The Paintbrush Deal

CHAPTER 18

Skyler's POV

"How am I supposed to know if there's something with Elio that makes me behave differently when it comes to him?"

"That is something that only you can find out. I mean, we can all see how you're treating Elio differently. However, ikaw lang ang may kakayahan na i-pinpoint kung ano ba talaga ang rason kung bakit iba ang trato mo sa kanya," sabi ni Mico.

"Maybe because he's always trying to pick a fight with me and I'm always trying to defend myself. Talagang mag-iiba ang trato ko sa kanya," sagot ko naman.

"Don't give me that, you idiot. Alam mo, you're really popular and a lot of people like you. I can even say that you're a tiny bit more handsome than I am. Unfortunately, you're pathetically clueless when it comes to some things, especially pagdating sa diskarte," sabi niya.

I just frowned at my food. "Then what should I do?"

After my brief talk with Ate Hannah a few days ago, agad naman akong lumapit kay Mico para humingi ng tulong. Sinabi ko rin sa kanya ang naging usapan namin ng kapatid ko. I usually never seek advice from this bastard, pero alam ko na may maitutulong siya sa 'kin lalo pa sa ganitong sitwasyon. Binisita ko pa siya sa bahay niya para lang humingi ng tulong.

"First and foremost, you have to identify kung ano ba talaga ang status niyong dalawa," sabi ni Mico.

"We're just two people trying to get along. I mean, we're not even friends. May utang siya sa 'kin at kailangan niya 'yung pagbayaran. I can't even think of a proper term applicable to our situation," I said.

Mico nodded. "I see. I can definitely agree with that. However, that even makes your behavior towards him a lot stranger. You're not even friends with him but you're already treating him differently."

He then eyed me carefully for several moments.

"Kailan ba nagsimulang mag-iba ang trato mo sa kanya?" tanong ni Mico.

Natigilan ako. "Actually, I think I have an idea when it all started. Remember when Kelly sent you Elio's personal information? I asked him to know more about Elio. Nasabi kasi ng huli na hindi niya kasama ang mga magulang niya, kaya sinubukan kong alamin kung may iba pa siyang mga kamag-anak na pwede niyang matuluyan. Dahil doon, nalaman ko na mahirap pala ang naging buhay niya noon."

Mico smiled while shaking his head. "Naaawa ka sa kanya. I see. It all makes sense now. Alam mo, kahit kailan talaga ay nag-uumapaw ka sa kabaitan. I think we can confidently say now that you're treating him differently out of pity, because of his difficult life when he was younger. Man, your heart really is made of marshmallow."

"Quit saying that," I snapped at him.

Naupo naman siya sa harap ko bago niya ako tinitigan mata sa mata. "Alam mo ba na ganyan ka rin kay Miles noon?"

His question really caught me off-guard. Yumuko na lang ako at hindi na nagpakita pa ng kahit anong emosyon.

"I'm not saying that you're doing a bad thing by helping Elio. More importantly, hindi ko sinasabing tumigil ka sa pagiging mabait. The world needs more people like you. However, minsan ka nang nasaktan dahil sa pagiging sobrang mabait mo. You are a great human being who deserves to be happy more than any person here on Earth. Unfortunately, your most admirable trait is also your greatest weakness. Kapag nagkamali ka ulit this time, para mo na ring sinaksak nang dalawang beses ang sarili mo," sabi ni Mico.

"Look, I want you to be happy. I really do. You are my best mate and I want you to get what you really deserve," he added. "Hindi ko sasabihin na tigilan mo na ang ginagawa mo para kay Elio. Instead, I want you to know about him more. May kaunting ideya ka na sa mga bagay na gusto niya, 'di ba? Spend some time with him. Para hindi kayo mag-argue masyado, talk about things that he actually likes. There's no harm in trying to be friends with Elio."

"Do you want to eat with me outside? My treat."

