Bullet entered the café restaurant and scanned the place. As soon as he saw the two important ladies in his life, a wide smile curved on his lips. He walked towards them and stood by the table, opening his arms wide.
"Who missed me?!"
"I did!" Namee shrieked.
"Who missed me?"
"I did!" Namee even raised her hand as she beamed at him. She then shot to her feet and threw herself towards Bullet who hugged her back while chuckling. Dara could only shake her head while watching the two goofballs. It was Saturday and it had been a week since she last visited him at his house, a week after her conversation with Jiro in the tub.
Jiro seemed to be lost in his own thoughts a lot recently – staring silently at nothing in particular as he stood in her balcony while smoking a cigarette. Oftentimes, she catches him looking at her with an unreadable expression. She knew it was about Riko and honestly, she was scared to pry on the subject.
Riko took days off at school using health problems as an excuse. It worries her that Riko tried to harm herself because of Jiro, which might also be because of her too. Her conscience wouldn't be able to bear the thought of someone ending her life because of her that was why even if it pained her, she tried to understand the situation, hoping that everything would be settled.
Dara's eyebrows were mashed together because of the troubling thoughts. She took a bite at her pizza before throwing it unceremoniously on her plate.
"Stop frowning at the poor pizza. You're hurting its feelings", Bullet remarked and pinched her nose lightly, startling her. "Hey munchkin", he drawled and winked at her. Dara laughed at his flirty display and watched as he sat across Namee and her on the table.
"So! What's new? And no, I don't want to hear about your Jiro", he said pointedly at Dara.
"My Jiro?" Dara questioned somberly, making the two look at her.
"Trouble in paradise?" Namee asked.
"Hey, hey, hey. No talking about that guy. Have respect on the food in front of us", Bullet said dramatically, disgust written on his face. "Say sorry to the pizza."
"Sorry pizza", the two girls said obediently.
"Good. Now, let me try this again. What's up?"
"I'm pregnant!" Namee blurted out and giggled while covering her mouth.
"That's good news!" Bullet exclaimed, ignoring Dara's shocked gasp. Her eyes widened in an impossibly huge size while gawking at her friend. She knew Namee was crazy, but not THAT crazy! How could she be so reckless? How could she have let this happen?! They're only in their third year of college, for Pete's sake!
"Who's the father?" Bullet asked excitedly while Dara gasped once again. Why is the idiot not even slightly dumbfounded by Namee's revelation?
"He's a third year student like us! And he's from the Black Dragons!"
"Hmm... There are a lot of third years in Black Dragons but the ones you had interaction with are Bonsai and Picaro. So, it's Picaro?"
"Yes!"
"Wow! That's cool"
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Dara exclaimed in exasperation, but the two just kept on going.
"So, what are your plans now?" Bullet asked while grinning.
"Oh, it's simple. I don't want to live in the Rostelli mansion and I'm quite attached to Little China Town so we need to have a house there. With a garden of course!"
A house? A garden? Dara is slowly losing her mind as she stared incredulously at her friend. She wants to cry, or slap Namee back to her sanity, or yell. She might also want to hit Bullet's head in the process. And yell some more.
What is wrong with them? Pregnant? Namee is pregnant?
"Now, now. You're forgetting a very important thing", Bullet wagged his forefinger at Namee. "I need to talk to the young lad first, yeah?"
"Oh! Of course", Namee smiled. "But don't be too harsh on him. He's the father of my child after all."
"NAMEE!" Dara pounded the table, startling her two friends and possibly the other customers. But embarrassing herself was the least of her worries.
She stared at Namee's stunned face, her eyes bulging in panic. "How can you be pregnant?" She whispered in a shaky voice. "This can't be happening! Oh my God! What will you do now? Have you talked to Picaro? Are you okay? Have you been to the doctor? ANSWER ME!"
"I'm not pregnant, silly", Namee said with a deadpan expression. Dara looked at her and shifted her gaze to Bullet who nonchalantly grabbed a slice of pizza.
"You're not?" Dara breathed out the question as she gazed at Namee once again.
"Of course not", Namee assured her.
"It was just a joke. Seriously, munchkin, keep up with the conversation, will you?" Bullet said while smiling at her.
W-What?
The two chuckled while eyeing her stunned face.
"You really thought that was true?" Bullet asked in amusement.
"I was just kidding, Dara. Don't you know me by now?" Namee explained in between chuckles.
The whole conversation is a joke? She twitched her lips in annoyance and glared at Bullet and Namee. The urge to murder the two was strong. "That is not funny!" She hissed.
