Umagang-umaga pero kinukulit na ako ni Rian. Kakarating ko lang ng classroom pero grabe na ang pangungulit sa akin, kasabay pa noon ang pahampas-hampas sa braso ko, at pag-alog sa katawan ko.“Dali na! Sabihin mo na! I saw you and Josh last night!” Kinikilig nitong sabi, habang inaalog pa rin ako.Nahihilo na ako, actually. But I don’t want to share it, especially with her, dahil alam kong aasarin niya lang ako.“Did you make the first move? Bet. Ikaw lang naman ang malandi sa inyong dalawa,” wika nito nang mapatigil na sa pag-aalog sa akin, pero hindi parin nawawala ang pilyong ngisi.Tinaasan ko naman siya ng kilay. “I didn’t,” I protested.Which is true naman, kasi wala naman akong ginawa kagabi para halikan ako ni Josh! It was all of a sudden!Napanganga naman si Rian sa sinabi ko, namilog rin ang mga mata. “You’re lying,” Hindi mapakaniwalang saad nito tsaka ngumuso.I chuckled and grinned at her. “No, I'm not.”Iyon lang ang sinabi ko, because I don’t want her to know further de
Hinatid ako ng mga bodyguard ni Josh pauwi sa amin matapos sabihin ni Meredith iyon, kaya buong biyahe, nago-overthink ako.What happened? Bad news? About what? Hindi ko maintindihan. Bakit kailangang pauwiin pa ako? Seryoso ba pag-uusapan nila na dapat hindi ko sila naririnig?It makes me curious, and at the same time, Josh doesn’t seem to have trusted me with that kind of matter.I tried to shake the thoughts off of my mind, but I can’t. Kaya nandito ako sa pool, nagtatampisaw kahit na sobrang lamig ng simoy ng hangin.Sabado na bukas at may praktis pa kami ng cheerdance dahil two weeks nalang, competition na namin, pero parang wala akong ganang mag-ensayo bukas.“Saw you from my room; you looked like a brokenhearted. Ilang beses ka nang napapabuga ng hangin diyan,” Cali said as she sat down beside me, wearing her night robe. Nilubog niya rin sa tubig ang mga paa nito.“Cali,” Panimula ko. Napalingon naman siya sa akin. “What would you feel if someone was hiding something from you? L
Josh grinned widely. I pushed him lightly at nag-ayos ng sarili dahil baka may makakita pa sa amin dito sa classroom.“I’ll make you fall in love with me, Adeline.”I nodded as I fixed my hair and lipstick. “Be my guest, Josh.” I winked at him and went out. Baka hanapin na ako ni Rian at kung ano-ano na naman ang masabi no'n.I left him there. Bahala siya kung anong isipin niya. Pero hindi parin ako papayag na maging girlfriend niya. Relationship is really not my thing. Kahit na mamatay pa akong matanda. Hinding-hindi ko siya papatulan sa nais niya—ang maging girlfriend niya.I never see myself as someone’s wife nor a mother of my own child. Wala pa ako sa puntong iyon. All I want is to have fun and enjoy life.Ang hirap kaya magpalaki ng anak! Si mommy nga stress na sa amin, paano ginusto ba naman magkaroon ng siyam na babae, at sunod-sunod pa. Okay sana kung ang titino namin, pero hindi. Si Cali, Ke, Ali at Urania lang matino sa amin. Well, medyo matino naman si Athena, kaso may pag
“Mommy! Ayoko kasing sumama! Can I stay here?” Erato pleaded with her mother, who was frantically packing their things along with the maids for their trip to Italy. Their father had business in Sicily, and the whole family was supposed to go.“Huwag nang matigas ang ulo, Era! All your sister are coming! Please stop whining! Sumasakit ang ulo ko sa’yo.” Mnemosyne snapped back, clearly overwhelmed. She was heavily pregnant with her ninth child, and Era’s constant fussing was only adding to her stress.Mnemosyne’s frustration was palpable as she tried to juggle the logistics of the trip and manage her household. Her energy was already stretched thin from her pregnancy, and Era’s resistance to the trip was just one more thing she didn’t have the patience to deal with.Era’s little face crumpled in frustration, but she tried to reason with her mother. "Pero, Mommy, I don’t want to leave the house! I’ll be bored there, and I don’t know anyone in Sicily!”Napahinga nang malalim si Mnemosyne,
