4

                                 H E A VE N

“Paano ba kasi to? This is freaking annoying,” I mumbled, I’m sitting on one of the bleachers in front of my building, I still have three hours for my second class.

Wala pa akong kasama, since, hindi ako masyadong nakikipag usap, I made a few friends naman, pero hindi ko pa sila masyadong feel kasama, I also notice na, yung iba magkakakilala na.

I heard from one of my classmates na yung iba magkakasama sa dorm, then yung iba naman daw, nagkakilala during enrollment period.

Well, it’s possible, my dad went straight to the dean’s office, he knew the guy there, I mean the dean. They like, classmates way back college years, kaya I didn’t have the chance to meet any of my classmates, until the first day.

“Jeez, I hate math,” I mumbled again, after drinking my coke, I don’t have an appetite since yesterday, ang sakit ng puson ko, obviously, I’m having cramps, later mag papalit ako ng pad.

“Huy!”

“What the fuck!” sigaw ko, at halos maihagis ang hawak ko na bottle, my eyes were still widen, while this fucker is laughing like a lunatic, “You freak,” He just laugh, they made me feel more annoyed, he’s not even feeling sorry! “Nadumihan mo na ang skirt ko, why would you do that?!”

Tumawa lang siya at inilagay ang bag pack nya sa table, iginilid naman nya, para hindi tamaan ang notes ko na halos sakupin na ang kalahati ng table, “Ano ba kasi yan?” he looked at my notes, like marites.

“Shoo! Go there, I’m having a dilemma here, okay? I’m already annoyed, wag mo ko inisin, I’m going to punch you!” inis na sabi ko at bahagya siyang itinulak palayo sa akin. I can smell his perfume from here, dahil na rin siguro sa pawis.

“Makataboy naman to, excuse me, naligo ako, ano ba yan? Patingin nga,” wala na akong nagawa nang hablutin niya ang cattleya ko, hinayaan ko na lang, parang masasagot naman nya yon, “Ahh, ito ba?” kinuha niya ang ballpen na nasa kamay ko, “Tara dito,”

I was shocked, when he started to teach me how to solve the problem, he even gave me an easy formula to remember, that gives an actual result. Tinulungan na rin niya ko sa ibang activities and homework ko, hindi ko kasi nagawa kahapon, since I forgot about it, I had migraine, that’s why.

We stayed there for almost half an hour, hindi masyadong mainit since maraming puno sa paligid namin. There are also different kinds of flowers. Our building was two story, it was color white, but the building name was painted in lavender.

Nasa tapat din namin ang two gates. The third and fourth gate, I heard, three weeks pa lang nang magkaroon ng gate four, hindi pa ko nakakadaan don, pero malapit yata ang dorm ko don, I’ll try to use that gate sometimes.

“Okay na, nagets mo na?” I nodded and gave him two thumbs up, he chuckled and disarranged my hair, tinapik ko ang kamay nya, pero imbes na mag react, tumawa lang siya at umiling. Hindi ba sanay mainis ang isa na to? He always laugh at me, is he making fun of me? I rolled my eyes, and fix my things, “May klase ka ba?”

I shook my head, “Yeah, but I still have two hours vacant, why?” nagulat ako nang bigla niyang kunin ang bag ko at isukbit sa balikat niya.

“Tara, ililibot kita,” napaatras ako, I mean, hindi ko naman sya super kilala, para magtiwala, I’m just being caution, I think he noticed it, I thought he will get offended pero hindi, “Hindi tayo lalayo, we will just roam around, para hindi ka mabored,”

I ended up going with him, hindi ko alam kung tama ba ang desisyon ko na sumama sa kanya para maglibot, pero like, morning pa lang naman, and kung dito lang naman kami.

Akala ko sa loob lang kami, pero nagulat ako nang hilahin nya ako sa main gate, may katabing building ang university, we enter using the stairs.