"Yes it was! You should've seen your face. Damn, it was epic!" Namee teased. "This can't be happening! Oh my God!" She screeched in a high-pitched voice, mimicking Dara. "Hulk smash!" She pounded the table just like what Dara did earlier.
"Very cute", Dara mumbled.
"Anyway, Picaro and I are starting to date", Namee announced.
Dara would have been elated with the news but she was still scarred with the pregnancy prank. "Great. Why don't you two start making babies?" She said.
"Oh, we will. Hey now, cheer up", Namee cooed. "Bullet and I didn't plan to prank you. I just blurted it out as a joke and Bullet played along."
Bullet chuckled and high-fived with Namee. They are made in a frightening part of heaven, these two.
"I was really scared and worried for you", Dara murmured. "And you! How dare you?!" She snarled at Bullet, who raised both his hands in surrender while grinning at her. "So, anyway. You and Picaro are going out? Are you two a couple now?"
"I'm sure we'll get there", Namee said happily. "We're dating and we will just see how it goes. Just like you and Jiro."
"Hey", Bullet complained at the mention of Jiros' name. "Language, woman. I'm deeply hurt."
"Sorry. You know we both love you, right?" Namee reached for his cheek and patted it gently. "Are you okay now?"
He rolled his eyes at her and leaned back on his seat. "Of course. I'm a man!" He growled and pounded his chest. He then shifted his gaze at Dara and smiled genuinely.
"Good", Namee mumbled. "Good", she repeated, and Dara knew Namee was greatly relieved. She was too. Bullet was back with them and despite his feelings for her, he didn't let it ruin what the three of them have. He was indeed a strong guy, just like she thought.
***
"Okay, it's not as pathetic as it sounds", Bonsai reasoned while standing in front of their leader as they hung out at their turf. His Mohawk hairstyle, which was an additional source of his height, was not standing proudly unlike before.
"It's far more pathetic than it sounds", Picaro interjected, ignoring the short man's glare. Clearly, Bonsai was not too ecstatic that he was not letting him tell the fabricated story he practiced a while ago to save his manly ego.
"Are you not going to shut up?" Bonsai said in a threatening tone.
Picaro exhaled wearily and shoved his hands in his pockets, deciding that it would be best to just explain later after Bonsai spits out the garbage of a story that he made up and that no one was going to believe anyway.
Just as what their leader instructed them to do, Picaro and Bonsai tailed the student who recently received the X mark in his locker. But they were a bit late when the student and his gang mates were attacked in an alley near InterSAT's east gate. The masked attackers fled when they saw them, and Bonsai ran after one of the masked attackers while Picaro helped the victims. The moment Bonsai was left alone without Picaro's supervision was the time when everything went wrong.
"What happened to you?" Jiro frowned in confusion and studied Bonsa's sorry state – bruised face, wounds and cuts in his arms, messed up and torn shirt. "You said you chased one of the attackers. Did you get beaten up?"
"I didn't get beaten up!" Bonsai exclaimed, absolutely mortified that their leader would utter such incredulity.
"Then what the fuck happened to you? You look like shit", Jiro asked again.
"The culprit ran in the...zoo. So I followed him. Then...then... I was chased by a... tiger."
"A tiger?"
"A zebra!"
"A....zebra", Jiro deadpanned.
"Yeah. The striped animal."
"Uh-huh."
"God", Picaro facepalmed himself, unable to stand it any longer. Bonsai is never a good liar. "Just tell him the truth and stop embarrassing yourself!"
Bonsai groaned. Picaro knew that his gang mate was disappointed that he failed the 'mission' that their leader entrusted them with. Despite being a goofball, Bonsai had a strong sense of responsibility and he felt like he failed the entire gang for letting the guy slip away in an embarrassing way.
Seeing that Bonsai had no plans of talking, Picaro explained what really happened. "The attacker that he chased went to the woods and Bonsai followed him. When I found Bonsai, he was at the bottom of a pit because he slipped and rolled to the bottom, which is why the guy got away."
"I didn't know there's a slope there!"
"Nobody's judging you, Tsai."
"I'll get him. That fucker will beg for mercy once I lay my hands on him."
"Stop being dramatic."
"Cut it out", Jiro said firmly, shutting them both. "Did you see the attacker's face?"
"I was able to tear off his mask when we struggled in the woods. He's not from our school. I think it's an outside gang", Bonsai said.
Jiro nodded and pondered for a moment. "It's possible that someone from our school is orchestrating the entire thing and coordinating with outside gangs", he mumbled.
