Hilary Borromeo's POV

Namuno ang katahimikan sa loob ng classroom matapos ang pagpapakilala ng bagong transferee—si Ethan Race Flores. Ang iisang lalaki sa aming seksyon.

Hindi ko alam kung bakit pero ramdam ko ang kakaibang tensyon sa paligid. Parang biglaang naging malamig ang ihip ng hangin sa loob ng classroom.

Lumingon ako sa paligid at halos lahat ng mga kaklase ko ay may iisang ekspresyon—hindi sila natuwa sa bagong dating. Ang iba, halatang may pangungutya sa mga mata, habang ang iba naman ay parang nandidiri. Naiintindihan ko naman kung bakit gano'n ang reaksyon nila sa bagong dating, isang bagay ang sigurado ako. Ayaw nila sa kanya.

"Race? Anong klaseng pangalan 'yon?" bulong ni Maeden habang nakakunot ang noo. "Tangina, karera lang?"

"Buhay ay 'di karera, pero 'yung pangalan Race." Saad ni Charyl.

"Siguro no'ng ginawa siya, nakikipagkarera mga magulang niya." Sambit nio Mardylyn na mahinang ikinatawa ni Lorin.

"Parang hindi siya friendly," dagdag ni Glenn na bahagyang iniurong ang kanyang upuan papalapit sa pwesto ni Lorin..

"Ako nga rin, parang naaalibadbaran ako," sabat ni Lavern saka sumandal sa upuan.

Napatingin ako kay Race na tahimik lang na nakatayo sa harapan. Wala siyang kahit anong emosyon sa mukha niya. Hindi niya pinansin ang mga pabulong na komento ng mga kaklase namin kaya mas lalo akong kinakabahan sa mga pwedeng mangyari. Hindi naman ako madaling matakot, pero may kung anong bumabagabag sa akin ngayon.

"Okay, Race. You may take your seat," malamig na sabi ni Principal habang muling inaayos ang kanyang wig sa ulo niya saka umalis.

Walang sabi-sabing naglakad si Race papunta sa isang bakanteng upuan sa dulo ng classroom. Agad namang nagbigay daan ang mga nakatabi doon. Para siyang may isang nakakahawang sakit kaya halos iwasan na siya ng lahat.  Wala siyang reklamo at wala rin siyang ginawa para makipag-usap sa amin. Tahimik lang siyang umupo saka ipinatong ang kanyang bag sa desk niya.

Maybe this is good right? The less interaction, the less trouble.

Napabuntong-hininga ako. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit parang may instant na pader na nabuo sa pagitan niya at ng buong Section Z.

Biglang lumapit si Saskia sa kanya na ikinagulat naming lahat.

"Hi! Ikaw 'yung bago, di ba?" tanong niya na may ngiti sa labi.

Napatingin si Race sa kanya. "Obviously," masungit na sagot nito.

Nagkatinginan kami ng ibang girls. Kita sa mga mukha nila ang iritasyon. Sa tingin ko'y nairita sila sa pakikitungo ni Race kay Saskia. Ngumuso lang si Saskia at hindi pa man ito nakakapagsalita ulit nang biglang may dalawang braso ang umakbay sa kanya at marahas siyang hinatak palayo.

"Uy, halika nga dito, Saska," sabi ni Lean sabay ngiti, pero halata ang pilit sa tono ng kanyang boses.

"Bakit?" nagtatakang tanong ni Saskia, pero hindi na siya pinagsalita pa dahil mabilis siyang hinila papunta sa grupo ng iba pang mga kaklase namin.

"Hindi mo na kailangang kausapin 'yon," bulong ni Aishley na halatang naiirita.

"Bakit naman? Ano bang masama?" nakataas ang kilay na tanong ni Saskia habang pilit na bumabalik kay Race.

"Basta! Just stay away from him," madiing sagot ni Maeden.

Muli akong napatingin kay Race. Tahimik lang siya sa kanyang pwesto, halatang walang balak makisali sa drama na nangyayari sa paligid niya. Hindi ko alam kung aware ba siya na halos lahat dito ay ayaw sa kanya. Hindi ko rin alam kung iniinda niya 'yon o wala lang talaga siyang pakialam.

