It has been ten months since Francine started at West Bridge Academy, and she has made a lot of wonderful memories! Not to mention her fondness for Andrea, who made her first few months a living hell, but now, she likes her more than ever.
Today is the day where the students will be receiving the awards they earned for the year. It's Recognition Day.
"Miss rank two," Andrea sits beside her, "You—okay ka lang?"
Francine sighs before smiling, "Okay lang po, ikaw?"
Andrea shrugs, "I'm okay if you're okay," She said, "Anyways, here ..."
Francine scans the yellow envelope, she opens it, "March—ohhh ..."
"You are invited." Andrea smiles, "Don't be late."
Francine nods, "Naka alphabetical tayo, bumalik ka na sa assigned seat mo."
"Pinapa-alis mo na ako?!"
"Oo kasi andito na si Mr. Dizon." Francine smiled at the guy, who was waiting patiently for Andrea to go, "Usap tayo mamaya?"
"Fine."
Andrea then leaves, the guy immediately sits down beside her. They just exchanged small smiles. They barely knew each other since they weren't in the same section.
"The name's Xel," He introduced, "You are Francine Diaz right?"
"Yup."
Xel scoffs, "Wow ..." He examines her, "Congratulations on surviving."
"Thanks," Francine looks at her brochure again, "I survived because I studied."
"Not that one Ms. Diaz."
Francine closes the brochure, "Eto nanaman tayo." She mumbles.
"About Ms. Gorostiza—"
"She's got an attitude, but I can manage." Francine cuts him off, "No, she's not a 'demon'." She quoted, "She is actually an angel."
"O-Okay ..."
"We good? We good." Francine then ignores him.
The event starts a little later, and everything is going as stated in the programme flow. Although the students are seated alphabetically, they were called by their ranks, starting from the lowest to highest of their respective year level and programme.
"Rank twenty-eight," Ma'am Elliott Lewis, the current school principal, adjusts her reading glasses, "Mr. Max Martinez."
Everyone clapped, but Francine outdid them. Max receives his certificate, he gets off the stage, and the next student is called. Francine readies her hand as she wants to clap the loudest when her other friends are called.
"Rank twenty-seven, Ms. Anna Flores."
"Rank twenty-five, Mr. Louise Abuel."
"Rank twenty, Mr. Tristan Canencia."
"Rank eighteen, Ms. Christine Joy de Guzman."
"Rank fifteen, Ms. Jessica Chua."
"Rank thirteen, Ms. Isabela Maria Borres."
Suddenly ma'am Lewis steps down at the podium, and a pretty young woman replaces her, everyone's eyes are on her.
"I'm Jennifer West," She introduced herself, the heir of the academy, "I will be announcing the top ten."
"Rank ten, Ms. Criza Taa."
"Rank seven, Mr. Seth Yancy Fedelin."
"Rank five, Mr. Kyle John Ecchari."
"Rank two," Ma'am West looks at them, "Ms. Francine Carrel Diaz."
Francine stands up awkwardly and immediately makes her way to the stage. The applause of her classmates was a bit much, she couldn't hear what ma'am West was saying to her. So, Francine just kept on smiling as she received her certificate and silver medal. She stepped down and waited for someone on the side.
"And our rank one," Ma'am West grins, and Francine swears that almost all of their male classmates melted, "Ms. Andrea Gorostiza."
Andrea stands up and walks to the stage with pride. Francine was cheering along with her classmates. When Andrea was about to step down, Francine offered her hand, and the latter accepted it.
"Top one," Andrea flexes her gold medal, "Ah~ baka mas lalo kang ma-inlove sa'kin niyan."
Francine smiles, "Tatalunin kita next year."
"I'd like to see you try, again."
~
Andrea hugs her parents as soon as the event ends. She takes a glance at Francine, who was busy talking to her parents.
Mrs. Gorostiza hugs her daughter, "We are so proud of you anak." She then gives her a bouquet of roses.
"Let's celebrate!" Mr. Gorostiza grins, "Saan mo gusto kumain 'nak?"
Andrea was about to answer when she saw Francine approaching them with a bouquet of sunflowers. She started to get nervous.
"H-Hello po," Francine greets them, she looks quite awkward, cute, "Blythe ..." She hands the bouquet.
