I WAS watching the twins Harper and Carter, my three year old siblings, playing on our garden while I'm reading a book on my hands. I was reading the 'The Hunger Games', book series. Hindi ako makapag-focus sa pagbabasa dahil sa ingay ng kambal.
It's been five years and I somehow gotten used to my new life. For five years, I lived as Loraine Cruz. Si Loraine ang kontrabida sa librong binabasa ko noon nung ako pa si Helena. Well, I'm still Helena inside. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ako napunta rito o kung bakit ko naaalala ang dati kong buhay. Pero ngayon, alam ko ang lahat sa mundong ginagalawan ko.
Ang fictional book na 'Eternally In Love With You' ang pinakahuling librong nabasa ko bago ko napag-isipang tapusin ang buhay ko bilang si Helena. Somehow, I really liked that book. The leading lady, Olivia Perez, also lived like how I did. Kahit na hindi pareho ang kwento namin, hindi maipagkakailang halos pareho ang pinagdaanan namin.
She only have her mother originally. Pinalaki siyang mag-isa ng nanay niya. Nabuhay sila sa kahirapan sa loob ng pitong taon hanggang sa namatay na ang nanay niya dahil sa sobrang pagod. Overfatigue, anemia, and lack of sleep were the cause of her death.
Olivia had it rough. Hindi niya kilala kung sino ang tatay niya at wala rin siyang kakilalang kamag-anak. Dalawa lang sila ng nanay niya na magkasama sa buhay. In the book, I've read what she's thinking and relate to what she's feeling. Nakita niya ang iniwang sulat ng kaniyang ina bago siya mamatay.
What was written in the note was 'Lorenzo Alfredo Cruz II ang pangalan ng tatay mo'. As if it's the work of fate, nagkita sila ni Dad--- I mean, Lorenzo.
Lorenzo is the sweetest father in the world. He pampered and spoiled me rotten. Well, my father as Helena wasn't so different as well. At least not, until my mother died.
Pero iba na ang nakaraan kaysa sa kasalukuyan. This body and life that I was given. I hate it. I hated Loraine the first time I read the book. I hated her mother too. Ginawa nilang impyerno ang pananatili ni Olivia sa mansyon at iyon ang pinagkapareho namin.
Si Olivia ay mas bata sa akin ng isang taon. Darating siya sa buhay namin sa mismong seventh birthday ko, two years from now. Siya ang magiging dahilan sa pagkakasira ng relasyon ni Lorenzo at ni Andrea, ang nanay ni ko--- ni Loraine.
I grew to love them both. Kahit na hindi ako ang tunay na Loraine, I love her parents very much. It's make me emotional everytime that I think about my life as Helena. Natatakot akong magkasira sila. Loraine have an amazing parents. And I feel bad dahil pakiramdam ko ay inagaw ko ito sa kanya. Still, I hate her because she made Olivia's life like a living hell. But as I am now Loraine. I'm starting to accept it. I'm... Claudia Loraine Cruz. Sure it's strange, but I wholeheartedly accept the way I am right now.
This whole thing makes me confused and frustrated about what I should feel. The thought that my parents' relationship will be tainted makes me want to blame everything to Olivia. Pero hindi niya iyon kasalanan. At hindi ko kayang sisihin siya dahil naiintindihan ko ang nararamdaman niya.
Two years. I still have two years to think about it. Or I just better not to think about it anymore. My life as Loraine. How will I treat Olivia. What will I feel when I finally meet her. I will just leave everything to fate.
Isinarado ko ang libro ko at huminga ng malalim. I'm just five years old in appearance but I already have a mental age of 18. Still, napapansin kong mas madaling sumasakit ang ulo ko kapag marami akong iniisip. Must be because of this young body.
"What are you doing, witch?"
I almost shrieked when Khalil suddenly appeared in front of me.
"Ano bang ginagawa mo d'yan? You startled me!" Singhal ko. Natawa naman siya. Seriously, this brat!
He's Khalil Forest and he's two years older than me. Anak siya ni Tito Ronnie na kaibigan ni Daddy. Sa libro, best of friends sila ni Loraine. Sinusuportahan ni Khalil lahat ng trip niya at magkasama sila sa lahat ng gala at party'ng mga pupuntahan. Parehas din silang famous sa campus kaya naman, solid talaga ang tandem nila.
Kaso nga lang, lingid sa kaalaman ni Loraine, Khalil started developing deeper feelings for her. But he never had a chance to confess it to her. I rooted for them two. Hinintay kong marealize ni Loraine na may lalaking katulad ni Khalil na naghihintay na masuklian ang nararamdaman niya. Pero hindi iyon nangyari. Loraine pursued the male lead until the very end of the story.
In my case, hindi ko alam kung matutulad sa original na storya ang hinaharap. And somehow, naiintindihan ko rin ang nararamdaman ni Loraine. Khalil is so pretty and gorgeous. Every girl could fall into him at first sight, but I just see him as an annoying stupid older brother and I bet he feels the same way too. And besides, our meeting turned out as a disaster unlike what happened in the story.
Originally, we are supposed to meet at his seventh birthday party. Ako ang pinakamagandang babaeng makikita niya sa birthday niya at mai-inlove siya dapat sa akin ng mga panahon na iyon.
Pero hindi iyon nangyari. I was three when they first visited our house. Hindi pa dapat kami magkikita ng panahon na iyon dahil iniwan ako ni Mommy para maglaro muna sa kwarto ko at binilinan akong huwag lumabas dahil natapunan ko ng chocolate ice cream ang damit ko. I was that of a mess but I didn't care about it. I remember about craving like crazy for chocolate ice cream and so I shamelessly walked in front of our guesses with the mess all over me. Nakakapang-init ng ulo ang pagsigaw niya ng 'witch!' nung mga panahong iyon. Porket mukha akong batang yagit sa itsura ko, witch agad? The nerve!
At ang sunod naming encounter ay noong birthday party ni Mommy. I sort er... throw a book at his face by mistake. Well, I was three years old and I was bored and the book's story line got me so much pissed off and so things happened. Naaalala ko pa kung paanong namula ang ilong ni Khalil at kung gaano kalakas ang iyak niya noong mga sandaling iyon. Hindi ko lang makuhang tumawa noon dahil sinesermunan na ako bago pa man ako makagawa ng palusot.
That's how we met and that's totally far from the original story. And that's when he started calling me a witch. He's become really rude and carefree when he's with me!
"Witch, have you finished reading that?"
Nabalik lang ako sa katinuan ng tanungin niya ako. Tiningnan ko ang librong hawak ko saka tumango. Walang hiya niyang inagaw ang libro ko mula sa kamay ko.
"Hey, stupid! Akin na nga 'yan! Hindi man lang nagpaalam!" Inis na sabi ko. He just stuck his tongue out to tease me and flicked my forehead.
"You'll go nuts if you do nothing but read the whole day! Well, I guess it won't make a huge difference since your already crazy."
He ran away before I could even process what he said. That dirt bag! The story has clearly changed. He was supposed to treat me like a princess!
Napangiti nalang ako. But you know, I like it better this way.
~END OF THE CHAPTER~
YOU ARE READING
Crazy In Love With The Male Lead - ON HOLD
Random*TAGLISH* After getting so absorbed with life's bullshit. Helena jumped off from the top of a ten-storey building intending to end her own life. Sure, she died, only to find out that she was reincarnated to a novel that she had read in her past life...
