The University I am studying in has dorms inside the campus. Of course, hiwalay ang dorm building ng girls sa boys. The boys' dorm is found at the eastern part of the campus, while the girls' dorm is on the west side.
Nang makarating ako sa loob ng dorm room ko ay naabutan ko si Belle, my dorm mate, na siyang nasa sala at kaharap ang kaniyang laptop.
"Still doing your thesis paper?" tanong ko nang makapasok sa loob.
Sinara ko ang pinto, saka ako nagtanggal ng sapatos at inilagay iyon sa shoe rack.
Lumingon naman siya sa akin. Her hair was messy, her face looks so haggard, and the dark circles below her eyes are more bigger and visible than it was yesterday.
"Ari, I think I'm gonna die earlier than I expected. Please, do carry out my will. Pakisabi na lang rin sa magulang at kapatid ko na mahal na mahal ko silang lahat." Maluha-luha at ma-drama pa nitong sabi.
Napabuga na lang ako ng hangin. Diretso akong naglakad palapit sa kaniya at saka lumuhod paharap sa kaniya.
"Belle, tingin ka sa akin." Pagtawag ko sa kaniya dahil sa nakatungo ito.
Nag-angat naman siya ng tingin at halatang puno ng pagtataka ang ekspresyon na pinapakita ng kaniyang mukha.
Nag-hand gesture ako na ilapit niya pa ng konti ang kaniyang mukha sa akin na nagtataka man ay sinunod pa rin niyang gawin.
Hindi ko na sinayang ang pagkakataon. Nang makalapit ang kaniyang mukha ay agad kong itinaas ang aking kamay saka ko pinitik ang kaniyang noo.
"Aray! Hala, Ari! Ansakit naman no'n! Napakabully mo talaga."
Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ba ako o ano. Paano kasi ay nakanguso ang labi ni Belle habang sinasabi iyon.
"Hindi bagay sa'yo ang mag-pout Belle. Hindi ka naman cute eh." Pang-aasar ko pa dito.
Nakakatuwa lang kasi asarin si Belle. Her expression is just so funny and entertaining to see.
"Hidoi yo! Ari, you're so mean!"
I just shrugged my shoulders and chuckled seeing her reactions really is entertaining.
"Thesis paper lang 'yan, Belle. Isn't the due still a week? Don't stress and overdo yourself. Kaka-debut mo lang pero mukha ka ng lagpas 40's dahil sa itsura mo ngayon."
Sumimangot na naman siya sa pang-aasar ko habang ako naman ay natawa na lamang.
"Nagawa mo pa talaga magbiro. Palibhasa kasi Dean's Lister ka eh. Sana lahat brainy. Hindi man lang nag-share ng blessings si God sa'kin."
Again, she pouted her lips. Pa-cute talaga 'tong si Belle. Well, she's still young pa naman. She still acts more like someone who's in their mid-teens rather than someone who just turned into their legal age.
"Alis ka na nga! Doon ka na sa kwarto at magpahinga. I'm gonna continue doing this." Sabi pa niya sabay turo sa laptop na nasa harapan niya.
Tumango na lang ako. Tumayo ako at saka naglakad papunta sa may pinto papasok sa kwarto namin. Pero bago ko pa man pihitin ang doorknob ng pinto ay bumaling muna ako ng tingin pabalik kay Belle.
"Belle-chan, Gambare!"
Pag-ch-cheer ko sa kaniya, giving her a bright smile na may kasama pang hand gestures.
Belle is someone who is invested on watching animes and reading japanese mangas. She's not that obsessed with Japanese culture to be considered as a weeb, but just enjoy japanese anime and mangas, her words not mine.
And so that is why I used the japanese words that I had remember after watching few animes with Belle.
Nakita ko naman ang pagsilay ng ngiti sa labi niya. I guess she has been energized already.
Pinihit ko na ang doorknob ng pinto at pumasok na sa loob ng kwarto. Pahagis kong ibinaba ang aking bag sa may swivel chair sa aking study table. Saka ako deretsong pabagsak na humiga sa kama.
"Ahh! I'm so tired." I mumbled to myself as I was staring at the rooms' white colored ceiling.
Inilabas ko ang phone ko mula sa pocket ng suot ko na jeans. I opened it and connect my phone to the dorms' free internet connection.
This is one of the best things that this school offers its students. Free internet connection in certain buildings and areas in the campus. Tulad ng dorms, every floor has it's own wifi to connect to. And let me tell you this, hindi siya lag or mabagal!
