CHAPTER 10: WOLF

SORCHA'S POV

Hinubad ko ang gloves ko at inilagay ko iyon sa waste bin habang nakatutok ang mga mata ko sa dalawang lalaki na sinisipat ang bukas na garment bag na isinabit ko sa gilid ng opisina. Itinago ko na nga pinakielamanan pa.

Hindi nila namalayan na nakalapit na ako sa kanila at nakatayo na ako sa likod nila. Both men look like they're in deep contemplation while staring at the black skirt and top that I chose for the reunion.

"It's okay..." Kuya Nevan trailed off.

"It's just that. Just okay." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Parang mas bagay para sa business meeting."

"I'm sure she has that in different colors. May ugali ang isang 'yon na kapag may nagustuhang damit ay binibili niya lahat ng kulay na mayroon ang damit na iyon. She's like our harmless little psychopath."

"If I'm a psychopath, my first kill will be the two of you."

Sabay pa silang napatalon palayo sa akin nang bigla na lang akong nagsalita. There's an identical guilty look on their faces.

Kuya Nevan jabbed his thumb at the garment bag. "Are you really going to wear that? It looks better at a funeral than a reunion."

"Porke itim, funeral na agad?" Attending the reunion feels like attending a funeral to me anyway. Tama kasi ang kapatid ko. I received an invitation not long after he told me that I would need to go because the school was planning to give me an award of some sort. An outstanding service award. I guess they heard about my recent contributions to solving Dagger's big cases. Not that I need an award for it. It's my job.

"It's not just the color. It's..." Bumuntong-hininga ang kapatid ko. "You have better dresses than this one. At saka bakit pumasok ka pa? Paano ka mag-aayos?"

"Anong paano akong mag-aayos? Nakaayos naman na ako ah. At saka ikaw bakit pumasok?"

"I'm a man. I don't have makeup to apply and hair to fix. You have more shit to do."

Nagkibit-balikat ako. "Turns out, I don't."

My brother turned to look at Daze, his eyes asking for help. Bumaling sa akin ang isa pang lalaki na tinaasan ko lang ng kilay.

"Torta—"

I flexed my hand. "Do you want to be my stress reliever today, Henderson?"

"Red," he amended with a sigh. "You're the cutest and most adorable person I have ever met. You're also beautiful without even trying. But sometimes, making an effort is like wearing armor."

"Why would I need armor?"

Daze glanced at my brother, which made me sigh. This blabbermouth.

Pinagsalikop ni Daze ang mga kamay niya. He gave me the best rendition of puppy dog eyes, but of course, as I'm sure he already expected, it just bounced off of me. "Let me help you, and I'm going to take three days off so you won't see me."

Hmm. "Okay."

He looked surprised that I agreed easily, but shortly after, he pouted. "Nakaka-hurt ka rin minsan eh no? Parang sawang-sawa ka na sa akin ah."

I didn't say anything, and I just looked at him. If I'm going to be honest, I don't really mind that much that he's around. Not like before, at least. But he's like a golden retriever following me around, and I'm falling behind on my work because of it. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. I'm not really falling behind. Just slowing down than the normal pace that I like.

"Mabuti na lang ikaw ang isa sa favorite ko sa whole wide world kaya mabilis naman akong maka-move on."

"Sino 'yung iba pa?" hindi ko napigilang itanong.

"Ha?"

Nag-iwas ako ng tingin. "Wala."

Instead of letting it go, he moved so that he would be in my line of sight again. "My other favorites?

"Wala nga sabi—"

"Lomi from Batangas, mango pie from Quezon, lechon from Cebu, sisig from Pampanga, ang Sorcha from Cavite!"

I could hear quiet laughter behind us, probably coming from the others who were finding him amusing. "Mukha ba akong pagkain?"

Kumislap ang kapilyuhan sa mga mata niya. "Hindi. Pero pwedeng kai—" Napatingin siya sa kapatid ko na tumikhim at ngayon ay titig na titig sa kaniya. Naging alanginin ang ngiti ni Daze. "Where was I?"

