UNTIL YOU : Hezekiah & China (Ongoing)

UNTIL YOU 3: SOMEONE YOU LOVE TO HATE

Strike One

“Hezekiah!”

“Heze-Hezi!”

“Hezi-kuku!”

Patuloy sa paglalakad at walang hinting nagpatuloy si Hezekiah sa pagbibingi-bingihan sa naririnig na boses. The 10 year old young lad knew that if he ever so slightly miss a step or if he made a mistake of a muscle into glancing into his back or any direction near that voice, something would make his day miserable.

“Yoh! Hetchi!”

Hezekiah halted to a sudden stop. Napapikit siya sa inis. His jaw clampped together and he felt an impending headache coming while a grubby hand was grabbing his freaking neatly ironed collar!

Somewhere from his ominous periphery a black omen started to take its shape. Si China.

“Wui! Hindi mo ba ako babatiin?!” padaskol na binitawan ng mabigat na kamay ng amazona ang kwelyo niya. His hand immediately rushed to save his poor collar from wrinkling. “Isang linggo na ako dito at isang lingo mo na din akong iniiwasan. Para ka namang others ikaw na nga lang ang kakilala ko dito!”

So he wasn’t having a dream at all, totoo nga na nag-aaral na si China sa school nila, which was in reality a nightmare to wake up with every day since her admission. Imagine his world falling apart when he realized that he knew the transferee in their school. Same year level but FORTUNATELY not the same class for a breather. Hezekiah managed to straighten his drawn brows and calmly stare ahead. He didn’t even bother to look at her and just focused at her springy hair. Muhkang may kutong nagkukubli sa likod ng makapal na buhok nito.

 “Ang ganda pala ng school niyo no! Gravey! Mas maganda dito kesa sa public! SOSYAL! MAY GUARD! MAY MGA TV! ABA matinde may pool, Boracay lang e! HAHA!" labas ngala-ngala nito. "Bait talaga ng Father Earth mo. Wala bang nag-ge-games dito? Jackstone? Tong-its? O kahit nag-sisipa man lang? Alam mo yun yung naggaganito.”

“One! Two! Ang taas! Wooh! Saluhin niyo! Three-“ Buong pusong dinemo pa nito. Her skirt fanning each time her feet sprang up in an attempt to simulate the imaginary game. She was wearing a neon green panty.

Tuluyan nang sumakit ang ulo ni Hezekiah.

Hezekiah couldn’t look at her so he continued walking leaving her behind to what she was doing.

Yes that’s right, Papa ni Hezekiah ang nagpasok sa anak ng dilim na ito sa eskwelahan niyang ngayon lang niya napagtantong masaya pala at mapayapa kung wala lang si China. For some reason his father was so fond of her that he even sponsored her schooling. He couldn’t say any objections at all with that and it annoyed the hell out of him.

Silence and Absence of free will. A high price he had to pay into being the perfect son that his parents have always wanted. 

“Anong section mo?” 3 seconds. It took her three seconds to get to him and walk beside him. “A? B? C? D?”

“Anong section mo?” balik na tanong ni Hezekiah at tuluyan nang nilingon ang nagmo-monologue kanina pa na si China.

Namilog ang mata ni China habang ang panga naman nito naiwang nakabukas sa ere. Nagulat ata ito sa biglang tanong niya na muhkang kailangan pa nitong pag-isipan, o kaya naman nagulat dahil sa kinakausap niya ito. Hezekiah was slightly taken by surprise, her hideous teeth was still rotten and pointy but there was improvement.

“Eiii—E!” nakarecover na sagot nito. E. Ang pinakahuling section.

Good, Hezekiah thought, her class was at the end of the corridor, nowhere near his eye’s reach. Pinaalala niya sa sariling huwag na huwag na dadaan doon. Nagpatuloy muli siya sa paglalakad, nagbabakasakaling hindi na sumusunod si China pero andoon pa rin ito.