"Ah~" Mr. Gorostiza smiles at her, "Long time no see!"
"Na busy lang po sa ... finals, sir."
"It paid off," Mr. Gorostiza chuckles, "My, this is Ms. Diaz—"
"Francine nalang po."
Mr. Gorostiza smiles at her, "Francine, kasama ng princess natin mag volunteer sa hospital."
"I've seen you once when I was visiting," Mrs. Gorostiza extends her hand, "Nice to formally meet you."
"Me too po—" Francine clears her throat, "Nice to formally meet you din po, ma'am."
Andrea prevents herself from laughing, a nervous Francine is way too cute! But why is she conversing with them in the first place?
"Francine." Mr. Gorostiza calls, "We'll be celebrating Blythe's accomplishment today," He said, "Join us?"
"Plus, we owe you and your family for taking care of our princess on Christmas break." Mrs. Gorostiza smiles, "Please?"
"S-Sige po," Francine smiles, "Pwede po bang magtanong? Sa'n po tayo?"
"le lien de l'est." Mr. Gorostiza said with a funny accent, "Ang sosyal pakinggan at ng presyo pero worth it."
Francie then excuses herself to talk to her parents. Andrea then looks for her friends as well. After a few talks and taking pictures with the others, they made their way to the fancy restaurant.
"Dad, baka po sobra namang mahal dito." Andrea tugs his father's coat, "Sa iba nalang po tayo."
Mr. Gorostiza laughs, "We can afford to eat here, relax." He reassured.
A valet greets them as they get out of the car. They immediately fall in line with the other guests. When they were finally attended, they are escorted to a bigger table as they requested. After a few minutes, the Diaz's joins them.
Their parents formally met, and it's visible that Andrea and Francine were very nervous. They couldn't even look at each other's eyes! After ordering, their parents were talking about random things, and they just stayed silent.
"Pinag-papawisan ka hija," Mrs. Diaz looks at her, "Mainit ba masyado?"
Andrea immediately grabs her handkerchief and wipes her forehead, "H-Hindi po ..."
"Okay ka lang?" Francine asks her, "Pwede tayong mag request na palakasan ang AC ..."
Andrea lightly kicks Francine's shin, she doesn't want to embarrass herself anymore, "Okay lang talaga ako Chin ..."
Francine slowly stands up, "Excuse me po muna," She steals a glance at Andrea, "I'll freshen up po ..."
"C-Chin sama ako."
With that, they slowly made their way to the lavatory while maintaining their distance away from each other. Andrea doesn't know where the lavatory is, so she just follows Francine around the restaurant, and when they got in, they were still silent.
Andrea washes her hands, "Carrel ..."
Francine raises her hand a little, signalling for her to wait. Andrea then dries her hand as the last lady exits the lavatory, she felt Francine's head resting on her back.
"Kinakabahan ako sobraaa~" Francine rests her head on the latter's shoulder, "I need to be ready in the future."
"For?" Andrea leans into the sink, "Sasagutin ba kita?" She teases but when the latter pouts, she regrets it, "Eto naman, 'di mabiro ..." She approaches her, "Ang putla mo."
"Kasi nga kinakabahan ako."
Andrea grabs her lipstick, "Lapit."
"Bakit?" Francine raises a brow, "Saglit, baka dark naman 'yan."
Andrea pulls her close and applies the lipstick on the latter's lip, "Smack," She orders, "Okay, good."
Francine continues to stare at her. Why is she staring? Then suddenly, her heart was beating fast. Andrea tries to pull away, but why are their faces getting even more closer?
The door suddenly swings open, the two jolts in surprise. Andrea immediately walks out as she needs to calm herself down. When she sat back down at their spot, they're already eating.
Andrea doesn't know much about French cuisine, but this Tournedos Henri IV looks good! She takes a quick picture of it before taking a bite, and it was very appetizing.
Francine comes back, "Masarap?" She asks quietly.
"Oo." Andrea nods, "Kain na~"
Francine takes a bite of the dish she ordered, the change in her expression shows that she likes it, "The best!"
"Ano pala 'yan?"
"Boeuf Bourguignon?" Francine answers, "'Di 'ko sure if tama ba pronunciation ko." She chuckles.
