by M.G. Marquez
CHAPTER THIRTY
MAGGIE
As much as I hate Fred’s morning face, I have learned to hate Guji’s barking voice. Not that I haven’t hated it before, but I sure do hate it a million times over, especially now that he’s abusing his power over his slave. Hurray, that’s me.
“Bring my bag.” He grinned at me before tucking his bag at my shoulder.
“NO.”
“Hey SB. In case you forgot, you are my –”
“SLAVE. Yeah Sweetie, I do know that by heart,” I even tapped my chest for him to see that I’m trying to piss him off by my fake sweetness.
I grabbed his super lightweight bag and marched toward the door. Why does he need a bag for? He only brings air.
It’s been four days since the game, and it’s just as hellish as I thought it would be. He made me clean his house for two days without the help of his maids. He even had me buy his stupid Gatorade Blue at 7-Eleven, which was by the way, a long long loooooong walk before the stadium – everyday!
You are so going to have a piece of me, Guji. SOMEDAY.
“Good morning, Ms. Janella,” they greeted me one by one as I walked through the door.
Uh-kay. That’s weird. “Err… good morning as well?”
I headed for my usual chair and threw BD’s bag behind me. That’s his usual chair. He told me once that he chose to sit behind me so he could live by my eternal lamentation that “A Devil is Behind Me.”
Gujerk.
“Sorry Boss, but someone got your seat now.” I heard Fred telling Gujerk. But Gujerk didn’t move. The two of them exchanged statements of “There’s a new seating arrangement!” and “I don’t care!” to each other until I shut them up. Nikki butted in and told me that Mam Hidalgo, indeed, has a new seating arrangement for this class and I have to sit at the back.
Because my middle name’s Ylagan.
I rolled my eyes at Hidalgo’s stupid idea of having a seating arrangement by Middle Names. What benefit could she get from that, huh?
“How unfortunate of me to sit beside you.” My mouth went O-shape as my Master dropped his bag on a seat next to the next of mine. “A Villanueva here. And I got to sit next to a slave.”
“Excuse me. There’s a space between the two of us, so technically, we’re not seated next to each other,”
“Is that how you talk to your Master? A bit of respect, please?”
This time, I let myself snap in utter annoyance. I towered over him with my lips pursed to keep myself from screaming.
“Aww my lil slave’s getting annoyed, sorry pooo.”
I was about to punch his face for that but oh, lucky me, someone bumped me from behind and had me falling forward. BD caught me just in time.
My face was only inches from his and I’m getting nervous.
I remember his arms, his warm breath around me when I woke up. His lips, his eyes, his everything.
“Hey Slave. I want a deal,” he told me. I held my breath so as not to inhale his sweet breath.
“No way.” I said in gritted teeth.
“I’m not asking for your opinion. That’s a command.”
“THEN what do you want?!”
“Be mine.”
I remember his sweet voice calming my fears, his hands running through my hair. I remember his hold on me, that kind of hold that I never want to let go of.
My heart skipped one, one two, two three times as my Imaginative Mind broke all the walls of this place and sent both of us at the center of Falling Cherry Blossoms.
God, this is so not happening to me.
“Please tell those two at the back to stop flirting in front of me.” Guji let me go and I instantly stood up on my own. I pinned my hair back to my ear to express my embarrassment.
Big shot, Hidalgo. You got me.
I gave BD one last glance and saw him laughing like hell.
“If you could only see your face back there – PRICELESS.” Then he laughed again.
I hissed.
Mean, Nikki, Nica, and I were walking down the hallway when we met a bunch of bitches. I say bitches because they’re looking at me like I am the most disgusting person alive. What the hell did I do this time?
“Hey, do you remember that girl? Isn’t she the one who talked back at Guji before?” said one of them.
“Yeah. She is. And now, they’re best buddies. Unbelievable,”
“I wonder how she did that,”
“Social climber,”
“Attention seeker.”
“Isn’t her last name Ponce?” That sure made my head lit up. “She’s the first in rank in all Accountancy students, right? First Year, Block 1.”
“Ow, nerdy little bitch.”
When they finally passed by me, my friends all commented on what they’ve heard. They were so furious that they plan on sabotaging each of them. But I said never mind.
“I’m not a nerd and I don’t give a shit.” I said, pushing my hair back.
“I am so going to tell that to Guji!” Nikki blurted out.
“As if he cares –”
“SLAVE!” Speaking of the devil. I turned around and gave him my sweetest smile only to frown at once. “What do you want?”
