Broken Trust, Mended Hearts ( Tagalog )

Trouble

I woke up because sa boses ni Manang.

"Arr, ano na? Gising na, baka ma-late ka pa sa klase mo," sigaw ni Manang habang binubuksan ang mga kurtina.

She does this every day, so even though I’m still sleepy, I immediately wake up to the light coming from the window of my room. I prefer natural light, and since I was a child, Manang has been the one taking care of me. She’s practically the one who raised me.

"Sige na, bumangon ka na," pagmamadali ni Manang sa akin.

"Oh, ito na, Manang. Later pa naman, 10:00 o'clock ang first class ko," sagot ko sa kanya habang papasok na sa banyo para maligo.

"Eh, maaga nga umalis 'yung lalaki mo," pahabol na sabi sa akin ni Manang. Ibinukas ko ang pinto ng banyo at tiningnan si Manang.

"Manang, I told you he always leaves ng maaga kasi athlete siya. Pero, Manang," paglalambing ko sa kanya.

"Hay naku, alam ko na 'yan Arr. Oo na, oo na. Magluluto na ako," alam na talaga ni Manang kung ano ang gusto ko. Just a little affection, and she agrees right away. I also took a shower after we talked.

"Manang," sigaw ko habang pababa ng hagdan excited ako pumasok ngayon.

I’m officially a college student. Plus, I’ll get to see Thunder every day. I was wondering if there are a lot of girls trying to get his attention. Well, we can’t really blame the girls who flock around him; he’s incredibly handsome. I just smiled at the thoughts running through my mind.

"Manang, nasaan na po 'yung pagkain na ipinapaluto ko?" tanong ko kay Manang.

"Ito na, iha! Bilisan mo diyan at naghihintay na si Canor sa labas," sabi ni Manang habang binibigay sa akin ang pagkain.

Manang Lita and Mang Canor are married, and I’m truly grateful for them. Even though they’re old and might retire soon, they’ve never left my side. They’ve practically raised me. Manang also always explained to me why my parents were often not home, so I became accustomed to having just the two of them with me all the time.

"Oh, iha, nandito na tayo," sabi ni Manong sa akin. I didn’t realize that we had already arrived at the school.

"Salamat, Manong. Ingat sa pag-uwi." I waved goodbye to Manong.

"I'll contact you na lang, Manong, after my class," dugtong ko sa kanya. Agad naman akong pumasok pagka-alis ni Manong.

"Good luck to me," nasambit ko na lang sa aking sarili.

I’m nervous, but at the same time, excited. I already miss my friends. I haven't been able to be with any of them. We’re in different schools, and their desired course isn’t offered here. I’m also shy about making new friends.

My brow furrowed when I suddenly realized I still didn’t know where the Business Ad building was. As I looked around, the girls suddenly started running and shouting at the school gate.

"What's happening?" tanong ko sa sarili.

"It's the basketball team members," singit ng isang lalaki sa sinabi ko. Who is this? Just suddenly popping up out of nowhere.

"Hello! I'm McKenzie Villanueva," proud pa niyang sinabi at inabot ang kamay niya para makipag-handshake. I wasn’t planning to pay any attention to him until I remembered I could ask him where the Business Ad building is.

"Hi, I'm Arrietty Jimenez. Freshmen. If it's okay with you, may I ask where the Business Ad building is? I'm not familiar with the campus yet," sana umoo siya.

"Oh, great. I'm also a Business Ad student. Sabay na tayo pumunta doon. Pero hatid ko muna itong gamit ko kay Prof. Enriquez. Wait for me here, and also umiwas ka sa mga studyante diyan baka maguyod ka nila. Obsessed pa naman yan sila," bilin niya sa akin at umaalis.

I looked at the students again; they were making so much noise, almost like celebrities being photographed. I decided to just go to the side and wait for McKenzie, so I wouldn’t end up being caught up in the commotion. I was surprised when the school guard suddenly whistled.

"Remember, students, bawal magkumpulan. Ano ba kayo? Our players are tired, pag pahingahin niyo naman," sigaw ng guard habang tumatakbo papunta sa mga studyante. Grabe naman dito, VIP treatment talaga kapag athlete ka.

