Chapter 11
From: Salty Juancho
Forget it. I don't care who you like. I still won't do the interview.
Ala una na ng madaling araw nang matanggap ko ang mensaheng 'yon mula sa kanya. Nangangalkal kami ni Mari ng puwede kong isuot para sa photoshoot, at kahit halos dalawang oras na ang nakakalipas nang sabihin ko sa kanya ang tungkol sa pageant, hindi pa rin siya kumakalma.
"Pageants need to be planned for like a month. You have to study for Q&A and work on your killer walk," paglilitanya niya habang inilalabas ang kung ano-anong dress sa cabinet niya. "Gaya n'yan. Sa Friday na agad ang photoshoot n'yo. May kliyente ako no'n! Magca-cancel pa ako."
Hindi ko siya pinansin. I sat in her bed and typed a reply to Juancho.
To: Salty Juancho
Damot mo. Kapag ako na-delay, sisisihin kita hanggang sa mamatay ako.
I sulked a bit after hitting the send button. I needed to act like I wasn't interested in him in any way. Baka napapansin niya nang iba ang tingin ko sa kanya kaya kampante ang ngisi niya nang tinitingnan ako no'ng practice.
His face was still vivid in my mind. Kahit ang pagraragasa ng kaba sa puso ko ay hindi ko malilimutan. He was attractive in every sense possible, and I couldn't believe I actually liked him despite our minimal interaction. Ni hindi ko madala ang sarili ko para tanungin siya ng tungkol kay Psyche. I had the feeling that if I knew what was going on between them, I would be disappointed.
Ibababa ko na sana ang telepono para tulungan si Mari nang muling mag-vibrate ito.
From: Salty Juancho
It's past midnight. Thinking about your boy so much you can't sleep?
Napasimangot ako sa text niya. Pakiramdam ko ay inaakusahan niya ako na lumalandi. Eh, ano naman sa kanya ngayon kung gising pa ako at nag-iisip ng lalaki? Ni wala nga siyang pakialam! If he did, he'd definitely do the interview!
To: Salty Juancho
No questions, please. I'll only answer personal questions when you do the interview. Pero since tumanggi ka na, I think I have to figure things out on my own.
From: Salty Juancho
Keep thinking about him then. And stop approaching me. I won't tolerate you anymore.
Kumunot ang noo ko. Ano bang nangyayari sa kanya at pikon na naman siya? I thought we'd come to terms already! Ang bait-bait niya na sa'kin no'ng nakaraan!
To: Salty Juancho
Stop approaching you? Paano kita ma-i-interview?!
A minute has gone by, and he still hasn't responded. I gripped my phone tightly and tapped out another message to him.
To: Salty Juancho
One last topic and you're not going to hear anything from me again. I swear. Kung gusto mo, ide-delete ko rin 'yong maisusulat ko after malagyan ng grade ni Ma'am. I won't write shit without your approval. I only need the interview details and a picture for documentation.
"Are you seriously texting someone right now?" untag sa akin ni Mari, magkasalubong ang mga kilay at nangingilatis ang mga mata. "Magsusukat ka pa. I'm a bit taller and curvier than you. You might still need to have the outfit altered. Wala nang oras para magpa-chill-chill ka."
"Teka lang," sagot ko sa kanya bago muling ibinaba ang tingin sa telepono, umaasang may sagot na si Juancho pero wala. "Sa project ko 'to."
I gave in to the impulse to send him another text message, which I knew I didn't mean and wouldn't intend to do.
BINABASA MO ANG
Words Written in Water (Loser #3)
RomanceTHE LOSERS' CLUB SERIES 3 In need of juicy news for her online publication, the struggling journalism student, Millicent Rae Velasco, was forced to interview the intimidating student council president of their university, Juancho Alas Montero. But...
