For the third time this week, Mallory wanted blood on his hands.

Specifically, ang dugo ng resident pain-in-the-ass, Rook.

The anxiety that's radiating from his legs caused every person sitting in the U-shaped sofa to feel an earthquake. Venice had been trying to calm him down for the past thirty minutes, while the rest of his friends remained oblivious to the fact that Rook stole his sister for the third time.

"I guess nakalimutan niya lang?" Daniel suggested, regretting it a bit later when he received Mal's piercing glare. "I mean, kasi hindi tayo nagchat sa-"

He closed his mouth before he could continue. Oo nga pala, twenty minutes before ng meeting time nila ay naglapag na ng sampung reminder si Mallory dahil makakalimutan na naman ni Ross ang plano. Isa ito sa may mga magagandang memorya sa kanila pero 'pag hindi na academics o Reina ang usapan, nawawala na ang utak nito.

"Ilang oras ba ang kailangan sa pagkape ha?" Mallory almost growled the words out in anger, his brow twitching. "Kaninang alas tres pa sila umalis, mag-aalas sais na! Kung hindi lang dahil kay Ate Rachel, hindi na siya ulit makakalabas 'gaya nito!"

"Nothing wrong with running late. Ilang beses na din naman kayong nalate ni Ate Ven pero wala kang narinig mula sa'kin." Claude pointed out.

"Besides... the fun starts at 10! It's too damn early for the party, Mal!" Daniel whined, taking another shot ㅡ his fifth shot for the past three hours.

"We're not here to party. Well, kung gusto mo, pwede ka namang magstay. But I just want Carter to go out and have fun." Mallory grumbled. "Isa pa, knowing her, she wouldn't enjoy noisy and crowded places."

Walang may umangal doon. They know or have spent enough time with Carter to figure out her dislike for crowds.

Bumuntong-hinga si Mallory nang dumaan ang sunod na sampung minuto na wala pa ang dalawa. Isang aya pa ni Rook sa kapatid niyang magkape at baka mabili na niya lahat ng kape sa mundo para manatili ang dalawa sa bahay.

Honestly, he tried to push the two of them so they won't tiptoe around each other. It was starting to piss him off. Hindi niya naisip na mas nakakairita pala na magkakilala na sa personal ang dalawa.

Mallory perked up when his phone vibrated, quickly unlocking it to read Carter's new message. Ngunit ang masayang mukha niya ay nawala din nang mabasa ang reply nito.

little sis ko:
Sorry. Can't come. Got a bad migraine.
sent • 6:07 pm

Kumunot ang noo niya. She didn't show any symptoms of fever earlier, but it's not that surprising since she's with Rook. He's always bound to give everyone headaches.

"Oh?" nabasag ang pagmumuni-muni niya ng malakas na boses ni Daniel. "Rook, dude, nasaan na ang babaeng inaya mo ng kape?"

Hearing the name, Mallory's head shot up, eyes zeroing on Rook. Ross was tailing behind him, mouth open in a yawn, as if pumunta ito sa library o kwarto niya kaysa sa club.

Ngumiti sa kanila si Rook ngunit halata sa mukha nito na may malalim na iniisip. His tight-lipped smile and the small frown in his brows were enough to worry Mal.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, which translates to asking where and what happened to his sister.

Rook gave him a glare, slipping down the seat beside Daniel and gulping down a glass of water.

"Ano pa ba? Nag-aya ka, e'di as a good friend and brother-in-law, pumunta ako."

"Nasaan na bossmam mo?" tanong ni Daniel.

Ngumuso si Rook. "Masakit daw ang ulo."

"Ohh." Daniel smirked, teasing. "Ba't sumakit? Dahil ba sa kape o unpleasant company?"

"Kung unpleasant lang naman, si Clau-"

"Mal?"

Naputol ang sagot ni Rook nang marinig ang pamilyar na boses. Napatingin silang lahat sa babaeng tumigil sa harap ng table. Her long hair was curled at the end, lips in glossy red, and eyes bright and apprehensive. Her city girl fashion screamed fancy but her timid gestures betrayed that dominance.

Kumunot ang noo nina Mal at Claude. Venice quietly sipped her drink, an edge to the hard stare she gave.

