Chapter 8
1254 Words
“Since all of you here wanted to become a lawyer, let's see if you really are,”
hamon na sabi ng professor namin,
his voice firm and challenging.
“What?” hirit ng isang kaklase ko, sounding surprised and a bit nervous.
“Sir naman.” Hirit ni lang lahat, sabay tingin sa akin. Umiling lang ako, trying to stay calm.
“Sir, wala naman ‘yan sa topic.” Nagreklamo ulit isang kaklase, halatang gusto nang magdabog.
There was a heavy silence in the room. Everyone was tense, waiting for the professor’s next move.
“I want to test you,” he said seriously, “if you really want to study law and become a lawyer.”
“Prof, naman.” Bulong ng iba, voices lowering in frustration.
Another silence filled the room before he announced, “Whoever participates will be exempted in this coming midterm exam.”
“Hahay. Naman.” A collective sigh escaped from the students, some nodding reluctantly.
Then the professor looked directly at us, his gaze sharp, “Define the differences between Attempted Murder and Frustrated Murder.”
“Tang ina naman.” Someone cursed silently, and I caught the slight nod and shake of heads all around me.
My classmates were quiet, minds racing yet frustrated.
“Anyone?” my professor asked again, scanning the room expectantly.
The weight of the challenge hung heavy in the air, and I could feel all eyes slowly turning toward me.
“Sir.”
Someone raised a hand. It was Ellery, the one my classmates said was crowned Miss PolSci last year.
“Yes, Ms. Saavedra.”
Our prof nodded, his eyes sharp and expectant.
“When we say frustrated murder, it is someone who kills a person but that person is saved from death. While on the other hand, attempted murder is someone who attempts to kill a person but doesn’t proceed because the person knows what happened to him.”
Ellery recited confidently, voice steady and clear.
Kumunot ang noo ko. Something about her answer didn’t sit right with me.
But my classmates burst into applause, whispering, “Ang talino niya sobra sa sagot ni Prof.”
Ellery looked delighted, flipping her hair down with a proud smile before she sat back down, clearly enjoying the moment.
“You have a point.”
Our prof said, but the slight frown on his face told me he wasn’t fully satisfied.
“Oh!”
Our classmates gasped, their mouths forming perfect “O” shapes, shocked at the prof’s response.
I glanced at Ellery. Parang napahiya siya bigla; the color rushed to her cheeks, and even her ears turned red.
“Anyone?”
Our prof asked again, his gaze sweeping across the room, landing finally on me.
“Si Ms. Panganiban daw, Sir!”
A voice from the boy’s side shouted my surname loudly.
“Ms. Panganiban?”
Prof said, turning to look at me, his eyes challenging yet encouraging.
Tss.
I said, then stood up and faced our professor coldly and boldly.
All of my classmates turned to look at me, curious about what I was about to say.
Even Ellery was watching, a small laugh hiding at the corner of her lips. She probably thought this was just some joke. After all, this was the first time I was reciting, and not even voluntary. I never raised my hand, never reported for recitation. That’s why they never heard me before. But what they didn’t know was that I aced all the quizzes,perfect scores all throughout.
“Ma-perfect niya ‘yan. Perfect parati siya sa quizzes eh.”
A guy whispered loudly, clearly impressed.
“Baka na quiz lang ‘yon, but nganga siya sa recitation.”
A girl next to Ellery teased, sounding sure.
I frowned at what I heard and raised my eyebrow at her,a silent warning I wasn’t someone to be underestimated.
Tss.
I murmured in my mind, letting the silence stretch and the tension build.
The room suddenly felt tighter, every eye now fixed on me, waiting for the moment I’d break the quiet.
“There’s a clear difference between attempted murder and frustrated murder, even though both involve the intent to kill,” I began confidently.
All of my classmates looked shocked, their expressions showing they were impressed,parang napahanga talaga sila sa akin.
“Sabi sa’yo eh, matalino ‘yan.”
Hirit ng isa, a mix of surprise and admiration.
“Baka chamba lang.”
Sabi naman ng isa pa, doubtful pero curious pa rin.
“Silence!” utos ni Prof, making everyone immediately quiet again.
“Proceed, Ms. panganiban.”
His voice was firm, waiting for me to continue.
I nodded once, and then went on with my recitation.
“Attempted murder happens when someone tries to kill another person but fails to seriously harm them. It means that the victim wasn’t actually hurt or the injury wasn’t severe enough. For example, maybe someone fired a gun at another person, but the bullets missed and the victim wasn’t hurt at all. That’s attempted murder because the intent was there, but the result didn’t happen.”
“On the other hand, frustrated murder is when the attacker succeeds in seriously hurting the victim, but the victim doesn’t die. Like if someone stabbed another with a sharp object or shot them and the bullet hit, causing serious wounds, but the victim survived. That’s frustrated murder,the attempt to kill succeeded in inflicting serious harm, but it just didn’t result in death.”
I said my recitation coldly and confidently, locking eyes with the professor as I spoke. “Let me give you an example from around here:”
“Si Juan ay pinutukan ni Pedro pero tumama lang ang bala sa braso ni Juan, hindi siya namatay. Ito ay frustrated murder dahil nasaktan si Juan nang malubha pero buhay pa rin siya.”
“At si Maria naman, tinutukan ni Carlo ng baril pero hindi tumama kahit isa. Hindi siya nasaktan. Ito ay attempted murder kasi sinubukan niyang patayin si Maria pero walang nasaktan.”
“So, the main difference really lies in whether the victim was seriously harmed (frustrated) or not harmed at all (attempted), even if the intent to kill is there in both cases.”
My voice was calm but firm. I could feel the all eyes in the room boring into me,some filled with surprise, others quietly impressed, and a few still doubtful. The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating.
Then, without warning, the room exploded with cheers.
“Wow!” shouted my classmates, clapping loudly and some whistling. The energy was electric, charged with an excitement I hadn’t expected.
The professor nodded slowly, a genuine smile breaking through his usually stern face. “Very well, Ms. Panganiban. You’re exempted from my midterm exam.”
The words hit me like a wave,exempted. I felt a sudden rush of vindication. I had earned this.
“Sana all!” someone called from the back, their voice a mix of admiration and envy.
“Congrats!” others shouted, voices overlapping in a lively chorus.
“Pahiram ng brain!” joked one, earning a round of laughter.
“Naks, bien bright!”
I gave a small, satisfied smile but kept my expression steady,no need to show how much this meant to me. Inside, my heart was pounding, a mix of relief, pride, and the quiet thrill of proving everyone wrong.
This wasn’t just luck. This was me, finally showing them what I was made of.
- Writer
