Mistakes We Can't Laugh About (Loser #2)

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

And so I did.

I carried a deep-seated loathing for Leon, and right now, the mere thought of being in the same room as him makes my blood boil.

"What are you guys complaining about? I paired you all up perfectly," Ma'am Abulencia asked as soon as she entered our room.

Some of my classmates voiced their disapproval.

Pinandilatan sila ni Ma'am. "What?"

"Ma'am, sina Leon at Mari po ba ang magka-partner?" tanong ng Meg.

"Bakit? Ano bang nakita n'yo sa file na isinend ko?"

"Hay . . . buti na lang si Zoey ang ka-partner ko," bulong ni Shaira sa tabi ko.

"Ma'am, hindi dapat top students ang magka-pair!" one of my classmates complained, which was immediately supported by the rest of our class.

Nagbuntong-hininga na lang ako. I knew I could do all the tasks by myself, and I'd rather be paired with a freeloader than have to work with Leon. Iniisip ko pa nga lang na siya ang makakasama ko sa paggagawa ng thesis na halos isang taon naming pagtatrabahuhan ay napipikon na ako.

Doing the written report for general zoology together was bearable, but the thesis was a different story!

"That's exactly the reason why I paired most of the top students together," sabi ni Ma'am. "Because I know you'll depend on them and might even let them do all the work."

Natahimik ang mga kaklase ko. I massaged my temples gently as my gaze strayed around the room. Some of my classmates looked uninterested, some were venting out their frustrations, and some were attentively taking in everything that Ma'am Abulencia had to say.

But then, just like what always happens, my attention was suddenly drawn to my partner because I realized that he was already watching me. Agad ko siyang inirapan bago mabilis na ibinalik ang tingin kay Ma'am.

God . . . I hate him. He felt like a mistake I couldn't get away from.

Hindi na rumehistro sa utak ko ang mga sinabi pa ni Ma'am. Well, I chose not to. Mukha naman kasing sarado na ang isip niya tungkol sa pairing.

The two-hour lecture started, and Meg quietly complained the whole time because she was paired with our classmate who was known for being a big slacker. Hindi pa nakatulong na nagkaroon kami ng surprise quiz tungkol sa topic pagkatapos ng discussion. Tuloy ay badtrip na badtrip siya.

"Uuwing nakasimangot," pang-aasar ni Shaira.

"Kaysa naman sa 'yo," sagot ni Meg bago tiningnan ang babae mula ulo hanggang paa. "Uuwing pangit."

Napatawa si Zoey. "Salaw!"

I stood up after putting all my stuff inside my bag. Nagsasabong na sina Shaira at Meg at mukhang tuwang-tuwa naman si Zoey sa nakikita. Hindi ko alam kung saan nila nakukuha ang energy nila gayong parang kanina lang ay antok na antok sila sa lecture.

"Shaira!" sigaw ni Thaddeus mula sa pintuan ng room.

Mukhang uwian na rin nila. Dahil malapit na ang finals, kadalasan sa mga teacher ngayon ay abala na sa paggagawa ng exam. Marami tuloy sa amin ang tamad na tamad nang pumapasok lalo at naibigay naman na ng teachers namin ang pointers to review.

"Pangit pero may kalandian," ngiting-aso ni Shaira bago pumunta sa lalaki.

Zoey frowned as she quickly followed her. "Hoy! Gagawa tayo ng report ngayon!"

Hindi na ako nagulat nang magpaalam din sa akin si Meg para kausapin ang partner niya.

I looked around. Now I wonder where Leon is. Siguro naman ay kaya naming mag-division of labor na lang. We'd work on our respective tasks, then merge them into a single document. Hindi na kailangan maging sobrang hands-on. Hindi naman para basahin ni Ma'am ang lahat ng report namin.