January 27

6:34 PM

Riley:

otw na kami sa arena

Did u reserve seats?

Reika:

No 

Riley:

btch r u for real?!!!

Reika:

Calm your balls 

just get up here

Riley:

Mamamatay ako nang maaga sayo btch ka!!!

Reika:

So patay na patay ka sakin? hahahaha

Natawa na lang ako nang hindi na siya nag-reply pa. Boy must be fuming so mad. Ibabalik ko na sana ang tingin sa court nang tumunog muli ang cellphone ko. Isang message mula kay Ketchup, isang student ng Rosepike na scholar ni Lolo.

Ketchup:

hey you're here

Reika:

o tapos? haha

Ketchup:

So i don't have to record the game?

Reika:

Record it as usual 

will pay once i get the copy

Ketchup:

Tamad mo talaga hahaha

Reika:

okay hanap ako ng ibang gusto ng work

Ketchup:

Rei naman di na mabiro hahaha

recording now

I looked across the bleachers where the Rosepike students sat. I found Ketchup right away, setting up his tripod to start recording Magno's game. I'd ask Apollo to do it but for sure aasarin lang ako ng loko at baka isumbong pa ako kay Magno.

Biglang tumunog muli ang cellphone ko. Akala ko kay Riley galing pero kay Slade pala.

Villafranca #2:

Doing some last minute things for uncle 

will just catch the bus

Reika:

okay thanks

slight lang

Villafranca #2:

Damn your pride hahaha

u at the bar?

Reika:

No. Watching magno's game

Villafranca #2:

recording his game again?

Reika:

eww why would i do that???

Villafranca #2:

u do that all the time haha

u have clips of his games on your laptop

Reika:

remind me not to let u borrow my laptop again

and for the record, magno asked me to store those videos

keeping those videos were against my will!!!

Villafranca #2:

it's nothing to be ashamed about

you're just supporting him

Reika:

Ewww

im doing it for bray okay

we're distracting her for the party

Villafranca #2:

And riley's there? hahaha

Reika:

Yeah

but im doing this for braylee

Villafranca #2:

REALLY

Reika:

REALLY REALLY

Villafranca #2:

you're not helping yourself rei

Reika:

I am

tanggap ko naman kung ano talaga siya

Villafranca #2:

At tanggap mo nang hindi ikaw ang gusto niya?

Reika:

Do u really have to remind me that all the time?

Villafranca #2:

You need it

Reika:

Let me remind u that too 

DI KA CRUSH NG CRUSH MO KAYA MOVE ON NA!

Villafranca #2:

Hahahaha 

so we're like each other's conscience now?

Reika:

ew

Before I could compose another reply, the game started so I decided to just leave the conversation at that. I smiled when the Rosepike boys came out of their side of the court, Magno's running proudly while waving at his fangirls. Though I kinda wish he'd trip, I couldn't help but feel proud of him. 

I found myself clapping slowly. "Atta boy." 

"Why the hell is she cheering for them?" Narinig kong may bumulong mula sa aking likuran.

"Cousin niya kasi yung player."

"Eh ba't nasa atin siya? Asan loyalty?"

Mabilis akong lumingon at ngumisi sa dalawang babaeng nagbubulungan sa likuran ko. "If you're going to talk shit about me, make you sure I won't hear it. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to put the hurt on you."

Namilog ang mga mata ng babae at umiwas agad ng tingin. Nanatili akong nakaharap sa kanila kaya sa huli, napilitan silang umalis.

Natawa na lang ako sa kanila. Good for them because I won't hesitate to throw hands if they continue talking shit about me again. 

The rivalry between our universities is pretty intense. Hindi naman ako manhid para hindi mapansin ang bulong-bulungan ng iba. I know some students are questioning where my loyalty lies, pero pakialam ba nila? 

As the game began, saktong dumating sina Braylee at Riley. As expected, ayaw tumabi ni Riley kaya si Braylee ang naging katabi ko.