The rest of the night went smoothly, and now it's time to go home. Both families went their separate ways.
"I like them," Mrs. Gorostiza breaks the silence, "They are very friendly."
"Right?" Mr. Gorostiza agrees, "Let's meet with them again sooner or later."
~
Andrea's birthday has come, and everyone has dressed accordingly to the theme. All of them looked classy. Seth was playing bottle flips with Kyle while waiting for the programme to start.
"Pare," Seth calls, "Close na kayo masyado ni Francine ah~"
Kyle laughs, "Bawal?"
"Nililigawan mo no?" Seth teases, "Ang galing ko talagang wingman!"
Kyle punches him in the arm lightly, "We are just friends," He answers, "Close friends."
"Baka magulat nalang ako isang araw na mag jowa na kayo," Seth smirks, "Ikaw ha~"
"'Di nga," Kyle shakes his head, "Friends are friends—"
"I like someone."
Kyle immediately looks at him, "Sino?"
Seth grins, "Secret~"
"Hay nako," Kyle sighs, "Pag ako namatay ng dahil lang 'di mo sinabi sikreto mo, mumultuhin kita."
"Wala namang ganyanan!" Seth pushes him lightly, "Traydor ka talaga minsan—"
Kyle shoves a muffin on the latter's mouth, "Oh, tahimik na."
"'Sup boys," Louise sits in front of them, "Ang ingay niyo."
Tristan shrugs, "Lovers quarrel."
"Kanina pa 'yan sila actually," Nathaniel massages his temples, "Ba't ba kasi dito ako nilagaaaay~"
"Dude, leave." Max said, "You're free to go."
Nathaniel stayed, and they all chatted for a while. Seth looks around, Francine was nowhere to be found, and that was weird since she is always such an early bird when there's an event related to Andrea.
"Sino ba 'yang hinahanap mo?" Kyle starts to look around as well.
"Francine."
Kyle gasps, "May gusto ka kay Francine?" He whispers, "Ikaw ha~"
"Kung ano-ano iniisip mo," Seth scoffs, "Siya nalang kasi absent."
"Baka na traffic," Kyle's phone rings, he grins, "Saglit lang."
As Kyle leaves for a while, Seth can't help but think that his best friend is hiding something from him. When the latter came back, he was with Francine. The event started.
"Good evening ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between." The emcee greeted.
Seth scoots a little closer to his best friend as the emcee talks, "Sinundo mo pala si Francine ha~"
"Nakasalubong ko lang siya sa labas." Kyle replied, "And again, friends nga lang kami."
Seth just shakes his head, "Pang ilan ka?" He changes the subject, referring to their turn for the dance.
"Sixteenth, tapos ikaw sunod then last si Nathaniel." Kyle answers, "Tristan thirteenth, Max fourteenth, Louise fifteenth." He explained furthermore.
Seth looks at Nathaniel, who probably has already read his mind, "Pleaseee~"
"Nope."
"Sige na~"
"No, and that is final."
Seth slumps in his seat, defeated. Later on, the emcee welcomes Andrea, and he swears that his heart skipped a beat once again upon seeing her.
~
One hour earlier ...
"Pahingi po ako ng tubig." Andrea doesn't want to get dehydrated on her big day.
The latter's eyes were closed since the make-up artist is still not yet done on her eyelids. Seconds later, she felt a straw on her mouth so she immediately took a sip.
"Uhaw na uhaw?"
Andrea coughs, she opens her eyes and sees Francine smiling at her, "Why are you here?" She asks, taking a quick look at the latter's beautiful dress.
"Nakita ako ni tita kaya pinapasok niya ako." Francine answers, "Samahan daw muna kita kasi may kakausapin silang guests ni tito."
"Wow~" Andrea smirks, "Ranking up with my mom and dad ha?"
Francine shrugs, "Finish up." She said, "I'll wait here."
Present time ...
Andrea had a great time talking to Francine earlier. She always makes her feel at ease. The emcee is doing a great job at her party. Everyone's laughing.
"Lovely ladies, please step up with your candles."
The first one to give her a message was her eldest sister, it has been a year since she last saw her. The next one was her other sister, then her favourite girl cousins and finally, her friends.