“Graceland tawag dito, GL for short, nandito halos lahat ng kailangan ng mga taga BSU, may printing shop,” Nakita ko nga yung mga printing shops, all around the corner, marami rin students na waiting for their time to avail the service, “Dyan din Pandayan, mga school supplies, aware ka naman don,” I rolled my eyes at him, “Tapos may mga boutique, may bilihan din ng mga baking chenas dyan,”

Napatigil ako at natawa, “Baking what?” I said, trying to hold my laugh, “Can you say it again?”

He looked so confuse, “Ano ba yon?” Baking chenas?”

I didn’t have the chance to control my laugh, that was fucking funny! “Do you like, have some gay friends?” I said, in between of my laughter, my eyes became teary too.

“Hindi, sa mga kaklase ko, pag hindi nila alam yung tawag, ayun sinasabi nila,” tumatawa pa rin ako, cause I cant stop, hindi ko lang inaasahan na maririnig ko yon sa kanya.

“Hoy, Heaven na hindi mukhang mabait, tama na yan, mahipan ka pa ng hangin, tara, kain tayo don, hindi ako nakapag umagahan,” sumunod naman ako sa kanya nang naglakad sya.

“Why?” I asked while were walking.

“Sobrang aga ng pasok ko, alas siete, grabe, nasa wonderland pa ko non,”

I frown, “Well, wasn’t that a standard time of classes, isn’t it?”

Tinignan nya lang ako na akala mo may sinabi akong napaka sama na bagay, nang marealized ko na niloloko na lang nya ko, ay hinampas ko sya, tumawa naman sya at inaya na ko kumain.

This freak, kelan ba sya hihinto sa pang iinis nya?

Delete, Create, Search, Draft.

My three hours class just ended, and we have to do our draft research, I knew some of my classmates, and I already have a group, we will discuss the ideas and information tomorrow, dahil may mga gagawin pa kami, most of my groupmates were irregular students.

Some was on their third year, some were in second year, and some were just taking the class after failing it last year. Hindi naman ako nag reklamo or what, mas okay sakin na sila ang groupmates ko, they look responsible naman.

Lumabas na ko ng room, and was planning to grab something before going to the library, when I spotted someone familiar. Medyo binilisan ko ang lakad ko para abutan sya, he seemed oblivious of my presence, diretso lang siya na naglalakad.

“Hey, Luke?” I was unsure, it’s just, kamukha nya ito, kaya medyo lumayo ako, just in case na mali ako, my eyes widen, not because I was correct, but because he has some bruises to his face, he even have a cut on his lips.

“Heaven?” sa amin dalawa, siya pa yata ang nagulat na nagkita kami dito, well, I’m not expecting to see him here. He’s my neighbor in manila, we knew each other since middle school, sa isang academy kami galing and we usually hang out, lalo pag wala na kami class or weekends, “You enrolled here?” tanong niya at tinignan ako mula ulo hanggang paa.

“Yeah, I’m not expecting you here,” I chuckled, still, can’t believe that I’ll stumble with someone I knew from my home.

“Beats me, me neither,” sabay kami natawa, sumabay ako sa paglalakad nya, “Where are you going?”

“Well, I’ll hang around for a while, then uuwi na ko sa dorm,” sagot ko, “You had a fight again with your dad?”

He smiled and shrug, “Like usual, I saw him yesterday, may hinatid dyan sa main gate, I thought, nakihitch lang, since may kasama naman na elder, tapos pag alis nung matanda, they kissed, fucker. Does he want to go to jail, for pedophile?”

“Is that his new girl?” his dad was a womanizer, nakilala ko sya dati, dahil muntik nya ako mabangga ng bike nya, he’s driving too fast, galit pala sya non, that was the first time he caught his father cheating with his mom, “That’s illegal,”

“Yeah, but who cares? As long as you have money,” he answered bitterly, he fixed the strap of his bag, while were walking, students were looking at him. Kahit naman siguro ako, he has visible bruises on his face, ano na lang iisipin ng mga tao?

“Is that the reason why you transferred here, instead of studying in manila?”

“Kinda, hey, Heaven, I wanted to talk to you more, but I have elsewhere to go, I’ll see you around okay? Let’s have a snack later,” mukhang iniiwasan niya ang topic, and I respect that.

I nodded, “Yeah, sure, take care, see you around.”