Ilang buwan na rin matapos magtransfer ni Amara sa current school niya. So far maayos naman ang experience niya dito. May mga nakilala siyang bagong kaibigan na ikinatuwa niya. Akala niya kasi matatagalan bago siya magkaroon ng bagong kaibigan. It might have been weird for them kasi sino ba naman ang magsasabing magandang idea ang magtransfer during their junior year. Kung papipiliin siya, she would have stayed sa previous school niya since wala naman siyang problema dito. She only transferred schools dahil sa parents niya. Nakakuha ng bagong trabaho ang Dad niya. Like he said, mas makabubuti sa family nila ang bagong trabaho niya dahil mas mataas ang sweldo and mas magandang benefits ang makukuha ng Dad niya. 

 

There’s only one thing or should she say one person that has been bothering her about her new school. She has this classmate na never pa niyang nakakausap, Mika Ayla Garcia. Lagi lang siyang nasa upuan niya and nagsusulat sa notebook niya. Iilan lang ang kumakausap sa kanya which Amara thinks are her friends. Dinadalhan siya lagi ng friends niya ng pagkain during lunch break at sinasabayan siyang kumain. Kilala ni Amara yung mga kaibigan ng kaklase niya, sina Irene at Kei. Although sabay silang kumakain, napansin ni Amara na hindi masyadong nagsasalita si Ayla. Tumatango lang siya or nakikinig sa mga kwento ng mga kaibigan niya.

 

 Napansin rin ni Amara na kapag uwian na, nauunang umalis si Ayla. Since nakaupo siya sa likod ni Ayla, kita niya kung paano ayusin ni Ayla ang mga gamit niya 10 minutes before magring ang bell. There were even times na aalis si Ayla kahit na nasa harapan pa ang teacher nagbibigay ng instructions or reminders after magring ng bell, but never siyang napagalitan which confused Amara. The first time na ginawa iyon ni Ayla ay nagulat pa si Amara. She looked at her teacher if magagalit ba ito sa kanya, but she was surprised to see na hindi siya galit. Their teacher had this expression na hindi mapaliwanag ni Amara. Was it sadness or sympathy, she does not know. Until now her questions were left unanswered. She even asked her friends kung bakit iyon ginagawa ni Ayla. All they gave her was “I don’t know. Simula noong first year kami, umaalis siya agad kapag nagring na yung bell”.

 

Every time na may group project sila, Ayla would volunteer na siya yung magrereport or magreresearch about the topic. Kahit na need nilang magmeeting para sa project nila, Ayla would give them her number and ask them to text her kung ano yung napag-usapan. If they really need her, she would ask them to set up a zoom meeting. A classmate of hers asked her once kung bakit hindi siya pwedeng magstay. Mabilis naman niya itong sinagot.

“ I’m busy and I need to be somewhere. I hope you understand.” Ayla said coldly. After that she left in a hurry. Lumapit naman yung friends ni Ayla sa kanila. Si Irene yung humingi ng pasensya at sinabing intindihin na lang si Ayla kasi importante talaga yung pinupuntahan niya after ng klase nila. They also told them gagawin naman ni Ayla kung ano mang part ang ibigay sa kanya.

 

Amara’s POV

We’re halfway done with this school year and wala naman masyadong nangyari except sa mga school events na required ang attendance namin. I actually like this school better than my previous school. It’s more chill? I prefer the people I am with here. Don’t get me wrong, I miss my friends na nakilala ko doon pero sila lang. The other students kasi sa school na iyon ay focused lang sa studies nila. Wala masyadong events since hindi iyon ang priority ng school. Malapit na ang sembreak kaya medyo naging busy rin kami. May isa pa akong group project na kailangang tapusin today since Friday na.

 

After magring ng bell, before going sa likod ng classroom kung saan nandoon halos ng kagroup ko. I saw Ayla packing her things which is weird. Well if I consider the past few weeks na nakikita ko siya, she still leaves after magbell, but unlike before, she takes her time fixing her things before she goes out. She also became more lifeless which somehow worried me. She always had this cold, stoic expression, but these days she does not have her usual expression. She seems tired. I swear I saw her once looking at her phone on the verge of crying, but stopped looking at her phone once her friends sat beside her. I want to talk to her to ask if she’s okay pero hindi ko alam kung paano ko sisimulan ang conversation so I said kung ano yung unang pumasok sa isip ko.

“Hi Ayla. May meeting tayo today are you available? Can you stay for a few minutes para pag-usapan yung project?” I said after kong makalapit sa kanya. She looked at me and smiled pero halatang pilit lang yung ngiti niya.

