ROSES AND CURTAINS [A BOY LOVE NOVEL]

XV.

School bell is heard all over the campus. Tantan said goodbye to his drafting teacher and travelled to another building just in front, where his classroom is situated.

The second floor houses the fourth years. Sections 1,2,3,4 and 5. Walking into the hallway, scratches on every door of every classroom are apparent. According to legend galing ito sa batuhan ng mga upuan mula sa isang malakihang school riot noong 2004 involving the five sections. From then on tension is always brewing between the said classes like a tradition that has been passed down to every generation.

Tantan is the first one to come in his classroom. Section 5. It's still empty, but not for long. Soon, his classmates including Justine and Paloma, started entering one by one, they litter and loiter a lot, the boys make stupid sex jokes, the girls have two types: the ones who like to read Precious Hearts Romances pocketbooks and the ones who make loom bands and sells them overpriced.

He, including Justine and Paloma belong to neither of the groups. Tantan doesn't love school, nor hates it. He just floats around. Proof of this exclusion ay nang pumasok ang Filipino teacher nila ordering them to form a group for their final project, a theater play of a chosen chapter ng El Filibusterismo. The three friends were technically ostracized hanggang sa inampon sila ni Giselle Garcia, their class president and top 1 along with five more classmates.

Sa duration ng discussion nila. Lumilipad pa din ang isip ni Tantan. It's still about the boy, the dare, and the sketch he's going to make. Although he made a mental note that he's assigned as the Production Designer for this project, not really something new. At least he doesn't have to force himself to do acting and go to rehearsals every day.

Classes ended fast. The rest of the group will be writing the script and Tantan was left alone to do a sketch of the scenes. He found himself sa bakery kasama ng nanay. His pencil is stuck on a paper, doing nothing but scribbles and non-sense lines. He can't start. He looks at the church just in front of their store, wanting to draw it now.

It's calling him. Tantan lumapit ka dito. Makakapag-drawing ka ng maayos kung nandito ka.

No. He shakes his head to shush the unwanted voice. But it keeps on growing. The church began pulsating in his vision. It's growing bigger, bolder and the voice, stronger. Sabing dito ka na. Gusto mo dito di ba?

That's it. Padabog siyang umalis sa kinauupuan, grabbing his pencil case and sketchpad. He marches like a soldier going to war for the first time, entering the vicinity. The structure of the church from his angle is a visual orgasm. It's made up of cobblestones and the pillars surrounding it is symmetrical. He looks up and visualized himself flying with ease, touching every part of the building.

Just when he is about to feel his creative senses awaken.

''Tabi!!!!!!!'' someone shouted from behind. He opens his eyes and saw a dobermann barking and running towards him ready to pounce at any given moment. Shocked and with no other place to go. He hugs his sketchpad and sits down, closing his eyes.

A sudden breeze. He opens his eyes again and saw the dobermann jump over his head and ran speedily inside the church. Another man catches him from inside. ''Huli ka Ernesto! Ayos na'to boy. Ako na magdadala sa kulungan. Lagot tayo nito kay Padz'' the dog is still wiggling its tail, jumping merrily as he was taken away. He was huge.

Tantan lost his balance and slips on the ground trying to check kung makakawala pa ang aso. ''Ayos ka lang?'' He faces the voice from behind. It was the boy who gave him a rose. He offers him his hands. Tantan accepts, pero noong hinila siya nito ay nabigatan sa kaniya and he ends up falling on the ground pulling Tantan towards him.

Magkapatong na sila. He's on top of him.

Eye to eye.

Body to body.

Tantan is free falling into an oblivion, a complete state of deprivation of the soul wherein he doesn't feel anything, can't think of a single image leading to him not being able to decide what to do next.

Then he felt a weight in his upper body, like a huge wave of water crashing onto you. It was the boy; he was pushed with all his might hanggang sa maramdaman ni Tantan that he is elevated from that position. Then he felt like flying up above until his back hit on something solid.