Queen Tiger

Chapter 21

(Dom's POV)

"Send your mom my thanks." Tita Susan said.

"Sure thing po tita." I answered. My mom asked me to bring Tita Susan and the rest of the Tengs some of her homemade tarts.

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Tita offered.

"If you say no, magtatampo ako." She announced before I could answer.

"Guess I have no choice." I smiled. "And I missed your cooking na po."

Tita Susan smiled warmly at me.

"The boys are upstairs playing a game. You better join them, mejo matagal pa yung niluluto ko."

"Tulungan ko na po kayo."

Tita Susan decline. And with Tita, there's no point of arguing. She was able to easily send me upstairs. I found Jeric and Jeron playing NBA. Jeric is winning.

"Change the loser." I sat at the bed beside Jeric.

Jeric grunt in reply.

"Just the person I'm thinking of. I was planning to phone you after dinner e." Jeron said.

I smiled.

"Well, here I am."

"Maybe later." Jeron replied eyeing Jeric.

I have been trying to strike a conversation with Jeric but he's giving me the silent treatment. I wonder what's up with him. PMS? Jeron was able to catch up Jeric's score during the last few minutes of fourth quarter and won the game.

"Yehey. Ako naman." I beamed and took the controller from Jeric's hand.

"Bahala na kayo jan." Jeric said and left.

PMS is understated. Perhaps menopause describes Jeric's crankiness much better.

"Anong problema non?" I asked Jeron when Jeric was gone.

"Dunno. He's been like that since yesterday night e. Maybe he had a fight with Erica." Jeron answered.

"Oh..."

"You ok?" 

I nodded. "It’s... "I paused to rethink my sentence. "He hasn’t mentioned anything to me. I just realized that we weren’t talking about ourselves much lately."

Jeron pat my head.

"Anyway, you were saying earlier?" I changed to topic.

"The day after you went off board when we went for firefly watching, you talked to Erica by the buffet tables, right?" Jeron reminded me.

"Yes." I answered.

"He told us you were mad back then because he told Jeric that you were leaning too far. Is it true?"

"It is true that I was mad at her. But not because of the reason that she claims." I sighed. "I didn't really fell off the boat because I was leaning far at the railings." 

Jeron nodded, encouraging me to go on with my side of the story.

"She pushed me." I whispered afraid someone else might hear.

"What?!" Jeron exclaimed.

"Hey keep it down."

"Why didn't you tell Kuya that she pushed you?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I' afraid that he might not believe me... You know, it’s my words against Erica's and she is his Queen Tiger."

"You're his best friend."