Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

II: Curiosity killed the cat

Oh my God.

Nabingi ako sa sigawan ng mga teammates ko. They kept on pushing me and all that. Hindi ko parin maproseso ng maayos. T-teka, we won?

"OMG! Sierra, we won! You did great!"

"Sierra, we did it! We did it! Thanks to you!"

"Way to go, Team One! I knew it!"

Unti-unti akong napangiti. I was proud of our team. Lumapit ako kay Sir Yuchengco and claimed my medal. It was inside a frame which also contained my certificate. I didn't anticipate for this. Akala ko matatalo kami.

"Congratulations, Team One. I admire your power of reasoning, Sierra. It was entertaining." Sir Yuchengco praised me. I thanked him and went back to my team. Kinuha na rin nila ang mga certificates nila.

I felt proud. But I felt bad for the other team. Dahil nga competitive ang business world, we are trained to be competitive. Kaya malaking disappointment ito sa kanila, I smiled at them to assure them that they did great. And it wasn't fake, they really did do great in my eyes.

Nag-continue ang class namin after that small ceremony. Finally.

***

The bell rang. No, it's not dismissal. Lunch pa lamang namin. Pagkalabas ko, sinalubong ako ni Noemi, my best friend. She's been my best friend since eighth grade, so we're pretty close. I'm grateful to have a friend like her who is able to put up with my silence.

***

Sinabayan na ako ni Noemi. As I've said, she's my best friend. Siya lang kasi ang nakatiis sa sobrang pagkatahimik ko.

I had an order of chicken piccata pasta, seafood sushi and a slice of red velvet cheesecake. For beverage, I bought a frappe from Starbucks.

Yes, I really eat this much. Good thing, my metabolism works as fast as a cheetah. I started eating. Habang nagkekwento si Noemi ng nangyari sa araw niya, napadapo ang tingin ko sa isang lalaking nakaupo sa dulong banda ng cafeteria. He was wearing a mask and a cap, kaya all I saw was his black eyes piercing into mine. Why is this guy looking at me, anyways?

I was too drawn na hindi ko namalayang nasa harapan ko na si Noemi at hinarangan na ang view ko sa misteryosong lalaki. Sinubukan kong hanapin ulit ngunit nawala na siya. Where did he go?

Luminga-linga ako upang hanapin ang lalaki ngunit wala na siya. Just where did that guy go!?

"Sierra, ano ba? Matatanggap ko pa 'yang pagiging tahimik mo pero ngayon magiging lutang ka na? Ano sunod? High ka na?" I came back to my senses nang magreklamo si Noemi. I smiled at her.

"Pasensiya na, may nakita lang ako." I told her.

Tinaasan ako ng kilay ni Noemi. "Ano 'yun, aber? Anong special na bagay ang nakakuha ng atensyon mo?" She teasingly asked.

I shrugged. "May naka-all black kasi na lalaki kanina. As in, black talaga 'yung outift niya." I stated what I witnessed a few moments ago. Ngumiwi naman siya.

"Seryoso ka ba, Sierra? Ano, ngayon ka lang nakakita ng kulay na itim? Ang mabuti pa, mag-boy hunting na lang tayo!" She excitedly said.

I laughed. Baliw talaga ito. "No thanks, Noemi. Mamaya mapunta lang tayo sa Central Park ulit." I teased her.

Sumimangot na siya ng tuluyan. "Ano ba naman iyan, Sierra! Pinaalala mo ulit! Alam mo namang naaasiwa na ako sa park na 'yun! Halos lagi tayong napapadpad doon tuwing may lakad tayo! Nakakairita!" She frowned which caused me to laugh more.

"Hayaan mo na. Oh, siya. May class pa ako. Una na ako sa 'yo, Noemi. See you later, okay? Here, take this," Iniabot ko ang red velvet cheesecake ko na hindi nagalaw. "Sa 'yo na, eat it while listening in class. Okay? Love you." I kissed her on the cheek.

She did the same and we parted ways. Habang nakikinig sa klase, I couldn't stop thinking about the man in black. I grew curious of his identity. I wanted to ask him his true intentions. Or if he needed anything. He looked so mysterious, his eyes were unfathomable. Little did I know, I fueled my curiosity.

And like the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat.