33: Mistreated
ALEXID
"Allison!"
Sabi ko na, hindi ako nagkamali. Babalik siya.
Nakuha kong ngumiti, dahil mula noong pagtrip-an nila kaming lahat noong wala siya, pilit lahat ng mga ngiti ko. Ayokong magpakita ng kahinaan, lalo na't alam kong gagamitin nila iyon sa'min para sumuko.
Bago pa man makatalikod si Dexter, ay nakatanggap agad ito ng sipa sa batok mula kay Allison. Napaluhod siya sa lupa, hawak-hawak ang batok at lumingon sa babae.
Tulad naming lahat, naka-uniform rin siya. Ibig sabihin pumasok siya kanina? Pero na'san siya? Hindi namin siya nakita kanina at kahit sa attendance ay wala siya.
Halatang naalarma ang mga kasamahan ni Dexter sa presensya ni Allison. Bakas pa rin ang iilang mga sugat sa mukha nito mula sa nakaraang pagkikita nila ng lalaki, pero mukhang masigla na rin siya't wala na ang panghihinang naranasan sa saksak.
Dahang-dahang naglakad si Allison tungo sa harap ni Daryll. Tumingala si Daryll kay Alli, pero ang mga mata ng babae ay pokus sa nagiisang lalaki na nakahawak sa braso ni Daryll.
"Bitawan mo." malumanay na utos ni Allison.
Agad lumipat ang mga mata ng lalaking iyon kay Dexter, na mukhang 'di pa yata nakakarekober sa sipa ni Allison. Nakadapa pa rin ito, at minamasahe ang batok.
Loko talaga si Alli, pag siya nawalan ng spinal cord...
Walang nagsalita. Pansin ko na nga ang mga butil ng pawis na namumuo doon sa lalaking may hawak kay Daryll. Walang ano-ano'y sinipa ni Alli ang dibdib niya, para ito'y mapaurong at mabitawan siya.
Buti na lang, bago pa bumagsak sa lupa si Daryll ay si Alli na mismo ang binagsakan niya. Umuubo pa siya at bumubulong ng kung ano sa tenga ni Alli. Tumango-tango siya at tumayo. Akala ko naman okay na nang biglang sumugod pa-isa isa ang mga tropa ni Dexter.
Pero wala silang naibigay man lang na suntok sa kanya dahil mabilis niya itong iniilagan, kasabay non ay aatake siya pabalik. Naging mabilis siya sa kanila kahit hindi mahahalata sa tangkad at tindig ng pangangatawan nito.
Hindi magawang makalapit ni Dexter kay Alli dahil na rin sa pinipigilan namin siya.
I can't believe it, she's really back!
Sinigurado niyang ang lahat ng tauhan ni Dexter ay nakahiga na sa sahig, at puno ng mga pasa. Even the man himself was on the ground, as Allison took a brief glance below her, as if portraying the roles they have. Reminding him that he is no king to her.
"Dala mo ba sasakyan mo Alexid?" doon ko pa lang narealize na nakatingin na nga siya sa'kin. Tumango naman ako bilang sagot. Hindi ko na rin talaga kayang magsalita sa sobrang gulat.
Nang malamang wala namang damage ang motor ni Daryll, si Enrico ang nagpresintang magdrive nito para isunod sa'min. Puno nanaman kasi ng pasa ang may-ari, baka mamaya habang nagdadrive mawalan pa ng malay!
Sumakay agad siya sa shotgun seat, habang ako itong natulala sa driver's seat, habang hinihintay na isakay ng tatlo si Daryll. Maaaring may mga sugat rin sila pero mas napuro parin si Daryll. Kita ko kung paano lumakbay ang mga mata nito sa bandang kaliwa mula sa salamin, obviously looking for the girl beside me.
"Allison?" tawag ko pa sa kanya.
"Hmm?"
