Strings Of Perfection

38

May aura pa rin siyang parang hindi mo pwedeng lapitan. Cold. Controlled. Calculated.

And maybe once... just once, I thought I was the exception to that wall he always put up.

I thought. Hah, asa pa.

Tahimik siyang lumapit sa harapan, at kahit wala siyang sinasabi, ramdam ko ang mga tingin ng ilang estudyante sa paligid. Some admired. Others whispered. Kadiri. He’s someone that does not deserve to be looked at with that much admiration.

"Okay, let's begin," sabi ng matandang prof sa gitna. "We'll now proceed with announcing the final list of candidates approved by the committee for this year's Student Government Elections."

She held up a printed list, voice calm but firm.

"For the position of Public Relations Officer, we have:
- Alkeign Puyo Quinaho
- Trisha Velez."

Trisha raised his hand with a casual grin, habang si Puyo ay medyo stiff na ngumiti.

"For Secretary:
- Keanne Lacsamana
- Aira Gomez."

Keanne, na halos nakasandal sa upuan niya, raised his brow and gave a small wave.

"For Vice President:
- Renzo Illustre
- Ina Valerio."

"And finally... for the position of President:

—Leo Creu Livreun..."

Hindi ako gumalaw o kumurap. I just clenched my jaw and kept my eyes down, fists curling beneath the table. I could feel my name hanging in the air, like a spotlight I never asked for.

I waited for the next shoe to drop.

"...and Sylas Storm Eliunous."

Bullseye.

A sharp, invisible punch straight to the gut.

I lifted my eyes, just a bit---just enough to catch him doing the same.

He was already looking at me.

Putangina.

Nakita ko 'yon.

That small flicker of hesitation.

'Yung kunting shift sa lalamunan niya as he swallowed something he didn’t say. Parang... saglit siyang nabasag. Hindi halata, pero sapat para maramdaman ko ‘yung bigat sa loob niya.

Or maybe I imagined it.

Baka... gusto ko lang isipin na kahit papano, minumulto rin siya ng presensya ko.

Pinagtinginan kami. I could feel it---like dozens of tiny needles pricking my skin.

The whispers started creeping in, some amused, some confused, others too eager for drama.

"May tension ‘no? Parang may history..."

"Grabe. That’s gonna be messy."

History.

Kung alam lang nila kung paano ako pinaasa ng isang 'yan.

"Now that we've finalized the list," tuloy ng committee head, "we'll proceed with the platform introduction. This is your chance to share your visions, and why you believe you're the right choice."

She glanced down the list. "We'll start with the candidates for President."

A microphone was passed down the line until it reached me.

Tumayo ako.

Narinig ko ang ilang bulungan. I knew people were curious. Either dahil kilala nila ako, or dahil alam nilang ako ang kalaban ni Sylas Storm Eliunous.