Always been you, not me

Chapter 3

"Sophie! Clev!" sigaw ni Marianah.

Naagaw nito ang atensyon namin at pareho kaming bumaling sa kanya.

With her was Zech who's wearing a white v-neck shirt and faded jeans. Nakayuko ito no'ng una ngunit nang malamang nandito kami ay agad niya kaming tinapunan ng tingin. Seryoso ang kanyang mukha gaya ng kadalasan niyang ipinapakita.

Maya-maya lang din ay dumating si Kaye na halatang galing sa canteen dahil sa dalang canned coffee at hotdog bun. Tumigil siya sa pagsubo ng may sinabi si Marianah sa kanya at luminga sa paligid. Nang makita kami ay pareho niya kaming nginitian at kinawayan.

Sophie hurriedly ran to them and, I was only left watching her walk away. I saw how she flashed a smile to her friends as if nothing emotional happened earlier.

I sighed deeply.

This is the Sophie I knew. She acted like she was all jolly and tough, but I know deep inside she's fighting a battle that no one sees. Siya na ang may sakit pero inaalala niya pa rin ang ibang tao kesa sa sarili niya. How selfless she was.

If keeping her condition is what she wanted, then I would give it to her.

I stopped myself from dwelling on it too much for it will only make my sister worried. I collected myself and decided to join them.

As I was walking, I saw the banner on the stage here on the quadrangle. A welcome back to school banner like what every school does. The stage is also decorated with white and blue balloons, the same color as our school uniforms. Besides the banner were two attached speakers, where the resonating music comes from. There were students who take pictures near the stage- flaunting their outfits and the beauty of the school.

"Wala pa ba si Ralph?" I heard Sophie asked.

"You know him, gustong-gusto niya ng spotlight kaya gustong nalelate palagi," saad ni Kaye habang abala sa pagnguya.

Nakasuot na naman ito ng all-black outfit at maitim na lipstick. Mukha siyang kampon ng demonyo dahil sa choice ng pananamit niya at makeup. But I admit Kaye is gorgeous. I know when I see one. It's just that she looks better with a lighter shade.

"Ralph has such a brave soul at consistent pa talaga. Every year bilang lang sa daliri na hindi siya late. Bigla ko tuloy naalala ang atraso niya sa'kin," sabat ni Marianah.

"Alin do'n?"

"First semester last year, magkagrupo kami at dahil siya ang walang ambag.. siya ang napresenta na magdala ng visual aid. Kinabukasan late siya, kaya lahat kaming ka group niya na zero," dagdag niya sabay simangot.

"Galit ka n'yan?" tanong ni Sophie sa kanya.

I want to ask the same thing too because she doesn't look angry, at all.

"Oo. T'wing maalala ko yon, my blood boils!"

Napapadyak siya sa sarili niyang paa. We can't take her angry stance because of her cuteness. Kahit siguro magalit siya hindi kami maniniwala. Ang sarap niya tuloy ibulsa.

Nakadagdag sa pagiging cute niya ang suot niyang jumper na kulay pink at ang hairstyle niya na double French braid. You wouldn't know she's already college, especially if you wouldn't look at her id sling.

In Everie Academy id sling is one way of identifying students what level or department one was in. Green signifies primary, blue signifies secondary, and red signifies us, tertiary. Also, the levels in each department are identified based on the design of the neckties worn. But because all students are allowed not to wear the uniforms on the first day, it is hard to spot which level each student is.