#NewClassicILIB
Chapter 32
Extinguish
"Nasaan pala ang sasakyan mo?" kuryoso kong tanong kay Isaiah at bahagya siyang nilingon.
Under the silver moonlight, we were shoulder to shoulder as he walked me home. It felt good to finally be this close to him.
Before, I would always draw the line in between us―limiting myself and setting up boundaries as his fan. I always reminded myself that he isn't someone I could reach, all the more I couldn't hold. He was like a hot ball of glowing gases that would burn me if I dare touch.
Now, it feels so surreal that I could stay beside him like this as I decided to become like Icarus, who risked everything just to fly closer to the sun.
"I didn't bring it with me," he answered. "Our van just dropped me off here."
My eyes widened a little bit. "Straight from the airport?"
Wearing a comforting smile, he nodded.
"Paano ka uuwi?"
Napaisip ako. I thought that maybe I should ask my father to drive him home since it was rather late. Hindi siya puwedeng magcommute pauwi dahil baka may makakilala sa kanya. Though he can book a car... I still wanted him to go home comfortably.
"Mukhang mas namo-mroblema ka pa kaysa sa akin. Your face is screaming your concern." Bahagya siyang natawa. "But don't worry―Ike will be here any minute now. I hope you don't mind that I told him earlier your address to pick me up."
I shook my head. "Not at all."
I wasn't even concerned about it a bit. Ang gusto ko lang ay maayos siyang makauwi para makapagpahinga agad.
"Pero paano mo pala nahanda 'yon?" Umandar na naman ang aking kuryosidad. "Halos dalawang oras pa lang simula nang lumapag ang eroplanong sinakyan ninyo, 'di ba?"
He smiled bashfully and scratched his nape. "I asked someone a favor to help me."
Suppressing a smile, I pursed my lips. "Uh, okay..."
I didn't know what else to say. I broke our eye contact to look away as I felt all my blood went up to my cheeks.
Kahit nakarating na kami sa bahay ay hindi agad ako pumasok sa loob. I stayed with Isaiah, waiting for Ike. Inaya ko siyang pumasok sa bahay, pero tumanggi siya at pinilit na sa labas na lamang siya maghihintay. I couldn't just let him stay out here alone, so I sat beside him on the curb.
We didn't wait long because Ike arrived just within five minutes. His car stopped in front of us, and he rolled his window down.
Mukhang pagod na siya at inaantok. Namumungay na ang kanyang mga mata at mukhang nakasuot na ng pantulog.
"Hi, Zendaya..." he greeted me with a husky and sleepy voice. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Napangiti ako kahit na medyo nakaramdam ng awa.
"I'll go now," paalam ni Isaiah sa akin at tumayo.
Tiningala ko siya. Nakalahad ulit ang kanyang kamay sa akin para tulungan ako sa pagtayo. I accepted his help. Pinagpag ko ang aking pang-upo nang makatayo.
"Ingat kayo!" paalala ko saka nilingon si Ike. "Sorry sa abala, Ike."
He just smiled and shook his head, while Isaiah finally got inside his car. Sumilip din siya sa bintana ni Ike at ngumiti muli sa akin.
"I'll text you once I'm home," he said.
Tumango lamang ako. "Ingat," sabi ko ulit.
As soon as Ike closed the window, they sped up and went on their way home. Ako rin naman ay bumalik na sa loob ng aming bahay. Dumiretso ako sa aking kuwarto at nagshower na. Hindi ko ramdam ang pagod at antok kanina nang kasama ko si Isaiah, pero nang bumagsak ako sa aking kama ay agad akong nakatulog.
The next morning, I woke up a bit late as I slept deeply. Bumungad sa akin ang bouquet na binigay ni Isaiah kagabi na nilapag ko lamang sa side table. It made me smile first thing in the morning, when I recalled what happened last night.
Unti-unti akong bumangon at umupo sa aking kama. I stretched my arms for a few seconds and let out a deep breath. And then, I went to the bathroom to wash my face. Pagkatapos ay kinuha ko ang bouquet at pati na rin ang aking cellphone sa ibabaw ng side table.
While checking on my phone, I carefully went down the stairs. Creases appeared between my eyebrows as I realized that I was bombarded with messages from Jerlyn, Dawn, Mr. Joel, and even Kuya Zedrick. On top of those messages, I also received one from Isaiah last night that I didn't get to read.
I read his message first.
From: Isaiah
I'm home now! Congratulations ulit.
