Kabanata 3

Hindi ako makapag focus sa klase sa antok na nararamdaman. Mabuti na lang at kahit inaantok ako'y nagagawa ko pa rin namang makasagot sa mga recitations.

"Hoy ba't mukhang puyat na puyat ka? Hindi ka ba natulog?" Natulog, two hours lang. Anong oras na ako nakauwi matapos ng pinagawa sa akin na side mission ni Meast kagabi.

"Natulog, pero tinapos ko 'yong plates e." pagdadahilan ko na lang.

"Dapat nagising ka na lang nang maaga, ingatan mo sarili mo mahirap magka anemia."

"Ang advance mo, masamang damo matagal mamatay," Natawa na lang siya sa tabi ko, habang ako naman ay napatingin sa gawi ng grupong kakapasok lang.

There are four of them.

The first one is Jered Stefan Levis—the most annoying of them all. He's the one who constantly mocks me, the one who makes it his mission to get under my skin. Out of the four, he's the one I despise the most. There's just something about him that I can't stand, something that instantly sets me off whenever he's around.

Then there's Marco Gustav Allande, the infamous Mr. Perfectionist. I've heard plenty about him, and none of it makes me like him any better. He has this habit of correcting everything, as if the world would collapse if things weren't done his way. And, unsurprisingly, he's another person who gets on my nerves. Siguro kung magkakasama kami hindi ko matatagalan ang ugali niyang bawat galaw mo sinisita.

Clover Lennox Winslow is the kind of guy who finds amusement in other people's failures. He thrives on laughing at someone's downfall, taking pleasure in every mistake they make. There's a certain smugness in the way he carries himself, as if the world is just one big joke for his entertainment.

And honestly? That alone is enough to make me dislike him.

And last but not least, there's Draven Reil Monticello—the infamous campus crush. He's the type of guy who turns heads wherever he goes, effortlessly charming yet completely unattainable. But beneath that perfect image lies a cold-hearted player, someone who loves the thrill of the game more than the people caught in it.

He's distant, unreadable, and dangerously irresistible to those who don't know better. But I do. And I know better than to fall for someone like him.

Tahimik siya, pero pag nagsalita, masakit. Do'n siya magaling, pranka at sasabihin niya ang gusto niya kahit ikasasakit ng iba. He doesn't sugarcoat things, doesn't hold back, and never cares about the aftermath of his words. Bukod do'n napakasungit niya sa mga taong hindi niya gusto at isa na ako roon. Sa kanilang lahat medyo okay pa sa 'kin si Drei, may sense naman ang kasamaan ng ugali niya.

"Matunaw!" nabalik ako sa reyalidad nang magsalita si Kiara. Kiara hates their group too. Puno kasi ng mga gago. Bago pa man ako magsalita may narinig na akong tilian ng mga palaka.

"Ang gwapo talaga ni Drei 'no? Ugh! Kung ako girlfriend niyan, kama agad ang bagsak namin."

"Sheess bakit kasi si Zaira ang gusto niya pwede namang ako."

"Gaga! 'Di pa naman sila! Nag d-date lang kaya pang maagaw."

It wasn't their obsession with Drei that made me freeze. No, it was what I just heard about Drei and Zaira.

They're dating?

A strange sensation crawled up my throat, tight and suffocating—like a lump I couldn't swallow. I felt my hands clench at my sides, my heartbeat stumbling for just a second.

Why did it feel like something inside me had shifted? And more importantly... why did it bother me so much?

He's dating behind my back?

Alam kong wala akong karapatan na makaramdam ng ganito  dahil unang-una ay hindi naman totoo ang kasal namin, yes it is legal, but for my mission only. Mission ko lang si Draven, at alam ko naman na may ibang babae siyang gusto bago ko pa man isagawa ang plano ko. I took his life away from him and I know that is the only way to take it back.

Sa inis na naramdaman ay naikuyom ko ang kamao ko na agad nahawakan ni Kiara.

"Oh, what the hell are you doing here, nerd?!" Hindi ko nilingon ang kung sino mang nagsalita noon. Ano bang pakialam ko? Baka kung ano pa magawa ko sa kaniya.

