Versus

VERSUS 

"Secretary vs Muse. President vs Secretary. Ikaw vs Ex ng Boyfriend mo. Ikaw vs Pinalit sayo ng Ex mo. Ikaw vs Grades mo. So many versus. So many insecures. So many issues. That's your generation! Selfie dito, selfie doon. Scroll up, scroll down. Mas active pa sa facebook kesa sa recitation! Lahat ng fake news alam, how about the facts on your books, nabasa kaya???", ganyan si Ma'am Mabangis, magbubunga kahit umaga. Parang nanay. Psh!
"Llido!", tawag ni Ma'am sa kaklase ko.
"What do you mean by Assessment? Differentiate it to Evaluation. Now!" Ayan ginamitan na naman kami ng mahiwaga niyang index cards.
"I didn't read my lecture. In short, wala akong pake. Well, share ko lang." sagot naman ni Parco. Ganyan talaga yan. Walang sinasanto. Bastos. Walang modo. Palaayos. Puro makeup pero ang utak walang laman. Itsura lang naman pinapahalagahan niyan. Wala ng mas importante pa kundi kagandahan nya at mga lalaki nya.
Kriiingggg! Kriiingggg! Ayan nagbell na, yey! Mabuti naman at inawat ng bell ang digmaan sa loob ng aming silid-aralan.
Well, well, well. Simula na naman ng plastikan. Ganyan section namin. Kunwari magkakaibigan, pero talikuran kung magsiraan at maglaban. Sila lang naman. Wala akong pake, actually. Isa lang naman akong dakilang observer na witnessed ng kung anu-anong eksenang nasisilayan. Nagkekwento sila sakin. But my mouth was just silent. I'm not a double-faced person. Karamia lang ang peg? Doble Kara? Well, may kilala akong ganyan. At kaibigan ko pa. She keeps on pushing herself to be part of Romma's group which is not a good influence at all. I don't know what she saw to them but all I know was that, she wants to feel superior just like Roma. Little that she know that this group just using her and talking about her when she's not around. Well, I know because I'm part of their group chat. They're considering me as their friend but I'm not like my double-faced friend who keeps on pushing myself to them. In fact, I'm making myself far from them cause I know how they treat a friend and they're not good for me at all. Also, she's now getting worse for she keeps on story telling and be a spy of the two groups which have their both issues. I hate her for being so plastic in both groups. I'm not mad at her if she's not with us anymore cause I know in the first place that she only comes with us when she didn't have any company to be with. I knew it that's why I'm not shocked and I know that if ever she's in the trouble again and be bullied again, she will come back to us. Well, back to the story, me and my friends were at the canteen. It's our break time. As usual, hati-hati kami. Kanya-kanya kasing grupo. Romma's group, Narra's group and our group which is kalma lang. We're now in the library, at nagkukwento na naman sakin si Romma tungkol sa kaaway niyang si Narra. Mas inuuna pa raw kasi ang sarili kaysa sa anak niya. Puro daw paganda tapos ang anak tuluan ang sipon. Sobra na rin daw kasi ang kayabangan. Palibhasa puro kopya lang ang gusto niyang si Romma, e ito namang isa, ayaw magpakopya. Well, sabi nila yan. Lagi raw kasi napupuri kaya ayan lumaki raw ang ulo. Grabeng plastikan no? Kung dati'y magtotropa sila, ngayon ay watak-watak na. What good to Narra ay di niya na lang pinapansin at kusa na lang din syang tumahimik. Noong una, I don't know her side but when we're in the library, she was asked by our president on what was happening. Ayon sa kanya, bigla na lang din daw sya di pinansin at bahala na raw sila kung may problema sila sa kanya.
Isang araw, pumasok ng puro sugat si Romma at Narra. Yung ibang sugat nga nila ay sariwa pa. Kung titingnan, para silang nagbakbakan o naaksidente o isinumpa ng walang pusong mangkukulam. Nagulat nga kami lahat. Maya-maya, we heard them saying bad words to each other. Parang naglolokohan lang like what they used to but today that they had their issues, mukha silang mga plastik na ang sarap sunugin. I heard Romma says to her, "ang chaka mo naman girl" with matching pangdemonyong tawa pa. Syempre di nagpatalo si Narra and she says "Mas chaka kang bakla ka". What made is shocked was that their wounds started to bleed and lalo itong lumala. Kada plastikan nila, kada masakit na salitang binibitawan nila ay nadadagdagan lalo ang kanilang mga sugat sa katawan. At ang iniingatan nilang pisikal na kaanyuan ay unti-unting nasisira at nawawalan ng kulay. Hanggang sa wala na ngang magawa ang mga makeup nilang panakip sa peklat. Na kahit anong pagtatago nila ay sadyang lumalabas pa rin ang kapangitan na sanhi ng kanilang masamang kalooban. Hindi na nila alam pa pano ibabalik ang kanila sarili. Napuntahan na lahat ng derma ay wala pa ring naibigay na gamot sa kanila. Ngunit kahit na ganon, patuloy pa rin sa plastikan ang dalawa at pasimple pa ring nagsasabihan ng masama sa isa't-isa kahit unti-unti ng nanlalagas ang kanilang mga buhok at naagnas na katawan. Siguro tama nga sila na "be careful with your words and actions for it defines who you are." Ngunit, ang titigas talaga nila! Hanggang kamatayan siguro ay balak nilang magplastikan.
Hanggang sa klase na ulit namin kay Gng. Mabangis. As usual, hawak na naman niya ang kanyang mahiwagang index cards. "Llido!", tawag niya kay Romma. Si Romma naman ay nanghihina at nahihiyang tumayo para sagutin ang tanong niya.
"Kindly explain the quotation "Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart."
"Ma'am, for me that means that what we say and what we do is what we are as a person." Naiiyak na sagot ni Romma.
"Galla!", tawag ni Ma'am kay Narra. "How do you understand the same quotation?"
"For me, that's acceptance. We need to accept ourselves, our flaws to be not insecured with others and just be contented of what we are and what God has given to us. Through that, we could not come to the point of underestimating others just to feel superior."
"Well, everyone, just be careful in whatever you do for it can make anybody to determine how you are as a person. Now is the time for forgiveness, students. Llido and Galla, go in front! There's a mirror over there and go and look at yourself. Llido, define yourself in just one word."
"Ugly." said Romma.
"How about you, Galla?" Ma'am said.
"Ugly." said Narra.
"Through that physical appearance, can you say that you have a good heart or an ugly heart just like what you saw in the mirror?" Ma'am said.
"No Ma'am. We're ugly inside and out." said by the two.
Unexpectedly, they hugged each other, cried and thanked our teacher for making them realized that inner beauty is more important than what is visible. Their scars? It started to disappeared and healed. Kasabay ng paghilom ng kanilang mga sugat ang paghilom ng kanilang mga pusong sobra ding nasugatan. Muli silang gumanda at naging magkaibigan. Well, si Gng Mabangis pala ang salarin. I saw her removing her spells using the pictures on our index cards. At least, Romma and Narra were now okay, with no plastikan, just love.

"So for our activity today, let's have a new challenge and let's call it "ITSURA KO VS UGALI KO CHALLANGE!" Ma'am Mabangis enthuaistically said.