Chapter One

“Hoy, andyan na si Sir!” someone yelled.

There was a commotion as everybody rushed to get back to their seats… Kanya kanyang tulakan para makarating sa
upuan agad; habang yung iba todo hanap ng mapapagtaguan ng balat ng kinakain nila. Bawal kasi ang kumain pag class

hours, pero sa klaseng ito, walang bawal-bawal… lalo na pag gutom. 

Ngunit dahil Homeroom time na at any minute now eh parating na ang adviser nila, heto sila at nagpapakabait, dahil alam
nilang hindi sila kukunsintehin ni Sir Mar. As everyone settled down and tried to look innocent, the classroom door opened.

A stocky, big-bellied man entered, looking serious and composed. As usual. Tumingin tingin siya sa mga estudyante niya,
as though spotting something wrong with their all-too-angelic expressions.

“Guys, if you think na napapaniwala niyo ko, you’re very mistaken. Lalo na’t nangangamoy ang sky

flakes.”   

Natawa naman ang mga estudyante ng Fourth Year Integrity sa sinabi niya.

“Anyway, andito nga pala ako kasi may gagawin tayong importante.”

Taasan ang mga kilay. Ano nga naman kaya yun? 

“Ano ba. Palitan na ng seating arrangement. Say your tearful goodbyes!”

“Oh, tumayo na kayo… anong hinihintay niyo?” sabi ni Sir Mar. Tayo naman silang lahat, at nagsimula na si Sir na
magtawag ng mga pangalan…

Ria’s POV:

Kanina pa akong nakatayo dito, and my muscles were seizing up due to a lack of movement. Ano ba naman yan, anong

petsa na, hindi pa ako tinatawag… 

Pati braso ko nangangalay na. On my left arm were my books, on the other was my bag, which was still half-open,
nakalimutan ko nang i-zipper. Tiningnan ko yung mga hindi pa natatawag… yung mga taong most likely na makakatabi
ko…

I saw Maffy, my best friend, standing at the very end of the line. She smiled at me and I did the same, hoping na sana,
siya na lang ang makatabi ko.

“Ria.”
“Po?”
“Dun ka. Third row sa may aisle.”

Tumango ako to acknowledge that I had understood; tapos pumunta na ako sa bago kong upuan.

“Angelo… take the seat beside Ria.”

One of the jocks in class went and carried his bag with him. Tiningnan ko siya as he passed by… I wondered how the next
quarter would go. Wala akong kahit anong idea kung anong klaseng tao si Angelo… pero dahil popular siya sa campus, I
didn’t think too well of him, or any of his other peers for that matter. Ayoko sa grupo nila, ang yayabang kasi, wala naming
maipagmamalaki. Mga gwapo nga, ang tatamad naman, minsan sobrang slow pa. Well, ayoko talaga sa kanila… maliban
siguro sa isa, yung kababata ko, si Liam.

Nag-creak yung upuan sa tabi ko, cutting into my thoughts. When I looked, he smiled at me. Ngumiti din ako para hindi
naman masabing bastos ako.

“Paano ba yan. Kopyahan tayo ha?  ” sabi niya sa akin in a low voice.
I went like, “HUH?” Was he expecting me to laugh? 

Kakaloka naman. Sa lahat ng seatmate na pwedeng i-assign sa akin, ito pa? Wala na ngang kwenta humirit, nangongopya
pa? Sheesh. Napakaswerte ko nga naman.

Angelo’s POV:

Man, was that a laugh? 

Ang wirdo naman ng buhay kahit kailan. Honestly, that was my best attempt at being friendly. Darn, I don’t get girls!

Hmm, hindi naman pala lahat…

But as it’s Ria Antonio… well, I shouldn’t have expected anything less.

She was known for being hardcore-suplada. Especially sa mga friends ko. Ayaw niya sa amin, ewan ko ba. Kahit sa mga
girls na sikat sa campus, masungit siya. Ang labo, eh kung tutuusin, sikat din naman siya dito. Ay, never mind. Aamo rin
yan.

I just slumped my arms and put my face right in it, feeling extremely sleepy. Napuyat ako kagabi kakalaro ng RO with my
friends. Nag-away kasi kami ni Elle, at ang pinayo nila saken maglaro at i-vent ang frustrations ko sa computer. It worked
naman, coz by 2 am, I completely forgot about Elle. My friends really do know their remedies… IBA NA NGA PAG
EXPERIENCED.

May sinasabi si Sir Mar pero hindi na ako nakinig. Wala namang tulong sa buhay ang mga tinuturo nila. Siguro kung
magtuturo sila kung paano tratuhin ang mga clingy girlfriends, makikinig ako. But otherwise…

Nako, grabe na ang antok ko AMP. May isang subject pa… Physics… Kelangan ng pampa gising… Makapag chewing gum
nga.
Wala kasing kape, kaya gum ang pampagising ko...

Napatingin ako sa bago kong katabi. Nagbabasa siya ng Physics book… wow. Napaka-worthwhile. Alukin ko kaya ng gum?
Baka sakali.

“Gum?  ” I offered.

Angelo’s POV:

“Gum?  ” I offered.

Tiningnan niya ako na para bang ininsulto ko siya sa nasabi ko. Tinaasan niya rin ako ng kilay...

“We’re not allowed to chew gum in class,”   she said coldly.

“Wala pa naman tayong teacher.”

“Kahit na. She’s due to come any minute now.”   Helpfully, our P.R.O. (aka taga-tawag ng teachers) chose that
moment to announce:

“CLASSMATES! Wala daw si Ma’am Pearlie!”

Napangiti ako as I watched her facial expression change. She rolled her eyes, na para bang it was a gesture of admitting
defeat. What she did next shocked me to no end.

“Thanks,” she said, breaking into a wide smile. kinuha niya yung isang gum na nasa kamay ko, tas binuksan niya.
“Bazooka? Brilliant, I haven’t had one of these in ages,”   she said, finally crumpling the wrapper up. Grabe,

parang bata pala tong taong to. Natuwa ba naman sa bubble gum?   I thought it would take more than that para

mapaamo si Ria. May kababawan din pala siyang nalalaman. Akalain mo yun? 

“Saan mo nabibili yan? I thought kasi phased-out na yan sa groceries,” she asked me, still chewing.

“Sa kapitbahay naming tindahan. Phased out? Talaga?”  

“I just heard. But I never found out if it was true… I haven’t been to the grocery lately.”

“Ria, pwede favor?”

“Anong favor?” she asked, puzzled. 

“Wag ka na mag-english. Dinudugo ilong ko eh.” 

“Sige ba,” she replied, giggling  . Ang cute niya. Bungisngisera pala to eh. Napatingin ako sa binabasa niya…
Speed,velocity, acceleration, at kung ano ano pa. Lalo yatang duduguin ang ilong ko.

“Bakit mo binabasa yan?” I asked her.

“Ha? Di mo ba narinig si Ma’am Pearlie kahapon? Sabi niya may quiz daw tayo ngayon. Eh kaso nga hindi
naman tayo sinipot…”

“Makikinig… ako? Hah. Tingin mo ba ako yung tipong nakikinig sa mga ganun?”
“Bakit naman hindi. Pero somehow… hindi ka ba natatakot na bumagsak?”

“Sus, kahit naman nakikinig ako, hindi ko rin naman naiintindihan.” 

“Wow, napakaoptimistic mo naman. Eto,” she said, putting the book on my desk,“Tuturuan kita.”

Ria’s POV:

His face registered an expression of both bewilderment and apprehension, but he was trying to smile as he scratched his
head.

“Ah… eh… wala ako sa mood mag-physics eh. Wala nga si Ma’am Pearlie, ikaw naman pumalit?” 

“Ano ka ba, madali lang to. Promise! Ganito lang yan oh, kasi ang speed…” and I went on talking; Gelo did not

protest. (well, it’s not like he had a choice.  ) To my delight, he was actually listening to me, with his face screwed up in
concentration to comprehend what I was saying, then after a couple of minutes, he opened his mouth to interrupt.

“Wait, mali,” he said. I looked at him.

“Huh?”

“Two thousand three hundred fifty-two kilometers divided by forty-nine seconds, diba? Bakit thirty-nine
kilometers per second lang? Dapat forty-eight diba?” he said all these very quickly. I got amazed and I could not

help but stare. 

“Diba?” he repeated, almost with a puppy dog pout.

“Oo nga. Ang bilis mo naman mag-compute,”   I said. He smiled.

“Parang sira naman itong physics book natin… naturingang may doctorate degree yung author mali mali
naman yung example na computation… Why are you giggling?”he demanded.

“Wala. Natatawa lang ako. Oh, I thought you didn’t want to speak in English?” I asked him.

“Saying I don’t want to doesn’t mean I can’t,”   he snapped. I was quite taken aback. Pa-moody effect si

kumag. 

“Pikon.”

“Hindi ako pikon.”

“Eh bakit nagalit ka agad?” I said, fighting the urge to laugh.

“Tinatawanan mo kasi ako, ano bang tingin mo saken, illiterate?” 

“Whoa, whoa… dude, I didn’t say that.”

“Implied but not stated.”

“Fine, I’m sorry!” I finally said. The expression of his face was infathomable. And then…

“Galing ko umarte noh?”    he said, the ends of his boyish grin almost reaching his ears. At that moment, I could
have given anything to punch him.

“Umayos ka nga!”

“Sorry na po.”

“Mukha mo!” I said, turning back to my physics book.

“Wah pikon… Aww, she’s gonna cry na!”

“Shut up, Gelo.” 

“Fine. Ano, meryenda tayo mamaya? My treat.”

MMMM.

"Sige ba."

Chapter Three (A)

Angelo’s POV:

RIIIINNNNGGGG!!!

Dismissal time! I ducked and got the books under my chair, choosing the ones I think I should bring home. I never really
read at home, and since there aren’t new lessons yet (hello?! Halos kakastart lang ng third quarter!) I decided to just
chuck everything inside my locker, leaving nothing to put in my bag. I closed my bag and stacked my books untidily on my
desk.

“Gelo,” I heard Ria say.

“Ano?” I asked, facing her. She was going to take our physics book home. Poor thing, her idea of bedtime reading

Physics?!
is 

“Dadalhin mo yan pauwi?” I asked incredulously.

“Oo, advanced reading.”

“Para kang si Hermione.  ”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Tara, Isama natin si Ate Maffs.”

“Sige ba.”

“Salamat!”

“Anong salamat? Ikaw na sasagot sa pagkain namin. Ikaw naman yung promotor.  ”

“Naman eh!” she said, pouting. Grabe, para talagang bata.

“Oo na, sige na! Una na ko sa locker. Kita na lang sa may gate.”

“Saan mo ba kami ililibre?”

“Edi kay Manong Fishball.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. I’m in the mood for kwek kwek,” she said reassuringly. I smiled at her.

“Sige, baba na ako. Sabihan mo na lang si Ate Maffs.”

“Okay.” 

Ria’s POV:
Finally, I finished stacking my books neatly on my desk. I put our History, Economics and Physics book inside my bag; I
haven’t read them in a while. Swinging my bag over my shoulder and tucking my remaining books in my arms, I looked for
Ate Maffs’ new seat. It hadn’t been that hard to locate her, though, so I was there in a heartbeat.

“Ate Maffs, sama ka naman saken.”

“Saan?” she replied, not looking up; she was busy deciding if she’s going to put her History book inside her bag.

“Dalhin mo na pauwi, we might get a surprise test tomorrow about 14th and 15th Century British Monarchs,” I
suggested. Shrugging, she chucked it along with her Physics textbook to join the rest of her backpack’s contents.

“Saan tayo pupunta ulit?” she asked.

“Meryenda daw tayo kay Manong Fishball, sagot ni Gelo.” To my surprise, Maffy looked at me suspiciously, as
though she didn’t hear me properly.

