20 Chapter 17 - Mahapdi at Namamaga (2/2)

Nagpatuloy pa ang mga concerns from my teachers during bruncheon until lunch to the point of exaggeration na. Other than shame and guilt, I've never felt so fragile. Para akong munting tuta o sanggol kung ituring ng lahat. Mahigit limang daang high school students ang nag overnight stay sa school kagabi, at tila ba lahat nabulabog noong nawala ako.

”Last night turned out to be more than eventful, huh.”

Lumapit sa akin si Teacher Kim habang tumutusok ako ng fishball at kwek-kwek sa isa sa mga food stall sa track and field.

”I don't know about eventful, it didn't feel like that at all.”

He laughed. Then he paused. ”Seriously, are you ok?”

”Of course! Why wouldn't I be?” suplada ko pa.

”I'm sorry. It was completely my fault.”

I calmed. ”No, sorry. I'm just.. I'm pissed and sick of everyone thinking I'm so stupid, I'll just get myself lost inside the school.

”You know that's not true. You're not stupid, and everyone was just concerned.”

I sighed. I felt uncomfortable at the way Teacher Kim looked at me, he was, romantic. Nagalangan tuloy ako kung kakainin ko yung fishball at kwek-kwek na tinusok ko. Naalala ko rin bigla 'yung binulong niya sa akin kagabi - I love you.

”But, really, how are you? Sore?”

I flinched at his last word. ”Oo. Mahapdi at namamaga. Nahihirapan nga akong umihi eh,” I flinched again at my brazen honesty.

He let out a wide grin and shook his head. ”And yet, everybody thought you were some lost puppy.”

I glanced at him, I brushed my hair from the back and then massaged my nape. Nangibot ng bahagya ang mahapdi at namamaga kong hiwa. I could still feel him inside me.

”Teacher Kim!”

Mala-sangganong bumati si kuya Jared habang papalapit silang apat kong kuya sa amin. ”I heard, you were also missing last night, sir,” patuloy ng badboy sanggano kong kuya. Dumagdag pa sa dating niya ang sleeveless black shirt niya at butas-butas niyang jeans, pati na rin ang nakasabit na shades niya sa batok.

”I went home,” maikling sagot ng greek god ko.

”Too bad, you missed an eventful night, sir,” patuloy pa ni kuya Jared, habang ang tatlo ko pang kuya ay naging abala na sa fishball, kikiam at kwek-kwek.

Matindi ang tinginan ni kuya Jared at Teacher Kim na halos magkasingtangkad lang, it looked as if they were in some sort of a staring contest, fighting dominance over each other. Sumingit ako sa gitna at sinuntok ng mahina si kuya Jared sa sikmura.

”Awww!”

”Tigilan mo na nga yang angas mo kuya. Seriously, ikaw na lang ang tanging nagsusuot ng butas-butas na jeans sa panahon ngayon. May pashades ka pa sa batok!”

”Cuz they can't wear this as good and as hot as I do.”

I rolled my eyes, na sinabayan din nang pagasim ng mukha ng tatlo ko pang kuya dahil sa mahanging angas ni kuya Jared.

”Hmm. Teacher Kim, have you tried Cece's Escape Room challenge yet? It's very intuitive, lots of Maths,” tanong ni kuya Jako habang kumakagat ng kwek-kwek.

Teacher Kim chuckled. ”Cece sure love problem solving. I bet the game must be fu -- ”

”Mmmm! Peach! How was the Midnight Mission Impossible? Ilang hostage ang naligtas?” kuya Jared blatantly interjected, habang nakikikain naman siya sa baso ng fishball ni kuya Japo. Kuya Japo looked not pleased about sharing his fishballs tho.

I glanced at Teacher Kim who looked rather humored than annoyed. ”Seven. Six out of nine teams lang yung nakakumpleto ng challenges, but isa sa kanila was able to save two hostages,” simpleng sagot ko.

”Cool.. Sana ngayon na lang ako naging high school. You make fun games, Peach!” komento naman ni kuya Jael.

”Ah, Teacher Kim, would you care to walk me back to the campus po? I remember, Mecky has a trivia question for you from our Escape Room challenge,” painosente kong pagchange ng topic.

”Sure.”

Dedma lang yung tatlo kong kuya na umalis kami pero si kuya Jared, masama talaga ang tingin. I thought, maigi nang nailayo ko ang divirginizer ko sa kanila, baka madelikado pa.

