LORENZO ELRIC GARCHITORENA

PAGPASOK SA loob ng auditorium ay bumungad na sa amin ang iba't ibang equipments katulad ng wires, cameras, and other stuff na inaayos ng iba't ibang mga crew sa loob. They're starting to set-up for the venue. And honestly speaking, it feels like approaching the valley of death.

I would really never thought na makakaabot pa ako sa point na ito. Ang sabi nga ni Jyrah, I should enjoy the moment. But I'm looking forward to this curse na ma-lift. Pandagdag lang kasi ng workload ang ilang linggong training at ang pagbabasa ng modules and reviewers na nagpasakit pa ng ulo ko.

May mga part ng technical team namang nag-aayos ng sound system pati ang stage set-up sa nadaanan namin. They're also setting up the projections sa malaking screen on stage. May anim na pares din ng chairs ang nakalagay roon na para sa aming contestants; two chairs each at naka-separate sa iba pa.

Then, someone from the staff even assisted us para pumunta sa backstage kasama sina Ma'am Aguas na inalalayan pa kami roon.

"Gosh, Lorenzo! I'm so excited," my partner exclaimed. Well, I'm more tense right now. Parang anytime ay sasabog na talaga ako.

Pagpasok sa backstage ay bumungad sa amin ang iba pang students from different schools na contenders din sa competition. Based sa aking (mis)calculations, mga nasa twelve kaming students na naroon. A student says hi to us pagkaupo namin sa tabi niya. Hindi ko na lang pinansin. But Jyra--as the Miss Congeniality of the Year--greeted back at talagang nakipagkuwentuhan pa sa kaniya as if they're close friends. I feel like I'm an alien in this room.

Instructions were given to us sa mga step na gagawin for the competition proper. There are guidelines and such na ibinigay that are too boring to listen. Matatalo naman din kami, kaya wala na akong time makinig pa sa orientation.

I even feel out-of-placed kasi mukhang malalakas ang mga magiging kalaban namin. They have the brains making them eligible enough for this competition. The bottomline is, ako na lang talaga ang naiiba rito. Maybe I should go pack up and home right now.

After the orientation, we were left by Ma'am Aguas para lumabas sa backstage dahil off limits na sila, and also in order for us to get prepared.

On a second thought, joining this competition has its own perks. We were provided with free lunch sponsored by the cheerful bee who is a ray of sunshine na enthusiastic sa kaniyang trabaho, since hindi naman kami puwedeng lumabas para bumili ng pagkain namin at ilang oras na lang ang hinihintay para mag-start ang program.

Habang busy sa pakikipagkuwentuhan si Jyrah sa ibang contestants, I'm just busy here savoring the fried chicken and spaghetti na nakalagay sa laminated disposable paper meal box. May mga lumalapit din sa akin para magbigay ng kanilang greetings but I'm just awkwardly waving at them. But I'm more focused on my food, because I will face my death sentence later.

---

It's already quarter-to-one nang i-signal kami ng isa sa mga crew to prepare for our introduction dahil nag-start na pala ang program. Kaya mas kinabahan tuloy ako. The cold air spewed by surrounding air conditioners in the area makes me tremble dahil kanina pa nanlalamig ang aking mga kamay. Good thing at nakasuot ako ng jacket at kung hindi ay halos maging frozen na ako sa kaba. But still, Jyrah remained her confident composure. She still acts with grace and finesse and there's no inch of pressure written down onto her face.

We are being lined up at doon isa-isang tinatawag ang mga representative ng bawat school na kasali. Feeling ko tuloy ay para kaming mga abay na maglalakad for the wedding entourage papunta sa stage.

"Now, we call on students from Verte College Foundation!" I become alert upon hearing the name of our school. At saka ako niyayang maglakad ni Jyrah papunta sa stage. Medyo kinakabahan pa nga akong maglakad at baka kung anong mishap na naman ang gawin ko.

Upon arriving at the stage, bumungad na sa amin ang napakaraming mga taong nanonood. Halos malula ako sa dami nila, and it makes me more tensed. We're like the tributes who are presented in the opening program of the Hunger Games.

Kita ko pa nga sa malayuan sina Ma'am Aguas at Sir Mutuc together with other students na kasama nila para manood sa amin na todo pa ang cheer. Hindi ko rin maiwasang kabahan habang itinutok ang camera sa amin. Gah! The people will see an actual living potato live on their television screens. Gusto ko ngang pigilan si Jyrah na feel na feel ang pagngiti sa camera. This is not a beauty pageant!

Matagal pa kaming nakatayo sa harap ng stage while waiting for other schools to be called. Habang pinagtitinginan kami ng mha tao, I can't help myself but to panic. Parang anytime na lang ay baka mag-walk-out ako rito nang wala sa oras.

"Lorenzo, kaya pa?" pabulong na tanong sa akin ni Jyrah.