"Hindi ako pagkain pero pwede akong ka—"

Malakas na pumalakpak si Daze na parang nagtatawag ng kalapati. I pressed my lips together to stop myself from smiling.

He's a funny person, kung ang pagbabasehan ay ang mga katrabaho ko na halos mamatay sa kakatawa kapag nasa paligid siya. I'm not exactly a humorous person, so I normally just shrug off his jokes. Or from time to time, I threaten him. Pero ito ata ang unang beses na gusto kong mapangiti sa itsura niya. He looks really desperate to change the topic because there's no doubt that my brother will put him flat on his back in a second if he says one more thing about our current subject.

"Anyway!" He clasped his hands together. "You're going to let me help you, right?"

"Yeah?" Naging patanong ang sagot ko. Para kasing nakakapagduda ang paraan ng pagkakangi niya.

"Good. Because the stylists I called are already downstairs, just waiting for me to call them up."

Oh hell.

HINILA KO ang damit ko pababa sa hindi ko na mabilang kung pang-ilang beses ngayong gabi. Iyon nga lang ay dahil hinila ko iyon ay sa itaas naman ako nagkaroon ng problema at kinakailanganin kong hilahin pabalik pataas ang damit kung hindi ay baka kumawala ang hindi dapat kumawala mula sa suot kong damit.

It's a battle between showing more skin below or revealing more above. It was an endless battle because I found myself itching to tug my dress downward again. Pero bago ko pa magawa iyon ay may pumigil sa kamay ko. "Stop pulling your dress."

I'm wearing a velvet red dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves. It has a sweetheart neckline, and it fits my body like a glove.

"It's too short!" I hissed.

I looked at the man beside me. He's wearing a three-piece suit that seems to be tailored to fit him perfectly.

I've seen a lot of handsome men what with working with the Dawson brothers, but Daze has features that, if you don't know him, you would think to yourself, "He could be an actor or a model", because he is that good looking. Not that I would ever tell him that.

"It's not short. It looks perfect."

It takes a whole lot of me not to stomp my feet in frustration. But with the way his eyes twinkled, it was as if he knew I'm on the verge of throwing a tantrum. "It's short for me."

"It's two inches above the knee."

Pinandilatan ko siya ng mga mata. "All my skirts are at knee level or an inch above the knee."

"We're about to go to a party, Red." Nang tignan niya ang mukha ko ay napabuntong-hininga siya. Tumigil siya sa paglalakad at iginaya niya ako sa tabi para hindi namin maabala ang mga taong papasok pa lang ng hotel kung saan gagawin ang reunion. "Sorcha, you look beautiful every day."

"Whatever—"

"Right now, you don't just look beautiful. You also look hot. It's not because you're wearing a short dress, because it really isn't. It's because your red dress makes your complexion and your hair stand out more."

"I don't want to stand out," I whispered more to myself than to him.

"That's hard to do even if you're just wearing my shirt and my boxers." Something crossed his eyes, and he cursed under his breath.

"What?" I asked.

Ipinilig niya ang ulo niya na parang ginigising niya ang sarili niya mula sa isang panaginip. "Nothing." Hinawakan niya ako sa balikat at hinarap niya ako ng buo sa kaniya. He let me go at the same time that the searing heat coming from his palms was becoming too much. "Red, you look like a siren. Sailors will willingly volunteer to die just to have a glimpse of you."

Heat spread to my cheeks. "Yeah, right."

"I'm willing to bet my entire career that you're the most beautiful woman here. Those who will say otherwise are just jealous assholes."

"That's the most biased thing I've ever heard. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Henderson. Hindi porke hindi ako maganda sa paningin nila ay naiinggit na sila."

"If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and they can't see yours, then they are either envious jerks or blind."

Malakas na napabuntong-hininga ako. Kahit anong sabihin ko ay hindi siya magpapatalo sa akin. "Ang lakas mo talagang sumipsip 'no?"

