All Shades of Wrong

Prologue

Hinila ni Amy ang braso ko at matalim akong tinitigan, na para bang sa titig niyang 'yon ay mababago niya ang isip ko sa aking desisyon. I smiled and shook my head firmly at her.

"Amy. . ." Panimula ko, "I've already decided. At dadating na si Kuya in a few minutes. You can't change my mind."

She pouted, "So who will I spend my summer with?"

"Come on!" Tumawa ako, "You're miss popular! Kahit saan ka pumunta, may mahahanap kang kaibigan. You can use their company while I'm not around."

"Are you really sure about this, Stacy? I mean, it's a farm. You've always been a city girl. You'll get bored there." She tried more to convince me against going.

"I could use some fresh air, away from the city. Lalo na pagkatapos ng nangyari sa amin ni Noah." Matamlay akong ngumiti.

She stared at me, a pout still on her face. After a while she finally sighed, nodding her head.

"I understand. . . Sorry, I'm just being selfish right now. Unang beses kasing hindi kita makakasama for a summer vacay, and it's all so new to me to not have you around."

"Amy!" I laughed, feeling my heart swell.

I pulled my best friend in a tight embrace. I'm gonna miss her so much too, pero sa panahong ito, kailangan ko munang unahin ang sarili ko. Kailangan kong makahinga ng maluwag, palayo sa mga bagay na sumasakal na sa'kin. I know she'll do just fine, though. With her bubbly personality and the amount of people she knows around here, she won't be alone.

"What do I tell Noah when he asks about you? In case magkita kami?" Kinagat ni Amy ang ibabang labi niya, halatang nag-aalala.

"Just. . . just tell him sinama ako ni daddy sa bakasyon. We'll fix things up once we've cleared our heads after this summer."

"Do you think magbabalikan pa kayo?" Amy asked.

Napatingin ako sa kawalan. God knows how much I'm hoping that he'll choose me and come back to me. But my confidence is on shaky ground right now, especially with everything that happened. Hindi ko alam kung ako ang pipiliin niya, at kung ako man, hindi ko alam kung napipilitan lang siya.

I smiled weakly, "Sana." Tanging yun lang ang nasabi ko.

A tense silence filled the air before the rumble of an engine chased the silence away. Pumarada ang puting sasakyan na pagmamay-ari ni Kuya sa harap ng kinatatayuan namin ni Amy. Bumaba si Kuya ng sasakyan at sinalubong kami para tulungan ako sa paglalagay ng mga dala ko.

"Hi payatot." Nakangising tawag niya kay Amy.

Umismid si Amy at inirapan ito.

"Tara na? Baka ma-traffic tayo." Sabi ni Kuya. He reached for my red suitcase and placed it inside the car's trunk. Sunod niyang kinuha ang dalawa ko pang bagahe at pinasok din yon sa sasakyan.

Hinarap ko si Amy, "I'll still call you from time to time, okay?" Sabi ko sa kanya.

She rolled her eyes, "Sure, kung may signal don."

Tumawa nalang ako, "I'll find a way, for you." Saad ko habang umiiling.

"Take care," Rinig ko ang lungkot sa tono ng boses ni Amy.

"You too. And don't worry, it's just for two months. I'll be back before you know it." Binuksan ko na ang pinto ng sasakyan at tumapak sa loob nito.

Isang mahigpit na yakap ang ginawad sa'kin ni Amy bago ako hinayang tuluyang pumasok. Once inside, I rolled the window on my side down, waving at her.