At school, people always noticed my hair. Naroon iyong nagtataka nilang tingin kung bakit napayagan akong pumasok na ganito ang kulay ng buhok.
I was taken to dean's office before because of this and even the school guards never failed to warn me.
Since I'm a hard headed, I still didn't color my hair black. I love green so much. Buhay ko naman 'to at ano bang connect nito sa pag-aaral ko?
Ikakababa ba ng marka ko iyon?Magiging bobo ba ako kapag ganito ang kulay niya? I'm well aware that it doesn't fit the school especially my choice of color. As if that would threaten me.
Kaya hanggang ngayon ay panay ang tingin ng ibang estudyante sa akin. I can really steal the spotlight here and I don't care.
"Sumali ka sa Lorenzo's Wives ano?" Reese, on the other hand asked me.
Sa aming apat ay kaming dalawa lang ang same school na pinapasukan. Iyong si Emerald at Summer naman ay magkasama kaya medyo close kami ni Reese.
Syempre, sasakyan ko lagi ang nagiging service niya pauwi.
"Hindi. Bakit?" How did she know about it?A ctive ba 'to sa page na iyon?
She poked me. Naroon iyong mapaglaro niyang tingin sa akin.
"Hindi daw. Akala mo ba hindi ko nakita pangalan mo doon sa mga members? Interesado ka din ano?"
"Ha? Wala namang interesado sa lalaking iyon."
"Ba't ka sumali? Akala ko ba, kay Isaac ka lang?" Umiling ako saka naglakad. She followed me.
"I joined because I wanted to know something about him. But that doesn't mean that I'm interested. Okay na?"
"Asus. Hindi daw."
"Hindi nga. Kulit."
"Talaga?"
"Talaga."
"Mamatay man si Isaac?" I raised my hand, ready to hit her when she laughed. Dinamay pa si Isaac? Anong kinalaman niya dito?
"Gusto mo bang mamatay din si Eustace?" utas ko sa kanya. She stopped and then acted like zipping her mouth.
"Kahit suplado 'yon, baka may chance pang magbago. I wanted to see his soft side."
Umirap ako saka nagpatuloy sa paglalakad. Some of our teachers instructed us to join a club. Taon-taon nangyayari iyon kaya ngayon ay pahirapan ako sa pagpili.
Last year, iyong acting club ang nasalihan ko tapos ang naging ambag lang doon ay naging isa akong props which is puno since berde naman daw ang buhok ko. Ayoko nang sumali doon, baka maging damo naman na ako.
I've got no choices already because some of the clubs here doesn't fit my interests. Tapos iyong iba ay hindi naman masyadong kagandahan. Required pa naman sa aming may masalihan dahil kung hindi ay bawas points sa grades.
When we reached some booths, loud voices welcomed us. Naroon iyong mga nanghihikayat sa mga clubs nila. Iyong iba naman ay diretso hatak sa ibang nga estudyanteng walang mapagpilian.
Lumapit sa amin iyong isang babae, nakangiti at may bitbit na mga papel sa kamay niya.
"Hi. Wanna join to our club?"
"Anong club?" tanong ni Reese na mukhang interesado. The girl handed us the papers which tells something about their club.
"Math club siya. We're helping some students who are struggling on that subject especially solving. But don't worry, hindi naman talaga siya puro solving. We also offer games which includes Math."
I raised my brow while eyeing the paper that she gave me.
Alam ko namang sa lahat ng subject ay iyong may Math ang pinakaayaw ko. I hate it. Alam niya bang mahina ang utak ko doon kaya niya ako nilapitan?
"Uh... hehe. Ano kasi, you know, may napili na kaming club and thanks to your offer pero hindi kami makakasali."
"Gano'n ba? Sige, okay lang." With that, she left us. "Phew. Akala ko makakasali tayo do'n. Na-sense sigurong bobo tayo dun, ah?"
