Just The Strings (COMPLETED)

Epilogue

#JustTheStrings

Parker Adrian Palma

"Don't you like Imo?"

I shook my head. How could I ever like her if she's being shoved down my throat? For the longest time, my mom had been telling me that I was for Imo. That when I grew older, it's her I should fall in love with. She made me feel like I didn't have a choice anymore. At all. That sometimes, I wondered why did she ever give birth to me. Was it for me to continue the life of her brother that was cut short?

My life really was bullshit.

"I don't know..."

"She's cute! 'Di ba, Tripp?" Mama said and Papa just blindly nodded. I knew he hated this, as well, but couldn't really do anything. "She's growing up to be a really beautiful lady, Parker..."

I opted to remain silent. The more they're pushing, the more I'd be pulling.

"Parker, let's play!" Imo told me. I looked at her and sighed. She's really nice and I liked her... as my sister. And even though I hated the fact that we're being paired up by our parents, I couldn't blame Imo. She's innocent as I was in this matter.

Sometimes, I blame Tito Parker for dying. His death means the lost of my life. Wala na akong sariling desisyon. Everything I do, it should follow what he did before he was gone.

"Later," I told Imo. Iniwan ko siya at nagpunta kay Preston. I didn't really like the fact that we're always at Imo's place... I'd rather that they come to our house. At least there, I could hide inside my room. And maybe use the double lock if mom attempts to make me play with Imo. It's annoying.

"Labas tayo," I said to Preston.

"Kakain na mamaya, e."

"I'll treat you. Alis tayo."

There's nearby café just outside this village. We just needed to walk a little and it was not a problem since Preston and I were both athletes. And I'd rather go outside than to spend another minute here. Alam ko kasi na kapag kumakain na kami, ipipilit na naman nila Auntie Imo kaming dalawa ng anak niya. It's really getting tiresome.

"Okay," Preston said. Habang naglalakad kami, tinanong niya ako. "Ayaw mo talaga kay Imo, no?"

I shrugged. It's not like I didn't like her... I liked her as a person, just not as someone who's being paired with me. Those were two completely different things. If only she wasn't someone who's introduced to me as my future, we'd surely be close. But the opposite happened so I reckoned if we'd ever get past the awkward stage.

"It's not that I don't like her—"

"I get it," Preston interjected. "Nakaka-inis na palagi kayong pinagsasama, no? Kahit ako naiinis kay Mama, e."

Napa-tingin ako sa kanya. I knew Preston wasn't really a big fan of his mom... like me. Siguro kaya kami magkasundo. Pareho kami ng mga problema sa buhay. Pareho kaming pilit pinapabalik sa nakaraan. Why couldn't we just live in the present? Why bother live if all we'd ever do is look at the past?

"But don't blame Imo for that. She's just a kid, Parker," Preston said.

"I know... that's why I'm not doing anything to lead her on," I defended myself. If anything, I had been cold and unaccommodating towards her. I wanted her to know and to feel that nothing would ever happen between us. That whatever fantasy our mothers were having, I wasn't going to participate in that.

Hindi talaga.

The duration of my junior high was... fine. The first few years were really good since Imo's in a different building since she's still in the elementary. But just this year, she's already in the same vicinity with me. And again, it started to feel suffocating.