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"Zion!" Levi shouted as soon as he saw me across the corridor. Napatingin sa kanya ang lahat ng estudyante na nakakalat sa hallway dahil sa ginawa niyang pagsigaw. Napangisi ako sa kalokohan ng gago.
Kilala ko si Levi. Kapag ganitong nakatambay siya sa labas ng room ay paniguradong tumiting-tingin na naman ito sa dumadaang mga babae. Typical Leviticus.
"Did you get Wayne's text?" agad na tanong ko nang makalapit ako sa kanya.
"Oh? Nag text siya? Bakit?" gulat na sabi niya.
"Ah. He probably didn't send it to you. Di ka sigurado invited." pang-inis ko sabay tawa.
"Fuck you." nakasimangot na kinuha ni Levi ang phone mula sa kanyang bulsa. Umiling-iling na lang ako at iginala ang mga mata sa paligid.
"Oh. Meron pala akong text!" masayang sambit niya. He's probably thrilled that he's not left out. Di ko mapigilan ang sarili sa pagtawa. What a loser. "A foam party? Of course, I'll come."
Hinayaan ko na lang siyang kausapin ang sarili habang nagta-type ng reply kay Wayne. Ibinalik ko ang mga mata sa paglibot sa hallway.
I stopped from scanning the corridor when my eyes caught a certain face. Umangat ang isang kilay ko. I've seen a lot of beautiful faces but I've never seen this one before. If I did, I will most definitely never forget. I know I would have done everything to take her and make her mine.
I could stare at her every day and never get tired. Her face was a beautiful shape of oval. Her pointed nose was the perfect size for his face. She's got a mix of hooded and almond shaped eyes, a match for her round and slightly thick eyebrows.
My eyes lingered longer at her pale pink lips that looked like Cupid's bow, the lower part slightly plumped. I didn't know I had a favorite shape until I saw hers.
She's got a fair skin that looked like it was softly kissed by the sun. Her hair was a very dark shade of brown. Strands were slightly curled into natural waves.
I next gazed my eyes down her body. She wasn't voluptuous but she's slim and fit─the perfect frame for a model. I could see the slight curved on her body. The size of her breasts weren't the size that usually catches my attention, but I would still love to cop a feel, because I know a taste would be too much to ask.
She's probably over 5'7", maybe an inch shorter─but not tall enough to match mine. My body would easily swallow her frame.
Bumalik muli ang mga mata ko sa mukha niya. Napakagat ako sa labi ko. Habang tumatagal ay mas lalo siyang gumaganda.
Fuck. She's damn beautiful. No, fuck that. She's perfect.
Her lips spread into an enchanting smile until her white perfect teeth appeared. Her rosy cheeks slightly lumped as she laughed. Holy fuck. Even the sound of her laugh is captivating.
Bakit ngayon ko lang siya nakita? Who is she?
She shook her head, her lips moving as she said something I couldn't hear. May kausap siya. Lumipat ang tingin ko sa mga taong nakapaligid sa kanya. I didn't even realize she's with someone.
May katabi siyang isang babae. Mas maliit iyon ng kaonti sa kanya. The girl beside her is very pretty, too. But I already got my eyes on her. Anyone matters to me so little with her around.
Sunod kong nakita ang lalaking kinakausap niya. Nanliit ang mga mata ko. The guy's good looking. Is that her boyfriend?
Bumaba ang mga mata ko sa kamay ng lalaki. Nakapulupot iyon sa bewang nung isang babae. Nakahinga ako nang maluwag sa nakita.
"Leviticus." tawag ko nang hindi inaalis ang mga mata sa kanya. She wasn't laughing anymore but she was smiling so sweetly. Damn it. I want her to look at me and smile at me that way... I wonder if her lips would be sweet, too.
"Yeah, dude?" naramdaman ko ang paglingon niya sa akin ngunit hindi ko pa rin siya tinapunan ng tingin. I couldn't look away from her. She's a bait and I'm completely hooked. I won't even resist. All she needs to do is reel me in and it will be the beginning of the end of me.
"Who's that girl?" tanong ko habang nakatingin pa rin sa kanya.
"Who?" my eyes weren't on him but I know he's now trying to look at the same direction as me.
"Iyong tatlong magkakausap malapit sa pangalawang room." paliwanag ko at pinilit ang sarili na alisin muna ang mga mata mula sa kanya para tingnan si Levi.
Nakakunot ang noo niya at inilipat ang tingin sa isang direksyon. Umangat ang kanyang mga kilay na parang kilala niya nga kung sino iyon. "Oh! Sino d'yan? Yung nasa gilid o gitna?"