Criza gave her a 'smarty' message, Bea and Jessica gave her a cute message, Christine gave her a bunch of moral lessons, Isabela gave her the funniest message ever, then Anna put a lot of 'love' related to her message.
Francine steps up with an awkward wave, "Hi ..." It's finally her turn, "So ... Blythe ..."
Andrea knows the latter is nervous, "It's okay, relax." She mouthed.
Francine nods, "You are one of the most wonderful human being I have ever met, and I am so glad that we are part of each other's lives." She started, "I never told you this, but I always like seeing you smile, so I do hope you always think of the reasons that make you happy." She said, "Let's study harder and achieve all of our dreams. I'll always be by your side." She smiles, "Happy eighteenth Blythe."
The crowd applauds. Andrea then stands up to give her a quick hug. She went back to her seat as her mom gave a speech, mostly her expectations of her in the future.
A little later, there was a dance performance by her cousins, hinting that the eighteen roses are next. When the intermission is over, the selected gentlemen fall in line.
Mr. Gorostiza approaches her daughter when the music starts, he gives a rose then offers his hand, "May father and daughter dance na talaga tayo." He said as they start to dance.
Andrea chuckles, "Finally," She teased, "Thank you po ulit sa inyo ni mom."
"You're always welcome our princess." Mr. Gorostiza smiles as he twirls her, "Let's talk later."
"Po?"
"Nathaniel, your last dance." Mr. Gorostiza then lets go of her daughter's hand, "Enjoy the rest of the dance anak."
After her father kissed her forehead, the next one to dance with her is her brother, who just arrived yesterday. They were a little awkward, but they managed to dance well.
The rest of Andrea's favourite male cousins dance with her briefly, followed by the boys: Tristan, Max, and Louise were very goofy dancers. Kyle was such a talker, he was kinda loud.
Seth hands her the seventeenth rose and bows dramatically making her and everyone in the room laugh, "Ang busy mo ngayon ah."
"Star of the night," Andrea shrugs, "May pinopormahan ka no?"
"H-Ha?"
"Ali," Andrea looks at him, "Ang tapang ng pabango mo ngayon, edi may pinopormahan ka, easy."
"G-Gano'n ba?" Seth chuckles nervously, "Halatang-halata pala."
"Sino?" Andrea asks, she's curious, "Tulungan kita."
"Sasabihin ko sa tamang panahon binibini," Seth then kisses her hand, "Happy eighteenth Ali."
When Seth leaves, everyone cheers loudly as Nathaniel approaches her. He looks extra dashing tonight, probably wanting to steal the spotlight.
"Parang ikaw ang nag debut," Andrea lightly punches his chest, "Kakaiba suot mo, kahit nga si dad at kuya natalbugan mo."
"Well, 'di ko kasalanan na gwapo ako." Nathaniel grins, "At ako kaya ang last dance, I deserve an accented gold tux!"
"Oo na," Andrea dramatically sighs, "Ayaw magpatalo."
"Blythe," Nathaniel's tone changes, "Alam mo bang gusto ni Seth na siya ang last dance mo?"
"Bakit daw?"
"Hindi pa ba obvious?" Nathaniel raises his brow, "Kung 'di mo pa ma gets ang signs, manhid queen ka na."
The song comes to an end. Andrea and Nathaniel share a quick hug before he escorts her back to the big chair on the stage.
~
"Chin," Isabela calls, "Gusto mo pa ng cake?"
Francine raises a brow, her best friend is acting weird, and she exactly knows why, "Kumain ka." She sighs, "Screw diet, screw boys."
"May mga jowa iba diyan," Criza intervenes, "Yung iba strict ang parents, yung iba 'study first', and yung iba confused."
"Alam na alam ah~" Christine teased, "Based on experience 'yaaaaan?"
"Mang aasar ka pa o kukunin ko 'yang cake mo?"
"Eto naman 'di mabiro." Christine pouts and covers her cake.
"Sino ba bet mo diyan?" Anna asks, "Baka single, tulungan ka pa ni Criza." She teased, the said girl pinched her in the arm, "Woy ang sakit!"
Criza just sneers, "Honestly, may mga single pero F boy so hanapan nalang kita sa school or sa Greenville."
"I could help," Sofia chimes, "Marami akong cool friends na magiging ka vibe mo for sure."