"Giselle?" Claude shifted in his seat. "A-Anong ginagawa mo dito?"

Rook silently observed the conversation, ignoring the confused glance the woman sent his way. Kung kilala rin nila Mal at Claude 'to, then she must have played a part on Carter's past troubles.

"Claude..." she muttered. "I didn't expect to see you guys here. But... earlier..." biting her lower lip, she struggled to continue. "Earlier, I saw Carter."

Natigilan ang tatlo. Venice shot Claude a look, habang kinakain naman ng pagsisisi ang mukha ng lalaki. Only Mallory's face hardened.

"Did you talk to her?" he asked, voice low and threatening.

"I- I..." she looked frightened, face pale and eyes trembling. "I was surprised to see her there. Hindi ko alam na umalis na siya sa Cavite. I just wanted to say... sorry... for what happened-"

"Fuck!"

The air was filled with tension and it was suffocating Rook. Mallory stood up after slamming his fist on the table, face crumpled in rage. The woman named Giselle was almost trembling from where she stood. Rook has no idea what happened but he can't help but be worried as well.

It doesn't take a genius to understand that something happened between Giselle and Carter. It's also clear that Giselle was at fault ㅡ dahil gusto nitong magsorry ㅡ and that Carter was affecfed badly ㅡ it was the first time she showed a strong emotion like crying and Mal never gets this angry.

He glanced at Claude, narrowing his eyes at the guilt and regret in his face. Unang naisip ni Rook na may kasalanan ulit si Claude but... judging by Mal's lack of anger on his way, maybe he's part of it but not the whole reason?

And Rook first thought that Claude cheated with Giselle. May iba pa bang nangyari kay Carter noon?

His train of thought halted when Mal stormed out of the club, Venice following in kind words. Giselle, who probably can't handle the situation, also left with teary eyes. Claude remained on his seat, pale as a ghost, while the rest of the boys stared in confusion.

It was Daniel who broke the silence. "What... just happened?"

Rook snatched the drink from Ross' hand, quickly swallowing the liquid down. Gusto niyang makita si Carter ngayon. Is she doing fine with Roan or is she crying like earlier? Hindi na siya magtatanong kung anong nangyari, kahit na kating-kati siyang malaman 'yon... basta ba maayos lang si Carter. Basta ba hindi lang siya umiyak.

"Hoy, Claude." Daniel continued. "Ano 'yon? Anong nangyari? M-May... May kinalaman ba si Carter do'n?"

Claude sighed heavily, gulping down two shots without hesitation. "As you heard earlier... yes. She's... It was..." he squeezed his eyes close. "It's all my fault."

Kahit na kanina pang nagpipigil, hindi na nakayanan ni Rook at hinawakan niya ang kaibigan sa kwelyo. He was pissed. He was already pissed at his past behavior... as well as the thought that Carter was once sweet and lovely with this boy and he had taken her love for granted.

"Anong ibig mong sabihin?" he roughly asked, clenching his jaw and fist in an attempt to control his anger.

Claude raised his gaze to Rook, eyes wide with fear. "Fuck." tanging sagot nito.

"Tangina. Sagutin mo 'ko-"

"Rook, calm down." pumagitna sa kanila si Ross, na inalis ang nanggagalaiting kamay ng kaibigan mula sa t-shirt ni Claude. "Let's hear each other out first."

"O-Oo nga." Daniel seconded, subtly pushing the glasses and drinks away from them in case a serious fight breaks out. Natrauma pa siya noong binugbog ni Rook si Claude. "Ano bang nangyari, Claude?"

"I... It's all my fault." ulit niya 'saka bumuntong-hininga. "Hindi sana iyon mangyayari kung hindi ako nagloko..."

They all waited, as patiently as a fuming Rook could, until Claude continued.

"Back in HS, Giselle liked me. Alam ko dahil hindi niya sinisikreto 'yon. Noong third year na kami, nagconfess siya. Pero that time din no'ng sinagot ako ni Carter. And well... she wasn't happy about that."

"Pakialam naman niya? Wala naman siyang karapatan sa'yo para pagbawalan kang magkanobya just because she likes you." reklamo ng nakataas-kilay na Daniel.

"She became very jealous and she resented Carter a lot. They never did anything more than send glares or make mean comments though. Takot din sila kay Carter. It was only when the news of us breaking up because I cheated that... it happened."

