung nagdadrive dahil gusto niya. Pinagdadasal na lang namin na hindi kami mahuli ng MMDA dahil nilalabag niya ang 60 kph rule sa dina-daanan naming kalsada.
Dire-direcho kami sa hidden entrance ng MOA. Yup, may concert kasi ang Parking 5 ngayon at medyo na-late na nga sa calltime dahil ang tagal naming tatlo magbihis. Somehow, may mga fangirls pa din na nagiintay sa "hidden entrance" nay un at nung makita ang Parking 5, eh halos magpatiwakal na sila at magsi-ihi.
"Hi Kath! I like your tweets and the videos you post about the boys." One managed to grab me by my arm and smile at me genuinely.
"Hi! Thanks!" I whipped my phone and unlocked it. "What's your twitter username so I can follow you when we're settled?" Halos mashock pa siya sa sinabi ko. Alam mo yung napa "o" shape yung bibig niya at nagpapa-padyak muna bago niya sinabi. As if on cue naman ay pinaalis na ako ng security guard.
Dire-diretso kami ng pasok sa isang mahabang hall. Yung mga lalaki naman eh nanahimik lang at nagtetext. Pumasok na sila sa dressing room nila at syempre kasunod ako dun. We were greeted by 3 ladies. One wearing a casual shirt. One with a MOA security uniform. And One wearing an office attire. All of them wore a VIP necklace which gives them privilege to go in and out of the venue.
"Late. 10 minutes late." Sabi nung naka-office attire na damit sabay himas sa ulo niya.
"Traffic kasi, diba?" Pagrarason naman ni JC na siyang unang umupo sa hair and makeup.
"I'm going to call your vocal coach. Stay put." Girlaloo na naka-office attire.
"Oh right. Celestine, this is Kath. Pinsan ko. She's staying with us for the summer." Pakilala sakin ni Kats dun sa babaeng naka-office attire. "Kath, siya si Celestine. Manager namin." She shook my hand before leaving. Mas praning pa siya sa magko-concert eh. Hahahaha.
"And this is Aya." Pakilala ulit ni Kats sakin dun sa babaeng naka-casual lang. "Siya ang stylist namin."
"Nice to meet you, Kath."
"Ditto." Dumating na yung vocal coach nila at ayun, nagkaka-kanta na sila. Ako naman, kinakausap ko lang si Aya. Kesho, ang hirap daw ayusin ng 5 to kasi makukulit, Which was always disagreed with whoever boy was seated on the chair.
Si Kats yung huling inayusan at natapos naman agad. Aya waved us goodbye at sinabing nasa gilid lang siya ng stage at kita-kita na lang sila sa retouch. Kaya ako atsaka yung lima lang ang naiwan dito. Una kong niyakap si Lester.
"Goodluck, bro. Kaya niyo yan. Normal na lang to sainyo eh." Kumalas na siya at lumabas na. Kakabitan pa kasi siya ng lapel at iaayos pa yung mic na gamit niya. Sumunod naman si JC. Ang ever so hyper na si JC.
"HI MY FAVOURITE KABE!" Ayan, katulad ni Kats ayaw akong tawaging Bernardo. Laging 'little kabe' o kaya naman 'jc's favorite kabe'. He engulfed me in a breathtaking hug before releasing me.
"Stay put, be nice. Don't do anything onstage that I wouldn't do." Paalala ko sakanya and then moved to Seth. Who charmingly, gave me a hand and kissed my hand.
"Ikaw naman, Mr. Gothico. I'm sure, you'll do great. I'll be there watching."
Kats had both his hands in his pockets nung alam niyang siya naman ang yayakapin ko. Agad ko namang dinambahan ang loko.
"I'm so proud of you, my dear cousin." Eh, hindi naman kasi man of words si Kats kaya humalik na lang sa pisngi ko saka nagpasalamat at umalis na. Huli si DJ.
Si DJ na naka-smirk sakin sa hindi malaman-lamang dahilan. Nagpapa-cute amputek.