“Gelo?”   she repeated.

“Yeah, Gelo. Gelo Fontanilla.” I told her, wondering if she’s got short term memory or Alzheimer’s already. Her lips
curled into the smile that infuriated me most: the knowing smile, as though I have just let something slip or something.

“Kailan mo pa siya tinawag na Gelo?  ” she asked me, swinging her bag over her shoulder as I had done.

“Kanina lang. Ano, sasama ka ba?” I asked her, keen to change the subject. We started walking towards the door.

“Hindi kaya magalit sa atin si Elle niyan?” she asked me. I rolled my eyes at her. Nag-init ang dugo ko nang marinig
ko ang pangalan ni Elle. First day pa lang yata kaming nagkita nung kindergarten may mutual dislike na talaga. Ewan ko
ba. Basta talagang hindi kami nagkasundo, kaya lagi kaming nag-aaway. But well, being the starfish that she is, barado
siya palagi pag humirit na ako.

“Bakit naman magagalit si Elladora?” I said, putting a particular stress on the name so that it would sound as

mabantot as possible. Elladora was Elle’s full name. 

“Duh, they’re dating!” she replied, trying not to laugh. She always cracks up when I use Elle’s full name.

“And so? It’s not like we’re going to rape him. And for God’s sake, he’s not even my type!”

“Language, Ria.”

“Sorry. Bakit? Ikaw ba? Type mo ba si Gelo?” I sdeep at her, smirking.

“Gaga. You know who I like.  ”

“ Of course I do! So ano, sasama ka ba o hindi?”

“Well, Ria, it’s not like I have a choice… And besides, hindi ako tumatanggi sa grasya.” she told me. 

Angelo’s POV: (lockers)

The corridors were, as usual, chaotic and crowded with students. May mga gradeschoolers pa nga na naghahabulan,
nakakabangga, tapos sila pa yung galit. Kanina lang may bumangga sakin na batang hanggang bewang ko lang yata.

When I turned to say sorry, the kid flashed the finger at me and ran away. Akalain mo yun?   Wala pa sigurong Grade
Three yung bata ang galing nang magmura (at non-vocal ha, beat that!). Man, the midget’s a walking advertisement for
birth control! I shook my head and realized that I was in front of my locker already. As I was fumbling for the key inside
my pocket, I heard an all-too-familiar voice.

“Dude!”   it said, and then there was Liam Woods, offering me the usual high five.

“Oh, pare… sino na-assign na seatmate mo?” I asked him, punching his hand. Bigla siyang sumimangot.

“Hay naku. Si Abby,” he said, and I understood. Liam absolutely abhorred the SS members.

“Ay hindi, si Zoe pala yun. Teka yun nga ba? Ewan, basta taga-SS na soooobrang arte,” he said, looking
absolutely displeased.

“Grabe ka, maga-apat na taon na natin silang classmate, you still can’t distinguish them from one another?” I
asked him, finally finding my key, and stuffing it on my padlock.
“Ewan ko ba. Ang tingin ko kasi sa kanila magkakamukha na. Kasi naman noh, pare pareho ng ayos ng buhok,
ng kakapalan ng makeup, ng bags, pati yata pabango,” he said. Natawa ako ng malakas sa huli niyang sinabi.

“INAAMOY MO?” I almost yelled.

“Tange, hindi! Well you can’t blame me bro, kahit naman ikaw I’m sure amoy na amoy mo pag dumadaan sila
ng sabay sabay. Ang sakit kaya sa ilong! Can you imagine how much worse it is for me ngayong katabi ko na
yung isa sa kanila?”

“Easy, bro. Ang laki pala talaga ng galit mo sa SS,” I told him, still unable to make my padlock budge.

“Ay sorry, nakalimutan kong SS nga pala si Elle. Speaking of whom… bakit di mo siya kasama?” he asked me. I
continued opening my padlock as though I had not heard him.

“Sh*t, dude. War na naman kayo?” Again, I chose not to answer.

“That’s the reason why I vowed never to date a Starfish. Well maybe not unless I want my head cracked open
from stress every other day,” he declared, leaning on the lockers. My padlock finally gave way. Pulling the locker open
with more force than I intended, I knew I could not hold it in any longer.

“Naku pare, sobrang gusto ko na kaya i-break! Natutulili ako sa boses, nabubuwisit ako kasi laging late sa
usapan namin, daig pa ang bangkay sa funeraria sa kapal ng makeup, tapos ang daldal! Ang gusto
magkuwento ka kahit pagod ka or wala sa mood. Pag hindi ka nagkwento, nakalimutan mong tumawag, hindi
ka nag-goodnight sa text, giyera na. At kamo, mas malakas pang uminom kaysa saken. Sabihin mo nga saken,

Gawain ba ng matinong babae yun?!”   I told him, seething, throwing a book inside my locker with each complaint.
Liam was close to laughing, but out of brotherly respect he restrained himself from doing it, although it looked like it was
taking him a lot of effort.

“Wow, dude. Alam mo, pag nag-collaborate tayo, we can hit millions with a bestseller. REASONS WHY YOU
SHOULDN’T DATE A STARFISH. Naku, talo nun si Dan Brown sa New York Times,” he said, his eyes glinting. I

rolled my eyes at him. 

“Tang*na naman pare. Seryoso ako eh!” I hissed.

“Ako rin naman ah. We’re talking about a fantastic sum of money, dude. It’s gonna sell like pancakes if the
customers learn that one of the authors have first-hand experience. When do we start?” he asked eagerly.

“Ewan ko sayo. Isulat mo mag-isa kung gusto mo,” I said, walking away.

“Chill out pare, I was kidding!” I sdeep him a sharp look as he offered another high five.

“Sama ka samin magmeryenda?”

“Naku, hindi pwede dude. Naghihintay si Jill sa labas.” I looked at him, puzzled, carefully phrasing what I wanted to
say next.

“Jill?”   I repeated.

“Oo, bakit?” he asked.

“Akala ko your girlfriend’s name was Winona?” I asked him. It caught him off guard, then he slapped his forehead.
“Oh Sh*t! I always mix names up!” 

“Bahala ka nga dyan. Sige na pare, una na ako.”

“Wait, I heard you say ‘sa amin’. Sino kasama mo?”

“Si Ria saka si Maffy.”

“Ah, ganun ba? … Sige, baka sumunod ako,” he said, then he turned and went towards the opposite direction.

Chapter Three (B)

Maffy’s POV:

We were already in the school quadrangle, and people were walking and running all around
us. I was texting when I heard Ria laugh.

“What’s funny?” I asked her. Sinundan ko ng tingin yung tinitingnan niya… si Irish.   
The ring leader of the SS who shares the title with Elle was standing nearby, seemingly in
deep conversation with her alipores. Irish was also a spoiled brat, and as far as I’m
concerned, it’s absolutely hard to decide kung sino sa kanila ni Elle ang mas nakakairita.
Pero kahit ganun, mabait naman sila sa akin. Pinapabayaan ko na lang ang mga kalokahan
nila.

“Katabi mo siya diba?” she asked me, wearing her familiar evil grin.

“Oo. Sus, pagtiya-tiyagaan ko na. Total isang quarter lang naman.”

“Kaya mo siyang tiisin ng ganun katagal?” she asked me disbelievingly, her eyes wide.

“Bakit naman? Besides, there’s nothing I can do,” I told her.

“Saludo na talaga ako sayo Ate Maffs.  ”

“Saludo ka diyan. Huwaaaah! Huhuhuhu.” I said, faking a big crying tantrum. Sa

kakatawa ni Ria, napa-snort siya na parang baboy.   Natawa na rin tuloy ako.

“RIA! ATE MAFFY!” someone yelled in the crowd. We both turned and saw Gelo half-
walking, half-running towards us.
“Ui, you’re just in time!”

“Just in time ka dyan. Kanina ko pa kayo hinahanap.  ”

“Lul! Nakita ka namin sa may lockers kausap mo si Liam,” I said, scolding him.

“All right, nabuko na ako…   Oh, bakit parang nag make up pa kayo, eh kay
Manong Fishball lang naman tayo pupunta?” he said.

“Hindi noh, maganda lang talaga kami. Hoy Gelo ha, ang lakas lakas mong mang-
asar, sa fishball stand mo lang naman kami ililibre.”

“Hay, sigurado naman mapapamahal ako kahit mura lang ang tinda niya, sa
inyong dalawa pa lang, mapapakyaw na yung tinda niya.”

“Ang kapal mo!  ” said Ria, tapos pinalo niya si Gelo sa braso.
“Ok lang yan, mapapasaya mo naman si Manong Fishball. Biruin mo, dahil sa
inyong dalawa malilipat yung entire contents ng wallet ko sa wallet niya? It’s a
noble cause, you know!” replied Gelo. I laughed and went so I can slap his arm too, but
Ria got there first.

“Aray... Ria… Aray ko… ARAY KO NAMAN RIA, ANG PINO MO MANGUROT!”   said
Gelo, his face contorted; madiin talagang kumurot si Ria.

“Oops, sorry, I got carried away. Oh my goodness, namula?  ”

“Ikaw kasi eh! Pasa na naman to!”

“Ay, sorry na oh…”

“Sadista ka!”

I trailed behind a little bit so I can watch them. Ang cute nila, sweet sila ng hindi nila
nalalaman. 
“Patingin nga,” said Ria, carefully placing her hand on the red spot on his arm.

“Ayan oh, ang sakit kaya… aray naman! Dahan dahan lang kasi!  ”

“Sorry naman! Ay wawa si Gelo… Grabe ang nipis ng balat mo.”

“Syempre balat Kastila ako noh!  Mestizo! Kaya sensitive!”

“Hindi manipis ang balat mo, talaga lang madiin mangurot si Ria.”

“Asus, inggit ka lang Ate Maffs.” 

“Edi ikaw na nga foreigner.”

“Inggit ka lang, balat kalabaw ka kasi!”

“Aba! Gelo?” said Ria in a dangerously sweet voice, “Gusto mo kurutin kita uli?”

“Ay, hindi, sige… ayoko…” Gelo retorted in a falsely angelic voice. He looked positively
frightened. “Sige na… hindi na kita aasarin… Now do me a favor and get as far as
you can from me...”

“All right.”

Ayun, in a few seconds andun na kami kay Manong fishball. Nakipagsiksikan kami doon,
kasi ang daming tao.

“Tatlong kwek kwek nga Kuya,” said Gelo.

“Tatlong piraso?” said Manong Fishball. Gelo looked at us exasperatedly and scratched his
head.

“Kuya naman, tatlong order.” Manong fishball simply smiled, chuckling at his own joke.
Parang sira talaga tong si Manong, may sariling mundo. Tahimik naman si Ria at si Gelo,
yung isa nagtetext, yung isa tinitingnan yung arm niya, kung saan visible pa rin yung spot
na kinurot ni Ria. Maya maya ok na yung kwek kwek namin, sinerve na ni Manong Fishball.

“O Ria, alam ko gutom ka na, dahan dahan ha? Baka sa katakawan mo mapaso
ka,  ” said Gelo naughtily, momentarily forgetting his kurot.

“Wow, nakaka-touch naman ang concern mo, kahit roughly phrased. Eto
sawsawan Ate Maffs oh,” said Ria, after pouring some of the sawsawan on her kwek
kwek.

“Bakit ako hindi mo binibigyan?   ” said Gelo. At nagpakyut pa ang kumag.

“Kasi may sawsawan naman dyan sa tabi mo,” Ria snapped, stuffing a whole quail egg
into her mouth.

“My God, Ria. I didn’t think you could get any lower. There you are, snacking on
kwek kwek like some cheap squatter, even eating it whole… Kadiri ah?” said a
voice that pissed me to no end. I turned sharply to find myself face to face with Elle, with
Irish and Denise on either side of her, all three of them looking daggers at my best friend,
who looked absolutely oblivious to what she has just heard.