"Huwag na," Isabela sighs, "Okay na ako."
The six girls continue to argue, Francine takes this chance to exit the room. She wanders through the hallway only to find the guy she's very suspicious of lately.
"Oh—" Seth smiles upon seeing her, "Tapos ka na kumain?"
Francine nods, "Anong ginagawa mo dito?"
"Naiingayan na kasi ako kanila Nath eh," Seth chuckles, "Francine?"
"Hm?"
"Friends tayo diba?" Seth asks and she nods, "May sasabihin ako, secret natin 'to ha?"
"Sige, ano ba 'yon?"
"I like someone."
Francine sighs deeply, "S-Sino?"
"Blythe." Seth answers her immediately, "Five years na kaming magkakilala at sa mga panahon na 'yon 'di ko maintindihan kung bakit overprotective ako sa kanya ..."
Francine couldn't hear the other words Seth has been saying. All this time, she believed that the latter's goofiness and clinginess around Andrea were just his natural antics.
"So?" Seth snaps her out of thoughts, "Hindi ka naman nakikinig eh~"
"S-Sorry."
"Anyways, kung ready na ako, sasabihin ko na sa kanya." Seth pats her shoulder, "Wish me luck."
"Good ... luck ..."
When Seth leaves, Francine leans on the wall to comprehend the sudden confession. How could she even compete with the five years of friendship that the two have?
"Chin?" Kyle calls, "Chin, okay ka lang?" He asks as he comes close.
"Oo."
Kyle copies her position, "You can tell me what's bothering you," He said, "I'll listen to it all."
Francine thinks of some ways to make it subtle, "Yung friend ko kasi, may gusto siya sa kaibigan niya tapos yung kaibigan ng kaibigan niya is may gusto din sa kaibigan niya," She crosses her arms, "Na gets mo pa?"
Kyle sighs deeply, he crosses his arms as well, "Ang gulo mo pero sige," He pauses for a while, "Kung gusto niyo ni Seth si Blythe, then may the best rival win."
Francine bushed, "W-Woy anong kami ni Seth?!" She panics, "Huwag ka ngang ganyan ..."
"Example lang, huwag masyadong pahalata." Kyle laughs, "Pero seryoso, Blythe will decide kung sino sa inyo dalawa pipiliin niya OR none of the above."
~
Andrea starts to walk away, she was searching for Francine earlier to have a little chat, and that's what she sees? Is Kyle trying to make a move on Francine? Come to think of it, they're always talking and teasing each other at the academy.
When Andrea got back in the room, she went from table to table once again to see how their guests were doing. It is the only thing to clear her head right now.
"Chin!"
Andrea immediately looks back, Francine and Kyle were walking together towards the girls' table. Curious about what's the fuss, Andrea made her way towards there.
"Birthday girl!" Jessica stands up to hug her, "Birthday girl~"
Andrea tries to free herself from the hug, "Hindi na ako makahinga!"
Jessica continues to hug her until Francine breaks it and makes Andrea sit down. The girls continue to tease each other. Kyle was beyond amused by this to the point that he joins the teasing.
Andrea holds Francine's hand on her shoulder, she suddenly feels at ease. When the programme resumes, Kyle escorts Andrea on the stage.
"Hey, birthday girl." Kyle whispers, "Chin ... up, it's your day."
Andrea just smiles and hugs him before sitting down on the big chair. After a ton of games and pictures, the programme has finally come to an end.
"Tito, tita." Nathaniel greets them, "Mauna na po kami."
"Ah—hijo," Mr. Gorostiza pats his shoulder, "Can we talk?"
Nathaniel was confused, so he looks at Andrea for help. She mouthed 'last dance', he gave a reassuring smile before following the latter's father somewhere private.
Andrea searches for Francine throughout the leaving crowd, but she finds Seth approaching her instead.
"Birthday girl," Seth smiles, "Nakita mo si Nathaniel?"
"Kinausap ni dad," Andrea pointed at the end of the room, "Tungkol sa last dance—"
"Blythe!" Nathaniel shouted surprising them both, "Uwi na kami ha?" He then grabs Seth away from her.
All Andrea could do is shake her head. Nathaniel feels more like a brother to her than her real brother. Her phone rings.
