Chapter Twelve: Friend
Back to first year high school…
Back then, for me my grades and school performances are the only things that build up my world.
Anything else beside that, I had no interest.
“Can we be friends?” that’s the usual line I always hear from my classmates.
Alam kong hindi sila sincere and all they truly want is to stick with my knowledge.
“wow top rank na naman si Irene. Mas maganda kung kakaibiganin natin siya. Pag naging kaibigan natin siya sigurado…”
All they think about is how to improve their selves with the help of ‘ME’.
“Ms. Gil, bakit wala ka pang partner?”
“kaya ko na po mag-isa ma’am.”
class murmurs…
“grabe talaga siya”
“oo nga kaya niyang gawin ito mag-isa. Ang hirap kaya.”
I don’t need anybodies help. With me, myself I can do anything.
“Anong pinag-aaralan mo?”
=____=
“Atomic Physics. Wow paano mo naintindihan yan?”
They always try to talk to me but I’m leaving them behind.
“teka saan ka pupunta?”
All I need is PEACE for me. Kaya ang tanung lagi ng iba, ‘bakit kailangan mo pang pumasok sa school? Mukhang alam mo naman na lahat.”
That sort of question started me to be eager of seeking something that could answer it.
And that time someone came…
“Umm…UH! MS. IRENE GIL.” It was raining hard when she ran after me.
She’s obviously nervous from what she is trying to say…
“pe—pe—pwe-pwe”
Because of that I keep on walking.
“Ms. Irene Gil! Pwede mo ba akong turuan mag-aral?”
Tumingin ako ulit sa kanya. Tumayo naman siya at lumapit sa akin.
“PLEASE!” She’s not carrying umbrella and look so soak in front of me.
“NO.” period
That girl is hopeless.
After that day… the Sun brightens up.
In the middle of the class
Pagdating ko sa klase nagdidiscuss na si Sir Philip
“In 1897, J.J Thompson discovered the existence of the electron, marking the beginning of modern atomic physics. The mass of an electron is 9.1 x 10 raise to negative 31 kilograms.”
Dumiretso ako sa upuan ko at nagsimulang matulog.
“One of the two types of particles found in the nucleus is the proton. The existence of a positively charged particle, a proton, in the nucleus was proved by Sir Ernest Rutherford in 1919. A proton has a mass of 1.67 x 10 raise to negative 27 kilograms.”
Blah..blah…blah… The proton's charge is equal but opposite to the negative charge of the electron yeah I’ve learned of that already.
I almost know the entire lesson. Reading it once is enough for me to understand that all. Listening to him is useless.
3 hours passed and it’s break by now.
“Ms. Irene Gil!” her again.
=___=
Walk
Walk
Walk
“Ms. Irene Gil wait lang.” why does she keeps on calling me with my last name? binilisan ko ang lakad ko. “Ms. Irene Gil.” Sumunod pa rin siya sa akin hanggang sa…
UGH!
Shocked
O____o
Boogsh!
>___<
Sfx: Spill something
Natapilok siya at diretsong natapon sa akin ang dala niyang buko shake.
>____> you can read in top of my head the phrase ‘PISSED OFF’
“HALA! I’m so sorry. Hindi ko sinasadya. Oh My Geeeh. I make a mistake na naman I’m such an idiot. I’m really sorry. It’s not sinsadya talaga.” Todo punas siya ng panyo sa uniform at sa mukha ko. In the beginning the thing I mostly hate is touching me.
“I will palit-palit na lang your uniform. I have extra in my locker.” And what’s with her TAG-LISH way of speaking. Nakakarindi!!!
“I’m fine” tapos umalis na ako. I don’t want to start a commotion dealing with her.
“Please ms. Irene Gil . turuan mo ako kahit isang subject lang.” hinarangan niya ang daraanan ko at nilabas yung resulta ng second grading period examination.
She got it almost perfect
All almost perfect ZERO.
“Huhuhuhu. I’m begging you. Kapag hindi pa ako pumasa padadala ako ng mga magulang ko sa dulo ng Bermuda triangle.”
There’s a big question in my head: How did she graduate from grade school?
“That kind of place suited you.” I walked out again “I’ll wait for you there.”
“Talaga? You’ll wait for me where?”
Did she misinterpret my joke?
[A/N: cause your way of joking isn’t funny MS. INGLISERANG GENIUS]
“Okay.okay. I’ll wait for you pero saan?” she really didn’t get it at all.
“It’s a joke. I have no time for creatures like you.” I run from now dahil alam kong susundan at susundan niya pa rin ako. She’s persistent.
The next day…
“MISS IRENE GIL!”
And the next day…
“Miss Irene Gil!”
And the next next day…
“MISS IRENE GIL!”
And the coming days…
“MISS IRENE GIL!”
ARGH!!!
“I give up!!!” I’m wrong she’s not just persistent; she’s the kind of a desperate one. Sundan niya daw ba naman ako araw-araw hindi ba siya napapagod kakaakyat-baba sa hagdan. She’s on the opposite section of my class. UGH!
“Tuturuan na kita sa isang kondisyon.”
“Really Yaaay! I’m so happy about this! After losing 10 pounds I did it. Napapayag kita para turuan ako. Yaay!”
WHAT?! She lost almost 8 kilos from following me. Pero ako hirap na hirap magbawas ng timbang! Damn it! Nasa kalagitnaan ako ng pagkainis nung nagsalita na naman siya.
“Nga pala what condition is it?”
“Answer my question?”
