Pagpasok na pagpasok ko ng classroom, nagulat ako dahil ang tahimik nilang lahat. Normally I can expect someone planning something to embarrass me, or may mag b-badmouth agad sa'kin or may maghahagis ng kung ano. But wala.
“Morning, Lumina.” bigla akong binati ng katabi ko.
“M-Morning..” himala mga anghel yata, hindi kaya dahil sa ginawa niya kaya mga nananahimik 'tong demonyo na ito?
“Good morning, so I know it's sudden but we will have a test today.”
“Aww.” test?! patay, hindi ako nakapagreview baka bumagsak ako! Napakagat na lang ako sa labi ko dahil sa kaba, wala talaga akong natandaan kahapon, lagot.
Nagpamigay na ang professor namin ng test paper, at pagtingin ko pa lang ay parang matatanggal o lilipad na ang utak ko.
“Hala ano ba 'to? Ba't hindi ko alam lahat 'to?”
“Okay, you have one hour to answer it, starts now.” hala.
Gustong gusto ko sumigaw ng 'sir wala akong alam dito' pero hindi pwede.
Natapos ang test na halos hinaka at inikot ikot ko na lang ang ballpen, mukhang mababa ang grades ko nito.
“Babe!” nagulat at tumindig ang balahibo ko ng marinig ko ang salita at boses na iyon, kilalang kilala ko kung sino siya.
“Aww ignoring me?” agad siyang lumapit sa'kin at inakbayan ako.
“Can you eat with me mamaya? I miss you agad kasi.” he suddenly acted cute pero nandidiri ako, anong nakain nito ba't biglang nagpapakasweet sa'kin?
“Hala totoo nga.”
“Sila nga talaga.” hala pati yung mga taga ibang section nakasilip sa pinto at bintana makapagchismis lang.
Agad kong tinanggal ang braso niya at ngumiti na parang alien.
“A-Anong ginagawa mo dito?”
“Of course to see my baby!” bigla niya akong hinug, halos lahat ng mata nila sa'kin nakatitig. Gustong gusto ko na magpakain sa lupa. Bumulong agad ako sa kaniya.
“Anong ginagawa mo?! Bitawan mo ko?!” bigla din siyang bumulong sa'kin pero hindi ako binibitawan.
“We have to keep our act as couple right?”
Tinanggal niya ang pagkakahug niya sa'kin at ngumiti na parang ewan. Nang biglang may nagsalita, andyan na pala ang susunod na magtuturo sa'min.
“Mr. Fierre, I know you love her so much but she and the whole class still needs to study.”
“Ow, sorry for interrupting your class Mr. Santiago. Babe, I'll pick you up at lunch hmm?”
“O-Okay.” umalis agad siya, lahat nanaman sila nakatingin sa'kin.
“Okay tama na ang chismisan, let's start.”
The bell has rang and nagaayos pa lang ako ng gamit ko, nagpakita na siya agad, in just a second andyan na agad siya.
“Babe! Let's have a lunch.” hiyang hiya na ko, gusto ko ng umuwi.
“O-Okay.” pero I think he's doing this to save me from the bullies, since he got here wala ng nambubullt sa'kin. So I also have to act, even though it makes me barf.
Pero, kailangan ba habang kumakain sa'kin lang siya nakatitig? Talagang babantayan niya hanggang sa paglamon ko?
“W-Why? May dumi ba sa mukha ko?”
“No, ang ganda mo lang kumain.”
Muntik ko na maisuka lahat ng kinakain ko, ako daw maganda kumain e halos kainin ko na nga pati plato? I guess he needs to repair his eyes.
“Eat babe.”
“Y-You should also eat, b-babe.” nanlaki ang mata niya pero ngumiti siya agad.
“Sure, as you said my lady.”
I-uwi niyo na ko, I feel so cringed, his words are corny, his actions are corny buti hindi na lang siya naging mais. Gusto ko siyang tadyakan palabas ng cafeteria pero dahil nga nagpakilala na siyang boyfriend ko I can't and I also have to go with the flow.
Hinatid niya ko hanggang sa classroom. Nope, hanggang sa upuan hinatid niya ko. Hindi ko alam kung actor ba siya o CEO, sa galing niya gumawa ng lines para mapaniwala sila I also thought he's a romance writer. But even though he's corny and all, he's still making me feel special. He's checking up on me every hour, to see if anyone still bullies me. He pretends na naglalakad-lakad lang siya at dumadaan, but his eyes were fixated at me, which I thought was cute.
