The Fiery Antagonism（Taglish）

Teacher gestured us to gather in front as she expertly shuffled the cards on her hands. “Alright, pupils. Maglalaro tayo, ha? Kung sinong makakasagot ng tama sa mga ipapakita kong Math flashcards ay may limang stars kay Teacher. At kung sino naman ang unang makakasagot ay bibigyan ko ng... chocolate!”I rolled my eyes when my classmates raised their hands and cheered in excitement. Hindi pa man nagsisimula ay gusto na agad nilang sumagot, they look so eager but do they know how to answer? I don’t think so. Even me, I don’t like that subject so they’re probably just after the chocolate. Imbes na makigulo ay nanatili lang akong nakaupo. It’s not like I don’t want to participate, I just don’t want to waste my energy standing there in front. Maiinis lang ako kapag nasanggi ako ro’n ng makukulit kong mga kaklase. My mother once told me that teachers like well-behaved kids and that’s why I’m behaving right now. I’m behaving because I want her to choose me. Ayoko ng premyo ngunit gusto kong

Basically, we’re still classmates. May mga major subjects lang na kinakailangan nilang lumipat ng room, pero kapag wala naman kaming klase ay kaming STEM students ang nag-aadjust para sa kanila. Walang masyadong bago, naka-alphabetical order pa rin ang seating arrangement at magkatabi pa rin kami ni Aven. Sa Research at cleaners lang yata kami hindi magkasama. Hindi ko man siya malalamangan sa honor roll dahil nga magka-iba kami ng strand, we still have a few core subjects. Hopefully, kahit do’n na lang ay mabawian ko siya sa quizzes at exams.“… tapos sabi ko, bakit naman kita pagbibigyan? Close ba tayo? Pahiya si t*nga, nilayasan lang ako. Ang kapal ng mukha! Hindi ako gano’n katalino pero nagsunog ako ng kilay sa pag-aaral para makakuha ng mataas na score, tapos pakokopyahin ko lang siya? Ano siya, gold? Eight lang score ko over twenty, pero at least pinaghirapan ko lahat ng sagot ko do’n!”“Ano ba kasing pangalan? Kuwento ka ng kuwento, kanina ko pa tinatanong kung anong pangalan,

Hanggang sa mananghalian na kami, hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala—hindi pa rin nags-sync in sa akin na nakita ko siya sa ganoong paraan. Like, what was that?! I have hated him for years now and I have never appreciated anything about him. Ngayon lang talaga, at isinusumpa kong hinding-hindi na ‘to mauulit.Unfortunately, we are eating lunch together. I’m okay with Rico joining us, para naman may kausap si Kheena at hindi ako ang ginugulo. But when Rico’s around? Malamang sa malamang, hindi puwedeng hindi niya kasama si Aven. Being at the same place as him makes my blood boil up to 56.7 degrees celsius but I guess I ‘always’ have to suffer silently.Although, I can do something about it. Puwedeng-puwede akong lumipat ng ibang table or hindi naman kaya’y bumalik sa classroom at do’n na lang kumain pero bakit ako pa ang gagawa ng paraan? Siya dapat ang mag-adjust dahil siya ang nakaka-perwisyo.“You know what? I just realized that it would be nice to eat alone. Baka sa susunod hindi na ako

That day, I went home frustrated and confused. Why would my heart pound faster and harder like that just because he held my hand? Nakapagtataka lang dahil hindi naman ako ganoon mandiri. Hindi na ako nag-abalang magpaliwanag kay Ana, I just walked out on them. I have no idea why I ran away but it feels like it was the right thing to do.Oo nga’t nakakatakot ang pelikulang pinanood namin. Ngunit hindi ‘yon ang dahilan kung bakit hindi ako makatulog nang maayos nitong mga nakaraang gabi. What he did wasn’t scary, it was disgusting as f*ck that it kept repeating in my mind and I don’t know what I should do to forget the feeling of his hand intertwined with mine.“Prinsesa—“I raised my hand in front of Rico’s face before he could even finish his sentence, “I’ll eat lunch alone, makaka-alis na kayo.”“Ha? Na naman? E, pero bakit muna? Ilang araw ka nang ganiyan, Cindz. Rinding-rindi na kami sa pagtatalak ni Kheena!”Pumalatak ako,“Walang dahilan, okay? Can’t you just go? It’s not like you

Am I sick? This sudden changes… hormonal, perhaps? O baka naman ay talagang ipinakulam na ako ni Aven? Lately, I’ve been feeling weird things, and I’m not happy that I kinda feel shy whenever I sense him steal glances from me. Well, for me, it’s really awkward for a person you hate the most to be suddenly look charming after an argument. Normal bang makaramdam ng hiya bukod sa galit kapag aksidenteng nagtatama ang mga mata niyo? I mean—D*mn, I hope that’s normal.“Guys, sino daw ang sasali sa volleyball at basketball, both boys and girls? By curriculum daw this year. Jusko, buti na lang ‘no? Kung by strands ay talagang lugi tayo. Ang dami kaya ng HUMSS students!”“Kung palakasan lang naman ng putok ay hindi natin kailangang mangamba. Roberto Diaz for the win! Ang hindi sumuporta, isu-subsob sa kili-kili ni Robi HAHAHAHAH!”Nalalapit na naman ang intramurals. I’m not into sports, wala akong ganap pero nagtatiyaga akong pumasok dahil sayang rin ang plus points sa attendance. I don’t enjo