Chapter 20

I am already packing up my things. I'll be moving out to the city. After the graduation tomorrow, I'll be living on my own and be independent for the rest of my life. I don't know if love will come for me then, but who knows, maybe the world isn't ready for me yet.

"Tonight ba darating parents mo?" tanong ni Ruth sa akin. 

Tumango ako. "Yes, we'll be having dinner na rin mamaya. Kayo ba? Baka pwede na tayo magsama-sama if ever."

"I'm not sure with that," sabi ni Ruth. "Buong pamilya ko ang papunta na ngayon sa apartment ko so they already planned everything tonight and my post-graduation party tomorrow, but I hope we were able to do that. Maybe, soon?"

"Soon talaga." Ngisi ko pa. "So... ano palang plano mo after this? Magwowork ka na ba agad or you'll take some rest muna?"

"Alam kong nakaka-stress 'tong college life natin, but I need money kaya if I ever get hired sooner, why not? Ikaw ba? Sa city ka naman lilipat din. I know there would be a lot of opportunities there kaya kayang-kaya mo 'yan. At isa pa, Magna Cum Laude ka pa, ha!"

"Maliit na bagay, Ruth."

"Yabang!" aniya sabay tawa. 

While we're in the middle of our conversation and helping me packing some of my stuff, we heard some knocks on the door. Nagtaka pa ako kung sino iyon at inakala ko pa na napaaga ang dating ng parents ko kaya dali-dali akong pumunta sa pinto para pagbuksan sila ng pinto.

But to my surprise, it wasn't my parents, but someone I thought I wouldn't be able to see again.

I was wrong.

"Bryce," I muttered, looking straight at his face. May kaunting gulat dahil hindi ko naman inaasahan na makikita ko siya ulit. "What are you doing here? May kailangan ka ba?"

Sumilip si Ruth at inusisa kung anong nangyayari. Lumapit siya at tumayo sa tabi ko. She's worried that something bad might happened and Bryce would do something we never imagine.

"Can we talk?"

Ramdam ko naman 'yong mahinang paniniko ni Ruth sa akin. Hindi ko alam kung napansin ni Bryce 'yon, but I'm not sure how I will react about it. 

"Wala naman tayong dapat pag-usapan, 'di ba?"

He took a deep breath then nodded his head. "Yeah, right. We don't need to talk, but I want to talk with you. I think I just need to settle something else with you before you go or graduate."

"Well, I think I gotta go now," Ruth said, showing her phone to us receiving a phone call from her brother. "Mukhang narito na sila. I'll be meeting them na. See you tomorrow, Augy!"

"Same, same!" 

Umalis si Ruth. Bryce even bid a good bye to her as well. Unnecessary, but Ruth acknowledge it.

"So, we're both left here," saad ko. "Kung ano 'yong gusto mong sabihin, you can say it now. Walang paligoy-ligoy, straight to the point. Madami pa akong ginagawa kaya please make this inconvenience worth of my time."

"I'll just make this short and quick."

"Okay, done na?"

"I'm not..." he was confused. "Okay, I feel like you really deserve this. I am sorry. I know I lied and have done things, not towards you, but felt direct with you. I am ashamed of what I've done and I'll regret those things for the rest of my life. That's why I came here to apologize because it's the least of things I could do to make things better even though it won't."

"Hmm... I'm not sure if I'm the right person for that," tugon ko. "Sana sinabi mo 'yan sa mga taong sinira mo ang confidence at binastos mo. You really did nothing wrong me, yes aside from lying and manipulating me, hindi ka dapat mag-sorry sa akin. I'm not also not sorry for what happened, I think you deserve it."

"Yeah... I kinda did."

"So, what kind of manipulations you did they let you play on the football game yesterday? And good for you, mabilis natabunan no'n ang issue mo."

"It's not a manipulation, an agreement was made there," he said. "I talk to the Dean and asked if they could let me play again for the last and they won't. I said, I won't march to the graduation ceremony, I won't be attending it, they don't even have to invite me be there, but let me just play for one last time. So, they agreed. And we won, but of course, I won't still be there at the graduation."

"Well, it's your problem," I said. "You made this whole mess so it's up to you on how you clean them. For now, you gotta leave my doorstep because I am busy. And oh, don't worry about keeping my secret anymore, the world knows."

"Oh... good for you."

Napangisi naman ako sa sinabi niya. I was about to shut the door right in front of his face when he greeted me for my graduation. I didn't reply, but slowly shuts the door.

Well, forgiving him for what he had done wouldn't be answer to this situation. I may forgave him, but would he really live by this new perspective he has? That's not something we're sure of.

I may be the reason why he's dirty secret come out, but he doesn't have to know it was me. Or maybe he already knew and just doesn't want to add fire on it because he knows all that are true.

For now, I gotta keep looking forward because in this world we know, hindi lang si Bryce ang taong may pag-iisp na gano'n. They are everywhere so we have to be aware of our surroundings, especially those people who we are hanging out with.

His sorry won't mean anything, but just a word trying to eliminate his mistakes. His wrongdoings will always be the image of his college life and sure, he's not going to talk about it because someone like Bryce is someone cannot be enticed easily, but someone who only cares about himself, and himself alone.

Peace out, we're going to enter a new era now.