Royals: Misfits

chapter thirty six

36: Owe Her My Loyalty

ALEXID

Swerte nga naman kung isipin na pagkatapos ng mga nangyari sa mansyon ng mga Mariano, ibinigay ni Leslie ang kanyang phone number to us if we needed help.

Ito pala ang nakapagligtas sa'min sa naturang insidente sa likod ng Junior High building. March and Aira were the ones that told Dean Mendez that a fight was happening. And while asking for help, kinuha na ni March ang sandaling 'yon para tawagan si Leslie. Fortunately, wala siyang pasok noong time na 'yon kaya agad siyang rumisponde.

Pero hindi ko alam bakit halos labindalawang minuto ko nang tinitigan ang numero ni Leslie mula sa contacts ko.

Siya lang ang tanging paraan para malaman namin kung na'san na ngayon si Allison.

Natapos ang pasko at new year ng walang balita sa kanya. Sumunod kami sa request ni Dean na hindi muna siya pansinin habang suspended kami. I mean, we also had to rest our minds. Well, hindi ko masasabing 'rest' talaga dahil may mga online activities pa rin kami from various subjects to catch up, which possibly means there's a higher chance na hindi kami ma-e-expell.

As expected, I got a lot of scolding from Papa after receiving the suspension letter. Instead of lashing out like I used to do, I listened to him quietly. Endured his words, telling me how disappointed he is to me. How I haven't had the time to be better.

I ended up thinking, that he just simply didn't have a daughter to cater to his needs for his name. He has a daughter who only wants to live and have fun.

Halatang nagulat siya sa kaibahan ko. Matapos kasi non, ay dumiretso lang ako sa kwarto. Hindi nagdabog. Walang isinigaw at sinisi.

There are lots and lots of people suffering worse than me. All I have to do was... change perspectives. Change what needs to change.

Fortunately, Mama was there as my comfort. She made an effort to cook soup for me dahil hindi ako makakain ng maayos. My knuckles still hurt and I had a bruised lip. Syempre, hindi rin naman nawala sa kanya ang pagtanong tungkol sa nangyari (and the scolding part), but the difference was, she praised me for it.

"Nakikita ko kung paano ka naging masaya kasama yang mga kaibigan mo. I'm thankful that you're with them, and you're doing this for them. Never regret that this happened to you kasi trust me when I say that it will be a memory that will always remind you how beautiful you are, Alex... inside and out."

Of course, I became emotional after that. I mean, sinong hindi?!

I still kept in touch with Royals- my friends. Tulad nila, natadtad rin sila ng mga salita sa mga magulang nila. I'm not exactly sure kung sino ang may pinaka-malalang experience sa'min. But I'm guessing it would be Enrico, March... and Allison.

The days went by, and everything went well... according to plan. The case was re-opened, and the hearing would happen days after new year. Finally, para bang nakikita na namin ang finish line sa gusto naming mangyari. Parang abot kamay na namin ang hinahanap na ginto.

Pero hindi kasali 'don si Alli. Lumapit nga ang tagumpay namin sa gamechangers, lumayo naman sa'min ang taong naging matapang sa royals, ang gumabay sa'min, ang kaibigan ko.

She deserves the space, pero hindi ko maiwasang bawat gabi na mag-alala kung kamusta siya. I've asked everyone kung may balita ba sila sa kanya, pero tulad ko, sila rin ay iwas kay Allison for her privacy.

Ang tanging naging option namin is to wait.

Mabilis na dumating ang January. It felt surreal to spend new years' eve with Royals. Dati kasi, what I do for the evening is text my former friends greetings and stuff. We would of course, also plan what to do after new year, maybe do a night out and drink.