Chapter 20: Quarrel

Nasa kalagitnaan kami ngayon ng byahe. No one dares to talk. Tahimik lamang kami at wala ni isa ang nagsalita. Na siyang gusto ko dahil wala naman rin kaming pag-uusapan pa.

I still wonder about their family though. Base sa mga nababasa ko sa libro, ang pamilya nila ang namumuno sa bayang ito ilang daang taon na ang lumilipas. That just means that their family is indeed very powerful. There's no doubt in that.

At sa ilang daang taon na lumipas na iyon ay wala pa ni isa sa kanila ang lumabag ng batas. Their family sticks to their traditions ang beliefs. Base sa aking nabasa noong nasa library ako ay mahigpit ang kung sino man ang nakakatanda sa kanila sa mga batas sa palasyo. Not only inside the palace but throughout the whole town. Alam iyon ng lahat nang mga nakatira rito.

Although Damien seems to be that type of guy who loves breaking the rules, I doubt that he will disobey their family's tradition. Hindi ko pa man nakikita ang kaniyang ama na siyang dating alpha ay alam ko nang nakakatakot ito. Based on the books, no one would dare to disagree with a alpha's decisions.

Hindi ko mapigilang mapalingon kay Damien. Right, he's the current alpha of this town. Got the position a year ago when he turned eighteen. At a young age, there's probably a mountain of paperworks waiting for him in the palace. Probably one of the reasons why he hated it there.

I've got nothing to worry about. Ano man itong mga nararamdaman ko ay mawawala rin. Damien is slowly walking into my life without me noticing. The barriers I made when I promised myself the day I met him to not crossed path with him again are now slowly crashing down.

I am well aware. Aware on how my heart beats so fast whenever he's close to me. Aware on how attractive he is for only doing the smallest things. I'm aware of it all. And I'm afraid I might fall.

Umiling ako. Hindi pwede. Kung ano man itong nararamdaman ko ay sisiguraduhin kong maalis rin ito sa aking sistema. I don't have time for these stupid feelings. It's probably because my mind is occupied by Damien that I'm now starting to imagine things.

Whatever it is, I need to stop it. Hindi pwedeng tumagal pa ito. Dahil sa oras na lumalim ang nararamdaman ko sa kaniya ay hindi ko na alam kung paano ko sasaluin ang sarili ko. I am probably just his pastime. Bored na bored na ata siya sa palasyo at ako ang napili niyang paglaruan. Right, it's the best way to think like that.

Nawala ako sa aking isipan ng umalingawngaw ang cellphone ni Damien. Kinuha niya ito sa kaniyang bulsa at kaagad na inaccept ang tawag ng hindi man lang ito nililingon.

"Hello?" bungad niya. Nang marinig kung sino ang tumawag ay kaagad na nagsalubong ang kaniyang kilay. "How many times are you going to tell me about this, Cirrus? I already told you, I'm going back. No need to call me so many fucking times." halata sa kaniyang boses ang pagkairita.

"Is that Cirrus?" lumingon si Damien sa akin ng binulungan ko siya. He nodded.

"Give me an hour, alright? I will fucking go home. Tell mom to stop being so impatient." mula sa katamtamang takbo ng kotse ay binilisan ito ni Damien.

"Hey." tawag ko kay Damien. "Can I talk to Cirrus?" sinenyasan ko siya.

His brows furrowed. He was hesitant at first but he still hand me his phone that was still on call. Tinanggap ko ito at inilagay sa aking tenga upang kausapin si Cirrus.

"Cirrus..." tawag ko.

"Celestia?" halata sa kaniyang boses ang pagtataka. "Why are you with Damien?"

Tumikhim ako at sumilip kay Damien na halatang nakikinig sa amin.

"Something came up." sagot ko.

"What do you mean? Hindi ka ba nakauwi kagabi?" tanong niya.

Tumango ako kahit hindi niya nakikita. "Yeah. The rain was heavy last night. I wasn't able to go to work."

I heard him cursed. "Damien didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"He didn't so no worries. I just spent the night there. That's it." hindi ko alam kung bakit todo tanggi ako na sa totoo naman ay wala naman talagang nangyari.

Except of course, what happened earlier. Hindi na niya dapat na malaman ang mga detalye na nangyari kaninang umaga.

"Did you tell Tita about it? Baka nag-aalala na iyon sa iyo. You could've told me you're stranded there so I could've pick you up." aniya sa kabilang linya.

"I already told Tita Viena about it. At tsaka ayaw kong abalahin ka. I know you got work to do." sagot ko.

"Alright. I swear if Damien did something to you—"

Hindi ko na narinig kung ano ang kaniyang sinabi dahil mabilis na inagaw ni Damien ang kaniyang phone sa aking kamay at kaagad na in-off ang call. Halata na ngayon sa kaniyang mukha ang pagkairita.

"Hey, nag-uusap pa kami." I can't help but to be annoyed too.