“Erato! Wake up!” My sister Calliope called out, her voice sharp as she flung open the curtains, letting the morning sun flood my room. She tugged at my arm, trying to rouse me from my sleep as I lay still in bed.Cali is always like this, every morning. Simula mga bata palang kami, hanggang ngayonI groan. “No! I'm still sleepy, Cali! Let me sleep!”Binawi ko ang braso ko sa kay Cali at muling ibinagsak ang katawan sa higaan. “Isa! Sasabihin ko kay mommy na huwag kang bigyan ng allowance!”Muli akong napaungol sa inis at kaagad na napaupo at sinamaan ng tingin si Cali. Tumawa lang naman siya bago tuluyang lumabas.Alam na alam talaga kung paano ako inisin! Bagay na bagay talaga sila ni Thaddeus! Palaasar!I went through my morning routine as usual and took a selfie in front of the mirror, admiring my look. My reflection showed off my green eyes, a trait I inherited from my father. Unlike my sisters, who share our mother's chestnut brown eyes, my green eyes stand out prominently. My ey
Mr. Gomez is already teaching us his subject—Filipino. Sobrang hot niya lalo na kapag nagsasalita ng puro at malalalim na tagalog. It was required for us to speak Tagalog during his class, at kapag hindi, may parusa. Kada salita ay kapalit ng ilang homework.At mukhang sinasadya ni Rian na mag English para mapansin ni Mr. Gomez.“Sir, that tongue twister is hard to pronounce.” Rian said in a seductive tone. Na ako lang ang nakakaalam ng tono ng pananalita niyang iyon.“This is an international school, sir. Why do we have to speak Tagalog though?” Dugtong niya pa.Umigting naman ang panga ni Mr. Gomez, tila nanggigigil sa panunukso ni Rian sa kanya. I smirked as I saw Mr. Gomez gulp and avert his gaze away from Rian.At ang malandi, sobrang lawak ng ngisi habang nilalaro ang mahabang buhok. Nice ka, Rian.I turned my gaze to Josh, who's completely clueless about our Filipino subject.Nag-taas naman ako ng kamay kay Mr. Gomez. “Ginoong Gomez, paano naman si Josh? Hindi niya naman naiinti
Nagulat si Cali nang makitang bihis na bihis na ako nang makapasok ito sa kwarto ko para sana gisingin ako. The look on her face was priceless. Malamang, hirap ba naman ako gisingin araw-araw, pero heto ngayon at hindi na siya magpapakahirap pang gisingin ako."Wow, anong dahilan at maaga kang nakapag-ayos?" she asked, intrigued and trying to figure out the reason.I laughed and winked at her. "Secret." I teased, enjoying her curiosity.Pinandilatan niya naman ako ng mga mata at nai-intriga pa rin siya. Muli akong napatawa dahil sa kanya."Basta!" natatawa kong sigaw sa kanya.Her expression softened. "Better used protection, Erato." I groaned when she called me Erato."Take your pills and check you ob-gyn regularly!" sabi niya at binato ako ng unan, natamaan ako sa likod ko pero tumawa lang ang magaling kong Ate.I glared at her. "As if naman magpapabuntis ako." natatawa kong sabi. But Josh's face flashed on my mind.She walked further into the room, still smiling. "Anyway, get ready
I was about to lean even more to kiss him pero tumayo siya kaagad tsaka tumikhim. Napatawa ako ng mahina at umayos sa pagkakaupo. I knew it. Hinding-hindi siya bibigay kaagad sa akin.I smirked. “Are you a gay?” I asked and teased.He look at me with a disgusting look. “What?!” His irritation is evident.Napasandal ako sa upuan tsaka napahalukipkip habang malawak ang ngiti na inaasar si Josh. His reaction was priceless. Tila nawala bigla ang pagiging malamig niya nang sabihin ko sa kanya ang katagang iyon.I crossed my legs and played with my hair, maintaining a smug smirk. “Oh, come on, Josh. You keep avoiding my kiss. Is it really that hard to kiss a girl?”Mas lalong lumawak ang ngisi ko nang lumakad si Josh papalapit saakin, inilapit niya ang mukha niya sa akin at ilang pulgada nalang ang namamagitan sa aming dalawa.He glanced at my lips and then gently cupped my chin, tilting it up. The touch of his hand made my heartbeat accelerate even more. I feel excitement. Hahalikan na niya