THE CHALLENGE

THIS WAS a bad idea.

I should've left fifteen minutes ago. Partying is not my scene, ever. I know I should have been used to it by now, considering my career as a successful car racer. Laging may afterparty at celebration sa tuwing naiuuwi ko ang trophy.

My manager, Avon Trinidad, doesn't tolerate my antisocial nature. After all, social appearances provides exposure that will definitely help my career. Kaya pinagbibigyan ko siya at pumupunta ako sa mga party na para sa'kin. But I don't stay too long.

So what am I still doing here?

Tiningnan ko ang relo ko—it's still seven. Masyadong maaga pa kung uuwi ako, and I will broke Jack's heart. Gusto daw akong makita ng asawa niya dahil, ang sabi niya, isa sa number one fan ko ang asawa niya. She was running late dahil sa traffic and that's why I am still here...

Pitch black eyes flashed across my mind.

Suddenly I burst out laughing. Nakita ko pang tiningnan ako ng bar tender na para bang isa akong baliw na nakawala sa mental.

Hindi ko lang kasi maiwasan pagkatapos kong maalala ang araw na iyon—him holding that pot lid and standing in my aunt's kitchen, topless and looking so lost.

Pinagbabato ko pa siya no'n ng sabon at lahat na ng nadadampot ng kamay ko. He used the lid as a shield. Tapos tumakbo na ako paakyat sa kuwarto. I slammed the door shut and I can still clearly remember how my heart was beating erratically for the first time. And suddenly I realized, it was also the first time I felt conscious of myself around a boy.

I acted out of my character that day. Hindi ko kasi matanggap na may nakakita sa'kin sa gano'ng kalagayan. Hindi ko nagustuhan ang naramdaman ko sa mga oras na iyon. I felt girlish and feminine.

Zeke really has a knack on turning girls to be a woman. Kahit ako hindi pinalagpas.

Growing up with my brother, my uncle and his friends, and with the job I do, it was no wonder why I turned out to be one of the guys too. Madalas pa akong pagkamalang lalaki ng mga costumer ni tito at tinatawag akong 'bata' o 'hijo'. And I never bothered to correct them.

I had pexie cut hair, at lagi akong may suot na sombrero. I always wear baggy shirts, jumpsuits, and jersey shorts. Gano'n din ang suot ko sa klase. Hindi pa uso ang uniform no'n sa amin. Nalalaman lang nilang babae ako dahil sa pangalan ko.

Kaya siguro walang gustong makipagkaibigan sa'kin kasi akala nila tomboy ako. Duh.. mukha naman talaga akong tomboy no'n.

But I still had a friend. Si Sheena. Kapitbahay namin siya kaya alam niyang hindi talaga ako lalaki at tibo. Naging kaibigan ko na siya simula no'ng lumipat kami kina tito. Pero magkaiba kami ng eskuwelahan. Nasa private school siya, ako sa public lang.

Si Sheena ang kabaliktaran ko. Maganda, makinis ang balat, maputi, mahinhin, mabait at higit sa lahat, babae. Kaya hindi na ako nagtaka kung bakit ang daming nanliligaw sa kanya. Lahat yata ng binate sa barangay namin, nagpapalipad hangin sa kanya. Pero ni isa, wala siyang natipuhan.

Puwera sa isa. At ang lalaking iyon, siya lang din ang hindi nanliligaw sa kanya. Si Felix Vincent Alteza—ang kuya kong walang ibang inatupag kun'di pag-aaral at trabaho.

Mabilis kong nilagok ang laman ng baso ko. The death of my brother still pains me. Kahit pa maraming taon na ang nakalipas. I've lived with it and I'm still trying to survive from it.

The DJ played an upbeat song and people lose their inhibitions.

I should dance. Kesa naman sa mag-isa lang ako dito kasama ang masasakit na alaalang iyon.

I left my empty glass on the table and walked into the throng of people moving with the music. I was never a party girl but I enjoy good music. Kaya hinayaan kong gumalaw ang katawan ko. I danced and danced, not caring about anyone.

Until a guy came next to me.

"Hey, you're the famous girl car race driver, right?" The man smiled. "I'm Eric." He looked harmless kaya tinanggap ko ang pakikipagkamay niya.

"I'm Vee."

