FIRST AND ONLY

CHAPTER VIII

When good things happen and they happen with the person you happen to like, you want events like this to have a replay, our heads are like the DVD Player of our lives, we replay moments we want to see,skip the awful parts and then press the STOP button for reality.

I reached our place. I gave mom a hug when I saw her in the kitchen.

“Ohhh,someone had a good day.” Mom told me.

“What’s for Dinner?” I asked with a smile.

“You’ll love it,go change first and then we’ll have dinner altogether.” Mom said.

I went to change for my pambahay, I walk passed Noy’s room,no one was there. He never joined family dinner, he would most of the time go home by morning. I hope I could tell Noy how happy I am today,I hope I could have that one-on-one-brother talk to him once again.

I was so talkative tonight, I would tell Mom and dad what happened today, funny jokes and all the most random things. I just don’t wanna stop talking… I don’t wanna stop being happy.

I was in my room,I logged into Facebook and checked my notifications.

Me and Gaile are now Facebook friends, let the stalking begin, I told myself.

I saw her relationship stat and smiled, I remembered how I overreacted.

I checked her status which says:

“Thank you for the heartbreak.”

Girls are so playful with their statuses, it’s always a guessing game whether it’s really what they are currently feeling or it’s a lyric from a song or a line from a movie. You always have to guess and your guess will always be wrong. I’m guessing someone broke her heart…in that case, I hope Im wrong because knowing her for a few days and seeing how amazing she is..she deserves so much more than a broken heart.

I checked my phone and realized Gaile hasn’t replied to my last text eversince I fetch her home tonight. Maybe she ran out of credit load or something. I am sleepy already,so I texted her my goodnight message:

“Hey, I hope you’re doing fine. I’m sleepy,have a goodnight and sweetest dreams to you Gaile.” J

…………

I woke up the usual way, went to school. I texted Gaile and still didn’t get a reply.

I don’t wanna overreact again but how can a girl you like be with you and seem to be happy by your company act like it was nothing the next day? Is it normal?I don’t think so.

It was Art class, I feel like ditching class.

We have this random sitting arrangement in Art class, I was seated next to Veronica, it’s a miracle she has not started talking to me yet.

“Do we all of a sudden have winter in the Philippines?” I asked.

“Huh?” She asked looking blank about my statement.

“Why are you treating me so cold?” I asked.

“HA-HA. So you do pick up lines now?You suck at it. Me? Cold? Naaah, I just thought you were right.” She said.

“Right about?”

“Right about…maybe you don’t notice me because I give you too much attention. I mean look, I stopped talking to you and then you suddenly started talking to me. It’s weird how you analyze things but maybe you’re right. Too bad, I should’ve realized this pretty soon,maybe yo must’ve liked me now.” She jokingly said.

I noticed she was wearing lesser shade of lipstick, it’s better that way. I noticed her hair is laid back today and has this tiny little highlights near her ears.

“You actually look good today…nice hairstyle,those little highlights compliment your face.”I told her.

I don’t know whether it’s her blush on that made her cheeks pink or she’s really blushing.

“Stop it Atienza… I’m starting to move on here.Oh those highlights were there since we were sophomores,how can you not notice that?Guess I was really that unnoticeable to you.” She smiled. “But if she doesn’t love you back…. You know you can always have me.” She winked.

I totally knew what she was talking about.  “I’ll remember that.” I smiled and turned to do the activities for art class.

I checked my phone and still no text from Gaile.

I’m starting to be really worried.

I went to Pau and asked if he could text Jess and check if Gaile is alright.

“Gaile didn’t attend classes today.” Pau told me.

“WHY?WHAT HAPPENED?” I asked.

“I think he should know…” Anthony said.

WHAT THE HECK. “I think he should know…” is a very scary sentence,I swear.

“TELL ME!!!” I begged.

“Dre,I was talking to Jess last night and she’d told me about Gaile feeling extremely sick last night…..” Pau said.

“She was sick?!But I fetched her home last night,she seemed to be okay.” I added.

”It’s not a matter of sick-sick,something aches in her…the worse ache you could ever have…heartache.” Pau added, I’m trying to understand though.

“You see,last night, Gaile discovered that her ex boyfriend Lance has a girlfriend already.” Pau continued.

“Lance was Gaile’s one great love you know, they’ve been together for three years. They broke up months ago but you can still see Gaile’s relationship stat is still the same.”

I was moved by the story. There were parts that broke my heart, discovering why she’s sad is heartbreaking, it must be hard for her, losing her one great love, it hurts me too how I call that Lance her one great love. I knew from then why we met, we met so that she can be happy once again, I would fix the pieces that Lance broke, her heart would be taken care of again, I promised to myself.I believe we don’t just meet people by accident, there are little purposes hidden on being in a person’s life, and I think my purpose is to take away that pain she’s experiencing today.