Chapter 12: The New Detective!

Napakabilis ng takbo ng panahon. It's been 2 months since we've visited London. Dalawang buwan na rin ang lumipas nang putulin ko ang buhok ko gamit ang kutsilyo. It's a bit longer now than it was two months ago. After our London Trip, hindi na kami nagkita pa ni Gray dahil sumama na ako sa mga pinsan ko sa Palawan. Ngayon ko lamang napagbigyan ang hiling nina Mommy na makipagbonding ako sa mga pinsan ko. The two months that passed was a good one. Hindi kumapit sa akin ang napakaraming kaso, there were some cases but I never meddled with the police works this time.

The two months vacation was over at ngayon ay balik skwela na naman kami sa Bridle. It's my last year as a Senior High student at sa susunod na pasukan ay magko-kolehiyo na ako. For the two months that passed ay marami ang nabago sa Bridle physically. Bagong pintura ang mga buildings, dumami ang mga convenient sheds at may mga bagong landscapes. Mayroon ding itinayo na mga bagong buildings. There were new faces of students and faculties too. When I entered the Grade12-A's classroom, I was suprised to see the new sitting arrangement. Okay, it wasn't really an arrangement but rather new chairs and long tables. Gone where the plastic armchairs, sa halip ay napalitan iyon ng mga bagong monobloc chairs. Mayroon ding mga mahahabang mesa na gaya ng mga nasa laboratory and it fits four people. May espasyo sa ilalim ng mesa na maaring paglagyan ng mga gamit o di kaya ay pwedeng sa ibabaw ng mesa dahil maluwang naman iyon. Nagmumukhang conference room tuloy ang classroom namin.

"Uy, Amber!" Napalingon ako sa tumawag sa akin. It was Jeremy. He was sitting on the last table at the far corner of the room.

"Jeremy." Lumapit ako sa kanya at tinapik niya ang katabing upuan.

"Your seat and then before you is Gray's", wika niya. Nakaupo siya sa pangatlong silya and he tapped the second chair as mine at tinuro niya ang unang silya para kay Gray.

"What's with the seat plan?", I asked ngunit naupo na rin ako sa silyang inilaan niya para sa akin.

"It's based on the heirarchy of wits", wika niya at pasimpleng ngumiti. "Hey, did you cut your hair?"

Huli na sa balita si Jeremy. Can't blame him. I didn't post any photo nor status in the social media regarding my hair. "Yeah, two months ago." I stared at him for a while. Bakit mukhang may bago sa kanya? Uh, ano nga ba?

"What? You won't notice my newly dyed hair?", he said with a grin. Yeah, his hair! It's dyed with brown ngunit ilang bahagi lamang iyon ng buhok niya which made him look like some famous guy of a korean boy group.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Anong nakain mo Je? Ba't ka nagpakulay?", I asked. Iba na talaga ang paglelevel up nito. This is Jeremy Martinez version 2.0.

"Je. I like it", he said referring to the nickname that I gave him. "Time for a change so I started dyeing my hair. How do I look like? Mukha na ba akong Kpop?"

I rolled my eyes to him. "Je, hindi ka mukhang Kpop dahil hindi ka genre, okay? Uh, well it suits you", simpleng wika ko and he frowned.

"It suits me. Ganoon lang?"

"What do you expect me to say?", I asked him. Grabe talaga si Jeremy. Kung dati ay bilang lamang ang mga salitang binibitawan niya, ngayon ay pwede na siyang bigyan ng Most Talkative Award.

"Hmmm, let me think first", he said habang nakaturo sa sintido niya. Jeez, old habits. "Aha! Alam ko na, dapat sinabi mo, ANG GWAPO MO JE! SOBRA!", he said with a grin.

I scowled at him at natawa naman ito. This guy will never learn. Pansin ko din na medyo nagkalaman ito. Hindi kaya nage-gym na ito? Jeremy's gaze were focused on the front door at may tinawag ito.

