Hindi Tugma

CHAPTER 3

"Kiss me in the lips."

Amaris's spirit completely crumbled. He wished he could just vanish from where he stood and turn into a speck of dust on the floor. All the bravado and attitude he had shown Cleo earlier vanished; what remained was a burning wave of intense humiliation, as if boiling oil had been poured all over his body.

Many had witnessed the scene, even the cafeteria staff had paused in what they were doing. Yet not a single person dared to intervene or help the poor freshman.

This seemed to be the worst second day of Amaris' college life. It truly was an unlucky day, and perhaps this was the ultimate nightmare at the start of his education. His dignity was pushed to the edge. He was certain he would be the favorite topic of gossip all over the university before the week even ended.

Left with no choice out of extreme humiliation and anger, Amaris complied with the demand. He stood on his tiptoes slightly to reach Ryker's face. The young man's expression remained completely emotionless, while Amaris broke out in a cold sweat of nervousness. As he slowly brought his lips closer, Ryker suddenly stepped back and lowered his head.

"Wrong move," Ryker whispered, pressing his index finger against Amaris's pouting lips.

Ryker turned to the crowd and raised his voice. "Guys, did you see what this person did?! He was actually willing to kiss me. What do you think you call that? He is a damn gay and an idiot. He fell for my trap so easily. Tsk, tsk, tsk... pathetic guy."

Loud laughter erupted from the onlookers. Some mocked Amaris as if they themselves were without flaw. The envious girls who had long flirted with Ryker whispered harsh insults. A few felt pity, but chose to stay silent out of fear of getting dragged into the mess.

"Tarandado ka pala, eh!" nanggagalaiting sigaw ni Amaris.

He couldn't hold it back anymore; the tears he had been trying to keep back finally broke free. His system was overflowing with grief and rage.

"Hoy! Kumag ka palang hayop ka! Idol pa naman kita noon sa mga palabas mo, kaso ang baho pala ng ugali mo sa totoong buhay!" pagtatanggol ni Cleo, na sa wakas ay natauhan na sa pagkabigla.

"Hey, ugly duckling! Nobody's forcing you to idolize our idol! You look like burnt rice over there, just taking someone famous!" shot back a skinny girl who was one of Ryker's minions.

"Okay na maging tutong, masarap pa rin kaysa sa tulad mong kulang sa sustansiya at utak!" ganti ni Cleo na nakapamwang pa.

The skinny girl was utterly triggered. "Oh, you've got a smart mouth, huh!" She immediately lunged at Cleo and grabbed her by the hair.

Cleo didn't back down; she grabbed the girl's hair right back. They became the new center of attention for the audience, pulling each other's hair out right in the middle of the cafeteria.

"I didn't think you'd actually do it. So you really do like me, huh?" Ryker whispered with a smirk to Amaris, who was crying nearby.

"Wala kang hiya! Makakaganti rin ako sa 'yo, I swear!" nanginginig ang boses na sabi ni Amaris habang mahigpit na ikinuyom ang mga kamao. "Pasalamat ka, marunong pa akong magtimpi sa kagayang mong asal baluga."

"That's enough!" Ryker shouted loudly to recapture everyone's attention. The fighting Cleo and the skinny girl froze, and Cleo quickly ran over to Amaris. "This guy is not as straight as you think he is. He likes men... as you've witnessed, or shall I say, HE LIKES ME!" the young man bragged arrogantly.

Some fell silent, some grew angry, and others didn't care. But before Amaris could even speak, a familiar voice broke the silence.

"Cut it out, Ryker."

Everyone turned to look at the speaker. It was Milio, who had been watching from the side all along. His conscience couldn't bear to watch an Engineering student continuously bully someone from his own department.

"Yes, little boy? And what do you plan to gain from this?" Ryker challenged Milio.

Milio stepped forward, his jaw tight and ready for a fistfight at any second. He stood beside Amaris, who was still pale from deep embarrassment.

"Are you gonna step up to me?" barked one of Ryker's cronies, Don.

"No. But I will defend the freshman of our Department against trash like you," Milio answered monotonously.

"Woah!"

"Shokt!"

"Goodness gracious!"

The students gasped loudly. Everyone's eyes went wide at what happened next. No one expected Milio to do it, he swiftly grabbed Ryker's collar and firmly pressed his lips against Ryker's in a quick yet heated kiss as a bullying counter-attack!

The whole cafeteria fell silent in shock. Even Ryker's three cronies, including Don, stood like statues, unable to move.

