#NewClassicILIB
Chapter 28
Half-Brother
I was back getting some journals from the library and now on my way home, when I stumbled upon a commotion at the main gate. Someone even bumped into me as she ran closer to the crowded area.
The journals that I had not put inside my bag yet fell into the ground. I was slightly irritated because the person didn't even apologize, but I just kept it to myself.
As I let out a deep exhale, I crouched to pick up the journals and opened the zipper of my bag to put it all inside. Nang tumayo ako ulit ay tumama ang tingin ko sa taong pinagkakaguluhan ng lahat.
My lips parted when I saw Isaiah. He was tall enough to be able to stand out in the middle of the crowd. Students were hovering at him and taking pictures, but he didn't care. He was frowning as his phone was placed against his ear like he was calling someone. He looked irritated and worried at the same time.
I wasn't sure if I was really assuming, but I quickly checked my phone to see if I was the one he's contacting or not. Kaya nang makitang hindi naman ako ang kanyang tinatawagan ay medyo napanghinaan ako ng loob.
Nakita kong may lumapit sa kanyang mga securities ng school at sinusubukang palayuin ang mga tao. Nang ibinaba niya ang cellphone ay kita kong may sinubukan siyang kausapin na estudyante na malapit lamang sa kanya.
I was having a conflict with myself if I should approach him or not. I was hesitating because it might cause an issue for Isaiah if I would just suddenly walk up to him and act like a close friend. However, before I could even decide, I was struck when our eyes suddenly met and locked with each other.
I saw his lips parted a bit.
It seemed like Isaiah didn't mind the things I was worrying about. When he saw me, it was like he was just released by the pull of a trigger. He walked my way in a fast-paced manner, making me feel like he was running out of time.
Sa kanyang paglalakad ay nahawi ang mga estudyanteng nakapalibot sa kanya. Habang palapit siya nang palapit sa akin ay dumadami na rin ang mga estudyante sa paligid ko. And the moment he got nearer, we were the center of attention. Nasa gitna kami ng malaking bilog ng mga estudyante.
"Zendaya," he called out my name and asked, "Did you see Ida?"
Isaiah didn't beat around the bush. He charged on ahead with his question.
I had not seen Ida for weeks, but since it was lunch time for some who still had classes later, I had an idea where she could be. I just hoped that I wouldn't mess up. I really wanted to help him because he looked so agitated.
"Hindi ko siya nakita pero tingin ko alam ko kung nasaan siya ngayon," nag-aalangan kong sagot sa kanya.
He suddenly looked a bit relieved. "Please, lead the way," he told me, rushing with his words. "I really need to see her. She won't answer my calls nor reply to my texts."
At first, I wanted to ask Isaiah what the problem was, but I set that aside because I knew it wasn't the right time to do it. And so, I spun around and led him to the cafeteria. While walking, I had my fingers crossed, hoping that we would find his sister there.
Some of the fans shamelessly followed us on our way to the cafeteria. Ang dalawang security guards ay sumusunod din sa amin para kahit papaano ay mapigilan ang paglapit ng mga tagahanga.
As soon as we entered the cafeteria, I let my eyes wander around the place to search for Ida. Medyo nahirapan nga lang ako dahil ang ibang mga kumakain ay nakilapit na ngayon sa amin. They were blocking my sight, but then my eyes met Blair's. She was staring straight at me with a shocked expression.
Kumabog ang puso ko, ngunit ipinangwalang bahala ko 'yon at tiningnan kung kasama niya si Ida. Once I confirmed that Ida's with her, I leaned closer to Isaiah. He bent down his head a bit to make it easier for me.
"Your sister's over there..." I whispered to him and pointed my finger towards the table where Ida, Blair, Gael, and another guy were sitting.
Agad namang nag-angat ng ulo si Isaiah para sundan ng tingin ang direksyon kung saan ako nakaturo. Wala naman siyang inaksayang panahon at agad na naglakad palapit doon.
I tried to follow him, but the other students who wanted to get closer to him made it hard for me to do so. They immediately flocked to follow Isaiah, blocking my way. In the end, I decided to just stay in my place. I was left behind while he quickly approached his sister.
Hindi mawala sa isipan ko na nandoon din si Blair... I wondered what he felt when he saw Blair again.
"I said, quiet please!"
Natigil ako sa pag-iisip nang sumabog ang boses ni Gael. His authoritative voice silenced down everyone who couldn't calm down because of Isaiah's presence. The cafeteria was so quiet that I bet even a drop of pencil could be heard.
"I hope that we can give the privacy that Isaiah needs with his sister right now," Gael told everyone. "Obviously, he's not here for a fan meeting, but for his sister. So please, can we all give them space and privacy?"
As expected, everyone listened to Gael. Unti-unting lumayo ang mga kapwa ko estudyante sa kanilang lamesa. I saw Isaiah speaking with Gael before he turned to his sister. Blair was just watching them talked to each other, but her eyes were all on Gael.
Napabuntonghininga ako at naisip na maaari na akong umalis dahil nakalapit na si Isaiah sa kanyang kapatid. Though I was hesitating to leave, I forced myself to take a step away. I knew he needed privacy with his sister.
However, the moment I reached the house and read the article about Isaiah's father, I already regretted leaving without knowing how he was holding up.
Father of New Classic's vocalist, Isaiah Mallari, was reportedly brought to the hospital due to mild heart attack. According to a private source, his father is already recovering after receiving immediate medical attention.