Elio stared at me blankly for several seconds. He then looked at his phone before looking back at me, his face torn between confusion and disbelief.

"Can you not do a double take on me? I'm in a hurry. Let's go. I saw a bakeshop near here while we're on our way earlier. I'm really hungry and I don't have much time," I said before heading towards the gate.

"How about Kelly?" tawag naman niya sa 'kin.

"Nagmamadali nga ako. We'll just buy him something. Kung ayaw mong sumama, bahala ka. I just really need to eat something," sagot ko naman.

"Your treat?"

"My treat."

"Fine. Whatever."

Nakarinig naman ako ng mga yabag na humahabol sa 'kin. A moment later ay lumitaw na sa tabi ko si Elio.

"You're on the wrong side of the sidewalk," sabi ko bago ko siya hinatak palayo sa gilid ng kalsada.

"Okay lang sa 'kin na pumuwesto sa gilid ng kalsada. That way, ako ang unang makakakita kung may papalapit na sasakyan at agad akong makakatakbo palayo," sagot ni Elio.

"I knew you'd say that," I said with a chuckle.

Hindi na nagsalita pa si Elio. Maging ako man ay tumitig na lang din sa paligid. It's a fine afternoon today. Apart from some clouds over the east, the sky is clear and blue. Hindi rin masyadong mainit dahil mahangin. Manaka-nakang tumititig sa 'kin si Elio pero hindi ko na lang 'yun pinapansin.

We finally arrived at the bakeshop I was talking about. It seems na may available rin ditong drinks. Well, first time naman namin dito, so we really don't know what to expect. As I stood back to look at the menu and decide what to choose, si Elio naman ay nauna nang tumingin sa display shelves. He almost pressed his face against the glass as he eyed the cakes and pastries on display.

"Whoa. . . Look at these things. . ." Elio whispered, his face brimming with awe.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment. Looking back at me, he asked, "Hey, okay lang ba talaga sa 'yo na i-libre ako? These things look expensive. I have money with me."

I almost smiled. "Talaga bang mag-aalangan ka sa pera ko?" tanong ko naman.

"Well, these all look delicious, so I won't be happy choosing just one," Elio replied.

I finally permitted myself to smile. "Choose whatever you want. As long as you're going to eat it, I'll buy it for you. Don't be shy," I said.

Elio smiled at me widely. "Really? Okay!" he said before turning his eyes back to the shelves.

I feel like something really hard hit me right in the face. Natulala na lang ako at tumitig sa likod ni Elio habang namimili siya ng mga kakainin niya. It took me several seconds to finally realize the reason why I feel like I'd been stunned.

Did he just. . . smile at me?

"Hoy, buhay ka pa ba? Ba't ka tulala diyan? May pera ka ba talagang dala?" sabi bigla ni Elio.

"Don't be so impatient, you little dork," I said before approaching the counter.

We took our orders to go. Mukhang sineryoso ni Elio ang sinabi ko dahil aside sa dalawang boxes ng mga pagkain ang dala niya, um-order pa siya ng isang cup ng latte. I still have a little time left and the school is just walking distance from the bakeshop, so I was able to drag Elio to a nearby park to eat our food.

"Akala ko ba nagmamadali ka?" tanong niya pagkaupo ko sa isang bench. "What's the point of buying all these if they're just going to be blown away by the wind or pecked at by birds?"

"The school's just over there. Also, kainin mo na 'yan habang mainit pa ang kape mo," sagot ko naman. I also ordered some food and a cup of coffee.

Elio finally sat beside me and started munching his food. I just watched him as he ate happily, which made me feel like I'm feeding a stray cat. Mukhang isa 'to sa mga paborito ni Elio lalo pa't hindi masyadong volatile ang behavior niya ngayon.

You finally gave me a useful piece of advice for the very first time, Mico.

"Do I have something on my face?" Elio asked me after noticing that I was watching him.

"No. Not really. Is the food good?" I asked him.