"Not bad. Looks like you need to chew on some mint, bro. Because your breath isn't exactly fresh," Milio whispered sarcastically after pulling away from Ryker. "Let's go, Amaris."

Milio pulled Amaris out of the cafeteria while Cleo trailed behind, her eyes still wide with shock.

"Bullsh*t!" shouted Ryker, his face turning bright red from intense anger and humiliation. "He'll pay for this! You'll all regret this!"

Because of that cafeteria controversy, Amaris became the target of spicy gossip throughout the entire university. He never imagined his first day of college would feel like hell. Good thing he possessed enough courage to face the mocking eyes and the murmurs defending his dignity.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Months had passed since then. It was better to make the news on television than to go down in campus history as the person played by Ryker Levious. As time went on and other issues echoed through the university, his name slowly faded into memory. Even so, Amaris chose to keep to himself and focus entirely on his studies.

"I haven't seen him for a while, huh," basag ni Cleo sa katahimikan habang nakaupo sila sa isang sementadong silya malapit sa malawak na field.

Soccer practice was happening at the lower end of the field, making the surroundings quite noisy. The university's annual SportsFest was fast approaching. Despite everyone's excitement, Amaris didn't care; he had no intention of joining or even participating in those games. He would only watch if absolutely necessary.

"Anyway, h'wag na nga lang nating pag-usapan si Ryker. Nabe-beast mode lang ako kapag naaalala ko ang pagmumukha niya!" bawi ni Cleo nang mapansing tumahimik si Amaris. "Hindi ba, beshy, magaling ka naman maglaro ng table tennis? Ba't ayaw mong sumali?" pag-iiba nito ng paksa.

Nakatulala lamang si Amaris sa malayo, tila lumilipad ang isip.

"Hoy!" malakas na tawag ni Cleo habang kumakaway sa harap ng mukha nito.

Nagulat si Amaris. "Ano ba?! Naririnig kita! Hindi mo na kailangang sumigaw na parang nasa palengke ka!" inis niyang saway sa kaibigan.

"Aba, ewan ko sa 'yo. Kanina pa kita tinatanong pero tulala ka na naman sa kawalan. Baka mamaya may lumipad na ibon sa bibig mo dyan."

Sumeryoso ang mukha ni Amaris. "May iniisip lang kasi ako. Masyado ka kasing maingay araw-araw kaya hindi ako makapag-isip nang tama."

"Grabe ka naman sa ferson! Pero ano ba talagang pinagkakaabalahan ng utak mo, huh? Si Milio ba?"

Amaris gave his friend another glare. "Hayan na naman siya sa mga hinuha niyang walang basehan."

"Sige na nga, seryoso na ako. Ano ba kasing bumabagabag sa 'yo? Si Milio ba o si Ryker?" Pangatlong tanong na iyon ni Cleo na sinagot ng panlilisik ng mga mata ni Amaris. "Okay, fine! Sige na, hindi na mabiro."

Bumuntong-hininga nang malalim si Amaris bago tuluyang nagsalita. "Simula lang kasi noong araw sa cafeteria, napansin ko nang madalang ko na lang makita si Milio. Kahit magkasabay kami minsan, hindi nagtatagal ng isang oras ay umaalis na agad siya. May kutob ako na baka tinakot siya ng sira-ulong Ryker na 'yon."

"Hoy, agi!" bahagyang napalakas ang boses ni Cleo. "Maghunus-dili ka nga. Hindi naman siguro gagawin 'yon ni Ryker... ay, pero baka nga. Teka lang! Bakit ba labis kang nag-aalala kay Milio, aber? Close na ba kayo ng sobra? Hey! Ako ang kasama mo simulang simula pa lang. Baka gusto mong ikuwento ko rito kung paano ka umiiyak noon dahil naihi ka sa pants mo noong Grade 2 tayo?"

"Sige, ipagpatuloy mo pa. Ipagkalat mo pa ang mga kabastusan ko sa buhay," inis na tugon ni Amaris.

"Nagbibiro lang naman ang ferson. Sabi ko nga, seryoso na. Baka naman busy lang si Milio? Hindi ba't opisyal siya ng Sports Club? Edi malamang abala siya sa mga preparasyon para sa SportsFest sa susunod na linggo. Masyado ka lang praning sa buhay mo, beshy."

"May punto ka rin naman sa sinabi mo. Pero noong nakaraang buwan ko pa kasi 'to napapansin."