Without stalling, as soon as I was done reading, I reached out for my phone to send a text message to Isaiah.
To: Isaiah
I read the article about your father. Is it true? How are you feeling? How is he?
Isaiah did not reply. I understood that because he might be busy with his family at the moment. But it didn't stop me from concerning myself to his problem.
Agitated and anxious, I kept walking back and forth while gripping tightly on my phone. I couldn't refrain myself from thinking about his uneasy and troubled expression earlier. He must really be worried for his father.
I wasn't able to focus on anything else, while worrying for Isaiah and his family, so I spent my time reading posts from First Class. Apparently, Isaiah's sudden visit to our university were all over the internet. He was trending top one.
@weakforISAIAH
Sana diyan na lang ako nag-aaral! Gusto ko rin makita si Isaiah!
@IamYoursIsaiah
Stay strong, Isaiah! We love you!
@isaiahslover
Isaiah Mallari was found looking for his sister with the former president of First Class earlier!
A fan account for Isaiah posted grabbed photos of Isaiah with me earlier and gave proper credits to the owners. It was a good thing that fans of New Classic knew me for I was once the president of First Class. If they didn't know me, I couldn't picture all the ways it could go wrong. I was sure that the media would take advantage of it to create rumors and issues regarding me and Isaiah. They would try to bring Isaiah down through a dating issue.
Out of the blue, my phone chimed for the message I just received. It was the message I had been waiting for!
From: Isaiah
I'm outside your house. Can you come out and meet me now?
Agad akong napabalikwas sa pagbangon nang mabasa ko ang kanyang mensahe. Wala na akong pakialam kung ano man ang itsura ko. Mabilis akong lumabas ng aking kuwarto at tumakbo palabas ng bahay.
Isaiah's car was parked outside our house. He wasn't out, so I guessed that he was inside.
Pagkalabas ko sa aming gate ay narinig ko ang pagbukas ng lock ng sasakyan niya. I immediately got what he wanted me to do. Walang pag-aalinlangan akong pumasok sa kanyang sasakyan.
Once I got the look of his weary expression, I felt a thorn pricking on my heart.
"Okay na ba ang daddy mo?" Kahit medyo napapaos ang aking boses ay nagawa ko pa ring buuin ito.
His lips curled upwards a bit. "He is..." His voice was hoarser than mine.
"You must be scared..." I absentmindedly said like it wasn't obvious.
He blew out a breath, like he had not been breathing properly until that moment. "Everything's fine now..." he whispered, then I was stunned when a tear escaped from his eye.
"Isaiah..." Namutawi sa aking labi ang kanyang pangalan.
Marahas niyang pinunasan ang kanyang luha at saka ako hinarap nang maayos. Even with his weary eyes, he was beaming because of the smile he was wearing.
"I'm really scared earlier when my father suddenly collapsed," he admitted. "But everything's fine now... My family's fine now. I'm already fine now."
I could feel how much he meant those words, but I was still confused. It seemed like he was talking about other things aside from his father's health.
"You know why I couldn't take it at first when Blair told me she's falling for someone else?" he asked me. It was a question I could never answer. "It's because she fell for Gael Ondevilla."
Mas lalong napakunot ang noo ko. Hindi ko alam kung bakit siya bigla ang aming pinag-uusapan. Ano ang mayroon kay Gael?
"Gael is my father's son from another woman," he simply told me, without batting an eye. "He's my half-brother."
Hindi ko alam kung paano niya nagawang sabihin sa akin 'yon nang walang pag-aalinlangan. Ni hindi man lang siya nagdalawang-isip. If that information got out, I was sure that his family would be restless because of the media who would try to pry into his private family matters. It made me realize that he really trusts me that much.
"Galit na galit ako sa kanya noon," sabi niya sa akin. "My mom almost had a miscarriage when his mother brought him to our house. I used to blame him for it. Muntik nang mawala si Ida dahil sa kanya."
My lips parted. I didn't know how to respond. I had no idea how to comfort him. The information was too much for me to take. It was overwhelming. I couldn't find the right words, so I just zipped my mouth instead of accidentally saying something that would offend him.
"But time passed, they didn't bother us again. Naging okay sina mommy at daddy," pagpapatuloy niya. "Pero bumalik sila ng mommy niya. I thought he was just trying to take Blair away from me. I was so mad that I said a lot of hurtful words. I couldn't filter the words coming out of my mouth. Hindi ko rin matanggap na agad naging malapit sa kanya si Ida kahit na nalaman niya kung sino talaga si Gael. I was a bit jealous, too. I felt like Gael would also take my sister away from me. I was scared."
Isaiah pulled out his stare on me. He rested his elbow on the door and his thumb played with his lips as he smiled.
"I misunderstood him..." he said, acknowledging his own mistake. "Earlier, I finally got to apologize to him. My father also asked for forgiveness for neglecting him for years. It felt so good to finally open up to him. I never knew it would feel this good to let go of the grudges that I held on to for years."
Nang ibinaba niya ang kanyang kamay ay muli siyang huminga nang malalim. He turned to me, still wearing a smile, and I automatically mirrored that bright smile on his face.
I was glad that everything in his life was starting to fall into place.
The dark and heavy clouds were finally clearing up his skies, allowing the sunshine to give light into his life. He deserves this happiness. He deserves this peace of mind.
I'm very grateful that I got to see different sides of him. I'm lucky that I'm the person he chose to confide with. I feel so fortunate that I'm with him every step of the way―as he grows into a much better person and as he gets his life together.