"Move, bunny."
I glared before I pushed him. He chuckled and shook his head, walking away from me.
"I hope you trip later, Marchelli!"
"Will do, bunny!" he shouted back sarcastically.
I scoffed. I can't believe he's calling me bunny, just because I had bunny teeth before. Ni hindi ko nga alam kung saan niya nalaman iyon dahil binaon ko na 'yung phase na 'yon sa limot. I had braces and it's gone now. Perfect na 'yung ngipin ko ngayon.
Kasama ko na naman si Lia sa isa sa mga game nila. Matutuwa na sana ako, kung hindi lang nandito 'yang si Cairus Marchelli. He was right about the best player part, magaling nga siyang maglaro. Even better than Prince. Pero 'yung ugali? Nah, uh. I'll still choose Prince over him.
And as if my words came to my life, he tripped because his shoelaces are untied. His face almost landed on the floor, but he managed to stand up like nothing happened.
"Shit! Nadapa nga!" halakhak ko nung nakita iyon. Napatingin din ang iilang tao sa akin dahil sa lakas ng boses ko. I covered my mouth and giggled.
"Shut up, bunny!" he hissed and pointed at me.
I laughed and turned around to go to the bleachers. Sakto namang papasok palang si Prince. Nagtama ang mata namin, pero mabilis siyang napatingin kay Lia. I frowned a bit but recovered quickly.
"Lia! Pumunta ka!" he smiled and walked towards her.
Sanay naman na ako sa ganoon na pakikitungo niya sa akin. It's nothing new.
Lia glanced at me. Alam niyang gusto ko si Prince kaya ganoon. She knows that his attention goes to her everytime we see each other. Sinabi ko naman din sa kanya, na kung gusto mo na si Prince, you can date him if you want. Pero iba pala ang gusto niya. She likes Kale, and I don't understand why because it's Kale. Ano bang meron don sa pinsan kong 'yon at doon pa siya nagkagusto?
"Oo. Sabi mo e, kaya niyaya ko na rin si Emma."
He nodded. "Yeah, nawala kayo ng ilang games. I wonder why?"
Ngumuso lang ako at napatingin kay Lia. Damn, is it really okay that I brought her here?
"Prince." Kale arrived too and tapped his shoulder. He glanced at Lia for a bit before he walked away. Ang alam ko, close sila ni Lia. Pero may ginawa na namang kalokohan 'yang si Kale at pinaiyak ang best friend ko. Tss. Kung kay Prince nalang siya, edi sana masaya na diba? I can handle the pain. It's nothing new, anyway.
I glared at Kale. Binalikan niya lang ako ng seryosong tingin bago ako nilagpasan. I sighed and watched Lia and Prince talking about a topic that I don't know about.
I observed his eyes and gestures while talking to her. From his eyes... the way they lit up when she's talking to her. The way his lips curved in a smile through her simple gestures. Halatang-halata ang pagkahumaling niya dito.
"Bunny!"
I groaned. "What is it, Virus?!"
Kung ako tinatawag niyang bunny, ako naman Virus ang tawag ko sa kanya. Why? Because his name sounds like virus. Cairus. Virus. Tss. He's like a virus that I want to stay away forever.
Lumapit si Cairus. Suot nito ang basketball jersey niya at may malawak na ngiti. It's a bit unusual for me, but I have gotten used to it, already.
"Did you bring water?"
My forehead creased. "Why would I bring you water?"
"I'm asking for yours, bunny. I'm thirsty..."
"Ugh! Get your own, virus!" I pushed him away but he managed to get the water on my hand and drank from it. I gasped, hitting him on the arm. He smiled and returned it to me.
"I'm LC, Virus! What the hell?!" reklamo ko.
"Ayan na naman ang magjowa..." ani Arrow nung dumaan kami. He's like the biggest shipper of me and Cairus. Parati siyang may komento sa bawat paguusap namin.
"Hindi nga daw magjowa, MU lang daw." sabi ni Camden. Isa rin sa mga teammates nila.
"MU?" I scoffed. "I'll never like this virus, 'no! Yoko magkagerms ang buhay ko!"
Cairus cackled. "Ayoko rin na magkaroon ng mga bunny na anak."