"Gray! Dito ka", he said and motioned his arm on the chair beside me. Paglingon ko sa pinto ay nakita ko si Gray. He has his gorgeous smile na nakuha niya sa ama niya. The smile that makes me swallow a lump. Uh, bakit mukhang mas gumwapo ito?

Don't get me wrong. Gwapo naman talaga si Gray. I said it because that's the truth. Hindi ko sinabi iyon sa anomang mga kadahilanan. Wala ng iba pang dahilan. As in wala. Wala talaga. Walang-wala.

He walked his way towards us at nakatingin lamang ako sa kanya. Nagulat na lang ako nang biglang bumulong sa tenga ko si Jeremy.

"Baka matunaw si Gray, Amber", he said with a grin. Uh, am I staring that much? Damn Jeremy! Kung anu-ano lang ang mga pinagsasabi!

"Shut up", wika ko at tumuwid naman siya ng upo. Nakarating na rin si Gray sa tabi ko at umupo sa mesang laan sa kanya.

"Ayan, kompleto na ang detective group natin. Ano ba ang magandang pangalan? Yung tulad dun sa Detective Boys ng Detective Conan at ng Hardy Boys. Hmm, ano nga ba?", Jeremy asked at mukhang  nag-iisip ito.

Uh, detective group? Duh, I don't think we have to form one. But Jeremy seemed serious about giving us a name.

"Walang detective group Je", wika ko. Uh, I hope he would stop.

"I don't think we need one", pagsang-ayon ni Gray sa akin. Nakakailang ang sulyapan siya kaya mas hinarap ko na lamang si Jeremy.

"Ang KJ niyo! Para naman makatulong tayo sa mamamayan ng Bridle kapag may pangangailangan sila. A detective group would be very helpful", paliwanag ni Jeremy.

"We can help without having a group", sagot ni Gray sa kanya but Jeremy keeps on thinking about a good name for us.

"Aha! How about The Detective Triumvirate? Bagay sa atin iyon. I'll be on the apex of the pyramid while Gray will be on the base. Not that I'm the top position, dahil iyon ako ang maliit ang naaambag. Maybe I should be a cartographer, oh, no. Hindi ako magaling mag-sketch, hmmm. How about the photographer? Wag niyo lang akong gawing biographer ng The Detective Triumvirate, I hate writing long essays", he said.

Inalog ko ang balikat niya. "Je, listen. We don't need neither a cartographer nor a photographer. In short, we don't need to have a detective group, okay?", wika ko sa kanya. Sinagot niya lamang ako ng kanyang pagsimangot.

"Fine! But still, we're the Detective Triumvirate. Let's start the first day of school with a stimulating riddle from me", he said with a big smile.

Gray slouched on his chair samantalang napasandal naman ako. Very well then, I hope his riddles had level up too.

"Don't gave me such bored look, this will make your day", wika niya.

"Fine", Gray said at humarap kay Jeremy. I'm completely aware of his presence behind me kaya hanggang ngayon ay hindi ko pa siya masulyapan. Gosh, magkaka-stiff neck ako nito!

"Okay, eto. There was a hungry tiger in a boat with some fresh meat, a bunch of cabbage and a living human. They're in the middle of the sea and the only way to escape is through jumping into the water. Among the four of them in the boat, alin sa kanila ang mawawala after few minutes?"

"The human, of course. Tumalon siya sa tubig upang hindi siya kainin ng tiger", sagot ni Gray.

"How about you Amber?", he asked.

"The fresh meat. Kasi gutom ang tiger kaya kinain niya ang fresh meat na nandoon", I answered.

"Eeeeeeenk! Both of you are wrong! The man can't swim. The answer is the cabbage. Wala na ang cabbage dahil kinain na siya ng tiger. Vegetarian kasi yung tiger HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!", he said at gaya ng nakagawian, sinabayan niya iyon ng malutong na tawa.

I should have known. If Jeremy would be upgrading, his puns will never.

"Puns", Gray said at sumubsob sa mesa niya. 'Your new name is Puns."

