CLASS WITH A MISFIT: Along with the Beauties

Session 08

-INTELLIGENT'S ASSUMPTIONS-

CHARRE

Kasabay ng pagbukas ng elevator na kinapalooban ko ay ang pagsalubong sa akin ng mukha ni Kevent.

Hindi niya yata inaasahan ang presensiya ko dahil batid ko ang bahagya niyang pagpitlag sa kaniyang kinatatayuan.

'His eyes came back to purple,' nasabi ko nalang sa isip lalo na't una kong napansin ang kaniyang mga mata.

Awkward siyang pumasok sa loob bago pinindot ang pupuntahan niyang floor dito sa Metro Mall.

Katahimikan. Ito ang bumabadya sa ilang minuto na naming pagkakatayo-tayo dito sa loob ng elevator, kaming dalawa lang din ang nandito sa loob.

I only moved my eyeballs to look at him in my periphery.

'Naka-move on na kaya siya matapos ang nangyari sa klase? Halata pa naman sa kaniyang ayaw niyang nagpapatalo't ayaw niyang nalalamangan.'

Kaagad ko namang inalis ang tingin sa kaniya nang siya na naman ang nagkilos ng mga mata sa akin.

'I bet not, and I think he's thinking a strategy to make our class perform well in the ranking system,' naisip ko pa nang napansin ang pagsalubong ng kaniyang mga kilay.

43 points, iyon ang nakuha ng klase namin matapos ang unang linggo ng pasukan.

Patunay nga ba itong, End Class nga kami?

Hindi... hindi ko masasabi.

"You stood against the class earlier. Who would ever think about that?" I broke the silence between us.

"If you think that's an act of protecting you, then please find your brain."

"I know, you didn't do that for me," kaagad ko namang ganti.

Sa pagitan namin ay tila isang nakakatensyong katahimikan.

"Mabuti namang naisip mong hindi ko kasalanan ang naging resulta ng ranking," sabi ko pa.

"For the record, delinquency ang isa sa mga rason ng kukuting nating nakuha," he said, napansin ko ang pagkuyom ng kamao niya.

"Do you think it is?" I asked him.

"I think so. I do not know much about how the system works but I think it's for the reason that most of those who pick on you are from our class," he said with certainty. Dagdag pa niya, "Ang masaklap nga'y during classes pa talaga nila iyon ginagawa. The reason is obvious and I think you already know. They want you out."

'So, he knew all about them.'

"You seem to know what our classmates are plotting against me since day one, yet you did nothing as our class leader. Are you involved too?"

"Tsk," kaagad na tugon niya. "I never thought delinquency is a part of the assessment system. Who knows? And for the record, kahit sa manual ay hindi malinaw ang mga detalye ng school system. Kung alam ko lang, I could've done something to at least stop the deductions."

In my peripheral vision, he faced me, "Is that a fair summary that I don't even give a damn care wasting my time in bullying you physically?"

"But verbally, yes." I cut him.

"Fine, and I must admit I must accept the fact that there's a misfit in the class."

"There you go again, still pushing that belief of yours that I'm a misfit."

"Because it's what my level of intelligence tells me."

Hindi ko pa rin siya tinignan nang diretso. 'That's it... words from a selfish jerk like him.'