“Ango ba ngausap ngo?  ” said Ria, her words indiscernible because she was talking
with her mouth full. I thought she had done it on purpose to irk Elle, but I figured out that
she didn’t… her mouth was just really full. Well, siguro that gives her an advantage, she’s
not on the losing side…

“Yuck, you’re so proving it… konting table manners naman, Ria?   Or baka
naman hindi ka talaga tinuruan?” Elle hissed, with one of her brows arched. Ria finished
chewing her kwek kwek and looked calmly at Elle.

“Wala naman kayang table dito,” Ria pointed out. I laughed, but could see an Elle
tantrum coming up. It was time to intervene.

“Elle, kumain ka na lang, gutom lang yan.”

“Eeeww! I don’t eat kwek kwek, yuck, magka-hepa pa ako noh? Oh, andyan ka
pala Gelo. Did you see where my boyfriend’s gone?” Elle asked, turning to Gelo
instead. He chose not to react. Ang daming taong tumingin sa amin pagkatapos ng sinabi ni
Elle. Grabe, anak mayaman na palingkera… malamang pinagtinginan talaga.

“Did you hear me? Tinatanong kita, hoy! Wag kang bastos. Fine, sige, let me just
ask another question… Why do you think my boyfriend ditched me to have a super
baduy merienda with a super baduy girl?  ” said Elle, throwing Ria a dirty look, now
positively fuming. Kulang na lang mamula siya sa galit.

“Ria, it’s time to go,” I whispered.

“Siguro kasi mas tolerable ang baduy kaysa sa maarte,” I heard Gelo say. Ria, who
had been acting as though she didn’t hear Elle, finally sensed the tension. She pulled out
her wallet and brought out a 20 peso note. But before she could hand it to Manong fishball,
Gelo pulled her hand.

“Ako na bahala dito. Sige umuwi na kayo,” he told us. Elle was looking at their hands,
fuming more than ever. Ria pulled her hand from his, and with a last nod from Gelo, we left
without another word.

Chapter Four
Angelo’s POV:

Takte.   Napahiya sina Ria at Maffy dahil saken. Sa amin. Hindi tama yun, pati sila
nadamay sa kadramahan ni Elle. That was the last straw, ayoko na. Elle is a hopeless case;
I had been foolish to assume na ako ang makakapagpabago sa kanya. I brought out my
wallet to pay.

“Ulitin mo nga yung sinabi mo kanina, Angelo,  ” said Elle. I looked at her, amused.

“Wow. Hindi ko akalain ako pala ang makakapagpatuwid ng dila mo,  ” I said,
tapos inabot ko yung sinkwenta pesos ko kay Manong Fishball.

“Tago mo na yung sukli, Kuya,” I told him while he was fumbling to find change; I did
not wish to remain there any longer. Masyado nang maraming attention ang napunta sa
akin ngayong araw na to.

“Hoy! Pilosopo! Bastos ka! Don’t you make talikod when I’m talking to you!” I
ignored her and started to walk away.
“Hey, come back here! We’re not done yet!” she screeched. I stopped in my tracks,
faced her, at ngumiti nang pang-asar: I put on my most awful smirk.

“Oh, talaga? As far as I’m concerned, we’re over and done with, Elle. Done.”

With that I left. She shouted and shouted but I didn’t care. Hindi ako ang napapahiya kundi
siya. Somebody caught up with me… it was Liam.

“Wow, dude. Pwede mo ipa-copyright yun ah,  ” he said. He was clutching his left
cheek, which looked red, parang kakalapat lang ng sampal.

“What happened to you?  ” I asked.

“I called her Jill,” he said shortly. I laughed.

“Hey, do you think I’d let you make layas without something to remember me
by?”said a voice behind me. Curious, Liam and I turned around.

Ria’s POV:

Nakarating kami sa street namin without talking to one another. Sobrang gusto kong
lumingon kanina, pero I didn’t.   Naguguluhan ako sa sarili ko; I was feeling too many
emotions at the moment. First was guilt. Alam kong kahit hindi ako yung nag-aya, it was
still my fault kasi sumama ako. Dagdag pa yung fact na hindi ko pinansin yung sinabi ni
Maffy. Sana nakinig na lang ako. STUPID ME! >.< At ayun na nga. If they break up, I’ll be
the one to take the blame.

And here comes shame. Sobrang nakakahiya yung nangyari kanina. Ako yung lumabas na
mangaagaw. At hindi lang yun, sinigurado ni Elle that no one would forget it in a hurry.
Grabe, what the heck… ano kaya ang mukhang ihaharap ko sa kanila bukas? 

But the feeling that boggles my mind the most is…. Yun. The one I felt when Gelo pulled my
hand. Ewan, ano ba yun? It did send it shivers up my spine. Sh.t! Kilig ba yun? My God,
NO!!!   Hindi pwede!

No. No! I’m not kinikilig. I’m not I’m not I’m not!

“Ria sino kausap mo?  ” Maffy asked me. I looked at her. Man, was I saying all of that
aloud?!

“Wala, Ate Maffs. I’m… just… ehrm. Singing…” I said. Sheesh, that was just about the
lamest excuse I came up with!

Fortunately, she didn’t push it further. But what was I thinking? Syempre hindi ako kinikilig
noh?! Bakit naman ako kikiligin kay Angelo Fontanilla? Eew! Kakasabi ko nga lang na hindi
ko siya type eh! Sheesh, how could I have possibly thought na kikiligin ako dun?! He’s a
jock, he’s lazy, he’s –…

“Ria!”
“What?!”

“Isn’t… Isn’t that Jonathan?!”   Maffy said, pointing to a guy sitting in front of our
house. He was wearing our school uniform, his hair was ruffled, and his collar is turned up…
Yes, there was no mistaking Jonathan Figueroa.

But what’s he doing here? And I couldn’t see why Maffy sounded so upset, but before I
could ask she had broke into a sprint towards him. I followed her, and saw what had gotten
Maffy’s knickers in a twist… Jon was smoking again.

Jonathan’s POV:

As I blew that first puff of smoke I had in weeks, I knew I’d be a complete liar if I said I
didn’t miss it. It brings me to a one-of-a-kind high that makes me forget everything… with
the clouds of smoke that come out of my mouth, there also goes my troubles, vanishing
into thin air, just like that. I liked the sensation; there was nothing like it. Numbing myself
from all those pains for a while doesn’t hurt. The drawback is that it’s a lot, lot worse when
I am finally forced to face it. 

I was in front of my cousin’s house, my only refuge during times like these. They treated
me like their own; something my mother hasn’t managed to do properly since the day I was
born. Hardly feeling the love that she says she has for me, I grew up cold and distant from
her. We hardly got along well. She left me with Nanay (her mother) when I was barely a
year old, saying she has to go abroad to work and to avoid all the rumors that had come up
when she got pregnant with me; see, she was very young (not a year more than nineteen),
and naturally those nosy people labeled my mom as a disgraced sl*t. My father wanted to
marry her but Nanay got in the way, saying she does not want any more damage to the
family’s reputation. But didn’t she think that I’d be the one to suffer, the innocent,
fatherless b*stard?   My father, though, insisted that he wants me to use his surname.
Nanay agreed, but my father was forbidden from seeing me ever again.

The family I knew and trusted were the ones who lived inside the house behind me. I hardly
had friends; but then again who would want to be friends with me? Hah. I knew only one
person who ever wanted to do such, and that was Ria. I wondered how she could put up
with my stupidity. Maybe she just has the patience and understanding of five people put
together… I mean, how else would she be able to put up with me and Denise at the same
time?
Then there’s Maffy.   Everyone’s friend, yes, she could tell everyone that we’re friends
without ever having the desire to throw up. She’s one of the sincerest people I know, but
sometimes she could get a tad too concerned. I can almost see in my head how she’d react
once she sees me sitting here, smoking again… She looks angry, and she’s running towards
me… and she’s going to remove my yosi out of my mouth.

Whoa, turns out I was not imagining it after all… someone had appeared out of nowhere
and she had just pulled the poor little white stick off. Not content with that, she crushed it
with her foot.

“What the hell, Jonathan?! I thought we’ve talked about this already!” 

“I’m sorry, Maffy. Won’t happen again,  ” I muttered, standing up, for I
felt stupid sitting there while she’s watching. She’s seen enough of my not-so-glamorous
moments (not that I intended her to see those), but sana hindi na madagdagan yun kasi
ayokong maalala niya ko as just a drunkard and a chain smoker. Oh, I meant ex-chain
smoker.

“That’s what you said the last time I caught you!  ” she said. I was touched but she
was mollycoddling me too much.

“That was three weeks ago, Maffy,” I pointed out. Fortunately, Ria caught up with us.

“Jon, were you and your Mom fighting again? Kaya ka nag-smoke?” she
asked. Bingo, the magic question. I knew she was going to save the day.

“Well, yeah,” I told her, watching Maffy, who was clearly struggling to keep her face stern,
but her efforts proved futile as her expression softened.

“Dito na lang ako kakain, ha Ria?  ” I said. I hated how pathetic I sounded. But I’m
not going to go home, not now.

“Oo naman, kaysa naman sa tindahan kita makita na kainuman yung mga
tambay,”she told me. We heard footsteps and saw Denise running towards us. Grabe,
hanggang pagtakbo, maarte pa rin.

“Ria!” she gasped, stopping in front of us to catch her breath. Kung bakit kasi kailangang
tumakbo? 

“What – the hell – were you – thinking - kanina?  ” she asked in between sharp
intakes of breath. Ayan na naman siya sa Taglish niya. Kainis pakinggan. Ibang iba na siya
ngayon, sobrang naninibago ako. The three of us literally watched each other grew up, so
I’d say I had a pretty good idea of who Denise Lopez was as a person. But that was before
she met Elle Reyes and the rest of those Starfish girls… kaya ngayon hindi na rin ako close
sa kanya. I looked at her with dislike.

“What are you talking about?” I asked her.

“Ria didn’t do anything wrong, Denise,” said Maffy.

“Hanessly, Ria, making landi with Gelo?   I didn’t except you could get so

insensitive, the guy has a girlfriend kaya?!”

“You mean expect?  ” Maffy asked.

“Gelo? Sinong Gelo?” I asked, totally lost.

“Kanina! She was eating with Angelo Fontanilla, the boyfriend of

my friendship Elle, in that cheap and uber kadiri kwek kwek stand. Because of
that, Elle and Gelo made away, and Gelo brook up with her! AND-…”

“Huh?!   They broke up?!” Ria asked, looking guilty.

“I was with them, so I couldn’t see why Elle had to make a whole load of bull crap
about that!” Maffy said heatedly.

“Denise, it’s not Ria’s fault na masyadong malisyosa si Elle. Honestly I don’t blame
Angelo for doing that, Elle is-…”

“STOP!” said Denise dramatically, holding up her hand palm so that she looked like a traffic
aid with too much make-up.

“I’ll say what I want to say about Elle, Denise,” I said coolly.

“Hindi. Tama si Elle, Ria, hindi ka dap-"

“Stop taking the crap out of Ria, Denise, if you don’t want me to take it out of
you,”warned Maffy.

“But Elle said-"

“Elle ka na nang Elle! Leche, you call yourself Ria's best friend? Eh mas
kinakampihan mo pa yung Elle na yun kaysa kay Ria… Parang si Elle ang
nagpapakain sayo ah!  ”

“That’s enough, Jon!  ” said Ria. She had always been keen to be polite about the fact
that it was her parents who were shouldering Denise’s expenses.

“But Jon, I’m not making her kampi—…”

“Tigilan mo nga yang Taglish mo, mukha kang tanga,  ” I said. Denise opened her
mouth to talk but no sound came out. She cried, stormed away and went into the house.

“That was below the belt, Jonathan,” Ria told me.

