26: Careless
ALLISON
A week after our stay in the hospital, we finally got discharged. But I was advised to stay at home and rest for a week, so my family doctor can check my condition if I can go to school, but I insisted going. I ignored the messages on my inbox, and kept a straight face, going inside the room.
Glancing at my right, there was Dexter's smile. It was very sarcastic. Proud. His venomous eyes followed my figure, as I take my seat.
Doubts suddenly started forming inside my head.
Was it right that I followed him? Was it right to actually trust my instincts? Was it right to go alone to protect Royals?
I asked questions in my head, but none of them can't erase the guilt and pain that I felt towards Alexid. She was just concerned.
And yet you ignored.
I want to move on with the present.
But you're still stuck in the past.
I stared upon the empty seat beside me. Suddenly, Evan materialized at the said chair. Wearing his uniform, he was looking back at me. From his gloomy aura, I can tell he's sad. His mouth is slightly pouted.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Everything." his eyes twinkled. "Me. You. Them. Everything."
"H-How? Why?"
"Seems like... there's still a lot to do. You have to see the other light of things."
"A lot? Evan, what do you mean?"
He just offered a faint smile as a reply. I stared at him but I can't see a hint of what he's talking about.
"Good morning class!" I whipped my head to the side, only to see my English teacher already in front of the table.
I sighed, when I realized Evan wasn't there anymore.
Suddenly, his words processed in my head. Everything isn't right. Nothing about this is right.
Alexander shouldn't be involved. My father has nothing to do with this. Looking back, his eyes were still the same. Relentless, dark, fierce. He showed the same aura when he went face to face with my cousin, Leslie. Of course, the girl wouldn't back down.
Somehow, I did. The anger in his eyes melted the barrier I built against people. Everybody already told me to listen, but I was hard-headed when it comes to him. I just know that I could understand him. No one does, but there's this feeling that I know what he's thinking.
But it's not the case this time. He wasn't the only one involved. Alexid got involved too.
***
"How are you holding up?" March asked as soon as we got in the school cafeteria.
"Wow bes, tinanong mo pa eh alam mo namang may problema ang tao!" even though it was a whisper, I could still hear Aira.
"Kaya nga tinatanong kung okay eh!"
I tried to put up a smile. "I'm fine."
Aira looked somewhere, 'till a smile formed on her face as if she saw someone. "Uy! Ate Alexid! Dito ka..."
She trailed off, still looking behind me.
"Hindi siya uupo sa'ten? Bakit?" Aira asked. Quickly, March nudged her elbow on Aira's ribs, which made the latter wince.
"Ano ba!" Aira whined, but March only raised a brow as a reply.
She took it as a signal to shut her mouth and eat in peace.
I sighed and continued eating. There was only March, Enrico and Aira on the table with me, while Cosine and Daryll went with Alexid to a separate one.I know Alexid needed space to think so it's useless to budge her about sitting with us.
"Alam ko ang nangyari." finally after being silent the whole time, Enrico spoke, putting down the utensils he used. "Kinuwento sa'kin ni Daryll."
Even with that, I managed to stay quiet, not making any reaction at all. I can feel his burning stare, yet my cold aura might have repelled his spell.
"Tama ka sa punto mo, pero tama rin naman siya sa punto niya."
"Ano? Tama siya sa puto niya?" Aira asked out of nowhere, letting her earn another nudge from March.
Enrico tried to stifle a laugh, and successfully did it. "I know what you did was for the safety of everyone, but... always remember that you are part of the everyone we're talking about. We are a group for a reason, diba? We shouldn't allow everyone to be hurt. Kung may mangyayari mang ganon, eh mas mabuting magkakasama tayo. I know that there is also your... father... but this is Dexter we're talking about. Hindi kami takot sa kanya, 'cause we know we have each others back. You know that, right?"
I sighed, and finally had the courage to look up to him. "I know. She already knows. She just needed the space to think. And I'm not thinking of giving up to that man. Dexter is a capable man, but he needs to think twice if he thought that we'll be stopping after what he did to me and to everyone else."
He scoffed. "Kung pwede nga lang tanggalan ng labi iyon kanina, ginawa ko na! Ang yabang kung makangiti!"
"Let the b*tch enjoy." March butts in. "Mas maganda nga yon eh, attack him in the most... unexpected way. He doesn't even know na kumuha ako ng bagong lawyer na maghahandle ng kaso ni Thea."
"Who?" I asked.
