Trouble You've Caused Me

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT

Year 2018

“LUCAS, WHY DID you do that?” Ken asked Lucas as soon as he got lost sight of Kirsten. ‘Mas mabuti ng hindi marinig ni Kirsten ang usapan nila kaysa naman na magkaroon na naman ng panic attacks si Kirsten’ Ken thought.

    Kumunot ang noo nito. Lucas got confused for a while dahil hindi niya alam kung ano ang tinutukoy ni Ken “Huh? What are you talking about bro?”

    “Why did you brag Kirsten about your dream to travel with her?!” Ken said. Hindi sumigaw si Ken pero sapat na ang lakas ng boses niya para malaman ni Lucas na iritado ito sa kaniya.

    “What are you talking about, Ken? Wala akong sinabi sa kaniya tungkol doon.” Lucas explained. He’s still confused why Kun suddenly confronted him all of a sudden. 

    Ken sighed. “Don’t ask me back, just answer my damn question, Lucas!”

    “How the hell am I going to answer your question if I don’t know what the heck you are talking about?!? Medyo iritadong wika ni Lucas. Sa totoo niyan, ni kailanman hindi naisip ni Lucas na dadating ang time na magkakasagutan sila ni Ken ng kagaya sa nangyayari sa mga oras na iyon.

    Ken smirked. “Wow, now you’re acting innocent. Don’t freakin’ act innocent and just tell me why you did it?”

    Lucas rolled his eyes and asked Ken again kahit na alam niyang magagalit na naman ito sa kaniya dahil tinanong na naman niya ito pabalik “What the heck did I do?”

    “Why did you bring Kirsten to Sky 9?!” iritadong wika ni Ken.

    Lucas sighed. "Ken, that was two weeks ago. Okay na naman si Kirs—“

    “Didn’t you know what trouble you’ve caused, Lucas? She’s not freakin’ okay!” galit na wika ni Ken. He’s mad at Lucas dahil alam niya kung paano nag-suffer si Kirsten noon at ayaw na niya sana iyon maulit iyon kaso naulit na naman dahil kay Lucas.

    “Bro, can you chill? That was two weeks ago. Okay na naman siya. Nag-sorry na rin ako sa kaniya and we’re okay now.”

    “If she’s already okay she will not tear up when she told me what happened when you took her to Sky 9. Lucas, you’re causing trouble!” Ken explained.

    “But that was two weeks ago, Ken. Settled na ’yan. Bakit ba binabalik mo pa, ha?” Lucas asked, sounding annoyed because of Ken.

    “It’s not yet settled, Lucas! Can’t you understand my point? Hindi pa okay si Kirsten at baka mas lalong hindi siya maging okay dahil sa pagdala mo sa kaniya sa Sky 9 two weeks ago.” Ken explained but Lucas still didn’t get his point.

    “Hindi na kasi dapat ’yan pinag-uusapan, Ken. Okay na nga yan, eh. Gagawan mo pa ng issue?”

    “What the hell, Lucas? Dapat pinag-uusapan ’to kasi hindi mo alam ang nangyari kay Kirsten dati kaya ganiyan ang sinasabi mo."

    “Then f*cking explain it to me! What happened to her before?! Wala akong alam sa nangyari dati kaya I don’t know the reason why she acted that way! Ayaw niya rin sabihin sa akin kaya why not tell it to me para alam ko ’di ba?” Inis na wika ni Lucas.

    Ken just sighed.

    “She almost died two years ago. Wala ako sa posisyon to tell this to you but I’m sure hindi niya kailanman sasabihin sa ’yo ang reason why she had panic attacks kaya sinabi ko na.” Ken continued. “She met an accident twice that day. Hindi alam ni Tita Nancy but she met an accident twice on that day pero ang alam lang ni tita ay ’yong na-hit and run siya.”

    Lucas was shocked when Ken said the reason to him. “H—hit and run?" Lucas curiously asked. He thought things like that only happen in movies but he doesn’t know it could happen in real life too.

    Ken rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah. Bumili lang siya ng pagkain sa convenience store on that day nasa pedestrian naman siya pero nahagip siya no’ng kotse na matulin ang takbo.”

    “When did this happen two years ago?” Kinakabahan si Lucas sa k’wento ni Ken at hindi niya alam kung bakit or maybe he did know the reason but he was just making sure if what he was thinking is the same with what Ken is talking about.

    “January 25, 2016”

    Napatitig na lang si Lucas kay Ken nang sabihin niya iyon. Napaawang din ang kaniyang labi nang marinig niya ang date na sinabi ni Ken sa kaniya. Hindi niya alam ’yong kabang nararamdaman niya, sobrang bilis ng kabog ng puso niya.

    “Bakit, Lucas?” Ken asked; confused why Lucas asked him the date of the accident.

    Lucas just sighed.

    “M—My dad died two years ago on that day also... he died on my birthday.”

    Napayuko naman si Ken. “I’m sorry to hear that Lucas.”

    Umiling naman si Lucas. “No it’s okay... p—pero bakit gano’n ang nangyari kay Kirsten?"