It should have felt strange, or dapat naiilang akong kasamang naglalakad si Teacher Kim. The judging stares mula sa paligid, the annoyed expressions ng mga nakakasalubong namin, and my own personal guilt that I have a dirty secret with him, it should have been awkward. But no, there was a glorifying feeling that I was walking side by side with him. I don't know, parang may konting yabang lang akong naramdaman.

”Why do they call you Peach?” kaswal niyang tanong.

I smiled remembering the story. ”Kuya Japo said, I started talking shortly before my first birthday. I turned into an annoying, talkative parrot, I copy everything I hear. So they began teaching me polite words, one in particular was 'please'. I couldn't utter it properly, of course, like most of the words too, so 'please' would sound as 'peach' when I say it. Then I got better at pronouncing as I aged older, but I'd still say 'peach' until I was like in.. 2nd grade? I was laughed at in class because of that but it didn't bother me then. So, dad called me little peach, so did my four kuyas. It's nothing of a story, really.”

”Your brother, Jared is it? He's the most protective, isn't he?”

I laughed wryly. ”I'm not sure. I guess, they all have different ways of doing it. Kuya Jared? He was just the most annoying.”

”Ah..”

I thought I should add more. ”He comes off a little too strong with you no?” I asked.

”Yes.”

”He thinks his girlfriend broke up with him because of you.”

He looked surprised, then confused. ”His girlfriend?”

”Yea, Maine Corpuz? Something about, she's been seen with you at the Fort Club? And she stalks you on the internet.”

He looked to the lower left corner of his eyes. ”Fort Club. Huh. I frequent there.”

Biglang parang may pumisil sa puso ko. ”So, it's true?” I asked, hesitant.

”I don't think so. I mean, I don't know, I don't know your brother's girlfriend. But, it's a club. People meet people. And I don't usually remember who I meet from there.”

Parang may humarang naman bigla sa air passage ko. ”You don't remember the girls you bring home?”

He sniggered. ”I don't bring them home. In fact, I have never brought anyone home. Well, not until you.”

Reluctantly, I felt pride. ”Really... why not?”

He paused and pondered. ”Hmm. For one, it was my granddad's home. I had to show some respect even if he's no longer living. And I don't quite like to go personal with girls I fuck. And my home, or my bed, is quite personal for me.”

”Then, why me?”

”Ah! There's Mecky. She's got a question for me, you say?” he thwarted my question.

”Errr, no. I just said that so I can save you from my brothers.”

His brows arched and a small grin appeared. ”Why do you think I'd need saving?”

”Maybe you don't, but I do. Another minute of us with them, they may turn suspicious. I was never really good at lying to them. They'll see right through me.”

His expression turned all-knowing. ”I know. You're quite bad at saying things you don't really mean. You do that, thing, with your lips.”

”What thing?”

”That, like a grumpy little three years old.”

”No, I don't.”

”Ah, you did it again.”

I glanced up at him, he was smiling. His expression was bright, his gaze was romantic, it looked as if he was inlove, or at least that's how I think I've seen it in movies.

”Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, but then, I was suddenly unprepared to what he might say.

”Looking at you like how?”

Sumandal ako sa rails ng corridor where our Escape Rooms were. ”Like, I don't know. Like you just ate a butterfly.”

His brows twitched up. ”That's quite a harrowing thought. Why would I eat a butterfly?”

”Never mind,” I laughed at my dumb statement.

To avoid his gaze, I glanced at Mecky who was several feet away, busy on a book she was reading.

”You know,” he paused, ”last night was, quite incredible. I was worried, you'd be, scared of me now.” His face lowered, it was as if he was shy, which was quite adorable.

”No... I mean, it was intense. I was surprised to, to what you've become. But then again, you created a pleasure dungeon, so, I had ideas. I still feel pain when I think about it tho.”

I regretted my last sentence. His little finger brushed mine while we were leaning back on the rails. ”I, uh, I didn't intend to hurt you.”

I snickered, ”You didn't seem to bother about it. You just kept going.” I sensed he turned uneasy, ”but it's ok,” I quickly added, ”you were gentle through the end.”

”You know what, we should go out. Maybe lunch, or dinner, or milktea?” he asked.

Yumuko ako at napangiti. ”Like, a, date?” I asked shy and hesitant.

He paused for awhile. ”Yeah. Err, sure, why not? It should not be awkward, right? I mean, we've been on, you know, we're way passed the standard way of dating.”

Natawa ako ng bahagya na walang tunog. ”I guess. But I've never been on a date before. My kuyas would never let me go on a date.”

We were both startled at the voice that followed. ”Who's taking my daughter to a date?”

”Dad.”