The Girl Has A Secret

CHAPTER 23

BUT I sincerely hope that other people will accept me despite the fact that I acknowledge myself. Malaking impact ang maging parang basura sa mata ng mga tao. I am insecure...all the time. Okay lang kung hindi ako ganun kaganda, kaporma, ang mahalaga yung maipaparamdam nila na nandito sila para sa akin.

"Still, there are others who accept you. Allow people to insult you if they choose to, it is their opinion and point of view though. However, they are not as priceless as you. They insult you and detest you for two reasons. First of all, they are insecure about what they have, and secondly, they are attention seekers o yung tinatawag nating kulang sa aruga. Ang simple lang namang huwag pansinin ang ibang tao except themselves, pero hindi nila magawa. No one teaches them about it, nag-aaral sila for fame, money, or whatever their reasons pero walang kwenta dahil wala silang natutunan."

His maturity slapped me in realization. The way he delivered his advice, my mind started to recognize myself.

Oo nga naman, may point siya na hayaan ko na lang sila. If they want to bully me, then do it. Who will be the one who will call a bad person? Definitely not me.

"You spit facts, Riel. Hindi man lang nila alam ang salitang respeto sa kapwa tao," I responded in a low tone. Tumigil na rin ako sa paghikbi ko. Pakiramdam ko magkakasundo kami ni Riel, he is good. Ang matured pa niya, sobra.

His coolness gives me more interest in hearing his voice especially about he is saying full of deep meaning and sense.

"You know, in my principle, life is like a stone. Sometimes hard, sometimes soft. Hard if it's alive and soft when it dies. Just choose the hard one, the hard to crash," matagal bago niya madurog ang buhay na bato, "and this is easy to crash," dinurog niya ang patay na bato ng madalian lang. "In able to not die easily and not be weak, you must put yourself in the right way and right spot," ibinalik niya ang bato sa isang sulok.

A life that is not dedicated to a lofty aim is pointless. It is like a stone that is squandered on the ground and never used to build anything.

"But stones are not moving, people are moving. Stones are just there, lying on the ground, ignored by people, and never be used as an important kind."

"Somewhat you have a point. As I have said, it is only my principle. Para sa akin lang naman 'yan, since I can crash stones using just 2 fingers," he acted like he crashed something from his fingers.

"Okay," I responded and my voice became cold.

"Hey, I'm just trying to make you feel better," he smiled again.

Nahahawa na ako sa pagngiti niya. Epektibo naman ang ginagawa niyang pagmomotivate sa akin.

"Thank you," sabi ko at binigyan siya ng ngiti.

He stares at me for a minute, so am I. Dahil ba kagaya ko siya, I can't see his future? Even if I am staring at his eyes right now?

But at that moment, I just found out he already kissed me, just smack but it made me feel like I was in electricity. A whole vibrate I felt after I felt his lips.

"Why did you kiss me?" I'm puzzled right now. Hindi siya sumagot at inilapit niya ulit ang mukha niya para halikan ako. Kaagad kong inilayo ang mukha ko, "What the heck are you doing?" Kunot-noo na may halong inis ang tono ko.

"Boyfriend mo lang ba ang may karapatang manghalik ng iba?" Pagkasabi niya, idinampi niya ulit ang kanyang labi sa akin. As I squeal in response to his lips, I can tell that he drove me insane. My face and back were being caressed by him. I only found out he carried me at the top of him. He kissed me deeply enough and I am just thinking about this kiss, nothing more. Retorting by touching him back in return.

The sound of our kisses intimated the wave of the river.

He pulled me away from him gently. He was fixing the strand of my hair as he started to touch his lips to my chin, up to my lips again.

What the hell are we doing right now?

Lumuwag bigla ang blouse ko. I knew he was starting to unbutton my blouse. I held his hand to stop him but he just kissed me sexily which made me weaker causing me to let him continue what he was doing.

"Katriel Raizue, do you take Ayesha Dela Cruz for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

I crumpled my forehead as I heard a priest, doing the marriage.

"You should bid your goodbye to your team, Sevyn. It is the end of your life, I told you before that I am your threat who will end you by the last of your life."

Tutok ang kanyang baril sa aking noo.

I opened my eyes as soon as I heard the gunshot. When I caught sight of a battle and a wedding, where Riel was aiming the gun at me, I yanked him away from me. I was bewildered by what I saw in my vision as I gazed into his innocent eyes. Agad akong umalis sa ibabaw niya at sinuot ang shoes ko.