    “I don’t know. She told me na bago siya mawalan ng malay may nakita siyang lalaki na lumabas sa kotse. She thought tutulungan siya no’ng lalaki pero hindi. I guess that’s what hit and run was about. Tinakasan ng nakabangga si Kirsten,

    “After that kahit hindi sabihin ni Kirsten, alam ko may trauma pa rin siya. Kahit na sinasabi niyang excited na siya mag-travel ulit, ’di niya pa talaga kaya dahil kapag naaalala niya ’yong nangyari dati she still have panic attacks. Kaya rin natigil ang pagtravel niya dahil doon. All the clips she uploads on her YouTube channel is just clips from two years ago. Kaya nga rin natigil na siya sa pag-upload dahil hindi na rin naman siya nagtatravel ngayon eh.”

    Yumuko si Lucas. Napasabunot na lang ito ng buhok nito. He looks frustrated. More frustrated than he was before.

    “Bakit, Lucas?”

    Ken kept on staring at Lucas. Inaantay niya ang sagot nito dahil alam niyang may sasabihin pa ito sa kaniya.

    “I—I think I was the guy who stepped out of the car and just looked at Kirsten two years ago.”

    Kumunot agad ang noo ni Ken kahit na nagulat ito at kinuwelyuhan si Lucas. “What the hell, Lucas?!”

    “I’m sorry...” ’Yon lamang ang nasabi ni Lucas ng paulit-ulit. He looks guilty now.

    “The f*ck! It was you, Lucas?!” Akmang susunukin ni Ken si Lucas kaso nakarinig siya ng ingay mula sa k’warto ni Nanay Lola at nakita nila si Kirsten na nakatingin sakanila.

    Kirsten’s crying.

BUMALIK AGAD SI Kirsten sa k’warto ni Nanay Lola nang sabihin ni Ken na bumalik siya doon dahil mag-uusap pa sila ni Lucas.

    Ewan ba niya pero kinakabahan siya sa sinasabing pag-uusap nila ni Lucas. Iba talaga ang kutob niya sa mangyayari.

    Umupo lang si Kirsten sa couch na nasa tabi ng kama ni Nanay Lola. Tulog pa rin kasi ito kaya wala siyang makausap at nagpasya na lang siyang mag-cellphone.

    She have this application called Scrabble. She really love the board game that’s why she installed the application kaya iyon muna ang ginawa niyang libangan habang nag-uusap pa si Ken at Lucas. Tamang tama lang din naman ang dating ni Lucas she thought dahil niyayaya siya nitong lumabas.

    Habang tumatagal ang usapan ni Ken at Lucas mas lalo siyang kinakabahan. She kept on looking at her wrist watch and it’s been ten minutes pero hindi pa rin tapos mag-usap si Ken at Lucas. Never naman siya na-bored sa Scrabble app dahil gustong gusto niya iyon pero sa oras na iyon she got bored.

    Kinakabahan din kasi siya. Hindi niya alam kung tungkol saan ang pag-uusapan nila pero may idea naman siya hindi nga lang siya sigurado kung iyon nga ang ioopen ni Ken na pag-uusap kay Lucas.

    Sumuko na siya sa paglalaro ng Scrabble app at nagpasya na lang na sumilip sa may pinto para makita at marinig niya ang usapan ni Ken at Lucas.

    When she opened the door a little bit she didn’t expect that she would hear that statement from Lucas...

    “I-I think I was the guy who stepped out of the car and just looked at Kirsten two years ago.”

    She saw how Ken got shocked and she was also shocked.

    Kumunot noo si Ken. “What the hell, Lucas?!" Kinuwelyuhan nito si Lucas but still Kirsten remained silent.

    “I’m sorry..." ’Yon lamang ang nasabi ni Lucas ng paulit-ulit. He looks guilty and that makes Kirsten feel betrayed and sad.

    “The f*ck! It was you, Lucas?!” akmang susunukin ni Ken si Lucas but she opened the door widely and that caused a noise. Nakita na siya ng dalawa na nandoon.

    Kaagad siyang tumakbo paalis doon ngunit naabutan siya ni Lucas kaya nahawakan nito ang kanyang braso.

    “Kirsten...”

    She just looked at him. Hindi siya nagsasalita. 

    “I.. I can explain...”

    Umiling si Kirsten. “You don’t need to explain yourself.” Aalis na sana siya kaso ayaw bitawan ni Lucas ang kaniyang braso.

    “Y—you’re crying...”

    She rolled her eyes at pinunasan niya ang luhang kumakawala sa kaniyang mata. “Of course I am crying. Ano ’to laway ko lang? Saka p’wede ba, bitawan mo ako.” Kalmadong wika niya then she avoided his gaze.

    “Please, listen to me first.”

    “How can I listen to you if you didn’t listen to me first two years ago?”

    Natahimik si Lucas.

    “I... I can explain, Kirs. Trust me...”

    “How can I trust you when you didn’t help me when I got hit by your f*cking car two years ago?”

    Natahimik ulit si Lucas.

    “Lucas, how can I trust you if you’re the guy who just looked at me while I was bleeding because of the wounds I got when I got hit by your car? Huh? Tell me!”

    Napayuko lang ito.

    “How can I trust you when you keep on creating troubles in my life?”

    Lucas tried to hold Kirsten’s hand but she refused him to touch her once again.

    “Kirsten, just hear me out. Please. I have my explanation. Don’t be one sided...”

    Umiling si Kirsten.

    “Just stay away from me. I don’t want to see you ever again.”

    And then she left him there.