CHAPTER 3

 

    “Yes, Mom. I’m doing good here. I’ll be  back home on Christmas. I promise. I love you.” Tricia sighed. “Yeah, take care, too. Just regards me to my siblings when they get home from school. Okay, Mom, I’m running late.” She hanged up the phone call and went out of the bathroom.

 

     It was already around seven o’clock in the morning when they had finished preparing for school. Both of them were quiet. None of them even speak a word. They were still thinking about what had happened yesterday and as to what news they had garnered on social media last night. Just two names, which Tricia had no idea about, but Danica knew the other one—which was the guy.

 

     Based on the information they had read from those who witnessed the accident, both Grade 12 senior high school students bumped by the mercedes car. The driver was drunk so he unintentionally hit and run the two students. The girl got lots of injuries but she survived and was now stable, but unfortunately, the guy did not make it, which Danica knew personally.

                

     When they were already out of their dorm they immediately went to the main road to find a jeep. Even during the ride, they were still filled with silence. They did not even know what to talk about when they already talked about schoolwork last night just to help them sleep, or maybe Tricia noticed she was the only one who talked so much last night because Danica was already lying on her bed, her back against her. Tricia felt her best friend was so down to the point that nodding was the only move she did. She just thought that maybe Danica was just tired and was also affected from what happened since she knew the guy who was involved in the accident.

 

     For now, Tricia was just kept looking on her watch because they were running late, while Danica was just acting she was asleep. Maybe wanting a peace of mind. However, the moment they heard about the accident from their co-passengers in the jeep, it automatically grabbed their attention.

 

  They didn’t know that the news were easily spread. It was really a heart broken hearing the accident over and over again.   They wanted to cover their ears. And even just for the moment, they didn’t want to hear about it, because they’re sure it would be the one to talk in school.

 

 

            Somehow, Tricia was thankful that none of her classmates especially her friends were involved in that accident, but also part of her worrying about that Kyle Agonzaga who was unfortunately died. It bothered her so much. It hurt her too. How she wished it was just normal to care for someone she didn’t know. Of course, he died. She should care.

 

   When they were already out of the jeep, they both sighed and stared at each other before they went inside their campus.

 

            A heavy atmosphere greeted them and a cold breeze prickled on their skin. The sky was still as cloudy as yesterday. Nothing had changed, but it seemed like the sky was sadder today, as if it was also grieving and was trying to console them from the pain.

 

            A lot of students loitering around.       Some were sitting on the benches while seriously talking. It seemed that most of them had lost their enthusiasm. They could hear no usual noises around them; no laugh, teases and shouts in every corner of the campus.

 

 

            “Seriously, I feel so sad. I am not so used to this, Tring. And w-what happened yesterday wasn’t real. The guy is still alive. There was no accident, right?” Danica pledged. Her voice was gloomy, the exhaustion was also evident in her face that she hadn’t slept last night.

 

            Tricia just kept her mouth shut, an indication of saying she agreed.

 

            A minute after, they finally went inside of the same building and they took their different paths afterwards. Danica bid her goodbye to Tricia before she went inside of their classroom. Tricia just murmured ‘take care’ as her response before she continued walking upstairs.

 

     Both senior-11 and junior high school are in one building that’s why she was walking through the hallways with a lot of students. The other building for senior-12 was a lot smaller than what they have, so the faculty decided to just let the senior-12 alone have the building.

 

 

       While she was walking through the stairs, she had heard these two students talking about the accident walking along with her, they were sobbing. She was a lot ahead from them, so she tried to secretly glance across her shoulder with her not-that-so-obvious look that she was interested. She did not want to be nosy, but she just wanted to know what about it. She just wanted to listen.

 

     “Y-yes, you’re right. It happened so fast. I c-can’t imagine what happened to Kyle yesterday. I’m even glad I didn’t witness the accident. If ever I did, and saw him lying on the road with his own blood, I just couldn’t take it,” sobs the girl.

 

      She knew the face of the girl but she didn’t know her name. Tricia only knew the girl was a grade 11-ABM student, she once saw her entered their room before, and she had glanced on her ID, she couldn’t just remember the name.

 

 

    “I was just absent for a day, then that was already the news I got? Kyle’s dead. What the heck? It hurts. It’s as if it was just yesterday when he helped me with my homework in geometry and when I heard his laugh inside the music room. It’s really unbelievable. But now…he’s gone. We will never see him again.” The other girl’s voice cracked.

 

            Tricia secretly gulped from what she heard, but still manage to continue walking as well as the two did the same way from her back.

 

   “I can’t also believe it, Vanessa. We cannot surely know when accident can happen. It’s so sad he passed away so early. Someone as handsome as him should have given the chance to live longer. Anyway, where’s his corpse now?”

    

      “That’s also what I am wondering about, Ev. Someone helped them cremate his body. B-but we don’t know who.”

 

            Tricia halted her pace in front of their classroom, she would have passed her classroom if she didn’t notice Jane who was cleaning the windows. When the two students were already out of her earshot, that was the time where she audibly sighed. Loud. She felt regrets without knowing why, or she just really wanted to know more about what happened, yet she also wanted to stop herself but she ended up seeking answers.

 

 

     Without any choice, she just went inside her classroom. She was a little bit surprised there was only few of them who were already there. Most of the time, they were almost complete if it was a class hour. But as what she could see, her other classmates weren’t still there yet.

