8: I Like

ZAB

I gawked at the situation I'm in.

Dearil, the red haired death guy... on my bed with white sheets.

Nasaan ang kanyang itim na damit? At ang kanyang buhok, ang gulo niyon na tila ba sinabunutan siya ng sampung kamay. Uh, maybe some Breeze. Heck, don't mind me.

Death man grinned at the half-naked J3... Oh, his pants were halfway through his thighs and it was showing proof of his mad pet under his blue boxer shorts.

Dearil's forehead creased. Huh, great actors deserve Oscar's! "Dude, why are you stripping?" Humarap siya sa akin at bahagya pang napahikab. "Hey, hun, cookies done? Who's that assface dude?"

Shit. What game is Dearil pulling?

I saw J3's face turn sour. And I love seeing that look on him. I think I like this better than the shovel or the bleach or kerosene and lighter. "Shit, Zab! Who's that guy?!" tanong ni J3.

Don't shout at me, asshole. "Uh, nakikita mo siya?" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko.

J3 groaned. "Who cannot see someone with red hair lying on an all white bed?"

Blind people, silly.

"Oh but... You can really see him?!" What sorcery is this? Patay na ba si J3?!

If so, yas! That works for me!

If not, is he like me? I mean, can see grim reapers or something like that.

"Zab, wala ka ba sa tamang pag-iisip mo?" naiinis na tanong niya.

"Hey, hun, I'll get the gun and you get the shovel," sabat ni Dearil sa usapan namin. He shoved his hand under my pillow at nang ilabas niya ang kanyang kamay ay nakaporma iyon na baril.

But shit is real when J3 tripped in fright with a gun hand gesture.

"Hun, get the shovel now," wika ulit ni Dearil.

What?! What?! Hindi ko maintindihan but I feel like getting it so I did.

Nanginginig na itinaas ni J3 ang dalawang kamay. "Shit, you two are psychos!"

Inayos niya ang pantalon at halos gumapang na palabas ng kwarto. He then grabbed his shirt on the floor. "Sorry, dude, didn't know about you..." Nagawa na niyang isuot nang maayos ang damit. He grabbed his shoes and stumbled out the door. "And dude, you're an assface too."

Napatingin na lamang ako sa pintong nilabasan niya. Huh, takot naman pala. Who says his attack while running away? And what? Scared of a hand gesture?

Lumapit ako sa kama at hinablot ang kumot sa katawan ni Dearil. Half-naked annoying guy laid comfortably.

"What was that?" I asked.

He blew on the tip of his fingers like it's a real gun. "The dude's scared of a gun."

"You mean gun hand gesture."

Red hair laughed. "Trust me Elizabeth, he saw a gun."

"Stop calling me Elizabeth or else, I'll kill you." I really mean my words even if he cannot possibly be killed.

"You cannot kill me." He rested his hands at the back of his head. His pale skin complimented his red hair and the white sheets. But shit, that's my bed.

"Umalis ka sa kama ko."

He frowned. "You prefer that douche bag on your bed?"

Napamasahe ako sa sintido ko. "Teka lang ah. Tama ba ang nakita ko? He spoke with you? Red hair, he can see you too?!"

He nodded. "I made myself visible."

"Visible?!"

"Hmm. Now, everyone can see me."

What!? He can do that? I wanna learn—oh, whatever. As if he will teach me.

I felt the urge to thank him but I chose not to. Hello, I can send douche bag J3 away without his intervention. At bakit naman niya naisipang gawin iyon? "Ano iyon?"

"What?"

"What was that about?" tanong ko. Surely, he didn't just piss J3 off without reason at all. Or pwede ring oo. Who knows? Maybe he's some crazy grim reaper and pissing people is his craft.

Like how he pissed me.

Pero ngayon, natuwa ako sa kanya ng mga 1%.

"I peered at the guy's memory. He was screwing you—"

"Skip that part, asshole," putol ko sa sasabihin niya. Heck, I have a wild imagination right now and that includes a full view of the memories. No fucking way this grim asshole hotnnoying guy would see me like that.

"He's planning to tape it."

Fuck that fucker.

He bragged me to his fucker friends. Boo. Kiss and tell asshole did that. Like yeah, he popped the smartest yet not nerdy-not-even-bringing-books student at the university. I hate him for that. But because he's good at it... it had a second time.

Wow. And now, the tape must be his proof to brag to his fucker friends again. Fuck them all.

"...you're angry." Nakatingin siya sa mga kamao ko.

"Not to you."

"I see," sagot niya. "But you really wanted to? Tell me Eliz—" He stopped when I glared. I glared like I can really kill him through that. Too bad, I cannot. "Tell me, nanghinayang ka ba?"

"Sa?"

"Opportunity."

I let out a laugh. "A little. Nanghinayang ako sa opportunity ko ngayon. I wanna wax his balls and one of his brow. Hindi pa ako nakapag-decide kung kanan o kaliwa." Lumapit ako sa drawer na nasa gilid ng kama at inilabas ang waxing strip. "Or..." This time, I let out a cheese grater from the drawer.