“No, it wasn’t. It served her just right,” said Maffy, whom I have never seen as angry
as she was right now.

“Look, I’m touched with both of you taking my side and all, pero hindi niyo dapat
ginanon si Denise.”

“Mas lalo yatang hindi ka niya dapat awayin ng dahil lang sa Elle na yun,” I pointed
out.

"Sige Ria, sanayin mo, i-tolerate mo, kaya namimihasa eh,  " Maffy said heatedly.

“Let’s just forget it. Elle isn’t worth this, nag-aaway away tayo dahil sa kanya.
Tara na nga,” Ria said, and we just went inside. Sinalubong kami ni Tita Elize sa living
room.

“Ano nangyari sa inyo? Bakit mga sambakol yung mga mukha niyo?  ” she asked.

“Nothing, Mom, just teenage crap,” Ria replied, planting a kiss on her mother’s cheek.
Maffy and I did the same after her.

“Ma, dito na lang sila kakain ha?”

“Oo naman. Si Liam kasama niyo ba?”

“Hindi po, bakit?”

“Binilin siya sakin ng mommy niya, dito rin siya mag-dinner.”

“Bakit, nasaan si Tita?”

“Out of the country. Hintayin na natin si Liam ha? Hindi pa rin naman luto yung
ulam.”

"Ok," the three of us said in chorus.

Ria’s POV:

The three of us were watching TV, but my mind wasn’t on the movie we were watching on
HBO. Naawa ako kay Denise kanina, feeling niya siguro pinagkaisahan namin siya. Pero
nasaktan din ako na inaaway niya na naman ako nang dahil kay Elle. I was her best friend,
after all, so why was she being a b*tch? Nakakainis.

But as the movie droned on, I was starting to forget Denise… Liam suddenly crossed my
mind and I wondered where on earth was he. Seconds were turning into minutes, and in
two hours I was getting fidgety. Seven-thirty PM na… where the hell is Liam?!   I stood up
and as if on cue, the doorbell rang.

I was first to run outside. I bolted the gate open and let him in.

“Saan ka ba nagpunta?!   Kanina ka pa namin hinihintay ah? Akala mo ba—…”

“Galing akong clinic. Kaso nakarating pa ako ng hospital,” said Liam, who looked
unusually gloomy.

“Hospital? Bakit… anong nangyari sayo?!” I asked.

“Hindi ako. Si Gelo.  ”

Chapter Five

Liam’s POV:

“Hindi ako. Si Gelo.” 

“Oh my—Anong nangyari sa kanya?  ” Ria asked me, her voice high and shrill. She
looked so worried, which is funny kasi ilang oras pa lang silang close. If the situation hadn’t
been serious, I would’ve laughed at her.

“It was Elle, she lost her temper. Kinuha niya yung kawali ni Manong Fishball na
puno ng kumukulong mantika, lumapit sa amin then she aimed the contents at us.
Buti nakailag si Gelo, kundi his face would have gotten the full blast of it… pero
hindi pa rin, naabot pa rin yung more than half ng left forearm niya. Ayun, I
brought him to the clinic, where he was given first aid. Kaso sabi ng nurse
kailangan na daw dalhin sa hospital kasi his burns need much more advanced
medications. Ok na si Gelo, nakauwi na siya. Tumatawa pa nga si g*go, malayo
naman daw sa atay,  ” I finished, remembering how incredibly well had Gelo handled
the situation. Ria was shaking her head.

“Grabe si Elle.  ”

“Oo. She’s a psycho… I’m serious, she needs a fix. Ganoon kasamang magalit?
Hindi na normal yun diba?” I asked her. She was looking into empty space, in deep
thought. Dumating sina Maffy and Jonathan at syempre kinailangan kong ulitin sa kanila
yung kwento. Kung anong tahimik ni Ria, siyang dami nilang tanong.

“Has she been reported sa Admin?” Maffy asked.

“Well, technically speaking none of us had to do that. The Assistant Principal was
passing by the moment na halos ihagis ni Elle sa amin yung kawali. Last thing I
heard, she’ll be facing suspension not less than two weeks.”

“Serves her right.   Grabe, ang sakit nun ah. Daig niya pa Crispy Pata,” Jonathan
said. I laughed but stopped at the look on Ria’s face.

“Ano ka ba, ok na si Gelo. Masakit nga lang daw talaga pero apart from the pain ok
lang daw siya. Pinapasabi niya wag mag-worry,  ” I told Ria, but she didn’t look
reassured. Alalang alala talaga siya, and I felt a twinge of annoyance as I watched her na
hindi ko maintindihan kung saan ba nanggaling. Parang hindi naman kasi siya ganyan mag-
worry. Naiisip ko tuloy, kung ako kaya yung napaso, ganito rin kaya siya madi-
distraught? Hindi kaya gusto niya si Gelo?

Ngek, ano ba naman yung pinag-iiisip ko. Concerned lang yung tao, hindi lang kay Gelo,
pati sa akin. Nawala yung annoyance ko when I do think and remember how she had yelled
at me pagkabukas niya ng gate. Oo, concerned rin siya sa akin. Natuwa naman ako. But of
course, she’s supposed to be worried and concerned about me, we’re friends! 

We had dinner, and we were all quiet. Dati, during times like these, ang gulo-gulo namin,
siguro kaya ganito kasi nandoon si Denise. Naiinis ako sa presence nung Starfish wannabe
na yun, but I felt that I wasn’t the only one who was feeling that way. Hindi na ako
nagtanong kung anong nangyari, kasi siguro kaya ganun eh sa kanila ibinunton ni Denise
yung sama ng loob niya kanina. Paano ba naman kasi, pati si Denise minumura ni Elle
kanina, even saying she comes from a family of sl*ts with no manners. In spite of myself,
naawa ako kay Denise. She’s maarte but I don’t think na kasing-lala siya nung ibang SS
members na kulang na lang mag all out sa mga parties na pinupuntahan nila every other
night. Ibang klaseng pressure ang pinaparamdam sa kanya ng friends ni Elle, pero ang hindi
ko naman maintindihan eh kung bakit ipinipilit niya pa yung sarili niya doon, eh panay
panlalait, insulto and kung ano ano pa ang inaabot niya kina Elle at Irish araw-araw.

I knew that the reason why they’re doing it is that she’s Ria’s cousin, kasi they heartily
disliked Ria for being as popular as they are and for refusing to be a part of their clique.
Pero unfair naman kasi kay Denise yun.   Lahat na lang ginagawa nung tao para
tanggapin siya pero until now wala, futile pa rin yung efforts niya. Pero hindi ko masisi ang
SS, kasi sa totoo lang nakakabwisit yung pagiging TH ni Denise. Yung pagta-taglish, na mali
naman ang words at kadalasan mismong yung sentence eh walang sense, at yung pagpipilit
niyang sumali sa cheerleaders kahit mukha naman siyang kalansay na sobrang tigas
sumayaw. (She could even pass for Kim Chiu in that wretched commercial.)

Hay naku, biruin mong lahat ng yun eh napapansin ko?! Ayun sa kakaisip ko ng kung ano-
ano nakarating na ako ng bahay namin, andun na pala ako sa kwarto ko. Napatingin ako sa
bedside table.

Ang daming pictures doon, kasama ng bunton ng mga books na nakakalat lang doon…
pictures ni Mommy, Daddy, ng bangag kong kuya na si Toff, si Maffy, si Jon… Si Ate Danna
na ate ni…

I got hold of the picture that showed me and Ria pulling stupid faces at the camera, which
was taken last year sa intrams. Parang ang saya saya, but then again, masayahin naman
talaga yun. Matagal na kaming magkakilala. I could still remember the first time I saw her,
kakalipat lang namin sa tabi ng bahay nila.

*flashback

“Mommy!!! MOMMEEEEE!!!” 

“Waah, ahaha!   Nadapa! Iyakin! Hahaha! Wawa ka naman beh beh beh
behlat!  ”

Nadapa ako nun kasi na-excite ako masyadong mag-bike. Binababa at inaayos ng mga lipat
bahay guys yung mga gamit kaya hindi na nila ko naintindi. Si Jonathan yung lumapit at
nandidila sa akin. Saka siya dumating…

“Jon! Bakit ka tawa-tawa diyan?”

“Haha, nadapa yung bata, iyakin! Haha!”

“Ano ba, tulong mo!  ”

“Ayoko! Ahaha! Iyakin!!!”

Si Ria yung lumapit sa akin. Naka-pigtails pa siya noon, pink shirt na may lace, ribbons
tapos jumpers. Ang cute niya nga, naiimagine ko pa, napapangiti na lang ako. Pero palagay
ko pag nakakita siya ng picture na ganun ang itsura niya, hindi na niya gugustuhing
tingnan.

She held out her hand.

“Ok ka?” she asked. Hindi ako makasagot. Singhot lang ako ng singhot noon, so I hope
she doesn’t remember any of it...

“William! William!!!” my Mom yelled.

“William pala pangalan mo? Ako si Ria.   Siya si Jon.”

“Oh, Liam, you’ve got a new friend! Hello, hija.”

“Hello po. Welcome.”

“Wow, you’re such a sweet girl. What’s your name nga?”

“Ria po.”

“Call me Tita Yolly. O Liam, say thank you.”

“Thank you, Ria.  ” *singhot*

Yuck, kadiri talaga itsura ko noon.   Pero sobrang tandang tanda ko pa lahat ng details na

yun. Ewan ko ba, but I think I’ll cherish that memory for the rest of my life.

Yuck, kadiri talaga ako. I put the picture back on my desk, when my phone beeped. Aba, 1
message received, from Gelo. At nakakapagtext pa pala si kumag.

Ui, thnx dw sb ni Mom.

Wla un, ‘sup dude?
Ok lng pare. Kso balot na balot un braso q. Shoot, dude, I dnt think I’ll be able to
play soccer.
Tange, at soccer pa ang inisip. You’re lucky she didn’t get ur face.
Wel, if she gt my face ok lang, nd na niya ko hahabulin.
Kpl m dude
Haha! Jst fulin arnd. Ei, ngtnong b cna Ria bt dun?
Uu dude. Alala cla sau.
O? Ano sb ni Ria?
Ayun, n2lala nga eh.
TLG?! 
O bt gnyn k mkreact?
Wla. Cge dude buks nlng.

Aba?! Ang labo nga naman ni Gelo. Kaka-break lang kay Elle eto na naman, kung ano ano
na naman ang tinatanong. Hmm. Hay naku, kung ano ano iniisip ko. Makatulog na nga,
maaga pa ako bukas.

Angelo’s POV:

Darn, this stupid burn on my arm is proving to be more than I had anticipated.   Kakainis,

masagi ng konti ang sakit. Amp. Ang hirap tuloy magbihis, kumain, and I am starting to
forget how incredibly convenient my life was before Elle had given me her gift. Buti na lang,
hindi kaliwa ang panulat ko. What a send-off. But well, it completely fulfilled her purpose. I
would never forget her, ever. How sweet of Elle. 

Kakapasok ko pa lang ng gate, andun na yung mga barkada ko, led by Liam. Wow.

“Pare, ok ka lang?”

“Gusto mo upakan natin si Elle?”

"Gagu, babae yun!”

“Kahit na! Psycho naman!”

“She’s suspended na, ok nay un. Saka wala to, pare… ARAY!” I yelled, when one of
them had touched it.

“O akala ko ba wala?” said Liam, and they all laughed.

“Mga gagu kayo, I said don’t mind it, hindi ko sinabing testingin niyo kung
magaling na!  ”

“Oh, hinay lang pare. Baka marinig ka, ikaw isunod na isuspend.”

Tss. They’re such jerks, laughing at me like that.   It’s not easy, dagnabit!! But after that,
they were generally nicer to me, even helping me with my things. Umakyat na kami sa
class, konti pa lang yung tao. Yes! Andun na si Ria. Hmm. Pa-kawawa effect nga ako para
mapansin niya…

“Gelo!”