"Sa'yo? Oo naman. Sa'yo ko lang naman gustong magpalakas eh."

With a shake of my head, I took a step forward, closer to the doors of the hotel. Sumabay sa akin si Daze pero napatigil siya nang tumunog ang cellphone niya. Akmang papatayin niya ang tawag pero pinigilan ko siya. "Go take your call. Sa loob na kita hihintayin."

He regarded me with a look that was a little bit suspicious. "Don't try to escape. Isusumbong kita sa mama mo."

Napakurap ako sa banta niya. "At paano mo naman ako isusumbong sa mama ko?"

Ngumisi siya at pagkatapos ay kumindat. "Hiningi niya ang number ko sa kapatid mo. Close na kami ngayon." Lalong lumawak ang ngisi niya nang mapatunganga ako sa kaniya. He gently pushed me forward, his hand on my back. "Go. Wait for me inside, please? Baka hindi ako papasukin kapag wala ka."

As if. Kahit ata lola na walang ngipin kilala na siya sa bansang 'to at paniguradong hindi siya haharangin kahit sa vault pa ng bangko. Pinaningkitan ko siya ng mga mata. "We're not done talking about this."

Itinaas niya lang ang mga kamay niya bilang tanda ng pagsuko. Huwag kaya akong magluto ng breakfast ng isang linggo bilang parusa sa kapatid ko?

"Speaking of my brother..." I murmured to myself. "Nasaan na ang isang 'yon?"

Hindi ko gustong isama si Daze sa reunion kahit nagpresinta na siya. But my brother told me that if I don't take the golden retriever actor, then he will just take him with him as his plus one. In short, wala akong kawala.

"Oh, look who finally decided to come!"

It's been years, but I can still recognize the voice. Hindi na ako nagtaka nang nilingon ko ang nagsalita ay nakita kong may tatlo na babae at tatlo na lalaki na naglalakad palapit sa akin.

Parang walang taon na lumipas. They still look haughty and mean as they did before. Pati ang posisyon nila sa paglalakad ay parang dati pa rin na akala mo ay nabili nila ang dinaraanan nila dahil talagang nakaharan sila.

The woman who spoke stopped in front of me. "Hi, Sorcha."

"Hadley," I said, instead of returning her greeting.

"Nasaan ang kapatid mo?" tanong ni Celina na nasa kaliwa ni Hadley. "I'm assuming that you came with him. Siya naman lagi ang kasama mo kahit noon."

Eksaheradong suminghap si Gwen. Bahagya siyang lumapit sa akin at nagpalingon-lingon pa siya bago bumulong. "NBSB ka pa rin?"

She wasn't exactly wrong. But even then, I couldn't understand why they think they are in a higher position just because they've been through boyfriends like they go through clothes. Including the men they are with right now, Blane, Clyden, and Anthony. Hindi ko na nga alam kung sino na sa kanila ngayon ang magkakapareha kasi parang nag-iikutan lang sila ng boyfriend. One will break up and the other will date, and the cycle continues.

Nag-angat baba ang tingin sa akin ni Hadley. "Hindi halatang favorite mo ang red 'no?" natatawang tanong niya. "And the hair..." Tinakpan niya ang mga mata niya na parang nasisilae siya. "Even before proud na proud ka talaga na may iba kang lahi."

"I wasn't the one who kept mentioning it the last time I checked."

Mukhang hindi niya inaasahan ang naging pagsagot ko. Noon kasi ay hindi ko kasi talaga sila pinagtutuunan ng pansin.

When I was younger, before I even met them, words that stung were already being thrown at me. I'm only human. Siyempre naaapektuhan din ako. But then my parents started telling me and my brother stories about mythology. We were both so engrossed with it that I will often go to our school's library just to read books about it.

The stories are amazing, but for some reason, the one I found most interesting was Hestia. Konti lang ang kuwento tungkol sa kaniya. Parang halos hindi nga siya napapansin. But I was drawn to her because I fell in love with how unbothered she is with everything. She stayed away from all the drama and she just stayed in her own world happily.

