Chapter 8: The Peanut Case

Lynch's POV

Pagkagising ko ay agad-agad akong nagbihis at nagtake-out nang dalawang kape. Medyo masakit ang ulo ko dahil medyo gabi na nang nakauwi ako pagkatapos ng paghatid ko kay Arya at ginawa ko pa ang mga assignments ko.

Nang nakarating na ako sa kanto ng dorm niya, biglang tumunog ang cellphone ko. I parked the car carefully before looking it up.

You thought I was done?

I've only just begun.

Ano? Ano na naman bang klase ng laro ito?

As if on cue, nagtext ulit ang unknown number.

I'm watching you. I know your weakness. I can always take her life.

Bumilis ang pitik ng puso ko. Is this guy serious? Dahil sa pangamba na nadampot siya, tumakbo ako papalabas at pumasok sa kanyang dorm. "Arya?" ika ko pero walang sumasagot.

Inulit ko ito, "Arya! Asan ka?" Those bastards! They took her! Akala ko talaga ay nakuha na nila siya. I sighed in relief when her figure came from the bathroom.

Gulat na gulat naman siya ng makita ako. "Napakaimpatient mo naman, Lynch. Eto na nga diba? Hay naku, ewan ko talaga sa iyo." Kinuha ko naman ang bag at mga gamit niya at mabilis na lumabas dahil ayaw kong mapagtanto niya na may kababalaghan na naman na nangyayari.

"Here." I handed her the coffee and stayed silent.

It's been three weeks since Marky's sister died. They held a small service for her memorial. Though it is still unbelievable that his father did that to him, I knew that he doesn't care much for Marion because she's just a daughter of another man. Still, it took Marky nine days to grieve over her and move on eventually.

It's been three weeks of peace and I wanted it to stay that way but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

I gripped the steering wheel tight and got to school really fast. I was tense. Hindi ko alam kung ano na naman ang gagawin nila kay Arya. Nang nagpark ako ay medyo pawis ako at muntik ko nang hindi namalayan ang mainit na palad ni Arya sa aking kamay.

"Are you okay? Kanina ka pa kasing ganyan." Nagaalala ang kanyang mukha kaya ayaw kong malaman niya kung ano talaga ang ipinagaalala ko. "Ahh, ito? Okay lang ako." The fact that I drank coffee really didn't help my nerves.

"I'm really worried for you, Lynch. Seriously, tell me if you're not feeling well or something."

"Thanks." Gusto ko sana siyang biruin na ang cute niya kapag nagaalala ngunit hindi ko maiwasan ang pangamba na dumadaloy sa lalamunan ko.

I took her bag and other stuff dahil ihahatid ko pa siya para makasigurong wala siyang ibang makasalubong.

"Hi, Lynch!" Oh, God! You have got to be kidding me. She just sprang out of nowhere like a mushroom. I ignored her and continued moving, pulling Arya closer to me.

"So, how was your morning? Gusto mong sumabay sa akin papunta sa classroom natin? Magtambay tayo doon." I internally groaned. I can't deal with two problems in the morning. "I'm so sorry, Althea. I'm kind of busy with my girlfriend here." Kapag titingnan mo ang nangyayari, mapapatawa ka sa mga expressions nila. Tila ba nalaglag ang kanilang mga panga sa sahig.

"Gi-girlfriend mo si Arya?" There was a pang of jealousy in her eyes. I didn't dare look at Arya, however. Baka saksakin ako sa puso. "You didn't know?" I faked sympathy for her and then, kinalabit ko ang aking kamay sa balikat ni Arya at hinila siya papalayo.

"Psh! Landi." I heard Arya mutter beside me which kind of made me feel better.

When we were out of sight, I sighed and let her go. "What the hell was that?"

"I couldn't think of anything else. She's driving me crazy! And not the way that girls usually do to a guy! Titigil na yun."

She rolled her eyes, "Shunga ka ba? Di mo ba siya kilala?" Of course I knew her... Arya underestimates me sometimes.

"Althea Valdez, heir of the Belladonna Fashion Center, a multimillionaire's daughter."

"Kilala mo naman pala. Spoiled brat ang babaeng yan kaya gagawin niya ang lahat para lang makuha ka!" Eh, ba't siya nagagalit sa akin? Unless-

"Crush mo ba ako?"

"What?" She stared at me with her large eyes. "I said, crush mo ba ako? Nagseselos ka ata eh." Nainis naman siya lalo sa sinabi ko. Pwede namang crush niya ako at nagseselos kaya ganon ang mga reaction niya.

"Nope, you idiot! Hindi kita crush. Shunga ka talaga eh! Papatayin ako ni Althea dahil sa kagagawan mo." Based on her state, I can conclude that she is prone to bullying. Tumigil ako sa katatawa dahil naunawaan ko na ang kanyang kaseryosohan, "Did she bully you before?"

Tumango naman siya para maiwasan ang titig ko sa kanya, "Yes."

