And this is a true story of how I was used by a bully girl, and liked it.
This happened 15 years ago, way back in my third year high school days. I was a transferee then from a renowned high school that time. My mom and dad had separated and because my dad resigned from his job then and was on the process of seeking another one, I had no choice but to live with my mom in her province.
I apologize in advance for the stereotype, but these were the days when you came from a big city, and you moved in to the province, you are instantly famous there. Rich. Beautiful. Sikat. And Matalino.
I wasn’t claiming that I was one. Especially the “matalino” part! God knows I sucked in Academics. Big time! Especially in Filipino and Mathematics.
But I think we all have our own fair share of high school vanity at least once in our lives. And as you know, madaling pabilugin ang mga dalagitang kagaya ko noon, so those things went inside my brain, inflated my ego into one gigantic balloon.
And these were also the days when the image of cool kids were not about fashion or aesthetics, but rather on how tough a kid was. So basically, ito yung panahon na sobrang daming gangs, and gang wars ng mga kabataan noon.
Even though I took the entrance exam and submitted my disappointing grade card from my previous school, I admit that those were just “formalities”. The truth was, the principal during that time was my uncle, and so I was automatically assigned in Section A (the highest section), populated by incredibly hardworking and intelligent youngsters. I know hindi ako magsusurvive, and given the kind of reputation I had as I enrolled, mejo nakakatakot yung expecation if sa section A ako, so I begged my uncle to place me in Section B instead.
Two sections lang ang third year noong batch namin. And section B is a mixed of students who were evidently hardworking but you could see that their hardworks were not enough to move to Section A, students who were really bright but didn’t give a single fuck about those subjects, and gangsters. A lot of gangsters.
So, normally, pipiliin mo makisama sa mga hardworking students. Kasi nakakatakot yung mga gangsters. And totoo nakakatakot. Kaso later on mababait pala yung mga gangster na boys (yung mga pasaway sa klase).
Gangster boys dati was soooooo far from Daniel Padilla’s version of a gangster. They were not trying to be handsome (God! they were not handsome) BUT they were incredibly polite to girls. You can punch them sa shoulders, and they would laugh it off and still call you boss or madam. Pero of course di mawawala yung bibiruin ka, they’ll make fun of you, pero alam nila saan lulugar.
Because mediyo naging famous ako sa campus, maraming gusto makipag friends sakin, for various sort of reasons (I don’t know), and marami ring mga naging “haters” ko.
Isa sa mga naging matinding hater ko is yung Tres Baryos na grupo (composed of gangster women), most of whom were already in their fourth year.
‘di ko actually alam ano naging kasalan ko sakanila, as I wasn’t even aware of their existence until sinabi sakin ni Joan (classmate ko) na magingat daw ako kasi baka magulpi daw ako ng mga Tres Barrios.
Simula noon always akong may kasama pauwi, preferrably may kasamang male, but most of the time si Joan at si Mary-ann companions ko.
And everytime na palabas kami ng gate, nakikita ko na nakatambay yung Tres Barrios dun sa may waiting shed, tabi ng malaking balete. Mga siguro ilang meters lang sa entrance sa school.
At duon tinuro sakin ni Joan ang leader ng group nila. Si Klang klang. Pero Kristine ang totoong pangalan.
At doon palang, sa the way she glared at me, alam ko si Klang Klang ang may issue sakin. May galit sakin. And mga kasama niya nakisabay nalang din ng “hate” sakin just because their leader loathed me so much.
Alam kong di nila ako magalaw-galaw kasi palagi kong kasama si Joan. Ang Ate mismo ni Joan, si Ate Desa (Short for Desiree), ka-miyembro nila, and kumbaga kanang-kamay ni Klang klanng.
‘Di ko maintindihan ang galit sakin ni Klang-klang.
Noong mga sumunod na araw, Joan told me when she asked her sister one night about this growing enmity, Ate Desa mentioned something about “Chris” and “chocolates”.
So, ayun, dun ko na deduce ang totoong reason. Chris was our senior in high school. He was an officer during that time. Nagkakilala kami sa church, and there were times na nakikita ka…