CHAPTER 31:TWENTY FOUR HOURS
744 Words
For Reuben, the world was built on logic, predictability, and balanced equations. If you input a certain variable, you expect a corresponding output. But as he stared at his phone for the hundredth time, the math wasn't adding up. Twenty-four hours of total silence from Malia was a variable he didn't know how to solve—and for the first time in his life, logic was failing him.
He couldn't sit still inside the review room. He paced back and forth, his phone gripped tightly in his hand. No text. No chat. Not even a single period. This wasn't like Malia at all. No matter how drowned she was in major plates and blueprints for Engineering, she always managed to reply—or at least leave a short message so he wouldn't worry.
But now, an entire night and day had passed. A full twenty-four hours without a single word from his "engineer."
"Valera, mauubos na 'yang sahig sa pabalik-balik mo," Marlon interrupted, one of his review mates for the mock boards in CBA. "Ano ba'ng nangyayari sa'yo? Kanina ka pa hindi maka-focus sa Auditing problems natin."
"Malia's not answering her phone," Reuben answered seriously, unable to hide the raspy strain in his voice from lack of sleep and sheer worry. "Isang araw na. Tinawagan ko na rin ang boarding house niya pero sabi ng landlord, hindi raw siya umuwi kagabi."
"Baka naman tambak lang sa school? Alam mo naman ang mga taga-Civil Engineering, kapag sumapit ang finals week, nagiging bampira na ang mga 'yan sa puyat."
Reuben shook his head. His face appeared calm, but inside, his systems were in total chaos. Something was wrong. His gut instinct was screaming that something terrible had happened.
He didn't even wait for the review session to end. He quickly shoved his notebooks and reviewers into his bag.
"Hoy, saan ka pupunta? May mock exam pa tayo sa Law mamayang alas-singko!" Marlon shouted after him.
"I need to find her," Reuben muttered curtly before quickly storming out of the room.
He practically ran the distance from the CBA building to the Engineering department. Every step felt impossibly heavy, and every second that ticked away felt like a slap to his face. The moment he reached the pavilion, his eyes scanned the crowd, frantically searching for Malia's classmates.
That was when he spotted Jace, one of the irregular students who frequently joined Malia for group study sessions in the library.
"Jace!" Reuben called out, breathless as he rushed over to him. "Nakita mo ba si Malia? Is she in class? Hindi ko siya makontak mula pa kagabi."
Jace froze in his tracks, holding a few sheets of tracing paper. Upon seeing Reuben, the expression on his face instantly shifted—replaced by a mixture of shock and heavy sadness.
"Reuben... hindi mo pa ba alam?" Jace asked softly, his voice dropping an octave.
Reuben's world suddenly ground to a halt. The anxiety in his chest exploded like a bomb, leaving a deafening ring in his ears. "Ang alin? Anong nangyari kay Malia?"
"Wala siya sa klase ngayon. Andoon sila sa ITRMC," Jace explained, averting his eyes. "Isinugod doon ang Papa niya.Na-stroke ang papa niya, Reuben. Sabi ng mga nakakita, bigla na lang daw itong bumagsak sa harap ng bahay nila. Kritikal ang lagay niya ngayon."
Reuben felt the strength drain from his legs at the news. He almost dropped the phone in his hand.
Papa Renato was hospitalized.
Critical.
So that was why. That was why there was no reply, no word from her. While he was sitting inside a cold review room analyzing numbers, the girl he loved the most was facing the worst storm of her life all by herself. The family he had come to consider his own home was currently falling to pieces.
"Salamat, Jace," Reuben croaked, barely recognizing his own voice.
Without a second thought, Reuben turned around and bolted toward the university exit. He didn't care about the mock boards, he didn't care about the upcoming exams, and he didn't care if he left all his reviewers behind. Only one thing was absolutely clear in his mind at that moment: he needed to get to Malia's side.
Because in the middle of his engineer's crumbling world, he had to be the foundation that refused to let her collapse.
- Writer