But, bukod do'n sa ginawa niya, wala na. Halos cringy na lahat. Hanggang sa pag-uwi balak pa kong samahan. Baka gusto niya na rin tumira sa bahay namin.
“Babe, want me to drive you to your home?”
“N-No.. Magb-bus na lang ako.”
“But—”
“Mag b-bus ako.”
“O-Okay.” ako na nagpumilit dahil it's so stuffy to be with him and we will be awkward dahil sa mga ginawa niya buong maghapon.
Hanggang sa paghihintay ng bus sinamahan niya ko, para siyang glue na nakadikit sa'kin.
“Anyare do'n 'di naman ganon yon nung nagkakilala kami ah? Parang ayoko na pumasok.” napasabi ko sa sarili ko pagpasok na pagpasok ko lang sa bus.
Thyrone's POV
I guess success? Wala ng nambubully sa kaniya, and I think she sees me as her hero or something. But medyo uncomfortable pa siya sa pagiging clingy ko, I'm still not done.
Habang napapaisip ako at nagd-drive, nadaanan ko ang girlfriend ko na mukhang may pupuntahan.
“Hey love.”
“Hi, where are you going?”
“Gonna go to our company, ikaw sa'n punta mo?”
“My friend's birthday.”
“Wanna hop in?”
“Sure.” pagpasok niya pa lang hinalikan niya agad ako. Wala pa rin tatalo pag maganda ang kaharap mo.
Lumina's POV
Everyday, he was stuck on me like a gum, and watching me like a human CCTV. Pero unti-unti akong nasasanay at nasasabayan ang ginagawa niya, to the point na natatawag ko siyang babe kahit wala na kami sa school.
And now we're in a fast food restaurant.
“Hey, gusto mo punta tayo sa park? Let's have a date?”
“Sure.” I said with a smile.
“Wait, I'll just go to the bathroom.”
“Okay.”
Nakangiti akong naghihintay sa kaniya, when suddenly, his phone rings.
“Oh, naiwanan niya.” I saw a girl's name, Veronica with a heart emoticon.
“Sino kaya 'to?”
I don't know who she is but sinagot ko dahil baka importante ito, pero nang sinagot ko. Iba ang bumungad sa'kin.
“Hey love where are you?”
Gulat man ako, pero sinagot ko ito.
“Uhh, hello..”
“Who tf are you? Where's my boyfriend?!”
Boyfriend? Did she just said boyfriend? Bago pa ko makapag salita inagaw agad sa'kin ni Thyrone ang phone.
“What do you think you're doing?!”
“M-May tumawag k-kasi, s-sinagot ko b-baka importante.”
Bigla niya kong iniwan, na may inis sa mukha kaya naglakad ako pauwi.
Pero, yung narinig ko, it keeps staying on my mind. What does she mean?
—
Kinabukasan ay bigla siyang nanlamig sa'kin, hindi niya ko pinapansin. At nasasaktan ako do'n. He was supposed to act cringy and clingy again, pero ba't ganito?
“Hey.. Thyrone.”
“Hey.”
“C-Can we talk?” dinala ko siya sa storage room kung saan kami unang nagkakilalang dalawa.
“Thyrone.. I-I'm sorry for picking up your call yesterday. It's rude of me to pick a phone call na hindi naman sa'kin.” he just stared at me, but yung mga tingin niya, nakakapangilabot.
His gazes were cold and empty unlike his gazes last time. It's scary.
“No need to say sorry.”
“Thyrone.. I-I just want to tell you something.” dahil alam ko naman na sa sarili ko, na nahuhulog na ko. Ako na mismo ang gagawa ng paraan, para mapalapit lalo sayo. Hindi ko alam, na sa ikli ng panahon, magugustuhan kita.
“I.. I..”
Thyrone's POV
Just I expected, she likes me. Look at her fidgeting with her hands. In the end, boring din pala siya. She will confess to me right at this moment, in 3.. 2.. 1..
“I like you, Thyrone.” sabi na nga ba. I guess I have to play dumb again.
“W-What?”
“I like you, d-do you have.. the same.. feelings?”
I should keep quiet first, and break her with a punch line.
“Sorry, but.. I like someone else.” her expression suddenly changed, she was hurt.
