Astrid Larein

School

Astrid Larein Santos

I heard the tire screech on the parking floor. Sinadya ko talagang mangyari 'yon. I was rushing. I'm in a haste na makalabas ng kotse ko. Dahil hindi ko na kayang langhapin ang amoy ng pabango ni Jane.

I don't know what came over her at sa loob siya ng kotse ko nag-spray ng pabango niya. She knows that I hate it. I don't want to smell other's perfume sa loob ng kotse ko dahil sumasakit lang ang ulo. Especially yung perfume ni Jane. It smells like flower and it was very sweet.

"Cous! Dahan dahan naman."

My dear cousin was clutching the handle on the car. She looked stupid and funny, kung hindi lang parang binibiyak ang ulo ko ay baka tinawanan ko na siya ng malakas. Hindi ko na siya pinansin pa and I immediately opened the windows. I even open the car door on my side para maialis ang amoy sa kotse ko.

That's when we heard the screaming. Jane looked outside the window. The screaming sounds like coming from the school ground.

"Anong meron? May palaro ba ngayon?" tanong ni Jane sakin.

I just stared at her for minute pero hindi siya sinagot. First, because hindi ko alam, and second, wala akong pakialam kaya it's not worth to answer. Somebody parked their car beside mine, at nang lumingon ako ay nakilala ko agad 'yon. I stepped out of my car kasabay ng ilang babaeng bumaba rin sa kani-kanilang sasakyan.

"Good morning, girls!" Jane greeted them as they walked toward us.

"Ohayo!"

Natasha Mae Diaz waved her hand at us. She was the youngest in our group, sixteen years of age. Isa siyang Cosplayer and anime lover. She's also a Japanese language enthusiast. Siya ang may pinaka-optimist sa aming lahat. And her hair for today was burning red at the tips.

"Morning! Morning!"

Claire Diane Smith, ang sumasabay sa ugali ni Natasha. She was months older than Natasha; she was turning sixteen this coming June. She's a half-British heiress, an only child, and a spoiled brat. But despite that, she was mostly a bubbly girl.

"Morning."

Samantha Grace Rivera nodded at us. The total opposite of Natasha. She was a pessimist, aloof and silent type of girl. She was a pure Pilipino, a sixteen-year-old boyish girl. She was the same age as Jane.

So, I was the oldest among us at the age of seventeen. And I somewhat became the bigger person here. Ako ang ginawa nilang leader even though I didn't ask for that title at all.

"Anong meron ba at nagsisigawan sa school grounds?" Jane asked them.

Natasha's face suddenly lit up. She linked her arms to Jane's with a huge smile on her face.

"Finest, Jane. Nandoon ang Finest!" sigaw niya.

"Shut up, Nath," apila naman ni Sam na kinakamot ang magkabilang tainga.

But Natasha and Jane looked like they didn't hear her or they just don't care. Both of them are busy in their own world.

"Finest? That means nandiyan si Kevin-my-labs? Gosh! Tara girls!"

Off they go. Jane was pulling Natasha's arm habang tinatakbo nila ang way papunt sa school ground. Claire followed behind them laughing. While Samantha and I just look at each other at nagkaintindihan na. Maglalakad kami papunta doon.

We arrived at the school ground and everyone was screaming their lungs out. Especially the girls. I was following the three as they maneuver through the crowd. Everybody was jumping, screaming, and bumping with each other. I did my best to avoid them pero I might as well avoid a wall.

Jane, Claire, and Natasha were already far ahead of us, they were busy looking out the stage kung saan nandoon ang pinagkakaguluhan ng student body. The Finest, as they called themselves. They are the school's popular band.

Well, the only band.

"Sino ba naman kasi 'yang mga 'yan para pagkaguluhan ng ganito. Hindi naman mga gwapo," Sma whispered behind me as she glare at the girl who bumped into her.

She's right. Hindi naman sila ganoong kagwapo. They all look average pero ang mga tao sa school ay hangang hanga sa kanila. Especially the girls and gays. They were head over heels sa kanila.

Naabutan na namin 'yong tatlo at nang makalapit kami, agad naman silang nagsigawa. I saw Sam flinched and immediately covered her ears. The noise was also getting long my nerves.

"What the hell!" Sam blurted out.

"Well, well. Who do we have here?"

May narinig kaming nagsalita sa likod namin kaya agad kaming napalingon. May sinabi pa 'yong babaeng Nasa gitna but it was drowned out with the noise of the crowd. Kumunot ang noo ni Jane para intindihin ang sinasabi mo ng babae.

They were three of them. The one on the left has a very heavy makeup na makapal mo ay kasali sa drag contest, the one in the middle has fake curls, and lastly, yung sa kanan ay tila nilubloba ng buong mukha sa bowl ng foundation or harina. Hindi ako sure, ang puti kasi.