Seconds passed, until everyone heard a sharp sound resounding the whole car. I head some gasps from the back, but I couldn't care less. Kailangan ko lang talagang maramdaman kung si Alli ba talaga ang katabi ko o hindi!
"P*nyeta ka! Ang tagal ka naming hinintay, 'tas kung kailan mapupuno na kami ng pasa, doon ka pa lang darating! 'San ka ba pumunta?! At bakit ga'non?!"
Ngumiwi ito, habang hawak ang brasong napalo. "I'll tell you when we get into a good place to treat everyone's wounds."
"Siguraduhin mo Alli na complete ang pagkawento. Halos na-stress kaming lahat ng isang linggo sa kalokohan ng mga 'yan! Mauubusan na'ko ng buhok sa kakatiis!"
Ngumiti lang ito, at lumingon sa bintana na nasa side niya. Bumuntong-hininga ako, looking back at the four people seated at the back.
"'San tayo neto?"
"Sa bahay na namin." March suggested. I shrugged, turning on the engine, and went to her house. Wala na rin naman akong maisip na bahay na pwedeng puntahan but hers. Kahit pa mayaman sila, e mas hindi strikto ang mga magulang niya keysa sa'kin. Lucky girl.
Tulad nga ng sabi ni Enrico, sumunod ang puting motor ni Daryll sa likuran namin, kung na'san ang lalaki. At dahil nakipagbakbakan pa kami sa gitna ng kalsada, at ang direksyon na iyon ay papunta sa bahay nina Daryll, mas lumayo ng konti ng byahe kila March.
Nagtulungan kaming dalin ang mga sarili namin sa sala nila nang makarating, at agad pinaasikaso si Daryll sa mga katulong doon. Kahit ang iba naming kasama ay naagapan ng first aid, ako lang yata at si Alli ang hindi naapektuhan ng mga bugbog.
Nakipagkwentuhan pa'ko sa kanila dahil nagrereklamo si Aira na muntikan na daw masira ang rebond niyang buhok dahil sa pagkakahawak ng mga tauhan ni Dexter. Pinagalitan naman siya ni March at sinabing mas po-protektahan pa yata nito ang buhok kesa sa mga gamit nito laban sa mga magnanakaw. Hindi namin mapigilang matawa.
Mukhang mas naging ayos sila ng makita ngang nandito na ulit si Allison. I don't know, but she always gives off that sense of security. Iyon bang kapag nandiyan siya, ramdam namin na lagi niya kaming ililigtas sa kung ano.
Nang imbitahin ko na nga siyang i-kwento ang lahat, ay ginawa naman niya ito. Iyon nga lang, hindi ko mapigilang maging curious, and weirded out with some things.
Like an ally that she mentioned.
"The police officer who came to rescue us is a long-time ally of mine. Ever since the sound system hack, the pranks, she helps us plan it all out."
"Yung babaeng nakabalot ng itim na 'police officer'? She was sketchy at first pero gulat rin ako nang bigla mo siyang pinagkatiwalaan." sambit ni Enrico.
"I actually didn't know her, before she bought me into her house. She showed her face to me."
"Anong pangalan niya?" I asked, but I saw her smile drop.
"Unfortunately, I can't tell. Safety reasons. Let's just say that she has a job that puts her life at stake. I don't even know where she exactly lives. She put me into sleep when I got into her car, going back to Asplund."
Tumango kaming lahat, wanting to understand it all for safety. Nakakapagod na rin namang mabugbog, ayoko nang mainvolve pa sa ibang problema, so I guess it's just good to leave it at that.
"Pero hindi ka man lang ba natakot na baka ka-alyado rin 'yon ni Dexter?"
"Nope."
"Why?"
"She had promised to save me whenever I need help."
Tumango-tango ako. Bigla namang sumabat si March.
"I find it weird though, Phoenix isn't always with Dexter lately. Siya lang ang wala sa grupo nila tuwing bubugbugin kami."
Ah, oo nga no? Buti na lang sinabi niya.
"Phoenix?" Allison questioned.
