MASCOT OF SHAME (Mikhaiah + Mikhcey)

Chapter 18

Mikha's POV

But instead of kissing me on the lips, she kissed her 2 fingers (pointer and middle) and then placed it on my lips as if she was indirectly kissing me.

I chuckled and said,

"That's not how I remember you doing it."

She crossed her arms with one brow raised saying,

"I don't know if you're messing with me or I got memory lapses or something."

"Well, we can call it hallucinations. But whatever that is, every moment of it was my favorite." I sincerely told her.

"Excuse me po, uhm Ate Aiah Kuya Mikee's waiting for you downstairs." Biglang rating ni Jho.

Aiah and I looked at each other for a second before she left to see him.

Mikha, ano ka ba? Alam mo nang may boyfriend nilalandi mo pa tsk.

G, what's wrong with meeee?!

..

Aiah's POV

Days passed and today is the Governor's burial. Sobrang daming dumalo at sobrang dami ko ring nakitang pasimpleng sumusulyap kay Mikha, mapalalaki, mapababae, matanda, bata etc. Parang gusto ata nilang malibing kasama ni Gov.

Well, just saying.

But honestly, no one deserves Mikha. Not even me. Oh well, especially me.

I will never be good enough for her for I have stained my hands with blood. I have taken lives even with the knowledge that it's unjustifiable and wrong.

I am selfish, wicked, manipulative, deceitful and violent, and she doesn't deserve a person like me.

Perhaps the only thing I can do is to savor every moment with her right now. I know this will not last forever, I mean who am I to talk and think about love?

Yes, people can change but the sad thing about it is that most people will forever doubt the authenticity of it.

I have killed people in the past to avenge my parents' demise not seeing the possibility that someday I might actually learn to genuinely love someone.

I know that person won't be able to love me back once they found out the truth. I dug my own grave. And I know that  Mikha is not crazy enough to be with someone like me.

We were just standing next to each other as we hear people around crying in grief.

Mikha tried to hold my hand but I took my hand away. And then I looked at Stacey who's grieving for her deceased father. She deserves Mikha more than I do and now that the Governor is gone,

Stacey can finally love Mikha freely and it would be a crime to stand in the way.

FLASHBACK

In Stacey's room, first day.

"..people suffer for two reasons but I don't know if this is a test or punishment Ate.." Stacey genuinely said.

"..could be a test for there is wisdom in grief or could be a punishment. But I think it's more likely to be the latter.

Sometimes G punish us by giving us everything we want. And all I wanted is to be with Mikha, I prayed  again and again to make it possible to love her freely and take away anything or anyone that stands in the way, then this happened. It's my fault that Dad is gone.

By asking for the things we want, we are depriving ourselves from everything we truly need. He may not be good, he may not be perfect but he's my dad and he is the only one I got and I'm more than ashamed of what I did. I shall rot in hell or be stoned to death." She cried.

EOFB

Sumakay na kami sa van nina Stacey at tahimik lang kaming lahat buong byahe. Katabi ko si Mikha sa pinaka backseat habang kasama naman ni Stacey sa harap sina Gwen, Colet, Maloi , Jho at Sheena.

KINABUKASAN

Bumalik na kaming lahat sa campus as if nothing happened. We all attended class like usual but the lesson today made some kind of difference.

It's our old boring Philosophy Professor again, but this time he's not THAT boring. 

"In our venerable institution, we have a peculiar tradition known as the Mascot of Shame," he intoned, his voice resonating through the lecture hall.

"It is a garment of disgrace reserved for those who have strayed from the path of virtue, whether through tardiness or misconduct."

He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to settle upon us.

"When a student finds themselves ensnared within the confines of the mascot, their identity is obscured from view. Yet, paradoxically, their name becomes a subject of whispered inquiry among their peers. People do not merely seek to know who wears the mask, but why they wear it."

Our Professor's eyes scanned the room, his expression inscrutable.

"However, there are those among us who choose to bear their burden openly. They wear the body suit of the mascot without concealing their face, not out of pride, but out of a desire for genuine contrition."

He paused again, his gaze lingering on each of us in turn.

"These individuals understand that true remorse is not found in hiding, but in facing one's transgressions with honesty and humility. They do not see the mascot as a badge of shame, but as an opportunity for redemption.

In the realm of philosophy, we ponder the nature of morality and the pursuit of virtue. And in the Mascot of Shame, we find a reflection of these timeless inquiries. It serves not as a punishment, but as a prerequisite for remorse."

He concluded his lecture with a final, solemn thought.

"Those who wear the mascot and emerge from its shadow unchanged have missed the lesson it offers. But those who wear it with sincerity, who demonstrate their remorse not only in words but in deeds, they are the ones who truly understand its significance."