"Hey! I am talking to you! Matutong gumalang sa mas malinis sa 'yo," wow! Bumuntong hininga ako at hinarap siyang nakataas ang kilay sa akin.

"Ano nga ulit tanong mo?"

"Akala ko ba matalino ka? Boba! Sabi ko bakit nandito ka?" Iba ang boba sa bingi, matatanggap ko pa kung sasabihin niyang bingi ako kaysa boba tss.

"Kasi cafeteria 'to at nagugutom ako? 'Di ba rito pumupunta lahat ng nagugutom? Bakit saan ba dapat? Sa library? In this case, nakakain na pala ang mga libro," Nakarinig ako ng 'oooohs!' Sa mga nakakarinig sa 'min habang siya naman ay napatanga sa akin. Narinig ko rin ang munting halakhak ni Kiara kung hindi lamang niya iyon natakpan.

"Stupid! What I mean is! You shouldn't be here! Trash, don't eat it!"

"Sa pagkakaalam ko ang basura hindi humihinga, pero naamo'y sa hininga—parang 'yong sa 'yo, amoy bulok na." Nakarinig ako ng tawanan na mas kinapula ng mukha niya.

I may be a nerd, but like I told you—I'm not the typical one. And right now, with barely any sleep, my patience is running dangerously thin.

Add to that what I just heard about Draven, and it's a recipe for disaster. My irritation is bubbling under the surface, ready to spill over at any moment.

I can feel it—the slow, steady unraveling of my temper. And honestly? I'm not in the mood to hold it back.

"How dare you!" Mabilis niyang dinampot ang juice ko at mabilis 'yong itinapon sa akin. I heard gasps. Napatingin ako kay Kiara na mukhang nagulat din at nang bumaba ang tingin ko sa table ay doon ko nakita ang pinaghirapan kong tapusin na plates kagabi.

My eyes widened in shock.

"Shit!" I shot up from my seat, heart pounding as I scrambled to fix the mess. Panic surged through me as I grabbed the nearest cloth, desperately trying to dry it off before it got worse. My hands moved frantically, but my mind was even more chaotic.

Of all times for this to happen—why now?

"Ops! I mean it. " Mariin akong napapikit at pinigilang makagawa ng isang bagay na alam kong hindi makakabuti para sa akin. Mabilis kong inayos ang mga gamit ko at pinili na lamang umalis. Agad na sumunod sa akin si Kiara.

"Loser! Akala mo kasi kung sinong matapang talunan naman. Tss!"

I turned my head toward Drei, and there they were—laughing.

My chest tightened, a mix of frustration and something I refused to name settling deep inside me. They looked so carefree, so unbothered, while I stood there, feeling like I was the only one affected. Without another word, I walked out, my steps firm, my expression unreadable. I didn't need to stay and watch any longer.

Beside me, Kiara remained silent, as if carefully calculating the right way to speak to me. I could feel her hesitation, her curiosity, but I wasn't in the mood for explanations. Not now.

"Ayos ka lang?"

"Hindi," iyon ang totoo. I was furious on the inside—my emotions swirling in a storm I couldn't control. But on the outside, I needed to stay calm.

I took a deep breath, forcing my hands to unclench. Don't react. Don't let them see.

No matter how much my anger burned, I refused to let it show. I refused to give them the satisfaction of knowing they had gotten under my skin. So, I kept walking, my face unreadable, my steps steady. But deep down, I was already unraveling.

"Dapat kasi hindi mo na lang pinansin."

"Next time."

"Paano 'yan?"

"Gagawin ko na muna," Shit! Ang pagod-pagod lang gawin nito. Dumeretso kami sa student park para doon gawin ang plate ko.

Halos naka ilan pa akong subok na mabilis ko ring ginugumos a ibinabato kung saan na siya namang pupulutin ni Kiara.

Fuck! Pinangungunahan ako ng iba't ibang emosyon.

Muli ko pang nakita ang grupo ni Drei at nakitang may kasama siyang babae, si Zaira.

At mas naiinis ako.

"Huwag mo na muna kayang gawin? ipahinga mo muna sarili mo?" Inaantok pa rin ako at talagang mainisin ako kapag ganitong gusto kong matulog.

