It was a busy week. Bukod sa sabay-sabay ang mga school activities, dumagdag pa ang preparations para sa Youth Camp at upcoming foundation week. Kaya ang ending, napipilitan akong mag-cram dahil inuubos ng mga meetings ang oras ko.
Nearby, I heard my classmates gushing about different boys who attended the fashion week last Wednesday night. My brothers were invited but they turned it down. Nabanggit nilang nagpunta roon si Racel kaya napalingon ako sa kanila.
Doon pala siya dumiretso after niya akong ihatid.
After class, I went straight to our dance rehearsals. Two weeks din yatang ganito ang set-up ko. Fortunately, mabilis naaprubahan yung documents ng Youth Camp. In between those weeks, nagkita pa kami ni Racel nang ilang beses para i-finalize ang lahat sa venue. Well, props lang naman ako. Ewan ko ba kung bakit sinasama niya pa ako.
We were also civil, kind of. Umiiwas pa rin ako nang kaunti. I didn't want to push my luck and he wasn't as obnoxious as he was the first time. Less na ang mga pagtitig niya, although nahuhuli ko siya paminsan-minsan na nakatingin lang na parang binabasa ako. Also, we no longer eat outside. Puro orders na lang sa drive-thru. In a way, I appreciated his effort to listen to my concerns.
Yung mga meetings naman kasama ang ibang reps, smooth din. Sa Ignatio kami mostly nagkikita-kita kaya okay naman.
So far, everything was going real good. Sana wala nang maging problema nang matapos na 'to.
***
I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling hungry. Sa sobrang pagod ko pag-uwi, diretsong natulog na ako kaya hindi na ako nakakain. Ang sakit din ng katawan ko dahil sa practice. Three hours of dancing din 'yon, nonstop pa.
Magluluto na lang siguro ako ng quick dinner bago matulog ulit. With that, I put my glasses on and went downstairs.
While humming along to the music blasting from my phone, I busied myself with my dinner. Wala pang isang oras, may narinig akong ingay sa labas. Pagdungaw ko sa bintana, I saw Kuya Jacob's red Ferrari entering our parking space. Ngayon pa lang siya uuwi?
I glanced at the clock. Almost 4 a.m na, a?
Sinalubong ko siya sa pinto. Hindi pa man ako nakakalapit, napansin ko na yung pasa sa mukha niya. Bago na naman.
"Kuya!" I exclaimed, running toward him. "What happened? Napano 'yan?"
There was a bruise, angry and almost turning purple, on his left jaw. Mukhang nalagyan na ng ointment but it was still bruising. Hoshet. Kagagaling lang ng last niya, mayroon na naman ulit?
My heart raced wildly as numerous thoughts circled in my head. Sinong nakaaway niya? And why?
Kuya Jacob didn't answer me. Marahan niya akong hinawi at tahimik na pumasok sa bahay. He looked royally pissed.
I stepped back in surprise. That was the first time Kuya Jacob brushed me aside.
Damn.
He really looked apeshit mad.
Pinanood ko siyang maglakad papunta sa hagdanan. Halatang nagpipigil ng inis. Hindi naman padabog ang lakad niya pero there was that aura that said he was going to snap any given moment. He was already at the top of the stairs when he suddenly paused. He turned over his shoulder, glancing at me. "Sorry. It's late. Matulog ka na," he said, softening a bit, before disappearing into his room.
Tumango lang ako. Curiosity was eating me up but I didn't go to him to ask. He was in his domain now and no one would be able to pull him out kahit ano pang gawin namin. I'd only risk angering him further.
I let him blow off some steam on his own. But that didn't mean I wasn't bothered. Hell, I was. So much.
A part of me was afraid na baka tama ang hinala ko kung sino ang nakaaway niya.
***
Hindi ko inabutan si Kuya Jacob the next morning. Hindi rin siya nakita ni Kuya Chris kaya alam kong sinadya niya talagang umalis nang maaga. I didn't tell the others what happened last night, though, to respect his privacy.
Pero paano kung maagang umalis 'yon para bumawi? I was a bit scared of my brother's temper. He wasn't stupid to ruin his reputation but he had a tendency to be brash and reckless.
I brushed my hair in frustration.
Nasa cafeteria na ako ngayon, eating with Anjo, Maxxie and Hiro. Ahron had a class and Lhyle had something else to do.
"You look like a panda, girl. Nahiya ang eye bags ko sa 'yo," puna ni Anjo. "Natulog ka ba?"
"Oo nga. Para kang may sakit," Hiro added quietly.
Feeling conscious, napahawak tuloy ako sa mukha ko. Nakatulog naman ako pero saglit lang. "Do I look that awful? I think I'm stressed out."
"'Yan kasi. I told you 'wag kang workaholic kasi," Maxxie told me, shaking her head.
Suddenly, I felt something hard land softly on the top of my head. I didn't have to guess. Alam ko na kung sino. I sneaked a scathing glare at Lhyle and the book he used to hit me.
He gave me a playful grin bago umupo sa tabi ko. "Musta kapatid mo? Sabi ni Carlo naupakan daw 'yon."
"You know what happened?" I asked, surprised that he mentioned it.
"Not really. Ang alam ko lang, si Racel ang unang bumanat."
I almost stopped breathing and my eyes widened in shock. Para akong binuhusan ng malamig na tubig. Tama ba ang narinig ko? Si Racel? Racel did that to him? That Racel na nakilala ko at parang hindi kayang manakit because that was beneath him?
"Hindi mo alam?" nalilitong tanong ni Lhyle, sabay himas sa leeg niya. "'Di ka ba sinabihan ni Mathev? Magkasama daw sila non, a?"
"No, I didn't know," mahinang sagot ko. "'No one tells me anything."
I couldn't believe it. Racel did that? Akala ko ba ayaw na niyang magsimula ng gulo? That he wasn't stupid to do something like that? He clearly told me that.
Did he start the fight?
Did Kuya Jacob provoke him?
I was so confused. And angry. That was my brother. Kahit pa ano ang gawin niya, ayoko siyang nakikitang nasasaktan. And to make it worse, I was with the guy who hurt him just a few days ago.
It felt like I betrayed my brother. Kahit pa para sa school 'yon, I felt disgusted with myself.
"Hala. Bakit sila nag-away?" tanong ni Anjo.
"Hindi ko rin alam. Lagi naman nag-aaway ang mga 'yon."
That was true, but Kuya Jacob had been quiet these past few days. Hindi na siya nagpupunta ng bars kasi mas tutok na siya sa mga laro nila. Ni hindi na nga gumagala 'yon dahil ayaw nang matalo ulit. So how come?
Talaga bang si Racel ang nagsimula?
Damn.
I really couldn't understand the way his mind worked. I couldn't read him, his actions, his intentions. One moment, he looked reasonable and decent, and then the next, you'd get blindsided like this.
Even more frustrating was the fact that I'd have to be with him again dahil sa Youth Camp. Kuya Paul was right. I really should avoid him.
He wasn't good. To me and my family.