"Yeah, I figured." Humarap siya sa'kin habang sumasayaw. Then he leaned down to my ears. "Can I buy you a drink or something?" Then he stood up and I didn't miss the glitter in his eyes. This guy was hitting on me.

Lumayo ako sa kanya. "No, huwag na." I started to leave when he suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Oh, come on. It's just a drink. One drink," he smiled. And I thought, how ever did I think of him harmless? With his hand that was tightly gripping my arm and that sly smile on his face, nothing in them that tells me he is.

Tiningnan ko siya ng masama. I was about to say something but it came out a gasp when a hand spanned around my waist and I was being pulled to a hard, warm body.

"You heard her. Now drop your filthy hands off."

Napatingala ako sa nagmamay-ari ng kamay at malalim na boses na iyon. My heart drummed a heavy beat on my chest.

Zeke.

His scent assaulted my senses. And, hell, I feel giddy. Ramdam ko ang pagdiin ng bawat daliri niya na bumabaon sa balat ko. He looked like an eagle with his calculating eyes.

Eric stood no chance. Sa nanlilisik na mga mata pa lang ni Zeke, para ng dagang nagsipaglayuan ang mga tao sa amin. With one scathing glance at Zeke's hand around my waist, Eric backed off and skittered away.

Mabilis na tinanggal ni Zeke ang kamay niya sa akin bago pa ako makapgsalita. I felt my heart sank. For a short while there, I was happy he was here. He came. And I realized, I've been waiting for him. And it irritated the hell out of me.

Lumayo ako sa kanya. "Hindi mo na kailangang gawin iyon. I can handle myself, you know." I clenched my hands to stop myself from rubbing that lingering touch of his hand against my waist.

"I know," aniya. Saka lang niya ako tinapunan ng tingin. "Try to stay away from trouble."

I gasped from his remark. "And what exactly do you mean by that? Iniisip mo bang sinasadya kong mapahamak?" The nerve of this man! He really don't deserve my gratitude on this one. All pretense of goodness and politeness was gone.

He shrugged like it wasn't so important for him to answer. "Not that I care anyway." And he turned away.

Brute! Kahit kailan hindi na nagbago ang lalaking iyon! Mayabang at walang modo pa rin siya.

Inis at nanggagalaiting bumalik ako sa dating puwesto ko sa bar. The bar tender offered me a drink right after I sat down. "LQ?" he grinned.

"Really?" I asked him wide eyed. Mukha ba akong pumapatol sa katulad ng lalaking iyon?

You once did, Victoria.

My nose flared and I quickly rejected that thought. It was a long time ago. My ignorance of youth, I admit. That was the time I was naïve enough to believe love could change everything. Even a man who was so cynic and hopeless about life.

"Hi!" May babaeng lumapit sa'kin. She's wearing a crisp floral blouse, pencil skirt—at was all business. Ano naman ang ginagawa ng isang 'to sa ganitong lugar?

She smiled and offered her hand. "I'm Martha. Jack's wife."

Jack's wife. "Ah..." Ngumiti din ako sa kanya. Right... I was waiting for her, not some man I can't tolerate. "Hi!" Kinamayan ko siya.

"Sorry. Sobrang excited lang ako na makita ka. Overtime ko dapat ngayon pero tumakas ako para lang makita ka," she said.

"Ha?" Nagulat ako. Paano kung masesante siya?

"Biro lang." She giggled and made a peace sign. She's cute. I imagined Jack being married to a serious type, o kaya iyong medyo nasa bandang elegante. This woman looks happy and cherry. "Nagpaalam ako sa boss ko. Baka sesantihin ako no'n. Buti nga pumayag pa iyon e," paliwanag niya habang umuupo sa tabi kong bar stool.

"Ang strikto naman ng boss mo."

She waved a hand. "Hindi na sekreto iyon. Kita mo nga," may kung sino itong tiningnan sa bandang likuran ko. "Kahit nasa bar house, nakasimangot pa rin siya."

I looked behind me and squinted my eyes to see further at the back. "Sino..." I saw a group of men in the VIP seats and among them, may isang lalaki lang ang nakasimangot at mukhang walang pakialam sa mga babaeng dumadaan sa kanila na halos nakahubad na.

"Si Zeke?"

"Oo. Si Mr. Steele," sabi niya habang tumatango. That was when I realized he was wearing a business suit. Three buttons of his shirt was popped open, revealing his strong throat and his necktie was untied hanging around his neck. He looked sexier than he was in the morning.

