Amidst The Vying Psyches

Kabanata 27

Serenity Hiraya

"Hirang?" I heard Steven's voice before knocking on my door. "Gising ka na?"

My gaze was fixed at the white door for a moment. I was feeling empty yet I can't deny that my stomach is already growling in hunger.

I heard the doorknob twisted and I was greeted with Steven's face peeking from the outside.

"Can I come in?"

I nodded weakly.

He entered my room with a tray in his hand. I watched him as he put the food he prepared on my bedside table.

"How are you feeling?"

Tumabi siya sa akin bago inayos ang buhok ko.

Binigyan ko siya ng maliit na ngiti bago sumandal sa balikat niya.

"Okay na ako."

"Sure ka? Hindi na sobrang bigat ng pakiramdam mo?"

I nodded at him.

Pagkatapos ng announcement ng rankings two days ago ay bigla akong nagkasakit. Siguro ay dahil buong araw yata kahapon ay umiiyak ako. Medyo makalat na rin ang kuwarto ko tapos kinagabihan ay nilalagnat na ako.

Sinamahan ako ni Steven sa clinic at nalaman namin ang dahilan ng lagnat ko. It turns out I had a psychogenic fever. It's a type of fever which is caused by psychological factors. In my case, I developed this fever because of emotional stress and anxiety.

Ni hindi ko nga alam na pwede pala akong lagnatin dahil lang sa sobrang stress at pressure.

He scooted closer and grabbed my hair claw to tie my hair into a bun. He then fed me the fruits he prepared.

"Kaya mo na pumasok bukas?"

I looked up to him before answering, " of course. Sayang ng araw at attendance. As much as possible, I need to regain my rank."

"This time, please don't hesitate to ask for my help, alright? I will help you as long as I can."

I nodded before continuing eating.

He stayed with me until lunch since after that, he needed to run some errands.

Kinabukasan ay mas magaan na ang pakiramdam ko. Mabuti na lang at konting discussions lang ang ginawa sa mga unang subjects dahil kakapasok palang naman ng second quarter.

Kahit mukha akong lantang gulay ay sinubukan kong ma-survive ang isang araw. Kasama ko naman ang mga kaibigan ko at si Steven kaya kahit papaano ay hindi ko na masyadong naiisip ang tungkol sa ranking ko.

When the day ended, Steven promised to study with me while we were eating dinner. He said that it can help me to be motivated and be attentive in class again.

We made it a thing to put our phones on silent when studying. We came up with this so that nothing can disturb us and we can focus on reading our lessons.

We've been studying for almost an hour. Both of us would explain a certain lesson on each subject. Then, we would look for different modules online where we can assess our learnings.

"Saang topic ka pa nahihirapan, hirang?"

I pouted and flipped the pages of my notes to one specific topic in Physical Science.

"So far, dito lang naman ako nahihirapan. Gets ko naman siya pero pag nasa question form na, nalilito na ako."

He smiled and gave me head pats.

"Alright...let's start with the basics—"

Hindi siya natapos sa pag salita nang maagaw ng atensyon namin ang pag-ilaw ng cellphone niya.