HER
 
I silently went to our room and butted in to my assigned seat. I'm at the middle from behind. There are three rows and i'm at the last. Every row consist of five seats and i'm at the middle of 'em.
 
Ang kaninang maingay na silid ay biglang tumahimik nang bahagya kong isinalampak ang katawan sa upuan ngunit bumalik ulit nang tuluyan na akong makaupo.
 
Walang emosyon at prente ang aking pag-upo habang nakakunot ang noo't seryosong nakatingin sa ginuguhit ko sa isang papel.
 
Nakakawala ng bait ang ingay ngunit pinagsawalang-bahala ko nalang 'yon at pinagtuunan na lamang ng pansin ang aking iginuhit.
 
I was about to shade the brow when someone bumped on me resulting for my pen to flip away.
 
Nag-init agad ang aking ulo at padabog na tiningnan ang nakabangga sa akin. I threw her a death glare and hissed.
 
She gestured a peace sign and smiled like a crazy damsel. I just raised a brow and stared at my pen back to her, petaining that she must get my pencil on the floor.
 
She has a short black hair with a round eyeglasses that makes her looks like a nerd.
 
Singkit din ang kanyang mga mata at nakadepina ang kanyang maliit ngunit matangos na ilong. I think she has a foreign blood but stocky.
 
Pinulot niya ang lapis at binigay sa'kin.
 
I frowned and took it from her. I continued sketching with a knotted brows when she uttered.
 
"Sorry hehe, hindi ko sinadya. Dala dala ko kasi 'tong libro ko tapos nagmamadali ako. Akala ko kasi late na ako. By the way I'm---"
 
"Shut up." I gazed at her intently like i'm going to stab her anytime now.
Masyadong madaldal.
 
She was shocked for a minute but still has the audacity to laugh at me.
 
Wtf?
 
" Ito naman masyadong seryoso. Transferee kasi ak—"
 
"I don't care. Shut your mouth or I'll shut it myself," mariin kong turan sanhi upang mapalunok siya at biglang tumawa ng hilaw.
 
"Sabi ko nga," bulong niya ngunit rinig ko parin at mabilis na umupo sa bakanteng upuan sa aking gilid.
 
So unlucky for me to have a seatmate like her.
 
Hindi ko na siya nagawang tingnan ulit at isinalampak na lamang ang earphone sa aking tainga.
 
Nakakairita ang ingay.
 
The professor went in which makes this four-cornered room filled with silence.
 
My classmates stood up but I didn't even bother to do so and just continued listening to the music until I started to feel asleep so I laid my head down on my desk.
 
-
 
"Batid kong aalis ka na naman at lilipas na naman ang ilang kabilugan ng buwan bago kita masilayang muli," malungkot kong turan habang nakahilig sa kaniyang makisig na dibdib sa ilalim ng puno ng kamagong na pinapalibutan ng adelpa.
 
"Hindi ko nais na lumisan ngunit hindi naman lingid sa iyong kaalaman na tinutugis kami ngayon ng iyong ama, hindi ba?" Marahan niyang hinawi ang ilang hibla ng aking buhok at huminga ng malalim.
 
"Paumanhin, Mahal ko. May nais akong aminin sa iyo."  saad niya dahilan upang mapuno ng pagtataka ang aking wangis at ayuno siyang tinapunan ng tingin.
 
Nilukob ako ng pangamba sapagkat batid kong hindi maganda ang kaniyang ipagtatapat sa akin.
 
"Hindi na tayo maaaring magkita pang muli. I-Iyon ang pasya ng buong samahan. Nais man kitang makasama hanggang tayo ay tumanda ngunit-"
 
"Sandali lamang. Ano ang iyong ibig s-sabihin? Hindi iyan maaari. Ika'y akin na lamang sasamahan kung ganoon."
 
"Paumanhin. Pinapangako ko, babalikan kita. Magsasama tayong muli ngunit hindi sa panahong ito sapagkat hindi umaayon sa atin ang tadha—"
 
"Hindi ako makakapayag sa iyong pasya. H-Hindi maaari," Mangiyak-ngiyak kong turan at mariin siyang tinitigan sa mata. Nagbabakasakaling magbago ang kaniyang pasya.
 
Nilukob ako ngayon ng panamba. Hindi batid ang aking gagawin.
 
"Ika'y aking iniibig higit pa sa aking buhay at hindi ko kakayanin kung ikaw ay lilisan ng tulu-"
 
"Ellos estan aqui! Tugisin ang tulisang iyan!" Biglang umalingawngaw ang malaking tinig mula sa dulo ng gubat sanhi upang magliparan ang mga ibong tahimik na namamahinga.
 
Nag-uunahan ang tanglaw ng sulo na lumulukob sa buong kagubatan. Mariin niya akong inakay patayo at mabilis na tumakbo hanggang sa ako'y madapa sanhi upang matigil ang kaniyang mabilis na hakbang at ako'y tinulungan sa pagtayo.
 