That guy is taking forever. Maybe he's just messing with me about going to the Business Ad building, I thought to myself while looking at the ground. Out of frustration, I kicked a small stone in front of me.

"Ouch! Who did that?" rinig kong sabi ng lalaki sa may harap ko. Natamaan siya ng bato na sinipa ko. Nakakunot ang noo at nakatitig sa akin. Gosh, first day of school, I'm in trouble agad.

"Patay siya ngayon," sabi ng babae sa gilid ko.

"Nagpapapansin lang 'yan." sabi naman nung katabi niya.

"Para lang mapansin eh," sabi naman nung kabila.

"How dare she throw a stone at my Aidan Lee. She's dead now." Grabe ha. I heard you all. Yes po. Opo! Rinig na rinig ko yung usapan ng lahat tungkol sa akin. Grabe naman yung mga tao dito. Harap-harapan ka talagang pinag-uusapan.

"Why did you do that?" tanong ng lalaki sa akin. Tinignan ko siya na naka-kunot pa rin ang noo. This guy is really tall. And his color just suits him perfectly. His build also matches his height exactly.

"Heeeeey! I'm talking to you. Are you deaf?" sabi ng lalaki sa harapan ko.

"I'm... sorry... it... was an... accident," nauutal kong sabi sa kanya. Nakakatakot yung mukha niya. Hindi siya nagsalita, nakatitig pa rin siya sa akin na para bang hinihintay ang sagot ko.

"Don't scare her, bro." Nakita ko naman tumayo siya nang maayos at hinarap niya si McKenzie at binalik yung tingin sa akin.

"Is she your new girl?" tanong naman nang lalaki. Narinig ko kanina yung usapan nang girls na ang pangalan niya ay Aidan.

"Oh c'mon, dude. No. She's a freshman. Sasamahan ko lang papunta sa building natin," sagot naman ni McKenzie. "And, dude, huwag mo nga akong itulad sa'yo," sabay tulak niya nang mahina sa dibdib.

Kumunot naman ang noo nang lalaki. Magsasalita pa sana siya nang biglang sumingit si Thunder. Magkasama pala sila ni Thunder, hindi ko na nalaman dahil sa kaba ko. Thunder is quiet and just listening to the conversation, while the other one is just smiling while looking at the three of them.

"Aidan, let's go. That's enough. We're going to be late," sabi nung isa nilang kasama na nakangiti lang din the whole time.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, miss, I'm sorry if I scared you. I was just joking," kamot ulo niyang sabi.

"Let's go, Ms. Jimenez," aya sa akin ni McKenzie. Aalis na sana kami nang naisip ko na may dala pala akong pagkain na ibibigay ko kay Thunder.

"Thunder, food. I brought two," ibinigay ko sa kanya yung pagkain na niluto ni Manang. I smiled at him. Hindi man lang niya ako nginitian, tinitigan lang niya ako at tinanggap yung binigay ko.

"Thank you," maikling sabi niya at umalis na sila. As usual, wala! thank you lang palaging sagot niya sa akin.

"Tara," aya ko kay McKenzie para makaalis na kami. Pero hindi pa kami nakakalayo sa lugar na 'yun. I could see all the students staring at me and whispering to each other.

"What's with these people?" pikon na sabi ko kay McKenzie.

"I guess it's because binigyan mo ng pagkain ang ultimate boy nila. Kung hindi ka aware, si Kai lang naman ang kinababaliwan na lalaki sa campus," sabay taas-baba pa ng kilay na sabi niya.

"Bakla ka ba?" seryosong tanong ko sa kanya.

"No," mabilis naman niyang sagot sa akin. "Anyway, what time ba yung class mo?" tanong niya sa akin. I furrowed my brow, thinking, this guy is feeling close.

"10:00 o'clock," walang interest na sagot ko sa kanya.

"Good. Gusto mo ba tour kita sa school?" offer niya sa akin. "Well, naisip ko kasi maaga pa naman. Baka gusto mo lang."

Napa-isip din naman ako sa sinabi niya. "Don't worry. I won't do anything naman. I'm the SSC President, so it's also my duty to help students," he explained.