Almost, But Not Quite (COMPLETED)

Chapter 07

#ABNQ07 Chapter 07

Luckily, weekend came fast. Hindi ko rin kasi alam kung ano ang gagawin ko. And like a routine, I turned off my phone. Buong weekend, gumawa lang ako ng mga homeworks. Nag-advance read na rin ako sa ibang subjects namin. I thought my parents would be proud because you know, I was actually studying, but my Dad sat me down and asked me if something's wrong. He said he's actually worried dahil hindi na ako lumalabas kagaya ng dati. At dahil ayoko naman sabihin sa kanya 'yung problema ko sa lovelife because that would be really weird, I just shrugged his question off.

"I'm fine, Dad, really," I said, trying to convince him. My dad's the doctor, so he's more sensitive than my mom. Sa palagay ko nga dahil sa dami ng criminal na naka-usap ng nanay ko dahil sa trabaho niya e wala na siyang tiwala sa humanity.

It's nice to have a dad who cares about my mental and emotional health, but it's just weird sometimes.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"If you find it weird talking to your dad, kahit kay Manang ka makipag-usap. Basta may kausap ka."

Natawa ako. "I find weird that you ended up with someone as stern as Mom." My Dad's one of the nicest people in the world. Some would say that doctors tend to become heartless overtime dahil palagi silang nakaka-kita ng pagkamatay. Thankfully, my dad's still the sweetest guy on the planet.

Dad laughed, then tousled my hair. "Life's mysterious, anak," he said, then stood up. "I'll be going to the hospital. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

"Yes, dad," I said, though he rarely replies kapag nasa trabaho siya kasi busy siya sa kung anu-anong neuro-shits niya. Mabuti na lang talaga pareho silang workaholic ng nanay ko kaya nagkaka-sundo sila sa late night shifts sa trabaho.

After talking to Dad, I tried to follow his advice, but even by just thinking about it, I was already dreading Monday. Makikita ko na kasi silang lahat. Wala akong tatakbuhan kasi nasa iisang classroom lang kami. Hindi kapag weekend na pwede akong magpatay ng phone, at pilitin si Manang na sabihin na wala ako kapag may naghanap sa akin.

Upon arriving at the room, I stopped abruptly. Pinakiramdaman ko iyong sarili ko. Ang lakas ng tibok ng puso ko.

"Mamaya na nga," bulong ko bago akmang aalis para pumunta muna sa cafeteria. Napagdesisyunan ko na magpapa-late na lang ako ng sandali para at least pagdating ko sa classroom, nandun na ang prof namin. Para walang idle moment. Para walang rason para makipag-usap ako.

God, I was good at delaying the inevitable.

Pagdating ko sa caf, walang masyadong tao dahil nagsisimula na halos lahat ng klase. Bumili lang ako ng sandwich at tubig bago naghanap ng uupuan.

"Jo!" tawag ni Matt sa akin.

I sighed, bago lumapit sa kanila. "Morning," I greeted. Naupo ako habang tahimik na kinain iyong sandwich ko. Sumasagot naman ako kapag tinatanong nila ako, pero alam ko na napansin nila na wala ako sa mood kaya naman tinigilan na nila akong tanungin.

A few minutes later, Psalm arrived. He was looking at us, looking confused and apologetic at the same time. Gosh. Wala naman siyang kasalanan kaya bakit ba ganyan ang itsura niya?

"Psalm!" I called. Matt and Simon looked surprised. "He knows. At saka isa pa, wala naman siyang kasalanan so there's no need to be rude to him," I said. Kahit 'di nila sa akin ginawa iyong ginawa nila kay Psalm the last time, feeling ko na-offend din ako.

Lumapit sa amin si Psalm. He was silent, which was so unusual, kaya naman mas na-konsensya ako. This problem of mine had caused more problems that desired. I couldn't wait until this freaking ended!