Hinawakan ko ang kanyang mga balikat for comfort, I have never known what it felt like to be bullied before but it must've sucked, "Don't worry, Arya. I'll be your knight in shining armor." I gave her a toothy grin just to cheer her up but she kept her poker face.

"Knight in shining armor ba sabi mo? Psh! More like knight in shining tin foil, ewan ko sayo." Sinungitan pa niya ako bago kunin ang mga gamit niya sa akin at  sa kanilang kuarto.

Naglakad naman ako sa kaliwang koridor para makarating sa first period ko. Beep. Beep. I looked down to my phone and saw a new message.

But not today.

Maghapon akong nakasimangot dahil dito. Pagkatapos ng last period ko sa umaga ay tumango naman agad ako sa silid nina Arya. Just in time.

"Hey, knight in shining tin foil." Tumawa naman ako at biglang napugas ang simangot sa aking mukha dahil doon.

"Ba't ka nakasimangot kanina?" I really didn't want to tell her because it was too awkward. Aeh, nakasimangot ako dahil may nagtatangka sa buhay mo.

"Wala, hindi pa kita nakikita kaya ganon." Biro ko na lamang na dahilan kung bakit pumula ang mga pisngi niya. Cute.

I laughed at her embarrasment. Fortunately, it shut her up.

The cafeteria was buzzing with the usual chatter that you usually hear, only this time, it was a bit louder, halos tumilapon na sa labas ng cafeteria ang pila sa counter. "Anong meron?" Taning ni Arya sa isang lalaki na may isinusubong cake. "Ah, may free taste kasi ng banana cake kaya marami ang naguunahan sa pila." I crunched my nose in disgust.

"Ooh, gusto kong subukan!"

Nagulat naman ako sa sinabi niya, "Don't you ever learn? Bananas are containers of evil! E-V-I-L! Don't you remember potassium? Pauli-ulit mo bang sasakyan ang sarili mo sa bagay na ito?" Seryoso ako nang sinabi ko lahat nun pero halos mamatay na siya sa kahahalakhak.

"Ang drama queen mo! Shunga! Hindi dahil hindi ka kumakain ng saging ay hindi rin ako kumakain non. Halika na, nagugutom na ako." Hinila niya ako sa pilahan. Medyo natagalan kami sa pila dahil ang tagal naming nakarating sa dulo. When I did, umorder ako ng dalawang chicken fillet at binayaran ko ito, akala ko ay hindi na siya hihirit pero umorder siya ng sarili niyang banana cake, dalawa pa! Mahilig pala to sa saging eh!

"Bakit ang dami mo naman atang kakainin?"

"Huh? Mga ito? Para sayo yang isa." Inioffer niya sakin but I threw a disgusted look at the banana cake.

"Oh, come on! How do you know you don't like it if you won't try it?" Kinuha niya ang kutsarang ginamit niya at nilagyan ng banana cake tapos itinapat sa aking bibig. "No!" I insisted.

"Please, sige na, Lynch." She gave me puppy dog eyes. Damn those eyes!

"Fine!" Ipinikit ko ang aking mga mata at binuksan ang aking bunganga. I almost didn't accept it but I started chewing it. Binuksan ko ang mga mata ko na nakasalubong naman ang mga mata niyang manghang-mangha. "This is- This is actually not that bad?" This was the first time I had eaten anything with banana in eight years.

And I was spoonfed! But, to be honest, I kinda liked it. Tila ba hindi na niya kailangang marinig sa akin dahil kumuha siya ulit at ipinasubo sa akin. "Yan, kumain ka ng saging para hindi ka mawalan ng potassium."

As I chewed on my cake, she used the spoon again to feed herself. I felt my cheeks warm up. What the heck? Ako nga ba talaga ito? Nagulat naman siya sa akin dahil tinanong niya kung okay lang ako, "O-oo." I stuttered a bit, I really didn't want to deal with her kaya ipinagpatuloy ko na lang ang pagkain ko.

But damn! I can't stop thinking about it! Nag-indirect kiss kami!

"Aaaarrrghh!" Someone screamed inside the cafeteria, I really needed to get things off my mind but not like this.

"Tulong! Si Mitsu! Biglang nagkaganyan!" Agad agad naman naming iniwan ang mga pagkain namin at dumako doon. "What happened?" Tanong ko sa babae.

"Well, we were eating banana cake earlier then, nagkwentuhan kami. Tapos, nagkaganyan na lang siya." The girl was almost crying hysterically.

"Doesn't she have medicines?" Kinalkal ng babae ang bag ni Mitsu at inilabas ang isang syringe ma walang laman. "Shit! Naubos! Nako, paano na ito?"

"Nurse! Tumawag kayo ng nurse or doctor or anything na related sa medicines! Bilis!"

