You're Making Me Crazy, Professor

Chapter 11

We're all crammed inside the classroom, waiting for the announcement of which club members passed the auditions. The heat from the afternoon sun made the air feel heavier than usual, and kahit bukas ang mga bintana, wala pa ring hangin. May mga nakayuko sa desk, may iba na nakikipagchikahan, pero karamihan sa amin, nakatutok sa phones—either nag-aabang ng announcement.

"Feel ko hindi ako papasa," sabi ni Kinsley habang nakasandal sa arm ko, parang biglang nawala ang spine niya sa nerbyos.

Napatingin ako sa kaniya, kunot-noo. "What did you even join in the first place? Singing or being a comedian?" tanong ko habang pinipigilan ang tawa.

"Ayaw nila nun. Magaling na nga ako kumanta, napapatawa ko pa sila," sagot niya nang may halong yabang habang nagpoposture pa na parang divang-diva.

Nag-irap si Cecilia mula sa kabilang side ko. "Sana talaga mahagip ka nang sarili mong ipo-ipo."

"Edi wow," balik ni Kinsley habang nakataas ang kilay, pero halatang hindi niya alam kung insulto ba 'yon o compliment.

Napailing na lang ako. These two were always at each other’s throats, and honestly, it's a miracle na wala pang sumabog sa kanilang dalawa.

"Btw, what about you guys? Kamusta audition niyo?" tanong ko kina Eliana at Cecilia habang nagpapaypay gamit ang phone case.

"Ayon, sinayawan ko ng otso-otso," sagot ni Cecilia na seryosong-seryoso ang mukha, parang proud pa siya.

Napataas ang kilay ko. "Tell me you're joking?"

Sumingit si Eliana, halatang hindi rin makapaniwala. "Sana nga nagbibiro lang siya, pero paano ba 'yon—nakita kong sinayaw niya talaga 'yon kanina."

Umiling ako habang tinatakpan ang bibig para 'di mapatawa. "Cecilia, sa dami ng sayaw sa mundo, bakit otso-otso?"

"Pake niyo ba? Unique nga sinayaw ko eh! Hindi katulad nila na parang nag wet the bed habang sumasayaw. Jejemon amputa," sagot niya na parang sinaktan ang pride niya.

Tumango si Kinsley habang pinipigil tumawa. "Admit it, Cecilia. Wala kang plano sumali, gusto mo lang magpasikat."

"At least memorable ako," sagot niya habang naka-smirk.

I shook my head. I really can't believe how they've become my friends. Actually, kaibigan ko ba ang mga ito? Baka nagkamali lang ng universe ang tadhana at pinagtagpo kami sa maling timeline.

"What 'bout you, Eli?" tanong ko kay Eliana habang nakapatong ang baba ko sa desk.

She looked up from her phone. "It's okay, I auditioned for the drawing club. Sana makapasa. Everyone’s really good though," sagot niya, medyo kinakabahan pero hopeful.

We both nodded, silently cheering her on. Si Eliana ‘yung pinaka-chill sa amin. Tahimik, pero kapag nagbigay ng comment, sapul sa kaluluwa. At ‘di tulad ni Cecilia, hindi niya ginagawang comedy show ang bawat moment.

"Btw, nakita niyo ba yung new post ni Ms. Sanchez? Ang ganda niya!" biglang singit ni Cecilia, sabay hila sa phone niya at ipinakita agad sa akin ang screen.

Gosh.

She looks…

She looks gorgeous.

"Syempre! Ms. Sanchez is the standard talaga. Imagine she's a model, a professor, a ceo and a corporate lawyer! Ang swerte talaga ng boyfriend niya." dagdag pa ni Kinsley.

Wait, what? She's a model and a corporate lawyer?

How come I didn't know that? I mean, I know she's a CEO—everyone knows that—but the modeling and law career? Since when?! Parang bigla akong iniwan ng tsismis express. As in, last stop na sila, tapos ako nasa terminal pa rin.

"She's a model and a lawyer?" I asked, genuinely confused, brows furrowed and voice an octave higher.

"Don't tell us ngayon mo lang nalaman?" sagot ni Cecilia, halos malaglag ang panga niya sa gulat.

"Would I ask if I know?" balik ko agad, deadpan. "Gagamit ba ako ng utak kung may alam na ako?"

"Antehkooo!" sabay hampas ni Kinsley sa arm ko, kunwari nainsulto sa ignorance ko. "Ms. Sanchez is hella famous!"

"As in, viral levels. She’s been on magazine covers, hosted law seminars, walked for fashion brands abroad. Tapos may pa-charity work pa. Perfect na ‘yan eh!" dagdag pa ni Cecilia, parang fangirl na fangirl.

