YATD5
The sky is uncommonly clear today. It's beautiful... maybe. However, I like seeing clouds in it more. Bumaba ang tingin ko sa mga estudyanteng nag-uunahan at nagsisiksikan sa isang direksyon. Iyon agad ang kapansin-pansin pagkapasok pa lang ng school.
I shifted my gaze away from it and continued walking. I know what they are looking at and I couldn't care much. Ang aga-aga pa para makipagsiksikan. I opened my phone to focus on finding the new schedule I fixed on a certain app to recall where my first subject will be.
"Good morning, Miss No. 1."
Lumingon ako para tignan ang sumabay sa paglalakad ko kahit kilala ko na naman kung sino iyon. My eyebrow shot up when I recognize the slight change in him. He got a new haircut. I don't know why I immediately notice it even if it's not too obvious.
"Aren't you going to look at your name?"
"I lost to you again."
Tumaas ang kilay ko. If that's the case, then he must be the second on the list. However, I still see rankings as futile. I still don't like its entire essence. Aside from that, look at this one, he's second only to me. Does that mean I'm better than him? Maybe. But the fact that he's studying and working at the same time, would that change something? Maybe.
"Wow... I haven't seen you for almost a month and you're still giving me cold shoulders. Can I sulk?" he asked with bitterness.
I look at him. "You weren't at the party."
His eyes beamed and he grinned. "Yeah. Did you look for me?"
Sumimangot ako. "Why would I?"
"How would you know I wasn't there if you didn't look for me?"
"Because I didn't see you. Simple."
He laughed. "We went to the States for holidays. Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Chess."
"Tss..."
"At least greet me back like a normal person?"
Binilisan ko ang paglalakad ko, pero saglit lang din iyon dahil agad kong napagtanto na mabilis rin naman niya akong mahahabol dahil malalaki ang hakaw niya.
"Is this where your first class will be?"
It's the start of the second semester. Kaya marami ring nagsisiksikan sa unahan ng bulletin board dahil tuwing unang araw nito pino-post ang results ng finals ng first semester. The holidays passed by quickly—which in fact, is what I'm thankful for. It's always more stressful staying at home and being around my parents all the time.
"We're in the same class," he said with a slight laugh of disbelief after he muttered the last word. Agad akong napalingon sa kanya at tinaasan siya ng kilay.
"I'm not kidding," he argued even though I haven't said anything yet.
Hindi katulad noong freshmen na block section ang meron, the rest of the following years are in free sectioning. We have the freedom to fix our schedules. It seems like we enrolled in the same class this time.
"May sinabi ba ako?" tanong ko at binuksan na ang pinto para makapasok. No one's inside yet. I expected it already because there's still a lot of people in the ground. It's the first day, anyway.
"You looked at me like you don't believe me."
I shrugged. I'm not shocked about it. It's not impossible to have the same class as him, after all, we're in the same year and course.
Umikot ang mata ko sa paligid upang pumili ng upuan. Dumiretso ako sa dulong upuan sa gitna. I don't really like being at the back because I want to listen to the discussion. I also don't want to be in front because I can hear all the noises from my classmates at my back. Being in the middle is a good position.