Her smile widened. "Attorney Antonio Rodriguez. Cosine's father. Apparently, he knows what happened with the case. Hindi lang siya nagsasalita. Buti na lang, napilit namin siyang hawakan ulit ang case, with the help of Thea's mother."
"Okay lang ba sa kanila yon?" Enrico now, glanced at March.
"Yep. Hindi naman sila papayag kung ayaw nila. Besides, they also want justice. They just couldn't do it since may connections si Sec. Mariano sa korte, but now, dahil na-expose ang 'mysterious' plantation na pagmamay-ari ng isa sa mga kaibigan ni Dexter, they'll have to turn the tide and think of the things they need to fix."
"How about witnesses? Pa'no niyo na open ulit yung kaso?"
"Meron na ring witness, and we have evidence. Yung totoong mga papers ng mga tests ng drugs, somehow nagawan namin ng paraan ni Alexid. The only thing we're waiting for is the timing."
"Okay. Let's say that we got it up and running again. If this succeed, it would lead to Dexter being... imprisoned, right?"
March slammed her hands on the desk. "Yes! He deserves it! I can feel the helplessness from the girl, and I saw how the trauma affected her, Rico! Kung hindi natin siya na-approach ng maaga, she would've committed suicide!"
I quickly got choke upon eating my lunch.
"Alli? Okay ka lang?" Aira got her water bottle and gave it to me to drink, noticing I already have no iced tea left on the cup I bought.
He's right. Evan was telling me about this all along.
I have to fix things fast.
My eyes went to Alexid's table, only to catch Daryll already looking at us. Looking at me. His lips formed a small smile, so I did the same, looking at Cosine and the girl who seemed normal.
I fished out my phone and texted Daryll.
You
How is she?
Daryll
Barely fine, but she's being a total pain in the *ss about us joining her table. But since I'm also a pain in the *ss, she gave up and let me.
I tried not to laugh at his choice of words to make humor. The guy is really straight-forward.
You
Alright. Looking forward to talk to her today after class. Can't make this any longer.
Daryll
F*ck yeah go for it!
After lunch, I managed to think through everything. Now, the first thing I have to do is to make amends with Alexid. I just couldn't let it stay like this longer. As early as possible, I have to make things clear with her.
Besides, I'm one of her friends.
The thought of her going the same path with Evan deeply terrified me. Not because she's part of Royals, just because I'm scared for her. I want her to feel certain about my friendship with her, that it wasn't all lies.
Out of the blue, Phoenix popped up in my mind.
She was a friend. Was. She was one of those people I wished to be friends with. The one I think would 'click' with me. I'm sure everyone has that friend.
That happened, eventually. I wasn't even praying for it to happen. But somehow, he heard my wish and granted it the best way possible, but it felt more like he let me borrow her.. Like I was just given a time limit to a granted wish that I never told anyone.
All the time I was with her, I couldn't doubt her trust. She's genuine. Selfless. Sometimes, sarcasm played her words, but wisdom would always win when it comes to her decisions.
And so I wonder why she befriended such man as Dexter?
Maybe she saw something in him... or his friends that led her to leave me.
And now, I wouldn't let it happen with Alexid. Not when Phoenix left. Not when Evan left.
***
Everything that we did to lessen Dexter's connections were successful, yet slow. The investigation about his frat is still going, also with the destruction of the plantation, and we are still trying to find the perfect timing to actually open Thea's case.
March considered it lucky for Thea to agree to our terms, since they were also going with our strategy: timing. At first glance, she already had that feeling of losing. She didn't trust her lawyer, and the fact that the jury is friends with Secretary Mariano isn't going to give her even that 1% chance of winning.
Surprisingly, Thea is a strong woman to face such problem. Her case is a serious one. Unlike Evan, she was sure of what happened, and had evidences.
It wasn't hard for her to tell the details as of what happened to her, even if that would get her to relive the traumatizing experience she went through at the party. March and Alexid heard everything, from the invite, the setup, and the event itself.
The celebration for the swimming team winning gold was open to every Asplund student, including her, including me.
But that particular day, I wasn't able to come. I had to go help Leslie with some errands.
He texted me about not even going, since I wasn't going to be there. If I agree, I would be so selfish of his other friends. The party was supposed be a celebration of success. With the hard work of his team practicing to get the gold, I couldn't let that be hindered by selfish reasoning. So I let him.
But now, I'm not even sure if I was going to regret it now.
"What have you gotten yourself into?!"
