Renga Benga

Epilogue

Kisha's POV

Location: Felicity Patisserie, many years later

"Kisha sweetie!" I removed my gaze from the menu, and looked up to see who was calling me that stupid nickname I had from high school. It was Ryen, one of my old friends, all dressed up in a tank top, mini-skirt and way too high heels, her arm snaked around her fiancee, Zac. I've heard on Facebook that Zac came back for Ryen not too long ago after realizing that leaving her was a stupid decision, and now they're officially engaged! How cute!

I wrapped my arms around Ryen with a smile on my face. "Oh God, Ryen! Thank you so much for coming to our mini-reunion! I can't believe it! You look so different!"

She twirls around, like she's a Victoria's Secret model. "Thank you, haha. And by the way, Kisha, this is Zac. Zac, you must remember Kisha?"

I shook her fiancee's hand with a smile. "I remember Zac! Wasn't he your prom date that you were just sooo in lo--"

"No need to go back to the past, Kisha." Ryen tells me, a glare on her face. She sits down on the chair beside me, and just when she's about to decide which entree to get, several voices yelling out her names simultaneously come from the front door of the restaurant. It was Nyssa with Callan, Shannaya with Calum, AngelMar with Luke, Chloe with Angelo...and MICKEY WITH JOSH HUTCHERSON? Wait, what?!

I looked at all of my former classmates, absolutely surprised with the changes that a few years had brought. Nyssa was already a doctor, and I figured that out due to the fact that she forgot to change into casual wear and came to the reunion in her uniform. She told me about all her plans to migrate with Callan to Australia some time in the near future if her career didn't take off, and how thrilled she was to see me again. Shannaya wasn't the quiet girl I had known from the past anymore: she was actually a radio DJ who gets to tour all over the world with her longtime boyfriend, Calum and his band that's been going absolutely strong for the past few years. That explained some fans lined up outside the restaurant, just dying to get pictures of him and Luke.

Speaking of Luke, he already happened to be the husband of AngelMar, and their first child is due in five months. AngelMar almost totally changed her entire appearance: her hair was permanently straight now, and she was wearing blue contacts. She also had her teeth in braces, which was due to come out in a few months as well. Chloe and Angelo were also engaged to be married, and they all cordially invited us to their beach wedding in Villa Escudero. When I asked them why the location was so far, they replied, "Well, we were able to buy the whole resort just two years ago, so I decided why not, right?" Sorry, but I didn't get to become so rich in a short span of time!

Mickey and Josh Hutcherson, on the other hand, have been an item ever since graduation and once they were able to admit their feelings to each other, they were inseparable. There was no denying that these two were in love. But, what made us all more shocked was the fact that Mickey straightened her hair and lost an incredible amount of weight! "Why did you have your hair straightened?" I couldn't help but ask. "That was your trademark!"

"Well, ever since I got casted for the remake of The Hunger Games with Joshykins, I realized that I needed to change up my look...especially because I was playing Katniss, and not Rue." she said, so matter-of-factly.

All of us got more suspicious and excited about it. "So that means you're technically a movie star now?" "When did you plan to tell us all about this?!" "Can I be your manager?" Questions were flying from every direction, that it just made Mickey and I crack up from laughter.

We were all so engrossed in our conversations, that we were startled when the voice of none other than Camille Cay called us. "GUYS, GUYS! HI!" Of course, we earned disturbed looks from people in the restaurant when we gathered into this big group hug that was extremely uncomfortable but rather nostalgic. Camille looked great too: she was a fitness instructor and had already released seven DVDs showing different kinds of yoga poses and fitness programs for a better body and better life.

"You look fantastic!" Chloe told her, giving her an encouraging pat on the back. "Speaking of which, why don't you have any guy with you right now?!"

Camille raised an eyebrow suspiciously, and it was only then when she realized that it was only she and I who didn't have any male companion with us. Her look earned laughs from everyone at the table, as Chloe continued to press question after question about her lovelife.

"Can you just answer this one question? Who did you really pick? Cedric or Chris?"

**********

"TINGIN SA'KIN, SELOSA AKO!" The familiar voice of Ms. Soliman made me shoot back up from my temporary slumber, and wipe away the trail of drool that was going down my mouth. I scanned my surroundings suspiciously: all my friends were back to normal, there was no invasion from the policemen or the Automonous Region of Minnie Mouse, Jillian was alive and perfectly intact...what the hell had happened? Was all of that just...a dream?

"Miss Joaquin, ano ang kinaabalahan mo diyan? (Miss Joaquin, what are you doing over there?)" our adviser asked, shooting me a harsh glance that made me struggle in what to say.

"Where's Dylan? Camille! Camille, you're there! Mickey, why is your hair not straight anymore? AngelMar, what happened to the baby? Where are your boyfriends, where is my fiancee?!" I shouted question after question, pulling at the ends of my hair, which quite frankly made me look like an absolute idiot. Everyone was eyeing me like I had molds on my face, and I just couldn't help but wonder why they weren't thinking the same things as well.

"Miss Joaquin! Have you been sleeping in my class again?" she full-on shouts at my face. I turn to my seatmates, and none of them could back me up. They look at me like I've killed their mothers, and slowly turn their heads back down, unable to face me. "Go to the principal's office to receive your own verbal warning!"

Without uttering a single word, I march off and prepare myself for the worst as I enter the office of our school principal. Oh God.

**********

Before I could even notice, it was already dismissal time. It had been such a long, mentally exhausting day, and the last thing I needed was to stay in school and face all the interrogations from different people who have heard about my punishment. I was just about to board my school bus and probably retreat to crawling into a hole and dying there after a few eternities, when I heard my best friend Clio calling me from her bus, which was just right across mine.

"Kisha!" She was my best friend, so no matter how annoyed I was, I turned around to face her, not making any effort to make my face look any more pleasant. "Are you okay after--"

"Could we please not talk about what happened a while ago? I am absolutely confused." I told her, raising my hand up. I knew I was being too harsh, but she didn't know what kind of situation I was in. It was absolutely tiring and emotionally draining to find out that the world that I had known to love and had felt so comfortable in was all just a dream...a dream that could be taken away with me knowing.

"Oh, okay. Could I still use your phone, though? I need to text my mom that I couldn't find Ate Caitlin." I held my hand up and fished my phone out of my pocket, hoping to find an emerald ring with my name and a wedding date, but to no avail. I swiped the screen to unlock my phone and saw that I had one new message. That's strange...I don't remember having a social life.

From: Dylan ♥

Hey, Kisha sweetie :) I miss you so much.

**********

BLAME CAMILLE FOR THE ENDING OK??? huhu okay so that was it!! the official end of renga benga. thank you so much for reading! it really means everything when i see how many reads, votes and comments we have. ofc, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU so go ahead and thank yourself as well for this huge accomplishment we've all achieved together! this is truly something to be proud of, and this is something we could boast to everyone bc IT'S RARE that a class full of so many different people could come up with a fantastic story like this. so give yourselves a big hand!!! ok ok so arp starts tomorrow, and i can't wait to hear your reactions (weh sorry sabaw ako) and see you all again. GOOD LUCK TO US BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO BE AS HARD AS EVER SO YEAH. love you diwa, or should i say biyaya mwah x - Admin 2