"Whoa! I know you're pretty but you're on a whole new level tonight Bray!" I winked at Braylee. I'd kiss her on the cheek like I always do but Hawthorn might kill me.  Selos ang loko palibhasa di siya makalapit kay Bray nang walang suot na costume. 

I pushed myself forward to look at Riley's face. "Hindi ba ako papansinin ng pogi mong friend?" I asked jokingly. Well, jokes are half-meant so....

"Fuck you, Reika." At tinaasan pa talaga ako ng middle finger ng bakla. Napaatras tuloy ang kawawang si Braylee lalo't nakaupo ito sa gitna namin.

 "Get in line, Riley. Get in line," I replied in a flirty tone and blew him a kiss just for the hell of it. I really thought he'd threw up but he just paled in disgust. Surprisingly, hindi na ako na-offend. Siguro nga nasanay na ako sa pandidiri niya sa akin. 

Sa kasagsagan ng laro, napansin kong narinig kong bumulong si Braylee sa sarili.

"Looks like he's in a bad mood."

"Who?" tanong ko kahit alam ko sino ang ibig niyang sabihin. 

I know what's going on. At alam ko rin gaano kahirap para kay Braylee ang nangyayari. She's caught in the midst of a rivalry. Kung tutuusin similar kami ng sitwasyon ang kaibahan lang namin wala akong pakialam sa sinasabi ng iba. Braylee's just too soft.

Habang nag-uusap kami nina Braylee, bigla na lang nagsigawan ang lahat at nang tumingin ako sa court nakita kong bagsak na si Magno sa sahig at hindi makatayo. 

"Kawawang magno." Napailing-iling na lang ako. 

May narinig pa akong nagtawanan kaya pasimple ko silang nilingon at tinandaan. Tingnan natin kung may ikakatawa pa ang mga 'to mamaya. 

Inalis si Magno sa laro at pinalit si Hawthorn. Kalaunan, napansin kong hindi lumalabas si Magno mula sa locker room kaya nang mag halftime break pasimple akong bumaba at pinuntahan siya. Natutop ko ang aking bibig sa gulat nang makitang nakahiga ito sa stretcher at namimilipit sa sakit. Tinakpan pa niya ng towel ang mukha para walang ibang makakita sa kanya na nahihirapan.

Saktong dadalhin na pala siya sa ospital kaya sumama na ako.

***

"It's not a torn ACL." I assured Magno as we both sat on his hospital bed.

"It's a torn ACL." Walang kaemo-emosyon niyang sambit. Parang pinagsakluban ng langit at lupa. Malayong-malayo sa karaniwang loko-loko kong Pinsan. 

"It's not a torn ACL!" Giit naman ng assistant coach na siyang sumama sa amin.

Biglang bumukas ang pinto at pumasok ang doktor na narinig ata ang pagtatalo namin. "It's a knee ligament injury," anunsyo nito agad.

Magno blew a loud sigh of relief at pikit matang humiga sa kama. I sighed inwardly as well. Hindi ko man pinakita pero ang totoo abot langit din ang pag-aalala ko kanina. 

"See! Ayaw mo pang maniwala!" Pataray kong biro sabay tapik sa noo niya.

Pagkatapos naming makausap ang doktor, malungkot pa rin si Magno dahil higit dalawang buwan siyang hindi makakapaglaro ng Basketball. Para makatulong man lang sa sama ng loob niya, lumabas muna ako para bumili ng makakain niya.

Habang naglalakad sa tahimik na pasilyo ng ospital, biglang bumalik ang isang  napakasakit na alaala sa isipan ko. 

"It's all in the past." I took a deep breath and smiled, trying to convince myself to ignore the pain from my past because after all, it's all in the past.

But no matter how hard I tried, the pain was still there.

Naupo ako sa pinakamalapit na upuan at inilabas ang cellphone ko. 

10:32 PM

Reika:

hey

Villafranca #2:

on a bus to filimon heights

i'll go straight to the bar

Reika:

What's the worst pain you've ever felt?

Villafranca #2:

Being disowned haha

why? 

Reika:

How did you get over it?