I ignored her and continued finding some club that will interest us. Hanggang sa makaabot kami sa dulo ay may nag-iisang club na naroon kung saan maraming nakapila.
My eyes narrowed.
It's the Music Club. The only club that I didn't tried entering. Wala naman akong talento pagdating sa music kaya hindi ako sumubok kailanman.
To make yourself be the part of their club, you should at least know how to play some instrument. Iyon ang isa sa pinaka importanteng requirement nila dahil syempre, may mga panahong sumasabak sa competition ang mga myembro dyan.
Last year naman ay hindi ganito kahaba ang pila rito. What happened now? Did something caught their attention?
Halos lahat ng nakapila ay puro mga babae at mukhang kinikilig pa. I noticed some familiar faces that belongs to other club. Bakit sila narito?
I gave a glance to their member. There's nothing much in here. Bakit bigla naman yata silang dinumog?
Iyong kilig nila ay mas lalong umingay nang may dumating, bitbit ang isang plastic ng drinks papunta sa likuran ng naglilista ng mga pangalan. I almost dropped my jaw when I noticed him.
He was walking, not minding the attention given by the students to him. Tanging nasa daanan lang ang tingin niya at hindi nag-aksaya ng panahong bigyan ng pansin ang ingay na naririnig.
Hinatak kaagad ako ni Reese papunta sa pila. We're on the last. Mas humahaba ang pila nang nakita nila mismo kung sino iyong lalaking dumating.
"Shit. Kaya pala marami ang pila. Ganoon ba naman kagwapo ang member." Hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na nandito siya.
Why Enzo's here? As far as I know, he's not a student from this school! Bakit nandito siya? And he's a member of the Music Club! Paano nangyari iyon?
Sumandal siya sa pader na nasa kanyang gilid. He's still wearing his usual outfit. The white loose long sleeve and then his black slacks together with his guitar.
His look seems bored on what's happening. Naroon na iyong nakatutok na sa kanya ang phone ng karamihan pero hindi siya nag-abalang magpakita ng emosyon.
He crossed his arms while watching the head of their club listing some names. Habang paikli ng paikli ang pila ay mas lalo siyang naging bored. Hindi rin nagbabago ang kanyang pwesto.
His eyes never looked at us. At iyong magaling kong kaibigan naman ay todo tili at kuha ng stolen sa kanya.
Nang kami na ang sumunod ay doon na siya napaangat ng tingin, diretso ang mata sa akin nang nakakunot ang noo.
I stared at him surprisingly.
Ni hindi man lang siya nagulat na nandito kami. I know that he didn't notice us earlier because he's not paying attention to the applying members.
Still crossing his arms, his eyes went down again, leaving me speechless and irritated.
Kita mo na. Kung makatingin sa akin akala mo kung sino. Though I have no talent on instruments, I wrote my name on the paper and gave space for my friend. Hindi ko na nagawa pang tignan ang mukha niya.
As soon as Reese already finished writing her name, she immediately approached Enzo and took a selfie from him.
Kahit sa pagkuha ng picture kasama siya ay seryoso iyong mukha niya, hindi ngumingiti at tila mas gusto iyong ganoon ang kanyang mukha.
After that, he left the place where he's staying. Sumabay ito sa pag-alis namin. Katulad ng ibang estudyante ay naintriga din sa kanya. I guess some didn't know him here.
At masasabi kong sa aming lahat, ako ang nakakakilala sa kanya. I've met and spent some time with him already. That was just a short time.
Nang araw ding iyon ay napuno ang social media ng kanyang pangalan. Iyong iba naman ay tanging iyong kagwapuhan niya ang habol. A lot of people are curious about him. At mas lalong nadagdagan iyong members ng fanpage.
EmeraldNiFinn: Seryoso? He's studying there?! I wanna transfer!
SummerLovesLabyrinth: He just transferred and based on what I've read, it's his choice. Talagang gusto niyang mag-aral sa school niyo @ReeseHatesEustace.
