PORTION 40

Sam's POV

The next day...

After that night, I promised that I will leave my mind empty and I'll let the music take care of it, those songs of Parokya ni Edgar. And I will fix the mistake that I made. Sinabi ko kay Petot na nakausap ko na si Kurt, and said that he already let go of me.

At sunod naman ay si Faye, at mukhang umayon ang tadhana dahil si Faye na mismo ang gustong kumausap sa akin ngayon. She went somewhere near our building, and asked me to go there.

"Sam, I think I'll leave you both alone." Petot while trying to get rid of herself from us.

"No, be here," Faye said, "Gusto ko habang kinakausap ko si Sam, nandito ka."

Petot looked at me awkwardly, but smiled and nodded to Faye.

"Sam, thank you sa lahat. I know Jaybi is not a thing that you can give easily to someone but thank you, you let me. Alam kong gusto mo rin akong kausapin, about that, and I want to say thank you very much," she thanked, saying it like it's a farewell to us.

"Faye, mahal mo siya 'di ba? After all the things that happened, why does it seem like you're giving up?" I asked her.

She smiled, "Just because I love him, doesn't mean he must love me back."

"Buti na realize mo yun, 'no?" Petot straightforwardly said to Faye, the reason why she laughed. Petot was looking sharply at Faye the whole time.

"Yeah. It should be a will, not a must." And she sighed, she then looked at me, "Kaya nga ikaw ang gusto, 'di ba? Ikaw ang mahal. Mahal ko siya, at parte sa pagmamahal na 'yon ang pagtanggap na may mahal din siyang iba. I just realized that, too."

"Oh, bakit kasi kailangan mo pang sumama sa mga 'yon at saktang 'tong kaibigan natin?" singit ni Petot.

"I'm sorry," she said without looking at us but you can feel how sincere it is.

"Ano pang magagawa ng sorry mo?” singit ulit ni Petot habang nakatingin pa rin kay Faye.

I bit my lips, a bit annoyed by what Petot is behaving.

“Alam mo, Petot, kokotongan na talaga kita,” sambit ko sabay tingin sa kanya.

She looked at me, “Inaano ba kita?”

“HIndi ako, si Faye,” I said, calmly, “I get it, masungit ka pero pati ba naman si Faye susungutan mo pa?”

“Okay lang naman.” Sabay hawak pa ni Faye sa braso ko.

I looked at Faye and was about to speak and say that it’s not, but Petot interrupted me ‘cause she spoke.

“See, it’s okay!” she said that caused me to look at her. “Saka deserves nga yun.”

I’m still trying to be friendly here because I still consider Faye as my one, yet nasusungit ‘tong kasama ko na akala mo ‘di naging kaibigan si Faye.

I looked at Faye first, “Pero ‘di sa akin okay yun.” Before I looked at Petot again, “Oo, ta’s deserve mo rin mabigyan ng kotong!”

“Okay, fine.” And pouted, looked at Faye, “Sorry.”

Faye just gave her a smile, “It’s okay!”

“Sabi ko sa inyo, aalis na lang talaga ako eh,” Petot said, and was about to leave but Faye grabbed her wrist.

“No, it’s really okay,” she said to Petot. She then looked at me, "Anyway, I don't want to do that. Kahit minsan hindi sumagi sa isipan ko ang saktan ka, but still I did, I hurt you. And I'm really sorry, but when you really love a person, nothing can stop you, right?"

She brought back the topic, so I seriously looked at her.

"Yes, nothing can stop you. . . . except yourself. Kung pipiliin mo na patuloy siyang mahalin at ipaglaban o hayaan na siya ay pakawalan at iwan," I answered her.

"And I'm really sorry, pero 'wag kang mag-alala lilipat ako ng ibang university."

"What's that for, Faye? Talaga bang iiwas ka na? Talaga bang iiwan mo na kami?" I looked at Petot because of what she had asked.

After nung nalaman niya na ako ang gusto ni Jaybi nagsimula siyang iwasan ako, kami. At first, I don't know why but now it hurts.

"Iiwasan ko kayo hindi dahil sa gusto ko 'yon, iiwas ako kasi alam kong magiging okay tayo do'n.”

I shook my head, “Faye, ang babaw mo. Ang babaw ng pagkakawatak-watak natin ng dahil lang sa isang lalaki. Ang babaw nun.”

“Ay sorry, Sam, ah?” she said, sarcastically, and started sniffing. Her eyes are starting to get wet too, “Never ko kasing naramdaman ang pagmamahal at attention sa Papa ko. Wala akong Kuya na pwedeng magpuno nun. At si Jaybi lang yung nakitaan ko, kay Jaybi ko lang naman nakuha yun pero naagaw pa simula nung dumating ka. Ang babaw ko pala talaga. Sorry, ah?”

I was hurt because of what I heard.

"Faye . . ." I said, "Sorry, hindi ko sinasadya. Hindi ko alam."

"Hindi, okay lang." Then she turned around, "I think this is a farewell already. Thank you for everything that has happened. For the last time, sorry."

And she left after her last sentence.

"Faye!" Petot ran to her and opened her arms, "And for the last time, pwede ba pa-hug?"

