Chapter 15

Pretty handsome

I was left by uncertain things going inside my head, I really don't know what happened and but I wanna know what going on between Korg and that girl. Somehow, while hiding from blocks away from the bleachers, she walked towards passing by my direction with a bowed head and I feel the weight of her sadness and the burden she felt when she was left unsuddenly by Korg. I followed her through my eyes, who is she anyway? I never saw her face closely 'cause her hair were covering her whole face, she goes through a mini copper and then she drive it away.

I took a deep sighed, knowingly that it must be somehow that there is really happening between Korg and her and what should I supposed to do? Hindi ko alam kung anong mararamdaman ko, should I really feel sorry for her or choose to be happy 'cause she felt broken hearted and I got a chance to be with Korg?

Napagpasyahan ko na lang din naman na bumalik na sa school bus pero huli na ang lahat dahil isa isa na silang umalis. Kinawayan ko naman iyong bus driver ng school bus pero ang malalang nangyari ay kinawayan din ako nito pabalik at nagmaneho na ito paalis. Hindi niya ako nakilala dahil new driver nga pala siya at anong gagawin ko ngayon? Wala namang maghahatid sa akin at wala rin akong choice kundi ang maglakad pauwi.

Malapit lang naman ang bahay namin, tiwala lang.

Almost thirty minutes.

Nangangalahati pa lang ako sa paglalakad ko at hindi ko alam kung kakayanin ko pa bang maglakad, kung mahaba lang din ang biyas ko ay siguro mabilis din akong nakarating sa bahay. Sana lang ay hindi ulit ako dapuan nang sakit dahil ayokong maulit na parang lantang gulay ako buong araw.

Ang lakas nga rin talaga ng loob ko na nakuha ko pang maglakad kung kailan papagabi na, ang creepy lang din nang daan dahil walang dumadaan at kung meron naman ay akala mo nasa nakikipagkarerahan ang mga ito at bigla na lang ako titilapon nang hindi ko alam.

Nakita ko naman ang isang bench sa isang tabi, may signage naman doon nang ten kilometers papuntang Savvy, akalain mo iyon? Ang haba na nang nailakad ko at for sure pagkagising ko bukas ay kailangan ko nang wheelchair dahil hindi ko magagalaw ang binti ko, it is like I worked out for a whole damn year na puro leg day ang routine.

Uminom naman ako sa tumbler ko, huminga nang malalim para mabawi ko ang energy ko. Fifteen minutes before six in the evening, kailangan sa oras na iyon ay makarating ako sa bahay and without knowing by my parents na naglakad ako all the way from Savvy hanggang sa bahay.

Pero mukhang hindi ko kering maglakad pa nang ilang kilometro kaya naman kinuha ko ang phone ko para tumawag sa parents ko at sunduin nila ako dito. And unluckily, when I get to dial their number ay bigla namang nagshut down ang phone ko. Wala akong dalang powerbank to make it alive again, and I guess I have no choice kundi ang maglakad na lang talaga.

I grunted as I stood up from the bench, nag-stretching pa muna ako para hindi mabigla ang katawan ko from this killer leg day. When I decided to start walking again, I saw a red Ferrari going by fast and somehow it stopped right in front of me. I know it's weird to think na si Korg itong hihinto sa akin, from what I've seen earlier may ihaharap pa rin ba siya sa akin? Well, hindi naman niya alam na nakita niya ako doon sa field.

Ibinaba naman nito ang salamin nang sasakyan at hindi nga ako nagkamaling si Korg nga ang lulan nang Ferrari na iyon at sa pagkakaalam ko ay siya lang din naman ang merong ganitong sasakyan sa Savvy. He really is rich kaya siguro iyong ibang mean girls ay iba ang tingin sa akin—hindi naman ako isang low quality na babae, on their perspective iyon ang tingin nila sa akin, but to what I know, they should not judge me.

"What are you doing here? Why are you walking?" he asked.

"Hinay-hinay lang," ngiwi ko pa sa kanya—but deep inside, umaasa na akong isasabay niya ako. Hoping lang naman. "You asked what am I doing here—"

"Just get to the point." He said, interrupted me.

Mabilis naman akong tumango sa kanya, "I was left by the school bus."

Napangisi naman siya sa sinabi ko, "then you decided to walked home?"

"Like I do have any choices?" kibit balikat ko pa sa kanya, "but if you would—" hindi ko na naituloy ang pagsasalita ko nang bigla niyang itinaas ang bintana nang kanyang sasakyan. Napanganga na lang din naman ako sa ginawa niya at walang nagawa nang umandar ito palayo sa akin.

Anger built up on my system. I grunted, knowing that he wouldn't let me ride with him again. Sabi nga nila, once is enough and twice—well, it will never happen.

But on the other side of my anger, the Ferrari suddenly stopped, he slid down the window and looked out back on me, he called me by waving his hands to get on him. Abot tenga naman ang ngiti ko nang gawin niya iyon, napatakbo kaagad ako dahil sa excitement and felt the cramps on my legs nang makaupo ako sa loob ng kanyang million car.

"Thanks... you're really a life saver." Sabi ko sa kanya, iwas ang tingin sa kanya at hindi ko alam pero naalala ko lang iyong nangyari kanina.

"I can't bear to see a girl alone walking down on a street and I don't have tolerance seeing girl in pain," hindi ko alam kung anong sasabihin ko kundi dahan-dahang tango na lang din ang nagawa ko sa kanya. He really says those words, and I couldn't imagine how he feels for that girl, hmm. "But seeing you on that bench claiming your breath, that should go viral!" aniya.

I have no choice, agad ko siyang tiningnan at pinanlakihan nang mata, "please don't do that. I've dealth a lot of terrible things today."

