DV Series: decoding the boys (under revision) ??

56 | always

"He's just protecting you." He took a deep breath and said, "Look, ayoko sanang manggaling sa 'kin 'to but I think you should know. But you have to promise me you won't hurt your brother for it."

I furrowed my brows. "What is it?"

Hindi pa muna siya sumagot. Hinintay niyang mahinto kami dahil sa traffic bago siya nagpatuloy.

He flicked his eyes over to me.

"Alam mo kasi, 'yang kapatid mo, takot lang 'yan sa sarili niyang multo. I don't know if you know about Giselle and that huge scandal it caused. But yeah, your brother used to date her. Even fucking shagged the girl. And you know how your brother is. We both know how that relationship ended."

"Giselle?" I echoed, trying to place where I'd heard that name before.

"Yeah, Giselle. Giselle Esquivel."

I raised my brows. He sounded like that name held some clue pero hindi ko talaga maalala kung saan ko narinig ang pangalan na 'yon.

Lhyle drew a sigh. "Are you even aware kung anong middle name ng boyfriend mo?"

My eyes widened.

"Racel Esquivel Gutierez. They're damn cousins, J. Kaya isali mo na 'yan sa list ng mga rason kung bakit sobrang magkaaway 'yang dalawang yan." He shook his head. "Fuck, you should've seen the commotion it caused nung sumugod si Racel sa Aftershock para bigwasan si Jacob. And it's all because Giselle suffered a pregnancy scare and heartbreak."

Bumilis ang pintig ng puso ko. The pieces of the puzzle were settling in. Ngayon ay mas naiintindihan ko na ang pinanggagalingan nilang dalawa.

"So kaya nagagalit si Kuya? Kasi akala niya gagawin din sa 'kin ni Racel 'yon?"

"Yeah. Siguro."

"But he's at fault here! Dinate niya si Giselle to get back at Racel."

Lhyle tilted his head in wonder. "Hindi daw. Nung una, hindi naman niya alam na magpinsan 'yon e. He found out eventually but your brother was an asshole through and through. He continued the relationship kahit na ilang beses siya sinabihan ni Racel na 'wag gagaguhin ang pinsan niya. In the end, Jacob got tired of Giselle and broke up with her. Ewan ko bakit hindi mo nabalitaan 'yan. Ang laking gulo kaya no'n."

My mind churned wildly at the revelation. Alam ko. Naririnig ko na dati pa na lagi ngang nagkaka-engkwentro 'tong sina Racel at Kuya. Pero hindi ko nalaman kahit kailan ang rason. I asked the boys before nung mga panahon na curious pa ako. But none of them gave a straightforward answer so I passed it off as a mere testosterone-induced feud.

Boy was I so wrong.

"Kaya pala," I said, stunned. "Shit, kaya pala."

"Yeah." Lhyle nodded.

The vehicles moved into a smooth ride again. Lhyle swerved the car and we turned off the main road to a shortcut pauwi sa bahay.

Bloody hell. All this time, I never knew. It made sense. Everything made sense now.

Unti-unting bumalik sa alaala ko ang mga pangyayari dati. Naaalala ko na si Giselle. Siya yung babaeng nakita kong kasama nina Racel nung unang beses ko siyang nakita sa malapitan. She had been crying then. Siya rin yung tumatawag kay Kuya nung nag-travel kami. Yung kinwento ni Mathev.

God. I was so ignorant. How could I have not known?

Pag-uwi ko ay nagmamadali akong pumasok sa kwarto. I felt bone-tired pero hindi ko magawang makatulog. Buhay na buhay ang isip ko dahil sa mga nalaman ko.

Racel. Giselle. Kuya.

Ngayon, alam ko na.

Out of the blue, my phone rang in the air.