Chapter 19
Miss Herrera exhaled slowly, her eyes flickering toward Kairi—just for a second—bago niya agad ibinalik sa lesson.
Pero hindi niya maiwasan. Ilang beses na niyang sinubukang huwag tumingin, huwag pansinin ang estudyanteng nakaupo sa harapan niya, pero sa tuwing nagbababa siya ng tingin, nandoon pa rin si Kairi.
Nakayuko, nakatitig lang sa blankong notebook niya.
Hindi man lang nag-abalang magpanggap na nakikinig.
Miss Herrera knew it was her fault. She shouldn't have done it.
Hindi niya dapat sinabi ang mga salitang iyon kay Kairi, lalo na sa harap ng buong klase. Hindi sa paraang parang pinahiya niya si Kairi.
Miss Herrera tightened her grip on her marker, eyes locked on the board as she continued the discussion, pero wala na siyang gana. The words coming out of her mouth felt mechanical, walang bigat, walang conviction—para lang siyang nagbabasa ng script.
Pero kahit anong gawin niya, bumabalik pa rin ang atensyon niya kay Kairi.
Kahit wala itong sinasabi, kahit hindi ito tumitingin sa kanya, ramdam na ramdam niya ang bigat ng presensya nito. Parang ito lang ang estudyanteng nasa silid-aralan at lahat ng iba pa ay background noise na lang.
Miss Herrera clenched her jaw, trying to shake off the guilt creeping up her spine.
She had won, hadn't she? Iyon naman ang goal niya, hindi ba? To put Kairi in her place, to remind her that she wasn't in control. Pero bakit hindi niya maramdaman ang panalo?
Because deep down, she knew. Alam niyang hindi patas ang ginawa niya. Hindi iyon tama. She let her emotions take over. She let her frustrations control her, let her words hit Kairi where she knew it would hurt the most.
Miss Herrera knew she should talk to her. Alam niyang kailangan nilang ayusin ito. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. Hindi pa ngayon.
She told Kairi not to run away, yet here she was, avoiding the conversation they should be having.
Miss Herrera inhaled sharply, forcing herself to push forward.
"Alright, let's move on," she announced, turning back to the board.
Kairi tapped her fingers mindlessly on the desk, her eyes flicking between the screen and her notebook.
Zoe and Maya were deep in their sections of their research paper, each focused on finalizing their part.
Kahit anong pilit ni Kairi na ibalik ang atensyon sa ginagawa nila, her mind kept wandering back to earlier today.
The way Miss Herrera looked at her, the way her voice cut through her defenses in that classroom, it was still playing in her head.
"Kairi," Zoe suddenly said, making Kairi stop tapping her fingers.
Napatingin si Kairi kay Zoe, clueless. "Hmm?"
"What's going on between you and Miss Herrera?" Zoe's tone was casual, pero halata sa tingin nito na hindi lang simpleng tanong iyon. "You two looked like you were about to kill each other earlier in Lit."
Maya, who had been quiet, glanced at Kairi. Obviously, curious din.
Kairi tensed. "Nothing. Simpleng recitation lang naman."
Zoe narrowed her eyes. "That didn't look like just 'recitation.' You two were going at it. Ano bang nangyari? Just what line did you cross?"
Kairi wasn't ready to answer that. She sighed, looking back at the monitor in front. "I can't tell you anything right now. Let's just finish this."
Tiningnan lang ni Zoe si Kairi, debating whether to have another try or stop there. After a few seconds, she sighed and leaned back. Hindi na talaga niya mapipilit pa ang kaibigan. Hindi nga makausap nang maayos dahil ayaw talagang magsalita.
Kairi's last two classes were canceled due to a faculty meeting, leaving the students free to either go home or stay within the school premises. Most students took it as a chance to go home early, pero sina Kairi at Alice, they stayed.
They were in one of the small meeting rooms used by club officers—a quiet, empty space with only a few chairs and a table. Alice, being an officer for some organization, had access. Kairi sat on the floor, her back resting against the wall, cross-legged. Alice sat beside her.