So that's what I did as well. I learned not to give a fuck. Bahala na ang mundo sa kadramahan nila. Bahala sila kung anong gusto nilang sabihin. I'll tend to my version of a hearth, my frosty hearth, and keep everyone out beside those people that matter to me.

Kung tutuusin hindi lang naman ako ang iniinis nila. They made high school unbearable for a lot of people. It just happened that they find more ammunition to use against me because I don't try to get along with them, unlike the others who laugh their jokes off even if they are not jokes anymore. Samantalang ako ay tinitignan ko lang sila at pagkatapos ay nilalayasan ko sila.

High school was terrible, but college was a lot better, anyway. Siguro kasi dahil sa college ay masyado ng maraming problema ang mga tao para problemahin pa kung paanong makakapang-inis ng ib

"What did you say?" Hadley asked.

"I really didn't know what to expect coming here," I told her honestly. "But I should have known that none of you would change. You're all so predictable that is sad."

While they muttered their disbelief at my words, I caught a glimpse of myself in a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror near us. For some reason, it's like the things Daze has told me before are being whispered in my ear.

I don't just look okay. People like the ones in front of me, won't act this way just for someone who looks just "okay".

Hindi ko alam kung bakit ko lang ngayon na-realize. My family kept telling me that for years. My co-workers have been giving me a confused look every time I show them that I don't believe them when they compliment me. And Daze... Daze keeps reminding me every day, as if he made it his mission to make me understand it.

"Calling you beautiful feels like an understatement, and I doubt there's a word out there that could best describe you.

"Hindi ka na dapat pumunta," matalim ang tingin sa akin na sabi ni Gwen.

"Kaya nga," pagsang-ayon ni Celina. "Wala namang may gustong pumunta ka rito. You don't have friends here."

Si Clyden ang sumunod na nagsalita. "Iyong kuya niya na nasa kabilang section."

"Mas nakakalungkot 'yon. Pamilya mo lang ang kaibigan mo," sabi ni Anthony na tinawanan ni Blane. "You wouldn't understand, I guess."

Iba ang section namin ng kapatid ko. Our parents wanted us in a separate section. Okay lang naman sa amin ni Kuya Nevan. We're both competitive in our own ways, and being together will just end with us headbutting with each other.

"I'm sure, unlike you, I've been invited here for a reason. I didn't come here for the reunion, where I could make myself feel better at the expense of other people. I came here to be polite to receive an award because I did something relevant that they think deserves recognition." I pull up my shoulders and let it down in a nonchalant way. "None of you would understand, I guess."

Mukhang may sasabihin pa sana sila nang bigla na lang mapasinghap ang tatlong babae. Lahat sila ay nakatingin sa kung sinong nasa likod ko.

Nag-angat ako ng tingin nang maramdaman kong may kamay na kumawit sa beywang ko. I opened my mouth to tell Daze to let me go if he knew what was best for him, but when I looked up, I was surprised to see the anger on his face.

Daze is a cheerful person. He's like a sunshine who has never experienced being shrouded by stormy clouds. But right now, he looks like he's about to snap the people in front of us in two, like they're pieces of useless twigs.

He heard.

Hadley gaped at him. "Y-You're Daze Henderson. The actor, Daze Henderson.

"Yes." He pulled me tighter to him, and he glanced down at me to meet my eyes. "But right now, I'm not Daze Henderson. I'm just hers."

"You're with her?" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ni Celina.

Umangat ang sulok ng mga labi ni Daze nang lingunin niya ang babae. "Is that surprising? I never settled for less, and from the looks of it, Sorcha's far too high up, that everyone else here pales in comparison. No one even comes close."

The man winked at me as if he didn't just deliver a painful blow to the other three women. He's not a golden retriever. He's a wolf. A tamed one... but a wolf nonetheless.

_______________________End of Chapter 10.