Argh! I groaned inwardly because of my wayward thoughts. Iuuntog ko na talaga 'tong ulo ko! Galit ako sa kanya diba? Galit ako sa kanya.

"Bagay na bagay talaga sa kanya iyong apelyido niya—bakal. Isang malamig na bakal," ani Martha. "Nagulat pa nga akong pumunta iyan dito. Sa tagal kong nagtrabaho sa kanya, ngayon ko lang siya nakitang pumunta dito. Napaka-antisocial niya. Sabi ni Jack, simula daw no'ng nag-retire siya, hindi na siya pumupunta dito lalo na kapag nagkakaro'n ng reunon ang grupo nila."

I see. So iniiwasan niya ang mga bagay na nagpapaalala sa kanya kay kuya. Somehow, it didn't set well with me. So he moved on by forgetting everything.

"Magkakilala kayo, diba?" tanong niya bigla. I simply nodded. "Ah. Kaya pala. Nagtaka lang kasi ako sa ginawa niya kanina." She gestured at the dance floor. Then she leaned on to me and whispered, loud enough to hear beyond the music. "Hindi kasi siya madalas na lumalapit sa mga babae. Alam mo na."

I frowned. Hindi ko siya na-gets. Pero bago pa ako makapagtanong ay nagsalita na siya kaagad.

"Ay, oo nga pala. Hihingi sana ako ng autograph mo, kung okay lang. Nagiging madaldal na naman ako."

She handed me a poster of myself when I won the Golden Race Cups, my first trophy in my first race.

Pagkatapos ng ilang minuto pang pag-uusap, nagpasya ng umuwi si Martha kasama si Jack. It was already past nine. Pero wala pa rin akong balak na umuwi.

Yeah, right. Kanina nga, atat na atat akong umuwi. But now, I can't seem to leave.

Sige na... uuwi na ako pagkatapos kong maubos ito, sabi ko sa sarili ko at sa hawak kong tonic. Since Eric, wala ng nagtangkang lumapit sa'kin. But I can see men looking my way. Iyong iba, nakatayo lang sa tabi ng bar, pasilip-silip. But they all look afraid.

What? Did they think I'd bite their head off?

But then, I don't think I want their attention either. Kaya okay lang kung ang tingin nila sa'kin, isang amazona. I really care less. Lalo na kung iyon ang totoo.

Tatlong mga lalaki ang pumuwsto sa tabi ko, but not too close. They're models, iyong isa, baguhang artista. One of them throw me a smile, the kind of smile that will melt a girl's heart. Well, tough... I don't think I have a girl's heart.

I frowned when someone blocked my view.

Zeke. I recognized as soon as I smelled his particular scent. I sighed. What is he doing now?

Hindi ko siya pinansin, at hindi rin siya nagsalita. He just stood there, looking at his watch every minute. Nalibadbaran ako sa ginagawa niya. I want to think he was barricading me from something—or someone. Pero bakit naman niya gagawin iyon?

I exhaled an annoying breath. "May meeting ka ba na kailangan mong habulin? Date na kailangang puntahan?"

He just stared at me for a while. And it was a very unnerving seconds. "How long do you plan to stay here?"

I snorted. "Hinihintay mo ba ako?"

"Gabi na. You should go home."

Lalong nagdikit ang mga kilay ko. At kelan pa siya naging tatay ko? "Mamaya na. Uubusin ko muna 'to."

Hindi siya nagsalita. That was fine. So I took my time. Inunti-unti ko ang pagsipsip ng baso ko. I don't know. Maybe I'm just tripping him. Hindi ko lang nagustuhan ang mga narinig ko kay Martha kanina. That he was trying to avoid the things that would remind him of Five.

He seemed to move on. And I hate him for that. Dahil hindi ko magawang pakawalan ang lahat.

"God dammit!" he suddenly gritted. Napapitlag ako sa biglang pag-agaw niya sa baso ko. He drowned it in one go and slammed the glass down. "Now let's go." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of my chair.

"Zeke, teka! Ano bang ginagawa mo?" tanong ko habang sinusubukan kong huwag madapa.

"Taking you home."

"At sino ka para kaladkarin ako? Don't boss me around!" sigaw ko nang makalabs na kaming dalawa.

"Did you bring a car?" tanong lang niya na parang hindi niya ako naririnig.

