Ten Steps With You

Chapter 4: The Road Ahead

The journey was going smoothly and nothing of notable interest had happened so far during the trip.

Before the bus left, each student was lined up and given a sitting partner.

"Sir, can we put Oliver and Summer together?" Miguel said.

Oliver hit Miguel in the back of the head. "Hoy, what do you think you're doing?"

"Why should we do that?" The class advisor asked.

"So they can practice for the play tomorrow, sir." Miguel winked.

Understanding what Miguel was trying to convey, the class advisor laughed. "Oh, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

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The bus was now approaching San Fernando. A city situated north of the capital Manila with the South China Sea to the west and the Cordilleras to the East.

As the vehicle pulled up at a local gas station, one by one, everyone made it outside.

The sun was out today.

Birds flying in the air above, the ocean waves in the distant background.

If it weren't for the cool breeze, the inexperienced Baguio locals may have passed out.

"It's been a while since wearing a jacket wasn't logical anymore."

"Indeed. It feels weird actually." Oliver chuckled.

To pass the time, the two of them entered the small convenience store of the gas station.

The store didn't have anything too interesting, but it had almost everything a traveler might need.

A variety of refreshments, multiple brands of chips and snacks, first aid kits, medicine, maps of the region, and the latest edition of the local newspaper for those who like to keep updated.

By the counter was a single employee grudgingly working the scanner.

He wore a bright red cap with a collared shirt of the same color. The man was quite tall and had a tattoo of an eagle on his right arm. He looked no older than 25 years old but his eye bags and rigid movements made it seem like he was much older if one were to only take a glance.

"Which one are you getting?" Summer asked as she pointed to the sizeable refrigerator displaying all sorts of drinks.

Thinking for a while, Oliver settled on his favorite brand of iced tea.

"That again?" Summer laughed.

"Why? It tastes good."

"I know but, wouldn't you like to try something else for a while?"

"Like what exactly?"

"Like..."

After browsing her hand through multiple beverages, she handed a bottle of orange juice to Oliver.

"I'm not sure how much I'll like this, but I'll give it a shot."

With a beaming smile on her face, Summer bought the same drink.

I missed this. Oliver thought

Why did we not talk for so long, again? I can't remember anymore.

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The bus was now a significant distance from San Fernando.

As it got further, the sea was becoming more visible as the highway ahead was built closer to the water.

It had been a while since everyone had seen the coastline. Despite living in a country known for its beaches, this was the first time in a long time many of them had seen the vast ocean. For some, it may have even been their first.

"You know, we should try going to the beach next summer break." Summer said.

As he turned his head to face the view, Oliver nodded approvingly.

"I wonder what it would be like,"

Summer at sea, huh... Oliver wondered.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun."

The bus was just half an hour away from their destination. After 6 hours on the road, a lot of those in the vehicle had dozed off, and it seemed like Summer was going to as well.

"Hey, I'm gonna take a nap for a while. Make sure to wake me up once we get to the Quirino Bridge."

"Oh, okay." Even though he had no idea what or where the Quirino Bridge was, he agreed.

While Summer fell asleep, Oliver searched his bag for the map he bought at the gas station.

Good thing I bought this.

As his hand victoriously took out the slightly crumpled map, he opened it to scan the paper for any bridges ahead that may go by the last name of the sixth Philippine president.

Found it!

Oliver looked at his watch. "It shouldn't be more than a few minutes."

Now I just wait.

To idle away time, Oliver read up on the region's history and places of interest which he found depicted on the back of the map.

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After 15 minutes, the bridge came into view.

"Hey Summer, we're at the br-"

Before Oliver could even finish his sentence, a bump on the road shook the bus to the side promptly putting Summer's head on Oliver's shoulder.

He looked at Summer blankly.

Ultimately, the bus ended up crossing the bridge without Summer waking up to see.

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"Huh? We're in Vigan already?"

With a fake yawn, Oliver nodded.

"Didn't I tell you to wake me up?" Summer said with a pouting face.

"Sorry, I fell asleep too."

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