The atmosphere became cold as Don Lorenzo spoke. His aura emitted dominance, and from the way he stood erect, he was telling the people in the room that he is authority.
Allena and my mother sat just beside my bed, while the others were seated on the sofa just near the center of the room. Don Lorenzo was standing, walking back and forth.
I stared back at him emotionless. I did not know what to show him. I was mentally and physically exhausted. The wounds on my skin didn't matter anymore.
"Hawak pala ng mga Mariano's si Alexander. We've been looking for him for years, pero doon lang pala siya itinatago... o nagtatago." Calixto said, trying to avert the conversation from me.
"Hindi ko naman alam kung kasangga siya ng mga Mariano. You know him. Atleast... Allison's safe." Leslie butts in the conversation,smiling with the mention of my name.
"Safe?!" Don Lorenzo whipped his head towards Leslie, surprised by her words. "You think her 'circus acts' with her friends would get her away every time?! If you hadn't come, she would be lying six feet underground!"
"Papa! Huwag kang ganyan!" My mother tried her best not to raise her voice, yet failed.
"Shouldn't we do this after she's cleared?" Lusenyx kept a straight face. "After all what happened back there, don't you think she's too tired to deal with this?"
Finally someone said it.
"And you think I'm not tired of her antics?! She is careless! She doesn't think of the consequences of her actions! She's going to get herself killed I tell you!"
Maybe I am that careless. Recalling the conversation I had with the family, the thought of assurance that I was going to fix everything quickly crumbled down. The feeling was slowly killing me to the inside. It's like losing the strength to even carry the world that I was holding.
I bit my lip, trying to refocus my attention to the teacher in front. However, my eyes couldn't miss Alexid's figure on the front row seats, listening attentively to the discussion. There was also Phoenix, a few seats from her, taking notes.
If I already lost one, I can't lose another.
***
After class dismissal, I followed Alexid, but kept a safe distance from her. I was still conflicted as of how and where would I talk to her. I might go for her house, but we can also do it in the school's cafe just outside.
I stopped on my tracks just as she went inside the girls bathroom in the building lobby.
I guess I have to wait again.
I sighed, looking at the school billboard, reading announcements here and there. I took notice that there were a several people going for bathroom breaks just after dismissal of classes.
Looking at my phone's clock, I glanced to the bathroom door, hoping a certain woman coming out of the room, yet I saw something weird.
Two men facing the door. Looks like they're giggling, but quickly entering inside as if they were being chased.
Only the door sign says, 'Women'.
A curse came out of my mouth just as I realized what just happened. Alexid is still inside the bathroom.
As if on cue, my feet turned to face the room and ran towards it..
Voices echoed inside my head, as I came closer to the door. The words of Don Lorenzo, Evan, Leslie and even Alexid herself kept repeating like a broken record, the voice getting louder as my hand turn the door knob, which was locked.
I wanted to break the door but it would 'cause a lot of attention, so I went for the silent way. The bathroom spare key at the janitor's room.
Fortunately for me, the janitor's room was only a few steps away from the bathroom. The fact that I as fortunate enough to get in and see no presence of the janitor, gave me the time to get the spare key quickly as possible.
Running back to the bathroom door, I heard crashes and footsteps. I didn't waste time, putting the key to open the door.
The scene inside bothered me. Alexid was trapped in Dexter's arms, as the man was behind her, hugging the latter to restraint her hand movements. Meanwhile, Allan was staring at her lustfully.
I didn't take the time to land a punch on the back of Allan's head. He fell on the ground, groaning in pain. Dexter was startled, loosening his hold on Alexid, allowing the girl to take advantage and bite his arm.
As she was out of his hold, she went towards me. And even before Allan can grab her foot from walking, I didn't hesitate to step on it, earning a cry of pain. My face no longer held an emotion and stared at him, wanting him to scream more.
"Get... out." I say, letting go of his hand. I could feel Alexid's shaking hand from behind me, which only intensified this feeling of hurting them, but my mind was wise enough not to let me be consumed by my emotions. Dexter never removed his eyes from me, as he helped his friend got up from the floor.
Allan left, but Dexter came face to face. "That's for burning the plantation. 'Wag kang mag-alala dahil marami pa 'kong regalo sa'yo."
I kept my mouth shut, and instead of words, I gave him a smile. I heard a low growl from him before he left the room completely.
Somehow, I had a huge breath of relief, knowing that I just saved her, again. It wasn't long until I heard small sobs behind me.
