"Andrea?" Tawag sakin ni Meryl. Co-artist ko sa Drama Guild. One of my closest friend nung makapasok ako dito sa TEO.
"Anong problema?"
"Magsisimula na ba tayo sa practice?" Di mapakalimg tinignan ko ang aking relo.
"Ten minutes-"
"Babalik ako."
Narinig kong tinawag ako ni Meryl kaso hindi ko na siya nilingon. Importante yung play na gagawin namin ngayon at ip-present na namin yun next week. Pero wala na akong pakialam. Hindi ako makahinga ng maayos. Agad akong tumakbo papuntang Action Guild, kasi alam kong merong shooting si Riguel ngayon.
Whatever it is, kailangan ko siyang makausap. Baka sakali. Baka sakaling maniwala siya sa side ko. Kung bakit ko siya ginamit. Kung bakit ko siya niloko.
I stopped and went inside from the tent, nagsh-shoot sila mula sa labas. Hinintay ko siya, nagpaikot-ikot, kanina pa ako di mapakali. May ibang naglilingunan sa akin, pinag-uusapan ako, pero di ko na binigyang pansin. Alam ko kung anong tumatakbo sa utak nila. Nag-beep ang phone ko at nakatanggap ng text.
Meryl: San ka na?
I bit my lip. Naririnig ko na ang sigaw ng aming team leader na si Jyka sa isipan ko. One more minute, sabi ko sa sarili.
And there he was.
Saktong pagkapasok niya ng tent ay nagtama ang mga tingin namin. Lahat ng prinactice kong mga salita ay tila umurong sa dila ko.
"Umalis ka na," yun agad ang una niyang sabi.
"Riguel, pwede bang mag-usap tayo?" Hindi niya ako pinansin at naglakad ng walang direksyon. Basta, sa lugar na pwede niya akong iwasan.
"Riguel pwede bang-"
"Hindi na ako maniniwala sayo, Andrea!" Sigaw ni Riguel, galit na galit. "Alam ko na ang totoo!"
"Please, magpapaliwanag ako, Riguel! Pakiusap!" Pinilit ko siyang iharap sa akin kaso galit na galit siya at hindi ko matansya kung anong pwede niyang gawin.
"Ngayon ko lang na-realize...maniwala ka sakin." I begged. "Nung sinabi mong mahal mo ako, naniwala ako." Hinawakan ko ang kamay ni Riguel pero pilit siyang kumakawala sa akin.
"Hindi, Andrea. Kung naniniwala ka talagang mahal mo ko, hindi mo ako gagamitin. Dahil ba basagulero ako ha?!" He bit his lip. Ngayon ko lang siya nakitang ganito. "Tangina! Doon ka na kay James! Gusto mo ng manloloko diba?! Ayaw mo sa mga basagulerong tulad ko!"
Tinulak niya muli ang mga kamay ko. I know, that was a dick move. Alam kong hindi niya na ako mamahalin, at tanggap ko yun, kaya kahit patawad nalang. Sana tanggapin niya.
I bit my lip as I remember all my plans going down, leaving me this terrible.
People know me for being intelligent. Running for highest honors ako sa section namin and schools are chasing me to be their student. Kabi-kabilaan ang nago-offer ng scholarship sakin. But everything has changed.
And now they know me for being a cheater. An asshole, a bitch. I won't deny my side. Nagmahal lang naman ako.
I was angry at Josephine, my SHS bestfriend for falling in love with Hunter, the man I used to love since forever. It breaks me. At ang mas masakit ay makitang siya ang gusto nito. How come? Lagi niya naman akong kasama ah. Bakit sa lahat pa ng magugustuhan ni Hunter si Josephine?! That was the last question running inside my head. I felt betrayed.
Until I met James. The man who taught me everything. He was like Hunter. Rising actor, intligent, rich, and charming.