ReeseHatesEustace: Oo nga. And guess what? We joined the Music Club because of him! Akalain mo yun? Wala kaming talento pero naka-join kami?😂
EmeraldNiFinn: Ha! If I know, habol niyo talaga si Enzo doon, ano? I am sure that some of the students who applied for that club is because of him!
TaniaNaLoyalKayIsaac: @ReeseHatesEeustace grabbed me there. Wala naman talaga akong planong mag-join kaso ang bwisit hinatak ako papunta sa pila😒
ReeseHatesEustace: Aba pasalamat ka. You know, we can have some updates from him if ever.
SummerLovesLabyrinth: Wow. Mga manggagamit amp😂
EmeraldNiFinn: @SummerLovesLabyrinth agree. Tsk. Kung si Finn din sana nag-transfer dito...
TaniaNaLoyalKayIsaac: I hate that guy.
ReeseHatesEustace: Weh? Hate? Bakit iba 'yong spark na nakita ko sa inyo kanina, ha?
TaniaNaLoyalKayIsaac: Spark?Baka nagbabagang galit kamo. Namali ka ng tingin.
EmeraldNiFinn: @TaniaNaLoyalKayIsaac HAHAHAHA😂
SummerLovesLabyrinth: Wow. Hate mo?Nagkasama na ba kayo?
TaniaNaLoyalKayIsaac: Yes. He's the impolite man I met.
ReeseHatesEustace: WHAT?! You met him already? Bakit ngayon mo lang sinabi?! Ang damot naman!😤
EmeraldNiFinn: Are you fucking serious Tania? How? When? Where?Why?😧
TaniaNaLoyalKayIsaac: It's a long story and mind you guys, he's not that approachable. Proven and tested. Buti na lang loyal ako kay Isaac.
And we ended up talking about him in our group chat. Napakwento ako tungkol sa nangyari sa amin. Kung bakit naging hater niya ako, at kung paano niya sinira iyong phone ko. How we accidentally met because of that moan from the video.
I got a notification from my phone. Napatitig ako nang mabasa ang email na nanggaling sa kanya.
He emailed me.
Tomorrow. Music Club room. 9 am.
-Enzo
I gave a sarcastic laugh.
Wow. Just wow. Kung hindi three dots, itong napakaikling words naman. Nagtitipid ba 'to sa laway? Can he type something longer than that?
Naisend ko rin iyon kay Reese. I didn't pay attention much on that. Bakit ko naman iisipin pa ang tungkol sa napakaikling message na iyon?
At iyon nga ang nangyari kinabukasan. Aside from creating a noise from social media, he also made students drool over him. Sa loob yata ng club ay ako lang iyong hindi humahanga sa kanya.
Most of the members joined because of him!
Nakaupo kami ngayon sa sahig habang iyong mga members na ay nasa bench. At iyong mga mata ng mga estudyante ay hindi naaalis sa pwesto ni Enzo.
He's sitting normally. Iyong tingin ay nasa head ng club at doon lang nakatuon. Siniko ko si Reese na nakikigaya rin sa iba.
"Tumingin ka rin ano ba. Panira ng trip," reklamo niya. I rolled my eyes and then listened to what the head was saying.
"So guys, welcome to the Music Club. For now, I'll be announcing a very important matter. I know you are all aware why this is called Music Club. At nakarating sa akin ang balita na halos lahat ng sumali rito ay dahil sa isang lalaki."
Our eyes went to Enzo again who's just sitting and listening. His signature bored look appeared again.
Nasabi rin na sa lahat ng club ay iyong Music Club ang may pinakamaraming members. It's totally unfair to others since they have the asset here.
"And I'm afraid that we might pull out some members. We are giving you all a week to prepare. Since one of our requirements here is to at least know how to play an instrument, we agreed that you should show your talent on us to become an official member of the club."
Marami ang nagsinghapan, tumutol at hindi natanggap ang nasabi. I groaned and then my inner self felt relieved.
