Game Over

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Lui didn't immediately answer the call. I texted him to please call me kapag nabasa niya iyong message ko. A few minutes after that, I saw his name on the screen of my phone.

"What?" he said when I accepted the call.

"Busy ka?" I asked, trying to control my breathing because I was so close to just sobbing in the middle of the street. I didn't want to cry here. I just wanted to be with Lui. I just wanted him to hug me and to comfort me.

Hindi agad siya nakasagot. "Are you okay?" he asked instead.

"Yeah... no..." I drew a deep breath. "I don't know." Then there was silence. I wasn't saying anything. He wasn't saying anything. "I just talked to Alisha... and I think I screwed it up even more..."

He was still silent...

And normally, I would take that as an answer...

But I just didn't want to be alone with my thoughts right now...

"Please?" I pleaded.

"Fine," he replied with a sigh. "I'll go to your condo."

"No, ako na lang pupunta sa 'yo."

"It's fine," he said. "I'll be there in an hour."

"Okay..." sabi ko na lang at saka tinapos iyong tawag.

I drew few more deep breaths. I needed to calm down. Si Alisha na rin ang nagsabi na kailangan niyang magfocus sa BAR... Kailangan ko rin naman 'yon... Wala naman siyang sinabi na friendship over na kami. Sinabi niya lang na busy siya. We could discuss this again after the exam.

Bago ako umuwi sa condo, bumili muna ako ng pagkain kasi baka hindi pa nagdidinner si Lui. He told me that he's busy sa kung anuman ang ginagawa niya. He was so busy na hindi na siya maka-attend sa last few classes ng review namin for the pre-bar.

Nilagay ko na iyong pizza saka chicken sa may dining table. Lui would be here any minute now. I needed to ask him din pala kung saan siya magrereview. Kailangan ko ng mag-enroll for the review proper. Nagtatanong na rin iyong family ko kung saan ako magrereview kasi sila iyong magbabayad doon.

"Hi," I said nung buksan ko iyong pinto.

Lui still looked the same... and it's only been a few days, but I already missed seeing his face. Ang hirap pala kapag nasanay ka na masyado na lagi mong kasama iyong tao. Na tipong kahit isang araw lang siyang mawala ay parang may mali sa araw mo.

He gave me a small smile bago siya pumasok sa condo ko. Normally kapag nandito siya, may dala siyang bag kasi dito rin siya magrereview. But tonight, wala siyang dala kung hindi ang sarili niya lang din.

"Nagdinner ka na?" I asked. "Bumili ako ng chicken at saka pizza."

Tumango siya. "Are you okay?" he asked instead.

Naupo ako. Tumingin ako sa kanya at pilit na ngumiti. "No, not really... but I'll be fine," sabi ko sa kanya. "Are you really not hungry? You can have kahit isang slice lang," dugtong ko.

Wala talaga akong ganang kumain, but I knew I needed to eat dahil kung hindi, sa emergency room na ang diretso ko. And I really didn't need that on top of everything that's already happening. Kapag napunta ako sa ER, sigurado ako na either may magsstay na relative ko dito sa condo o papauwiin ako sa bahay namin.

"No, it's fine," sabi niya. "What happened? What did you two talk about?"

Naka-tungo lang ako. "Not a lot... but she did say that I'm a shitty friend," I whispered because probably, I was ashamed... because there was some truth to it.