"Ano? Hindi ko narinig!" Jane question her with a loud voice.

"I said what are you bitches doing here!" sagot naman sa knaiya nung babae sa gitna, again.

"Are you talking about yourself, Courtney?"

This time, it was Natasha who asked them. At ang sinabing niya iyon ay nakapagpatawa kay Jane at Claire. The other party didn't like it at obvious 'yon dahil sa pagbabago ng mukha nila. Claire was laughing so hard, napapapikit pa siya.

"You guys don't deserve to be here. Kalat kayo sa dito." Humalukipkip pa siya.

"Who's the trash between us, Courtney and friends?" ganti naman ni Natasha.

The crowd is still noisy but it wasn't as noisy as before na kailangan pang magsigawan just to hear each other. It it looks like hindi matatapos agad ang sagutan na 'to. Dahil gumatong pa si Claire.

"Nath, akala ko anime lang ang hilig mo. I didn't know na mahilig ka rin sa Barnie and Friends," she said innocently.

Umismid and mukha ni fake curls girl. I think Natasha mentioned her name. It started with 'C', I'm not really sure. At wala naman din akong pakialam.

Nagsimula na akong maglakad dahil alam kong tatagal ang bangayan nila. Since the barnies are in front of us, nilagpasan ko sila, bumping with fake curls. Hindi naman ganoong kalakas 'yon sadyang OA lang siya sa reaction niya.

"Ouch!"

I didn't pay her any attention at nagtuloy sa paglalakad. But I didn't expect that someone would stop me by grabbing my shoulder. Hindi pa siya nakuntento at iniharap pa niya ako sa kanya. And I must say, from up this close, grabe young obvious ng fake curls niya.

Is that a wig?

"Hindi ka ba magso-sorry?" asik niya.

Tinignan ko lang siya, then sa kamay niyang nasa balikat ko, at pabalik sa kanya. This time, I send a glare her way. She didn't even flinch pero pinigialan siya ng kasama niya.

"Court, I think tama na. Alis na tayo," sabi nung makapal ang makeup.

I just stare at them. Waiting for them to get her dirty hands away from me. Wala akong time na sasayangin sa kanila.

"Let me go! Hindi ako aalis hanggat hindi nagso-sorry 'to," reklamo naman ni fake curls.

Lumapit si thick makeup as kanya at bumulong, "Hindi mo ba kilala 'yan? Tara na kasi umalis na tayo."

I saw how scared the other two is habang wala namang pakialam sa kanila si fake curls. I heard and remembered her name now, but she doesn't deserve that from me. Mas bagay sa kanya yung fake curls. I smiled at the thought. Ako lang rin naman ang natatawa sa sarili kong joke.

But I guess iba ang nakikita nila. Yung dalawang alipores ay mas lalong natakot. I don't know why. Am I that scary?

Bahala sila diyan. Basta nakakatawa 'yong joke ko.

"Ano ba-" hindi na niya natuloy ang sasabihin niya because binangga ni Sam ang balikat niya kaya naalis ang hawak nito sa akin.

"Spoiled brat," Sam whispered, and I heard it again.

"Ho-"

Poor fake curls, it seems like she will never be able to say kung ano man

'yong sasabihin niya. Dahil hinihila na siya ng mga kasama niya papalayo sa amin. Nagpupumiglas pa siya and hindi siya hinayaan nang mga kasama niya. She was making a scene na, at lahat ng madaanan nilang tao ay lumilingon sa kanila.

"Let me go! Hindi pa kami tapos!"

"Stop it na, Court. Ngumit na si Astrid sa'yo. We should go," sabi naman ni foundation.

I can still hear them because nahihirapan silang makaalis since maraming tao. Besides, ano naman ba kung ngumiti ako? Nagets ba nila yung joke ko? Ako lang naman ang nakakaalam noon.

"Eh ano naman kung ngumiti siya?" asik muli ni fake curl.

I smirk once more nang mabanggit ko na naman sa isip ko 'yong nickname na binigay ko sa kanya. It's cute. She sounded like my pet. She had that cute nickname only for her.

"Hey! You!"

My face turns serious once again. Hindi na ako natutuwa sa kawalang galang nitong babaeng 'to. Saan ba 'to lumaki? Didn't she know that calling someone with 'hey' and 'you' was rude. Pinagsama pa niya.

"Hindi pa tayo tapos! I will make your life a living hell! Remember this!" sigaw niya sa akin.

I scoff. As if my life wasn't hell enough.

"Pathetic," Sam commented sa gilid ko.

Akala ko na kaalis na 'tong isang 'to. Sam and I looked at each other once more. We didn't say anything to each other. Pero nagkaintindihan kami. Nagsimula na kaming maglakad. This time, kami ni Sam ang nasa unahan at ang tatlo naman ay nakasunod sa amin.