The Mafia QUEEN

FOUR

MARCO's POV

"Nick! huy! Kanina kapa wala sa sarili ha? What's wrong dude?" bigla akong napunta sa realidad ng tapikin ni Derrick ang balikat ko. 

"H-ha?" ani ko na tila nagugulohan. Naglalakad kami ngayon papuntang parking, kanina lang ayos naman ako. Pero ngayon, mukhang lutang na lutang ako. 

"Hello! Earth to Nick, kanina ka pa dude ha? May sakit ka ba?" he said and put his hand on my forehead. But before he'll lay a hand, agad na akong umiwas. 

"What are you doing?" I asked, with a crease on my forehead. 

"Dude! Hindi ako marumi, araw-araw kaya ako naliligo. At tsaka, nag a-alcohol ako, grabe ka naman kung makaiwas ah," he said and pout, tangna ang bakla nya talagang tignan. Tumingin ako kay Karch na nakapamulsa lang, and of course with his signature boring look. Naglalakad kaming tatlo papuntang parking lot, tapos na kase ang huling klase namin sa araw ngayon. 

And as usual, most of the classes that we took earlier are boring. It makes me feel sleepy every time I entered our room and listen to every word that our professors uttered during class time. Halos ganito na ata talaga ang magiging routine ko sa klase.

After that incident happened on the rooftop, she keeps on bugging my mind without any valid reason.

Napatingin ako sa direksyon ni Derrick at halata sa ekspresyon ng kanyang mukha ang hindi mapakali. He eventually turned his gaze at me that made me stopped from walking.

"Dude, seriously, what's wrong? What's bugging you? If this is about earlier. I'm sorry man, hindi ko naman sinasadyang galitin ka," he said. Did I forget to tell you that Derrick has this side? Well, here it is, nagso-sorry siya. 

Sa tuwing feeling niya may nagawa siyang mali, he will eventually speak to that certain person. Derrick is a verbal man, hinding-hindi siya matatakot na magsalita o di kaya ay ipahayag ang kanyang tunay na saloobin.

 But honestly, I should even thank Derrick for pissing me off earlier, cause I met Meredith. And she's the one who's bugging me on my mind, and I don't know why! Nang dahil sa insidenteng naganap kanina, halos wala na akong ibang inisip kundi siya.

Akala ko kapag makikita ko ulit siya ng personal ay maiibsan ang palagi kong pagiisip sa kanya, but the heck! Hindi 'yon ang nangyari! Mas lalong lumala ang sitwasyon ko. 

I am holding too much of her words of seeing me around again this campus. Hindi ako mapakali, atat na atat akong  masyado na makita ulit siya. 

"No need to apologize Derrick, nasanay na ako sa ugali mo," wika ko na ikinangiti naman niya kaagad.

"Ayos! Bati ulit tayo?" para siyang bata alam niyo yun? Tumango lang ako at tinapik ang kanyang balikat bago kami tuluyang naglakad ulit papuntang parking lot. 

Nasa malayo pa lang kami pero mapapansin mo na talaga ang kumpulan ng mga babae. Bakit ba kasi ganito sila? We're not celebreties, kagaya lang din kami nila na isang ordinaryong tao. Just like them, we are just a normal student here in this university.

There's nothing too special about the three of us for them to adore us too much. I mean, there's no wrong with admiring someone, but sometimes it just gets out of hand and it's not right.

Napabuga ako ng hangin, siguro kaya sila ganyan dahil nakadikit na sa pangalan ko ang 'Neumann'. Hindi ko naman kontrolado ang mga pangyayari para ako ang maging kaisa-isang anak ni Mateo Neumann, the president and founder of 4 Nuemann Universities. 

"Kyaahh! Ang gwapo talaga ni Karch"

"Ang cute mo Derrick!!"

"OMG, ang hot ni Nick!"

"Kyaaahhh!!"

Napa bored look lang si Karch as always, he doesn't want attentions, well same here. I don't want to be their center of attraction too. Habang si Derrick ayan! Tumurok na naman yung ibang side niya, kaway lang ng kaway, at ngiti lang din ng ngiti. He loves attention, a total opposite to us. 

