I Was Her

Chapter 29

PENELOPE'S POINT OF VIEW

"Penelope."

I turn my eyes to the boy who calls me, tinaasan ko lang siya ng kilay.

Who is this guy again?

"We have a game this Saturday; can you come?" he asks.

His other teammates tease him.

"Oh', I forgot about that!" Michal exclaims.

"Can you guys come?" he asks.

Peony and I stare at each other. She's sitting in front of me beside Michal, while I'm alone in the seat. She smiles, but I don't.

"Sure!"

"Pass," I say, bored.

"Why pass?" they all ask kasama ang mga kaibigan ni Michal na nasa kabilang table sa tabi namin-na para bang close na close na kami.

"I'll be busy that day," I say.

"Doing homework?" The other guy asks the one who asked me first to come with their game.

I look away to stab my food.

"Yes,"

"Come on, Pen, please? Just one," Peony insists while giving me a pretty please look.

I breathe.

I can't.

"I'll think about it," I say to finish the conversation.

"Yey!" they exclaim.

Peony now has a boyfriend without her family knowing about it. I didn't see that coming. Seriously. Sigurado ako na magugulat 'din ang buong pamilya niya kapag nalaman nila ang about kay Peony. Now I know why Peony becomes so sad when I sometimes insist on eating in the classroom sa kadahilanang wala siyang silay sa nobyo niya.

Some girls can't accept the fact that one of their campus crushes isn't single anymore. They start spreading hateful rumors about Peony's relationship. Nararamdaman ko na apektado pa 'rin si Peony sa mga bagay-bagay na naririnig niya sa araw-araw na pagpasok niya dito sa school, but she chooses not to care about them anymore. Though it's kind of a good job, I can't deny that I am worried that she might be having a hard time deep inside.

Michal is a Grade 8 student. I thought at first that he was a third-year student, but he's not. He's the goalkeeper for his team, and that's all I know about him, nothing more, nothing less. Michal and I aren't particularly close, and neither are his friends. Sadyang feeling close lang sila sakin, tsk!

After I found out about their relationship, Peony's boyfriend started sticking with us every single lunch together with his other teammates. Lagi namin silang kasabay kumain. Hindi katulad dati noong wala pa akong alam, tahimik ang pagkain ko at mas nae-enjoy ko ang lunch ko.

Ngayon masasabi kona na nakapapanakit na ng ulo dahil hindi sila nauubusan ng kwento, sasabihin at ng tawanan. Yet I find it amusing because I have never experienced being surrounded by innocent people like them. When I say innocent, I literally mean innocent because they are not murderers like me.

They are all handsome, but they are not my type. Come on, I may be a girl on the outside, but my soul is a woman. Parang child abuse naman ako if may patulan ako isa sa kanila. No way in hell!

I can't wait to be of legal age so that I can have sex with the guys I like. When I say guys, I mean probably not a boy but a man. Pero sa kalagayan ko ngayon? Wala akong choice kundi ang magtiis dahil hindi ko maaaring bigyan ng kahihiyan ang pamilyang tinutuluyan ko.