Chapter 2.1

[2.1]

After one hour of discussion, our teacher was finally dismissed us. Kaya naman agad ding nag sitayo-an ang aking mga kaklase. Ang iba sa kanila ay tumakbo agad palabas ng room kahit na hindi pa nakakalabas ang aming guro. Ang iba

 sa kanila ay harap agad sa katabi o sa kung sino man ang makita ng kanilang mata at pinag-uusapan iyong tinuro kanina ng aming guro, na ke'sho mahirap daw 'yong lesson, na hindi nila ma-gets iyong sa ganitong part. At ang mga chismosa naman, s'yempre chismosa pa rin, may panibago siguro silang topic na naman. Sana naman nangshe-share rin sila kung anong pinag-uusapan nila 'di ba?

"Finally! One hour had finished for our Science class!" Si Ash na tumayo at nag-inat na kala mo e isang oras siyang naka-freeze habang nagkaklase.

Ako? eto, nakaupo parin. Mainit na 'tong upuan ko pero syempre joke lang, syempre tumayo na rin ako bago umupo ulit. O sige umupo na lang tayo.

"Tara Thal, labas tayo, 'dun tayo sa puno ng Narra." Pagsabi niya'y agad akong hinala mula sa pagkaka-upo ko. Hindi pa nga ako nakaka-oo e.

"Grabe! naubos brain cells ko 'don! Hindi ko  ma-gets iyong may mga box-box." Tukoy niya roon sa lesson namin kanina ng maka-upo kami sa ilalim ng Narra.

Minsan talaga mahirap 'yung science pero syempre it depends naman siguro iyan sa nagtuturo. Meron kasing teacher na ginagawa na ang lahat, 'Yong tipong may mga techniques sila para madaling maintindihan 'yong lessons. The right teacher can make major subjects easy for the students.

Sa totoo lang, medyo mahirap nga iyong lesson namin kanina pero gora lang! Kaya yan! Kakayanin! Para sa future namin ni crush. Pero syempre charot lang. Para sa future ko lang. Wala akong crush. Believe me or not, hindi na ako nagkaroon ng crush ngayong college na ko, sa totoo lang simula ng tumungtong ako ng Grade eight hanggang ngayong college e hindi na ko nagkaroon ng crush. Samantalang nung nasa elementary pa ko e nagka-crush na ako. Grade two! grade two ako nung una akong nagka-crush. Oh 'di ba? ang bata ko pa nung nagsimula akong lumande.

Tapos ayon pa sa mga kaklase ko nung high school pa ko, kapag wala ka raw crush abnormal tapos 'yung mga may crush 'yong normal, like dzuh? lah kong pake kung abnormal ako. Mapipilit ba nila ako? e sa wala akong crush e.

"Hoy!" Pinitik ni Ash ang daliri sa mismong harap ko. "Ayun! Tulala ka na naman!" At namewang pa nga sa harap ko.

"What the?" I ask her about what she did a while ago.

"Anong 'what the?' para naman ma-inform ka, ayun tulala na naman you." At tinuro pa ako. Like before, I just rolled my eyes at her while she was busy telling her rants about me.

"Ang OA! I was just thinking about the discussion earlier." Siyempre magaling ako magpalusot 'no, ayoko namang ilaglag sarili ko at marami na namang chichiburiching idadaldal iyang si Ash. Ashley will always be Ashley. Maingay kahit saan! Hindi na nahiya sa ka-daldalang dala niya.

"Ugh! For your information Luinsse Nathalia, bulok na 'yang mga palusot mo sakin! Try something new next time." And she sat beside me.

"Try something new next time, try something new next time. Pinanganak ka ba talagang walang hiya Ash? Ako rito 'yung nahihiya para sayo eh."

"Nahihiya?"

"FYI, pinagtitinginan kaya tayo, I mean ikaw lang. Dahil d'yan sa kadaldalan mo." At tumingin s'ya sa paligid. Totoo naman kasi, lahat ng estudyanteng nadaan sa puwesto namin ay napapatingin sa kanya dahil sa ka-ingayan niya. Maingay siya kahit saan, kahit kelan!