“You’re going to tell me something, right?” By that, I looked at Nikki who’s busy whistling by my side. Unbearable best friend. “Right Nikki? She has something to tell me?”
“She has backstabbers.” she said.
“Oh? Wow. Let’s go home, Slave. You’re going to prepare me food.” He put an arm around my shoulders and dragged me away. Just like that.
Geez, what kind of reaction was that?
Wait. What am I expecting? That he would go hysterical just because I have some stupid backstabbers? That he would act like some mighty boyfriend of mine and protect me?
That’s way too much imagination, Maj. Stop dreaming.
There’s only silence on the car. No. I’m silent, and Guji’s speaking speaking speaking I’ll go deaf already.
“Hey Slave! Where did you leave your tongue? Speak to me!”
“Shut up.”
“Oh wait. Is this about your backstabbers?” FINALLY. “Look,” he scooted closer to me and held my head on his shoulders. Damn, this is heaven. “Why do you care about them so much? We don’t care about them, so don’t give them your shit. And besides, you are the only girl I’ll talk to and hang around with. Because you are my one and only SeaweedBrain,”
Oh Maj, Guji could be your boyfriend – NOT.
It’s nine in the morning and someone dropped a bouquet of black roses in front of the mansion’s gate. My head buzzed in total confusion. Why would someone give this kind of flowers? Roses would be nice, but the black ones would be horrifying.
I am horrified.
I checked if there’s a card on it. When I found one, my eyes went wide.
It is for me.
Be safe always. Janella Ponce.
I looked around to see if someone was out there. I found no one. Not even a shadow. I brought the bouquet inside my room and set it on my table. Maybe I got some weird stalker or something. Maybe he’s a psychopath.
Oh shit. This can’t be connected to the dart incident, can it?
I stepped away from the flowers before it scares the hell out of me.
“You’re just a flower. You can’t kill me.”
The whole day went drastic because the flowers did scare the hell out of me. I went anxious that Guji always checks my forehead if I’m having a fever or something.
“What’s your problem?” they asked me. I only answer them by, “My face. It’s horrible, right?”
“Raaaaaaayt. Get some plastic surgery. That’ll help.” I eyed Klein at that.
Then things got worse when Guji became unbearable so suddenly.
I was trying to give him an overview on the basics on Accounting but I noticed that he’s just staring at me, not just an ordinary stare, but a stare with a million bits of anger.
“Are you getting my point?” I asked him, irrita
ted.
“No.”
“How will you get my point if you aren’t listening to me?”
“How will I listen to you if your attention is part mine, part his,” he then pointed his finger at my phone which was beeping since forever. “Can’t I have your attention for myself? Just me and no one else.”
I disregarded him and continued with my work. But to my surprise, Guji just closed his book rudely, stood up and walked away from me.
“Unbelievable,” I breathed.
I got my phone and replied to tons of Ero’s text messages I ignored because of Gujerk.
The next day, he insisted on giving him my phone. When I shouted at him for being such an ass, he shouted at me like this, “Me? A fucker? I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being too worried about you. You’re not eating or sleeping on time because you can’t drop that stupid phone of yours! Can you please stop texting that Gay?!”
That’s it. He hit it big time. “DON’T CALL HIM GAY.”
“I can say what I want to say. HE’S GAY. Gay gay gay gay gay –”
“Damn. I HATE YOU.”
This time, I was the one who walked out on him.
He can insult me all he wants, but it’s a different thing when it comes to the ones I love. I have this certain limitations for insults and bullying and he crossed that line. He crossed beyond it way too much.
“I’m going somewhere,” I said in gritted teeth. I tried so hard to keep myself composed in front of him so I could ask for permission properly. “We’re going to Cavite for training. I’ll be gone for a week.”
“So? Don’t come back.”
I forced myself to smile. “Will you be okay?”
“Why do you care? Even if I got sick the same time as that Gay, you’re going to rush by his side –”
I marched toward his seat and put my hands on either side of his chair. I locked him into my serious gaze and I’m dead angry.
“You,” I tried to breathe evenly to calm myself, but it was so damn hard. “Please. I am so tired of bearing with that attitude of yours. Stop doing this to me.”
“Who is that Gay for you anyway? Is he much more important than me?”
“Yes.”
I saw his eyes widened at that. “What?”
“I love him. Okay?”
Then I walked out of his door without looking back.