"What?! You have a cheese grater there?"

I grinned. "I want to skin him alive."

He shook his head. "You're really crazy."

No, hindi ako baliw. I was beyond that. I was going to kill the guy, if I can, but felony is a no-no and it would be so ironic if I asked for freedom but ended up in jail. So I resorted to waxing his member and his brow. Natatawa ako kapag naiisip na isang kilay na lamang niya ang may buhok.

"Dearil?"

"Hmmm?"

"You should have shot him with your hand gun." Literal na hand gun. Did he make J3 have an illusion that he really has a gun? Wow. I hope I can learn that, too. Comes in handy like all the time.

He grinned. "The guy's scared. He looks like he'll shit on his pants."

Uh, on the other hand, I'm thankful he didn't shoot. Baka magligpit pa ako ng tae ni J3 sa sahig ng kwarto ko. Ew.

Ewier than necrophilia.

"So anong nangyari?" tanong niya. Napangiwi ako. Tss. Grim reaper wanna pry on my personal life. I wouldn't allow him to pry on my memories so he's making me say it. But hey, kahit paano ay tinulungan niya ako. I can say na tumulong siya.

So maybe a little background about it doesn't hurt. Umupo ako sa gilid ng kama.

"The guy's a shit."

He nodded. "He looked like an asshole. Ass is where shits pass."

For once, I think I like his words. Hmm... Okay, red hair, one point.

"It was a mutual consent sex—my first. The guy's great but that bastard told everyone he popped me."

Dearil snarled. "Asshole."

"Exactly!" bulalas ko. "So I didn't see him again. Tapos nalaman ko na lamang, he's screwing my sister."

"You have a sister?"

"Adoptive sister."

The Cruiz family is really kind and generous. They adopted me and the meanest kid at the orphanage. They named us Diana Alexa and Elizabeth Alexis. Queen names pero si Diana lamang ang feeling queen.

And when I say she's the meanest, she really is. She bullied a lot of kids and told a twisted story to the nuns para kunwari, siya ang biktima. When we were legally adopted, sipsip siya at naninira ng bagay sa bahay, making me take the blame. She also stole money sometimes and then telltales to mom and dad that I was the one who stole it and that she caught me using that money at school.

I hate Diana so much. She's a whore—well maybe, me too but lesser compared to her. I slept with two guys and kissed countless guys while she slept with countless guys and kissed even more countless guys. She made everyone believe I am the mean one. Inaagaw niya ang mga dapat ay kaibigan ko. She fucked J3 because she knew I have a crush on him before.

But she's the whore who isn't smart. She failed on the subjects that I got 1.0. Shame. Nagtapos ako may pinakamataas na Latin award pero siya, kahit ang magtapos na lamang ay hindi magawa. And whatever I like, she tends to lay her eyes on it just to piss me off.

Then she will do whatever it takes just to have it to herself.

I just let her. Wala naman akong pakialam.

She's called very pretty. I'm called pretty and brainy.

Whatever.

Malayong-malayo ang diperensya namin.

"He screwed her right in my bedroom!" I whined like a kid.

He nodded. "And you're angry because of that?"

Angry? If there's a word to describe angry 100 times stronger, iyon ang nararamdaman ko. I may be a crazy kid but at least I didn't even try becoming bad at home! Lahat ng bawal sa bahay, sinusunod ko—and that includes bringing a guy!

But that fucker Diana brought J3 and let him screw her on my new silk sheets! Shit. I had it burned down to ashes—and that was mom's expensive gift to me.

"Very!"

Dearil nodded. "Not because you like that assface?"

"I really liked that assface of him... before."

"Too bad, he's still assface but you didn't like him any longer. Did you like anyone?"

Hmmm, liking someone? Like J3? I liked his face before. When he had sex, I liked his dick and performance but I hate his guts, his cockiness and everything about him.

And what do I like?

I like doing things that are fun. I like crazy stuff. And hey, I like whipped cream. I like spicy food. I like green mangoes. I like stories about mermaids. I like going in the bus without knowing where I'm heading. I like pissing Diana off by being uninterested in her little games. I like popcorn that were not fully popped—they're a bit painful to the gums but I like that.

I like swimming. I like tattoos (Too bad I didn't get one. Not a best perk of being Cruiz's daughter.) and I'm planning to get one. I like watching stars and count them off as if I can. I like songs whose lyrics makes you feel you're clawed on your chest. I like melon shakes. I like wearing lingerie. I like matcha. I like foods that are three days away from its expiration date. I like stories about angels and devils and werewolf and vampires and incubus and anything that can make you cry.

I like Oreos. I like watching falling leaves. I like ugly dogs because I find them cute plus you must be kind to ugly things. I like sleeping face down. I like birds. I like reading names on tombs so every once in a while, I take a walk at the cemetery.

I like ice cream and pizzas and rainbows. I like cookies, and cakes and no, I don't like strawberry and spaghetti, but I like spicy pasta and carbonara.

Then I stared at Dearil. He looks like he's trying to read what is running in my mind.

And oh, I like the color red.