CASTIEL

SAYING GOODBYE was hard for most. For me? I found it hard sometimes. It depended on the person. It depended on my emotional connection with said person.

Valeria leaving the council was not in my plan, nor did I foresee it happening in the future. If I could have it my way, I did not want her to leave. She was one of the four legs of the coveted throne that our council was sitting on. But she had made her own choice. I would have wanted for her to stay than me. She played an integral part of our triumph in the last student council election. She would play the same role in the next one.

"It is with a heavy heart that I accept your resignation," Priam said after reading the letter that Val had submitted a day after her announcement. His dry lips curled into a frown. "I should be the one taking responsibility, not you."

"It's okay, Priam." Val shook her head. "Masaya na akong malaman na willing kang akuin ang responsabilidad sa nangyari. Pero hindi kakayanin ng konsiyensiya ko kung hahayaan kitang gawin 'yon. As the vice president and the more senior between me and Cas who knew and executed the plan, I had to take the blame."

There was nothing I could say or do but admire her sense of accountability. She could have easily survived the whole ordeal by pinning the blame on me, by throwing me under the bus with my permission. But she chose not to. She sincerely believed that she made the right move by stepping forward. There could have been another way to sort this out, but I did not want to undermine this moment and take it away from her.

"Thank you for your service, Val." Priam gave her a tight embrace. Ilang segundo ring nagtagal ang yakap nila sa isa't isa. They had been partners in running the student government for five months. It would not be that easy for each other to part.

"Thank you for trusting me, Priam," Val's eyes began to well up with tears. She sniffled as she wiped them off with her handkerchief. "And thank you for letting me do this."

In retrospect, her sacrifice would benefit us better than mine. I was just a lowly chief-of-staff appointed—not elected—to this position. If someone were to take responsibility, it must be one of the people who won and earned the trust of the student body. Also, Val's argument about her holding a higher office than me made some sense. Among those who knew about the incident, the one with the highest ranking position must be held accountable. That happened to be her.

"Val," I called her name softly as I moved closer for a hug. My right hand patted her back. "I'm sorry that you have to do this. I wish things didn't have to come to this point."

She hugged me back and leaned close to my ear. "Just make sure that my sacrifice won't be in vain. From now on, you must protect Priam at all costs, the same way that I did yesterday."

"Don't worry, I will try."

After me, she started hugging the rest of the council. First was Sabrina who got teary-eyed. They were not that close, but they worked closely together. Next was Tabitha who kept a straight face. Ayaw man niyang ipahalata, alam kong nalulungkot siya sa pamamaalam ng kasama namin. Last was Rowan who frowned before embracing her. He whispered some unintelligible words before letting go.

I felt a pang of sandness as I watched one of the people whom I built this council leave us. After today, the USC would not be the same again.

"Thank you, everyone." Val's eyes hopped around everyone in the office. She chewed her lower lip as she tried to hold back her tears. "I may no longer join you in your voyage, but I will be cheering for you from the docks."

"We wish you the best, Val," Priam replied with a rare smile. "Feel free to visit us here from time to time."

"Is that a sincere offer?" She sniffled again before letting out a snortle. Kahit paano'y nagawa pa rin niyang ngumiti at matawa. This must be heartbreaking for her. "Kasi talagang pupunta ako at tatambay rito kapag vacant period."

Priam gave her a nod. "You're always welcome here, whether you're a USC officer or not."

"Aasahan ko 'yan, ha?" Her frown turned into a smile, much more relaxed this time. Muli niyang pinunasan ang mga namuong luha bago sumeryoso ang kaniyang mukha. "Anyway, I won't hold you up guys any longer. Baka may gagawin pa kayo."

"See you around, Val," sabi nina Tabitha at Rowan.

"Your presence will be sorely missed here," Priam added.

"Thank you, guys, for everything," Val told them before turning to me. "Cas, do you mind escorting me outside? For the last time?"

"My pleasure." My right hand motioned to the door. Sa huling pagkakataon, kumaway siya sa mga kasama namin at kumaway rin sila pabalik. Sabay na kaming lumabas ng office.

For the first few minutes of our slow walk down the hallway, the two of us remained dead silent. Only my cane striking against the floor created some noise. Parang pino-process pa namin ang nangyari kahit isang araw na ang lumipas matapos ang anunsiyo niya. We held an emergency meeting yesterday to talk about her sudden resignation, but it did not sink in yet.

Now might be the time to ask what I had been dying to ask since the hearing.

"Do you resent me for what happened?" I broke the awkward silence between us. Kung may unresolved issues pa kami, dapat na naming pag-usapan ngayon. Baka mas tumindi pa ang resentment niya sa akin sakaling meron kapag hindi in-address. "If it weren't for my idea to coerce Chevy, hindi tayo malalagay sa ganitong posisyon at hindi ka rin mapupuwersang mag-resign."

"The coercion was your idea, but I was equally accountable too since I gave it a go signal." Val glanced at me over her shoulder. Namumugto pa rin ang mga mata niya. "You didn't ask me to take the blame. I chose to do it myself. Kaya huwag ka sanang ma-guilty."

"I can't help but wonder if you did it to impress Priam for the last time."

"Impress him?" The smile across her lips faded instantly. Bigla siyang huminto sa paglalakad kaya napahinto rin ako. May nasabi ba akong masama o mali? Sumeryoso ang timpla ng mukha niya. "All I did was to protect him. And the council, too. You would have done the same, wouldn't you?"

I raised my head and stared at the ceiling as if the answer was written there. "I was willing to bite the bullet, but you did it instead. I also would have done what you did. For Priam. For the council."

"But," she paused, making me turn to her, "would you do it because Priam is your friend? Or because Priam is an important part of your grand plan?"