As I was about to type my reply, I suddenly received another message from Jerlyn which caught my attention. I was able to read a portion of her message when the notification banner popped out. Agad kong iniwanan ang mensahe ni Isaiah para basahin ang kay Jerlyn.
From: Jerlyn
Oh my God, Zendaya! Have you checked the news already?
From: Jerlyn
Hindi ka pa ba gising?
From: Jerlyn
Gumising ka na!
From: Jerlyn
No. I can't stand this! I'm going there to wake you up.
From: Jerlyn
Malapit na ako. Hindi ka pa rin gising?
Walang katumbas ang kabang nararamdaman ko habang isa-isa kong binasa ang mga messages ni Jerlyn. Sinunod ko naman ang text ni Dawn sa akin.
From: Dawn
OMG! Zendaya!!! May girlfriend na raw si Isaiah?!!!!
My heart pounded on my chest like it was going to break out of it. My thoughts were suddenly on fire. I quickly read my brother's message, too.
From: Kuya Zedrick
What is this, Zendaya?
His message was sent with a screen cap of an article, which caused me to panic hard. It was a photo of me and Isaiah last night. However, my face was blurred out. Only Isaiah's face was clear.
Bukod kay Dawn, mukhang alam kaagad nina Kuya Zedrick at Jerlyn na ako 'yon dahil sa suot kong dress. Pamilyar din silang dalawa sa park dito sa subdivision kaya hindi mapagkakailang ako nga 'yon.
After blowing out a breath, I read Mr. Joel's message last.
From: Mr. Joel
Morning. Can I call, Zendaya?
Dalawang oras na ang nakakalipas mula nang matanggap ko ang kanyang mensahe. Hindi ako nagreply agad. I opened my Safari and searched Isaiah's name on the web. The recent article about the two of us surfaced search results.
"New Classic's Isaiah Mallari's sweet rendezvous with non-showbiz girlfriend"
Just by reading the headline, I bit my lower lip as I was feeling a heavy guilt inside me.
New Classic successfully performed at Hot Muzika Summer Music Festival in Los Angeles, California, being the first ever Filipino act to perform.
Around 6PM yesterday night, New Classic arrived back at the country from California. The band's vocalist, Isaiah Mallari rode a separate van from the other members. He was sighted meeting up with his non-showbiz girlfriend and even did a sweet surprise upon coming back.
After reading the article, made out of fabricated story, I checked the photos. There were three photos attached. Mayroong full-shot kung saan nakatayo ako sa taas ng slide habang tumutugtog ng gitara si Isaiah. A shot of Isaiah holding my hand, when helped me up, also made it to the cut. Sa galing ng pagkakatiyempo sa pagkuha ng litrato ay mukhang gusto lang talagang hawakan ni Isaiah ang aking kamay. Ang pangatlo ay mas zoomed-in na picture lamang para mas makita ang mukha ni Isaiah.
In all the photos taken, all my faces were blurred. I was sure that they blurred mine because I wasn't a public figure unlike Isaiah.
Sa ganitong pagkakataon ay hindi ako natutuwang hindi kita ang aking mukha. I didn't want to catch people's attention. I didn't want the fame. However, I also didn't want Isaiah to suffer alone. I wanted to share the burden with him, instead of getting a free pass.
And since I was guilty, I immediately composed a message to Isaiah. I had no idea if the news already reached him. Pero siguro ay alam na niya dahil kay Mr. Joel.
To: Isaiah
I'm sorry, Isaiah. Kababasa ko lang ng article. I'm really sorry. Is there anything I can do to help clear things out between us?
Kahit na mahal ko siya ay alam ko ang katotohanang walang namamagitan sa aming dalawa. If I have to prove that just to clear his name, I would do it without hesitation.
Once I sent the message, Jerlyn suddenly barged in inside our house. Nakaupo lamang ako sa sofa kaya agad nagtama ang aming mga mata.
"Sa wakas gising ka na!" bungad niya sabay martsa papalapit sa akin. "Nabasa mo na ba?"
Napabuntonghininga ako at saka tumango. Inilapag ko ang aking cellphone sa ibabaw ng center table. Si Jerlyn naman ay naupo sa tabi ko.
"That's you and Isaiah, right?" she probed.
Biting my lower lip, I nodded again.
"Ano ang nangyari ba kagabi?" sunod niyang tanong. "Pumunta talaga siya rito?"
"He just gave me his graduation gift..." I explained, my voice quiet. "I'm not his girlfriend. The article was fabricated. Gumawa lang sila ng kuwento."
"Isaiah's holding your hand in the picture..." pagdududa ni Jerlyn.