“Huy, Ria,  ” I said gloomily. Wow, I have to get an Oscar for this!

“Ehrm… Are you all right?”

“Ok lang, pero mahirap.” Hala, ang hirap, nagsisimula na akong matawa.

“Halika nga dito.”

“Huh?” I asked, but I still went and sat on my chair.
“I have something for you.  ”

Chapter Six(A)

Gelo’s POV:
“I have something for you.”

Lapit naman ako while she was fumbling in her bag.

“Found it!  ” she said happily, and she handed me a plastic tub of what looked like-

“Lotion?  ” I said in a funny tone. She was looking at me with a rather amused
expression on her face.

“Uhm, ah… well ehrm. Thanks,” I said, wanting to sound more grateful than curious
than I really was.

“Aren’t you gonna ask what it’s for?” she shot at me. I raised a brow, wondering what
she was up to.

“Well, I was, but I was trying not to seem as tagabundok as I look.”

“Your attempt isn’t working,” she said shortly. I was about to open my mouth to argue
when she held up her right fist and asked, 
“Anyway, do you see anything on my hand?”
“Erm, wala naman. Pero ano naman ang koneksyon ng kamay mo dito sa lotion?”
“Okay. When I was five, idinikit ko lang naman itong kamay ko sa plantsang naka-
on. So naturally natuklap yung balat ko, you know, all those first and second
degree burn stuff and complications. My Dad, who’s working as a doctor, was told
by his colleague about this uber mega-amazing ointment-slash-lotion that is
capable of completely healing burns and even eliminating the possibility of the
appearance of scars. We tried it, and here’s the proof na effective talaga siya. It
only took two weeks to heal and look ma, no scars!” she finished. As she had said all
this very quickly, I chose not to make her say it again kahit wala halos akong naintindihan.

“So you want me to use this,” I simply said. She rolled her eyes.

“Oh no, I want you to throw it away,  ” she said sardonically.

“Pilosopo. So ipapahid siya?  ”

“Well depende sayo kung gusto mong inumin.  ”

“Ano ba?!” 

“Eh bakit mo pa kasi tinatanong, alam mo namang wala pang naiimbentong lotion
na pwedeng inumin!”

  “Hindi, what I mean to say is, how many times a day should you use it?”
“Mukha ba akong user’s manual?!” 

“Ay, sorry ah.” Ano ba yun, pag-awayan ba daw? Tiningnan ko yung directions sa label.
Oo nga naman, bakit ko nga naman siya tatanungin kung may directions sa bote?

“Thanks. That’s very thoughtful of you,  ” I told her, trying to sound sincere.

“No problem,” she told me, smiling.

Ria’s POV:

It’s recess time, so ayun punta naman ako sa lockers so I could get the books I need. Maffy
was somewhere organizing something for her org (The School Chorale), so she told me
she’ll just be seeing me in class later. Nakakaloka nga naman ang org activities nila. I think
they’re going to have a recital or something like that. Hay, mapapanood ko na naman si
Maffy. I wanted to join the org too pero—

“Hi!!!      ”

Nabitawan ko yung mga hawak kong libro sa gulat.

“Liam, anak ka naman ng—?! Hmph.  ”

“Sorry naman,” he said, crouching down to get my books. I didn’t bother to help him with
it, it was his fault anyway.

“Ano namang emergency ang meron ka at binubulabog mo ko dito?” 

“Ang sungit, PMS?” he asked, grinning. I slapped his arm with a book.

“My menstrual cycle is none of your concerns, okay? So anyway, what brings you
here?”

“Ah, well, Maffy told me they’d be practicing until 8 pm, so she asked me kung
pwede kitang ihatid pauwi.”

“Oh, she did?” I asked absentmindedly.

“Oo, patanga tanga ka daw kasi sa daan,  ” he said, and this time I aimed for his
face.

“Ang sama ng ugali mo!  ” I said, sunod sunod ang palo for each word.

“Ok, ok, I take it back!” he said, and I stopped the assault. I spared him a glare as he
handed me my books.

“Oh, wag na magalit. Papangit ka niyan, ang ganda mo pa naman today.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Kailan ba ko nagsinungaling?”

“Well, let me think. Yeah, about 101 per cent of the time?  ”

“Ewan ko sayo. Sige, see ya dude,” he said, walking away. I stared at his retreating
back and shook my head. Dear Old Liam.

“Oooh, look. It’s the boyfriend stealer flirting again,” said a voice. I looked up and
saw Irish Beltran standing a few meters away from me.

“Oooh,  ” I said, doing a fairly good imitation of her annoyingly lofty voice, with matching
shoulder and kembot action.

“What a surprise. Didn’t think you could actually survive without Elle,” I said.

“Well, it’s hard, you know. Elle and I were, like, you know, inseparable.” she said,
heaving an absolutely dramatic sigh.

“Yup. Hindi ko nga akalaing one hemisphere could actually survive without the
other.”

“Hemisphere?”      she said, as though contemplating if it was an insult or not. Dude,

ang slow naman talaga oh.

“Well, I thought you and Elle would not be able to survive without each other. Like
the brain’s hemispheres. Kasi from what I’ve heard, you were only given half a
brain each.”
“Aba! Ang thick ng face mo!    Who do you think are you to say that? You make
that bawi, or I’ll…!”

I didn’t even bother to look at her. I simply closed my locker and said,

“You'll what?”      It was when I noticed that she wasn’t looking at me, but at a point
over my shoulder. Lingon naman ako. Nandun nakatayo si Jonathan at yung isa niyang
kaibigang chinito at SUPER tangkad. I raised a brow and shook my head, leaving Irish there
with her mouth open, looking intently at that Chinito guy.

“His name’s Lance, diba?” she asked me. Tiningnan ko si Irish, amused.

“Ewan. Di ko siya kilala,” I said, shrugging. Iniwan ako ni Irish para puntahan sina Jon,
at ang loka, parang ganun lang kadaling nakalimutan ang insulto ko. Kakainis naman. Ang
ganda na nung hirit ko eh.

Tiningnan ko ulit yung Chinito. Sus. Di naman gwapo. 

Chapter Six (B)

Ria’s POV:

“Ano next subject?”

“Values Ed.”

“Hoy Ria, alam mo ba kung anong tawag sa anak ng mantika?  ” Natawa ako. Para
namang kasing sira to si Gelo, natapunan lang ng mantika, naadik na.

“Hindi.”

“Edi, baby oil!!!  ” Tiningnan ko siya na pang-asar, pero sa totoo lang natatawa ako sa
itsura niya. Parang ineexpect niya talaga akong tumawa.

“Oo na, corny na. Yabang mo ah! Sige nga ikaw!!!”

“Hmm. Sige. Kung pacorny-han lang ang laban, anong bansa ang laging
nauuna?” I asked. Tumaas yung isa niyang kilay. Haha, si kumag napaisip. 
“Ano?”

“Edi, Persia…”

“Ngek. Mas corny ka pala sakin eh,” he said, but he was laughing.

“Eh bakit ka tumatawa kung corny?  ”

“Masama?!”

“Gelo!”

Tingin naman kami dun sa parang kabute na lumitaw sa harapan namin.

“O bakit?”

“Palit tayo upuan.”

“Sino may sabi?”

“Wala, ako lang. Sige na, bro, wala naman paki si Sir Joseph sa seating
arrangement.”

“Eh may nakaupo kaya sa upuan mo,  ” Gelo said. True enough, sitting on Liam’s seat
was Irish, who was talking to Liam’s seatmate, Zoe.

“Edi dun ka na lang sa upuan ni Irish, katabi mo pa si Ate Maffy,” said Liam. Gelo
looked at me, then at Liam, and scratched his head. He looked a bit annoyed, but he gave
in.

“Sige na nga,  ” he said. Tumayo na siya at naglakad papunta kay Maffy.

Gelo’s POV:

Grabe naman itong si Liam. Talagang pinaalis ako eh. Kung saang seat pa ako itinaboy. Eto
namang si Ria hindi man lang nag-object. Ganun ba ako ka-corny na katabi? Kakainis. 

Umupo ako sa tabi ni Ate Maffy at pinanood silang dalawa. Aba, at naghaharutan pa. Enjoy
na enjoy ang itsura ni Ria habang pinapalo niya sa braso si Liam. Ano bang feeling nila,
nasa Koreanovela sila? Hmph. Bwiset. 

“Uy, Gelo, musta yung paso mo?” I heard Maffy ask.

“Ah? Eto? Paso pa rin.”

“Pero ok ka lang?”

“Oo naman Ate Maffs. Malayo to sa atay.  ”

“Asus, bakit iba yung narinig kong sinabi mo kay Ria kanina?”

Napatingin ako kay Maffy sa sinabi niya. Oo nga, bakit kay Ria kanina nag-iinarte ako?
Nagpapapansin nga ba ako? Hmph. 

“Hindi. Wala, nagpapatawa lang ako kanina.”

“Alam mo, if looks could kill, kanina pa siguro namatay si Liam.”

Shoot! Ang labo naman oh. Bakit nga ba ako naiinis kay Liam eh pinalipat niya lang naman
ako ng upuan? Ang LABO pare. 

“Selos ka??” Maffy asked casually, as though it was just a chemistry problem she wanted
to clarify. I forced a laugh.

“Ate Maffs naman, bakit naman ako magseselos?”   I asked her. At hindi ko rin
maiwasang itanong yun sa sarili ko…

Wala akong ginawa nung Values Ed period kundi panoorin silang dalawa. Nagbubulungan
sila, nagpapass notes pa. I even caught myself wishing that Sir Joseph would scold them
and make Liam go back to his seat. Maya-maya, I felt someone tap my shoulder.

“Gelo, uwian na,” said Maffy, and only then had I become aware of the dismissal bell that
was going off like mad.

“Ah, thanks, Ate,” I said. I stood up, frowning, and then one of my friends came up to
me.
“Dude, DoTA daw, clan match, Integrity versus Sovereignty. Ano, game ka?” he
asked me. Naku, sovereignty, section pala nung mayabang na Lance na yun yun ang
kakalabanin namin.

“Kasama si Signal Number Four?” I asked. 

“Oo naman. Yun pa,” he said. I smirked. I never said no to a match against them.
Especially not when Signal Number Four is out there waiting to be flattened.

“Count me in, and they’re good as dead.  ”

FF:

Ang tagal naman ng mga yun. Dalawa pa lang kami dito sa may gate, hinihintay namin
yung iba naming kaklase na sasama daw. Meron pa nga daw manonood. Ewan, pero sabi
nila dahil daw yun alam nilang kami nina Lance aka Signal Number Four yung maglalaban.
Akalain mo yun? Tsk tsk. 

Dumaan na siya kanina, akala mo kung sino na naka-smirk pa. Grabe kung nakakatangay
yung hangin niya siguro nakarating na ako sa bahay namin. Tumapat ba naman sa akin tas
ngumisi nang pang-asar. Tss. Ang yabang.

“Dude, sasama ba si Liam?” I asked.

“Ewan ko,” my friend replied. Hindi ko pa nga nakikita si kumag, simula nung nag-bell.
Luminga linga ako para hanapin siya pero wish ko lang kung nasaan man siya, hindi niya
kasama si Ria.

Huh?   Ano ba yung pinag-iiisip ko?! I shook my head and just waited patiently.

“O, ayun na pala si Liam eh!”

Napatingin naman ako dun sa tinuro nung kaibigan ko. Sure enough, there was Liam
walking towards us.

And wow, surprises of all surprises, look who he’s with!

“Wui, pare, DoTA versus Sov, sama ka?”

“Sorry bro, pass muna. Ihahatid ko pa si Ria.”