"Hay naku, Amaris. Pumapasok tayo sa mamahaling unibersidad na ito para mag-aral at kumuha ng titulo, hindi para maging personal investigator ng mga senior dito."

Amaris didn't answer back. He knew that if he engaged Cleo further, their discussion would just drag on endlessly into nothingness.

"Saglit lang, beshy. The queen needs to use the restroom. Stay right here and don't you dare leave, or else when I get back you'll be gone and wandering into the Criminology nest again," habilin ni Cleo bago kumaripas ng takbo.

Amaris was left all alone on the concrete bench. Lost deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice the soccer ball hurtling fast from the soccer field straight toward him.

Pak!

"Ouch!" The hard ball slammed heavily against his left cheek. It instantly turned red and swelled against his fair complexion.

"Hoy! Aba't mga tarantado kayo, huh! Ang lawak-lawak ng field, bakit dito niyo talaga ipinadpad ang bola sa mukha ko?!" galit na sigaw ni Amaris sa mga naglalaro sa malayo.

"Sorry! Hindi namin sinasadya, pre! Pasensiya na!" sigaw pabalik ng isang manlalaro habang nag-aalinlangang lumapit.

"F*ck off, assholes!" A cold and familiar voice echoed right behind Amaris. "Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?!" baling ni Amaris habang hawak ang namamagang pisngi. "Kung sipain ka kaya ng bola sa mukha mo tapos tatanungin kita kung ayos ka lang-"

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that the person behind him was actually Ryker. He gave him a small, tight smile.

"Tumabi ka nga! Wala akong panahon makipagbasagan ng mukha sa 'yo ngayong araw," iritableng sabi ni Amaris habang pinupulot ang kanyang bag.

Amaris walked away in a hurry, holding his swelling cheek with care. He didn't look back at the young man, even though he knew Ryker had just defended him from the players. To him, this was still fate's fault, if he hadn't been lost in deep thought, he would have dodged that ball.

"Amaris! Beshy! Agi!" tawag ni Cleo habang tanaw ang pag-alis ng kaibigan. "Wait for me! Oh my gosh, anong nangyari sa pisngi mo?!"

Mabilis na lumapit si Cleo at nagulat nang makita si Ryker na nakatayo pa rin sa malapit. "Ikaw na naman?! Ano na namang ginawa mo sa kaibigan ko, huh?!" bulyaw ni Cleo.

"I just helped him-"

"Opsss, "Oops, don't bother explaining because I know you're behind this! You're so mean!" sigaw ni Cleo. "Kung hindi ka lang sana guwapo! Naku, baka kanina pa kita ginawang pulbura!"

"Wait-let me explain-"

"Ewan ko sa 'yo, Ryker! Kahit sikat ka at anak mayaman, asal-kalye ka pa rin! Tse!" huling hirit ni Cleo bago kumaripas ng takbo para sundan si Amaris.

Ryker was left standing there shaking his head. He had just helped the guy, but why did he always end up looking like the villain in this story? He turned his back on the field as well and walked back to their classroom before the next class started.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, back inside Ryker's hangout room, his friends didn't miss the chance to tease him.

"Look at you, bro! Hero material ka na naman sa patpating freshman na 'yon? After that cafeteria scandal, mukhang gusto mo yatang maging santo," biro ni Atticus.

"Don't tell me, nako-konsensiya ka na?" tanong naman ni Asher habang nakangisi. "You got fooled too back then, so are you trying to make up for it?"

"Exactly! H'wag mong sabihin na may tinatago ka pang kabaitan diyan sa budhi mo?" dagdag pa ni Don.

"Isang malaking himala kapag ang isang Ryker Levious ay nagka-konsensiya!" Sabay-sabay na nagtawanan ang tatlong kaibigan ni Ryker.

"One more word out of your mouths, and I'll pull all your teeth out later!" Ryker threatened his friends.

The young man was obviously in a terrible mood. His companions immediately fell silent and looked away.

"So, bakit mo nga ba ginawa 'yon—"

"Get out of my way!" malamig na utos ni Ryker kay Don na nakaharang sa daanan niya.

"Hoy! Saan ka na naman pupunta? Hindi ba mamaya na ang try-out para sa swimming team? May klase pa tayo!" habol na paalala ni Asher.

"To a place where I don't have to look at any of your faces for a while!" the young man answered seriously before storming out of the room.

@phiemharc - Hindi Tugma (C3)