Chapter 50
The car slowed to a stop sa tapat ng bahay nila Kairi. Tahimik ang paligid, puro tunog lang ng crickets at mahinang hangin na dumadaan sa mga dahon. Miss Herrera turned off the engine, and the silence that followed felt almost too still.
"You should go in soon," Miss Herrera said. "Get some rest. Review if you must, but don't overdo it. Kailangan mo ng energy tomorrow."
Kairi leaned back sa upuan, fiddling with the strap of her bag. "Hard to quiet my brain, Miss," sabi niya, half-laughing pero halatang pagod. "Parang hindi marunong magpahinga. It keeps running circles."
"Then teach it to slow down," sagot ng guro. "Don't waste thoughts on things you can't change. Not Alice. Not me. Not tonight."
That made Kairi glance at her, half-smiling. "So... I'm not supposed to think about you at all?"
Miss Herrera's eyes flicked toward her briefly before returning to the windshield. "Not if it will only make things heavier."
Kairi hummed softly, turning a little sa direksyon ni Miss Herrera. "Then maybe..." she said, voice light but teasing. "Let me hold your hand for a second. Maybe that'll calm me down."
Agad na tumingin si Miss Herrera, eyes narrowing.
Pero Kairi just grinned, stretching her hand toward her teacher—palm open, waiting. "Please? Kahit saglit lang."
Miss Herrera didn't move. Her silence stretched—steady, unyielding. Dahan-dahang nawala ang ngiti ni Kairi, her hand falling back to her lap. Tumingin siya sa mga daliri niya, playing with them idly.
"Thought so," she muttered, barely audible.
For a moment, the car was thick with quiet. Then Miss Herrera let out a slow breath, her tone softer this time. "Give me your hand."
Kairi's head snapped up. "Hmm?"
"Your hand," ulit ni Miss Herrera. "Now."
Hindi na nagdalawang-isip si Kairi. Her pulse quickened as she lifted her hand again, this time slower, almost hesitant. Then Miss Herrera reached out, fingers meeting hers.
Kairi's breath caught for a second. Parang may sumabog na init sa dibdib niya. A quiet rush she couldn't name. A wide smile crept onto her face, soft and unguarded, habang pinipisil niya nang bahagya ang kamay ni Miss Herrera.
Parang biglang lumiwanag ang buong gabi.
Miss Herrera didn't look at her, eyes fixed forward, but her grip stayed steady. "Just for a moment," she murmured.
"Mm-hmm," Kairi answered softly, still smiling.
For once, tahimik ang isip niya. Walang ingay, walang spiraling thoughts—just that one simple truth she could feel in the space between their joined hands. That she didn't want to let go.
Late morning break. Mainit pa rin kahit may hangin, and the hallway buzzed with students chatting. Kairi, Zoe, and Maya were on their way to the restroom when a group of girls nearby caught their attention—maingay, halatang may tsismis.
"I saw it myself," one girl whispered, half-giggling. "Nasa labas ng faculty room si Sir Mark, may hawak na rose. Tapos inabot kay Miss Herrera pagkapasok niya."
"No way," another one said, leaning in closer. "Tinanggap niya ba?"
"Hindi ako sure kasi likod lang niya ang nakita ko," sagot nung una, barely suppressing a laugh. "Pero swear, kaninang umaga talaga iyon. Wala pang ibang teacher sa labas."
Nagkatinginan sina Zoe at Maya. Pagpasok nila, tahimik lang. Walang ibang tao sa loob—malinis, may faint scent ng disinfectant at sabon, at ang tunog lang ng footsteps nila ang maririnig.
Zoe turned to Kairi, smirking. "So? Wala man lang reaction? That's some acting skills."
Kairi pushed open the toilet cubicle door, calm as ever.
"What's there to react to?" sagot niya, pa-smile-smile lang. Casual na parang wala lang talaga.
Maya, standing by the mirror with her powder compact, tilted her head. "Maybe you're just pretending na wala kang pake. Magaling ka kayang mag-pretend."
Kairi laughed softly, short and dry. "Believe what you want," she said, stepping into the cubicle. "Doesn't matter to me."
The door clicked shut behind her.
Zoe followed into the next cubicle, her voice lowering but still clear enough to carry through the space. "You're telling me wala ka talagang nararamdaman? Sir Mark, of all people, showing up with a rose?"
"None," Kairi replied flatly. "Sinabi na niya sa akin where I stand. That's all I need."
Saglit na natahimik si Zoe, parang nag-iisip kung gusto pa ba niyang sundan iyon. Pero napahinga na lang siya nang malalim. "Fine," she said eventually. "Guess you're serious, huh?"
Maya reapplied her lip tint, glancing at her reflection. "Well...if she's this calm, I guess paniwalaan na lang natin siya."
The conversation fizzled there, replaced by the sound of running water.
The next few days blurred together—paulit-ulit lang ang routine. Review, exam, short break, then balik ulit sa reviewer. Lahat ng estudyante mukhang pagod. Even laughter sounded thinner, parang pilit lang, like everyone was just trying to survive the week.