 

            As what she expected, her classmates were talking about the accident. She heard two names, Kyle Agonzaga and Daniela De Guzman which they also read last night on social media.

  

            When her classmates noticed her, some of them smiled which she replied a mere smile, too. When she sat on her chair at the corner, she immediately buried her face on the armchair. She wanted to take a nap for a moment but she couldn’t, she had two ears and she couldn’t prevent them from listening to what her classmates were talking about.

 

            “Roshy, I know Kyle since first day. He has been my crush. I admire him so much. He had a nice voice, so he’s really a good singer. Thus, he’s too cool when he plays guitar. But do you know what I like him the most?” said Irish, Tricia’s long-time classmate and a friend.

 

            “Because he’s handsome?” Roshille joked, trying to lighten up the mood.

 

            “No, that’s not it. He had this smile that so compassionate, Roshy. He had this laugh that so contagious. He looked very carefree every time I saw him. I always saw his smile in every corner of this campus. It’s as if he was the type of guy who disregarded all his problems.”

 

            To visualize the guy’s face, Tricia unconsciously imagined the laid-back stranger that accidentally blocked her way yesterday. She quickly shook her head.

 

            ‘No, it couldn’t be him,’ she talked oneself.

 

    Why would she think about that? It was not right. It was not right to just pinpoint someone and it was impossible that he was the dead Kyle Agonzaga who was involved into the accident. She didn’t want to think anything damn, but that guy’s face was the only one aroused in her mind.

 

            She shook her head again to relax herself and to take the vision of that guy away from her mind.

 

 

     “It was absurd of me to admit that Kyle could partially erase my dilemmas in life. Like no kidding. Even Marie, you can go ask her.” Irish smiled. “Kyle’s just my dream guy. He was so attractive, sporty and smart. Who wouldn’t like him, though? It was just…he’s so unlucky. Why him, you know? Of all bad people out there, why him who was good?”

 

            Tricia clenched her hands. It kinda bothered her. Thanks to her friends, they just made her more curious about this dead guy, Kyle Agonzaga. Until now, she didn’t want herself believe with the gossips alone. It was for good, though. She could avoid false judgement.

 

         She didn’t want to believe that someone just died. She couldn’t just believe even if she already heard a lot of things. Why most of the students around her seemed to know him very well? She was also frustrated knowing the fact that the guy had no pictures on his social media account. She just wanted to think maybe she already seen that guy anywhere in the campus, but it was just she didn’t know him.

 

 

     But well, maybe because her eyes were  only for one person?

 

            Tricia supposed to close her eyes when they heard a sudden announcement from a big stereo. A command that telling all students to go out from each of their building for some important announcement to discuss.

 

  

     She already knew it. She knew wha that announcement was all about. It’d be about the accident yesterday. She’d never been wrong.

 

     She could feel the beat of her heart pounding so loud. She slightly closed her eyes and relaxed herself. She needed to breathe.

 

            “Gwaenchanayo, Tric?”

 

            She opened her eyes and landed on her friend, Marie. One of her long-time classmates. A kpop lover. She asked her if she was okay.

 

            “If you’re not okay, you can just stay here. Or if you want, I can just remain here with you, if that’s fine? Paul told me Charles will be absent today. I bet, they could understand you,” Marie added when Tricia didn’t answer her when she asked her to go.

 

 

            On the other hand, Tricia nodded and curved her lips. “I’m okay. I’ll come, but just go ahead. It’s just my head aches a lot, I’ll just gonna rest it for a moment. And don’t mention Charles, he’s not responsible for me, Marie.”

 

            She nodded and smiled. “Aniyo. What I mean, that’s what he’ll gonna do if he’s here. But arasseo, Roshille and Irish will go with me, alright? Jaljinae—take care. Maybe Angeline will be here at any moment, you guys can just come down together. Jalgayo.” She waved until she was out of the room.

 

            “Thank you,” Tricia murmured before she closed her eyes again. She wanted to stay here even for just several minutes but sad to say, luck was not with her.

 

    The moment she heard a familiar voice of her best friend shouting made her eyes open.

 

            “Seriously, Best?! Why are you still here?! I was waiting you outside! Let’s go! Is it really okay with you to be left here alone?!”

 

  Tricia automatically stood up and brought her bag with her going through the doorway. Her heart was even more beating faster. This time,  she wanted to cuss. She really wanted to smack her best friend and throw her outside the window. She didn’t want her tone, because she knew what she was trying to imply. Ghost.

 

             She wanted to curse her but not just when she realized what brought her best friend there. Her frustration didn’t last long, well, it almost subsided. But then when she saw Danica’s eyes wandering around, her fear started to excel again. No, scratch that, to tell you the truth, the moment Tricia saw Danica’s sudden change of reaction right now made her feel scared, too. Not because of what happened yesterday, but because of what Danica just said to her a moment ago.

 

    Maybe she should believe now that there were actually ghosts who lingering there? Some students told a lot of stuffs in their building, just like if no one’s around, that was the time where ghosts show up. But Tricia couldn’t give a shit on it. She must.

 

 

            They roamed their eyes around, confirming if there is anyone else left, but the only people who left in the building were only them.

 

            There were no words could be heard while staring at each other. They were just talking through their eyes. And as they held each other hands, they rapidly ran through the way out. Wow, just wow.

 

Itutuloy…

 

CONTINUE READING