Friendshipidity (Chase #3)

Chapter 34

Chapter 34
Sien Pelarez

"Tatanungin lang naman natin, eh! Bakit ba ayaw mo? Just get out if you don't want to hear her answer," mapanuyang sabi ni Jayce.

That did it for me. This ridiculous game really pissed me off! Hindi na dapat itinatanong kay Mae kung sino ang mas gwapo sa amin noong Xander dahil alam kong ako ang isasagot niya. Dapat ako!

It really should be me, right? 'Cause I know I'll answer her name over someone else, so she should do the same... even just for courtesy.

Courtesy. Ito na lang yata ang aasahan ko.

Tulad ng nakasanayan ay inimbitahan ko siya sa bahay dahil kay mom. Gustong gusto niya si Mae, not only because she's her, but my mom really wanted her for me. Siguro ay nakasanayan niya na lang din dahil matalik ko siyang kaibigan at palaging siya ang bukambibig ko kahit minsan sumosobra na, at kahit wala na sa lugar.

But that is Sien Pelarez for you, I'll always say Mae's name. I'll always tell stories about her, joke about her, anything... anything about my damn best friend.

"Hindi ko 'to titiklupin. I'm not your maid!" she whined when I forced her to put away my clothes.

"Ganyan ka ba sa magiging asawa mo kapag pagod galing sa trabaho? Ang damot mo naman," I said.

"Hindi ka naman galing sa trabaho," sagot niya habang pinapasadahan ng tingin ang nakakalat kong damit.

Napangisi ako. I didn't drop any name nor did say that I am his hypothetical husband. But something inside me had brightened up. Then I start to wonder, really wonder about the decisions I've chosen these past few years.

I gotta admit, Cazandra isn't a typical girl. Maton ang isang 'to, isang mali na galaw ko lang ay bugbog na ako rito. Isang biro ko lang sa kanya ay halos isang oras na ako sisigawan. What surprise me the most was that I enjoy it. Every time. Kapag hindi siya nagagalit sa akin ay hinahanap hanap ko kaya't wala ring araw na hindi ko siya tinitigilan.

I know what I feel for her, or at least I think I know. I realized that one day when she snapped at me. Iba iyong Mae na nakita ko noong inilalatag na niya sa akin ang lahat ng katangahan ko dahil lang sa isang babae. Sanay ako sa sigaw niya at sa bawat masasakit na salita. But that day when she told me she doesn't support me on my unending quest of winning her friend back, I knew she was done.

I tried to hide my confusion by acting strangely hurt. Gusto kong matawa sa sarili ko dahil iba ang napagtanto ko mula sa sinabi niya. I should think about all of my dimwitted attempt of stealing another girl from the man she loves, right? But all that I could think about that night was Mae.

I realized that I'm more than desperate to mask what I really feel for her by pining over another girl. Palagi kong ipinapaalala sa sarili ko na 'wag taluhin si Mae dahil kaibigan ko siya. But then who am I to fight love?

One morning I was ready to accept things already and to put things into place once and for all, but then I got dissuaded.

"Jayce, what do you think of Mae?"

"She's your best friend," ngumisi siya. He did a three point shot before passing me the ball. "You're not going to hit on her, are you?"

Hindi ako nakasagot. Ako naman ang tumakbo para iwasan siya at makapag-shoot sa ring. Tumawa si Jayce at umiling iling.

"Unbelievable! Sinasabi ko na nga ba! Hindi pwedeng walang mahuhulog sa inyong dalawa, e. So anong plano mo nga? Liligawan mo? Paano kung hindi ka gusto? Edi magkakalintikan na. Masisira friendship nyo."

Pagka-shoot ko sa bola ay hinarap ko siya.

"Chill! I only asked what you think of her. Your spiel made it look like I'm asking her to marry me," tumawa ako ngunit ngumiwi pa siya.