Unlike us, he can definitely live a life full of attention, adorations, and many more to mention. Hindi niya kaya ang mag-isa sa isang sulok lang ng lugar. He will eventually find someone who can accompany him. 

Derrick is a type of man who wants to get observed. Mas gusto niyang tinitignan siya at nakakakuha ng atensyon sa iba. Minsan, sobrang weird lang din ng personality ni Derrick. He doesn't know the word 'privacy', it's not in his vocabulary. 

"Pre andiyan na siya oh!"

"Totoo nga yung rumor na mganda siya"

"She's so beautiful and hot as hell"

"Yan ba yung transferee?"

"Dre tabi, hindi ko siya makita huy!"

Pareho kaming tatlo na tumingin sa grupo ng mga lalake na di kalayuan sa pwesto namin. They're talking like a girl at parang may pinag papantasyahan. Kaya pareho din kaming tatlo na tumingin sa isang babaeng pinaguusapan nila na kakarating lang din sa parking area. 

I was totally shocked when I saw her again, she's wearing a bored look at dire-diretsong pumunta sa motorcycle parking area and not minding those guys staring at her.  Agad akong umiling, guni-guni ko lang siguro na siya yung nakita ko. 

I hardly shut my eyes and shrugged my thoughts away.

"So the rumor is true that there's a beautiful and hot transferee girl," sabi ni Derrick na may pilyong ngiti. And I don't like it, while Karch doesn't have any reaction, kaya nagpatuloy na lang siya sa paglalakad papunta sa kotse niya.

I heard a sound of an engine from a motorbike, kaya napatingin ako dun pati na rin si Derrick. Kaya hindi ko maiwasang mapatingin sa nagdi-drive. It's a girl? A girl who's riding on a white ninja motorbike was a perfect definition of 'COOL'. Nabigla ako nang huminto siya sa pwesto namin ni Derrick and she removed her white helmet.

"Marco," she said. Nagulat ako nang bumungad sa'kin ang isang napakapamilyar na mukha. I even blinked twice just to make sure that this girl in front of me is real. How come?! S-She?! On a big bike?! 

"Meredith," sambit ko sa pangalan niya. I silently cursed when I swallow a lump on my throat. Sana hindi niya napansin ang pagalon ng Adam's apple ko, nagmumukha tuloy akong nininyerbiyos sa harap niya.

Kung noon mga babae ang naiilang sa'kin sa tuwing tititigan ko sila, ngayon ako na. Ang bakla ko talaga kapag nasa harap niya! Hindi naman ako ganito noon eh, ang mga babae ang nininiyerbiyos sa tuwing kaharap nila ako. 

Look how the tables turn, Nick...

"I just want to say thank you dahil nakaabot ako sa klase ko. Thanks for waking me," she said in a plain tone. Kahit na normal lang na pagsasalita niya, natu-turn on talaga ako. Punyemas! Ano ba ang nangyayari sa'kin. 

"Ah w-wala yun." Aba't nauutal ako? Kailan pa? 

I just smile at her, kasi hindi ko talaga akam kung ano ang gagawin ko pareho lang din sa nangyari kanina sa rooftop. Halos hindi ako mapakali, hindi ko alam kung ang dapat kong gawin o sabihin. Talagang balisa ako kanina.

"Okay, adios," sabi niya, at sinuot na ang helmet at pinaharurot ang motor papalabas ng university. Habang ako naman... Eto, nakatulala sa direksyon kung saan siya nagtungo.

This is getting worst than I expected...

MEREDITH'S POV

Papunta na ako sa motorcycle parking area, my last class for this day just ended. Habang papunta ako sa parking area, there's a group of guys staring at me. Eto na naman. But still I didn't mind them at diretsong pumunta sa kung saan ko pinark ang motor ko. I automatically hopped in as I wear my helmet and started the engine.