Buwisit na lalaki! "Oo! At bakit—"

"Where?" putol niya sa'kin. I tampered my own anger that was beginning to explode inside my head. Sa lahat ng ayaw ko, iyong pinapangunahan ako. As if I have no freedom and will to exercise on my own.

I heaved and shrugged his hand away from my wrist and walked towards my car. Nasa malapit lang ako nagpark kaya madali ko iyong natunton. It was a matte black Aston Martin Vanquish, painted with a neon pink V on one side. It had double meaning—V for my name, and V for Five.

At alam kong alam iyon ni Zeke, base na rin sa paraan ng pagtagis ng bagang niya habang nakatitig siya sa parting iyon ng kotse ko.

"Give me the keys," sabi niya mayamaya.

It was my turn to be surprised. "Bakit ko naman ibibigay sayo?"

"I'm driving you home," he simply answered, as if that was the most natural thing he do—ang ihatid ako pauwi.

"I can drive perfectly on my own. I'm a professsional driver, remember?"

Matagal na naman niya akong tinitigan. I swear, if he keeps on doing that, I'll scratch his eyes off.

"Okay then." He shrugged.

Thank God! I pressed the button on my key and the lock went off. I pulled the door open and went in. But I wasn't alone.

"What the—" Tiningnan ko si Zeke na prenteng nakaupo sa passenger seat. Somehow, my car seemed small and tiny with him sitting there. "Wala ka bang dalang kotse?"

"Sumabay ako kay Martha kanina."

I breathed and counted to five to contain my anger. "You know I'm not starting this car if you don't get off right?"

He shrugged. "I'm not going anywhere either." Then he pinned me an impatient look. "Just drive, Victoria."

Argh! Nakakinis na lalaki! Buwisit! Buwisit!

I tried to block him out. I really tried. Blocking him out shouldn't be this hard. Damn this evil man! I am a professional driver and I never failed to focus on driving everytime I'm winning a race.

I eyed him beside me. Nasa daan lang ang mga mata niya. He seemed uncaring and quiet, but I know he was in tune with every move I make.

I shifted the gear and passed another car. "You're checking me out, aren't you?"

He ignored my question, instead, he asked, "Since when did you start driving?" Tiingnan ko siya. I know he didn't like the fact that I am throwing my self into the danger they left, him and my brother. Pero wala na siyang magagawa.

"Four years ago," I said nonchalantly.

I saw his lips compressing in a tight line. Yeah. I know what the words entailed. What happened four years ago was something we can't forget. But he seemed to desperately want to forget about it.

Well, I'm here and I won't give him that satisfaction.

"You know he won't approve." I heard the anger behind that steel icy voice.

"By 'he', you mean my dead brother?" I gave out a snort. "Don't start lecturing me now, Zeke. You're four years too late, don't you think?"

I know I'm being a bitch, but I can't help it. I feel betrayed. May gana pa siyang magalit sa'kin? Flash news! It's not his goddamn business what I do with my life!

Hindi na siya nagsalita kaya mas lalo akong nainis. I want to throw a fit. Gusto ko siyang inisin, galitin, just to have a reaction from him. But he have his steel iron bar surrounding him. He was controlling his emotions. Or maybe he just don't care at all.

I really hate him. Ni minsan hindi ko nakitang umiyak siya sa pagkawala ni kuya. He never cried. He never said sorry. He never did anything. Pagkatapos ng burol ni kuya, umalis kaagad siya ng bansa.

He took the car racing world by storm. Nagsunod-sunod ang mga panalo niya. People say he was suicidal. Sometimes I indulged myself to think he was doing all those crazy dangerous stunt to kill himself because he was guilty of my brother's death.

I was ready to believe that. Until I read an article sa isa sa mga interviews niya. He said he was living somebody else's dream. I was so ready to forgive him... because he lived my brother's dream. But it suddenly bored the hell out of him and quit.

He quit.

That's why I am here—living what they left behind. I don't want to forget.

It took minutes to finally reach my apartment. Sabay kaming bumaba.

"You sure ayaw mong ihatid kita?" I asked.

"It's okay." He was already leaving when some idea came inside my head.

"Zeke, race with me."

He stilled but he didn't turn around. "Go inside, Victoria," he said with a certain catch in his voice. "Have a good rest." And then he walked away, refusing me flatly.