“Whoa dude, masosolo mo si Ria ah!  ”

“Lul! Umayos ka ah!  ”

I was speechless. Ewan ko kung bakit. Tumingin na lang ako sa malayo, for looking at them
gave me a rather strong desire to kick something. Pero hindi ko rin naiwasan, nung
tumingin ako uli nagsalubong yung tingin namin ni Liam. Pinilit kong ngumiti para hindi
halata na nabadtrip ako. Tumango na lang ako sa kanilang dalawa kasi my throat was kind
of dry. Ano bang nangyayari saken?!

Sinundan ko na lang sila ng tingin habang papalabas sila ng gate. Deretso ang lakad ni Ria
at may nakita kong papadaan na kotse…

I saw Liam put his arm around her shoulder and pull her towards him so she’d be out of the
car’s way. Amp yan. Lakas ng tsansing ah. Iba na talaga pag expert. BADTRIP!!! 

Liam’s POV:

Ba, muntik na si Ria dun sa g*gong driver na yun ah?

"UNGAS!”   I said, my arm still around her shoulder.

“Hayaan mo na,” she told me. Then lumingon siya.

“Bakit?” I asked.

“Nothing.  ”

I know for a fact that it wasn’t just “nothing”. Siguro napansin rin niya yung napansin ko
kanina.
“Dude, yung arm mo,” she told me.

“Ay, sorry.”

Inalis ko yung pagkakaakbay ko sa kanya kahit hindi ko naman gustong alisin. After that
napaisip din ako. Naghahallucinate ba ako o talagang sumimangot si Gelo kanina nung
nakita niya kami?

Which reminds me…

“Ria, ano yung binigay mo kay Gelo kaninang umaga?” I asked her, trying not to
sound obvious.

“Ah, yun ba? Tanda mo yung ginamit ko dito sa kamay ko dati? Nung napaso ako?”

“Ah, oo. Yun ba yun?”

“Yup. Para hindi siya magkaroon ng scars.  ”

“Wow, concerned ka kay Gelo?” I asked. Natawa siya.

“Ako? Sira ka ba? Hmph. Selos ka lang eh!  ” she said, laughing.

“Oo noh, selos ako. Pag ako yung napapaso hindi mo naman ako binibigyan maski
colgate.”

“Balat kalabaw ka naman kaya ok lang.”

“Ang yabang mo! Tss. Basta selos ako.” I told her. Natatawa pa rin siya. Buti na lang
dense siya, hindi niya halata na hindi na pala ako nagbibiro.

“Pare, alam mo namang hindi tayo talo. Lalake ako, remember?  ” she said. I
laughed at her, though I found it difficult not to look at her for longer than necessary. Ang
tagal tagal na… pero tuwing tinitingnan ko siya, naaalala ko pa rin na siya yung humila ng
kamay ko nung nadapa ako, na siya yung—

BEEEEEEEP!!!

@#$%! Ano ba yun, kung makabusina, parang walang bukas! Tumingin ako sa likuran
namin. Aba, at muntik na pala kaming masagasaan! G@GO to ah!!! 
“HOY!”   I yelled, at nilapitan ko yung window nung driver. Sumunod sa akin si Ria.
Ibinaba nung driver yung bintana.

“Easy lang, bro.   Nanggigiyera ka agad eh!” the guy said. Nanlaki ang mata ko nang
makilala ko yung nakasakay.

“KUYA?!” 

Chapter Seven

Liam's POV:

"KUYA?" 

Sabi ko na eh. I knew that annoying smirk.   But what the heck are they doing here?
They're supposed to be continuing their Masters' Degree in New York University!

"Ano bang hinihintay niyong dalawa diyan? Pasko?  " asked my older brother.

"Dalian niyo, we might get towed," said the other familiar face from the front seat.

Binuksan ko yung likod ng car, at sumakay na rin ako pagkatapos ni Ria.

"Wow, Liam, are you actually walking my little sister home?  "

"Ate Danna!" said Ria from beside me. Naku, at eto na naman kami.

"Pinasamahan lang siya saken ni Maffy."

"Husus, kunwari pang napilitan."

"Oo noh. Edi kasalanan ko pa kung mapahamak yan, patanga-tanga pa naman sa

daan.  "

"Kanina ka pa ah!  "

"Ang sabihin mo, concerned ka lang talaga!"

"Shut up Kuya!"

"Eh bakit ka nagba-blush?" sabi pa sa akin ni Kuya sabay lingon sa amin sa likod. Amps
talaga tong Kuya ko, ang lakas humirit!!!

"Toff, may truck," Ate Danna warned.

"Yan kasi. Eh kung sa daan ka na lang kasi tumitingin eh, diba Kuya?"

"No, I swear, Liam was blushing!  "

"Kuya, I told you to shut up!  " I said heatedly. Tinawanan lang nila ako ni Ate Danna.

"Wow, baligtad na pala ngayon. Si bunso ang nag-uutos kay Kuya."

"Eh bakit defensive ka, ha Liam?"

I chose not to reply. Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ba ako o ano. Kasi naman itong mga
kapatid namin, tuwing magkikita kita na lang kami, kinakarir ang pagma-matchmake sa
amin. Nahihiya na tuloy ako kay Ria. Buti na lang hindi siya nag-iisip ng kung ano.

"Sabi ni Mommy, magpa-deliver na lang daw tayo sa North Park kasi she's not in
the mood to cook," sabi ni Ate Danna, hawak ang cellphone at dina-dial ang number ng
resto.

"Asan nga pala sila?" tanong ni Ria, who seemed to be keen to change the topic.
Napangiti ako. Naniwala kaya siya na nag-blush ako? 

"Asus, nasa Duty Free. You know how they get, hindi pwedeng bababa sa tatlong
oras ang pamimili nila," said Ate Danna.

"Iuuwi daw nila yung buong Duty Free.  Teka, nakakahalata na ko sa inyong
dalawa ah. Iniiba niyo yung usapan!  "

Hindi na lang ulit ako sumagot. Para hindi na makahirit si Kuya. Ayun nagkwentuhan na
lang silang tatlo about sa biyahe nina Kuya kanina hanggang nakarating kami sa bahay
namin. Napagkasunduan namin na doon na lang kumain kina Ria para malaki yung table at
mas maaliwalas. Tinamad rin kami na ibaba yung mga gamit nila kaya sabi namin mamaya
na lang pagkatapos kumain. I noticed na nagsesenyasan sina Kuya Toff at Ate Danna. Ano
na naman kayang binabalak ng dalawang ito?!

DING! DONG!

"Ria, that must be the delivery guy. Let's go fix the table."

Hinila na ni Ate Danna si Ria paalis ng salas. After that nagsenyasan uli sina Kuya at Ate.
Asus, buti na lang, akala ko pagtitripan na naman kami ni Ria. Gusto lang pala ako kausapin
ni Kuya ng sarilinan.

"Bro, long time,  " sabi ni kuya, offering me a high five.

"Oo nga Kuya eh."

"So ano, ano nang update?"

"Update saan?" I asked him, though I think I have an idea of what he's talking about.

"Duh, dude?! You, and her... update? anything?  " my Kuya demanded. Napa-scratch
ako ng head. Hindi ko alam kung anong sasabihin ko kay Kuya.

"Me... and her? Ayun. Ganito pa rin." Napa buntunghininga si Kuya sa sobrang

exasperation. I can tell that he's really frustrated. Kung sa bagay, sino nga namang kuya
ang hindi maiinis sa akin, yung tipong tuwing magooverseas call eh isang problema lang
ang ikinukwento?!

"Liam, anong petsa na?! You've been into her for the past decade... Saka ga-
graduate na kayo ng High School! It's about time you made your move."

"Kuya, believe me, kung meron mang may gusto na magawa ko na yun... no one
wants it more than me."

"Eh bakit ba hindi mo magawa-gawa?  "

"Look, it's not as easy as you think it is."

"Not as easy?" Kuya Toff said gloatingly. "Kaya pala naka-tatlong girlfriends ka

na."nanlaki ang mata ko sa sinabi ni kuya...
Paano niya nalaman yun?
"Sino nagsabi sayo nun?"

"Si Mommy. Nagdala ka daw ng babae dito, tatlong beses. And yes, she swears
they're not the same person."

Anak ng tipaklong. Si Mommy naman talaga oh. Sinabi ko nang wag sabihin kay Kuya eh.

"Iba kasi si Ria eh. Ewan ko ba... pag siya na, hindi ko na alam... pero siguro
darating rin yung right time...  "

Kuya seemed to be restraining himself from rolling his eyes with difficulty.

"Dude. Tell me, have you been watching chick flicks lately?"
"Hah? Paano tayo napunta sa chick flicks?"
"Right times... yang mga cliche junk na yan... they only exist in chick flicks,
fairytales, teleseryes. You, on the other hand, exist in the real world. One thing
you have to accept, in the real world, walang scriptwriter na mag-aarange ng
convenient coincidences. Walang right time right time, that's bullcr*p. In the real
world, the story will depend on whether you're ready and gutsy enough to take
the necessary risks. Ikaw din... pag naunahan ka, ewan ko kung ano gagawin ko
sayo.  "

Natauhan ako sa sinabi ni Kuya. Totoo nga naman yun... sino bang niloloko ko? RIGHT
TIME?! WTH diba?

"Ikaw din... pag naunahan ka..."

Those words echoed in my head like mad. Hindi ko alam kung bakit pero nung naisip ko na
may mauuna sa akin na manligaw kay Ria, si Gelo agad ang pumasok sa utak ko. Praning
na ba ako or what?

"You're right Kuya. Now comes the hard part.  "

"What d'you mean? Sasabihin mo ngayon?"

"Why not?"

"Gagu ka ba? Planuhin mo naman!"

My mind went horribly blank at the prospect of imagining the perfect scenario.

"Any suggestions? Na mental block ako."

"I have an idea.  "

Chapter Eight

Ria's POV:

"Ate. ATE! Tanghali na!"

Ate Danna opened her eyes.

"Bakit, may pasok ba? It's a Saturday, isn't it? T_______T" she asked me sleepily.
Naku, ang bruha, nakalimutang wala naman siyang papasukan!

"Yeah, it's a Saturday... Pero pinapagising ka na ni Mommy. Sa kabilang bahay

tayo kakain ng breakfast."

"Ha? Tinatamad na naman ba si Mommy magcook?  "

"Hindi..."
"Kayo na lang. Inaantok pa ko."

"Ikaw bahala. Magprepare pa naman si Kuya Toff ng favorite mo... I did hear him
say na magluluto siya ng Eggs Benedict."

I knew it. The moment I said the words Eggs Benedict, mabilis pa sa kidlat na bumangon sa
higaan si Ate. 

"Whoa, Eggs Benedict... I'll be there in a sec!" she said, all traces of sleepiness gone.
Natawa na lang ako, kasi muntik pa siya madapa sa pagmamadali niyang makapunta sa
bathroom.

In three minutes, tapos na siya maligo. Grabe naman tong Ate ko... Habang hinahalukay
niya yung maleta niya para maghanap ng damit, may pumasok sa kwarto... Si Denise.
Dating gawi, walang paa-paalam or anything, kinalkal niya yung lalagyan ng bag at sapatos
ko. She picked out the bag that Ate Danna gave me for my birthday. Naku, patay..! 

"Hey! Where do you think are you bringing that?" Ate Danna said in a dangerous
voice. Denise looked like she had just only noticed her.

"Ate Danna! Umuwi ka na pala!!!  "

"I said, where are you bringing that?"

"Sa school, I'm going to meet my friendships kasi..."

"So you just pick that bag and go, without asking permission from Ria?"

"It's okay lang naman daw for her."

"How do you know? You didn't even ask. Give me that," sabi ni Ate Danna.

"Ate hihiramin ko lang naman eh...  "

"You think I'm just gonna let you do that? Look, I didn't buy that Chanel bag for
2000 dollars, six months' worth of savings, para lang basta mo makuha sa closet
ng kapatid ko without permission na hihiramin mo. I sent that to my sister for her
to use."