"Nasa gilid." I tried to contain my excitement. Fuck. He knows her name. Paano niya nalaman? What a fucking lucky bastard!
Biglang tumawa si Levi. Ibinalik niya ang tingin sa akin at kitang-kita sa mukha niya ang pang-aasar. "Type mo?"
Hell if I'm going to answer him. Alam naman na niya ang sagot. He knows I only ask when I'm interested.
"Just tell me her name." iritadong sabi ko sa kanya.
"Sorry, man. Find another girl. That one's taken." tuwang-tuwa na sabi ni Levi. Natutuwa siya dahil sa unang beses, may natipuhan ako na hindi ko mapopormahan.
Bigla akong nakaramdam ng pagkainis. Once I find out that a girl's taken, I quickly lose my interest. I don't do girlfriends, but it's not because I have an aversion towards relationships. I've just never been that crazy for a girl. Yet.
So, why the fuck do I feel frustrated now?
I don't mess with relationships. I respect commitments. Right... Then why do I want to steal her from whoever she's with?
"How did you know?" my jaw clenched.
"Remember Axl? Iyong vocalist ng banda nila Con?" he rhetorically asked before proceeding, "Well, that's his girlfriend. Savion Elizabeth Fajardo."
My forehead creased as I tried to remember that name. Then I remembered the night at the club. Halos malukot ang mukha ko nang maalala ang mga nalaman ko nung gabing iyon.
"Didn't he cheat on her?" I spat bitterly, disgusted with the words.
"Yeah, well. She either loves him that much to stay... Or he never told her. My bet is on the latter." he casually shrugged. How could he stay calm when I'm feeling violent right now?
And how could he cheat on her? Fucking shit! Ang tanga ng gago! Kung ako ang boyfriend niya hinding-hindi ko siya lolokohin. Kung ako ang boyfriend niya... Fuck. What boyfriend am I talking about?
"I can hear your thoughts from here, man." sabi ni Levi. Napatingin ako sa kanya. Kumukuyom ang panga ko. "Be wise and don't meddle, Zion. It's none of my business, and definitely not yours."
And he's right. It's really not. Her boyfriend is cheating but I'm not part of their relationship. Hell, we're not even friends. At ano naman ang gagawin ko?
Tell her that the asshole is cheating? Will she believe me? Of course, she won't. Why would she believe a stranger over her boyfr... Fuck it. I don't even wanna finish that word.
Naputol ang mga iniisip ko nang tumunog ang ilang speakers sa hallway. It was a sign that the current class is about to end in ten minutes.
Both doors of our next class' room opened. Isa-isang naglabasan ang mga estudyante mula sa loob. Hindi na nagsalita si Levi. Pareho kaming tahimik habang hinihintay na makaalis ang mga tao sa room.
Nang mabakante na ang pinto ay naunang maglakad si Levi sa akin. Hindi na niya na ako kailangan tawagin dahil sumunod na agad ako sa kanya.
Pumasok ako sa loob ng room at hindi na ulit siya nilingon. After all, it's none of my business.
My mother called me Sunday morning, asking me to visit home for dinner. I can never say no to my mom. Wala rin naman akong plano ng Sunday night dahil may training pa sa umaga.
After lunch nang mag-aya silang mag hang out. We went to Adam's place and played Diablo III in his Xbox One while drinking a few beers. Iyon nga lang ay hindi kami kumpleto dahil may lakad ang mag pinsang De la Fuente kasama ang pamilya nila Maxie.
Six o'clock pa lang ay nauna na akong umalis sa kanila. They were also gonna head out for dinner at some place but I already have plans.
It was quarter to seven when I reached home. Nang makapasok na ang Evoque sa loob ng property ay napansin ko ang ilang pamilyar na sasakyan. Looks like my cousins and a few other relatives are also here.
Pagkapasok ko pa lang ay sinalubong na agad ako ng isa sa mga maid para sabihin na nasa pool side ang lahat. Sa gilid ay may naka-set up na table kung saan may abalang mga maids na nag-aayos doon.
I easily spotted my mother who's got a glass of wine in her hand. She's standing near the long table, chatting with Tita Lexa, my father's sister.
"Zion!" may isang boses na tumawag sa akin. My eyes transferred to where my cousins are. They were sitting at the sun loungers near the pool.
Ngumiti ako sa kanila at tumango ngunit nagpatuloy lang sa paglakad patungo sa long table. I'm gonna greet my mother before anything else.
My mother smiled brightly when she saw me approaching. Tita Lexa stopped from talking and waited for me to reach them both.