My forehead creased, hitting him in the arm again. Nasalo niya ang kamay ko at ngumisi. I tried to remove it from his hold, but his hold on my hand is too tight. Tumili naman sina Arrow at Camden sa nakita. Damn, para silang mga babae kung tumili! Ano naman nakakakilig don?
"But I could compromise..." he smirked, obviously playing around.
"Ay! Kumikilos na si sir Cairus! Shet!" tili ni Camden at Arrow.
"You guys look ridiculous." I heard Prince's voice.
Binawi ko ang kamay ko sa kanya. His brow raised slightly and clicked his tongue. Lumingon naman ako kina Lia at Prince. Prince swallowed and looked away before smiling back at Lia. Si Lia naman, may halong pagtataka sa mukha para sa akin.
"Sayo na 'yan, virus! Make sure to clean it, when you return it, ha! That's my favorite tumbler!" binigay ko ang tumbler pabalik sa kanya. Eww. Ayoko nga na parehas ininuman namin. That'd be like an indirect kiss.
"Yeah sure, bunny. I will. Don't forget our deal!" he stated before running back to the court. I returned my attention to Lia and dragged her to the bleachers so we could have our places secured. Hindi ko na rin binati si Prince at hinayaan na siyang nandoon, kasama nina Arrow at Camden.
I can't help but to feel sad. Hindi man lang ako binati ni Prince? Did he forget about me just because I'm with my bestfriend whom he likes?
My heart ached. I feel a little stupid. Feeling ko naman alam niya na gusto ko siya, pero hindi niya lang ako matanong. Kaya tinutuon niya nalang atensyon niya sa iba tuwing nagkikita kami.
He's the first guy who I couldn't even get myself to admit directly that I like him. Tuwing tatangkain kong sabihin, hindi ko magawa. But I think he feels it too, kaya siguro umiiwas na siya sa akin.
Hindi ko rin naman siguro siya masisisi kung ayaw niya. It's his choice. Kasalanan ko naman at ako ang nagkagusto niya. I could only like him from afar, because I know who he truly likes.
A notification rang from my phone. Kumunot ang noo ko nung makita ang pangalan nung nag-message.
Troy Marchelli:
Good morning!
I couldn't remember the time that we last talked. Pala-isipan pa rin sa akin ang ginawa niya noon. I didn't know how to react nor what to feel about it. Inuwi niya lang ako agad na parang walang nangyari.
Ako:
Hi. Good morning too. I heard it's already afternoon there?
Troy:
Nope. I'm here in the Philippines. Nasan ka?
Umawang ang labi ko. He's here? Bakit hindi ko man lang nabalitaan, maski kay Cairus?
Ako:
I'm at your brother's game.
Troy:
Really? Sayang. I was supposed to watch with Larraine, but we had to go somewhere else.
Ako:
Larraine?
Wala akong kilalang Larraine. I never heard her name. Sinong Larraine? Is that his girlfriend?
Troy:
Just my sister. She's the one after me.
I tapped my index finger on my phone. Nag-isip ako ng irereply bago nakapagdesisyon tungkol doon.
Ako:
Ohh... too bad, then.
I couldn't think of anything. Nakakagulat lang talaga at bigla siyang sumulpot sa messages ko. He knew about my number, when we met last time. He's been living in Australia, and rarely visits here.
Troy:
Nagseselos ka ba?
Ngayon palang, nakikita ko na ang ngisi sa mukha niya. Napailing ako at nagtipa ng reply.
Ako:
As if. I'm loyal to my crush.
Mabilis rin siyang sumagot.
Troy:
Is that me?
I scoffed and shook my head. Napatingin sa akin si Lia, kaya nginitian ko siya. Tipid lang siyang ngumiti bago binalik ang atensyon sa harap.
My gaze went to Prince. It's the finals and its their last play for the year before they head to the College team. Ever since Cairus arrived, medyo humina na rin ng konti ang plays niya. I don't know if its because Cairus is just better than him, or he's losing interest in Basketball.
Pero dapat nga ganahan siya diba? Nandyan na si Lia, oh! Madalas na siya nanonood ng games niya because of Kale, but at least he has someone as his motivation now.
It kinda hurts to think that the closest that I can probably get to him is as a friend. Pero anong magagawa ko? Iyon ang gusto niya e. I'm not the type to force myself on a guy, either. Nagiging open lang naman ako sa feelings ko, pag alam kong gusto rin ako. May assurance.
