Wind and Sail

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Dayn’s PoV

I still have twenty minutes before my next class, so I dragged Clarene to the nearest café and ordered cake for the both of us.

“What the heck just happened? I witnessed the whole thing,” sabi niya ng nahimasmasan na siya. Sumubo siya ng cake at tiningnan ako, hinihintay niya ang isasagot ko.

“I don’t know, but I am sure he’s got some problems a psychiatrist can fix,” I explained. She stretched her hand to take a bite from my cake, but I blocked her fork with mine. We looked at each other, then she tried it again and we ended up having a fork fight without taking our eyes off each other.

We stopped when somebody put a plate of cake that is the same as mine on the table.

I looked up and it was the one of the café’s staff. “That’s free.” He winked unseductively.

We just laughed and said thank you. Hinati ko ang cake at inilagay ang isang kalahati sa plate niya.

“So, what happened with that boy kanina?” she asked after taking a bite.

“He just started a fight with me, was it too obvious?”

She leaned. “Obvious? Are really asking me that? Half of the people that were in there were looking at you two!” she claimed.

“Oh, how did I look?” I then asked.

“You are fire, you have led the show, bestie. And what’s with the drinks? You really came back for it, didn’t you? You left me there outside!” she complained.

“Oh, that. Of course, if I did not drag you outside that place, you are not going to move an inch. You were just staring at us with the straw inside your mouth. Gosh, you looked awful,” sabi ko sa kaniya.

“I looked awful. Oh my god why didn’t you tell me then kanina?”

“Aba nagtaka ka pa, samantalang para ka ngang nakakita ng multo, sino bang na-meet mo? Si medusa? Para kang naging stone statue, e. Ngayon ka lang ba nakakita ng nag-aaway na lowkey lang?”

“Hindi naman,” sagot nito na para bang kinikilig pa. “No, oh my gosh, have you got a crush on him?” I asked her. She looked at me, squinting her eyes and hiding her smile. “Oh my goodness! Why?”

“Because he’s so gwapo! I thought you two we’re going to talk pretty good, so I just left you with him when I saw him sitting on my supposed to be seat.”

“I cannot believe na nag-guwapuhan ka roon! Mukha kaya siyang ubas na galit na galit, or yung kapitbahay ni Mr. Bean sa palabas na cartoon.”

Kumunot ang noo niya at tinanong, “Ubas na galit na galit?

Natawa ako sa response niya. “Wala, basta iyon na ‘yon. Gets mo naman ‘yung concept. Anyway, bakit mo naman pala inaway kanina si Precious?”

“Sinong Precious?” tanong niya pabalik. Nalaglag ang panga ko nang itinanong niya iyon.

“Sinong Precious?” I repeated in awe. “Nanugod ka ng babae na hindi mo naman kilala kanina, Clarene.”

It took a second to click on her mind. “Ugh, that girl is so ugly.” She rolled her eyes at the wind and leaned to her back. “At saka I saw her na sasabunutan ka kaya I catched her hand and put it away.”

“Excuse me? Put it away? You almost crushed her little hand,” I said.

“Oh, crushed? Tsk, no, duh, it wasn’t even that hard. She’s a p***y cat, she ran girl. She. Ran. Akala ko pa naman may ibubuga, wala naman pala,” she said then took a sip from her drink and ate the last piece of her cake.

I was shocked to see that she already has finished the whole thing. “You eat very fast huh?” I asked.

“Yes, because it was indulgent and tasty. I like this, what flavor is this?” she asked now that she had gotten a taste of it.

I slumped. I can’t believe how she doesn’t know this. Well, this is always placed at the bottom shelf, that is why maybe people don’t pay too much attention to this. “It’s a triple chocolate cheesecake.”

That makes sense because this has three different shades of chocolate, going from dark to lighter color. The chocolate cookie base is decadent and balances the creamy fillings. It is topped with a chocolate ganache and a strawberry dipped in white chocolate. Chef’s kiss, perfection.

“From now on, I’ve moved on from a simple chocolate mud cake to this! This is fire, I’ll come back here later after class and will order the whole one,” she uttered excitedly.

Uhm, no.

I laughed, “Really? I think there’s only one whole left.” I stood up and went to the counter to check. I looked at her to confirm that there is only one left. When she saw me pulling one of my cards out, she immediately stood up and ran towards me.

“Oh my gosh, hurry please,” I tell the cashier. She quickly inserted the card and I have made a transaction successfully.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Uhm, buying a cake?”

Her jaw dropped. “What?! I was going to buy that later!” she cried. “You trickster, that’s why you went there the moment after I told you I’m going to buy later.”

“Well, unfortunately.” Kinuha ko ang cake na nasa counter at nagkibit-balikat sa kaniya. Sumimangot siya sa akin at nagtatampo na naunang lumabas ng café.

Napatingin ako sa cashier at natawa na lamang kami pareho. Tiningnan ko ang relo ko, malapit na ang klase ko kaya nagpasalamat ulit ako bago lumabas. Tinanaw ko si Clarene sa kotse pero wala siya roon. Nakita ko na naglalakad siya pabalik ng school. Tinawag ko siya nang ilang beses pero hindi niya ako nilingon. Sumakay na agada ko sa kotse at pinaandar iyon. Nang nakita niya na nilagpasan ko lang siya ay nag-iba lalo ang timpla ng mukha niya, para bang hindi siya makapaniwala na hindi ko siya hinintuan. Hininto ko ang sasakyan ilang metro mula sa kaniya.

Teka nga, bakit baa ko ang nagmamaneho nito? Hindi ko naman ito sasakyan.