“T-Then why did you—”
“It was only to save you though, I didn't know that you will fall for me.”
“I-I know it's to save me, but please let me like you.”
“Sorry.”
Nice, She's about to cry.
Lumina's POV
“B-But—”
“Sorry Lumina, but I have to go on a meeting.” iniwan niya lang ako sa ere, na para bang wala siyang ginawa sa'kin.
In the end, hindi niya ko sinalo. After what he did to make me fall, hindi niya ko sinalo. Iniwan niya ko dito, at isa isa nanamang tumulo ang luha ko. I feel devastated.
Thyrone's POV
I drove to my friend's house, and alam ko namang maagang inuman nanaman sila.
“Success ba bro?”
“Of course.”
“Nasa'n yung video?”
“Here.”
She didn't know that I took a video of us while she's confessing, I won the bet and that 10 million is mine.
Lumina's POV
Ilang araw na lutang ang isip ko, I can't focus on anything even on my studies. Because nagrereplay sa utak ko yung sinabi niya, that girl on his phone. I guess yun yung taong gusto niya, I can't believe na I fell for him. I know to myself that it's to save me yet I didn't guard my heart for it. I was moved by his actions and words.
“Class, assembly on the open-gym. There's a ceremony daw.” again, una-unahan nanaman sila sa paglalakad dahil mainit at una-unahan nanaman sa pagkuha ng upuan. Ilang sandali pa at andyan na ang principal.
“So good afternoon to all of you. So, this ceremony is for Mr. Thyrone Fierre because he will leave. He will go to the US para asikasuhin ang branch nila doon and tapos na din naman ang pagtutulong niya sa'tin. So let's applause for Mr. Thyrone Fierre.”
“Good afternoon, again I'm Thyrone Fierre, CEO of Fierre Company.” lahat sila nagpalakpakan ako lang ang hindi.
“Ang bilis right? To think na one month na pala ako na tumutulong dito sa University? Well, I love how I spent my time here. Nakakilala ako ng maraming tao. So for my farewell ceremony, I prepared gifts.” isa-isa pumasok ang mga lalaking naka black suit at may dalang mga box.
“Free laptops for every student.”
May mga pumasok ulit na mga lalaki sa gym.
“And brand-new phones.”
Lahat sila ay nagsisigawan, pero hindi na ako nagulat. Kaya naman niya lahat dahil mayaman siya.
“And lastly, is this.” he suddenly flicked his hand and a video was played.
“I-I like you, Thyrone.” narinig ko ang sarili kong boses agad akong napatingin sa video.
“A video of your plain, nerd girl, confessing her love on me. After I flirted with her for only weeks.” instead of being angry, they all laugh at me.
“Good memory right?”
“YES!!” they all laughed at me, and teased me.
Napatakbo na lang ako sa kahihiyan, at nasasaktan ako dahil niloko niya ko. He made me trust on him, and he broke it intentionally.
Thyrone's POV
Nakita ko siya na tumakbo, we all just laughed and I can see the principal's face na hindi nagugustuhan ang nangyayari.
—FLASHBACK—
“Pre, galing mo ah napaamin mo.”
“Ako pa ba?”
“Bro, another bet for her? Hmm, 20 million?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“'Diba aalis ka for US? I'm sure they will hold a ceremony for you.”
“So?”
“Play that video on that ceremony.”
“Are you serious? Even though I played with her, 'di naman ako ganon kasama para gawin siyang katatawanan sa ibang tao and besides she was bullied.”
“Oh so you're not in?” napatahimik na lang ako, ayoko makonsensya sa mangyayari.
“Okay, then your dad will know your bets with us. I'm sure he will be dissapointed.”
“Hey? What are you—”
“In? Or Out?”
“...In.”
“See? That's how my magic works, HAHA.”
—END OF FLASHBACK—
I'm sorry, Lumina. But.. I don't want my dad know about me having bets, I don't want to hear another word that can hurt me again.
Lumina's POV
It started again, the bullying. But, it even got worse, now na may panira na sila sa'kin. Even the principal doesn't like me, because nawala ang mga gusto mag invest sa university dahil sa kahihiyan na nangyari.
This is all because of him.
Someone's POV
5 years later, a girl named Lumina Raven, was transformed to an exquisite lady, to take revenge with the one who broke her, Thyrone.