“HUH?! Question? Magsisimula na ba tayo? Teka lang I’m not ready! Wait about calculus, no even my brain did not accept that word. Teka lang I’ll prepare myself.” She’s tense and can’t even stop wiggling from there to there.
=___= annoyed
“My question is too simple. You don’t have to panic that much.”
“HUH?!” at tumigil na siya sa pagsasayaw o kung ano mang boxing exercise yung ginawa niya kanina. “You mean as simple as ‘what’s your name?’”
“Sort of.” She becomes lively. And then I start asking her this question that keeps whirling in my head.
“Why do we need to attend school?”
O_____O
I knew it…. she’s shock after I asked it.
“Para matuto at magkaroon ng pag-asa ang mga Idiot na tulad ko.” She’s frank I liked that. But it’s not the answer I’m wanting.
“bukod dun. Something has to do with a person like me.”
“Mmm… sa mga matatalinong tulad mo. Yeah you don’t need to go to school since alam mo na lahat. You’re the top rank in school right?”
=____= somehow feel irritated by her statement.
“Pero school does bring lots of experience. Kaya mas gusto kong nasa school kaysa sa bahay.”
“But why did you have only this?” tinapat ko sa mukha niya yung test paper na dala niya.
“hehe. It’s another part of my explanation. Pero ang mas masaya kung bakit tayo pumupunta sa school ay para magkaroon ng kaibigan. Bunch and bunch of friends.”
Sfx: enlighten
EUREKA!!!! EUREKA!!!
KAIBIGAN?
I don’t get it?
Friends are burden
Big destruction
Foolishness
Liar
There when there’s only something they need from you
Come and go
“hehehe, para sa akin napakahalaga ng kaibigan. Nandyan sila para sa iyo sa oras na down ka. They want you to make silly things and after that you’ll all laugh about it. They’re the only one who’ll say harsh things to you pero tanggap mo yun kasi totoo. Mag-aalala sila kapag may sakit ka at dadalhan ka ng gusto mo. Pumupunta sila sa bahay para kwentuhan ka ng masasayang bagay about love or significant things that happened that day. They makes me happy and smile all day and the most important…” she giggles
“They care for you. Friends do love to care.”
CARE?
Her understandings of friends are so different from mine. It’s like I’m building a cell between the two of us and she’s free going in and out of that cell while I’m rested there in my whole life. From the expression on her face I can feel it in some way true. Maraming kaibigan? Mukhang meron siya nun.
“It’s hard to be a loner kaya. Being separated from other people is so lonely.”
Loner? Lonely?
“Marami pa akong gustong sabihin gusto mo bang marinig?”
“It’s enough.” I start walking “follow me in the library.” And from there I started teaching her.
She’s kind of lame and slow. Whenever she got the wrong answer she always nagged that she has lot of friends online and she wanted to join them. And what am I here for?
“tigilan mo muna yang cellphone mo at makinig ka sa akin”
“There’s probably no hope for me. I get 1 over 100. Tanga! Tanga! Bobo! Bobo!”
“Tama ka. You’re one of the most Idiot people I know. I call you an idiot cause the range of your IQ below 20. Base from what I observe. But as a student it’s your duty to study and work harder.”
“School is a joke” after saying things so meaningful to me awhile ago sinasabi niya ngayong ‘school is a joke’
Nagdrama siya at tipong batang pinalo ng nanay niya.
“It hurts! Aa! It hurts! Don’t say such things too me since I’m your friend.”
FRIEND? Did I hear a mumbling noise just a second ago?
“Did you say fr-?”
“No I won’t give up. Alam kong may natatagong talino sa utak ko. Hehe pwede na ba akong umuwi may bukas pa naman di ba?”
Tomorrow? I will see her again tomorrow? But this kind of feeling seems light.
“O-oo same place, same time.” I can’t recall talking or even mingling with anyone with hours passed.
“Yaay! Your so kind even I heard you have a heart of stone.”
Eh? PUSONG BATO?
“You should also try spending time teaching others. I’m sure they’ll be matutuwa.” Wala akong planong gawin yun.
Inayos niya na yung mga gamit niya at kung ikukumpara mo sa itsura niya kanina… I think nagkaroon siya ng pag-asa na hindi mapadala sa Bermuda triangle. She wants to be a good student, I like that.
“ Sige babye, Friend!”
That day is the first time I accept someone calling me a friend.
“Ahh by the way… I’m Louise Palenzuela. It’s so nice meeting you Ms. Irene Gil”
She smiles at me on through her way home. Such a girl…
“She called me friend.” =____= I can’t smile I apologize for that but I feel joy inside.
Parang gusto ko nang maranasan ang magkaroon ng kaibigan.
“Louise Palenzuela, I’ll remember that.”
After the retest for those who failed the second grading period examination
LOUISE: wahhh ito na ata ang pinakamataas na score na nakuha ko sa buong buhay ko…(feeling great)
Math: 13/50
English: 27/60
General Science: 18/50
Filipino: 25/50
AP: 10/50
Average: 0.4
Tsk.tsk.tsk.tsk.
LOUISE: saan naman kaya ako ipapadala nito?
-end of chapter twelve
[A/N: end for another chapter. Waah sinipag ako aah. Sana magpatuloy itong ‘kasipagan’. I apologize guys sa mga typo ulit. Hindi ko na naedit kasi upload agad ang ginagawa ko kapag natatapos ko ang isang chapter. Hope you’ll get the point of todays chapter and keep reading. Thank you]