The Last on the List [completed]

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day, I resumed what I was supposed to finish yesterday - editing my manuals. 'Di na kasi nakisama utak ko after ng encounter namin ni Cathy. Naimbyerna ko nga muli siguro si Sir Richard dahil heto siya't kuwento nang kuwento, ang diwa ko nasa kabila raw ibayo.

Panay ako bukas ng phone, hoping Cathy would call. I itched to contact her and asked, 'Cathy, ano ng balita?' pero baka maparatangan akong impatient na wala sa lugar. Because really, what made me any different from the rest of the girls na may crush kay Dylan, besides the fact I'm a boy? Why would I be given a special treatment kung pare-parehas lang kami ng footing pagdating sa kanya? Or I might be stretching it too much.

But I knew, if we were to write an essay to justify our infatuation with Dylan, I would no doubt ace the test. Because hindi lang infatuation ang nararamdaman ko sa lalaking 'yon. In the same way, hindi lang looks niya ang nagpa-attract sa akin. He's more than the visual.

To cite, I would probably wrote that one time no'ng pinagreport ako sa Human Resource Organization. Nasa techroom kami, tanging ilaw lang sa projector ang makikita. Absent ako prior that so sufficed to say, hindi ako prepared that day. Isang oras ko nga lang ginawa ang powerpoint not to mention, kulang-kulang pa.

I recalled Dylan as a classmate na mahilig sumipsip sa professors, tipong hindi naman sa kanya inutos magkukusa siyang i-setup ang computer, ang projector, ang aircon. Except for that day, may ginawa siya para magkaro'n ng glitch sa projector at computer. Using his charisma, he then told our professor, 'Next meeting na lang natin ituloy reporting, Ma'am.'

I knew he did that para maaga na kaming paalisin, but unbeknown to him, he saved me from an embarrassing situation. Sa next meeting bumawi ako sa presentation but I never got the chance to thank Dylan about it. I must. But if within yourself you didn't feel worthy for that conversation, would you have the courage? I didn't. Nanalangin na lang ako na sana gumawa ang universe ng way, ng excuse para kausapin niya ako. It wasn't answered.

But now that his life was numbered by a so-called doctor, tingin ko dapat ako naman gumawa ng way na magkausap kami. Desperate? Perhaps. That said, gumawa ako ng social media account. I never made one before kahit ito 'yong uso noon. Ano bang mai-status ko? And who cares?

Kay Dylan siguro necessity ang pagkakaroon nito. And to think madadalian lang ako sa paghahanap ng name niya. There were at least five accounts na may name ni Dylan but I doubted the authenticity. Then I just remembered, sinabi nga pala ni Cathy nag-deactivate siya. Sinubukan ko na lang i-search ang buong name ni Cathy.

Hindi pa niya pinapalitan ng surname ni Reggie ang apelido niya pero totoo ngang in a relationship sila. In-add ko siya. In-add ko sila. And upon clicking Reggie's profile, naalala ko na lang 'yong time na binato nila ng itlog 'yong kotse ni Sir Capili dahil siningko sila sa Environmental Science. Muntik na akong mapagbintangan ni Sir dahil sakto pagdating niya sa paradahan nakita niya akong natigilan. Let's just say, underdeveloped ang social skills ko that if it weren't for Dylan na-framed na siguro ako. Dylan told Sir Capili na napadaan lang ako. And because he defended me, pinagtakpan ko na rin mga kaibigan niya.

Hanggang pag-add lang ang ginawa ko because I assumed once nakita nila Cathy ang notif na 'yon maaalala niya 'yong usapan namin sa grocery store. That said, I tried my best to focus on my work. It was lunch when I received a call. I kept my excitement to minimum when I saw it's Cathy.

"Hi, Cathy! Kumusta –" Hininaan ko ang boses after some glanced at me. "Kumusta si Dylan?"

"Nagpalabas na si Dylan sa hospital. Sa bahay na lang daw niya gugugulin mga huling araw niya. Alam mo naman bahay niya, 'di ba?"