"Use your phone then." aniya.

I was sitting there, disbelief on what he just said. He just casually said that without looking at me.

"My phone's dead, Damien. I could've called him myself if it weren't." sarkastiko kong sagot.

Hindi siya umimik at nagpatuloy lamang sa pagdadrive. Na siyang mas lalong kinainisan ko. We're still in the forest, early in the morning, and there he is already making my blood boil.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, Damien." tumaas ang aking boses.

He looked at me with annoyance. "What?"

"You're being rude!" singhal ko. I can almost see him rolling his eyes because on what I said.

"Rude? Me? It's my fucking phone, Celestia. I do whatever the fuck I want with it." halata sa kaniyang boses ang pagkairita.

Kung iritado siya edi mas iritado ako. "It's still rude to cut off someone when they're still in the middle of the conversation!"

Pinasadahan niya ng kaniyang kamay ang kaniyang buhok dahil sa iritasyon. Mahigpit ang hawak niya sa manubela. Buti nalang ay nag-iisa ang kotse niya dito sa daan kung hindi ay baka kanina pa kami nabangga.

"You're being a jerk, Damien." hindi na ako nakipag away pa at humalikipkip nalang.

But Damien doesn't seem to stop. "Oh well, then so be it. Think whatever you like. Go and cling to Cirrus for hell I care. Don't go to me crying knowing he's worst than me. "

That was my last straw. I looked at him with all my attention. Ni hindi man niya lang ako tinignan at kung gaano ako kairitado sa sinabi niya.

"What did you say?" tanong ko. Hindi siya nagsalita. "I'm asking, Damien. What did you say?"

This time, he looked at me. "I hate it, Celestia!" Nagulat ako sa biglaan niyang pagsigaw.

"I fucking hate it knowing all you care about is Cirrus! Ako ang kasama mo kaya ako dapat ang nasa isipan mo!" he snapped.

Nabalik ako sa aking pagkakaupo. Hindi ako makapagsalita. Gulat dahil sa biglaan niyang pagsigaw. He seem so frustrated about everything. Na tila para kanina pa niya kinikimkim ang lahat ng iyon at ngayon lang niya nailabas.

"Ano bang problema mo kay, Cirrus? I was just talking to him, Damien." I whispered enough for him to hear.

"Exactly, Celestia. You talking to him is fucking irritating." I don't know if I'm just imagining it or I can hear pain in his voice.

What's his deal? Ano bang problema niya at tila galit na galit kapag kinakausap ko si Cirrus? He doesn't seem to care as far as I remember. At dapat manatili iyon doon. Wala siyang pakealam sa kung ano ang gusto kong gawin at wala rin akong pakealam kung ano ang gusto niyang gawin.

Can we just go on in our lives without invading each other's private life? Ano bang pinuputok ng butchi niya at kung makapagsalita ay ang close close namin ni Cirrus. At kung oo, ano naman ang pakealam niya? Marami nga siyang babae diyan ah. Hindi nga ako nagagalit tapos siya ngayon itong may gana na magalit sa akin.

"I just want you to think of me at least once." bulong niya sa kaniyang sarili na siyang rinig na rinig ko.

I don't know if he whispered that enough for me to hear it or what. Kasi kung oo, bakit niya naman sasabihin iyon?

He clearly doesn't know how he invade my mind these past few days. He doesn't know how I think about him every fucking time. He's all I can think of. Hindi niya ba narealize na kaya nga ako pumunta sa Catrian's Lake ay dahil sa kaniya? He should've realized it by now. Nagpakahirap pa akong tanungin si Cirrus kung nasaan siya tapos eto lang ang ibibigay niya sa akin?

If that's the case then fuck him. Sana pala ay hindi na ako nagabala pang puntahan siya. If I could, I would erase all of my thoughts of him. Akala ba niya gusto kong siya ang laging laman ng isipan ko? Hindi. Hinding hindi ko gusto iyon!

Bahala siya diyan kung ano ang gusto niyang isipin. He already said it himself. I can think whatever I think of him. And right now, I think he's being a big jerk.

Walang nagimikan sa amin hanggang nasa bayan na kami. I told him to drop me in a nearby store. A few buildings from our school. Ayaw kong may makakita na naman sa amin at baka magka-issue pa. I don't have time to deal with those shits.

Huminto na siya at kaagad naman akong bumaba. I slammed the door hard so he can sense that I'm angry at him. At ang loko wala lang man pakealam. He immediately drove his car fast until it was out of my sight.

"Asshole." I whispered to myself before deciding to walk towards the school.

Lumiko siya kaya siguradong hindi iyon didiretso ng school. Maganda dahil ayaw kong makita ang pagmumukha niya. Sana nga ay mabangga siya dahil sa bilis niyang magpatakbo.

