The hallway that leads to the main building of the senior high school department of San Laurel public school is crowded.
It was not yet the time for dismissal but it seems so, the reason, it's time for the quarterly PTA meeting which means it is also the time for the bulletin announcement to be updated.
Karamihan sa mga naroon ay mga estudyanteng grade conscious, ang iba'y nahila ng kanilang mga kaibigan. Para naman sa Humaties and Social Sciences 2-A ay para malaman kung sino ang nasa rank 1.
It was the same for me, the only difference is I, myself, is part of the main show.
I bit my inner lip and clenched my hand holding the skirt of my uniform as I closed my eyes, my head still tilted upward.
One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Breathe.
I counted from one to five, slowly until I feel my breathing get even.
"Klaudia sabi ko sa'yo marami pang tao eh. Kami na lang ang titingin at magsasabi sa'yo ng resulta. Bumalik na tayo sa room." There was a hand shaking my shoulder. It was probably Equin.
It's too late, I already saw.
I counted another five as the image I just saw kept repeating on my mind.
From the first quarter where my name is listed at the top to...
HUMSS 2-Aristotle Ranking
1. Blas Santiago Benitez III
2. Klaudia Louis Buencamino
It's irritating enough that we're always seated next to each other because of our surnames, pati ba naman sa rankings ganito pa rin.
Ilang taon na itong ganitong pangyayari pero naiinis pa rin ako. If only I could erase his whole existence in San Laurel.
"Ayos lang iyan, ikaw naman ang rank one last quarter."
I nodded at Yna, one of my classmates. We were about to go back to the room when we heard loud celebratory shouts near the end of the hallway.
"Yon! patingin nga ng itsura ng rank one."
"Burger! burger! Santi, libre naman." Kitang-kita ang pagkuyog nila sa lalaking kanina pa nila tinutulak-tulak papunta sa unahan ng bulletin board. Marami man ang nakapaligid sa kaniya ay nangingibaw siya sa tangkad.
He was always the center of attention wherever he goes. He was friendly to everyone that even the most quiet ones in our class can be talkative when conversing with him. Boys from different social classes and ages were his friends and I don't understand how he does that. There are even more girls who are friendly to him, dahil nga mas matangkad siya sa iilang mga ka-batch namin at galing pa sa kilalang pamilya, marami-rami ang tinutuksong nagagandahang babae sa kaniya even with the higher years.
He can't even properly button his uniform and cut his hair. What's there to admire?
Tuwang-tuwa naman ito at nakuha pa pumayag sa pagpapalibre ng mga kaklase.
"Buhatin niyo ang top one niyo papuntang canteen," sabi niya na nakaturo pa sa doreksyon nh canteen na mabilis sinunod ng mga lalaki naming kaklase.
Wala talagang manners.
Naagaw ang pansin ko sa pagtunog ng phone ko.
You couldn't get it? One point na lang.
That was fast.
Tapos na siguro ang meeting sa room. It was my mom, hindi naman siya umaattend ng PTA meetings. It was usually our helper o kaya'y pag may time sila Auntie sila ang umaattend. Pero mabilis pa rin nakakarating sa kaniya ang resulta.
"Equin, mauna na kayong bumalik sa room. Baka hinihintay kayo nila Tita, I'll just text my mom." Sabi ko kay Equin at isa-isa na ring nagpaalam sa ibang mga kaklaseng kasama ko.
May mga nadadaanan akong bumabati sa akin kaya nginingitian ko sila pabalik, most of them are junior highschool. Madalas kasi akong maging assistant sa english at araling panlipunan kapag sobrang busy ng mga facilitator.
Nagalakad ako sa student's lounge at balak sanang pumunta sa upuan sa garden malapit sa fish pond. Doon kasi kakaonti ang tao, madalas ang mga naririto ay mga elementary kasama ang mga guardian nila.
Bago makalagpas sa lounge ay may humarang na sa akin, a hand extending a burger. I stopped walking. "Oh burger, nilibre ko ang buong section baka kasi magtampo ka pag ikaw lang ang wala. Hindi naman ako madamot."