Villafranca #2:

Turned it into motivation

Here I am busting my ass to prove them that I made the right decision

that someday they will be proud of me 

Reika:

Thats some emotional shit right there

Villafranca #2:

you little shit haha

you okay?

Reika:

No

I'm here at the hospital

I was about to explain about Magno's situation when all of a sudden I received a call from Magno's dad. Nalaman pala nito ang nangyari kaya naman ipinaliwanag ko agad sa kanya ang lahat. Pero sa kabila nito, alalang-alala pa rin si Uncle. 

"Wag kang mainggit Rei." I sighed and whispered to myself the moment the call ended.

I was about to create another message to Slade when I suddenly received a call from a Frantic call from Apollo.

****

"Thank you for taking care of Magno, Reika. Enjoy the party." Pahabol ni Tita, Mommy ni Magno, nang ihatid nila ako sa bar. Kahit minadali ako ni Apollo, hindi ko pa rin nagawang iwan si Magno hangga't sa hindi pa dumarating ang mga magulang niya. 

Everyone was busy when I got to the bar. Piper was too caught up with the preparations that she hardly even talked to us. I guess it was a good thing since malaya kaming naka-plano ni Apollo anong gagawin.

"You understand the plan?" tanong ni Apollo habang nakatayo kami sa isang sulok at pasimpleng nagbubulungan.

I rolled my eyes and stared at my black-polished nails. "It's hard not to. Ilang beses mo ba naman kasing inulit--"

"Reika!" Apollo yelled, making me sigh. Okay, my Bad.

"I'm really sorry okay. I won't let anything bad happen to--hey!" Mabilis akong humakbang palayo kay Apollo nang makita si Lucho na papalapit. Baka mamaya marinig pa ang pinag-uusapan namin.

"Rei, Asan daw si Slade?" Halata ang kaba sa mukha ni Lucho.

"Hindi pa ba siya dumating?" nakunot ang noo ko sa kalituhan.

"Magtatanong ba ako kung hindi?" he replied sarcastically so I looked at him flatly.

I sighed and just left them to find Slade.

"Where the hell are you going?" habol ni Apollo, apurado na naman.

"I'll be back don't worry!" I assured him without even looking back. 

I fetched my phone out of my pocket at nagulat ako nang makitang tadtad na pala ako ng tawag mula kay Slade. Hindi ko ito napansin dahil naging abala ako bigla sa pag-aasikaso kay Magno at sa pagmamadali kong makarating sa Bar. 

Palabas na sana ako ng bar nang makasalubong ko siya, pawisan at humahangos habang bitbit ang case ng gitara sa kanyang likuran.

"Thank God!" He sighed as he stopped on his tracks. "Akala ko kung napano ka na!"

"Bakit naman?" Nagulat ako at nalito. "By the way, I'm sorry I wasn't able to check my phone. Nawala na sa isip ko sa sobrang busy."

Napamewang si Slade at napatingala, he heaved out a great amount of sigh as his jaw tensed. Teka galit ba siya?

Magtatanong sana ako pero bigla niya akong nilagpasan. Mukhang nagalit yata sa akin.

"I said I was sorry!" Pahabol kong sigaw at hinayaan na lang siya. 

I checked my phone again and checked the unread messages from him.

Reika: 

No

I'm here at the hospital

Villafranca #2:

why what happened?

reika?

reika what the hell are u doing at a hospital?

u okay??/

did something bad happen?

pick up the goddamn phone

on the hospital where r u/

san ka????

pucha asan ka?

would it kill u to answer?

"My bad." I bit my lower lip and sighed. 

Nagulat ako nang bigla na lang may kung anong pumulupot sa balikat ko. I turned around and saw Slade with the same hard expression. 

"The hell?" Bulalas ko nang mapagtanto kong ang strap pala ng  guitar case ang isinuot niya sa akin. 

"Since you're a little shit, you take care of my shit." He said coldly at nakita kong sinilid niya ang cellphone sa side pocket nito.

Natawa na lang ako. 