"I said I was just making hiram, hello? Didn't you make me rinig?" 

"I'm not deaf. What I'm saying is, magpaalam ka man lang. You do know what
etiquette means, do you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Well just knowing it isn't enough. Put it into practice. That way you're going to do
us a favor."

"I'm just making it hiram!"

"It's not the bag I'm fussed about. Ang akin lang, wag kang bastos. Matuto kang
magpaalam."

"Fine. Sa inyo na yan. Ang fugly fugly naman niyan eh. Hmph,  " sabi ni Denise,
and with that she left the room. Ate Danna looked ready to kill.

"Tingnan mo yun! Bastos! Pinintasan pa yung bag hindi naman niya afford! At
nakikitira lang siya dito noh?!  "

"Hayaan mo na Ate. Pinapatulan mo pa kasi. Halika na, hinihintay na tayo nina

Kuya Toff."

I noticed Ate's frown vanish.

"Husus. Ang sabihin mo, gusto mo na makita si Liam,  " sabi niya, sabay takbo. At
hinabol ko naman.

"ATEEEE!!! Pag nahuli kita LAGOT ka talaga saken!  "

Gelo's POV:

RIINNGG!!

Anak ng tipaklong.   Ang aga mambulabog. Sino kaya to? BADTREEP.

"Hello?"

"GELO!!!      "

Amp. Nambulabog na nga, naninigaw pa!

"SINO BA TO?!"

"Hoy dude, ang aga pa ang sungit na ah!  "

Lintek! Nangulit pa!

"SINO KA NGA?!"

"Si Kuya Toff to!"

Anak naman ng--!? Mangti-trip na lang si Kuya Toff pa ang ginamit?!

"Engot ka ba?!   Nasa US yun! Pwede ba kung wala kang magawa wag mo kong
idamay sa kagaguhan mo!"

Sabay bagsak ko ng telepono. BWISET!

RIIIIINGGGGG!

Ano ba! Uupakan ko na to eh! Bumangon na nga ako.

"DIBA ANG SABI KO--"

"Ano ba! Ang sakit sa tenga!  "

"LIAM?! Bakit mo sinabing si Kuya Toff ka?"

"GAGU! Si Kuya Toff yung kausap mo kanina!"

"Weh, hindi nga?!  "

"Oo, kagabi lang umuwi. Iimbitahan ka daw sana niya mag-almusal dito, kasi alam
niya daw na baka noodles na naman ang kakainin mo dyan, gagawa siya ng Eggs
Benedict--"

"EGGS BENEDICT? Sabihin mo andyan na ko!  "

"Nagbago na daw isip niya."

"Lul! Punta na ko diyan!"

Dali-dali akong nagbihis. Loko tong si Kuya Toff ah! Umuwi na pala si kumag. Na-miss ko
rin yun, parang totoong Kuya ko na rin yun eh! At syempre pinaka na-miss ko yung Eggs
Benedict na specialty niya!

In less than five minutes nandoon na ako sa bahay nina Liam, ewan ko kung talagang
malapit lang ba o mabilis lang akong tumakbo. Knowing them, pwedeng pwede nila akong
maubusan pag hindi ako nagmadali. At syempre wala nang pasintabi, pumasok na lang ako.
Nakita ko si Kuya Toff sa kitchen counter, nakatalikod sa akin at may hinihiwa.
"KUYA!"

Harap naman siya saken. Ngumiti siya at nag-high five kami, and a short hug.

"Bro, monster ka pala pag bagong gising.  "

"Haha. Oo nga eh. Pasensiya na. Tagal pa ba yan?"

"Hindi, konting hintay na lang."

"Hoy Gelo! Langya ka, sira eardrums namin ni Kuya," said Liam, who appeared out of
nowhere. He looked so decent for someone who just woke up. Ako kasi, nagpalit lang ng
damit. Nakalimutan ko na nga magsuklay, nasilaw ako sa prospect ng masarap na
breakfast. Tagal ko na rin kasing hindi nakakakain ng matinong breakfast.

"Sorry naman bro. Bagong gising."

"Sus. Pasalamat ka injured ka. Kungdi inupakan ka na naming magkuya."

"Injured?  " tanong ni Kuya Toff, sabay tingin sa bandages sa braso ko. "Ano nangyari
diyan? Nabali?"

"Nabuhusan ng kumukulong mantika."

"ANO?!   Paanong--"

"TAO PO?  " said an unfamiliar voice. Then came three knocks on the door. A pretty girl
of about Kuya Toff's age came into view.

"Girlfriend mo, Kuya?" I asked.

"Tange, hindi."

"Ate ni Ria yan, classmate ni Kuya sa NYU." Ate ni Ria? Kaya pala maganda.

"Ate Danna, si Gelo nga pala. Kaklase namin ni Ria," pakilala sa amin ni Liam.

"Nice to meet you."

"Hi guys!"
Shoot! Si Ria! 

Teka, bakit ba ko natataranta? LABO. 

Shete, ni hindi nga pala ako nagsuklay! 

"O, Gelo, andito ka pala," she said, smiling at me. I tried to do the same but the muscles
in my face seemed to have forgotten how to do it.

"Good morning," I said. Lechugas. Ano ba yung nasabi ko? Para naman akong guard sa
mall nun! Amp. Hindi na ko nagtaka na natawa siya.

"Ang formal mo ah, in fairness,  " sabi niya matapos ilagay yung thermos na hawak
niya sa table.

"Gutom lang yan, Gelo. Kuya ok na ba yan?"

"Ok na ito... o kunin niyo na yung mga plato niyo!"

Ayun, masunurin kaming mga bata kaya ayun, kumain na kami. Masaya naman sa table,
nagkwentuhan lang kami ng kung ano-ano. Matagal na pala silang magkakakilala kaya
medyo nahihiya hiya pa ako. Dagdag pa yung fact na parang ako lang yung nasa table na
hindi pa naliligo.

"Hey, is it true na may band kayo?" Kuya Toff suddenly said, cutting into my thoughts.

"Oh, yeah," was all that I had managed to say, my mouth was kind of full.

"Cool! Sino vocals?" asked Ate Danna.

"Ako, syempre. Este kami pala ni Gelo."

"Wow, marunong ka pala kumanta?  " Ria shot at me. At kamusta naman, nabulunan
ako!

*COUGH COUGH COUGH*

 Halos dagukan ako ni Kuya Toff para tumigil sa kauubo.
"Oo naman. Kahit mukha akong ewan may talent din naman ako," sabi ko.

"Pareho rin kaming marunong sa guitars, acoustic and electric, pati bass. Kaya
pwede ang band kahit wala yung isa sa amin."

"That's cool. Anyway, a friend of ours just finished building a bar and grill thingy
near here. And he's looking for bands, kaya sabi niya tanungin ko kayo if you're
interested."

"Oo naman," sabi ni Liam.

"Yeah, that will be great," I said.

"Yung grand opening is like, next next Saturday. I can ask him to let you do the
front act."

"Wow, cool yun Kuya!  " Liam said excitedly.

"Uy, Danna, Ria, both of you have to be there," sabi ni Kuya Toff. "Especially ikaw,
Ria. Liam would need a confidence boost.  "

HUH? Ano yun?!

"Kuya, tigilan mo nga yan!  " sabi ni Liam.

"Hindi rin, Toff. Baka nga lalong kabahan yan pag nanood si Ria!" hirit ni Ate Danna.

"Ate shut up nga,  " sabi ni Ria.

Bakit parang affected siya? At bakit kanina pa silang nililink nina Kuya Toff at Ate Danna sa
isa't isa? Is this one of their 'usual' habits? At kung usual na lang to, bakit parang
apektadong apektado sina Liam and Ria? Ibig bang sabihin nun, may something talaga?

At higit sa lahat, bakit pati ako... parang naaapektuhan sa naririnig ko?

PSH. Ewan.

Chapter Nine

Jonathan’s POV:
Humahangos akong pumasok sa loob ng locker rooms. Soccer Practice starts 8 am, it’s
already a quarter past 8. When coach gets a hold of me, patay na naman ako. I’d hit the
jackpot if he catches me yet again; I was an hour late last week.

“Late again,  ” said a voice as I rushed inside. I got a bit nervous, but when I looked at
the person who had said it, nawala ang nerbiyos ko.

“Lul. Akala ko ikaw si coach.  ”

“You’re lucky. Wala pa siya,” Lance informed me.

“Good,” I replied, proceeding to change my shoes.

Lance de Rivera, aka Signal Number Four. Well, totoo namang mayabang siya. Imagine,
hindi na basta hangin, bagyo na, pinakamataas na signal pa. Kaya nga siguro kami
nagkakasundo, pareho kaming sobra ang self-confidence. Hindi ma-gets ng karamihan, but
it’s all a joke. At sa lahat ng tao sa team, siya yung parang kapatid ko na.

“Bakit ang tagal mo?  ”

“Parang hindi ka naman sanay.”

“Hindi rin... pero hindi nga? Ginising ka ba ng mom mo?” tanong sa akin ni Lance.
Kaya naman kasi ako na-late nung isang Saturday kasi hindi ako ginising ng Mom ko.

“Oo. Bati na kami, bro.”

“Buti naman. Kaso wala pa rin. Bagal mo kasi eh. Buti pa ako, early bird.
Masunuring bata.”

“Ang yabang.”

“Yeah, that’s me. I’m Signal Number Four, remember?  ” he said, smirking.

“Kunsabagay.”

We proceeded to the grandstand, where my teammates were already running and kicking
around. On the sidelines were the cheerleaders. I spotted my cousin, Denise, her arms full
of what looked like bags, water jugs and face towels. Napailing ako. Inaalipin na naman siya
ng mga Starfish.
“I don’t get it. Paano niya nagagawang pagtiyagaan yung ginagawa sa kanya ng
mga yun?  ” sabi ni Lance. Doon din pala siya nakatingin.

“Ewan ko ba, I don’t get it either,” sabi ko. Tiningnan ko na lang siya habang pabalik-
balik siya sa bleachers, getting face towels, and whatever else na inuutos sa kanya.

“Paano ba yan? Kulang na ng isa yung cheerleaders ng Integ.”

Napaisip ako sa sinabi ni Lance. Binilang ko sila.. oo nga, labing-isa lang. Suspended nga
pala si Elle. At kahit babalik siya after two weeks, I don’t think they’ll welcome her back.
Hindi ko naman sila masisisi. Sino
ba ang hindi matatakot sa psycho na
nambubuhos ng kumukulong mantika kapag galit?

“Sino kaya kukunin nila?” I asked. Ang dami kasing magaganda sa Integrity.

“Ewan. Pero they gotta find one soon. Ang lapit na ng intrams.”

“Sus, ok lang din. At least panalo na ang Sovereignty by default.” 

“Ipaubaya na natin yung trophy ng cheering sa kanila. Sa atin na naman yung

Championship sa Soccer.”

“Wow. Ang humble mo pare.”

“Ano ka ba. I’m perfectly entitled to brag.”

“Ehrm. Bakit? Sige nga,” I said, challenging him. Ginulo niya yung buhok niya at
nagsimulang maglakad papunta sa pitch.

“Syempre.  I’m the next David Beckham.  ”

“LUL!”

Irish’s POV:

OMG! Team Sov!!!     
I watched as Lance and Jonathan joined their teammates on the field. They’re definitely the
hottest guys on their team, hands down. If only I weren’t from Integ, siguro nagtitili na ako.

“Denise! Ano ba, where’s my face towel! You’re so effing tagal!”

“Oo, sandali lang...”

I was jerked back into reality as I looked back at my girls. In spite of myself, I took pity on
her. Lately naiisip ko nang hindi tama yung ginagawa namin sa kanya. Utos kaliwa’t kanan.
Snide insults.