"He just helped me up. That's all," I cleared it out to Jerlyn right away. "There's nothing between us. Our relationship is just platonic."
Though it was hard for me to admit those things without feeling a pang of pain, I still did because it's the truth.
Problemadong humalukipkip si Jerlyn. "I believe you, Zendaya," she told me. "But have you seen New Classic's fans reaction to the news? Most of them expressed their disappointment. They didn't like him being in a relationship. They are being delusional, saying that Isaiah betrayed them. They want him to apologize. Mga para silang tanga. Nakakainis!"
Hindi ako kumibo at natakot ngayon sa estado ng banda―lalo na ni Isaiah. It's the first ever dating news of any member from New Classic. Dahil siya ang una, alam kong mahihirapan agad ang mga tagahanga nila na tanggapin 'yon. They were still not open-minded about it.
I'm not saying that it's something which should be condone because it's undoubtedly a toxic behavior. However, it's truly inevitable. It's bound to happen, especially that a lot of their fans are minors. Some are still immature.
"OMG! May live press con si Isaiah!" biglang anunsyo ni Jerlyn habang nags-scroll sa kanyang cellphone, binabantayan ang mga nangyayari sa social media.
Nanlaki ang aking mga mata. Pinindot 'yon ni Jerlyn at lumapit siya sa akin upang ipakita ang press con.
There I saw Isaiah walking to the seat at the center. The viewer count was spiking up quickly. It was about to reach a hundred thousand viewers within just a minute.
When the camera gave him a close-up shot, I realized that he looked rather tensed than how he seemed from afar. His jaw clenched repeatedly as he took a seat.
My heart broke, watching him having a hard time because of the issue. I was sure that he didn't get enough rest last night. I wanted to be there to lend him a hand, even though I wasn't sure if my presence would do any help or if it would only add fuel to the fire.
"First of all, I would like to thank our trusted media for accepting our invitation to this press con." Isaiah confidently lifted his head up, and I could hear more shutters on the background. "If you have any questions, I would gladly answer it honestly."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Isaiah Mallari, to allow us to cover this press con," one of the journalists began to speak. "Your dating news with your alleged non-showbiz girlfriend are the talk of the town since the article was released early in the morning. I'm sure that your fans want to know the truth behind the pictures on the article. And so, I want to ask if the lady on those photos is really your girlfriend like what was stated?"
Isaiah did not hesitate to pick up the microphone to answer. "I wouldn't deny that I'm the guy in the picture," he said. "But unfortunately, I still don't have a girlfriend. The woman on the pictures is not my girlfriend."
Napalunok ako. Nararamdaman ko ang panunuyo ng aking lalamunan. Totoo naman ang mga salitang binitawan niya, ngunit hindi ko alam kung bakit parang may punyal na tumusok sa aking dibdib.
"If I may ask―if she's not your girlfriend, then who is she?" another reporter probed, raising suspicion as she tried to corner Isaiah. "You were seen getting intimate in one of the pictures published along with the article?"
"If holding her hand to help her up is already intimate or scandalous in your eyes, then I'm sorry for being rude, but I think your ideas are too primitive and ancient." Isaiah smirked. "All I can say is that she's a very close friend of mine. What we have are platonic. I met with her last night to congratulate her and nothing more."
Hindi nakapagsalita ang mga journalists at reporters na imbitado dahil sa pagiging pranka ni Isaiah. He took that opportunity to speak his mind more.
"I think I already cleared things out with those answers. I'm telling the truth, and it's up to everyone if they will believe me or not. If ever I get into a relationship, I'd be the first one to tell it to all First Class," he said without stammering. "All I ask for the media right now is to not reveal her identity to the public or dig more information about her. I hope that you all will respect her privacy and personal life as she is just an ordinary citizen."
Isaiah shifted on his seat and licked his lower lip. The flashes of the camera kept on reflecting on his eyes.
My heart got heavier. I couldn't believe that he would still protect me and my privacy to the media, even when I was the reason why he was in a difficult situation.
"That's all I have to say," he concluded his press con and stood up. "Once again, I sincerely thank everyone who came here today."
Pagkatapos ibaba ni Isaiah ang mikropono ay may sumalubong sa kanyang security personnel para samahan siya bumaba kung saang may iilan pang reporters na naghihintay sa kanya. Matapos lumipas ng ilang segundo ay pinatay na rin ang live broadcast ng kanyang press con.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, hoping that Isaiah's words would settle the issue and bring peace to the fandom. However, I also knew that I shouldn't just rely on him. I had to do something to extinguish the fire completely.
His life's getting better already. Who am I to ruin it, right?