"Mom." I leaned down to meet with my mother's height and kissed her on the cheek, hugging her lightly before leaning away. Sunod kong binati si Tita Lexa at matapos ay niyakap din.
"Mon coeur, I'm glad you're here."
"You told me to be here." I shrugged.
"You're just like your brother. He won't even think of calling me if I don't remind him to." my mother sulked and I flashed her a sheepish grin.
"Has he mentioned if he's going to be spending Christmas here with us?"
"He said he'll go to Cannes to spend the holiday season with his father." my mother somberly said. Hindi ko na alam kung ano pa ang isasagot doon kaya tumango na lang ako.
"Oh, look, Senna came." napatingin ako kay Tita Lexa sa bigla niyang pagsalita. Sinundan ko ang mga mata niya at nakita ang pinsan kong palabas ng malaking sliding door.
My three girl cousins shrieked Senna's name. Tumayo ang mga ito at tumakbo ito para salubungin si Senna.
Senna hugged and briefly talked with them before scanning the place. A smile crept on her face when she saw my mother and Tita Lexa. She said something to our cousins before heading towards our direction.
"Titas!" Senna happily chirped before kissing my mom and Tita Lexa on each cheek. Lumaki ang ngiti niya nang makita ako. "Oh my God! Z!"
She quickly rushed to me and pulled me for a tight hug. Tumawa siya at matapos ay humiwalay din sa akin agad. "Ang tagal na kitang hindi nakikita! Kailan ang start ng game niyo?"
"September." sagot ko.
Tumango siya at bumuntong hininga. "I wish my schedule is free para I can watch. I've never been in any of your game."
"Call me and I'll give you a free pass." nakangising sabi ko.
"Madam, tumunog na po iyong timer sa oven." biglang singit ng isang maid. I didn't even feel her presence.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" my mother exclaimed.
"Tita Helise, you baked your special apple crisp cake?" my cousin asked, dreading the answer.
"You know it." Mom winked at her.
"Noooo. My diet." Senna grunted.
Tita Lexa laughed with my mother. "You two, go ahead and bond with your cousins. I'll go with Helise to check on the dessert."
"Sige po, Tita. But if my manager kills me after this dinner, I'll make a note that it's you and Tita Helise's fault." Senna teased and the older women laughed, and dismissed us both with a wave of a hand.
"By the way, I'll be hosting a party at Valkyrie sa birthday ko. I'm gonna invite my celebrity friends, most are girls. Ipapakilala kita. Pumunta ka, ha?" she grinned at me.
"I'll go." I lightly chuckled. The curve on my lips slowly faded when I remembered the conversation that Con and that guy had...
"Senna," I called. Her brows raised when she looked at me again. "Do you know an Axl Velarde?"
Lumiwanag ang mukha at mga mata ni Senna nang banggitin ko ang pangalan ng gagong iyon. I can't help but get even more curious.
"Yes. I'll be inviting him and his band, too." she happily smiled.
Umangat ang isang kilay ko. "Are you seeing him?"
Senna let out a giggle. Her eyes were sparkling. She shook her head. She cheekily grinned at me. "Is that what they've been saying?"
"I thought he has a girlfriend? Savion... something?" I asked, my forehead creasing. Savion Elizabeth Fajardo. But Senna doesn't need to know that I know Savion's full name.
Her smile immediately dropped. The glint in her face turned dull at the mention of Savion's name.
"They'll be breaking up soon." she bitterly spat, rolling her eyes.
That's not the answer I'm looking for.
"So, are you seeing him or not?" I repeated.
Senna looked suddenly annoyed. Her usually bright and cheerful character gone. She frowned at me. "Yes, Zion."
Yes. Fuck. My jaw clenched. I balled my fist, having a sudden itch to hit something. I could feel my own mood darkening.
"He's cheating on her with you?" I asked, nearly gritting my teeth on each word.
"I don't think that's any of your business, Zion." Senna quipped with a raised brow. She crossed her arms and started at me. Her eyes squinted. "Why are you so curious?"
Mas lalo akong nakaramdam ng pagkairita sa tanong niya. I clamped my fists tighter.
"Never mind." I grumbled before walking past her, heading straight back to the mansion.
He cheated on Savion. He's still cheating on her and she probably doesn't even know. He doesn't deserve her. She deserves someone better than that cheating asshole.
Why do I suddenly feel like protecting her from him? Fuck. Why do I care so much? This isn't right. I shouldn't care. I don't want to care. But...
I stopped from walking when I was out of anyone's sight. I wiped my face with my hand in frustration. I tilted my head back. My eyes shut tight.
I groaned out loud. "Fuck me."