Tiningnan ko nang maiigi si Mitsu. Her skin was red and she was choking, wheezing even. Kaya tinadtad ko ang kanyang likod. This is an allergic reaction. "Shit! Arya, sabihin mo sa nurse na magdala ng Epinephrine dahil isa itong allergic reaction!" Agad agad naman siyang tumakbo. Nakasalalay ang buhay ni Mitsu kaya kaylangan niyang bilisan ang kanyang pagtakbo. She's only got minutes left.

"Is she allergic to bananas?"

"No. From what I know, allergic si Mitsu sa peanut. But wala namang peanut sa cake o sa mga kinain namin."

"Can you recount everything that happened? Since pumasok kayo sa cafeteria?"

"Well, I don't really know dahil hindi kami sabay na pumunta. She went to the ladies room para umihi then, bumalik siya na nakasimangot dahil nadatnan niya si Althea, rivals kase sila sa klase. Nagpalitan pa kami ng cake dahil parang mas malaki yung sa kanya, eh nagdadiet daw siya. Tapos nagkwentuhan kami then, biglaang nagkaganyan siya."

"How long has it been since you guys ate the cake?"

"Well, siguro about 20 minutes or so. Please help us, Lynch." Umiyak na naman siya. Thankfully, dumating ang nurse kasama ang ibang medical officers at tinurukan muna siya ng Epinephrine bago inilagay sa infirmary.

"Walang lalabas!" Sigaw ko na umagaw sa atensyon nilang lahat. "There was an attempted murder here and I think I know who tried to do it."

Everyone watched my every move, I extended my arm and pointer finger to Mitsu's friend and saw that everyone gasped. But she wasn't actually the one I was pointing my finger to, "It was you, Ms. Althea Valdez."

She was fuming in anger when I said that, not much complained about my deductions but they were clueless dahil hindi nila alam kung paano ko napagtanto ito. "This is a serious offence, Mr. Lynch. You can't accuse me of attempted murder. I'm an heiress of my father's company, I will sue you!"

"You guys want to know how she did it?" I shouted to everyone in the cafeteria. This is my little revenge to you. For bullying Arya and everybody else. "You found out about her allergy to peanuts. So, you suggested to the school dietician to place banana cakes with peanut oil as the shortening in the menu because it would be too suspicious if Mitsu herself only had one, knowing that no one else would die from it, you wouldn't be causing a massacre. Perhaps, you even sponsored it. Them, when Mitsu went ot the bathroom to urinate, you went there too and maybe bullied her again. You had to make sure that the contents of her bag were thrown out kaya medyo dishelved ang mga straps ng bag niya at kahit na sa loob ng kanyang bag, which would be weird considering that Mitsu is a neat freak, judging by her table. A person with an allergy as severe such as this usually carry Epinephrine na tanging lunas ng allergy but it must be injected within minutes or else she dies. If you look at the trash cans sa banyo, you will see what I'm talking about. And you thought you would be safe because you're the heiress and you're a millionaire but wrong move, I guess." Nang matapos kong iexplain ang deductions ko, she was crying.

"Okay, fine! I admit it. I had no other choice. My father always pressured me because of her, she was always better, she was always the ideal daughter. He always told me that he wished I was more like the heir of the Delos Santos family. So, I wanted to stop her from being perfect."

"Walang hiya ka!" Sumugod naman bigla ang babae. Medyo nabigla ang lahat kaya walng gumalaw nang iniuntog niya ang ulo ni Althea sa lamesa at sinampal niya ito. Althea tried to fight back but masmalakas ang kaibigan ni Mitsu kaya nagkaganoon.

But then, people went back to their senses and pulled the two away from each other.

After that ay tumawag ako ng pulis para malaman nila ang kagagawan ni Althea. I don't know if they're going to detain her or baka ilalabas siya ng kanyang mga magulang.

Nakasimangot akong bumalik sa tabi ni Arya. "That was some interesting deduction show."

"Kahit na. Minsan na nga lang ako makatikim ng banana cake, inagaw pa sakin ang oras ko." She laughed lightly before saying, "Don't worry, I'll bake you one. But make sure na ikaw ang magbabayad sa mga expenses."

"Really? That's brilliant!" I smiled at her. Then, she stood up and took her stuff. "Don't worry, magiindirect kiss tayo muli." She winked at me and ruffled my hair. Still, I remained speechless. My heart skipped a beat, medyo nagulat ako sa sinabi niya. So, alam niya kung ano ang ginagawa niya kanina?

"Diba girlfriend mo ako?" She winked again and left me with my mouth hanging open. Anong nakain niya? What the hell just happened? Sinampal ko ang aking mukha para lamang masiguro na totoong nangyayari ito.

Unfortunately, my face hurts now.

Seriously, this woman is driving me bananas!

---
A/N: Take me home, Lynch, my knight in shining tin foil!😂😂😂

Ang ewan ko talaga....hayyy. (That indirect kiss moment tho)

Tragedy ata ang gagawin ko dito.

Spoiler: Next chapter mamamatay si Arya-charot!😂😂😂 peace

~Candy🍭🍭🍭