"Her boyfriend is also a famous doctor and model," dagdag pa ni Kinsley habang nilalabas na ang phone niya. "Kaya bagay talaga sila sa isa’t isa. Power couple na hindi scripted."

"Wait, what’s his surname?" I asked habang sinisilip ang screen ng phone niya, kahit medyo ayaw kong amining interested na ako.

"Ramero. Sila lang naman yung well-known doctors. I mean, hello? Ramero surname is like, elite level," sagot ni Kinsley na parang tinuturuan akong maging cultured.

Ramero?

Oh.

Actually… Ramero's company is one of our business partners. The hospital they're building is under our engineering team. They're working with the Gomez Group. That’s our surname. My surname.

"More than the Gomez?" I humbly asked, trying not to sound mayabang.

Cecilia looked at me like I just asked if the sun rises from the north. "Nagbibiro ka ba? All I can say is, walang makakapantay sa Gomez, except for the Sanchez."

"You're right," sabat ni Eliana habang tumango. "The Gomez and Sanchez aren't the ones you can underestimate. If anything, kayo lang 'yung nasa ibang league."

And they're right.

The Gomez Group has its hands in everything. Hospitals, law firms, engineering firms, a luxury hotel chain, a prestigious art gallery, real estate, airlines—you name it.

Pero kahit gano'n, somehow the Sanchez family still matches us. Hindi lang match—parang rival, pero respectfully. Like two empires co-existing, both intimidating but graceful.

"Aw," I said softly, not really knowing how else to react.

"Ikaw nalang kaya pakasalan ko?" biglang sabi ni Cecilia, isang kilig joke na may kasamang wink.

"Ew," agad kong sagot, di man lang pinag-isipan.

Nag-acting pa siya na parang sinaksak sa dibdib. "Sakit mo, bes. Pero willing naman ako maging aso mo, kahit pa sampid lang ako sa Gomez Empire."

I looked at her with a raised brow, deciding to go with it. "Hm. 'Kay. Start barking now."

And without hesitation, "Arf! Arf!"

I burst out laughing. Literal na napahawak ako sa tiyan. "Baliw ka talaga."

"Baliw ka d'yan," sabay sabat ni Kinsley. "Isa pa nga, Cecilia. Gawin mong may emotion."

"Awoooo~" tahol ulit ni Cecilia, this time with both hands up like paws.

"Anong ginagawa niyo? Pwede ba, mga elite daw tayo tapos ganito tayo kumilos?" natatawang singit ni Eliana habang tinatakpan ang mukha niya sa hiya, pero halatang natatawa rin.

"You know what? I'm starting to think hindi tayo dapat sabay-sabay pinanganak. Hindi tayo designed na pagsabayin sa iisang classroom," sabi ko habang pinipilit huminga nang maayos.

"And yet, here we are," sabi ni Kinsley na parang narrator ng telenovela. "Four idiots with dreams and personal issues."

"Hoy, ako lang may gano'n. Huwag kayo mandamay," sabay tawa ni Cecilia.

"Okay fine," sabi ni Kinsley habang nagpapaypay gamit ang notebook ko. "Pero seryoso, how are we surrounded by literal gods and goddesses and still acting like this?"

"Because we’re real," sagot ni Cecilia habang ngumunguya ng candy. "And real ones are chaotic."

True.

Despite all the family names, business empires, and social pressures—at the end of the day, we’re just teens trying to survive high school.

Sometimes, it’s hard to believe I’m part of the Gomez family.

But with these people beside me, minsan nakakalimutan kong big deal pala ‘yon.

We were still sitting in the classroom, the minutes crawling painfully slow.

The clock on the wall ticked relentlessly—4:45 pm na, and they promised the announcement of who passed the audition would come exactly at 5 pm.

The tension in the room was thick, almost suffocating.

Everyone was fidgeting, some checking their phones every few seconds, others staring blankly at the door as if willing it to open.

"Ayan na!" biglang sigaw ni Cecilia mula sa kabilang side ng room kaya lahat kami ay nagulat, halos tumalon sa upuan.

"Tangina naman, nakakagulat ka naman, akala ko may kung ano na," reklamo ni Kinsley, na tila bagong gising lang at halos di pa makausad sa gulat.

“Wala akong signal! Patingin nga!” utos ni Cecilia kay Eliana habang abala ito sa pag-scroll sa phone.

I quickly opened the announcement page and scanned through the names.

At doon ko nakita.

Sylvia Quincy Diaz Gomez — Passed.

“Nakapasa akoo!!” sigaw ni Kinsley na excited na excited, biglang tumalon-talon sa upuan niya. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Ang saya saya!”

"Ako rin!" sabi ni Cecilia sabay kindat sa akin.

I smiled and looked at Eliana. “How about you, Eli?”

"I passed, of course," sagot niya confidently, parang perfect na expected niya ‘yun.