"You don't find it funny?", he asked at pareho kaming sumangot ni Gray. "Ang sama ninyo. Hindi kayo supportive."

"Eto na lang. Amber, isummarize mo nga ang World War II", wika niya sa akin.

"Hindi ako nakinig nang i-lecture natin yan sa Araling Panlipunan kaya wag mo akong tanungin Je", sagot ko sa kanya. Gosh, ayaw ko sa History. Nag-eexcel ako doon pero ayoko talaga sa history.

"Ikaw Gray", baling niya kay Gray.

Nag-isip saglit si Gray. "It started on September 1939  to September 1945, six years to be exact. It's a great war between two military alliances, the Allies and the Axis . It was the most widespread war in history. It resulted to the creation of the United Nations and collapse of Nazi—", Jeremy cuts him off.

"Hep hep! Sabi ko summarize. Andami mo ng sinabi", wika niya.

"I did. It's a summary. Why? How should we summarize the World War II?", tanong ni Gray.

"Dapat ganito", Jeremy said and positioned his hands like he was holding a shotgun. "RATATATATATATATATAT!", umakto siyang tila nagtapon ng bomba sa hangin and then he covered his ears. "BOOOM! Ganoon dapat", he said and he laughed.

This time ay natawa na talaga ako. What the hell! Where did he get such puns? Natawa ako sa action niya, not the joke itself. Maging si Gray ay natawa na rin. Okay, his puns were upgrading by 0.99%.

Pumasok na ang class adviser namin which happened to be Ma'am Saderna. I'm glad na siya ang naging adviser namin, I like her teaching style in our Physical Education class. Hindi siya nag-iisa. She was with a beautiful girl in ponytail. Her face isn't familiar kaya I pressumed that she's not from Bridle before kahit na nakasuot na siya ng uniform ngayon. Uh, a transferee?

Inilapit ni Jeremy sa amin ang mukha niya. "I hate transferees. The last time that we had one, it's a disaster", wika niya, referring to Marion. Yes, it was really a disaster. Who would have thought na psychotic pala si Marion behind her angelic face?

"Well, I'm a transferee", Gray said.

"In every rule, there's an exception at ikaw iyon. I don't hate you, I love you dude", Jeremy said with a grin. Ang bakla nitong pakinggan! Pwe!

"Oh, shut up Puns", Gray said at humarap na kami nang tinawag na ni Ma'am Saderna ang atensyon namin.

"Good Morning STEM-A and welcome on your first day of school", paunang bati nito. The class responded by greeting her a good morning too.

"New school year, new lessons new adventure and of course, I would like you to meet your new classmate", she said at tumango sa babae. It's a cue for her to step forward and introduce herself into the class.

"Hi, Good morning everyone. My name is Mathilde Corazon, Math for short. 18 years old and I'm from Mindanao, from the City of Majestic Waterfalls— Iligan City. 45 kilograms, 5'4" and single. Born on July 25, 1998, under the zodiac sign Leo. I'm previously a member of our school's drum and lyre corps. and an outstanding student council president of the last school I attended. I was also the president of RCY Mindanao chapter, Debating Club prime minister and has joined the latest Mindanao Parliamentary Debates Championship and won as the defending champion, with the title Best Speaker of the Year. I'm also member of a national organization movement for ~blahh blaahh blahhh~", hindi ko na narinig ang iba pang sinabi nito nang magsalita si Jeremy.

"I'm starting to hate her", she said to us. Nang lingunin ko si Gray ay matamang nakatingin lamang ito sa babae. Uh! Don't tell me that he's mesmerized by her beauty and achievements?! Muli akong nakinig sa nagbubuhat ng sarili niyang bangko sa harap, aysti pagpapakilala pala.