The game started. Cairus kept on doing three point shots while glancing at me. I'm not assuming, because our place is kinda near the court. Alam kong sa akin siya tumitingin bago niya gawin iyon. Si Prince naman, sumusulyap din. Hindi sa akin, pero kay Lia. Why can't they just focus on the game? Bakit kailangan may pagtingin pa dito?
"Brierwell wins!" isang malakas na hiyawan ang naganap sa gym. I screamed and cheered with them as well. Pumalakpak kami at nagtalunan ang mga players.
"Baba tayo?" I asked Lia. "Or you want to go home na?"
She gave me a small nod. "Sige lang..."
Tumango ako. The first person I thought of is Prince. Papunta na sana ako doon nung humarang si Cairus sa harap ko. Natigilan ako dahil sa pagharang niya.
"Hey, bunny..." he smiled.
"Hi. Congrats." tipid kong sabi at lalagpasan na sana siya pero hinila niya ako pabalik.
"That's all?" he pouted a bit.
Umismid ako. "Ano pa bang gusto mo?"
We stared at each other for a while. Pawis na pawis pa rin siya dahil nga kakatapos lang. He still smells good though. He smells like a baby. Iyong kahit na gaano siya kapawis, mabango pa rin.
"Why don't you change your shirt first?" I told him. He didn't move though. "You're still sweaty."
He stared at me before sighing. Bigla niyang hinawakan ang magkabilang pisngi at nagdampi ng halik sa labi ko. My eyes widened. He gave me a soft kiss with my eyes open before he pulled away and smirked.
"What the hell?!" I shrieked, touching my lips.
"Reward ko." nakangiti niyang sambit. "Remember our deal, during the last game?"
My lips parted. Shit, I agreed to that?
It was after their last game's party. We were joking around that he gets to kiss me if he wins MVP. I completely forgot about that! Malakas kase kutob ko na si Prince ang MVP at hindi siya, kaya napapayag niya ako doon.
"Shit! Nagkiss na sila!" tili ni Arrow.
Nakisama rin 'yung ibang teammates nila sa pang-aasar. Hindi naman nawala ang ngisi sa mukha ni Cairus.
"Can I have more?" he asked.
Umiling ako at hinila na si Lia at para hanapin si Prince. Did he see that? I hope not!
"Did he just kiss you?" Lia whispered.
"It's just a deal. Wala lang 'yon." I swallowed hard and continued looking for Prince. Napahawak pa ako sa labi ko dahil sa paghalik ni Cairus.
Nahanap rin namin si Prince na nakapagpalit na ng shirt. His eyes were full of coldness for me. There goes my heart again. Tuwing nakikita ko talaga siya, bumibilis ito.
"Uh, washroom muna ako..." paalam ni Lia at tipid na ngumiti kay Prince bago umalis.
Lia excused herself to give us alone time. Tuwing ganitong magkakasama kami, umaalis siya para iwanan kaming dalawa. Gusto niya daw kase na magkamabutihan kami ni Prince. Seems impossible, but at least my best friend's supportive? Hindi niya nga lang alam na siya pala ang gusto.
Prince's gaze focused on me. His blue eyes stared intently at my face until it went to my lips. Walang emosyon roon at nakatitig lang siya. I felt a bit awkward and looked away.
"He kissed you, huh?" Prince said, breaking the silence.
My breathing hitched. Nakita niya pala iyon? Fuck, kahiya! Siya ang gusto ko, tapos nakita niya akong may kahalikan na iba? Just what does that make of me now, huh?
"That's nothing... I just made a stupid deal with him." sabi ko at nanatiling nakatingin sa sahig.
"Deal..." he repeated and scoffed. "Alam mong pwede ka namang tumanggi pag ayaw mo diba?"
Nag-angat ako ng tingin. Why does he sound mad and angry?
"It's just a stupid kiss. At saka, hindi ko naman alam na bigla niyang gagawin 'yon. I was surprised too..."
"Edi sana sinampal mo? Hinayaan mo lang na halikan ka niya. Tsk." umiling siya at bumuntong-hininga.
Tinitigan ko siya. His jaw is clenched, looking at the people around us. Bakit ganyan ang reaksyon niya? Ano naman ngayon diba?