 

“Yeah sure. Sabihin ko lang kay Irene and Kei.” She said before going kung nasaan naghihintay yung friends niya.

 

She’s staying? Something’s definitely wrong. She never stays kahit anong pilit ng iba naming kaklase sa kanya. Tapos na ba siya sa ginagawa niya kaya mas mukha siyang pagod these past few days? If that’s the case, shouldn’t she be happier since free na siya? Does she love whatever she was doing kaya malungkot siya ngayon kasi tapos na? Hindi ko napansin na nakatulala lang ako sa kanya not until I saw her waving her hand sa harap ko.

 

“Let’s go? Hinihintay na nila tayo.” After she said that, I snapped out of my thoughts and walked with her towards our group members who, like me, were shocked to see her attend the meeting. 

 

“Let’s start.” Ayla started baka napansin niya na gulat kaming lahat.

 

We talked about the project and decided na tapusin siya today para hindi na namin kailangan magkita during our short break. I asked if pwede sila mag-overnight since medyo madami kaming kailangan gawin para sa project namin. Kaming dalawa lang ni Ayla yung pwede mag-overnight so ngvolunteer na si Ayla na sa apartment niya na lang kami gumawa ng project. ‘Yon kasi yung pinakamalapit na place dito sa school and para hindi hassle sa mga uuwi sa bahay. Ayla told me na I can stay there para matapos namin dalawa yung hindi matatapos ng group bago sila umuwi. 

 

After arriving at Ayla’s apartment, inumpisahan namin agad yung project para konti na lang yung kailangan naming gawin ni Ayla mamayang gabi. After a few hours, kinailangan na umuwi ng mga kasama namin kaya kaming dalawa na lang ni Ayla yung naiwan. We continued working on our project after eating dinner. Once na natapos namin, naglinis na kami. Umalis si Ayla para itapon yung kalat namin so I took the time to look around her apartment. I can say na malinis si Ayla sa gamit niya. Sobrang linis ng apartment niya, kahit saan ako tumingin wala akong nakikitang kalat. Her piano caught my attention kasi may picture frame na nakapatong dito. I walked near her piano para mas makita ko kung sino yung nasa frame. I thought it would be a photo of Ayla pero hindi. It was a photo of a very beautiful woman who was smiling brightly. Ang cute lang ng smile niya nakakahawa. She was wearing a pink dress na bagay sa kanya. I was busy looking at the picture kaya hindi ko napansin na nasa tabi ko na pala si Ayla.

 

“She’s beautiful ‘no?”

“She is. I don’t know her pero ang ganda ng smile niya. Kahit sa picture ko lang nakita yung smile niya, I know na nakakahawa siya. Tipong kapag nakita mo siyang nakangiti, wala kang ibang magagawa kung hindi ngumiti rin.”

“You got that right. That’s one thing I love about her. Her smile makes my day.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking who she is?”

“She’s Seren. My one and only. My everything.” She said that smiling pero ang lungkot ng mata niya.

“Ah she’s your girlfriend. Bagay kayo, Ayla. Parehong maganda.” I said trying to cheer her up.

“Thank you for saying that, Amara. Yeah she is…she was my girlfriend.” She said while looking at Seren’s photo. 

I was shocked with what she said kaya I immediately apologized. 

“Oh sorry, Ayla. I didn’t-“

“No, it’s fine. She broke up with me last month.”

“Oh. Can I ask why?”

“Follow me”

Sinundan ko si Ayla papunta sa balcony ng apartment niya. May dalawang upuan doon at isang telescope. Mahilig siguro siyang magstargazing.

“Please take a seat. I’m sorry if biglaan. Alam ko naman na hindi tayo masyadong nag-uusap, but do you mind if I tell you our story? I guess I really need to get this out of my chest. Hindi ko naman masabihan mga kaibigan ko kasi alam kong grabe na yung pag-aalala nila sa akin. It’s been difficult to live without her by my side.”

“No, not at all. Tell me everything. I am more than willing to listen to your story, Ayla.” I said since alam ko kung gaano kahirap yung tinatago mo yung nararamdaman ko. Alam ko kung gaano kahirap na maiwan ng taong minahal mo nang buong puso.

“Thank you, Amara. Uh well Seren was…still is the love of my life. If I were to choose, I wouldn’t let her go. I would keep holding her hand kahit mahirap na.  Pero wala naman akong magagawa kasi sabi niya kailangan na namin bumitaw. She wanted me to be happy even if that means she had to let me go.” I looked at her while she was telling me their story and I could see how she’s try