Chapter Nine:
“I still can’t believe na naging ex mo sya.” Bulalas ni Ashley ng pang walong beses matapos nyang takuting magkwento si Jannelle.
Going back through her memories surprisingly made her feel at ease. Ang buong akala nya ay sisinghot singhot sya ng uhog habang nagkukwento kay Ashley. Bago pa man sya sumagot sa isinaad ni Ashley ay pinalibutan nya muna ng bandage ang kaliwang kamao ni Zach. “Hindi ko nga sya naging ex.”
“Hindi?” naguguluhang tanong ni Zach.
Binitawan na ni Jannelle ang kamay ni Zach, yinakap ang sarili at nagsalita.“Hindi naman naging kami.”
“Pero kita mo naman, binalikan ka. Haba ng hair.” Flinip pa ni Ashley ang kanyang buhok pang epek sa huli nyang sinabi.
Kahit anong pageeksplika pa ang gawin ni Zach at Ashley ay hindi nya magawang paniwalain ang kanyang sarili na sya nga ang dahilan ng pagbalik ni Joshua. Their epic love story was a petty one that ended quite terribly.
Tumayo si Jannelle hawak hawak ang kanyang cellphone. Sinubukan nyang magmukhang seryoso kahit hindi nya makita ng maayos ang dalawang kaibigan nya. “Tama na guys, hindi sya bumalik para sakin. Matagal na yon, ni pangalan ko panigurado ay hindi na nun maalala.” Matagal na dapat syang bumalik para sakin kung naaalala nya nga ako.
“At nakikiusap ako, let’s just forget everything that happened today.” She tried to smile at them but failed miserably. Instead of dwelling upon anything, she dialed Hunter’s number and patiently waited for him to answer.
Makalipas ang limang beses na pagriring lang ng cellphone ay sumagot na rin ito. Muli syang pumasok sa kwarto ni Zach at nagkulong doon. “Hello?” His groggy voice greeted her.
She suddenly felt an urge to ruffle his hair with Hunter’s adorable sleepy voice. “Hi.”
May narinig syang paglaglag sa telepono bago muling nagsalita si Hunter. “Jannelle, where are you? It’s almost eleven.”
“Where’s Miley?”
“I forgot to tell you!” medyo tumaas ang boses nito. “Miley called my mum and asked her if they could hang out.”
Halos lumuwa ang mata ni Jannelle sa narinig. “Miley did what?”
“Exactly, that was my reaction too. Clearly, my mum was fairly amused with little Miley as to why she agreed into letting the girl sleep over in her hotel. It’s okay, right? You don’t mind?”
Napangiti si Jannelle kay Hunter. “No, of course not. I’m glad that your mother likes her.”
“What’s there not to like?”
Bigla nyang naalala ang purpose ng pagtawag nya kay Hunter. “Listen… today I.. um well.”
“I miss you.” Medyo naaantok antok na si Jannelle kanina pero nagising ang diwa nya ng tuluyan sa sinabi nito.
“I miss you too.” She instantly yearns to see Hunter’s face. Sa ilang taon na nilang magkasama, tanging ang presensya lang nito ang nakakapag pakalma at nakapagbibigay ng peace of mind sa dalaga.
At yon ang pinagkaiba ni Hunter kay Joshua. Everything in Joshua seems to be alive, walang dull moment. Walang peace of mind. Noong unang araw palang ng third year highschool ay aburidong aburido na si Jann sa kanya. Wala syang kaide-ideya kung bakit sa dinami rami ng estudyante, lalong lalo na ng mga babae sa Hallmark ay sya pa ang pinili nitong bweysitin. Hindi nya alam kung nagkaroon ba ng raffle draw sa luma nyang eskuwelahan at sya ang magically nabunot ni Joshua.
But Joshua is actually more than what his reputation claims him to be. It took Jannelle years pagkatapos mawala ni Joshua para marealize na ang tanging hinihingi lang sa kanya nito ay atensyon. He didn’t want the attention the other girls from Hallmark was giving him, dahil lang may itsura sya, dahil lang mayaman at foreigner sya, dahil lang parte sya ng banda. He wanted Jannelle’s genuine and undivided attention all to himself. Because it was real and all he’s been looking for is something real.
Joshua Santiago never really cared if her face is covered with bangs or not. Wala syang pakielam kung loner o may pagkaweirdo ba si Jannelle. He only saw what was inside her, that there was pain. That she was silently suffering and even damn tolerating it. He heard her cries… but even then, that didn’t stop him from wanting her beside him.
Unfortunately, everything about Joshua Santiago, good or bad, is all in the past now. And that saddens Jannelle more than anything. Wala na si Joshua na gustong gusto syang asarin, wala na yung Joshua sa memorya ni Jannelle na nakangiti, malungkot, galit, at possessive.
At gabi-gabi, tatanungin nya ang sarili nya. Bakit wala na si Joshua? Bakit hinayaan mo syang mawala?
“You still there…?” pagtatanong ni Hunter.
“Can you pick me up?” She decided not to stay at Zach’s dorm. Hindi nya kayang tiisin na isipin nalang si Joshua buong gabi. Kailangan nya si Hunter para kumalma.
“Where are you?”
“At Zach’s dorm.”
“Okay, I’ll be there.”
**
Nakasandal lamang si Jannelle sa pader malapit sa harapan ng dorm ni Zach habang inaantay ang pagdating ni Hunter. She didn’t want to stay inside and face Ashley’s wrath. Alam nyang gagawa at gagawa ito ng paraan para kumbinsihin syang sa dorm na ni Zach sya matulog.
