Special Dedication
To my friends, Edna, Jhanmyl, Telde,
who once told me, “It’s a waste not to tell that story.” Thank you for seeing the weight and wonder of it when I was still afraid to speak.
To my students, Arki, Sabel, Junjun, Imay, Sam, and Chuchay, who brought these characters to life onstage, and unknowingly whispered to me: “Immortalize us.”
To my family,
and my quiet hope that one day you’ll see me not as the broken sibling or son,
but as someone who’s simply tired of trying… and still trying anyway.
To myself,
the child, the teen, the grown-up,
who poured every shattered piece into this story so it wouldn’t be heavy to carry anymore.
To someone, somewhere, who will pick this up one day.
To the ones who were never chosen.
To the ones who were always left out.
To the ones who had to walk three steps behind the friend group.
To the ones who lost someone without closure.
To you,
who live inside your own bubble of silence and survival.
To life.
To grief.
To pain.
And to the beautiful, unbearable miracle of being human.
Before you finish reading,
This story isn’t mine anymore.
It’s now yours, too.
You can do anything you want with it,
tuck it away, reread it endlessly, pass it on,
or simply let it live somewhere in the back of your mind.
But before you stop reading,
I ask just one thing:
Please, listen.
YOU ARE READING
Strings of Fate: The First Loop
RomanceBetty never expected to fall for James, the school's infamous bad boy with a crooked smile and a past he rarely talks about. She writes poetry in secret; he breaks hearts without meaning to. But when their worlds collide, something clicks. Suddenly...
