Mary Grace

Forty-Two

Forty-Two

Dali-dali akong lumabas sa classroom as soon as the bell rang. I grinned to myself, acting like an 8th grader who just received her first love letter. I strode casually towards Harry's room located on the second floor and found him sleeping on his desk.

I hesitated if I should come in or not. One of his blockmates must've noticed me. Pinasadahan niya ako ng tingin and gave me a who-the-heck-are-you look.

"Hi," I said silently. "Uhm, can I see Harry?"

"Sure," His gaze went back on the book that he was reading, apparently losing interest on me. "Gisingin mo lang siya."

"Okay." I stepped inside their huge classroom and carefully walked over Harry's desk. I placed my hands on his shoulders that might have startled him because his eyes instantly open even when I haven't shaken him yet.

"Oh, hey." He said, rubbing the sleep off his eyes. He gave me a lazy yet sexy smile. "Kanina ka pa?"

I shook my head. "No, I just got here."

One of his classmates who just arrived inside the classroom whistled when he saw us. "New sweetheart, Martellini?" He mused. His words echoed inside of my mind. New sweetheart? Ibig sabihin din ba kilala nila si Ate Annie at nagpupunta din siya dito?

Harry just waved him off, laughing. He grabbed his bag and together we went out of his classroom. He linked his fingers with mine and it was enough for me to stop overthinking. I surprised myself when I found out that the car is gone. I told Harry about the whole bodyguard thing and stuff. He just laughed at me. Together, we went to the nearest ice cream parlor.

The place is cozy, painted with white and blue the color scheme reflected on the waitresses and waiter's outfit. We found a booth on the far end of the parlor, just beside the transparent glass that separates them from the outside. Harry ordered a chocolate freakshake for me and strawberry ice cream for him. I was kind of surprise to know that he actually liked strawberries. He just gave me a weird look and said, "What? Is there, by any chance, an ordinance that says strawberries are limited to the favor of the entire female population?"

I threw my head back and laugh. For the past couple of months, all I could think about is the book that I really wanted to finish writing, the painting that I abandoned, and the brewery class that I had been looking forward to. I never imagined myself in college, sitting in an ice cream parlor after class with my dead sister's boyfriend and actually having a good time in my life.

Harry talked about his class and the latest design he'd been so crazy about. He talked about monuments and statues that he wanted to see in real life and his dream of rebuilding this city one day with his designs. Harry talking about his passion made my heart stir from the inside. He's so passionate in everything that he do. He'd proven it not just once but many times starting with his dream of visiting all the extreme points of the Philippines.

However, whenever he smiled, a noticed a sad glint in his eyes. He laughed and stopped abruptly as if a thought that he should not bother about occured to him. We left the ice cream parlor about an hour later. Since he didn't have his sister's car, he offered to walk me to the highway where I could ride a jeep or taxi.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Under many circumstances, ako ang palaging hindi okay sa aming dalawa. Ako ang palaging kino-comfort ni Harry. Now I wanted to return the favor. But I also wonder if his spirits died a little whenever he sees that I'm upset. Because that's exactly what I am feeling right now.

He shook his head slowly.

"What is it?" I demanded. "Harry, you can tell me anything you have in mind, you know." I reminded him.

He swallowed as if finding the right words to say. He glanced at me, slowing down his strides until he eventually stopped walking. I stood in front of him, searching for his eyes.

"Harry?"

"I was just wondering..." He said silently. "I've never really talked about her since she was gone." I suddenly realized that he is talking about my sister. Somehow, it turned my stomach into knots.

"Well?" I encouraged, trying not to feel upset about it.

"Mary Grace," He cupped my shoulders and finally look straight into my eyes. "Do you know where Annie got the pills?"

My throat constricted. I blinked. My heart pounded wildly inside of my chest as I tried not to think of the girls who gave me the pills. "I... I don't know." I squeaked.

Harry looked rather disappointed. He let go of my shoulders and heave a sigh. "Yeah, of course." He mumbled. "I'm sorry for asking, I know you particularly don't like the subject."

"Uhm..." I fidgeted with my fingers and shifted awkwardly on my feet.

"Her cause of suicide still remains a mystery to me," He declared.

"Yeah, me too." I agreed. I refuse to meet his gaze because I know my eyes would betray me. I know Harry will eventually recognize from the look on my face that I am not telling something. Fear, once again, had overcome me. Natatakot ako na baka sisihin niya ako sa nangyari kay ate kapag nalaman niyang sa akin galing ang pills. Pati na rin sina Mommy at Daddy.

Harry wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "Don't worry too much, Mary Grace. Naisip ko lang naman." He said but it was obvious that he was meaning to ask this question for a long time, naghahanap lang siya ng timing.

"It's okay. She's my sister. I really cared about her and what happened is... you know, it's way out of her character and so unexpected."

"Yeah," He nodded his head. "I couldn't agree more."

We continued walking in silence. Harry tried to break the awkward silence by animating his high school days to me. I laughed whenever necessary but I still couldn't push the thought off my mind. Harry is still thinking about my sister. Harry must've loved her so much.

I spotted a familiar petite figure standing with her back against us, waiting for a jeepney or taxi. Her plain brown dress dances with the wind. She must've sensed our presence because she turned around and automatically flash a smile that could make the flowers grow and animals sing.

But it instantly vanished when she saw that I am with Harry. Napatingin ako kay Harry. Tumigil din siya sa pagsasalita. His lips went into a thin line.

Suddenly. Roxanne looked angry. She marched towards us and pointed a finger at me which is rather surprising, knowing how timid and modest she is.

"What are you doing with him?" She demanded.

"Roxanne," Harry said in a warning tone.

Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ko sa kanilang dalawa. "What's going on?" I asked.

I looked at Roxanne for an answer. "You freshman flirt." She said in an accusing tone as she gritted her teeth. One look at her face and it already tells me that the guy she was talking about earlier is Harry.

My heart constricted tightly inside of my chest. Now it made sense. Harry is Roxanne's Mr. Perfect, as absurd as it may sound.