***

As the night continued, I became busy being Apollo's Lackey. Good thing I was able to threaten Sawyer into helping me hide and protect Piper from Cohen's slutty advances. However, what I didn't expect was becoming Drunk Braylee's babysitter. Habol dito habol doon. Nang makahanap ng pagkakataong umalis, hinatid na agad namin ni Sawyer si Piper sa bahay ni Silver. 

"What the hell?!" Nagulat si Silver nang pagbuksan niya kami ng gate at nakitang karga ni Sawyer ang walang malay na si Piper. 

"Had too much to drink." I lied flawlessly.

"What she said." Sawyer shrugged too.

Dahil maliit lang ang double deck namin ni Silver, naisipan naming ilagay na lang si Piper sa guest room na siyang ginagamit ni Slade. Ilang linggo na rin itong hindi umuuwi kaya ito agad ang naisip namin.

"What about Braylee?" tanong ni Silver matapos maihiga si Piper sa kama.

"She's with her friends. She'll be fine." I assured but Silver just looked at me flatly. "Bakit?" Natawa ako.

"Rei, her friends are guys. Eh baka nga hindi makapasok sa dorm ang mga 'yon." katwiran niya.

"She has a point." Pagsang-ayon naman ni Sawyer. 

"Go take care of Braylee, ako na ang bahala kay Piper," giit pa ni Silver.

Sawyer and I went back to the bar and acted like we didn't just abduct a passed out Piper. Habang hinahanap sina Riley, namataan ko si Slade na nasa isang booth kasama ang mga kabanda niya at nag-iinuman. Saktong lumingon siya sa direksyon ko at nagtama ang mga tingin namin.

Bumungisngis ito at kumaway, halatang lasing na. Napatingin din ang kanyang mga kabanda at kumaway din na parang mga timang, lasing din.

Natawa na lang ako at nagpatuloy sa paghahanap kanila Riley. Nang makita ko sila, saktong papauwi na rin sila kaya naman sumama na ako para maasikaso si Braylee. 

Alas-kwatro na rin ng umaga nang makauwi ako sa bahay. Wala pa si Slade at nakatulog naman si Silver sa sala. Pumasok ako sa guest room dala ang isang bote ng sprite para sa hangover at nadatnan si Piper na gising na. Ilang sandali pa kaming nag-usap hanggang sa nagpaalam na ito. 

Nakaalis na si Piper pero hindi pa rin nakakauwi si Slade. Tutal wala pa si Slade, pumasok akong muli sa guest room at kinuha ang cellphone na nasa guitar case niya. Nakahanap na siya ng pam-blackmail sa akin kaya siyempre maghahanap din ako.

Dala ang cellphone ni Slade, pumasok ako sa kwarto namin ni Silver. Tuwang-tuwa ako dahil walang lock ang cellphone nito. Simpleng swipe lang! But before I could even find dirt against him, his phone suddenly rang. It was a call from his Uncle.

I didn't want to answer it at first but the phone didn't stop ringing. In the end, I was left with no choice.

"Slade ngayon ko lang nabasa ang message mo! Anong nangyari kay Reika?! Saang ospital?!"

My heart dropped at the sound of his voice. It's been years but I will always recognize his voice.

"D-dad?" My lips trembled as tears rolled down my face.

"K-kiddo?" He gasped as his voice cracked. "Reika, anak? Okay ka lang ba? May masakit ba sa'yo?"

My hands were shaking cold as I ended the call. My heart felt like it's been ripped to shreds as painful memories came running back. I was breathing in loud gasps as I checked their message logs. My chest tightened the more I scrolled up. My tears dripped on the screen.

"How's my little girl?"

"Did you gave her my gift?"

"How's her day?"

"Is Silver and Reika getting along?"

"Thank you for taking care of her."

"Tell Silver to be more patient with her." 

l felt so angry that I ended up throwing Slade's phone on the wall. I wanted to scream so loud but all I could do was gasp. 

Everything was a lie. Silver and Slade were never my friends.

▬ end of 23▬