Counting Our Chemistry (ON-GOING) High School Series #1

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Naging mabilis lang ang opening, after the prayer and national anthem ay may sinabi lang na kung ano ang MC, hindi ko masiyadong naintindihan iyon because my mind was preoccupied by Ezhrell. To make matters worse, I caught him looking at me several times. Ang mga mata niya ay matamlay, ngunit nangungusap na para bang may sinasabi ang mga iyon. Kapag kaganoon ay umiiwas na lamang ako ng tingin at ibinabaling na lang iyon sa unahan. Minsan nga ay kunwaring iginagala ko na lamang ng tingin ang gym just to alleviate the discomfort he caused me.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief when the MC called him after our Dean's long speech. I heard some muffled screams, some praises as Ezhrell stepped onto the stage.

He adjusted the microphone and looked around with a wide smile on his lips. Halos kita na ang ngipin at ang biloy sa kaniyang pisngi. Parang kanina lang ay ang tamlay-tamlay niya, but now he seems so lively.

"Good evening, everyone."

For his age, Ezhrell was incredibly well-built. You could tell he was strong, almost intimidating, with his broad shoulders and defined muscles. While his almond-shaped eyes, though captivating, also held a certain depth that was hard to ignore.

Nakita ko ang pag-galaw ng kaniyang lalagukan matapos marahan na basain ang ibaba niyang labi.

"Honestly, I'm a little nervous right now. No one informed me that I was included in the welcome speech tonight. I guess this is my Mom's way of surprising me."

Pag-amin niya, mahina namang natawa ang mga kapwa namin estudyante, gano'n din ang kaniyang ina. Malakas na naghiyawan naman ang mga kaibigan niya; may isa pang sumipol, dahilan para pansamantalang mabaling sa kanila ang atensyon. Narinig naman sa mikropono ang mahinang halakhak ng lalaki.

"But I want to take this opportunity to thank you all. Thank you for voting for me and for putting your trust in me. To be honest, I didn't expect to win kasi kitang-kita ko rin ang pagsisikap ng partido nila Miaidan," binalingan niya ng tingin ang table nila Miaidan, nahihiyang ngumiti naman sa kanya ang lalaki.

"Kasi kahit ako ay bumilib sa kaniya, lalong-lalo na sa plataporma ng partido niya," Ezhrell added. "That's why, I also want to congratulate him. Congratulations, bro," he said, sincerely.

Miaidan bowed his head to show his gratitude.

I can't help but to admire Ezhrell's humbleness. Kung siguro ibang tao 'yon, ay binida niya na ang sarili. Pero hindi, sa halip ay nagawa niya pang purihin ang ibang tao. I mean, pu-puwede niyang angkinin ang spotlight kung gugustohin niya, pero hindi niya ginawa.

"Kaya nga napag-usapan rin ng partido namin na even if we lose, we will still fulfill the promises we made in our platform. And to my party list, maraming-maraming salamat sa inyo. Bagaman nakakalungkot na ang ilan sa inyo ay hindi pinalad, I'm still proud of you, guys. Mula sa pag-isip ng pangalan ng ating partido, sa pagbuo ng plataporma, and during the 2-day campaign— even during the voting, I witnessed everyone's hard work. So, thank you very much, guys. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to do all of this. At sigurado rin akong hindi ako magkakaroon ng pagkakataon maiparating ang pasasalamat ko sa inyo."

"Pres! Umiiyak na si Avana, oh!"

Sigaw ng isang lalaki malapit sa table namin. Nakaturo pa siya sa babaeng tinawag niyang Avana na mahinang umiiyak; inaalo naman siya ng babaeng katabi at inabutan pa ng tissue. Ezhrell just let out a soft chuckle.