"Oh? Ako? Walang words of wisdom?" Tanong niya sakin.
"Syempre meron." I tackled him into a hug before whispering. "I'll be your biggest fan out there."
Kumalas na ako at sabay kaming lumabas. Kaso hinatak niya yung kamay ko sabay akbay sakin. Kasunod nun, ang pagkuha niya sa atensyon ni Aya na busy makipagusap sa kung kaninong crew. He handed her his black iPhone signaling for a picture. His arms were draped around me and we were so close. So close that if we stayed longer and Kats saw us, it would definitely cause World War III. But still, a good picture was taken. He typed from his phone and gave his phone to one of the crews.
"Wish me luck!" He said waving. My phone vibrated and saw a tweet from DJ. Paguusapan nanaman kami neto sa twitter, as always. Yung iba nga, ayaw ng maniwala na pinsan ko si Kats. Boyfriend ko dawn a pinagpapanggap ako na pinsan ko I can be with him this summer. Yuck. Agh. I opened the tweet and saw our picture attached to it.
"@imdanielpadilla Nakapag-papicture na din sa pinaka-magandang nilalang ngayong gabi. @biggestDJster"
Cheeky. I thought. Before heading to the stairs before the stage. Ayoko naman kasing pumwesto sa harap dahil una wala akong kasama at pangalawa, baka hindi ako makauwi ng buhay. Kaya tumabi na lang ako kay Aya na may hawak na press powder habang may katabing rack ng pampalit ng damit. Super woman din tong si Aya eh.
Every now and then the boys would acknowledge me backstage and would often give me hugs before returning. However, DJ. Tuwi na lang bababa, nagpapa-picture sakin. Tipong palit siya ng palit ng damit tapos ako ganun pa din yung damit.
"Kayo ba?" Tanong ni Aya sakin, the moment DJ went onstage.
"Ha? Di ah."
But the thought wouldn't leave my mind.
Ano nga kaya kung kami?
***
Needless to say the performance/concert was great and it was only 9PM. Too early for my life. I stayed inside the boys' dressing room habang iniintay silang matapos magbabye sa mga tao dun.
"WHAT A NIGHT" Sigaw ng alam na alam kong si JC. Nakasara pa yung pintuan, alam ko ng siya eh. Hahahaha. Halos lumipad yung pinto ng buksan niya sanay upo sa isang monoblock at hubad ng tshirt niya. Kasunod naman na niya yung paat ang panghuli si Aya na halos magkanda-ugaga sa pagaabot ng damit sakanila. Napailing nalang ako. Napaka-reliant ng mga to kay Aya. Parang mga walang kamay eh.
"So, how was it Kath?" Tanong ni Kats sakin habang kumukuha ng tubig.
"Great! Lahat kayo, ang galing. Thumbs up."
"9 lang? Aga pa bro. Ayoko pa umuwi." Reklamo ni Seth habang nilalagyan siya ni Aya ng pulbo. Wow, instant yaya.
"BUT you can't go out." Singit naman ni Celestine na hindi namin alam kung saan nanggaling. Basta bigla na lang sumulpot yung boses niya sabay pasok niya sa dressing room. "Pagkaka-guluhan kayo. So, magsi-uwi na lang kayo. Anyways, you have a long day tomorrow. Long day of rehearsals. And then at 1PM may interview kayo with..." She looked at her papers. "Exclusive interview with SIR. Tapos 4PM, meet and greet sa winners ng pa-contest niyo online. And then..." Sinara na niya yung papel niya to face the boys. "Tapos na. Kaya kung ako kayo, umuwi na at magpahinga."
"Hala naman." The boys whined.
"Hindi nga kasi kayo pwedeng sabay-sabay umalis at gumala. Ang kulit niyo din eh no?" Celestine
"Edi hindi kami sama-sama. By two's!" Pagsusuggest ni Kats na alam kong kating-kati ng umalis sa venue. "Seth atsaka si JC. Lester tsaka ako. DJ atsaka si Kath."
