My Suspicious Boss

Chapter 03

"Ay kalabaw!"

Random words splurt out of my mouth when I saw my brother behind the doors after I secretly made my way in. "What the hell, Kuya! You startled me!"

"What kind of high schooler comes home at this hour?" inis na tanong niya.

"Ah, something came up lang. I was with Gabby, and my phone died eh," palusot ko habang ang titig niya ay tumutunaw sa 'kin. It is so difficult living within a strict household!

Saka naman nagvibrate at ring ang cellphone ko sa loob ng bag habang kaharap ko pa si kuya! Napalunok ako sa kaba. Who the f**k calls at this hour?!

Napasinghal siya bago muling magsalita "Tina, go to your room bago ka pa mahuli."

Tumakbo ako paakyat ng kwarto matapos ngitian si kuya. Sobrang binagalan ko pa ang pag sara ng pinto para lang hindi maramdaman nila Mommy na kakauwi ko lang saka ko ibinagsak ang katawan sa malambot kong kama. Hah! That was nerve wrecking.

Muntik na kong makatulog habang nakahilata nang maalala ang cellphone ko. So annoying! Who was calling me?

I pulled it out of my school bag before looking at the notifications popping on the screen. It was from an unknown number: "Save my number as Boss."

Napairap agad ako.

I faced my bed and dived right into it, hitting my head repeatedly on the pillows. f**k, f**k f**k! Why did I have to get caught like that?!

I had no choice but to agree to his terms: I'd work for him, handling his schoolwork indefinitely, in exchange for keeping my cigarettes a secret from everyone. Plus, he even wants me to walk him to school every day! I hate him so much, he's such a dumbass! I ended up falling asleep in that state, my mind consumed by a whirlwind of anxiety about what the future held. As I drifted into sleep, the weight of my decisions pressed heavily on me, filling my dreams with visions of endless assignments and a life dictated by someone else’s demands. I couldn’t stop imagining the consequences of tomorrow and how I would manage the burden of working under him while keeping my secret intact.

"You're early," rinig kong sabi niya habang papalapit pa lang ako sa gawi nila. May kasama siyang isa pang lalaki na kaparehas niya ng porma. Parehas baduy!

Pairap akong sumagot, "You told me to."

There was a heavy silence between the three of us on the empty campus streets. He sat casually by the edge of a light pole, his posture relaxed, while I struggled with a sense of mounting frustration. I fumbled with my overstuffed school bag, trying to pull out the papers he needed. "Oh!" Inabot ko sa kaniya ang mga ito.

Kinuha ng lalaking kasama niya ang mga inabot kong papel bago ito nilagay sa envelope. I was confused. "Hindi mo man lang ba titignan? I worked hard for that!" reklamo ko.

Natatawa siyang tumayo mula sa pagkakaupo saka nagpagpag ng pantalon. "Mhm. I trust you, Courtney."

"Athena," diin ko. "A-ti-na!"

"I call you what I want," he smirks. God, he is so annoying!

Mabilis ko siyang tinalikuran saka nag akmang maglakad papalayo. I think it'd be better to sort things out with Gabrielle before she misunderstands things between me and this stupid boy. But just when I was about to step away, a cold hand reached for my arm. "He didn't tell you to go yet," sabi ng kasama ni Aiden habang nakahawak sa 'kin.

Ugh! "Who's this?! You're creepy!"

"Hey, hey. Don't disrespect my right-hand man like that," banta niya.

"You guys are crazy!" Real crazy! Who does he think he is! No, wait, What does he think he is?! What? Mafia, spy, secret agent s**t?

Irita kong inialis ang kamay ng lalaki sa braso ko. "Batshit crazy," inulit ko pa.

Lumapit sa 'kin si Aiden nang marahan habang nakangiti. Grabe, kadiri. Ano na namang ipinaplano niya?

"Sabay tayong papasok," alok niya.

Agad na kumunot ang noo ko sa narinig. "Hah?! No way! Baliw ka ba?" agad akong nag-react. His crazy fans will kill me! At along yari ako kay Gabrielle! Magkakaroon pa kami ng issues na possibleng malaman nila Mommy! No way in hell! "Ayoko!"

"But you have to," dagdag niya.

"No! This isn't part of the agreement! I just do your schoolwork, no one has to know we're connected!" dipensa ko.

Napatingin agad ako sa gawi ng kasama niyang lalaki matapos umirap saka ko siya dahan dahang namukhaan. "What?" I murmured. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa nakita!

"Kuya Kian?!" I was surprised to see my Kuya's best friend, who's also my friend's older brother! He's supposed to be studying abroad after last year's semester!

I immediately realized what was going on. Napangiti si kuya Kian nang marinig akong banggitin ang pangalan niya. "Took you long enough to recognize me, Tina," he chuckles.

"What? Does Kayzee know you're back? Why are you here?" I reached out for his arm, genuinely concerned.

He does not look bothered, even the slightest. Wala man lang binanggit sa 'kin si Kuya at si Kayzee na nakabalik na pala ng Pilipinas si kuya Kian! Pero, huh? Why is he here with this boy?

I glanced back at Aiden, his arms crossed in front of his chest with a brow raised. "Who told you to touch my belongings?" tanong niya pa.

"Sinasabi mo? Baliw!"

Marahan na inalis ni kuya Kian ang kamay ko sa braso niya. "Kian, I didn't ask you to speak," Aiden interfered.

"Huy! Ano ka, boss?" inis na tanong ko saka irita akong humarap kay Aiden. "Teka ha. Bakit ba kung maka-asta ka 'e parang pagmamay-ari mo siya?"

"He is my property," he emphasized. "And so are you." Turo niya sa 'kin

My eyes narrowed in disbelief. I couldn’t believe how entitled he was acting—he must actually be crazy. "Wow, ano, gusto mo tawagin pa kitang Sir? Senor? Young Master?"

It took him a solid minute to respond to my sarcasm. Para bang sineryoso niya ang tanong ko.

"Boss," he answered.