Claude inhaled deeply, as if it was a means to gather strength and continue on.

"If there were girls who were jealous of Carter because of me, she also had fanboys who jumped to attack me after hearing itㅡ"

"Deserve mo naman 'yon." Rook grumbled.

"Yes, I know I deserved it. I didn't mind it at all. But Giselle and her other friends did. So they made up a story about Carter. Isinali pa nila ang isang professor na may gusto kay Carter sa plano nila."

"Wait..." Daniel already looked pale. "Don't tell me..."

"They spread the rumor that Carter was cheating before me, and I did that out of anger and to exact revenge on her. What's utterly terrible is that, they said Carter was in a relationship with one of her professors. Ginamit pa nila ang madalas na pag-absent ni Carter sa istorya. That she was able to get the highest grade even though she was mostly absent, not because of her efforts, but that she was dating their teacher. Not only did it damage her reputation pero nagkaproblema din sila sa admin."

"Would they just believe a rumor made by a student?" Ross asked.

"It wasn't just a baseless rumor. May ipinakitang CCTV footage si Giselle sa admin, showing Carter and the professor leaving the staff room past school hours. Then Carter just stopped... existing. Hindi siya lumalabas sa kwarto o sa bahay nila. Hindi siya nakikipag-usap kahit kahino. It was later when Mallory guessed what happened that night. He just touched her arm so he could see her face when she started trembling... and crying..."

Hindi na kailangang tapusin ni Claude ang sasabihin dahil naintindihan na ng tatlo ang nangyari. Daniel gasped alongside Ross' deep curse. Rook whipped his head to the side, letting out an annoyed breath as he gripped the fury in his heart.

"Carter had to go see a therapist for months. She never told us anything. Hanggang sa medyo bumalik ang dati niyang ugali, wala pa rin siyang sinabi. We don't know if she buried and forgotten it or if it's still haunting her..."

"Anong nangyari sa professor?"

"He was fired at first. Then... he was put in jail a few weeks after. Hindi lang si Carter ang nabiktima niya. He had sexually assaulted an underage student before too."

"Buti naman." Daniel tsked. "He should rot there forever!"

"May iba pa bang nangyari? That woman..." tukoy ni Ross kay Giselle. "... it's as if the past is haunting her so much."

"Guilt siguro?" Daniel suggested.

Claude sighed. "Guilt and regret, probably."

Rook's phone vibrated, momentarily distracting him. Natigilan siya nang makita ang pangalan sa screen. And as fast and heavy the rage inside him grew, it was also quickly soothed by her name.

miss 💓
Bakit umuwing galit si Kuya? Inaway mo ba? Pero kapag nag-away kayo, mukhang ikaw 'yong type na umiyak.
sent • 7:15 pm

Napalitan ng ngiti ang simangot niya. He could subtly hear Claude's answer but he was already typing in his phone, lost in Carter's attention.

i'm hurt, bossmam :<<
u have no faith in ur manok!
ofc kung mag-aaway kami ni kuys mo, siya mananalo hehe
HINDI DAHIL WEAK AKO
naur
pero kailangang mabango ang image ni future hubby mo sa future brother-in-law ko
btw u okay na po? masakit pa ba head mo? kiss ko ba to make it better?
delivered • 7:16 pm

miss 💓
Ano ka, magic?
Anyway, what happened? Did you go home already?
Tawagan ba kita?
sent • 7:16 pm

Nagulat ang tatlong lalaki nang biglang tumayo si Rook. Nasa mata ang phone nito at abala sa pagti-type. He picked up his car keys in a swift move, tucking his wallet back to his pocket, and turned to leave.

Daniel stuttered a gasp, calling out to him. "Hoy, p're! Saan ka pupunta? 'Di ka iinom?"

Still on his phone, Rook raised a hand. "Uwi ako. Hanap ni misis." nakangising paalam nito bago halos tumakbo palabas ng bar.

"Anong-" the three of them were left speechless. "Wala namang misis 'yon ah!"

"Since when was Rook married?"

Natatawang umiling si Claude sa tanong ni Ross. "Bobo."

Messages

pauwi na po
give me ten minutes, i'll call you
delivered • 7:18 pm