Ramdam kong hindi ko gusto ang mga susunod na pangyayari. 

Hinayaan kong magpatuloy ang usapan ng iba, pero sa loob-loob ko, hindi mawala ang pag-aalala ko para kay Race.  Alam kong hindi magiging madali para sa kanya ang pagiging parte ng Section Z. Lalo na't siya lang ang nag-iisang lalaki sa section namin.

***

The next day, nothing changed in how Section Z treated Race. If anything, it got worse. People made no effort to hide their avoidance of him. Every time he walked past, someone would mutter under their breath. Some glared at him openly, while others deliberately took a longer route just to avoid passing near his seat. It was as if he carried a disease no one wanted to catch.

During class, it was the same. Race was silent, barely reacting to anything. He didn't engage, didn't try to make friends, and didn't seem affected by the way people whispered about him as if he couldn't hear them. If the teacher didn't call on him, I might've thought he wasn't really there—just a ghost taking up space in the room.

Hindi ko nga alam kung maaawa ako sa kanya o papabayaan na lang siya.

At lunch, it became more obvious how much they wanted to alienate him.

"Oops," Glenn said loudly as he 'accidentally' spilled water near Race's seat. "My bad."

Race didn't even flinch. He just moved his bag slightly, completely unbothered.

"Careful, Glenn," Maeden snickered. "We don't want the 'curse' spreading. Ang skeri kaya."

A few of them laughed at the ridiculous comment, but Race? He didn't react. Not a glance, not a twitch of irritation. He simply continued eating as if they didn't exist.

Bumuntong hininga ako at umiling dahil sa mga kalokohan ng mga kaklase ko.

I watched from a few seats away, annoyed. I wasn't sure if I was irritated at the way they acted or at how Race refused to care. If that had been me, I would've snapped by now.

Then there was Saskia.

Unlike the rest of them, she wasn't avoiding Race. If anything, she seemed determined to do the opposite.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" she asked, placing her tray down across from him.

The table went dead silent. You'd think she had just announced she was about to commit a crime.

Race glanced up briefly before looking away. "Do what you want."

That was all the permission she needed. Saskia plopped down and started eating as if she weren't being stared at like a lunatic.

"Saska, what are you doing?" Charyl hissed from a few tables away.

"Eating?" she said, chewing on her sandwich. "Why?"

"Dito ka, tanga!" Lean whisper-yelled. "Halika nga rito, masasapok kita, eh."

"Why?" Saskia asked again, not even bothering to lower her voice. "May nakakahawa ba siyang sakit kaya kailangan natin siyang iwasan?"

Maeden sighed dramatically. "No, but—"

"Then what's the problem?" she cut her off. "He's just eating. I'm just eating. What's the issue?"

The others exchanged glances. Finally, Aishley crossed her arms and said, "He's different, okay?"

Saskia frowned. "Different how?"

Natahimik ang lahat.

Aishley looked uncomfortable before muttering, "We're all girls, and he's... not. He doesn't belong here."

Once again, I sighed. That answer was bullshit. Totally. Pero alam ko naman ang rason bakit nila ginagawa ito. Ayoko ring madamay sa kung ano man ang meron ngayon kaya mas minabuti ko na lamang na tumahimik.

Saskia, however, wasn't buying it either. "That's it? He's a guy, so he doesn't belong?" She scoffed. "Lame excuse."

"Paniwalaan mo kung ano ang gusto mong paniwalaan," Charyl said, standing up and dusting imaginary dirt off her skirt. "But don't say we didn't warn you."

Saskia just pouted her lips and continued eating.

I glanced at Race again. He had remained silent throughout the entire exchange, eating his food at the same slow, methodical pace. It was like none of this mattered to him.

Sa sitwasyon ngayon...kailangan ko na bang makielam?

Umpisa pa lang, mali eh. Maling mali na.

Should I do my responsibility as the eldest? Or hayaan na lang ang mga childish acts nila?