Kairi kept her focus, kahit sobrang drained na rin siya. Scribbles filled her notes, reminders scattered all over the margins. She'd been reviewing nonstop, to the point na sumasakit na mga mata niya—but no amount of studying seemed enough to calm the nerves.
Finally, Friday afternoon arrived. The last exam. The final bell.
As students poured out of the fourth-floor classroom, the heavy tension that had been sitting on everyone's shoulders slowly started to lift. Lahat sabay na huminga. Voices filled the hallway again, laughter returned, and that heavy cloud of exhaustion ay napalitan ng relief.
Kairi stretched her arms above her head as she and Maya joined the crowd heading downstairs. Zoe was already waiting outside the building since nauna siyang natapos kanina.
"Freedom!" Maya groaned dramatically the second they stepped outside, dragging her feet like she'd survived a war. "I don't even care if I failed one subject. Gusto ko lang matulog."
Kairi smiled faintly. "It's done. We survived."
Zoe snorted. "Barely."
They started toward the gate, already talking about what to eat, when Maya suddenly stopped mid-step and slapped her forehead.
"Wait—my water bottle!"
Zoe blinked. "Seriously?"
"Yeah! Naiwan ko sa classroom. Ugh. Fourth floor pa."
Kairi sighed. "We're already outside."
"It's my good bottle," Maya protested, already turning around. "I'm not leaving it."
Zoe groaned in defeat, but Kairi just shook her head, smiling a little. "You're impossible," she muttered, following after her friend.
By the time they started climbing the stairs again, tahimik na ulit sa building.
Wala na iyong ingay kanina—no chatter, no footsteps, no teachers calling out reminders.
Most classrooms were dark as desks were cleared and doors were left open.
Their footsteps echoed louder than usual against the floor.
Finally, they reached the classroom where they had their last exam.
When they reached their room, Maya rushed straight to her desk and held up the bottle like a trophy. "See? Knew it."
Kairi leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed, a small smile tugging at her lips. But her gaze wandered sa row of ng mga upuan.
The exams were officially over.
Pero habang nakatayo siya roon, staring at the empty seats, it didn't feel like relief. It felt suspended. Waiting.
Parang everything around her had stopped, waiting for something else to happen.
Another round, another test.
Something she couldn't prepare for, couldn't study her way out of.
They were halfway down the stairs nang biglang may tunog na kumalabog mula sa kabilang hallway. Mabilis na napahinto si Kairi.
"Wait—did you hear that?" bulong ni Maya, eyes darting toward the row of classrooms sa dulo.
At first, mahina lang. Parang kaluskos lang o galaw ng upuan. Pero after that, may narinig silang boses—a woman. Tense. Urgent.
Nagkatinginan sila ni Maya, parehong tahimik pero malinaw na pareho ang iniisip. Dahan-dahan, Kairi stepped closer to the open classroom door across the hall.
Inside—
Miss Herrera.
Nakasandal siya sa board. Her shoulders were tense with one hand pushing hard against a man's chest. Sir Mark. His arm was braced beside her head, trapping her in place. Too close. Too aggressive.
"Stop—!" Miss Herrera's voice cut through the air, trembling but sharp enough to sting.
Then, a second later—SLAP.
Tumama ang palad ni Miss Herrera sa pisngi ni Sir Mark. The sound echoed in the empty room, sharp and final. Sir Mark flinched. His jaw clenched and his eyes went dark as they looked right toward the door.
Diretso sa kanila.
Kairi's breath caught in her throat. Maya's hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide with shock.
For a split second, everything froze. Walang gumalaw. Walang nagsalita.
Then Miss Herrera pushed past him, clutching her bag tightly. Her breathing came fast and uneven. Her hair was slightly messy now, strands falling loose around her face.
When her gaze met Kairi's—just for a second—may nakita siya roon na hindi niya kayang pangalanan. Anger. Fear. Shame. Pain. A mix of everything raw and human.
Pero wala siyang sinabi. She just walked past them, fast.
"Miss—" Kairi called out, voice shaking.
Maya hurried after her, but Kairi was faster. She reached out, fingertips brushing against Miss Herrera's arm—
Only for the woman to flinch, spinning around sharply.
Her eyes—red-rimmed, glassy—met Kairi's. "Not now, Kairi."
Kairi froze.
"Please..." Miss Herrera's voice cracked just slightly. "Not now."
The words hit hard. Kairi felt her throat close and her hand stayed suspended midair, unsure whether to reach again or pull away.
Pero hindi na siya nabigyan ng pagkakataon. Miss Herrera turned and walked quickly down the stairs, heels striking each step.
Kairi stood still.
"Kairi," Maya called, tugging her arm and snapping her out of it. Her friend's face was pale, serious. "We need to go. Now."
"But—"
"No buts." Maya's grip tightened. "Nakita mo kung anong nangyari. We both did. Pero this—" she swallowed, glancing down the stairs. "This isn't ours to chase, Kai."
Kairi looked back at the stairwell where Miss Herrera had vanished. Her chest ached with a thousand questions she couldn't ask.
Gusto niyang sundan si Miss Herrera. To understand. To make sure na okay lang siya.
Pero wala siyang nagawa nang hilain siya ni Maya palayo—away from the classroom, away from that ringing silence that clung to the walls and followed them all the way out of the building.