Chapter 13
When Kairi and her mother got home from the market, Kairi immediately went for a quick shower. While the water was running down her body, events from earlier filled her mind up. Hindi niya maiwasang balikan kung paano na naman ngumiti si Miss Herrera kasama ang lalaking iyon.
She accompanied her mother to help her, with a side quest of talking to her teacher pero wala rin namang nangyari. Wala siyang napala kundi sakit ng ulo, ng puso.
Pagkatapos niya sa banyo ay mabilis siyang nagbihis at nagpaalam na siyang aalis papunta kina Ella.
Pagdating ni Kairi sa bahay nina Ella, dumiretso na siya sa kwarto nito. Nakita niyang nakahilata si Ella habang nanonood ng TV. Pagkakita sa kanya, agad na umupo si Ella at ngumiti.
"Hi, my sweet, caring, and loving cousin!" Ella greeted with her arms wide open.
Kinuha ni Kairi ang isang unan at ibinato ito kay Ella.
"Shut it, you drunk," natatawang sabi niya bago humiga sa tabi ng pinsan.
Ella just laughed. "Minsan lang naman."
Tahimik lang si Kairi habang nakatingin sa kisame.
Then, out of nowhere, Ella smirked. "Pero in fairness, hindi ka naman yata nalungkot upon seeing your crush."
"What crush?" Kairi asked, quickly turning to her cousin.
Ella gasped dramatically. "Hala, nagmamaang-maangan pa. Aminin mo na kasi, you like Gianna."
Gianna.
Kairi surely loves that name.
"Huwag ka ngang gumawa ng kwento, Ella."
Masyado na ba talaga siyang halata? First, her friends. At ngayon naman, si Ella. What about Miss Herrera? Nakahalata na rin kaya siya?
"Sige ka, kapag hindi mo inamin, hindi ko sasabihin ang mga nalalaman ko tungkol sa teacher mo."
Kairi cleared her throat at unti-unting umupo. "What...what do you know about her?"
Another smirk from Ella. "Ayan na. I know you too well, Kai."
"Ella," warning niya.
"Ano bang gusto mong malaman about her?"
Hindi agad nakasagot si Kairi. She hesitated, pero in the end, tinanong niya ang muli na namang bumabagabag sa isip niya.
"Wala ba talaga siyang boyfriend?"
Napataas ang kilay ni Ella. "Eh 'di ba naitanong mo na 'yan sa kanya before noong birthday ko? Ang sabi niya, wala siyang boyfriend. So kung sinabi niyang wala, edi wala talaga. Pero baka ngayon, meron na."
Napakunot ang nood ni Kairi. "You don't know that. Pero nakita ko siya kanina sa palengke, kasama na naman iyong lalaking sumundo sa kanya! May namamalengke bang magkaibigan lang?"
"Relax ka nga lang," Ella said, laughing. "Pero grabe ah, nagagalit ka na. You must really like her."
Kairi didn't respond, realizing how she's losing control of her emotions again. She went back to staring at the ceiling, her mind drowning in thoughts.
Ella, meanwhile, grabbed her phone and started typing. Ilang sandali pa, nagsalita ulit siya.
"By the way, may nangyari ba after niyo akong ihatid?"
Kairi turned to her cousin. She debated whether to tell her about sleeping at Miss Herrera's apartment. Pero naalala niya kung paano mag-spill si Ella kapag lasing.
"Wala."
Ella raised a brow. "Sure ka?"
"Wala nga," Kairi repeated, firmer this time.
Ella smirked but let it go. Then suddenly—
"Wala raw siyang jowa."
Napakunot ang noo ni Kairi. "Huh?"
Pinakita ni Ella ang phone screen kay Kairi, revealing her conversation with Miss Herrera.
"Ella! Are you crazy? Bakit mo naman siya tinanong directly?"
Ella just laughed. "Kai, again, relax! At least alam mo na ang sagot."
Napailing na lang si Kairi. Pero sa loob-loob niya, hindi niya maitatangging nakahinga siya nang maluwag. It's thanks to her cousin na may hangover pa yata.
Miss Herrera was sitting at her desk, organizing her notes when the first student of the morning arrived.
"Good morning, Kairi," she greeted, smiling as if nothing happened last Saturday.
As a matter of fact, she was trying to forget about it.
Upon seeing Miss Herrera, Kairi couldn't help but think about what she saw yesterday. Pero pinaalalahan niya muli ang sarili na hindi na siya pangungunahan ng emosyon, ng selos.
"Good morning, Miss."
"Nakita kita kahapon at the market. I'm not sure if you saw me," Miss Herrera said. But she knew Kairi saw her.
Miss Herrera saw Kairi's faint smile, not the reaction she was expecting. Ang akala nga niya ay lalapitan siya ng estudyante. Pero inisip na lang na baka nahiya lang na batiin siya dahil nakitang may kasama siya.
"I saw you, Miss," Kairi briefly confirmed and went to her seat, opening her book.
Nang magsimula ang klase, Kairi made sure to listen. Exams were coming up, and she needed to study. Kairi was completely focused.
And this time, Miss Herrera was the one distracted.
While discussing, she kept stealing glances at Kairi—watching how she furrowed her brows in concentration, how her fingers absentmindedly twirled her pen.
When she finished giving pointers for the exam, she gave the students time to review and sat down. That was when she noticed someone approaching Kairi.
A student she rarely saw Kairi interact with. In fact, Kairi rarely interacted with her classmates, except for group activities.
The student pulled up a chair beside her, showing her notes. Kairi started explaining something, and soon enough, they were discussing animatedly.
Habang tinitingnan ang mga estudyante niya, napansin niya ang dalawang malalapit na kaibigan ni Kairi, sina Maya at Zoe. Their expressions weren't... pleased.
She chose to ignore it.
When class was almost over, she reminded them about the exam.
"Okay, class, don't stress too much. I promise, madali lang ang exam."
"Lagi pong sinasabi 'yan ng mga teacher, pero laging mahirap!" pagbibiro ng isang estudyante niya.
The class laughed.
Miss Herrera chuckled. "Okay, maybe mahirap nang kaunti."
She turned to Kairi and the other student—Alice. They were talking and laughing together.
Miss Herrera felt a sense of relief. Kairi was forming new connections.
Ilang minuto ng nakatayo si Kairi sa gilid ng hallway malapit sa classroom kung nasaan si Miss Herrera.
Hindi siya makapag-decide kung papasok ba siya o hindi. What's stopping her? And what's her excuse this time?
Her mind was still full of questions about the guy she saw with Miss Herrera. Ano ba talagang namamagitan sa kanilang dalawa?
After a deep breath, she decided to just do it. She knocked before entering.
"Miss..."
"Kairi," Miss Herrera glanced up. "Worried about the exam?
"Y-yeah," Kairi said, nodding at her newly-found excuse.
Well, palagi naman talaga siyang worried about the exams.
"You can stay here and review. I'll just be checking some papers."
Silang dalawa na naman ulit sa iisang room, just like they did back in her apartment. They've always been alone together in this same room but this time, something's different.
And all Miss Herrera could do was hope for Kairi not to ask any question or clarification. A close contact wouldn't help their situation, nor her.
"Thank you, Miss," Kairi said before sitting down.
Miss Herrera couldn't help but watch as Kairi focused on her book, her brows furrowing again. She looked too much like her in high school. Maybe that was why she was drawn to her.
Yes, that's right. That must be the reason.
Because if it wasn't, she'd be damned.