"An MTAP finalist since elementary, twice elected as a YES-O regional president, a regional officer of the GSP, the Photojournalist of the year and won in the National Schools Press Conference in Photojournalism as well as broadcasting, and I can't remember my other organizations and achievements, I'm sorry I don't have a list. My hobbies include reading mystery stories, watching a detective movie and solving a mystery itself. My favorite author is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and one of my favorite saying from his fictional character Sherlock Holmes is  'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' I also like Stephen King ~blaaah blaaah blaah".

Muling nagsalita si Jeremy. "Now I really hate her. I won't allow her in our triumviate", he said.

I rolled my eyes at him. Of course, a triumvirate is just made up of three people.

"She has some nerves to brag! I can match wits with her when it comes to Sherlock Holmes, thanks to the two of you, now I've got a complete set of books of my own", wika niya.

"I'm glad to spend my last year in high school with you!", she said at pumalakpak naman ang mga kaklase namin sa kanya. Uh, marami siyang napabilib sa mga pinagbubuhat niyang bangko! She smiled widely at the class at muling bumaling sa amin si Jeremy.

"Hey, dude. Napipi ka dyan? Don't tell me interesado ka sa kayabanga—", bigla siyang napatigil nang lumapit sa amin ang babaeng nagpakilala sa harap.

"Hi, Teacher said I should sit next to you", wika niya at nanlalaki ang mata ni Jeremy nang sulyapan niya ang babae. He gave her a pokerface at tumango sa kanya. Nakangiti naman ito nang umupo sa huling upuan katabi ni Jeremy. Kumbaga ang pwesto namin ay ganito: Si Gray, Ako, si Jeremy at saka yung factory owner ng isang furniture shop na panay ang pagbubuhat ng bangko kanina. Nais ko tuloy magsecond the motion sa sinabi ni Jeremy kanina na he's starting to hate her. Ano nga ba pangalan niya? I'm not really sure what is it, mas tumatak kasi ang mga sinabi niyang mga kung anu-anong kaek-ekan kaysa sa pangalan niya. One thing is for sure, her name sounds like a subject.

"Ano nga pala sabi mo kanina Puns?", Gray asked at umiling si Jeremy. Nakakapag-usap pa kami dahil umalis pa saglit si Ma'am Saderna.

"Wala dude. Tanong ko lang sana kung may alam kang furniture shop", he said with a frown. Uh, ayun. Buti di siya narinig nung transferee. Naparusahan yata si Jeremy kaya nakatabi yung bagong estudyante sa kanya.

"Hi seatmates!", bati ng babae at ngumiti. Saka ko lamang napansin na may mga maliliit na dimples siya. She's pretty. Not as pretty as Marion ngunit maganda rin ito. Yung tipong ang sarap kurutin ang pisngi.

"Oh, hi Math", bati ni Gray and I was surprised! Luh! Naalala niya ang pangalan ng babae?!

"Hi Pogi! Kagwapo ba nimu uy!", she said and smiled.

"Pardon?", Gray asked.

"Sorry, I just spoke on our vernacular langguage. What I said is that you're so handsome", Math said at ngumiti.

Bumulong sa akin si Jeremy. "Anong nangyari kay Gray? Type niya ba si Maya?"

Gumanti ako ng bulong sa kanya. "Who's Maya?"

"The girl beside me. Maya as in Mayabang", wika niya. Nagmumukha na kaming mga tanga sa kakabulong.

"Thank you. You're pretty too", wika ni Gray kay Math.

"Oo nga. Ang ganda mo. Sarap mo ngang kurutin sa pisngi eh. Pakurot naman pero di muna ngayon. Saka na pag six months akong hindi nag-nailcutter", wika ni Jeremy kay Math at inapakan ko ang paa niya sa ilalim ng mesa. Masyado siyang hard!

Math giggled. "Your joke is funny! She said. "I'm Math, at kayo?"

"Gray Ivan Silvan", wika ni Gray at tumayo upang abutin ang palad ni Math. Napaatras kami ni Jeremy upang maabot niya ito. Umupo ulit siya matapos makipagkamay kay Math.

"Hi Gray. How about you?", she said at ibinaling ang paningin kay Jeremy.