"Miss Herrera seemed mad at you earlier," Alice started, breaking the silence.
Hindi nag-react si Kairi. Or at least she tried not to.
Alice continued, "Like getting caught talking during class is one thing, but the way she kept going at you? That wasn't normal. Lalo na when she kept questioning your answer."
Kairi clenched her jaw.
Alice took a look at Kairi before talking again. "I mean, isn't an interpretation supposed to be personal? Why was she questioning yours like you were wrong? Hindi naman siya ganon sa iba, just you. Kind of unfair, don't you think?"
"Honestly, I think she's taking it personally," Alice added, tapping her chin. "I don't get what her problem is."
Kairi felt something brewing inside her—frustration, irritation. The more Alice talked, the more she realized how unfair this was. Tama nga si Alice. She tried. She apologized. She did her part. Pero ano? Miss Herrera was still acting like this, kahit siya na mismo ang nag-deny na may nangyari.
Alice tilted her head. "What are you thinking?"
Kairi held her gaze for a moment before answering. "You."
Alice froze. Then a slow smirk crept onto her lips.
"Oh?" Alice murmured, smirking. And then, without hesitation, she leaned, pressing her lips against Kairi's.
Kairi closed her eyes. But the moment their lips met, another memory intruded—one she wasn't prepared for.
Miss Herrera.
That night.
The way her lips felt. The way Kairi ruined everything.
Kairi squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the memory away, then reached for Alice, pulling her closer. If she drowned herself in Alice enough, maybe she could forget.
Then Alice gasped, pulling back. "Aw! Did you just bite me?"
Kairi just smirked.
Hinawakan ni Alice ang ibabang labi niya, pouting. "You bit too hard."
Kairi chuckled, standing up. "Come on. Uwi na tayo."
Days and weeks passed and Kairi barely noticed.
Alice was always there—stealing her attention during class, keeping her occupied after school. Sa tuwing may nagtatangkang kausapin siya, Alice would pull her away, making sure she was only hers.
At hinayaan lang ito ni Kairi.
She stopped studying as much. Bare minimum na lang sa projects, homework, quizzes. Wala namang pumipigil sa kanya—her friends tried, but they couldn't get through. Even at home, she just locked herself in her room.
Only Alice could reach her.
Miss Herrera didn't mean to look.
She was only passing by papunta sa faculty office, papers in hand, when she spotted them through the glass windows of the library—Kairi and Alice, sitting too close. Kairi's head tilted slightly toward Alice, as if listening intently. Alice, in return, had that smug smile on her lips.
Napahigpit ang hawak ni Miss Herrera sa dalang mga papel.
She wasn't staring. She was just...observing.
Pero bakit ang tagal niyang nakatingin?
Her eyes traced the way Alice leaned in, whispering something only Kairi could hear. The way Kairi exhaled a small, quiet laugh—the kind Miss Herrera hadn't seen from her in a while.
Dapat masaya siya, 'di ba?
Kasi at least, Kairi looked...okay.
But Miss Herrera knew better. She had seen it in class—how Kairi barely paid attention anymore, how she no longer tried, her scores barely passing. The way she sat there, not even bothering to pretend she cared.
At ngayon, ito.
Pilit na inalis ni Miss Herrera ang tingin sa dalawa. Wala siyang karapatang makaramdam ng ganito, to let the sight of them together stir something ugly inside her chest.
She was Kairi's teacher. That was all.
Kahit ano pa ang gawin ni Kairi sa labas ng klase, kahit sino pa ang kasama niya—that wasn't Miss Herrera's business.
She reminded herself of that fact again and again as she kept walking.
Pero bago siya lumiko sa hallway, she glanced back—just once. At doon niya nakita kung paano hinawakan at nilaro ni Alice ang kamay ni Kairi. Seeing as Kairi didn't pull away, Miss Herrera's stomach twisted.
Mabilis siyang lumiko, walking away before Kairi could ever notice she was there.