"Sa school, mukha naman silang okay, pero tuwing tatantanan kami ni Dexter, lagi siyang wala. Magkaaway yata sila ngayon."
Naalala ko bigla ang mga linyang sinabi ni Dexter noong gabing muntikang makidnap si Daryll. Allison was lying on the floor, wincing in pain.
"But you came with me! You f*cking agreed but every time you see this motherf*cker, you become a dog! And overboard?! What happened to Allan back there? The plantation? How about you? You almost got f*cking blind!"
Hindi kaya naaawa na ngayon si Phoenix kay Alli? They were friends before for a reason. Hindi basta-basta si Allison sa mga tao. By now, I'm sure that Allison can actually see the good within Phoenix Rosales.
ALLISON
While the topic had shifted from Marie to latest gossips from the school, I let my mind think of the hacker's suggestion. She had told me from the last dinner we had before that Phoenix became friends with Dexter for a reason
I know there must be, but I just didn't know what it is.
Like me, Phoenix is always misunderstood by many. Sure, she is the smartest out of all the junior students in Asplund (as told by the rankings), but this characteristic of hers had led her to be insensitive.
But she isn't being insensitive. She is being straight-forward. Just like how she approached me on my first day of 7th grade.
I am going to admit that I was still bitter at her for leaving me alone, but Marie had shed light upon giving her a chance. We still talked normally. We don't share the grudge that I hold against Dexter. We were both neutral at each other.
I was only angry for her siding at the enemy, and her, angry for me fighting against the enemy.
A week later, I managed to finally get back in class. Everyone looked surprised, but I didn't bother. My eyes quickly searched for a certain woman. I succeeded when I found her, my lips slowly forming a smile, upon confirming the suspicions of my friends.
Phoenix was not on talking terms with Dexter.
Usually, they would talk early before class starts, but instead of her, Dexter was talking to Allan. Both their heads turn to me. I managed to look away and continue my business, finding my seat. Alexid seemed to get my mood, when I felt her presence beside me.
"May plano ka no? Alam ko yung pangiti-ngiti mo eh." she whispered. I nodded, not taking my eyes away from the board in front of us.
"Do you know Phoenix is a direct witness to Thea's case?"
"Wait, f*ck? Totoo?"
I hummed, remembering how Marie told me that a reason why Phoenix befriended Dexter, and that is to make him realize his mistakes. I should've known, as I remember her helping me get over my social anxiety with people. She didn't consider me as charity case. She didn't pity me, rather she wanted to help me.
And it was the same case for the man. But why leave me?
"Pa'no 'yun Alli? 'Di ko maalalang nandoon siya ah?"
"You must be too drunk to remember. She came halfway through the party already."
Alexid raised a brow. "Pero wala ka rin naman 'don ah? 'Pano mo naman alam?"
"Our ally told me."
Alexid gasped, but quickly recovers. "'Wag mong sabihing meron siyang video ng mismong party! Uy, ang laking ebidensiya rin 'nun if ever!"
"She does, but the audio wouldn't provide anything since the room's blasting loud music. If Phoenix however, confirms that she knows what happened, everything will be smooth."
The girl beside me smiled. "It will be. We will get the justice everyone deserved. I just hope Phoenix would be willing."
She has to. If her intentions to be friends with him was to help him too, then she should know what's right. She should know that he's ruining almost everyone's life at Asplund.
Marie had actually showed me the said footage. It was a little blurry, but enough to recognize the faces of some people. Including him.
Evan had his jersey shirt on, laughing along with his teammates, probably celebrating their regionals win. As he was very close to me, little did I know that Marie had been keeping an eye on him.
And she told me, he was already in the verge of insanity.
After the party, he knows that his eyes didn't deceive him. He wanted to help Thea. And he tried, only to be beaten up by them. The next, he receives death threats. Stalked by a few of Dexter's goons. Yet, every time I see him, he's smiling like there's nothing wrong with the world.
