Into The Reality (PUBLISHED UNDER LINES OF LOVE)

Chapter 1: How I Thought Life Was An Open Door

Into The Reality - Chapter 1

"Sinong representative ng Group 1?" Tanong ni miss pagkatapos niya kami bigyan ng oras na ihanda ang manila paper para sa reporting.

"Si Katrina po!"

"Si Alice, ma'am!"

"Okay, Alice. Please proceed to the front of the class and start your reporting," saad ni miss.

Tinapik ko ang katabi ko na si Martin para siya ang mag-hahawak ng manila paper.

"Hoy, tumayo ka na riyan. Wala ka na ngang ambag, ayaw mo pang mag-hawak ng manila paper." Maldita kong bulong sa kan'ya. Napa-tayo naman siya habang hawak ang manila paper ng grupo namin pero kita pa rin na labag sa kalooban niya ito. Sumunod na lang ako sa kan'ya at hinayaan na siya ang mauna sa harapan. He's a varsity. I'm not stereotyping people, pero ang mga varsity, hindi gaanong nag-seseryoso sa pag-aaral! I was already giving him a benefit of the doubt by holding the manila paper!

"I am Katrina Alice Avelista, the leader. Today, we'll discuss about how the members of our group, see ourselves in the near future." I confidently started our report.

Honestly, I hustled my groupmates to answer my question, to how they saw themselves in the near future. If they saw themselves being successful, or if they achieved the dream job they wanted.

Because for me... I see nothing, but a simple life.

I'm contented of my life, to the point that I don't strive for anything anymore. I don't dream. Or maybe that's just because I don't know what I even want. Achieving in school, finding a decent job, paying back my family. I guess, that's it. Nothing else, nothing more.

"That's the end of our report. Thank you for listening." I smiled confidently to end, and our classmates clapped. "Any questions?"

"Ba't mo naman sinabi na magtanong? Pinapahirapan mo pa sarili mo." Bulong niya mula sa likuran ko. Napabuga siya ng hangin. Gusto ko siyang tadyakan, pero kitang-kita dahil nasa harapan kaming dalawa.

"Oh please, just shut up. If you don't know the answer, I'll answer. Stupid," sagot ko sa kan'ya nang hindi humaharap sa kan'ya para hindi kami mahalata.

"I just noticed Ms. Avelista, you stated your groupmates' answer, but not yours. What's your dream? How do you see yourself in the next 5 years, or maybe more years than that?" Our subject teacher asked. This is the first time in my life that I regretted asking for others' questions about our report.

Why am I the only one with no dream? How did they find out what they want to become?

And why is it that I don't have anything I want to do?

"Ms. Avelista? Katrina, are you okay?"

I stared into nothingness for seconds or for a minute for all I know, and if Martin did not pinch my arm from behind my back, I wouldn't snap back to reality.