Ashes in the Dusk [CBS#4]

Chapter 13

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Dinig ko ang tawanan ng mga babae kong kaklase habang nililingon ko sa aking palda ang bubble gum na dumikit doon. Hindi ko napansin yun sa upuan ko, nakalimutan ko kasing inspeksyunin muna kung may mali ba sa puwesto ko bago maupo.

This explained why I noticed the girls giggling secretly when their eyes drifted on me during the discussion. I knew that something was up, I also thought about a gum pasted intentionally on my seat. Ngayong breaktime ko lang nakumpirma.

I was mad, who wouldn't be? My cheeks burned in furry as blood pounded inside my temples. I wanted to let out my frustration. Nga lang, hindi ako sigurado kung sino sa mga tumatawa kong kaklase ang pagbubuntungan ko. I didn't want to explode instantly without weighing things in my mind first. Marami ang mga kaklase kong babae at hindi ko kakayanin na sabay-sabay silang pagsasapakin.

"Shit, Ken, may extra jogging pants ka ba riyan?" Anza stated worriedly as she tried taking the gum off my skirt.

Napairap ako dahil lapis niya ang ginagamit sa pagtanggal. Ang tanga! That stupid pencil could not remove this shit behind me, just come on!

"Hala... wala! Naiuwi ko sa bahay kahapon, eh."

The boys started planning out how to help me get this off. Nag-aalangan nga lang silang tanggalin kasi syempre nasa may bandang pwet ko. Kahit ako, hindi ko hahayaang ipatanggal sa kanila yun.

"Ako, Syntia, may jogging pants pa ako sa locker ko." sabi ni Aljohn.

Kalmado akong sumunod sa kaklase hanggang sa kanyang locker. After a moment of digging through, he lifted a familiar woven pants--our P.E. pants.

"Heto, Syntia. Ayos lang ba kung medyo may kalakihan sayo?" nakangising saad ni Aljohn na inikutan ko ng mata.

"This would do. Thanks," sambit ko at iniwan na siya roon para makapagpalit na.

Mas lalo lamang akong nabubwesit sa mapanudyong titig ng mga estudyante pagkalabas ko ng girls' comfort room. Of course, who wouldn't find my outfit funny? A uniform blouse paired with PE pants and a black, school shoes. Ridiculous, right? But I'd rather have this than walking around with a skirt pasted on every chair I'd sit on to.

I instantly went straight to the library while waiting for the breaktime to pass by. A hint of humor suddenly got drawn in Miss Liberty's eyes as she noticed my funny outfit.

"New style? Kind of... unique." aniya nang nakalapit ako sa baggage counter.

"Nah, it's weird." tipid kong sagot matapos pumirma sa log book.

"Don't worry, you're still pretty." magiliw niyang saad at ibinigay na ang numerong para sa mga gamit na iiwan ko.

I know, right.

Bumuga ako ng hangin at nagtungo na sa pinakadulong lamesa. Resting my chin on my palm, I noticed some art books in front of me. Kumuha ako ng isa at binuksan ang pahina. A smile crawled on my lips when colorful pictures of nature welcomed me. Mabilis kong binuklat ang ibang pahina at napansing puro art works iyon. Lahat may kinalaman sa kalikasan.

"I know you'd like it."

Napaangat ako ng tingin at tumambad sa akin si Mr. Sagorio na may dalang dalawang pagkain. He pulled a chair across my seat and put down some foods on the table. There were sodas, tater tots, and waffle fries.

"Feel free to get some." aniya, tinutukoy ang mga pagkain sa lamesa.

"You took these books for me?" tanong ko sabay kuha ng waffle fries.

"Ah-huh, I notice last time how the drawings in some encyclopedias fascinated you."

Kumunot ang noo ko, nanatili ang tingin sa kanya. Mr. Sagorio was only on his simple shirt and jeans. I noticed that he wasn't really fond of wearing uniforms except during Mondays.