"I like it. So why should I do that?" I suddenly said to test his reaction.
Natigilan siya at napatingin sa akin. My heart started pounding hard.
"You like it?" seryosong sabi niya. "Does it mean you like him, then?"
I sighed. "That's two different things."
His forehead creased. He twitched his lips and stared at my eyes before crossing his arms.
"So you'll just let any guy kiss you, ganoon ba?"
"It's Cairus, Prince. Hindi naman siya iba—"
"You said that you don't like him."
"Hindi nga!" hindi ko alam kung bakit pa ba namin pinag-aawayan 'to. "I thought you were the one who's gonna get the MVP title kaya pumayag ako sa ganoon! Hindi ko naman alam na siya pala, kaya he bargained with a kiss!"
Natahimik siya. Wala siya nung nangyari 'yung deal na 'yon last time. Kaya hindi niya alam.
"You thought I was going to get it?" he asked.
I nodded.
"So it's my fault that I didn't play that well conpared to him, huh..." he whispered to himself. "Fucking hell, I'm the reason why he kissed you."
Iritado siyang tumingin sa direksyon ko.
"Napakawalang kwenta naman ng deal na 'yan. You should've known that he will get that title. He's the best in our team. Dapat yakap nalang o halik sa pisngi. Dapat talaga sa labi?!"
"I wasn't in the position to bargain." I said.
He groaned. Napatingin siya sa likod kaya lumingon din ako. He grabbed my wrist and started pulling me away from the gym. Hindi ko alam kung saan nga ba kami pupunta dahil nagpapahila lang ako sa kanya.
He was muttering my curses while holding me. We stopped in their mini park. Binitawan niya ako at pinaupo doon.
"Bakit tayo nandito? Baka hanapin ako ni Lia." I asked with my arms crossed.
"Para hindi ka na makita ni Cairus." mahinang sabi niya. "He pisses me off..."
Kumunot ang noo ko. Ang init ng ulo nito? Pag nagkakausap naman si Lia at Kale, hindi naman siya naiirita. Pero pag si Cairus o sina Arrow, umiigting ang panga niya at parang mananapak na sa tingin.
"He pissed you off pala e, bakit kailangan kasama ako?"
He looked at me with his brows still furrowed.
"Because... I will get more pissed when you're around him. Baka hindi ko na mapigilan suntokin ang pagmumukha niya." he gritted his teeth, his jaw moving aggressively.
I sighed. Nakatitig siya sa sahig na parang may malalim na iniisip.
"Did you two fight? Bakit parang ang init naman ng dugo mo sa kanya?"
He shook his head. "No. We didn't. I'm just pissed..."
"Then, why are you pissed? Is it something personal? Crush rin ba niya si Lia?"
Napatingin siya sa akin dahil sa sinabi ko.
"He doesn't like Lia. Obvious naman ata kung sino ang gusto niya..." he sighed heavily, staring at the building in front of us.
Ngumuso ako. "Who?"
I'm genuinely curious. Sino naman ang gusto ni Virus Marchelli? A jerk like him, liking a girl? Parang kakaiba naman ata 'yon.
"You know her," he answered.
"Huh? Totoo? Sino?"
His forehead creased looking at me. "Hindi mo talaga alam?"
Umiling ako.
"Hindi mo talaga napapansin?"
Umiling ako ulit. Now, I'm curious. Sino ba kase 'tong gusto ni Virus? At bakit naiinis si Prince? Like, anong nangyayari na hindi ko alam?
"Damn, Elisse. I didn't know that you're this dense. Hindi mo talaga alam?"
"Alam ang alin?" inosenteng tanong ko.
He cursed under his breath.
"May gusto sayo si Cairus." malamig niyang sambit.
My eyes widened. I gasped. My lips parted in shock and covered them after. Wait, what?
"H-He d-does?"
Tumingin siya sa akin. "Oo."
I blinked. Oh my gosh, totoo ba? That Virus liking me? Paano naman mangyayari 'yon? I can't...
I laughed. Kunot noo na humarap sa akin si Prince.
"Eyy, you're joking. Bakit naman magkakagusto sa akin si Virus? We fight non-stop! He's just naturally annoying!" That's not possible, I swear! Kung totoo 'yon, edi sana alam ko na diba?
"He likes you..." mariin niyang sabi. "Otherwise, why would he kiss you? Sige nga?"
Napaisip ako doon.
"Uh, because my lips are soft and kissable?" I reasoned.
He groaned again. Parang naiinis siya sa pag-uusap naming dalawa. Am I being annoying?
"If he wants to kiss you and he teases you a lot, that just means that he likes you! Ang manhid mo naman para hindi mapansin 'yon!" his voice sounded mad and loud. Kami lang naman ang nandito kaya walang nakakarinig.
My eyes narrowed. "Why do you sound like you're mad?"
"I'm not!" giit niya.
"You are..." I pouted a bit and held my hands together.
Dumapo ang tingin niyang nakakatakot. I swallowed hard, unable to form words from my tongue. The wind touched my skin, I felt its cold breeze. The trees swayed and resonated with our silence.
"Do you like him?" he suddenly asked.
Suminghap ako. "C-Cairus?"
He nodded. His face relaxed, not taking his eyes off me. Opposite to his face, my heart won't relax due to his presence. Hindi ko maiwasan ang mapatitig ulit sa kaniya. I hate the fact that I don't even know why I liked him this much! Parang nagising nalang ako at gusto ko na siya agad.
"N-No..." sagot ko.
He arched a brow. "Lies."
Ngumuso ako. "Hindi nga!"
"I'm not a blabber. Pwede mo namang sabihin sa akin ang totoo..." kalmado niyang sabi.
"E, sa hindi nga totoo!"
He scoffed. "I don't believe you. I saw you two often, and I'm sure you—"
I groaned, cutting him off.
"I don't like him, because I like you!" I blurted out.
Napatulala siya. My heart stopped beating for a second. I can't believe I just said that! Hindi ako makapaniwalang pinapahiya ko ang sarili ko ngayon...
"You what?" his low voice resonated soundly with my ears. He licked his lips, looking at me. "Elisse, you know that—"
Ilang beses akong tumango.
"Yeah... I know. Pero alam mo namang hindi ikaw ang gusto niya diba?" I tried to smile. Hindi ko alam at bakit nagagawa ko pang ngumiti ngayon. My heart is twisted out of nervousness. This is the first time I felt like this for anyone.
Umawang ang labi niya. Nanatili akong nakangiti.
"I told you that if I ever start having feelings for you, sasabihin ko sayo." ngiti ko sa kanya.
He swallowed hard.
"Well, here you go. I like you, Prince Draven Montereal Asuncion... gusto kita." It was hard to confess, but I managed to utter the words that I've been hiding for almost a year.
"You can't be serious about this." umiling siya at binalik ang tingin sa harap.
I frowned. "Why?"
He looked at me. "Because you don't take these things seriously. You're just saying that because you don't want me to be with your best friend."
"Paano kung oo?" I said. "Paano kung ayaw ko nga na maging kayo, dahil gusto ko maging akin ka? Is that bad? I like you and I admitted that to you. Wala akong pagsisisi."
He chuckled sarcastically.
"The fuck, are you really fucking serious about this?"
Lumunok ako ulit.
"Yeah. Yeah, I am." I didn't stutter.
"I don't like you." sambit niya. "Malinaw naman siguro sayo yun, no?"
My hands trembled a bit and did my signature smile.
"Of course. Doesn't mean that I'm stopping myself from liking you though..." ngumisi ako.
He pushed his tongue to his cheeks and sighed.
"Stop liking me." mariin niyang sabi.
"Ayoko." I smirked.
Sandali siyang tumingin sa akin bago tumayo. Napailing siya.
"Fine, suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you enough." tinalikuran niya na ako para umalis. My heart twisted in pain, but I remained strong. Hindi ko pinakita ang sakit na nararamdaman sa dibdib. He rejected me. Siya ang kauna-unahang lalaking nagparamdam sa akin ng ganon.
Bumalik siya kaya napatayo rin ako. He walked cooly towards me with a straight face. Walang emosyon at para bang walang pakialam sa akin.
"One more thing," sambit niya.
Bigla akong kinabahan. Parang may sasabihin siyang makakasakit sa akin. I gulped and waited for him.
"I'll court Lia." That's the only thing he said before he left me standing there, with my heart breaking into pieces.