Sunset of Solitude

Prologue

*Pak!*

 Kakauwi ko lang, pagod galing iskwela nang may dumamping palad sa pisngi ko na nakapagpabagsak sa akin.

 May nalasahan agad akong dugo..

 "Ano nanaman itong kabobohan mo ha?"

 binuksan ko ang mga mata ko at inangat ang tingin. It was my mother, and next to her was my father, who was staring at me, with disappointment evident in his eyes.

"58/60?! Dalawa nalang ang itatama mo pero hindi mo pa ginawa?! Nag-aaral ka pa ba?! Napaka-walang kwenta mong anak!"

I stayed silent, holding back my tears as they continued.

 "Yan nalang ang gagawin mo tapos napakatanga mo pa!"sabi ni mama.

I stood up and faced them, feeling a heavy weight in my chest.

 "Ma, pa, sorry po... I studied all night and did my best, and I am the highest—"

 "Asa'n ang cellphone mo?" pagputol sa akin ni papa.

 "Pa—"

 "Ibigay mo sa akin ang cellphone mo. Kapag may nakita kami diyan, Celestine! Sinasabi ko sa'yo, malilintikan ka sa akin."

 Pumunta ako sa bag ko para kunin ang cellphone at ibinigay sa kanila. I was standing there as they invaded my privacy, again, feeling a deep sense of sadness and frustration.

That happened as I grew older. My sister never got a chance to get close to me because our mom threatened her.

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I was in 5th grade when I heard them talking about how Auntie would move in with us for a while. I was excited to meet her!

 "Is she nice? I hope so..." I said to myself.

During dinner when she arrived, I was shocked when she hugged me tightly!But It felt so comforting...

"Hi, my dear! I'm your Auntie Elara Maeve! You can call me Tita Ara. You smell so nice!" I smiled shyly.

We continued to eat dinner, and I noticed that she's Papa's sister. After dinner, our parents became busy, so Auntie entertained us. Renata, my younger sister who's 3 years old, and I were in the room with Auntie as she told us stories. We laughed together until we got tired and fell asleep. It was the first time I felt truly happy!

I started to feel happy. Growing up, whenever our parents were busy working, she would play with us. I was thankful that God sent her to me and my sister. She doesn't make me feel like I wasn't enough. She's like an angel, a blessing.

Tita has been quite busy with her work lately, but she still manages to make time for us.I was in 7th grade, when I made an effort to connect with others and thought I had found genuine friends. However, it became apparent that they only befriended me to copy my answers. Despite this disappointment, I continued to try to form friendships, yet I often felt left behind.

After that, I didn't focus much on friendships. I felt like everyone would just come and go. I focused myself on studying and striving to be better. But every time I achieved perfect scores or good grades, they weren't enough for them, so I strived harder. I kept wanting validation, but whenever they weren't proud, I felt disappointed in myself too. Am I really enough? Should I keep moving on? Would that be worth it? Yes! Hindi pa naman 'yan yung pinakamalala so why should I stop? I have dreams to pursue to make them proud.