"Ang cool niya"

"Hot kamo"

I rolled my eyes, but they didn't see it, cause I'm wearing my tinted helmet. Pinaandar ko na ang motor ko palabas ng parking, but I saw Marco standing in front of a car with a guy in his side, at meron ding lalake sa likod niya, and they looked at me. I stopped for a while and remove my helmet.

"Marco," I said, and he looks surprised, while yung lalakeng nasa gilid niya nakangisi, I saw it by the peripheral view of my eye. Yung lalakeng nasa likod naman niya naka bored look lang habang nakapamulsa, halatang naiinip o di kaya ay wala lang talagang pake sa paligid niya.

"Meredith," he uttered. I saw how his Adam's apple waved. Is he nervous?

"I just want to say thank you, dahil nakaabot ako sa klase ko. Thanks for waking me." It was my first time to say 'thank you' to the person I just met. Well, dahil naman sa kanya ay nakaabot ako sa klase ko, ayoko talagang ma-late. Kung wala siya dun, eh malamang gabi na ako magising. Tulog mantika ako, okay?

"Ah, w-wala yun."

"Okay, adios," I said and wear my helmet again. Kaya pinaharurot ko na ang pagtakbo ng motor palabas ng university. Nakakainis nga kasi ang traffic dito sa highway, well this is Philippines. But the good thing is nakamotor ako, kaya sumisingit lang ako. 

After a several minutes of driving from school, I finally got home. Nang nakarating na ako sa bahay, pinark ko lang ang motor sa garahe at kaagad na pumasok sa loob. My body really feels heavy right now. I guess I need to sleep right away after dinner.

"Hey Rose! How's the first day of school?" yan agad ang sumalubong sa'kin pagpasok ko sa loob. 

"Not bad," plain kong sagot sa tanong ni Tristan, at dumiretso sa couch at padabog na umupo. Kahit unang araw pa lang sa skwelahan at wala kaming masyadong ginawa buong araw kundi introduction lang, ay sobrang napagod ako. 

Kailangan ko lang masanay dito dahil may ilang buwan pa ako bago makagraduate. School sucks for me, due to some excessive activities. Pero wala naman akong magawa dahil natural naman talaga sa isang katulad ko na mag-aaral na may kaliwa't-kanan na gawain. 

The thought of having numerous school activities in the future makes me sick. I prefer wasting my time on some mafia transactions than doing some homeworks and projects, it's just too boring for me to handle. Unlike being on a mission, I might have some broken bones and wounds afterward but it doesn't change the fact that it will hype me up.

"Is something bad happen Rose?" and now si Adam naman ang nagtatanong habang naglalakad papalapit sa akin.

"Nah, I'm just tired," sabi ko habang umiiling. I massage my temples a bit before leaving the sala.

"Oh, I see. By the way, we cooked dinner for us, magbihis ka muna bago kumain, we'll wait for you here," sabi niya kaya tumango na lang ako at nagsimula nang umakyat sa taas para magpalit ng susuotin. 

When I got into my room, I took my phone and search for something. As I am scrolling down, I saw Nick Marco Neumann's photo on the East Neumann University website. He is the image of the 4 campuses of Neumann University, of course, he is. He's the only son and heir of Neumann's bloodline. 

I admit he's a good looking guy. What do you expect from a person who came from a wealthy and influential family? Image is one of the important factors for them. Kaya pala ganun na lang ang reaksyon ng mga babae ng makita sila sa parking lot ng unibersidad.

Those three are somewhat popular to all the girls. 

I close the safari and toss my phone in my bed. As I got up from bed, I automatically entered my closet to look for some clean and comfortable clothes to wear throughout the night. This day is very tiring, wala naman akong gaanong ginawa ngayon pero parang feeling ko hinihila ako ng kama ko pabalik.

After changing my clothes, I looked at my full-length mirror attached to the wall inside my closet.

 While looking at my whole reflection in the mirror, I can't help but think about Marco. He was really familiar to me, hindi ko lang alam kung saan ko siya nakita noon. I kinda recognize his physique and the structure of his face. baka guni-guni ko lang 'to, at kung ano-ano na lang ang naiisip tungkol sa kanya.

But he is somewhat interesting to know...

Or might as well, I won't.