My gaze on her lingered for a few seconds. I did not expect her to throw that question. I did not even expect her to bring up that topic. Of course, Priam is my friend. And I would do what people were willing to do for their friends. I had his back. But at the same time, my revenge plan was close to my heart, too. It was my raison d'etre ever since the accident. It was keeping me alive, it was keeping me challenged. I would not stop until the day of those people's reckoning came.

"Can't it be both?" I answered with a shrug.

Her lips remained flat. "The reason why I want to have this solo conversation with you is to ensure that we're on the same page. Ayaw kong mabalewala ang sakripisyo ko para kay Priam at para sa council."

"Of course, I won't let it go to waste. If that's what you're asking—"

"Should Priam become an inconvenience to your grand plan," she cut me short, "will you consider sacrificing him? Will you throw him under the bus?"

I was silent for a second. "I will find a way to not let that happen."

"And if you fail to find one?" Val pressed. Hindi niya ako nilubayan ng tingin kaya medyo naging uncomfortable ako. Why is she asking these hypothetical questions? Wala ba siyang tiwala sa akin?

"Look here, Val." I looked her straight in the eye to show her my sincerity. If she wanted to play the staring game, I would play along. "If you want assurance, you have it. I will protect Priam the same way that you did. To the best that I can. You have my word."

"Not at all costs?"

I heaved a long sigh and averted my gaze. "Let's not indulge in pedantry. You know my answer to that question."

"I will count on you, then." Val resumed walking, and I tried to keep up with her pace. "I'm going to miss the USC office. I'm also going to miss the LEXECOM office. I made it almost halfway through the academic year. Such a shame that it has to end."

"I do hope that your departure won't affect our alliance with CAMP," I commented with a sigh, my second during this walk. "Dahil wala ka na sa USC, baka maisipan na nilang bumaligtad, pati na ang mga kaalyado ni Avrille sa SALVo. I don't know how your resignation will affect the decision of the chairpersons, but losing you will definitely affect the USC's position."

"Do you want me to talk to Avi and secure their commitment to remain as your allies?" Her eyes squinted a bit. "I'm no longer part of the USC, but I can start a dialogue with them."

"You don't have to, but that would be much appreciated. We need every chairperson and every college behind us. Alaric potentially has six votes, enough to impeach Priam. If any of the remaining three chairpersons votes with him, that will be a stunning rebuke of the USC."

"Let me see what I can do. But expect SALVo to ask for some concessions in order to maintain your alliance. Wala nang libre sa mundong ito. Paniguradong hihingi sila ng kapalit."

"I hope they won't ask us to nominate a vice president from their party," I muttered before heaving a deep sigh. "I've been thinking since yesterday about who can take your place and continue the fight with us. Dahil unexpected itong development, wala akong nakahandang listahan ng mga potential candidate. SALVo may take advantage of the situation."

"You've been thinking about my replacement since yesterday?" We were about to turn in the hallway, but Val came to a sudden halt. Again. "Since my resignation announcement?"

I also stopped dead in my tracks, as did my cane from striking the floor. "I have to think ahead. I'm not a cross-the-bridge-when-I-get-there type of person."

She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head slowly. "I'm going to be honest, Cas. I find that insulting."

My brows furrowed. "I beg your pardon?"

She reopened her eyes. "I hadn't even officially handed my resignation letter yesterday, and you were already thinking of my replacement? I get your whole thinking ahead thing, pero kaunting respeto naman sana."

My mouth hung loosely open. I did not know that she would take offense. "I-I'm sorry, Val. I didn't mean to—"

"You know what? You make me feel as if I'm a cog in a machine that you can throw away and replace once I have outlived my usefulness." She then scoffed. "Funny. I once told Fabienne na kapag na-outlive na niya ang kaniyang usefulness, itatapon natin siya na parang gamit na wala nang pakinabang. I never thought na applicable din pala sa akin 'yon."

"I didn't mean it that way. I'm just—" Shoot. I was starting to sound like I was making excuses. Sandali akong pumikit at huminga nang malalim. Kung kailan paalis na siya, doon pa yata kami magkakalabuan. "I'm sorry, Val. That's very insensitive of me."

Another round of silence ensued between us. Offending her in any way or reducing her into a mere tool was never my intention. She was more than that. Sadly, words could be interpreted in many ways. Miscommunication could indeed ruin good relationships.

"Well, my feelings don't matter anymore." Val showed me a wry smile. "That's just the reality of life, isn't it? You leave, you get replaced. No one is indispensable."

"Val, you're not—" She must be going through a lot, and I made her situation much worse.

"Salamat sa pag-escort mo sa 'kin," sabi niya matapos suminghot at punasan ang mga matang naglalawa na naman. "Kaya ko nang mag-isa. Hindi naman ako maliligaw palabas ng admin building."

I would have insisted escorting her all the way out of this place. But I took her words as a cue that she had had enough of my presence. I did not want to end our conversation this way. Alas. I should have been more sensitive earlier.

"Take care, Val." That was all I could tell her. I could only hope that it would not leave a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Always look after Priam for me," she said. "Make sure that he finishes his term. If not..."

"Ako na'ng bahala sa kaniya."

"Goodbye, Cas."

I watched as Val walked away from me and until she exited the building. I could have been the one bidding words of farewell and leaving the office... if only she chose not to fall on the sword that was intended for me.

Today, I lost an important piece on the board, all thanks to Alaric the Prick. In retrospect, it was all thanks to me. But I must move forward. We all must. The battle was not over yet. We would soon see if Val's sacrifice could make a difference.

♔

NEXT UPDATE: Will Alaric deliver the final blow to the USC?