"I don't think so...," I sighed in a low voice.

"Kaya iyan! We're all in this together, my partner." She then smiled and lend her hand to me. Para bang ina-assure niya na kami ang mananalo sa competition na ito.

Sa aming mga upuan ay mayroon na ring nakalagay sa desk na maliit na whiteboard, marker, and eraser which is where we are going to write the answers.

After calling all of the representatives, in-inform ulit kami sa competition proper at pati na 'yong rules and regulations na dapat sundin.

Just like other competitions, the questions for the Battle of the Wits is divided into three rounds: the easy, average, and difficult.

"...The top three schools who has the highest number of scores will advance through the average round. Then, the top two schools with the highest scores from the average round will clash on the difficult round," the host announced while walking around the stage. He wears a gray tuxedo and his hair is combed sidewards. He's also acting cool and flashy. Honestly speaking, he kinda reminds me of that annoying Criminology student I know.

Kidding aside... Uh, oh. We're doomed right now!

"Excited na ba kayo? Hindi na natin ito patatagalin pa. We will begin The Battle of the Wits!" Hindi na ako natutuwa. Hay... Fine! Let the game of death begins.

"The first question under easy round..." The questions appeared on the large screen na naka-project. At dahil easy round, multiple choice ang type. They first question says "Who developed the C++ programming language?".

And the choices balow: A. Augusta Ada Lovelace, B. John McCarthy, C. Larry Wall, and C. Bjarne Stroustrup.

"Oh!" Jyrah blurted out upon hearing the question. Well, ganiyan siya mag-react lalo na noong training namin. Hindi naman ako makaangal dahil tama naman ang sagot niya. So, she already wrote the answer on our whiteboard.

"Kindly raise your whiteboards," the host said after the time runs out. And all of the contestants got the same answer.

"The answer is, letter C! Bjarne Stroustrup. Everyone got the correct answer," the host declared.

"Ang galing natin!" Jyrah asked to hit her hand with mine with joy. And I just only smirked. Well, that was really an easy question.

"Next question!" Then a new question appeared on screen, then he started to read it aloud.

"What was the first machine that could add, subtract, multiply, and divide?"

Hmm... This question is kinda tricky, lalo na noong nakita na namin ang choices. I was torn with abacus and artithmometer, dahil parehas silang nakakapag-compute.

But based sa context, machine ang hinahanap.

"B... Artithmometer." Hindi pa man napa-process ang sagot sa utak ko ay naisulat na ni Jyrah ang sagot sa whiteboard.

"The correct answer is B, artithmometer," the host declared and then, the correct appeared on screen. Once again, everyone got the correct answer.

The next set of questions becomes bloodier. We even failed to answer the third question, lalo na at wala iyon sa ni-review namin. I really feel so frustrated and tensed sa magiging outcome nito.

But in the entire duration of the easy round, si Jyrah lang ang nag-shoulder at ang sumagot ng lahat ng questions. All I have to do is nod sa mga sagot niya. Kaya at the end of the easy round, USF, Sebastian Colleges, and Verte advanced through the average round. This is way more challenging lalo na at isa sa competitors namin ay isang computer wizard. Which is more pressuring and frustrating; ou cannot mess with a geek!

This round is way more bloody. Ilang beses na kaming nagkakamali sa bawat question na itinatanong sa amin, but that tech geek from USF keeps on nailing every question. We haven't reviewed all of these; it's either wala sa reviewers or tinamad na kaming basahin ang ibang sinend sa amin.

But the world is indeed round. Hindi namin ine-expect na masasama pa kami sa difficult round. Pumapangalawa lang naman kami sa Sebastian Colleges. And for sure, ganoon din ang magiging end game namin sa difficult round. At sa totoo lang, gusto ko nang mag-pass-out. But still, kita ko pa rin kay Jyrah ang determination na ituloy ito.

For the final round, it's me, Jyrah, and the team of students of Sebastian Colleges who are going to clash. Will Lorenzo mess around one more time? That's for him to find out.

"What are the three popular languages by Microsoft?"

Nagsimula kaming mag-isip-isip ni Jyrah sa answer ng question number one ng difficult round. Honestly speaking, I'm not yet familiar with this. Maybe the lady beside me will do her job, I guess?

"Do you have any answers?" pabulong na tanong ko kay Jyrah. But this time, she only shrugged, which means... We're screwed up right now.

On the remaining time, isinulat na lang niya ang kung ano ang nasa isip niya sa whiteboard and raised it after the time runs out.

"The correct answer is Visual Basic, Visual Basic.NET, and Visual Studio."

And students from Sebastian Colleges got the correct answer.

The next set of questions were also enumeration-type. It's quite difficult lalo na at kahinaan ko ang enumeration at ang pagkakabisa ng acronyms and other complicated words. This round suddenly shifted into a more intense battleground. Like, you're already at the final stage where you are going to fight the final boss of the game. My heart stammered habang napatingin pa ako sa mga audience na mas nagpalakas ng anxiety ko.