He was the turning point of my everything. He was the spice I was waiting for. Naiintindihan niya ang nararamdaman ko hindi gaya ni Josephine na inintindi lamang ang sarili. I don't know why she hates James that much...kasi first love niya nga naman si James at hindi naman nagkakatuluyan ang mga first love. Ang alam ko lang niloko ni James si Josephine for some reasons but once and for all, we experienced heartbreak. Maybe they weren't really destined on the first place. Maybe James was for me.
Later on I found myself falling for this guy. At iba to sa naramdaman ko dati kay Hunter. This one felt real.
Sinuklian niya ang pagmamahal ko, and he even helped me to regain from my agony. He told me he had a plan to beat Hunter from the upcoming event called, The Spot, where schools needed to compete for the place as the number one running school for media industry. Magkalaban ang school namin nila Hunter at school nila James. Magkalaban din sina James at Hunter sa media industry. Right now, our school, SNU, is the leading school but with my intelligence, and passion to take revenge, I entered TEO (an organization for artists where Hunter is the acting president of all Guilds in which I belong) so I could spy about almost everything, help James with his plan and at the same time, take them down, Josephine and Hunter, for what they did to me. I always knew we could make a good partnership.
As for Riguel? Meeting him was just an accident. It was when our department, Drama Guild had a joint force project with Musicians Guild in making a music video. That's where I met him. That's where I learned love at first sight really exists.
Unti-unting nangingilid ang mga luha sa mata ko ng muli ko 'yung maalala.
I know that spying was evil. But what I did was beyond. Ginamit ko si Riguel.
He really loves me that much, at nasaksihan ko kung paano siya nagbago para sakin. He's a troublesome guy, even heard once na kasali siya sa fraternity dito around SNU. But he changed everything for me. People always change when they fall in love.
But I was consumed with my emotions...with my feelings towards James. Because I was so determined that time, sinakyan ko ang feelings ni Riguel para sakin. Hindi ko nakita ang pagmamahal niya gawa ng masyado akong tutok sa paghihiganti. I used his love and power so Riguel could use another person to teach Josephine a lesson in behalf of me. In that way, walang makaalam na ako ang may pakana. I was really intelligent.
Pero hindi ko na nagawang ngumiti when the next memory flashed on my mind.
Niloko lang pala ako ni James.
He just used me...because he loves himself better than anyone else.
And now it was too late before I realized.
I have feelings for Riguel.
And I used him just like how James used me. Everything has changed.
Bumalik ako sa realidad when I heard Riguel shouting, and people kept on looking at us. Kaso determinado akong magkaayos kami kaya kahit magbago na ang image ko sa harap ng mga tao. Just this once. Even if it would take me forever to explain all of this inside my mind, I will. If that would be my last resort to change him. To change us.
Until the life changer came, standing behind him.
"That's what you get from falling in love, Riguel?"
Naputol ang sasabihin ko ng may bumati na isang lalaki galing sa likurang direksyon ni Riguel. Hindi ko agad nakita ang mukha niya dahil nasa pagitan namin siya. All I could see was a silhouette whom I resemble as a beast because of his masculine body under his suit. I was distracted to know where that sound came. His voice sounds so powerful...and dangerous.
"Get your ass out of this, fucker. Mind your own fucking business," Riguel warned him. Pero natawa lang ang kausap nito. Yung tawang huli mong maririnig bago ka patayin.
The shadow move and went closer to me. Doon ako nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na sulyapan yung lalaki kaso nagulat ako ng mauna pa pala ito sa akin na lumingon. My heart suddenly went frantic. Abot-abot ang tahip ng puso ko dahil doon.
"Woah, parang pamilyar no?" He tilt his head so he could see me in complete view.
His dark, cold killing eyes left me dumbfounded when I realized who he was.
It was Primo.
THE Primo Rosales.
The antagonist of every badass in SNU...the most violent student you'll ever meet. People describe him as the perfect image for tall, dark, and handsome. But I never expected him to be this handsome!
Parang nanigas ako sa sarili kong mga paa. Anong kinalaman niya kay Riguel?!