What You Made Me Do

the bunny bunny

ROSE

"I hope masaya ka." Kielo voice was deliberately grumpy, self-mocking.

"It's not so bad." The reply was automatic, made before Rose had the chance to consider whether or not she meant it. It happened between them a lot these days, this kind of conversational fast-tracking. Cut and thrust, back and forth. Adversarial, but non-threatening, like two children mildly squabbling in the playground. Kielo glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, made a face.

"You know, kailangan ko maimpress si Giovanna." Umikot siya at muling tiningnan ang sarili sa salamin. "Bagay ba sa 'kin itong orchid?"

Kielo smiled faintly, not really listening. "Yeah. Yeah."

"Sigurado ka?"

Her brother started wheezing uncontrollably with laughter. "Tanong ka ng tanong tapos magdududa ka?"

"Eh bakit ka tumatawa?"

"Natawa lang ako kasi tingnan mo ha? Isang Rose nakasuot ng orchid?" Halos maglupasay na ang kapatid niya sa kakatawa.

"Excuse me. Orchid, as in color. Palibhasa you don't have a sense of fashion, so you're arrogant." She looked at the note she made for this day, screwed it up into a ball and throw it at him. "By the way, did you know your name is from the Lily of the valley flower thing? And mom's dog is named Lily? Coindence?"

Realization hit her brother, making him ran downstairs. "Mom, is it true? Tell me it's not!"

She took a deep breath. Finally. Today is the day. Giovanna De Luca will witness how a star is born. She would be one step closer to her dreams-to be a fashion icon.

She was now looking at it. The majestic building that soon where her kingdom will be. Rose paused and glanced at the acrylic nameplate before metallic door. Giovanna De Luca. Modeling Agency. She took a long deep breath.

Dumiretso siya sa front desk at tinanong kung saan audition. Agad naman siyang itinuro nito pakaliwa.

There was a long queue of girls waiting for their turn. Silent. Focused. No one dared to talk to the girl sitting next to them. The number of girls were undending. She tried to count, but then she lost track. They were too many. But who wouldn't audition? It was Giovanna f*cking De Luca, for God's sake. Everyone would do anything for them to be signed up in this agency. Even killing each other, she thought.

Rose let the silence stretched, kept up her confidence, and decided to settle on the unoccuppied chair at the last of the queue. Every footfall of her rosegold heels made the girls glance at her from head to toes.

Bago pa man siya makaupo ay may nauna nang makaupo rito. She didn't have to look at her to see the expression on her face: focused and vacant, a strange mixture of determination and overconfidence.

"OK ..." she said, just for the sake of speaking.

As soon as her back kissed the metal frame of her chair, a woman with papers appeared at the entrance. She wasn't doing an audition. She looked like an assitant.

"Diane." The woman's eyes were glued at the paper.

Nanlaki ang mga mata niya sa narinig. Diane? Where was she?

"Lee. Diane Lee." The woman repeated.

A chinese-looking woman in her mid-30's emerged somewhere in the middle of the line. She followed the assistant.

"I wished they could sign me up." Rose was rubbing the flat of her palm at her legs. She needed a few moments to smooth my frazzled nerves.

Bago pa man siya magdesisyong tumayo, tumatakbong umiiyak yung babaeng kapapasok pa lamang kanina.