"Let's go to your car. We can't stay here. People might see you." I suggested. There was no protests, when I started walking as she hid beside me. I made sure there were no students around to see her crying. I held my breath as her hand grip got tighter on my shoulder as we pass by other vehicles on the parking lot, getting closer to her car.
When we got there, she was the one to open the door and sat on the driver's seat. She motioned me to go enter at the passenger's seat by her hand, while her head's still low.
As soon as the car doors were close, she quickly embraced me to a tight hug, as her cries were louder. She buried her face on my neck, mumbling words I couldn't comprehend.
At this moment, I felt the same fear that I went through when I met my father again. I rub her back just as she cried even more, my uniform already drenched in tears.
A few minutes had passed and no one dared to utter a word. It was actually a good one. I also needed the quiet, calm silence after all the mind-boggling things that happened within the few weeks of battles against the gamechangers.
We needed space to breathe.
I was a bit startled when she broke the hug herself, leaning back in the driver's seat. Her eyes were closed, her breathing ragged.
There was a few seconds of silence. My eyes not leaving her figure.
"I-I was h-harassed, Alli." She confessed. Her voice shaken. Her confidence crumbled down. I know that this time, she's in her breaking point.
She turned into a glass... clear and too fragile to hold. One wrong move and she's going to break into pieces, that I could never put back the same again.
My throat went dry, not knowing what to say. My eyes couldn't even look up to her anymore. Instead, it flew to my hands. My hands that were capable of holding a gun. I was at that point of doing anything dangerous.
It is fear. The fear that I am feeling now, is unmatched to that fear that I felt for them when Dexter invited me to his territory. It's the fear of numbness and freedom.
If you put it in Daryll's words, something in the lines of 'not giving a sh*t anymore' might help.
At first, I couldn't analyze how she was harassed, or when she was harassed. It can't be at the bathroom since the words she used are in past tense, hence, it already happened.
But it all came down to Thea herself. That's where the puzzle pieces start to connect.
"You want to talk about it? Westville Park?" I suggested, finally getting my voice back.
As if I said something so uplifting, her lips broke into a small smile, starting the car engine. "Let's get wasted then, Alli."
***
The trip to Westville Park was quiet. But this time, it wasn't bothering me anymore. Alexid was kind enough to open the car radio and play mellow songs, as I look at the outskirts of town. It was already sundown when we got there.
There were a few people around just like the last time we came for drinks. After parking her car, Alexid was the one to get the beers and chips from the backseat that we bought earlier from a convenience store. I did all the shopping, and even if she wanted to pay, I insisted that I would.
It didn't take too long for us to find a good spot to drink. We were near a tree that would protect us from the shade of sunlight, but since we came after sunset, the Christmas lights that was wrapped around it emitted a faint blue glow that seemed to help us feel the cold surroundings of the park at night time.
There were no words exchanged as soon as we sat down on a blanket. In between us, were the chips and beers. If I didn't know what happened earlier, I would've raised a brow from her three empty bottles of beer beside her. She was treating it like water, drinking a bottle in one go.
But I let her.
For the time being, I turned off my phone to avoid any distraction. I was surprised when she did it too. I chose to watch the grass dance with the wind, people pass by and the sky slowly turning dark.
Somehow, we were communicating through actions and by that, I know she really needs someone right now.
"You know, Alli..." Alexid glanced, finally speaking after the 20 minutes of silence. "I used to think what if... what if I never studied in that horrible school? Would my life be better?"
"Depends... on the circumstances. The school might be the problem or the people around you..."
She chuckled bitterly, returning her eyes to see the dark blue sky. "Siguro nga. If the gamechangers never existed, I'm sure I'll be happy as f*ck, right now. Bakit ko pa kasi kinaibigan yung Danielle na 'yon?"
I sighed, remembering someone. If she was friends with Danielle, I was friends with Phoenix. "Oh, you were friends with Danielle."
"Yep. We uh... were best of friends but... I don't know what's gotten into her. Jealousy? Fame? Ganoon lang ba kababaw ang tingin niya sa pakikisama ko sa kanya?"
I hung my head low, remembering the words she said to me at the hospital. I tried shrugging off the feeling of guilt.
"Let's trade off stories. Tell me yours and I'll tell mine."
Alexid scooted closer to me, putting all the stuff in front of us, so she can sit beside me. She sigh, shaking her head while smiling as if she had no choice to do it.
"Storytime."