"Tapos ikaw?" sabay-sabay nilang tanong sa akin.

“Tinatanong paba ‘yan?” mayabang na sagot ko.

But I'm not really that confident about singing, but still, I kinda expected it that I'll passed. I don't know, I just have guts.

"I think we should celebrate," sabi ni Kinsley, at tumango naman ako.

“Let’s go to the sea?” I suggested. Gusto ko lang makawala, mag-relax kahit sandali.

Because the pressure was eating me. Academic, business, family. Argh.

“Tara! Dala kayo drinks!” dagdag ni Cecilia na parang naghahanda na ng mini-party.

I smiled. “See you later, I guess. Mauuna na ako.”

“Ingat ka! Labyu!” sigaw ni Kinsley na may halong kilig, and I couldn’t help but smile.

She is really chaotic. But gosh, I still love them.

Kulang din ang araw ko kapag wala sila.

Nasa hallway na ako, naglalakad palabas ng classroom building. Mag-isa ako ngayon kasi hindi ko makakasabay si Ate pauwi; may kailangan pa siyang tapusin sa library.

Habang naglalakad ako, napansin ko si Ms. Sanchez, nakatayo malapit sa pintuan ng admin office, parang nagmamasid lang sa paligid. Nilapitan ko siya nang may kaba.

But wait. Bakit ako kinakabahan?

“Hi, Ms! Are you going home na?” tanong ko, sinusubukang maging casual, pero she didn’t even look at me. Para lang akong hangin sa tabi niya.

“Snobber talaga,” bulong ko sa sarili ko.

Nagpursige pa rin ako. “Akala koba ayaw mo sa akin? Bakit mo ako pinasa sa audition? Nahuhulog kana ba sa akin?” Pati pang-aasar, sinubukan ko. Baka sakaling mapansin niya ako.

Pero walang reaksyon.

Parang wala talaga siyang pakialam.

Sakit.

Hindi ko alam kung dapat ba akong masaktan o ano man d'yan. Pero bago ko tuluyang sumuko sinabi ko, “They say silent means yes. So gusto mo na talaga ako, 'di ba?”

Bigla siyang tumalikod at nag-salita, ang tono niya ay malamig at diretso: “Can you shut up? I hate hearing your voice talking nonsense.”

Sa halip na masaktan, napatawa ako bigla. Parang sobrang relief na kahit ganon ay sumagot na siya sa akin.

“So if I stop talking nonsense, you would love hearing my voice? Hm?” dagdag ko na may ngiti pa.

“What the hell, Gomez! You’re making my blood boil!” sagot niya, halatang iritatong-irita, at mabilis ang paglakad palabas.

“Wait! I’m just joking!” tawag ko sa kanya habang nilalabanan kong makahabol.

Nawawalan na ako ng hininga dahil sa bilis ng lakad ko, pero di ako tumigil. “Nawawalan na ako ng hangin dahil sa’yo, hindi tuloy ako makahinga ng maayos!”

“Blame your cigarettes and alcohol, not me,” sagot niya mula sa unahan, hindi na humihinto.

“I told you I would stop if you told me to,” sabi ko, breathless na.

“I wouldn’t even care if you vanished from this world,” sabi niya, this time seryoso at may bigat na hindi ko maalis sa boses niya.

“Sus, baka hindi mo kayanin,” biro ko na medyo may kasamang ngiting pilit.

Tila napaisip siya.

Tumigil siya bigla, hinarap ako ng seryoso. “Gomez, let me repeat myself. I don’t care about you, not a bit. Just because you passed the audition doesn’t mean I like you.”

She paused, letting her words sink in.

“I don’t even like hearing your voice; it grates on my ears. Be thankful to Seinna; she’s the reason you passed.”

At saka siya umikot at nilisan ako.

Habang pinapanood ko siyang lumalayo, hindi ko mapigilang sumagot, “Like I care about a thing you’ve said, Miss.”

Sinundan ko siya sa labas ng building, hindi pa rin ako handang iwan siya nang ganun lang.

Hindi ko namalayan na malapit na siya sa sasakyan niya. Biglang pumasok siya at sumakay agad.

"Bye, Miss!" sabi ko pero hindi pa ako nakatapos sa pagsasalita ay pinatakbo na nito ang sasakyan ng mabilis.

Grabe talaga 'to.

After that weird encounter with Ms.

Sanchez, I quickly walked out of the school building towards my car parked near the gate.

Her words kept replaying in my mind—so sharp and cold, like I was some annoying pest she just couldn’t shake off.

I really don’t get why she treats me like that, but one thing’s clear:

This is the first time I’m actually interested in someone. And it’s the one person who clearly doesn’t give a damn about me.

Super interesting.