Ngunit bigla na lamang umalingawngaw ang putok ng baril na batid kong galing sa isang guardia sibil.
 
Tuluyan na akong natuod sa kinasasadlakan. Mabilis kong tinunghay ang aking irog dahilan upang mag-ungusan ng walang humpay ang luha sa aking mga mata dahil sa nakitang dugo na nag-uunahan sa kaniyang bibig.
 
"Miss Nueva!"
 
"F-ck!" 
 
"What did you just say?!"
 
I went back to my senses when someone poked my cheeks so I turned off the music from my earphone and turned my gaze to her direction. 
 
I was about to throw my seatmate a death glare when I realized that Mr. Lustero's already at my front, madly staring at me. I didn't even noticed him.
 
I stared back without any doubts but didn't stood up. Why would I?
 
"Tss."
 
"What? Who told you to sleep in my class and cuss in front of me?!" He arched his brows, waiting for my answer.
 
"None," I answered bluntly.
 
I didn't bother to look at him again and just diverted my gaze around.
 
I raised my brow when I saw my classmates' face full of horror. They bowed down their heads when our eyes met and my eye stopped at the girl whose standing in front with annoyance.
 
She stared back at me so I butted in.
 
"Aba! That's one of our rules here, Miss Nueva. And you have the audacity to break that? So disrespectful!"
 
"Am I?" My attention turned back to Mr. Lustero whose now fumed mad.
 
He was about to throw me his chalk when he stopped, controlling himself. I smirked causing him to turned red as bull.
 
They can't hurt me like that.
 
"Unbelievable! Ok. If you can answer this, I'll set this thing aside but if you can't, let's talk to my office!" His eyes turned big then back to its normal orb.
 
Prente lamang akong umupo na para bang nasisiyahan pa sa reaksyon ng guro. His reaction is so perfect for me to feel amuse.
 
Naningkit ang mata ni Mr. Lustero bago binigkas ang kanyang mga tanong.
 
"How do life begin? And what makes human a human?" He tilted his head and smirked.
 
I just seated firmly and stared at the board in menace, trying to digest his questions. His questions are not in our textbook that made me so confused.
 
I placed my both hand in my desk and drummed my long unpolished nails resulting to sound like a creepy steps.
 
Nakakabingi ang katahimikan. All I could hear is our breath banging all over the room.
 
I smirked and answered.
 
"Hmm…Four billion years ago, something started stirring in the primordial soup. A few simple chemicals got together and made biology - the first molecules capable of replicating themselves appeared. W-We humans are linked by evolution to those early biological molecules. More than half a century after the chemist Stanley Miller proposed his premordial soup theory, we still can't agree about what happened since it is still unsure. Some say life began in hot pools near volcanoes, others theorized that it was kick-started by meteorites hitting the sea."
 
I now stood up and answered the second question with amusement.
 
"Well, base on science, just looking at our DNA won't tell us we're a human. The human genome is 99% identical to a chimpanzee's and, for that matter, 50% to a banana's. We do, however, have bigger brains than most animals - not the biggest, but packed with three times as many neurons as a gorilla." I gasped for air and stood still. Now staring at my classmates' eyes full of amusement and continued.
 
"There are lot of the things we once thought distinguishing about us - language, tool-use, recognising ourselves in the mirror. Scientists think that cooking and our mastery of fire may have helped us gain big brains. But it's possible that our capacity for co-operation and skills trade is what really makes this a planet of humans and not apes. That's all." I went back to my seat like nothing happened.
 
"V-Very well said. You never fail to amuse me, Miss Nueva." I just nodded at his remark.
 
"You! Miss Fuentes, Don't seat down. You can't seat until someone can answer my question na dapat ikaw ang sumagot. Anyone, where do we put all the carbon? Miss Takahashi, stand up!"
 
"I-I don't know the ans---"
 
"Miss Virgueax! What?" Tanong naman niya sa babaeng katabi ko. 
 
Tahimik lang akong nagmamasid.
 
Alinlangan itong tumayo at inayos muna ang kanyang salamin sa mata bago sumagot.
 
"A-Ahm. W-We have to put all carbons at o-one, is to bury it in old soil or gas field and the another is, another is a-ahm. A-Another i-is, is—"
 
"To hide it away at the bottom of the sea," It's me who continued her unsure answer.
 
All eyes on me so I shrugged together with the bell to rang.
 
Great.
 
"Ok let's continue this tomorrow. You three, be ready. We're still not done yet." Pertaining to the three persons standing in front.
 
I didn't know their name and I don't care.
 
Bago ako tuluyang tumayo, bigla kumalabog ng malakas ang aking puso na para bang may nakaligtaan akong isang bagay na kinakatakot ko.
 
Napahawak na lang ako sa aking dibdib at mariing tinitigan ang papel sa aking harapan.
 
I suddenly remembered my dream lately but it's too blurry and I can't even recollect the happenings just like before. 
 
"Hmm… Nevermind."
 
I just soughed and placed back my stuffs before fishing it, heading to the cafeteria beside the football field.
 
Dang, I am really starving.