But it’s her fault too. If she wasn’t pushing herself on us, she wouldn’t be suffering like this.
I could still remember Elle telling us to just let her in and take advantage. After all, Denise
said she was willing to do everything to fit in. At first I thought it was pathetic but comical.

I saw one of my friends stick out her foot as Denise walked by. Denise landed flat on her
face, and there was a roar of laughter.

“Denise!”   I said, helping her up.

The girls looked shocked at what I did; the expressions on their faces changed from
malevolent amusement to mixed astonishment and disbelief. Kahit ako, I couldn’t believe it
myself. Before, I was the one who keeps tripping her up in corridors. Actually, it wasn’t just
me... It had been me and Elle who made sure that Denise was kept as miserable as
humanly possible.

Well, don’t blame us; it wasn’t our fault that the situation had been so ironic. Denise Lopez
happened to be Ria Antonio’s cousin, and here she came, wanting to get along with us. Elle
heartily hated every fiber of Ria’s being, and for her, treating Denise like some slave is a
good way of getting even.

“Thanks,  ” sabi sa akin ni Denise. Naguluhan ako kaya tumango na lang ako. Lumapit
sa akin ang isa sa mga kaibigan ko and she pulled me away.

“What’s happening to you?  ” she asked me in a low voice, so Denise wouldn’t hear.
“I don’t know. Let’s start...” I said, keen to change the topic.

“Are you kidding? We’re one cheerleader short.”

But before I could think of a sensible retort...

“MISS BELTRAN!” 

I looked behind me and saw our cheerleading coach approaching us.

“Walang practice today.”

“What?   But why?” the girls said in unison.

“One of your captains has been suspended, in case you didn’t notice. You’re all
free to go, except for you, Irish.”

The girls left with whispered groans. Hindi kasi matutuloy ang pagpapa-cute nila kina Lance
at Jonathan.

“Miss Beltran, I won’t pretend that Elle’s suspension wasn’t a blow. I need you to
find me a replacement as soon as possible.”

“Ma’am, as soon as possible? But... I don’t know...” 

“Oh, sorry, I have phrased it incorrectly. I already have someone in mind, and I
want you to talk to her this instant.”

Gelo’s POV:

Alas dos na, pero ayos lang ang sikat ng araw, hindi gaanong mainit. Sandali kong pinanood
ang laro ng Sov, at ayoko man na aminin sa sarili ko, kahit paano I got intimidated. Lalong
gumagaling si Signal Number Four pati si Jonathan. Naku. Malaki-laking challenge ang
haharapin namin ni Liam sa Intrams.

Speaking of Liam, naabutan ko siya sa locker rooms, prepared na prepared na. Nagsi-
stretch pa nga si kumag.
“O! Bro!”

“Bihis na agad ah.”

“Syempre naman. Teka, bakit nandito ka na?”

“Ha?”

“I mean... diba? May paso ka... pag nasagi yan, ikaw din.  ”

“Sus, hindi. Halos magaling na nga eh,” I replied, even showing him my arm, which is
now free of bandages. May naiwan pang marks, pero hindi na siya masakit or anything. I
saw Liam spare my arm a look. He looked like he was carefully trying to contemplate what
he wanted to say next.

“So. Ok na pala... Ginamit mo yung binigay ni Ria?”

Tiningnan ko siya. Amp. Ano bang tanong yun? Kung nasa korte siguro ako, I would’ve
raised an objection. Para kasing meron siyang gustong palabasin. Dagdag yung fact that his
glance was more accusatory than curious. Pero teka, bakit ba? Ano naman ang masama
kung ginamit ko diba? Ang gulo ng buhay.

“Oo. Astig nga, three days ko pa lang na ginagamit. Tamo, talo yung Olay!” 

“Yeah, kita mo nga yung kamay niya. Wala ng bakas ng paso diba?”

“Alam mo pala yung tungkol dun?” sabi ko. But right after that, I realized how stupid
the question was.

“Oo naman, magkababata kami eh.”

“Cool. I gotta thank her, I owe her one,” sabi ko habang nagtatali ng shoelaces.

“Enjoy siyang kasama, noh?” Medyo nagulat ako, akala ko tapos na yung usapan.

“Oo naman. Ang kulit kaya nun. Hindi ko nga akalain na masayang katabi yun. Biro
mo, napaamo ko? Eh diba ang taray taray nun?”

“Pansin ko nga, kasundong kasundo mo.”

“Eh mabait naman eh, bakit hindi, diba?”

“Nakikita ko nga, wala kayong ginawa kundi tumawa.  ”

“Paano kasi, ang babaw. Eh alam mo naman yung tawa nun, nakakag*go.”

“Tapos halos magkapalit kayo ng mukha pag math saka physics...”

“Nagpapaturo kasi ako. Ang galing niya nga eh, mas naiintindihan ko pa pag siya
yung nagtuturo kaysa kay Ma’am Pearlie o kay Sir Mar.”

“Wow. Such a development, huh? Considering na you’ve only known each other
for a bit more than four days?  ”

Aba. Iba na yung tono nun ah. At teka lang... lahat nung binanggit niya... napansin niya
lahat yun? Ibig bang sabihin nun, pinapanood niya kami?

LABO!

But a nagging voice in my head said:

Bakit? Eh nung nagkatabi rin naman sila nung isang araw, pinapanood mo rin.

“Kung ano-ano pinapansin mo. Tara na nga,” I said, deliberately ending the
conversation. Hindi na kasi ako kumportable. Tumayo na ako.

“Dude, sabihin mo nga saken...

nagkakagusto ka na ba kay Ria?  ”

Chapter Ten

Ria’s POV:

Nako. Monday na naman. I’m not in the mood to start another week; I don’t think I felt the
weekend properly. Ate Danna and I weren’t even able to go shopping (she promised pa
naman to buy me that dress I’ve been eyeing in Topshop for ages) because I had to do all
those homeworks. Pssshh. BUMMER. I should’ve –

“Ouch!  ”
I found myself now sitting on the floor of the school’s entrance lobby, with my bag about
three feet away from me. I got so absorbed in my thoughts that I forgot to look at where I
was going. I stood up and opened my mouth to say sorry when—

“Sorry, are you all right?  ”

Imagine my shock when I realized that it had been Irish who said that. Well, she wasn’t
exactly polite (even civilized) all the time... and at bumps like these, she’s more likely to
yell a whole paragraph of swearwords at me than say sorry.

“Yeah, thanks...”

She gave me a curt nod and walked away, leaving me resisting the urge to ask where she
was going. I mean, why ask? Ano yun diba? Feeling close?

“Hoy, may balak ka bang pumasok, ha?  ”

I turned to face Maffy.

“Tell me, was that really Irish?”

“Uhh. Yeah. Bakit naman?  ”

“Wala lang. Well, you know, she’s not the type who’d say sorry to me, diba?”

“Oh come on. Buti nga yun, nagiging ok kayo eh. And besides, she’s not as bad as
she looks.  ”

“Oh-kay... If you say so.”

Umakyat na kami sa classroom. Nag-stay ako sandali sa tabi ni Maffy kasi wala pa akong
makakausap, wala pa kasi si Gelo.

“Kinakamusta ka ni Ate Danna.”

“Oo nga eh, punta sana ako nung Sabado kaso may org meeting the whole day.”

“Sobrang busy na yata kayo?”

“Oo naman, ang lapit na kaya nung program?”

“Kungsabagay. Three weeks na lang noh?”

“Hindi. Four weeks. Na-move yung date.”

“Bakit?”

“Ano ka ba, na-set na yung retreat natin.”

“Wow, cool!”

“Yup, excited na ko. Sabi ni Ma’am magkaka-culminating activity daw tayong

batch this week, parang preparation sa retreat.”

“Pagsasamahin ang Sov at Integ?”

“Yup.”

“Goodluck sa tin. Haha.  ”

Narinig kong bumukas yung pinto, pumasok si Gelo. Napatingin siya sa amin, and I smiled
at him. Ngumiti rin siya ng tipid tas dumeretso sa upuan niya.

“O, wala na siyang bandages oh,” sabi sa akin ni Maffy.

“Oo nga noh?”

“Tara, puntahan natin.”

Lapit naman kami...

“Hi Gelo.  ”

“O. Hi.”

“Ok na pala yung braso mo?”

“Ah. Oo. Salamat dun sa lotion ha?”

“Sure thing. Astig, wala na halos traces... patingin nga...” I said, coming nearer as I
went to check his arm, but he pulled it sharply out of my grasp. I was shocked at what he
did. And judging by the look on his face, he was, too.

“Sorry,  ” ang sabi ko na lang. Hindi ko maiwasang ma-offend sa ginawa niya. I also
noticed that he was careful not to look me in the eye. Nakakainis naman. Ano nangyari
dito? Just this Saturday morning we were getting along well... what’s he doing playing the
prat?

“O, bakit parang diring-diri ka yata saken ngayon?” 

“Wala.” sabi niya, and with that he left. I looked at Maffy, who raised her brow.

“Nag-away ba kayo?"

“Ha? Hindi naman...”

“Eh anong nangyari doon?”

“Hindi ko rin alam, Ate...  ”

Gelo’s POV:

Nakakainis naman eh. Pakiramdam ko talaga na-offend siya doon sa ginawa ko. Sa totoo
lang hindi ko ginustong gawin yun. Kaso... baka kasi makita na naman ni Liam...

Pang-asar naman kasi eh. Sabi nang iiwasan ko na muna siya eh. Hindi ko muna
kakausapin. Kahit tingnan lang, nagi-guilty ako eh. AMP! LABO! 

Flashback:
“Dude, sabihin mo nga saken, nagkakagusto ka na ba kay Ria?”

Natigil ako sa paglalakad palabas ng locker room. I saw this coming, pero hindi ko ine-
expect na ganun ka-straightforward. As in point-blank.
“Anong sabi mo?” sabi ko, at humarap ako sa kanya. He smirked mirthlessly.

“Ang sabi ko, kung nagkakagusto ka na ba kay Ria...”

Natulala ako sandali. Tinatanong ko rin sa sarili ko yung tanong na yun nitong mga
nakaraang araw. Nalito ako. Hindi dahil hindi ko alam kung ano ang isasagot, kundi
dahil I wasn’t sure kung magugustuhan niya yung sagot ko.

“Ha? Sus. Ano ka ba,” sabi ko. I felt guilty kasi matagal na kaming magkaibigan, at ni
minsan, hindi ko pa nagawang magsinungaling. Pero ngayon, lying felt much safer.

“Hindi nga.”

“Bakit ba?”

“Ewan ko. Na-sense ko lang kasi. Lagi mo rin kasi siyang nababanggit.”

“Ano ka ba, nagiging close lang kami. Wala yun.”

Hindi na siya nakasagot. Nagkibit-balikat na lang siya.

“Ikaw ba?” tanong ko. Hindi ko alam, pero ni hindi ko pinag-isipan yun, lumabas na lang
ng kusa sa bibig ko. Matagal tagal rin ang hinintay ko bago siya nakasagot.

“Oo. Noon pa.”

Ayun na. Nasabi niya na. Bata pa lang pala sila, ganun na. Kaya pala ganun na lang sila
asarin nung mga kapatid nilang nakakatanda.

Somehow, na-sense ko na hindi niya sinabi sa akin yung just for the sake na malaman ko. I
mean, kung gusto niyang sabihin saken, edi sana noon pa diba? After all, we’re supposed to
be best buds.

It was clearer than I thought it was. He didn’t tell me because he wanted me to know. He
told me because he thought I was moving in and he wanted me to fcuk off and stay away
from her. Ganun naman yun diba?
Self-explanatory. It’s all a matter of respect. The first one who gathers the courage to say
something, which is never easy under any circumstances, gets the right to make the move.
Everyone else should back off.

And I had let him win.

Nice one, Liam.