I bit my bottom lip, feeling the familiar pain in my chest. If I had only known.
If only I wasn't deceived from his smiles.
"Alli..."
I was already embraced in Alexid's arms. If he had told me everything, would things change for the better? He had dreams. He loved his life. He had told me that someday, he would bring me along to Italy, a place he had dream of traveling to.
But it was too late. I never had the chance to tell you how you made my life bearable.
"Tahan na, Alli." Alexid had been wiping off the tears that fell off my cheeks. "Papanget ka niyan, sige ka. Kung gusto mo, magstay ka muna sa'min mamaya. You need to get that off your chest."
I needed the rest. But I have to finish the task with Phoenix first.
Students are being beaten up, humiliated, with no power to fight back. Even the dean himself can't decide who to side with. It's either Mariano or Asplund will go down six feet under.
It took a few observations before the planned conversation with her. I already told everyone what was I going to do. They offered me a little help by setting us up in the sound system room where no one can enter but only us IT students.
They will try to keep guard outside, and stay until I come out of the room. They told me that they've learned to be together 24/7 after what Dexter did to them all. I felt pity, but what's important on my mind was to finally finish this all.
When classes were dismissed, we decided to spread out and wait for everyone to get out. Phoenix was talking to Dexter. The face the man was showing adds up as evidence to the assumed quarrel between the two. Dexter was the one to storm off, and she heaved a sigh before going to the direction of the sound room, just as what we wanted.
I told Royals to hide and stay as far away as possible from the gamechangers. It wasn't really an easy task, knowing the decreasing amount of people inside school premises as time progresses.
Fortunately, I trailed a little too far away from her, just enough to see her enter the room on the 2nd floor. I waited for a few minutes before I saw Daniel came out of the room. He waved at me before walking past me, probably going to Sir Calimera and help him with the e-signments.
I waited 'till he was out of site, and quickly reached for the door and opened it, revealing a girl who was sitting in front of the computer.
"Ano ba naman iyang error na 'to... Na-update mo na ba yung drivers nito, Dan?" she asked, typing on the keyboard, not glancing behind her back.
"Try uninstalling it."
The second my voice resonated around the silent room, her swivel chair made a sharp, squeak sound. I smiled, the moment our eyes met.
"Alli..."
I locked the door, before deciding to take a swivel chair to place beside her and sat on it. "Give me a favor and let's talk while Daniel's out there."
Her forehead creased. "Okay... What's there to talk about?"
"Dexter."
She looks surprised. That actually took me by surprise too since I'm aware that all that we were going to talk about is that man. I heard her suddenly sigh, returning her eyes to the screen in front of her.
"I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about it-"
"We need to. It's been so long since we've talked. I need to take this chance to actually do this 'cause you're actually right, Dexter went overboard with me."
She avoided my eyes. "How's your wound?"
"It's fine."
And then again, the awkward silence filled the room. She went back to her computer and typed away, as if she wants to ignore my existence. The five seconds of it was enough to make me say it straight to the point.
"I know you were at the party. And you know things about Thea's case. I am asking you to be a witness."
The sound of the keyboard typing abruptly stopped. I dared to look at her, but she kept her eyes on the screen in front of her. From the movement of her eyes, I can tell that she was uneasy.
"'Pano mo alam na nasa party ako? Alam kong 'di ka pumunta doon."
"Someone told me."
"Evan?" I wish.
"Not him, but someone else."
She sighed. "If you only know Alli, I want what's best for all."
If I was the Allison before the numerous missions we did against them, before we decided to push the re-opening of Thea's case, before the encounter with Marie, I would've never understood. I began to understand how change impact one's belief and mind. I understand how wrong this is.
"I know you do." She looked at me, "But I never understood. I'm sorry."
"I'm just tired of... seeing them sacrifice their mind and body from all your group's attacks. I want to finish this all, and to do it, I must take him down."