I have so many sides of me that I keep hidden—so many that if I were to let them out, I know I'd end up hurting people. I'm not all patience and silence. There's a fire in me, buried deep, waiting for the right—or the wrong—moment to ignite.

Because the truth is, I can be cruel. I can say things sharper than a knife, words that cut deeper than any wound. And once I let that part of me loose... there's no taking it back. Kaya hanga't maaari pinipilit kong maging kalmado at intindihin na lang. Hindi ako lumalaban, kasi alam kong kapag ginawa ko wala silang laban.

Hindi ko lang napigilang magsalita kanina dahil wala ako sa mood.

"Hi, Mavis!" Nilingon ko ang nagsalita at napaisip ako kung anong kailangan niya.

"Hello."

"I want to invite you to my birthday. Is that okay?"

The words hung in the air between us, simple yet unexpectedly heavy.

I blinked, caught off guard. Of all the things I expected to hear today, this wasn't one of them. My mind raced, trying to figure out the intention behind the invitation. Was it genuine? Out of politeness? Or was there something more?

I swallowed, unsure how to respond. Was it really okay? Seryoso ba siya? Tiningnan ko ang invitation na hawak niya, ngunit hindi sa akin nakaligtas ang klase ng tingin na pilit niyang itinatago, But I quickly caught on. In things like this, they couldn't fool me.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, reading between the lines. There was something off—something that didn't quite sit right. Was this just a casual invitation, or was there another reason behind it?

Either way, I wasn't about to be easily deceived. Not this time.

Kunwari'y interesado ako at masaya na tinanggap iyon saka binigyan siya ng pekeng ngiti na hindi niya mahahalata.

"Bakit mo naman ako naisipang imbitahin? Hindi naman tayo close." tila inosenteng tanong ko, lowkey mocking him.

"Eh 'di ba crush mo naman isa sa kaibigan ko? Kaya sige na pumunta ka," Hindi ko alam kung paano kumalat na crush ko si Drei, I never confessed my feelings in front of everyone—I'm not that stupid.

But somehow, the truth still managed to slip through the cracks. Someone must have overheard my conversations with Kiara and decided to run their mouth. A bunch of moronic individuals who had nothing better to do than spread rumors.

And now, here we are.

I know exactly what they're trying to do—cover up the real secret. The fact that Draven and I are actually married. That's why they said it. A diversion, a distraction. But no matter how much they try to twist the truth, I know what's real. They're mocking and pulling their pranks on me.

Gustong gusto ko siyang taasan ng kilay pero dahil may pinangangalagaan ako, hindi ko ginawa. I will act like a fool—helpless, clueless, exactly how they expect me to be.

Let them think they have the upper hand. Let them believe I'm naive, that I don't see through their lies. Because the truth is, I will be the one deceiving them. I will make them look stupid, turn the game in my favor, and when the time is right... they won't even realize they've already lost.

"Sige."

"Wear anything you want... aasahan kita," Kumindat pa siya sa akin na gusto kong ikangiwi pero napakarami ang nakatingin kaya yumuko ako at doon nilabas ang pagngisi.

"Don't tell me pupunta ka? Naku! Mavis ah! kahit naroon si Draven... hindi mo pa rin sure kung ano ang gagawin nila sa 'yo." Before I could even respond, my phone lit up again.

A new message.

"Levis Residence, tomorrow night at 8 PM. Rm 3."

I stared at the screen, my grip tightening slightly. The timing was too precise, too deliberate. Sinasabi ko na nga ba.

Hinarap ko si Kiara gamit ang kalmado kong mukha. Making sure to her that nothing will happen to me.

"Wala namang masama, susubukan ko lang. Saka hindi naman siguro ako pababayaan basta ni Drei, lagot siya sa parents niya," napailing naman ito.

"Ewan ko sa 'yo, kung bakit ang bilis mong nagpapauto."

Kung alam mo lang Kiara, iba ang pakay ko.

I watched her carefully, her expression unreadable, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me. She had no idea—no clue—that beneath my calm exterior, I was already setting things in motion.

I had a purpose. And nothing would stop me from seeing it through.

. . .