Alas dose na ng tanghali kaya maraming mga estudyante ang nasa labas ng campus. May sari-sariling ginagawa. Some of them are chitchatting with foods in their hands. Some are playing with whatever they can play of. And some are just sleeping on the benches under the hot sunny day.

Ramdam ko kaagad ang pagkalam ng aking tiyan. Right, I only ate bread for breakfast. No wonder why I'm feeling hungry right now. Dahil gutom na ay dumiretso na ako sa cafeteria upang kumuha ng pagkain.

The hall was crowded as always. But it's not that noisy these past few days. Maybe its because Damien and Cirrus are not usually here anymore. They are busy for doing whatever the fuck they had to do. Wala na akong pakealam. Bahala na sila sa buhay nila.

Pagkatapos umorder ay naghanap na ako ng mauupuan. Nang makakita ng bakante sa gilid ng isang malaking bintana ng cafeteria ay kaagad akong umupo. You can still here the noises even in here but it was not loud like before.

Habang nasa kalagitnaan ng pagkain ay natanaw ko ang groupo ng mga babaeng sopistikadang pumasok ng cafeteria. Some of the students eyes are on theirs. Nag flip pa ng hair iyong babaeng kulay blonde ang buhok na nasa gitna. As if saying that we should be obligated to see them here.

Ibabalik ko na sana ang tingin ko sa aking kinakain ng may marealize ako. Wait, that woman's face is familiar. San ko nga ba siya nakita?

It took me at least a minute to realized who she was. Right, she was the girl I saw on the restaurant with Damien. Iyong babaeng halos magmukha ng linta sa kung gaano napupumilit na idikit ang kaniyang katawan kay Damien. Yeah right, I think her name was Lorraine.

Nagpatuloy na ako sa pagkain. Hindi ko na pinagtuunan pa ang pansin sa grupo ni Lorraine. I bet she likes the attention she's getting right now. Tulad nalang sa kung gaano niya nagustuhan ang atensyon na ibinibigay sa kanila ni Damien noong nasa restaurant pa sila.

I was just eating there in silent when I saw a group of shadow infornt of my table. Napaangat ang tingin ko at nakita ang ang mukha ni Lorraine kasama ang apat pa na babaeng nasa kaniyang likod.

She flipped her hair before eyeing me from head to toe. After that she rolled her eyes and signaling me to get the hell out of their sight.

"Excuse me?" tanong ko.

She act suprised. "Oh, did you not get it? What a dumbass. I said get the hell out. This is our table, outcast."

I almost want to greet my teeth hearing what she just said. Pero narealize ko na nasa cafeteria pala ako at hindi ako pwedeng maghanap ng gulo.

Without saying anything, I picked up my tray of unfinished food and stood up. But before I can go, I heard her muttered something that made all of her friends laugh.

"Lowly human..."

I lost my appetite after hearing it. Ibinalik ko nalang ang hindi ko pa naubos na pagkain sa babaeng nasa counter. She gave me a look but didn't asked any more question which I was glad to. Nagdiretso na ako palabas ng cafeteria.

Tanghali palang pero ang sama sama na ng araw ko. I swear if this day will get any worse, I don't know what to do anymore. Kahit isang mapayapang araw man lang ay hindi ba pwede sa akin?

I've been dealing too much shit since this morning. Gusto ko mang gumanti sa groupo nila Lorraine kanina ay ayaw kong maghanap ng gulo. I promised Tita Viena to not get any trouble in school. And I will stick to that. Kaya ko naman magtiis kahit papaano. Their words doesn't affect me anyway.

Buti nalang ay malapit lang dito ang next class ko. After entering our Physics class, I immediately saw Lizette's brighten face. Mukhang may magandang sinasabi ata ang teacher namin.

She was listening to the teacher attentively that she didn't even noticed me sitting next to her. Saka niya lang napansin ng kinalabit ko siya.

"Celestia! Bakit ngayon ka lang?" taka niyang tanong.

"Something happened. Don't ask." Inunahan ko na siya. She just pouted.

"Alright, alright. I won't. I know you don't want me asking too much." aniya sabay tawa.

Good thing she's aware. Muling bumalik ang atensyon niya sa harap kaya hindi ko mapigilang magtanong. She looks very interested in the topic, I noticed.

"Anong meron?" bulong ko sa kaniya. Pansin ko rin kasing halos lahat ng estudyante ay nakikinig rin sa sinasabi ng guro.

Hindi ako makasabay sa sinasabi ng guro dahil late naman akong pumasok. O baka sadyang maaga lang talaga pumasok itong teacher namin. Must be. It's probably a announcement or something.

Lumapit si Lizette sa akin kahit nakatuon parin ang atensyon sa harp. "We'll be having a camp this Friday."

Tumaas ang aking kilay. Hindi ko alam na may camp din pala sa paaralang ito. I don't remember my previous school having a camp though. Kaya hindi ko inaasahan na marinig ito dito.

A camping huh? Hope it will end well.

To be continued...