"Hello~"
Andrea smiles, "Pauwi na kayo?"
"On your right."
Andrea looks on her right, she ends the call, "'Di ka pa uuwi?" She asks as she approaches her.
Francine shakes her head, she pats the chair beside her, "Na traffic pa si kuya."
"Kuya who?" Andrea raises a brow, "Kuya na kuya mo or si kuya driver?"
Francine laughs, "Kuya driver," She answers, "Gusto mo na ako paalisin?"
"It's almost midnight Chinderella." Andrea teases, she grabs the latter's hand, "Strict pa naman parents mo."
Francine laughs, "Mas strict parents mo—" Her smile suddenly fades, she suddenly stands up, "H-Hello po tita, bless po."
Mrs. Gorostiza smiles, "Ipapahatid ka nalang ba namin hija?"
"Mommy, huwag na po." Andrea intervenes, "Na traffic lang po sundo ni Chin."
"Ah sige, huwag mong iwan si Chin 'nak ha?"
"Of course po, 'di ko siya iiwan." Andrea said making Francine blush, when her mom left, she takes the latter's hand, "Tambay ka muna sa room namin ni ate Kay," She said as they exit the room, "Bihis muna ako tapos samahan kita sa baba."
Francine nods. Andrea sensed something was off but decided to stay quiet. They also took a lot of photos along the way, some to post and some to cherish.
"Oh—" Kayla Aan, Andrea's sister, was surprised to see them as she was about to get out, "Francine Diaz, right?"
"Opo."
Kayla grins, "Come in!" She heads back in, "Bihis na Blythe!" She pushes her sister away.
"Eto na, eto na pooo~"
~
Francine was nervous, her now sweaty hands could fill a bottle of water! She thought that meeting the parents was scary, but she's wrong. It's the siblings.
"Ms. Diaz," Kayla calls as she stands up, "Baka nauuhaw ka na, water?"
Francine carefully gets the glass, "Thank you po." She takes a quick sip, "Francine nalang po."
Kayla smiles, "Same section kayo right?" She asked and the latter nodded, "Saan ka mag ka-college?"
"Hindi ko pa po alam," Francine answers truthfully, "Pero handa na po application letters ko."
Kayla nods, "So ..." She crosses her legs, "Okay lang si Blythe sa school?"
"Opo—"
"Hindi sa academics, I know she's great at that." Kayla sighs, "What I mean is her wellbeing, okay ba siya?"
Francine smiles, "Okay lang naman po." She might not know what Andrea really feels deep inside, but as what she sees, the latter is happy.
"Chin!" Andrea yells surprising the two, "Hali ka na!"
"Ay, saglit lang naman." Kayla stops her younger sister, "'Di pa kami tapos mag usap, diba Francine?"
Francine looks at Kayla before looking at Andrea, "Opo ..." She smiles, "Upo ka muna?" She said but then Andrea gave her that look, the type you can't resist, "Ah—baba na po kami, yung sundo ko po ..."
After a few more talks, mainly Andrea and Kayla arguing, they finally went down. The mood lightens, Francine nudges Andrea.
"Ano ba," Andrea nudges her back, "Okay ka lang?"
"Oo naman."
"Sure?" Andrea asks, "Ang tahimik mo kanina eh." She sticks her hand out, "Wanna talk about it?"
Francine takes the latter's hand, "Not now, it's still your day." She smiles, "Okay lang na mag elevator tayo?"
"Sure," Andrea presses the button, "Kasama naman kita."
"Ayan na!"
Andrea panics, "Bakit?!"
Francine grins, "Kinikilig ako." She said and the latter lightly pushes her, "Dito ka lang, hawakan mo ulit kamay ko."
"Clingy." Andrea scoffs as she holds Francine's hand, "Nga pala, free ka next next week?"
"Yes po, staycation kami ngayon kasi busy sila mama at papa." Francine answers, "Bakit?"
"Remember last Halloween? Yung party." Andrea asks and the latter nodded, "Since thankful si Nath sa tulong natin lahat, gusto niya tayong i-invite sa Narra Glamp."
"Narra Glamp?!" Francine gasps, "Wait—ang sosyal doon diba?" She asks, "Malayo, 'di ako sure kung papayagan ako." She said, "Chinderella, remember?"
"I got you."