While walking, I felt this weird mix of excitement and confusion that I’ve never felt before. It was like riding a roller coaster blindfolded—scary, but also thrilling. I don’t know how to explain it, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

When I reached my car, I grabbed the keys and got inside. I started the engine and caught my reflection in the rearview mirror—my face showing a mix of curiosity and frustration.

I didn’t know if I should feel happy or hurt. Maybe both at the same time.

I drove out of the school compound. The warm breeze hit my face, cooling down the heat that had settled deep inside my chest. As I drove, memories from the day kept playing on repeat—Miss Sanchez’s cold words.

Why is she like that? What does she really feel? I kept asking myself.

When I got home, Ate was just settling in, looking like she just got back too. She was tidying up the living room, probably lost in her own thoughts.

“Ate, I’ll be going out later,” I told her as I walked closer. I wanted to let her know so she wouldn’t worry if I wasn’t home later.

“Okay, just be safe. I’m leaving later din,” she smiled. I nodded.

I went straight upstairs to my room, took off my stuff, and jumped into the shower. The sun had beaten down on me all day, leaving sweat stuck to my skin, and I really needed to feel fresh again.

Under the cold water, I felt not just my body being washed but maybe some of the clutter in my mind too. I took deep breaths, trying to forget the chaos of the day, even if just for a moment.

While the water ran through my hair, my thoughts kept circling back to how I should handle these feelings—how to face Ms. Sanchez, how to explain to myself the strange pull I felt toward someone who clearly wanted nothing to do with me.

"This is just a game. Why does it bother me that much?" I mutter.

When I finally stepped out, wrapped in a towel, I looked at myself in the mirror.

After carefully getting ready, pinili ko nang mabuti yung damit ko—tinitingnan ko pa nga sa salamin kung ayos ba talaga, inaayos yung buhok, at tiniyak na walang kulang sa itsura ko.

Feeling confident na ako kaya kinuha ko yung bag ko at lumabas ng kwarto.

Ang hangin sa labas, medyo malamig at presko, parang sumalubong sakin habang nilock ko yung pinto ng bahay.

Bumaba ako ng dahan-dahan ng hagdan, sabay lakad papunta sa kotse ko. Pag-upo ko sa driver’s seat, huminga ako ng malalim, at saka sinimulan yung makina. Ang tunog ng engine, nakaka-relax na parang familiar na sa akin.

Pagkalipas ng ilang minuto, nakita ko na yung lugar na pupuntahan ko. Ipinarada ko yung kotse at pinatay ang makina.

I'm here at the store, picking out drinks for later. It's already 7 PM, and usapan namin kanina ay 7:30. I headed straight to the alcohol section, grabbed a few bottles of beer, vodka, at isang chaser.

After a quick scan of the labels, I went to the counter, only to realize... it's her again.

Same cashier from last time. The one with the too-friendly smile and the too-many questions.

As I placed the bottles on the counter, she glanced at me, then at the drinks, then back at me, raising one brow in amusement.

"Sawi ka po ba sa pag-ibig?" tanong ng babaeng nasa counter. She's the same cashier I have encountered last time.

Napataas ako ng kilay, not because I was offended—but because, well, she wasn’t exactly wrong.

"It's for me and my friends," I said casually, trying to sound unbothered kahit obvious na napikon ako nang konti.

She hummed, clearly unconvinced. Parang may iniimbestigahan.

"Ah, okay. Hindi ka pa ba pinagbawalan ng babaeng kasama mo last time?" tanong pa niya, this time leaning slightly forward like we’re friends chismis-ing over coffee.

My jaw clenched a bit. Hindi ko alam kung nakakatuwa siya o gusto ko siyang i-refund bilang cashier.

"No. She don't care." I answered plainly, hoping she'd take the hint. Although mentally, I slapped myself. She doesn’t care, oo. Pero kailangan bang ipa-remind pa?

She just smiled. Not the kind of smile na polite. Yung smile na may kasamang, "Ayyy, same po,"

"Here, Ma'am. Btw it's okay, baka pakipot lang po talaga siya," sabi pa nito habang inaabot sa akin yung binili ko.

I took it, nodding slowly. Pakipot?

Before turning away, I paused. Kasi despite the unsolicited diagnosis of my love life, she had this weird charm. Wala lang, she looked… cute. Short hair, winged eyeliner, with a name tag that read nothing but a smudged ‘L.’

"What's your name?" I asked.

She blinked in surprise, siguro 'di niya inexpect na magtatake ako ng interest after all the emotional damage she just served.

"Lysandra po," sagot niya, medyo bumagal yung boses niya. Not flirty, not shy either. Just... calmer.

I gave her a nod, trying to decide if I was going to smile or not. In the end, I didn’t.

I walked out the door with the plastic bag hanging from my wrist, the clinking of bottles slightly muffled by the thick summer night air.

She's cute. Kaso chismosa.