She didn’t want to stay though. There’s something in her, like a child, which badly needs to be in Hunter’s side. He always knew what to say sa ganitong mga klaseng sitwasyon. Sadly enough, masyado na syang naging dependent kay Hunter over the years.
Mga ilang sandali pa ay may kulay asul na Toyota Supra na kotse ang dumaan at huminto sa harapan nya. Binaba nito ang bintana at pinagmasdan sya.
“Hi.” Pagbati sa kanya nito. “You look sad… and beautiful.”
She jokingly rolled her eyes while making her way to the shotgun seat. Tahimik lang si Jannelle habang nagmamaneho si Hunter na sumusulyap sulyap sa kanya. Wala nanaman sya sa sariling tinatanaw ang paligid mula sa kanyang bintana.
He suddenly stopped and parked the car near the sea side. Napansin naman agad ni Jannelle ang ginawa ni Hunter at tiningnan ito. “Let’s talk?” he unsurely offered.
“Okay.” Binuksan ni Jannelle ang pintuan ng kotse, pero bago pa man lumabas ay tinanggal nya na ang sapatos nya. Agad nyang naramdaman ang malamig na simoy ng hangin at malambot na buhangin naman sa kanyang mga paa.
Nauna nang maupo sa buhanginan si Hunter, sinundan nya ito at tinabihan. It was all silent at first, tanging tunog lang ng mga alon ang maririnig. And right this instant, she felt calm and peaceful. Hinawi nya ang buhok ni Hunter na nakaharang sa mga mata nito, paniguradong hindi ito nakapag gel dahil sa pagmamadaling puntahan si Jannelle.
“I saw him today… Joshua.” She confessed. His heart thudded, he knew it was gonna happen. But his chest constricted with pain.
“We didn’t talk, nothing like that. I just saw him singing in Random House.” Pinagmasdan nyang mabuti si Jannelle, yung malungkot na pagsalubong ng kilay nya, namumula nitong pisngi at namumungay nitong mga mata. Kung pwede nya lang angkinin si Jannelle ay ginawa nya na…
“Do you still love him?” he didn’t want to even hear her answer. Kahit hindi pa nya naririnig ang sagot ni Jannelle ay alam nya na. Walang makakapalit kay Joshua sa puso nya.
He immediately stood up and covered his ears; he shut his eyes closed along the way. “Blah blah blah. I don’t wanna hear it… blah blah. I can’t hear a thing.” Biglang naiyak si Jannelle sa nakita nya, right her very own eyes… she is witnessing Hunter hurting. Sa lahat ng taong pwede nyang saktan ay si Hunter pa… unintentionally.
Napatigil si Hunter sa pinaggagagawa nya at sumulyap kay Jannelle. Napaluhod agad sya sa harapan nito nang makita nyang umiiyak ang dalaga. He felt like a douche bag for making her cry, why couldn’t he just man up and accept the truth? “I’m sorry, I just…” he bit his lips hard, almost drawing a blood. “I understand what you feel about him and I really respect that.” Ginamit ni Hunter ang dulo ng kanyang long sleeves sa pagpunas ng tumutulong luha ni Jannelle.
Much to Hunter’s shock, Jannelle crawled to his lap like a three year old kid wanting to be pampered. Mabilis namang ipinalibot ni Hunter ang mga kamay nya kay Jannelle at isinandal ang ulo nito sa kanyang dibdib. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make you happy like he did.” She stiffened with his statement.
Nagagalit si Jannelle sa kanyang sarili dahil kahit hindi naman dapat, ikinukumpara ni Hunter ang kanyang sarili kay Joshua. Akmang haharapin nya sana si Hunter nang higpitan nito ang yakap sa kanya. “I miss Joshua… terribly.” Pagkukwento ni Jannelle.
“And the answer to your question is I don’t know. Six years is a really long time. Everything is different now and…” inayos nya ang upo nya para maging kaharap si Hunter. Tumigil si Hunter sa paghinga nang idikit ni Jannelle ang kanyang noo sa binata. She fluttered her eyes close and spoke, “and I wish he's still here with me now. I wish that we were still good friends.”
Ibinukas nya na ang mga mata nya at nakita ang walang expresyong mukha ni Hunter. “But I would never wish for you not to be here right by my side.”
“You don’t have to say that, you know? I would completely understand. You can go after him, you can do that. I’m not holding you back from your happiness. It’s okay for you to leave-“
She cut him off by saying,“I love you.”
“Why?” Hindi nya alam kong bakit naitanong nya iyon.
Why?
She didn’t answer at first; she just went on and kissed him… on the cheek.“You ask me why I love you but my answer won’t be good enough then. But whenever I think of you leaving and getting tired of me and my crap, I feel really devastated more than anything else.”
Ipinatong ni Jannelle ang kanyang kanang kamay sa kanyang dibdib. “You will always have a special place here in my heart. Because you are you, I love you.”
Seeing the tears flow from his eyes made her hug him even tighter. “You’re more dramatic than I thought Hunter…” naramdaman nya ang pag ngiti nito kaya naman ipinatong nalang ni Jannelle ang kanyang ulo sa balikat ni Hunter.
“You’re practically a bully, you know that?”
“A bully that loves you!”
“Yes, and I you.”
**
A/N:
Dito na po nagtatapos ang kwento ni Jannelle Romana Santana 2. Thank you sa pagbabasa! Pero joke joke lang.
Ano ba kayo? Team Zach? Team Hunter? O team Joshua? Abangan ang susunod na mga chapter!