Tiningnan siya ni Celestine na para bang gusto ng pagbigyan. But by the looks of this woman, she seemed to be like the one who plays by the rules. She sighed before giving in.
"Fine. Make sure you don't do anything stupid. Ang hirap linisin ng utak ng press." She exclaimed before heading for the door. "I'll see you boys tomorrow."
"I think me and Kath should go together." Biglang salita ni Kats. Agad namna kaming nagka-tinginan ni DJ. Don't get me wrong, mahal ko naman tong si Kats kaya lang nakakasawa na yung mukha. Maiba naman. Si DJ.
"Pre, hayaan mo na yang dalawang yan. Kasi AKO?! Nagugutom na ko." Sabi ni Lester sakanya sabay hatak papalabas.
"Let's go?" DJ asked.
"See you guys tonight." I said before we headed out. "San tayo? Nagugutom na ko eh."
"McDo!" He shrieked before pulling my hand and going in. Wala namang tao pero mukhang windang ang cashier ng makita si DJ. Biglang napa-lagay ng buhok sa gilid ng tenga. Sarap sampalin. Landi. "Big Mac, McSpaghetti, Coke, Sundae. Ikaw?"
"Quarter pounder. One piece chicken with rice. Fries. Apple Pie. At Pineapple juice."
"The stomach of a man!" Biro ni DJ saka binayadan yung order namin. Kahit na halos matabig ko na yung mga lalagyanan ng donation kakapilit na babayadan ko na lang yung akin, tutal may pera naman ako atsaka nakakahiya. Kaso binantaan ni DJ na susunugin niya ang McDonalds kapag tinaggap ang bayad ko kaya ayun, siya panalo.
"Bat ganyan ka makatingin?" Tanong ko sakanya. Binabalatan ko kasi yung manok tapos nahuli kong nakatingin sakin. At hindi lang yun. Nakangiti pa. "Uy, ano ba?"
"Usually, mga babaeng kasama ko sa mga date. Hiyang-hiya kumain. Natutuwa lang ako sayo." DJ.
"You consider this a date, huh?" Sumandal ako at tinaasan siya ng kilay. Immediately, namula yung mukha niya sabay kamot sa batok niya.
"Ah... eh... Kats would kill me if he finds out." He whispered which he earned a snicker from me.
"Takot ka kay Kats?"
"What? NO!" Mabilis niyang sagot. "Takot ako sa magiging reaksyon niya kapag nalaman niyang I took his Little Kabe to a date."
"Which brings me back to the date thing. You consider this a date?" Pangiintriga ko sakanya. Hindi naman sa ayoko. Wala lang, gusto ko lang siyang asarin.
"Well... Yes. How about you?"
"Sure. Let's consider this a date."
We finished eating at lumabas na kami. Magiikot na lang kami dahil tahimik naman na lahat ng tao at siguro tulog na. Tahimik lang si Dj habang pasway-sway yung mga kamay niya na minsan ay tuma-tama sa kamay ko. Hindi ko alam kung sinasadya neto oh ano eh. Pero nung isa pang tama nung kamay niya, sinalo ko na. Salo lang. Pero nagulat ako sa susunod niyang ginawa. Hinolding hands niya.
Click!
Napatingin ako sa likod to see if there was someone else watching. Pero wala naman kaya naman naglakad na kami papalayo. Walang nagsasalita. Pero pakiramdam ko pareho kaming kinikilig.
Wala lang. Pakiramdam ko lang naman.
Nasa tapat na kami ng complex ng biglang magring ang phone ko.
JC Ford calling...
Accept || Decline
"Hello?"
"Check mo nga kung ano oras na." Una niyang sabi. Kinuha ko naman yung kamay ni DJ sabay tingin sa wrist watch niya.
Nak ng...
11:47PM.
Agad-agad? Ang bilis naman ng oras.
Bak amabilis lang talaga kapag gusto mo yung kasama mo. Shet. Lumalandi.