"Hindi ka ba nakukunsensya sa gagawin mo Alli? Basically, you want him to be detained."
"Of course I do. I can't imagine doing it to Alexid, Daryll, Cosine and some of my other friends, but if that's what they deserve to change, then it must happen."
"You do realize there are people that are insane that after spending a long time inside bars, they'll do the crime they've committed again. It will be an endless cycle."
"But there must be a reason why you've befriended Dexter."
She pursed her lips, like she was going to say something. "At first glance, all I wanted was to take down all of you, but I've come to the conclusion that you all aren't that bad. I mean, aren't we too?"
"I can't understand what you're saying Alli..." she stuttered.
"I hated getting involved. You know that. But Evan's death had led me to step up, changing me into a person I wasn't supposed to be. I didn't want to lead, but I did. I didn't want anyone beside me, but here I am surrounded by people that I now call friends. See what happened?"
"What happened?"
"Change, and I believe that's what you've always wanted for Dexter. For me."
Bingo! I smiled to myself, when the screen in front of her went black, and slowly, the swivel chair she was sitting on, turned around to face me. She had this unreadable expression, that might be a mix of amazement and curiosity.
I saw how her eyes narrowed down on my torso. I was close to questioning her why but I remembered that I wasn't wearing my favorite hoodie.
"But believe me, change is like a child having tantrums. Unpredictable and usually a pain in the-"
"*ss!" she finished for me, and giggled right after. "I will always love your metaphors and similes."
"I know. But are you getting my point?"
"Almost." she clasped her hands together, as if she's excited what it is.
"Befriending him isn't going to work. Telling him that he did wrong isn't going to work. He committed a crime against an innocent woman who lost her chance of finishing high school and living a peaceful life."
I heard the click of her tongue, and hissed, as if my words were whipped against her skin. She closed her eyes, and massaged her temples.
"I know. This isn't easy for me, Alli. Unlike everyone, nakikita ko ang side niyang hindi nakikita ng iba. He's actually a decent guy, only influenced by violence and mistreatment from his family."
I raised a brow. "Mistreatment?"
"I've been forcing him to go to a psychiatrist. Meron siyang anger management issues. Mostly likely because of childhood trauma. His father's very obsessed with success that he wanted Dexter to become like him. He was actually forcing him to take Political Science in his college pero ayaw naman niya."
"What does he want, then?" I was curious.
She suddenly opened her eyes. "Nothing. Hindi niya alam kung anong gagawin niya sa buhay niya. I understood him, hindi naman lahat ng tao alam agad ang gusto sa pagkabata. Who knows? He might want to be a doctor, or an architect pagkatapos ng Senior High. But his only choice was to follow his father, and his way of coping up was to... hurt others. He became a rebel."
I didn't know what to say. Surprisingly, I wasn't even disagreeing to anything she said. Perspectives, I guess.
"It is weird and scary to say, but he always reminded me of you." she smiled for the first time, "Parehas kayong may mayamang pamilya, intimidating, rebels on your own family, kinda hard-headed but... the only difference was... mas matapang ka. Kaya siguo... I thought you're independent. Kayang mabuhay kahit mag-isa lang."
"But why leave me with no explanation?"
She was clearly taken aback by the question. I dared not to blink my eyes, and waited for her to say anything. She stared back at me for a few seconds, before avoiding my eyes.
"I'm sorry, Allison." she whispered, followed by a sigh.
It was my time to be taken aback. It wasn't the words that I anticipated her to say, but deep in myself, I know I've wanted that to happen. As if some baggage was taken off my back. A question was answered.
But that isn't this is all about.
I slowly rose from my seat, and went for the door. I heard the little squeak of the swivel chair, hinting that she might have also rose from her seat.
"Alli!"
My fingers were only an inch away from the door knob. I turned my back on her. "What?"
"I mean it."
"I know. But that is not the problem right now. The problem is he ruined lives, and you won't want another gamechangers here to repeat the same process again. All you have to do... is finally stop him."