Napangisi naman siya sa sinabi ko, "well, congrats 'cause we got the same unlucky day."

"I guess so..." aniko.

"Wear your seatbelt," aniya at tiningnan ko lang din naman siya. "Would you want me to do it for you?" Agad naman akong umiling sa kanya at agad na hinatak ang seatbelt sa gilid ko at ni-lock iyon to the other side. "Safety first, Alex, 'cause we don't want to to risk anything without assuring what on the stakes."

I really don't get his point but I guess he's referring into something that he's making it foreshadowed by his own words.

The ride goes insane, wala pang five minutes nang marating namin ang bahay ko and to make it perfect, hindi lumagpas nang six o'clock.

"Thank you, though you really don't have to do this pero masaya akong sinabay mo ako," ngiti pa sa kanya, tinanguan lang naman niya ako saka pababa na ako nang sasakyan niya nang bigla niyang hinawakan ang kamay ko. Bumalik naman ang tingin ko sa kanya, baka may nakalimutan na naman ako sa sasakyan niya. "Why, Korg?"

"Do you still have more minutes staying here with me?" aniya, "we're at your home already, so it doesn't matter right?"

Dahan dahan namang umakyat ang balikat ko, kibit balikat na tugon ko sa kanya.

"But if you wanna go, I don't wanna intrude your time."

"No," sabi ko at mabilis na umayos sa kinauupuan ko at sinara ang pinto ng sasakyan. "What is this all about?" tanong ko, I was really nervous inside and couldn't help myself dahil baka mamaya ay mahimatay na lang din ako nang bigla, but I still can, I can still manage myself to calm down.

He shooked his head, dropping his hands from the steering wheel, "nothing... I just wanna have some company."

"Is this because of what happened earlier?" My eyes widened by the words I bursts out without even contemplating it, he narrowed his eyes on me that he already knows what I'm talking about. "Nope, don't mind what I said, I just made these things clearly."

"No... no, no." aniya na umayos pa nang pagkakaupo saka siya humarap sa akin, "what do you know?"

Umiling naman ako sa kanya, "nothing, what made you think I know something?"

"Because you said so," aniya, "come on, tell me what you know."

Muli naman akong umiling sa kanya, "wala nga, ang kulit mo talaga Korg."

He smirks, and I couldn't help myself kundi ang ideny iyon, "just say it, hindi naman ako magagalit."

"Well..." I cleared my throat, tiningnan ko siya sa mata pero agad din naman akong napaiwas dahil nahuli kong titig na titig siya sa akin or assuming lang talaga ako dahil inaabangan niya iyong sasabihin ko. "You were absent on our PE class, of course, as one of your classmate there, we worried about you but after class, we found you in the field, maybe you're practing and then I was about to call you and find you with another girl there..."

He scoffs, "I know I heard someone earlier," aniya, "but it was nothing, you should not worry about it anyway."

Tumango naman ako sa kanya, "okay, you say so, but I do find the girl sad. Why?"

He took a deep breath, did I just asked something too much out of his private life, "she's nothing, you don't have to worry about her."

Napakunot noo na lang din naman ako sa kanya, "but why are you like this, Korg?"

He shift his eyes on me, "like what?"

"Like you've got something that you don't wanna hold anymore and it makes you feel the weight too much."

He chuckles, "I think you know too much in this kind of thing pero wala talaga."

"I don't wanna invade what's happening here but I'm willing to listen."

"There's nothing to talk about, I just got a bad day honestly, that's all!" he said, "but can I ask something if you don't mind, Alex?"

I nodded, "go on, it is free anyway."

"What do you see in me?"

"Should I come on a list?" sagot ko sa kanya.

"No," he shook his head, "just what you first see on me."

"You're pretty handsome, obviously anyone would see that. I don't know... a jerk, maybe?"

He laughed at me, "that's fair enough." He said, "as I expected they always good for the look."

"What does that mean, Korg?"

"Do they really mind if one person was hurting too much, would they see that?"

Hindi ko alam kung anong isasagot sa kanya, kaya kung anong pumasok sa isip ko na lang din ang lumabas sa bibig ko. "Are you hurt?"

"That's rhetorical." Ngisi pa nito sa akin, "I know I should've wasting your time, this is nonsense... you can go now."

Napakunot noo na lang din naman ako sa kanya, there's a sudden change of emotion sa nangyari at hindi ko mawari kung ano iyon. Dahil ramdam ko na rin ang pagiging awkward ko sa position naming dalawa ay napili ko nang magpaalam sa kanya, hinarap ko naman ang pinto at hirap akong buksan iyon. Nagpapanic ata ako!

"Let me do it for you."

I moved a bit pero sa pag-abante naman ni Korg ay nangyari ang hindi ko inaasahan. It doesn't last longer than a second dahil sa maling paglingon lang ang nangyari. Agad naman akong umiwas nang tingin sa kanya at nang mabuksan din niya ang pinto ay mabilis akong bumaba at hindi na muli siya hinarap, diretsyo lang ang tingin ko sa pinto nang bahay habang ramdam ko pa rin kung paano dumampi ang labi niya sa labi ko.

I know that wasn't intended and was a mistake after all pero I can't help myself to celebrate!

When I reached the house, napasandal na lang ako sa pinto nang makapasok ako sa loob ng bahay at narinig kong umalis na ang sasakyan ni Korg. Huminga naman ako nang malalim habang inaalala ang huling senaryong iyon.

I immediately run to my room and cannot be held liable for guilt dahil sa reaksyon ko.

Today is really a terrible day for me and I don't know if I can add up that kiss when it wasn't terrible at all. Shocks, I'm in trouble.