Pagconnect ng phone ko sa internet ay agad na nakatanggap ako ng notification na siyang nakapagpalaki ng aking mata.
"Kyaaaaah!"
I can't help myself but scream. Oh my God! May update na iyong novel na binabasa ko. It was the last three chapters and epilogue that was just posted few hours ago.
Mabilis ang kamay na in-open ko ang app kung saan ko binabasa ang online novel na iyon.
Sky Full of Stars. It is the latest trending and famous online novel as of the moment. It has a historical-fantasy genre. A romance story between the two main characters; the crown prince of Lucrenze Empire and the daughter of a Baron who just happen to enter the Academy at the Capital.
I'm a fan of historical-fantasy novels. And I had been following this novel ever since it first was published on the web. Even though the plot of the story was common and similar to the other novels that I have read, I still can't help myself but read it.
Dumapa ako sa kama at saka ako nagsimulang basahin ang natitirang kabanata ng nasabing nobela.
****
Tulala akong nakatitig sa kisame ng kwarto namin ni Belle. Halos mag-li-limang minuto na rin simula nang matapos kong basahin ang Sky Full of Stars. And for some reason, I can't accept how the story had ended.
It's not that the story ended tragically. It was a happy ending, for the main characters at least. Obviously, the crown prince and the female lead ended up together, got married and became the Emperor and Empress of the Empire.
But the main villainess, Cassia Clorance, a character who just wanted to be loved, ended up having a tragic ending as she was executed in front of the whole people of the Empire.
I get that many people despise the character of Cassia since she was the villainess who had verbally abused the female lead and she even attempted killing her. And that is all because of her jealousy and obsession for the crown prince.
That shitty crown prince. He may be described as a handsome prince in the novel but I had never ever liked him. He may act as if he's a nice and sweet guy in front of the female lead but his true character is worse than trash. He's a complete a-hole. And I despise those kind of characters.
On the other hand, the female lead seems to be have a precious character. And to be honest, the crown prince doesn't deserve someone like the female lead. But I'm not the author of that online novel and was just a reader so I don't have any means to change the plot of the story.
Cassia Louverno de Clorance. A character whom I pitied in the novel. She deserves better. If she was just not swayed by her emotions towards the crown prince who was once her fiancee, then she wouldn't have ended up with that kind of ending.
Cassia was a daughter of a Count who's Family is close with the Imperial Family. The first Count of the Clorances was friends with the first Emperor of the Lucrenze Empire. And the two had promised each other that they would connect their families by marrying off a member of their Family to each other.
But years gone by, and the Clorances only had male children, the same as the Imperial Family. The first Emperor and the Count Clorance died yet the promise of the two families haven't been fulfilled.
That was until Cassia was born. The first female descend of the first Count Clorance, her Great Great Grandfather. But being born was one of Cassia's regret in her life. At the time that she was born, her Mother, the Countess whom her father, the Count, loved so much, died. Because of that, the Count had abandoned his own daughter.
Poor Cassia. A character who just wanted to feel love and be loved. Cassia grew up as a violent lady who even personally physically punish her own servants. That is also the main reason why many hate her.
I kinda relate Cassia with the part of wanting to be loved. Ever since I was born, I didn't receive any love and attention from my parents. Kahit pa anong hirap ako mag-aral. Kahit pa magkasakit ako. They never... once show any interest about me.
You see, my parents always fight and argue with each other. I was a fruit of something they didn't wish to happen. Yes, I was a child who was born from a one night stand. My parents don't actually love each other and was forced by their parents to take responsibility for their actions.
And as I reach high school, I just received a text message from my Father saying that Mom and him are getting divorced. I can't even remember what I felt that time. Hindi pa tapos ang klase noon eh. I think I didn't even care or wasn't shock about the news that my Father just said.
Ever since I turned 7 years old, I had been knowledgeable on what's the status of my Family - or could I even call it a Family? I already had the idea of them having divorce anyway.
My parents asked me whom I want to go with, and I answered that I wanted to live alone. And I was only 16 years old that time.
Why did I ask to live alone? It's because I knew that both of them are planning on making a new family with the person they love, and I don't want to be an extra to that. My presence would just make them remember their past.
Kahit naman kasi hindi nila ako binigyan ng pagmamahal o atensyon, they still feed me, sheltered me, clothed me and payed my school tuition and miscellaneous.
They just both agreed on making me live in a condo they bought for me which was near the school I'm studying in. And both of them would be sending me allowance money every month to my bank account.
And that was the time that I really had given up on searching for the warmth and love of my parents.