"Nakita mo na? Umuwi na kayo at nagsisimangot na si Kats. Ang tagal niyo daw."
"Nasa tapat na kami. Papasok na kaso tumawag ka bigla."
"Sige na. Hahahaha. Lumandi ka muna diyan. Bye!"
Iba talaga sapak netong si JC. I sighed and slid my phone to my pocket. Si DJ naman pinapanuod lang ako. Eto, may habit mantitig ah. Kaasar. Sarap pektusan ng loko. "-_-
"Kats is..." Ako
"I know."
Bubuksan ko na sana yung pinto kaso hinatak ako ni DJ. Tapos niyakap.
But wait, there's more. May matching halik sa ulo pa. Nakangiti lang akong umangat mula sa pagkaka-yakap niya.
"I figured I should do that before Kats sees us." He retorted as I slipped the keys and opened the door. SI Kats naman sabay tayo at harap samin na parang inis na inis. Sinabit ko yung susi tapos sinara na yung pinto.
"Unang-una, sana nagtext ka man lang kung nasaan kayo. Ano pang saysay ng cellphone mo kung hindi mo lang din naman gagamitin, diba? Pangalawa, bakit ngayon lang kayo?!" He snapped. Earning the attention from the other boys'.
"Kats, I'm 17. I'm old enough to—"
"Exactly. You're 17. Not even 18! Kaya sana nagsasabi ka. At ito ding si DJ, sana nagtext." Kats.
"WOAH. Bro, wala kong obligasyon sayo. I don't need to text you with all my wee's and whereabouts." DJ snapped. Si Kats naman walang pakialam kasi balak atang gisahin pa ako.
"You're 2 months older than me! What does that entitle you?!" I asked.
"Sinabi sakin ng mommy mo na bantayan ka. Therefore, ginagawa ko lang ang utos niya."
"EH SINASAKAL MO KO. Di mo ko binabantayan. For the past 3 weeks, that's all you've ever done. Give me a fucking break!"
"WHAT DO I KNOW! He might end up being like Dominic." Ayun, dun ako napikon. Ilang buwan ko na ding hindi naririnig ang pangalang yan. Masakit pa din sa tenga. Dominic Roque. I can't believe Kats had managed to drag him into this. Si Dominic, ang ex boyfriend ko na nahuli kong may ginagawang milagro sa kwarto niya kasama yung dati kong kaibigan. Kaya ayun, nagreak kami. At simula nun, protective na si Kats sakin. Magkaibigan kasi sila ni Dominic dati. Nung nalaman niya, halos basagin na niya yung mukha ni Dom. Pinagsusuntok niya, at bugbog literal. Kung hindi lang dumating yung kuya ko, malamang hindi na humihinga si Dom ngayon.
Nanginig yung buong katawan ko ng marinig yung pangalan yun. Dominic. Lahat nanahimik. Pati TV ata naka-mute.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to—" Panimula ni Kats.
"Leave it. Have a good night." I said coldly before heading upstairs and slamming the room.
Fucking Dominic Roque.
Asshole.
[1 message received]
FROM: DJ Padilla
Hindi ko alam kung anong nangyari pero inaaway na namin si Kats dito for upsetting you. I hope that makes you feel a little better. :) I'll see you in the morning. Thanks for tonight, I had fun. Good Night. :*
I smile crept on my face as I read the message. I quickly hit the reply button and started typing.
TO: DJ Padilla
Haha, no worries. Had fun today too! :) Thank you. ;) Good Night :*
I locked my phone and put it inside the drawer before plopping to bed.
Well.
Well.
Well.
What could be so special about DJ that he managed to make me smile amidst the fight with Kats?
And the mention of Dom's name?
[1 message received]
FROM: DJ Padilla
Good Night, Kath. Sleep tight. :*
Hindi na lang ako sumagot.
Kunwari chix. =))
"Good Night, DJ." I said to myself before tucking myself to sleep.
*
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