Chapter 4
929 Words
Victor's POV
Tahimik lang ako. Palaging ganon.
Hindi ako yung tipong bumibida. Hindi ako kagaya nina Mark o Julio na palaging tumatawa or si Andrew na laging chill lang kahit nasusunog na yung buong paligid. Ako? I stay behind. Observe. Think.
Pero kahit gaano ako ka-lowkey. May isang tao na palaging naririnig ko.
Carla Be Los Tasia.
Ang babaeng parang fireworks.
Si Carla yung tipo ng tao na kahit anong gawin mo mapapansin mo pa rin siya. Her laugh? Loud. Her energy? Wild. Her presence? Inescapable.
At hindi ko alam kung paano nangyari pero somehow she became the only thing I noticed.
Lunch Break – Cafeteria Chaos.
Tahimik akong kumakain ng adobo rice sa sulok ng cafeteria. Headphones on. Volume low. Pero kahit naka-on ang music ko, I heard her laugh from two tables away.
"Victor!" Sigaw ni Carla sabay wave.
I froze.
Why is she waving at me?
Bumaba ako ng earphones ko. "Uh, hi?"
"Join us!" She said. Scooting over and patting the seat beside her.
Nicole and Megan looked surprised too.
"She's pulling Victor into the circle." Bulong ni Nicole kay Megan.
I awkwardly walked toward them. May bakanteng seat sa dulo pero Carla insisted. "Dito ka! Sa tabi ko!"
And I did.
Hindi ako sanay makipagsabayan sa animated conversation nila. Pero Carla? She kept pulling me in.
"Anong zodiac sign mo, Victor?" She asked mid-lunch.
"Scorpio."
"OH! Sabi ko na nga ba!" She said with a sparkle in her eyes. "Mysterious. Loyal. Passionate."
I coughed. "Saan galing yang info?"
"TikTok." She grinned.
Of course.
Flashback – First Time I Noticed Her.
Last semester. Nagkaroon ng intramurals. Volleyball match ng Girls Team. Biglang pinasok si Carla as sub. Akala ko show-off lang siya. Pero sa loob ng fifteen minutes she served five aces.
After the match habang lahat pagod na. She was still bouncing.
She ran to her teammates, screaming, "We are the QUEENS of the court!"
And I just watched from the bench pretending not to care. But I did.
That was the moment I knew. Carla Be Los Tasia was a storm.
Present Day – Group Project Meeting.
Nagkataon na grupo ko siya sa History project kasama rin si Nicole at Andrew. Sila yung energetic, ako yung assigned sa PowerPoint (of course).
"Guys." Sabi ni Carla habang nag-aayos ng snacks. "I have an idea! Gawin nating short skit yung report!"
Napataas ang kilay ko. "Sk, skit?"
"Para engaging! Victor, bagay ka sa role ng historian. Serious ka kasi. May dating."
Nicole snorted. "Akma sa boses niya."
Napakamot ako ng batok. "Hindi ako sanay umarte.
"Don't worry." She said. Leaning closer. "Ako bahala sa'yo."
Hindi ko alam kung anong mas malakas. Ang kaba ko o ang heartbeat ko nung sinabi niya iyon.
After Practice – Hallway Talk.
Pagkatapos ng practice ng skit. I stayed behind to fix the props. Carla returned holding two bottled iced teas.
"Para sa'yo." She said handing one.
"Thanks."
Tahimik kami for a few seconds.
Then she asked. "Bakit parang hindi mo ako ma-meet ng mata?"
I almost choked. "Huh?"
"Every time I talk. You look away." She said leaning on the wall beside me.
"Do I scare you?"
"No." I answered quickly. "You distract me."
Nagulat yata siya sa honesty ko.
"Wow. That's new."
"I'm just not used to someone like you." I confessed. "You're loud. Alive. I'm not."
She smiled softly. "Maybe that's why we make a good balance."
Tangina. What does she mean by that?
Weekend Texts.
Carla: "Hey Vic, do you like sunsets or sunrises?"
Victor: "Sunsets. They're quieter."
Carla: "I like both. Sunrises give hope. Sunsets give closure."
Victor: "You always say poetic things without meaning to."
Carla: "Hahaha! Maybe I'm just dramatic."
Victor: "No. You're just real."
Carla: "Aww. Look who's sweet now."
I never thought I'd enjoy texting this much.
Monday Morning – Locker Moment.
Bumungad siya bigla sa likod ko habang inaayos ko ang books ko.
"Victor." Bulong niya sabay tapik sa balikat ko.
"HOLY." Muntik ko nang mabitawan ang libro ko.
"Tsk. Cute mo talaga kapag nagugulat." Sabay tawa niya.
"Carla, please." Napailing ako. Trying to hide my blushing ears.
"Saan ka galing ka gabi? Hindi ka nagreply."0
"I was writing."
"Writing? As in diary?"
"More like. Poems."
Nanlaki ang mata niya. "Poems? Victor Wil writing poems? Pakita!"
"Nope."
"Sige na!"
"No."
"Okay, fine. Bet ko iyan. Mystery man reveal soon, ha?"
She walked away, hair bouncing, leaving me stunned.
And maybe a little in love.
Victor's Hidden Notebook – Excerpt.
> "She talks like thunder.
And laughs like summer rain
But when she walks away,
Silence becomes pain.
The Day Everything Felt Different.
Sa hallway, nakita ko siyang may kasamang ibang guy. Si Mark JR Gomez. Captain ng Basketball Team. Gwapo. Outgoing. Popular.
They were laughing. Too close.
Masakit sa mata.
I turned around. Walked away.
But she caught up.
"Victor!" She called. "Bakit ang bilis mo lumakad?"
"Late na ako."
"Ngumiti ka naman." She teased. "Ang sungit mo today."
"Hindi ako palangiti."
"Pero dati you smile at my jokes."
Naglakad lang ako. Hindi ko alam kung paano aaminin na nagseselos ako.
Evening Confession.
Nag-message siya that night.
Carla: "Did I do something wrong? Parang umiiwas ka today."
Victor: "No. Just tired."
Carla: "You sure? Hindi ka ganyan before."
Victor: "Maybe I'm just struggling with something."
Carla: "Can I help?"
Victor: "No. You're already the reason."
It took her minutes to reply.
Carla: "So it's me? What about me?"
Victor: "You make it hard not to feel something. And I'm not used to that."
Carla: "Then don't fight it. Feel it."
- Writer
