Crazy For You

Eulalie Nyx's Pov I was doodling something on the last page of my notebook habang hinihintay ang bell. Wala ang subject teacher namin sa schedule ngayon, at lecture lang ang pinagawa. Agad ko iyong natapos kaya eto ako ngayon naghihintay. Nagmuni-muni ako hanggang sa marinig ko na ang ingay ng bell. Maya-maya ay nagsilabasan na ang mga classmates ko. Break time na kaya halos ng mga estudyante ay papunta ng canteen. Tumayo ako para puntahan si Mireille. She is Mireille Aria Lefebvre, my closest friend. "Mireille, magla-lunch ka ba?" tanong ko. "Oo, ikaw ba?" sagot niya habang inaayos ang kaniyang mga gamit sa desk. "Oo, pero hindi na'ko pupunta ng canteen. May dala kasi akong baon, tsaka pupunta pa ako sa library para makapag-review," sabi ko, inayos ang glasses ko bago bitbitin ang aking lunch box at libro. "Ang sipag mo, Nyx! Pahingi naman ng kasipagan," sabi niya. "Ire-review ko lang para hindi ko makalimutan," sabi ko. "Kung ganon, puntahan na lang kita sa library after kong makabili sa canteen," sabi ni Mireille. "Sige, ingat ha?" dagdag pa niya. "Okay, ikaw rin, baka makipagtulakan ka na naman sa canteen para lang sa ice cream," I chuckled at her. "Nagkaka-ubusan kasi," sabi niya, sabay kamot sa batok. "Favorite ko pa naman iyong isang flavor kaso ang bibilis nung iba eh. Sa susunod mag rerequest ako na i-advance yung akin." "Hay na'ko. Basta sa susunod wag mo nang itutulak yung ibang students dun para sa chocolate mo, muntik pa tayong mapa-away," sabi ko naman. "Oo sige, promise," sabi niya habang ipinagdikit namin ang aming pinky fingers. Ngumiti ako ng bahagya. We both walked out of the classroom together pero magkaiba kami ng direksyon na pupuntahan. Finally, makakapunta na'ko ng library. I was walking around the campus while holding my lunch box and a book. Habang naglalakad, hindi ko namalayan na nahulog ang papel na naka-ipit sa aking libro. Kaya ng lingunin ko ito ay tinangay ito ng hangin. Dali-dali ko itong kinuha. Pagkapulot ko nito, isiniksik ko ulit sa libro at naglakad muli ngunit nakatingin ako sa libro kaya nabangga ako sa isang bagay... Bagay nga ba? Nahulog ang mga gamit ko pati na rin ang aking salamin. Lumuhod ako para hanapin ang salamin ngunit may humawak sa akin para ibigay ang aking salamin. Huh? Sino to? Agad kong kinuha 'yon sa aking palad at isinuot upang malaman kung sino ang nagbigay sa akin. Isa yatang babae o di kaya... I blinked again. Ah, isang lalaki pala. I heard the guy chuckle while watching me get confused. Doon lang nagsink-in sa akin na nabangga ko s'ya kaya agad akong nanghingi ng paumanhin. "Sorry po. Hindi ko po kayo napansin kanina," paghingi ko ng paumanhin. "Ah, it's alright," sabi niya at ibinigay niya sa akin ang mga gamit ko. Napakamot naman ako ng ulo. "Thank you po ulit..uhm.." pasasalamat ko ngunit naudlot dahil hindi ko alam ang kaniyang pangalan. "Raden Leone Vasquez," pagpapakilala niya ng mapansin na natigilan ako. "I'm Eulalie Nyx Lefebvre, nice to meet you po," inilahad ko ang aking kamay sa'kanya at tinanggap niya naman. "Nice to meet you too, Eulalie," he smiled boyishly at me. I couldn't help but notice how his eyes sparkled when he smiled. Napatitig ako nang kaunti at mabilis na ibinaling ang tingin. "Are you heading to the library too?" he asked, breaking the silence. "Yes, I am. I have some studying to do," I replied, trying to sound composed. "Mind if I walk with you?" he asked, still smiling. "Sure," I said, a bit surprised but not minding the company. As we walked together, we started talking about various things. Nalaman ko na si Raden ay nasa senior year at kasali sa basketball team ng school. He had a friendly and easygoing demeanor that made me feel comfortable quickly. When we arrived at the library, I found a quiet corner to sit and eat my lunch. Raden excused himself to find a book he needed. As I unpacked my lunch, I noticed he had left his notebook on the table. Curious, I glanced at it and saw a doodle of a basketball hoop with some notes scribbled around it. It made me smile. Mukhang mahilig din siyang mag-doodle, tulad ko. A few minutes later, Raden returned with a thick book in hand. He sat across from me and started reading. Occasionally, he would glance up and smile. After I finished my lunch, I started reviewing my notes. Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, Mireille had arrived. "Hey, Nyx! Tapos ka na ba?" she asked, looking at Raden curiously. "Oh, hi! This is Raden. We bumped into each other earlier," Pag eexplain ko kay Mireille. "Hi, I'm Mireille," she introduced herself, smiling slightly. "Nice to meet you, Mireille," Raden said, nodding politely. "Are you two done with your review?" Mireille asked, looking at me. "Almost," I said, packing up my things. "Are you going somewhere?" "Yeah, I was thinking of getting some ice cream again, naubos kasi agad habang naglalakad ako dito eh. Want to join us, Raden?" she invited. "I'd love to, but I have practice soon. Maybe next time," he replied, standing up and gathering his things. "Alright, see you around then," Mireille said. "Yeah, see you," I said and waved goodbye. Raden waved goodbye and left the library. Mireille and I walked out together, heading towards the canteen for her ice cream. "So, what's the story with Raden?" Mireille asked. "Nothing much. We just met," I said and shrugged. As we reached the canteen, Mireille made a beeline for the ice cream stand. I watched her with amusement as she eagerly bought her favorite chocolate ice cream. "Got it!" she grins, holding up the ice cream. "You're like a kid," I teased. "And proud of it," she replied, taking a big bite of her ice cream. We found a table and sat down. As Mireille enjoyed her treat, we talked about our day and plans for the weekend. It was nice to relax and chat after a long morning. After a while, we decided to head back to our classroom. On the way, we ran into some of our other friends, who joined us in our conversation. The rest of the day went smoothly. Nagpatuloy na ang klase, and I managed to stay focused despite my earlier encounter with Raden lingering in my mind. When the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Mireille and I packed up our things and headed home together. Malapit lang naman ng kaunti ang bahay namin kaya naglakad na lang kami. "I'll see you tomorrow, Nyx," Mireille said as we reached her house. "Yeah, see you tomorrow," I replied, waving goodbye. When I got home, nakita ko si mom na nagluluto ng hapunan. Si Mama na lang ang kasama ko sa bahay dahil matagal ng namayapa si Dad sa malubhang sakit. Maliit pa lamang ako ay wala na siya. At wala rin akong kapatid so kami lang talaga ni mama ang nakatira sa bahay. "Mama, nandito na po ako." I happily said after coming into the house. Lumingon si Mama sa akin at ngumiti ng maaliwalas. "Oh anak kumain ka na. Sakto at kakatapos ko pa lang magluto." Sabi niya at akmang kukuha ng plato pero pinigilan ko siya. "Ako na lang po ang mag-aayos. Umupo ka na lang Ma, kaya ko na to." Sabi ko naman at nag sandok ng mga pagkain. Pagkatapos kumain ay ako na ang naghugas ng mga plato para makapagpahinga na si Mama. Nag half-bath ako maya-maya dumiretso ako sa kwarto ko, humiga sa kama, at tumitig sa kisame. Hayst.. Bumalik ang mga iniisip ko kay Raden. How easy it was to talk to him. It was a nice feeling, making a new friend. Napangiti naman ako ng marahan. I reached for my notebook and started doodling again. This time, I drew a scene of the library with two figures sitting at a table, one holding a basketball. It was a small way to remember the moment. I yawned after finishing my doodles and went back to bed. Inaantok na'ko kaya maya-maya lang ay napapikit at nakatulog na.