Right, you could leave our classmates' company just to annoy me to hell.
"Hindi ko kailangan ng burger mo, iyo na. Malay ko ba kung saan galing ang ipinangbili mo riyan."
He clicked his tongue and brushed his hair back with his hand, habit niya iyon.
"Porke gobernador ang tatay ko ganyan ka na magsalita."
Ramdam ko na naman na umaakyat ang dugo ko sa inis, may halo kasing panunuya ang pagkakasabi niya, alam ko. Palibhasa'y natalo ng tatay niya ang tito ko sa pagtakbo bilang gobernador sa nagdaang eleksyon.
One to five, Klaudia.
"Tignan mo nagagalit ka na naman. Malay ko bang magr-rank one ako ngayong quarter." Sabi nito na nakangiti pa.
"Stop acting like we're close Benitez. Saka enjoy your rank one position, last mo na 'yan."
"Hindi pa ba close? Seatmate kita mula grade one, tapos nagkikita tayo tuwing bakasyon."
Napatingin ako sa mangilan-ngilang taong nasa paligid, because Benitez' face is so thick, it's not enough for him that the lounge is small, malakas pa ang boses niya.
Like hell I would want to see his face for the whole year!
"That was election period! You're saying it as if we're actually willingly seeing each other during summer. Can you just go away? Hindi pa naaalis ang inis ko."
He raised both of his hands while grinning and made a two-step backwards.
"Blas" Sabay kaming napatingin sa nagsalita, it was his friends. They were both tall and have a cold demeanor, just that the other one had soft eyes making him less stern-looking than the other. Ravi Azcona and Gio Javellana.
"Hi Klaudia" I smiled at Ravi and nodded at Gio, I have no problem with his friends dahil hindi naman kami nagpapansinan madalas bukod sa simpleng batian, at hindi naman kasi sila papansin gaya ng taong nasa harapan ko.
"Bullying Klaudia again?" Ravi threw a can of soda to Benitez which he easily catched.
Benitez snickered, "Baka siya pa ang namb-bully sa akin. Ayan, 'yan na lang ang para sa'yo, para lumamig ang ulo mo." Sapilitan niyang inilagay sa kamay ko ang Fanta bago lumingon sa mga kaibigan, "Bakit pala pumasok ka boss Gio, himala?"
"Biyernes ngayon." Sabi ni Ravi.
"Tapos?" He was confused.
"Equestrian."
"Hm" sumagot si Gio habang nagtitipa sa phone niya, "I'll reserve seats, you have three seconds to decide whether you want to come or not."
Pagkatapos nito magsalita ay nagsimula na magbilang si Ravi.
"One, Two, Thr-"
"Sasama! Sasama ako!"
I watched how he immediately ran next to the two, ipinatong pa ang dalawang kamay sa balikat ng mga ito.
Sometimes he looks like an idiot. Napapaisip ako kung paanong nagagawa ng taong ito na inisin ako.
When did it all started?
Is it during kindergarten when the teacher would always mention how well he lead the morning exercises to the afternoon class where I was a room leader?
Or did it start when both his father and my uncle ran as the Municipality's Mayor?
That actually lead to the teachers always making us compete in grade school, pareho kasi kaming rank one sa sections namin. Kaya kahit may mga grade level na hindi kami magkaklase nagagawa pa rin kaming kaming ipagcompete.
In Junior High we would also fight for Student Government positions just like how his father and my uncle would run for Board Member, and then Governor.
That's why every campaign, it's not impossible that our family would cross paths.
Habang lumalaki kaming laging nakikita na magkalaban sa pagkandidato ang pamilya namin, mas lalong lumalaki ang kompetisyon na namamagitan sa'min unconsciously.
But then I do not hate his cousins and he's even friends with some of mine.
Baka napakalayo lang talaga ng ugali at personalidad na mayroon kami? and he just wants to infuriate me?