"My name is Jeremy Martinez and about what I said a while ago, I'm not joking", Jeremy said bago tinanggap ang palad ng natatawang si Math. Muli kong inapakan ang paa niya, and this time, it's with some force. "Awww!", he exclaimed at sinamaan ako ng tingin but he never said a word.

"You're really funny Jeremy", she said while giggling at bumaling naman siya sa akin. "Hi, I'm Math."

"Amber", I said at tinanggap ang palad niya. She got soft hands but mine was softer, uh— Whatever.

"I've heard from my cousin from other school that Bridle got two smart detectives. Actually I've heard about a detective in Athena too but as I was chosing among the two school, Bridle High got my interest so I went here.  I want to meet those detectives and test if they are really good and if they can match wits with me", Math said at pinigilan ko ang dahan-dahang pagtaas ng kilay ko. Bigla na lamang napaubo si Jeremy sa sinabi ni Math. I'm sure Gray would be offended about this too. Pinagdududahan ba niya ang kakayahan namin?

But to my surprise ay isang malawak na ngiti ang iginante niya. "Well you happened to met them already."

"Where are they?", she asked and she looked around the room. "I've heard it's a male and female tandem."

"It's Amber and yours truly", Gray said. Kailangan pa niyang umusod malapit sa mesa upang makita ng maayos si Math dahil nakaharang kami ni Jeremy.

"Hala, kamong duha? Oh my god!", Math exclaimed. Ano raw?

"Pardon again?"

"I mean, the two of you? Oh, wow", sagot niya.

Biglang sumingit si Jeremy sa usapan. "Ugh, you want to trade seats with me dude?", he asked. No, wag lang please!

"You don't mind?", Gray asked. Oh no! Makikipagpalit nga. Bokya ako dito!

Jeremy smirked at him. "Of course I do pero sige na nga lang." Tumayo na siya at gayundin si Gray. They traded seat kahit ngayong araw lang. Ngayon ay nakatalikod na si Gray sa akin at nakaharap kaya Math.

"Aray beh", Jeremy said at mahinang siniko ako. "Iyak mo lang yan", he whispered.

"Shut up Je", wika ko sa kanya. I was trying my best not to hear Gray and Math's conversation. Naririnig ko lamang ang malutong na pagtawa ni Math sa pag-uusap nila. Tumayo ako sa upuan ko at nagpaalam kay Jeremy.

"Bibili muna ako", wika ko.

"I'll go with you", wika niya at bahagyang lumapit. "Wag mo akong ewan dito, out of place ako sa closeness nila", bulong niya at bahagya naming sinulyapan sina Gray at Math na panay tawa pa rin.

Umalis kaming dalawa ni Jeremy. I didn't bother to tell them where we are going. Tanging si Jeremy lamang ang nagpaalam sa kanila.

Nagpunta kami sa Cafeteria but I decided to drop by the lockers. Balak ko sanang kunin ang mga dating gamit ko at palitan iyon ng bago ngunit nagulat ako nang biglang sumigaw ang isang babae habang nagbubukas ng kanyang locker. Napatakbo kami ni Jeremy at lumapit sa babae. Nahintakutang nakatingin ito sa laman ng kanyang locker.

"Anong nangyari?", tanong ko sa kanya at nanginginig ang kanyang mga kamay na itinuro ang kanyag locker. Napabaling naman ang tingin namin ni Jeremy sa kanyang locker. There were photos of the girl na kinunan mula sa iba't-ibang anggulo.

"M-my stalker! He told me last night na hindi niya ako titigilan lalo na at pasukan na!", wika niya.

Kinuha ko ang mga larawan na nasa locker. Kinunan iyon mula sa iba't-ibang araw dahil iba-iba ang damit na suot ng babae. Maging si Jeremy ay napatingin din sa mga picture and he was surprised how eager the stalker was in following the girl.

Oh well, a stalker case meets me on the first day of school. I'll make sure to identify who's behind this stalking case.

#

-ShinichiLaaaabs.