"I gotta go, bye."

"Wait! Ihahatid kita!" Dinig kong sigaw niya pero hindi ko na siya pa hinintay muli at tumakbo na lang para makahanap ng taxi. Sumakit ang ulo ko dahil sa nakita ko.

Siya ang ipapakasal sa akin? Kaya naman pala ang bait-bait niya.

So alam niya? Alam niya in the first place kung sino ako.

Suddenly I touched my lips. We shared our first kiss from that moment. I groaned as I thought about what happened a few minutes ago, kung paano ko sinagot ang bawat yapos at halik niya sa akin.

"Baliw ka, baliw!"

May boyfriend ako, dapat hindi ko 'yon ginawa! Ayoko sanang isipin na nagloko ako pero nangyari na. Nakakainis talaga! I can't calm down myself sometimes.

Iisipin ko na lang na nadala niya ako.

"Yes, Aye, nadala ka lang, okay?" Pagpapakalma ko sa sarili ko.

Kagat-kagat ko ang labi ko nang makasakay ako. Hindi lang kasi ako makapaniwala sa nangyari.

Kaya naman pala malakas ang loob ng Riel na 'yon, siya pala yung itatali nila sa akin.

Gusto ko siyang iwasan simula pero paano ko gagawin yun!?

Susubukan kong kumbinsihin si dad. Hindi kami pwedeng maghiwalay ni James, mag-aanniversary na kami. Wala pa pala akong nabibiling ireregalo sa kanya, isa pa sa nagpadagdag ng sakit ng ulo ko.

Argh! Life.

Pagod na pagod ang pakiramdam ko nang maka-uwi ako sa bahay. Nagtalo pa kami ni ate dahil pinagbibintangan niya akong kinuha ang paborito niyang damit kahit hindi naman.

Sana paggising ko mawala na lahat ng problema ko. Ang bigat-bigat sa ulo!

When morning comes, I just keep myself busy in school. I was always distracted but I was just ignoring them. Kahit papaano may naitulong si Riel sa mga pieces of advice niya.

Argh! That kiss again. Nahihiya yata ako kay James kung makikita ko man siya.

"Kami na ni Alex!" Balita ni Francheska. She was whirling around her place as she showed us her enjoyment of her news. Napataas ang dalawang kilay ko sa gulat.

"Talaga?" Ang bilis yatang bumigay ni kuya?

She ran closer to me, her curly hair smacked at my face, I was sniffed by her hair and its smell of fabric. To all you know, I hate sniffing that kind of smell. It's like the smell left behind inside my nose.

Nakiliti bigla ang ilong ko.

"Yeah, because of you! Palagi mo kasing inaabot lahat ng efforts ko sa kanya. Thank you so much, Ayesha!"

When she was about to hug me, I sneezed. "Excuse me."

"Eww!" She joked so I laughed a little.

"Ang sabi rin ng instructor ko gumaganda raw yung status ko sa school," sabat ni Casha na hindi mabibili ang ngiti.

"Me, too," si Xianna, "And all because of Ayesha. She helped us a lot!"

Masaya ako na lahat ng naitulong ko sa kanila ay nagbunga ng maganda. Naging mabait sila sa akin at ipinagtatanggol ako sa mga umaaway sa akin. They even bought me food sometimes at inaaya kami ni Francheska na gumala. Masaya silang kasama, sobra. Hindi ko man lang nafifeel kung may halong kaplastikan ba.

Malapit na ang exam namin, bukas na at maaga pa. Gusto ko nang mag-review pero pinagbibigyan ko pa sina Casha na pakisamahan ako. Hindi ko ineexpect na gusto nila akong kasama maghapon.

"What if sabay-sabay na lang kaya tayong magreview?" Suhestiyon ni Francheska.

"Great idea!"

"Let's start, then," pagpayag nila. Tumingin naman sila sa akin.

Hindi ako mahilig magreview ng may kasama, pero kung sila, papayag na lang din ako.

"Sige," ngiting sagot ko. Kanya-kanya silang kumuha ng book, maging ako.

Pagkabukas ko ng libro, pumikit ako ng mariin. Maraming mga taong nakaharap sa akin—no, sa amin. We are in the desert. A lot of moving robots. Helicopter that fires. A lot of guns. Not only that, some are just using an unidentified powder and I am one of them. Big rockets are in the ground where enemies go out there to gather in one place to fight us. Why I am included in the scene? Am I going to fight?

Why...

Bakit pati siya kasama at nasa kabilang panig?