Ibinaba ko ang bintana at inilabas ang ulo ko. “Huy, halika na rito! Sakay ka na sa kotse mo!” sigaw ko sa kaniya habang tumatawa.

Umangat ang tingin niya sa akin at natawa. Lakad takbo ang ginawa niya na may halong arte. “Bwisit, sasakyan ko nga pala iyan,” Clarence was laughing a little too hard that she almost tripped while literally standing in the same place.

“Ano ba iyan? Matutumba ka pa, e. Sakay na sa kotse mo, huy!”

She got in and tried to stop laughing but she can’t—we can’t. So, I just went on laughing with her. “Ikaw kasi, e. Tampo-tampo ka pa tapos may pa walk away walk away ka pang nalalaman samantalang may kotse ka naman.”

We left the school earlier with a bad, screwed up situation, but we headed back in with smile on our faces. We waved goodbye to each other as we part ways to get to our next class, turns out we have the same professor at the same subject, which is really cool and exciting.

“We are soulmates,” she said, pulling out her laptop from her bag that looks very expensive. I don’t know what type or brand that is, but it is fire. It is something my mother would have, a low-key and private bag.

“Hey, where did you get that bag?” I asked.

“Oh this? I don’t know. Mom gave this to me,” she answered and sat down to her chair. This time I’ve got a good look at her, she is very pretty. The kind of pretty you would see in a stardust, moxie, cheerleader films. A Legally Blonde with a splash of Rory Gilmore and charms from Gorgia. She is definitely the kind of girl who posts her cute nails in her stories, her life’s documented by pictures and lollipops.

“Isn’t it pretty?” she asked while touching the bag gently.

“Yes, it sure is,” I sighed and nodded. “What does your mom do?”

“Oh, she works in heaven,” she said blatantly.

“What?” I was confused but then I realized that it was a dark answer. “Oh, sorry,” I apologized for bringing things like this up. Her mother’s dead.

“Oh no, it happened a long time ago. I don’t remember na her face and voice, but this bag reminds me that at some point in my life, I had a mom.” She looked away and stared for a minute.

“Yeah, she loved you enough to pass this bag onto you.” I chuckled, trying to dismiss the awkward situation.

She laughed at me. “Yeah, I think so too.”

“Kailan ba dadating si Ma’am?” I whispered beneath my breath. After that was our professor walking into the room with her things. I wished I never whispered that.

She gathered all the cards before starting her presentation. It was very boring, especially teachers who shows a Powerpoint presentation and just read them instead of actually explaining it to us.

“I did not understand a single thing she had just said,” Clarene whispered to my ear.

“Yeah, I know, right? I thought I was the only one who got bored,” I answered back, whispering too. “If only had I known that this class is like this, I shouldn’t have left the café and just study this there.”

She nodded continuously. “What’s your next class?” she asked.

“Uhm…” I checked my schedule in my Ipad. “---no, I don’t think I have another class to attend. It’s a go home time for me na,” sagot ko.

“Ako rin, wala na akong klase,” sabi niya at nagsimula nang magligpit ng kaniyang mga gamit. “Sama ka? CR muna ako,”

Tinanguan ko siya at nagsimula na rin akong magligpit ng gamit para masamahan siya. Paglabas namin ng room ay marami na ang tao sa corridor, Clarene told me to just keep myself close to her at all times so that I am not going to get lost and evententually, we entered the crowd. When we got to the bathroom, I gasped air because it felt like the crowd took my breaths.

Nagsuklay lang siya at nagre-touch ng make up niya. Pianonood ko lang siya habang ginagawa niya ang mga iyon. “I am all good, are you ready to go? The crowd should’ve become a little bit calmer now.” Dahan-dahan niyang binuksan ang pintuan at nagliwanag ang mukha niyang tumingin pabalik sa akin. “Oo nga, let’s go.” She then opened the door widely.

I am on my phone asking Manong if he is already outside waiting for me because I would really want an early rest and sleep. I sighed in relief when he answered yes.

Nagpaalam na sa akin si Clarene at sumakay na sa car niya. “Aalis na ako ha, ingat ka sa pag-uwi. May susundo naman sa iyo, hindi ba? ”

Tinanguan ko siya bilang sagot. “Thank you!” bati ko. “Ikaw din ha, mag-iingat sa pag-uwi. Bye!”

Pinaandar na niya ang kotse, kinawayan ko siya ng paalam at pinanood ko ang sasakyan niya na lumayo nang lumayo. Dumaan din si Sxan sa harap ko, tiningnan niya lang ako hanggang sa makalampas siya sa akin. Si Precious naman ay napansin kong hawak ng isang kamay niya ang kamay na nabali ata ni Clarene. Where did she get that kind of strength? I thought to mysel as the memories from earlier flashed back. Wala ang mga alipores niya sa tabi niya. Pinanood ko siyang sumakay ng sasakyan, nagtama pa ang paningin namin. Masama ang tingin niya kaya iniwas ko na agad ang tingin ko at kunwaring my tinitingnan na iba. Pumasok na siya sa sasakyan at umalis na rin agad.

Dumating na sa harap ko si Manong, binuksan ko ang pinto para pumasok. Nakatulog pa ako sa byahe pauwi.

“Manong, pakisundo mo po ulit ako bukas, ha? Salamat po,” sabi ko kay Manong. Nakangiti niya akong tinanguan.

Hindi na ako tumambay pa sa baba, dumiretso na agad ako sa itaas para makapagpahinga. I feel so tired that the moment I felt the cushion touching my skin. I immediately fell asleep.