Red Strings

03

"Oh, tapos? Ano ng mangyayari ngayon?"

"Hindi ko alam, hindi ko naman pinipilit si Topher noh." Sambit ko. I didn't lie though, there's a lot of reasons, baka busy siya maghanap ng school para sa Senior High o baka tulad nga ng inakala ko nun baka guilty parin siya hanggang ngayon. Hindi ko naman siya pwedeng tawagan ng una dahil wala akong number niya at matagal pa bago kami makabalik sa batangas.

"Hala ka, baka ghinost ka niyan ah! Paasa naman dun sa tatawagan ang tagal na nun Lei, asa ka pa rin don!" She teased.

Why does everyone thinks I'm still rooting for Topher. Malinaw nga na sinabi ko pwede naman kaming magkaibigan nalang. And they should stop teasing too, I caught feelings fast.

"Sure ka niyan? Eh bakit ang in-denial mo ngayon? Tapos yung pagka-kwento mo pa kanina parang ang lungkot mo kasi wala parin yung tawag niya ngayon. Nako, Lei! Wag ako." Sambit niya at umiling-iling. Ang kulit nila!

"Hay nako, Saren. Pareho kayo ng sinasabi ni Alex,"

"It's because we're right, Lei. 'Wag mo ng i-deny! Yiee! Aamin na yan." She teased again.

I rolled my eyes. "Tsk! Hindi nga!" Sambit ko then she just laughed.

Ang hirap talaga iwan itong bulacan, kahit sa batangas ako lumaki, dito ako mas maraming nakilala and learned to socialize more. Kumbaga nandito mostly ang mga kilala ko and being away from them is hard.

Lalo at bagong school environment nanaman ang papasukan ko. Pwede naman akong magstay dito to continue my studies but I chose to go with Manila so that when I take my college there I know how everything around me works.

"Nga pala, nag-audition na ko para sa modeling and I'm just waiting for the results. Remember when we talked about our dreams here?" I said.

She smiled and nodded proudly. Ngayon tumanda na kami, sooner or later we're going to be busy with our own lives already.

"Ikaw, do you have any plans? Magwo-workshop ka na ba about baking or cooking?" I asked her, it was always her dreams.

Umiling siya. "Ayaw ni Mama, gastos lang daw sa pera." She chuckled. "Pero hayaan mo na, I will still take the TVL strand for my Senior High para makapag baking course ako sa college."

Napansin kong yumuko siya and she sounded disappointed. It is really heartbreaking knowing that you can't achieve your dreams because money will always be a key nowadays. Sarena's state is different. Hindi sila mayaman talaga and his Mom doesn't like just spending money for nonsense things more like kuripot.

"So? Ganun na lang yun, Saren? That is like giving up already." Mas lumapit ako sa kanya para akbayan sa balikat. "You shouldn't let anyone dictate you for your dreams."

"It's not like it's a big deal, Leizel. Ayos lang, pretty sure I can practice more cooking or baking while I'm under that strand o baka mas marami pa pag course na. Naalala mo nung highschool tayo, nagluluto din tayo diba, ganun lang siguro yun."

I hugged her and comforted her more that afternoon. She was really not in a good state right now. Nasabi niya rin na baka hindi rin naman siya makapag aral sa Manila dahil mahal. Pati ang pamasahe pa at ang tutuluyan niya. Before, we dreamed to study in Universities at ang sakit isipin bakit may mga bagay na hahadlang samin. Parang ako lang ang makakatupad ng pangako na yun.

We parted ways for that day at magkikita ulit bago ako bumalik ng Manila pag magsisimula na ang klase ko. Today is exactly two weeks after the audition, when I got home I immediately opened the laptop at my room to check for the email.

I read the email and I was accepted! I'm so happy, my dreams are coming true! I immediately told Mom and everyone in the house about it. By next week I'm going to Manila again! Sinulit ko na rin ang mga araw sa farm at masaya akong nandoon. Buti nga ay hindi nagtaray si Tita Michelle, naging okay na rin kami sa isa't isa.