Wala naman talaga akong plano na sumali dito kung hindi dahil sa kaibigan ko. And if it's not because of finding a goddamn club to join, I wouldn't be here.
The meeting and rejection for those who have no talents in music ended. Umalis kami doon at si Reese ay mukhang namomroblema.
I acted cooly. Kung isa lang ako siguro sa die hard fan ng lalaking iyon ay baka nagluluksa na rin ako ngayon katulad ng iba. There are some clubs that I can join. Hindi lang iyon nag-iisa rito.
"What if ikaw na lang kaya sumali?"
My eyes widened, not accepting what she thought.
Sa aming dalawa ay siya iyong mas pabor doon. Tapos ako ang pasasalihin niya? I have no talents here!Tutunganga lang ako doon kapag sumali ako.
"Bakit ako? Ikaw nga dapat kasi ikaw ang interesado. I can find some clubs on my own," sabi ko pa.
She pouted and mumbled something.
"Sige na. 'Di ba gusto mong makakuha ng updates kay Isaac? You can ask him everytime! Sure naman akong magiging maamo iyon sa'yo." She convinced me by that.
Alam kong gusto ko rin naman talagang makakuha ng updates kay Isaac ng agaran. I don't usually open my phone so I can miss what's happening on the online world.
"Alam mong wala akong talent 'di ba?Sure akong hindi rin naman ako makakapasok doon."
She smirked as if she found a way. Desidido talaga na ipasok ako doon sa club na iyon.
"Wala kang talent. Pwede kang magpaturo sa kanya kung paano gumamit ng gitara. That's the only way I think."
"How can I learn that for a week?Alam mo namang hindi madali ang tumugtog niyon lalo na kung wala ka talagang hilig."
"Hello? Have you seen Enzo playing a guitar? He's a pro and I'm sure that he can teach you. Sigurado akong hindi pa naman sila busy dahil matagal pa naman iyong susunod nilang concert."
To think that she's really eager to let me in, she added some suggestions to me. Mataman lang akong nakinig kahit na hindi pabor doon. Part of me wanted to bite on her plan as long as Isaac's included on it.
Hindi ako mahihirapang magpadala sa kanya ng gifts or some letters dahil kaibigan naman nila si Enzo. Kapag kasi nagmi-meet ay laging hindi natatanggap iyong mga regalo ko sa kanya kaya siguro mainam na paraan din iyon.
The disadvantage is that I don't like being with him. Paano ako matututo kung hindi kami vibe? Baka mag-away at sumbatan lang ang gagawin namin.
"So ano? Game na? You'll join ha?Alam ko namang gusto mong makasama si Isaac so baka may chance na dalhin ka rin sa meeting place nila if ever."
Without any hesitations, I nodded. Pumalakpak siya nang dahil doon at tila mas natuwa pa dahil sa naging desisyon ko.
I agreed because I wanted to know about Isaac. At kalahati doon ay ang tungkol sa Music Club.
The only thing I'll do is to ask him to teach me how to play a guitar. Kahit walang kaalam-alam sa chords ay pipilitin ko.
For Isaac.
I went to my IG account. Scrolled for more until I reached the newest photo from him.
I bit my lip when I saw his picture, smiling again while facing the camera. I sent a message for him.
Sa hinaba-haba ng mga naisend ko sa kanya ay kahit isa, hindi man lang niya nabasa. He didn't even followed me back. I even thanked him for existing. My fangirl life is complete whenever I see them performing live in front of me.
I breathed heavily as I went to my email. May pagdadalawang isip kung itutuloy ba ang plano ko para sa kanya. But to no avail. I composed a message for Enzo, hoping for a better reply from him.
Hi Enzo :) Are you free?
I sent it to him. Minutes passed when he replied. Automatic na naipindot ko kagaad iyon.
Are you asking for a sex?
Natuliro ako nang mabasa iyon. I checked again what I sent to him.
Simple at maikli lang naman iyon. And he suspected me for asking him for sex?
Ang kapal ng mukha.