Ayaw talagang magpatalo ni Jyrah, at parang ganoon din ang sa kabilang team. Their competitive aura radiated throughout the stage.

But at the end of the ninth question, we are being tied with the same points. And the final question of this competition will determine our fate. Hindi ko aakalaing mararating namin ang do-or-die stage na ito.

"Who invented the x86 standard?"

My adrenaline reached its maximum limit. I started to palpitate and sweat becomes more prominent kahit napakalamig sa loob ng auditorium ng USF. But out of an impulse, I grabbed the whiteboard and started to scribble something. Intel--that was I wrote on the board.

Bahala na ang kung ano ang mangyayari sa amin nito. Dalawa lang naman ang magiging outcome nito: I will succeed or I will destroy once again the hopes and dreams of Jyrah and the whole Verte College Foundation.

My partner was surprised on what I did, peri hinayaan na lang niya ako. All I can foresee is the potential disappointment throughout her face and the regret of our department for sending me here to compete.

"And the correct answer is..."

---

Nakalumbaba ako habang nakatingin sa bintana while we're hitting the road. The outcome of the competition was a total mess--I knew it would be chaotic and disastrous.

"Well, you did great." Jyrah smiled while holding the steer of her car.

And I feel so drained. Parang nawalan ako ng energy sa competition na iyon. But upon seeing the loots we get from the competition a while ago, it somehow motivates me.

I still can't get over to our victory on The Battle of the Wits. I would never thought that we will attain the first place; it looks like I'm floating on the cloud nine. I still can't believe I'm touching the gold medal na isinuot sa amin noong awarding ceremony.

Karga-karga ko rin ang gift packs na ibinigay sa amin ng sponsors ng competition which are probably flash drives, power banks, and other computer accessories.

"This would not be done without you," I mumbled while hugging my backpack. And then, Jyrah is driving along Jose Abad Santos Avenue. Pagkatapos kasi ng competition, niyaya ako ni Jyrah na mag-SM para daw i-treat ako for our victory. The truth is, nahihiya na ako sa panlilibre niya sa akin.

"Hala siya. This is even impossible to happen without my partner."

"Ikaw kaya nagpapanalo sa competition na ito. Kaya there's no way to frown around. You deserve this, Lorenzo."

From her words, I feel an involuntary movements from my lips and formed a small grin while staring at the window. This lady really knows how to assault my ego.

The drive went smoothly at walang nagkikibuan sa amin, dahil baka sa pagod na rin kami. It's already 5 PM when we hit the road going home. I have nothing to do but to stare at the window with running beads of coming from the gentle drizzle. Ang akala ko rin ay gabi na dahil sa ash-colored na mga ulap. Kanina pa kasi walang tigil ang ulan.

To set up the mood further, "Tears from Heaven" by Christian Bautista is also being played at the car's stereo. Ewan ko lang at kapag pinatutugtog ito at saka umuulan ay nati-trigger nito ang childhood memories ko. Maybe it gives me a nostalgic feeling--the feeling of loneliness and solace? I don't know. There are songs that makes someone reminisce of a certain memory, ang sabi nga.

I would never forget this day. Ewan ko lang o talagang nag-overthink lang ako sa mga posibleng mangyari. I'm just fed-up with negative thoughts, which turns out to be nothing at all.

I stare at Jyrah who looks so solemn while driving. I may sound cheesy but... I feel like the world stopped it rotation and revolution at this moment. This feeling is kinda strange when she is visible--when I see her presence with my naked eye--when she is tangible.

Tumigil ang sasakyan at hindi ko namalayang nakarating na pala kami sa gate ng subdivision. I heaved a sigh while fixing my things up before going out from the car.

"Uh, Lorenzo... Thank you. Thank you sa araw na ito. I'm really happy sa naging outcome ng efforts nating dalawa."

"... Congratulations, my partner." Bababa na sana ako. But I didn't expect what she did next.

My heart started to stammer when Jyrah swiftly leaned her face onto mine and then... She did that. The Trojan Horse has entered the city of Troy.

No.

Just freakin' no!

Hindi ma-register ng katawan ko ang nangyari and I was left petrified after she distanced from me. Hindi ko na alam ang ire-react ko sa nangyari! Did that happened? Why?

I feel that face even turns red kaya napailing siya sa akin. Geez! This is so awkward!

Lumabas ako sa kotse na tulala. I'm so embarrassed kaya hindi na ako nakapagpaalam pa dahil wala na ako sa sarili ko. And all I can say, Lorenzo begins to malfunction. A virus started to dominate the system.

At habang naglalakad papasok ng gate, I even started to touch my cheek to ensure if all that happened is just a dream.

Oh, son of a glitch!

-30-