"They're expensive, duh. Of course they taste heavenly," Elio replied.

I chuckled. "I see. You seem to really like cakes and pastries a lot. Paborito mo ba sila?" tanong ko.

Elio frowned at nothing in particular. "I really can't say that they're my favorite, lalo pa't hindi naman ako madalas na nakakakain nito. Kahit ngayong may trabaho na ako, I rarely have the extra money to buy things like these. I only spend my money for the things that I need the most. The rest goes to my savings. I guess I can say that I've always been fascinated by cakes and pastries ever since I was a kid."

I looked at him curiously. "How so?"

"Like I said, I grew up having almost nothing," Elio said as he took another bite of his cake. "Very few possessions. . . Little to no food. . . Eating three times a day sounded like a far-fetched dream when I was a kid. I remember being so envious of these things, but since I didn't have enough money, I would always end up eating those cheap breads that you probably haven't even heard about. I don't even remember my parents buying me a cake for any of my birthdays."

I felt a pang of pain inside me after hearing him say those. I know that he's trying his best to show people that his past didn't affect him at all, but living a deprived life must've been really difficult for him, considering that he also had problems with his family.

"That's why whenever people buy me something or treat me, I always try to show them that I really appreciate what they're doing," he added. "Kaya pasensya na kung sobrang dami ng kinuha ko. I promise I'm going to eat all of these. It's just that I've always been curious about what they might taste like ever since I was a kid."

Elio smiled at me once more, and before I knew it, I was already offering my food to him.

"Would you like to eat some more? I can buy more of these for you. We can stop at the bakeshop before we head back home. Do you want a cake? Pastries? Actually, here, you can have mine if you want," I said.

"Dude, this is already a lot," Elio replied. "I won't be able to eat dinner if you're going to buy more."

Natigilan kami pareho at nagkatitigan nang bigla na lang na bumuhos ang malakas na ulan. Hindi nagtagal ay kumakaripas na kami ng takbo papunta sa isang malapit na waiting shed.

"What the hell?! The sun is out!" Elio shouted. May kasama pang malalakas na bugso ng hangin ang pag-ulan kaya madali kaming nabasa.

"There are some clouds in the east. Mukhang hindi naman 'to tatagal. Let's just wait for it to stop," sabi ko naman pagkarating namin sa waiting shed. Buti na lang at naambunan lang kami. "Ayos ka lang?" tanong ko sa kanya.

"I'm good. It's just that I'm having a good time eating, and the weather really sucks," Elio replied as we sat down.

"We can still eat here," sagot ko naman.

The waiting shed was a little cramped, kaya talagang magkaharap kaming dalawa habang kumakain. Pansin ko na mas nabasa si Elio dahil simpleng t-shirt lang naman ang suot niya, kaya hinubad ko ang coat ko at isinuot ko 'yun sa kanya.

"You're going to get wet," sabi ko bago pa man siya makatutol. "Kahit mainit ang panahon, you should always bring something to protect you from the weather. Mabilis kang magkakasakit kung parati kang ganyan."

"I'm not really a coat or jacket type of guy," Elio replied.

"You should at least own a few. May iba akong mga coat na masikip na sa 'kin. They're still in good condition. Ipaayos mo lang sila para tumugma sa size mo. They'll look good on you," sabi ko.

Elio looked away, his face reddening. In an obvious attempt to change the topic, he suddenly raised his box of food towards me. Muntikan pa akong masubsob sa isang cupcake dahil sa ginawa niya.

"Would you like to have some? Nakakahiya naman na isang croissant lang ang kinakain mo, tapos ikaw pa ang nanlibre. Help me out, at least with this box," said Elio.

I don't know if it's about the food, but seeing him act nicely is really a breath of fresh air for me. I never thought that someone like him is capable of toning dow his volatile behavior. For obvious reasons, I like this side of him more. I just smiled at Elio before reaching into the box that he was offering to me.

"Okay. I'll have a cupcake, then."