No matter what kind relationship you have, be in a relationship or even friendship, when you are saying goodbye, there will always be a hug at the last minute. They hugged each other, and because of a bit of jealousy I felt I went there and hugged them also.

Ouch! I looked at my arms because suddenly I felt the pain, and I looked at her neck where I put my hands to hug her. I saw a ring that was on the necklace.

"Once a trio, always a trio," she said, before she unhugged us, smiled, and walked away.

We're the beauty and brains trio, ang kaibahan nga lang ako mayaman, si Petot talented in music and singing at si Faye naman ay more on sports.

Napatingin na lang ako sa gilid ko dahil sa pagtangis na naririnig ko, umiiyak si Petot.

"Kunware pang sinungitan si Faye, iiyak din pala pag-alis," asar ko kay Petot, dahil alam ko na iyakin talaga siya.

`Di siya nag salita pero sinamaan niya ako ng tingin.

"At least she kept it," I said to Petot, while I'm looking at Faye while she's walking away from us,

"What do you mean?"

Each and every one of us has ring, singsing na may kanya-kanyang pangalan na nakaukit (Petot, Sam at Faye).

"Our trio ring. I'm always with her these past few days, but I've never seen our ring on her fingers and now I just realized why." I'm not looking at Petot but I know that she's looking at me.

"Let me ask, why?"

"It's not on her fingers because it's on her neck. Napansin ko lang nung niyakap natin siya."

She looked away, "Sa buhay may mga tao talaga na hindi mo inaasahang darating, pero sa hindi inaasahang pagkakataon kailangan ding umalis."

After that Petot already said goodbye because we still both have classes to take. So we parted our ways, and I went upstairs to the engineering building to take my classes too. And after a long day, I invited Jaybi for a talk.

"Why?" without expression, he asked.

Jaybi is here right in front of me, asking me why I did that, na kung bakit pinag-date ko sila ni Faye.

I looked away, down, "I'm sorry."

"I'm asking you, why? `Wag kang mag-sorry."

"I know I did something wrong and I'm here to make it right. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," without looking at him, embarrassed. And I just can't look at him.

I could see how he walked a step forward to me, and how he hesitated. He hugged me, "Why, why can't I do anything about it but fall for you even more?"

After hearing those words, mas lalo kong naisip na hindi ko talaga siya deserve. I don't deserve his love for me, I don't deserve him.

Kumalas ako sa pagkakayakap niya sa akin, at tiningnan ko siya sa mga mata niya, I was confused.

"Bakit, Jaybi?" I asked, frowned, "Bakit mahal mo pa rin ako kahit paulit-ulit na kitang nasasaktan?"

"Hindi ko alam. Basta ang alam ko mahal kita, and that's enough reason for me to stay," he answered.

I smiled at him. He is not the smart one, he is not the man who is very handsome, he is not the man of your type, he is not the ideal man but he is the man who will love you and will continue loving you even more, despite what you've done to him.

I decided to hug him, "Thank you!"

Faye gave farewell already. I've already talked to Jayb. And though Kurt gave his words to me that he will give me up, I still want to talk to him.

Gusto ko i-ayon ang lahat.

Pumunta akong warehouse, where I know I could see him.

"Are you here to give the ring back to me?" he said smilingly, facing me with a fake smile because his eyes are not saying the same thing.

I smiled at him, a true one.

"Am I not the owner of this ring? After all, you gave it to me. Gusto kong i-keep 'to not as a souvenir or a remembrance, but as a pure love of yours, na kahit minsan hindi ko nasuklian."

Napahinga siya ng malalim, "Are you here to hurt me? Sobrang detelyado naman nun. This last Tuesday you cried, and now you're trying to make me cry?"

I just laughed at what I heard, "No, I just want to say thank you and sorry. Thank you for your love for me and sorry because I can't give that love back."

"Don't make me cry." But there's tears coming out from his eyes.

I walked forward, approached him, "Ayo'ko sabihin na masasaktan din ako pero 'wag kang umiyak," I said, while trying to wipe his tears away.

He hugged me, and I hugged him back.

They will always have a place in my heart, no matter what. They love me and I love them. I love Faye as best friend, I love Kurt as a brother and Jaybi as a—

"Sam!" Not far, someone shouted that caused me to stop thinking, making me look at the person who shouted, "Kurt, can I have Sam back?"

Naghiwalay kami sa pagkakayakap at sabay na tinawanan si Petot.

"Yes," he answered Petot.

"Anyway, kahit naman hindi ka pumayag ay kukunin ko pa rin siya."

Suddenly I heard Kurt laugh, as did I. But right after, he gave me a sign to go. I immediately went to where Petot was.

"You're tired, aren't you?"

Nag-pout ako, "I am!"

"Okay! Let's go where your tiredness will go," while smiling.

I smiled at him, because I know what she is planning.

"Okay!"

So without thinking twice, we went to our favorite place.

"10 isaw, 10 dugo at 15 laman. Okay na ba yun?" Petot asked.

"`Pag ba kulang dadagdagan mo pa?" I asked, while smiling sweetly at her.

She looked at me for a few seconds, seemed to be thinking and judging me at the same time, "Sige, bakit hindi, 'di ba? You did great naman today eh!"

"Yey!"

And I immediately gave a thumbs up from both of my hands, and gave her the best smile that I could give.