"Maganda kasi ako." Sabay kunwari flip hair.

"Ay may bagyo ata? Ang lakas kasi ng hangin!" Sabay tingin ko sa kalangitan. Ashley just rolled her eyes at me because of what I've just said, instead she just sit beside me and watch the students passing by.

Minutes had passed when Ash speak, Hindi n'ya talaga maalintana ang manahimik. "Anyway, why would Ms. Ignacio want to talk to you? She was Errol's adviser after all." Ash said out of nowhere. Because of her question, my eyes got big, you know what I mean, then I remember something.

"Shit!" And got up my bag.

"Where are you going?!" Ash, as she follows me.

"I forgot that I am going to Ms. Ignacio's office! Ugh! Stupid Thalia!" But I suddenly stop running, so as to Ashley when I saw our next teacher walking, heading to our roo

"Argh! shit." I just whispered it to myself, enough for Ash to hear it. Baka mamaya kapag narinig ng teacher namin e ma-guidance pa ako. No way! That will be a bad record, and I don't wanna have one! Dahil mamayari ako kay Tita! A bad record will never be a good one.

"Good afternoon ma'am." Ashley greeted our teacher with a smile while she stands beside me.

"Get inside the classroom if you want to attend the class." Our teacher said without even smiling as she continues walking until she passed by where we were standing.

"Ang sungit niya talaga," Ashley whisper so I look at her. She frowns her face still looking at our teacher's back.

She is our one and only terror teacher, no other than Miss...Ballentos. Well, kaya Miss kase wala siyang asawa, hindi rin naman siya biyuda, nasa fourty plus na yata edad nu'n hindi ko sure. Basta wala na siyang thirty plus, mga nasa forty na.

Maybe she's picky when it comes to men? Or she just doesn't wanna have a husband? Get married? Having children? Ms. Ballentos won't even see smiling, even a small smile? Nuh-uh. She won't even be seen laughing too.

Basta lagi niyang suot 'yong no-expression niyang mukha, kahit saan kahit kailan. Kaya siguro walang nagtangkang manligaw sa kanya kasi lagi siyang walang expression. Natatakot siguro sa kanya, mukha kasing laging may galit sa mundo si Ma'am, lagi siyang naka-busangot ang mukha.

"Let's go." And she started to walk towards our classroom that made me confused because Ash became, or let's just say she sounds way too serious? Or, is it just me? Or what?

Hmm weird.

As I take one step I saw that animal again, the animal that I saw this morning near the school gate. Again, it was looking at me, like really? I look around to check if I was right that it was looking at me. But when I put back my eyes where that animal is, I saw nothing. It was.... gone.  

It was just your hallucination Nathalia!

Breathe in, breathe out then I look at the way that's heading towards our classroom as I finally decided to go and attend the class.

Did I really saw that? or is it just my hallucination? Wala na bang ibang nakakakita sa hayop na 'yon? Sabagay medyo malayo sa akin 'yung pwesto no'ng hayop. Nasa may pader siya at maraming puno ang likod ng room, kaya't hindi siya masyadong makita ng iba. Baka naman kasi may iba pang nakakita pero natatakot lang na magsalita kasi baka walang maniwala sa kanila. Tulad ko. Baka hindi maniwala si Ash kapag sinabi ko sa kanya na nakakita ako ng hayop na nakakatakot.

Agad ko ring inalis sa aking isip ang nakita at pilit na ilibang ang sarili sa ibang bagay para hindi ko maisip ang nakita. Lutang ako habang naglalakad papasok ng room namin, buti nalang at hindi ako tinanong ni Ash kung bakit ganun na naman ako.

Another one hour had finished and here I am, still like I had my own world. I was like floating in the whole one hour! Wala sa sarili, tulala lang. Ni hindi ko nga alam kung ano iyong lesson na diniscuss kanina ng terror teacher namin e. Ugh! I think I was hallucinating often, I need to go to the hospital for a check-up, I think.

"Hoy!" Isang palakpak ang nagpabalik sa akin sa reyalidad.

"You said earlier that you're going to Ms. Ignacio's office right?" Right!

:)