"I think so too", Picaro said.
"Who?" Bonsai asked while looking interchangeably at the two. "Wait... It's Stone, isn't it? Among the gangs in InterSAT, he's the only one who has a grudge against us because we crushed The Claws in the gang brawl."
"That's the thing", Picaro placed his fingers on his chin, seemingly in deep thought. "He has a grudge against Black Dragons so why not go directly at us instead? He will gain nothing by increasing the number of Locker X victims", he added. "It doesn't make sense".
"There goes the fourth victim", Bonsai sighed.
"Who's going to be the fifth?" Jiro mumbled thoughtfully.
***
Picaro blinked in astonishment while standing in front of Dara, his arm being firmly gripped by Namee who was standing beside him. Dara, from the looks of it, was as stunned as he was, not to mention the other students in the hallway who were eyeing them curiously.
"You two are really dating?" Dara asked.
"Wait. What?" Picaro exclaimed in disbelief.
"Aren't we cute?" Namee beamed at her friend. Dara smiled but Namee seemed to be expecting a more spectacular reaction from her. Should she clap?
"I'm so happy for both of you", she said after a while.
"Wait. What's going on here?" Picaro asked, totally confused.
"What do you mean? Do you hate me?" Namee asked, her eyes becoming solemn.
"Huh? NO! Of course not!"
"Did you not invite me out a number of times, just the two of us? Didn't you say you enjoy hanging around with me? Didn't you kiss me when you dropped me off my house? Didn't you say I'm a special girl?"
"Y-Yes, I did. But-..."
"There you go", Namee smiled triumphantly.
"Wh-..." Picaro, for the life of him, didn't know how to react to Namee's declaration. Are they dating? The girl was sometimes too much for him to handle. She was a ball of energy and had ideas that were beyond his comprehension. Like now.
"Why do you look surprised?" Namee narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you just leading me on? Are you just testing the waters first? Are you the kind of guy who'll kiss a girl just for the heck of it? ARE YOU?"
Picaro stood in silence, his mouth hanging open in horror. What in the world had he gotten himself into? Yes, he kissed her. But that moment was asking for it! The moonlight, her smile, the slow music emanating from her house. Fuck. Are they really dating now?
He did invite her out a couple of times because she was fun to be with, but he was not thinking far ahead. Who knew Namee was already having such thoughts of them dating? Damn it, girls are scary. Bonsai was right. Bonsai was right? Oh God, the world is going to end!
Dara watched as color drained from Picaro's face. She was almost feeling sorry for him, but the combination of the two was just too funny, so she laughed.
"Dara!" Namee whined.
"I'm sorry", she said in between chuckles. "But don't you think you two should first talk about this before you jump into conclusions, Namee?"
"What's there to talk about? He kissed me! And then he told me afterwards that I'm a special girl!"
"I did but-..." Picaro started, but Namee glared at him. He shut himself up because that was the smart thing to do when dealing with a pained woman. Fortunately, Dara was there to set her friend straight.
'Help', he mouthed at her. Dara giggled in response.
"What is this?" A whisper... And it was Bonsai's voice! Picaro was too scared to look behind him to confirm, but the shrimp suddenly popped up on his side and stared at Namee's hand which was still firmly gripping his arm. Fucking awesome. Bonsai is here to ruin him.
"What the hell is this?" Bonsai repeated in awe, his eyes bulging as if he had seen the most horrendous crime being committed in his presence. "Why are you and Cheng... Cheng and you..."
"They're dating", Dara explained.
"Fuck. Really?"
"He kissed me", Namee held her chin up while Bonsai shifted his accusing gaze at Picaro.
"You kissed her? Are you out of your fucking mind?"
"Hey!" Dara and Namee protested, but their voices were drowned by Bonsai's boisterous laugh.
"Get out, Bonsai", Picaro hissed. "We're having a conversation here."
"Oh, please do carry on. I have to see this", he said and crossed his arms over his chest while looking at the three of them.
Dara decided to just ignore the guy's amused grin and continued talking to her friend. "Anyway, as I was saying, you should have talked to Picaro first, Namee. Yes, he kissed you. But it doesn't necessarily mean you're already in any kind of relationship with him. You should have clarified first. You know better than that."
"He said I'm special..." Namee mumbled in a small voice.
"Yes, but still, you two should talk first", Dara said softly. "Don't jump into conclusions especially with this kind of thing."
"Why would you kiss Picaro? That's what I want to know", Bonsai interjected.
"Stop butting in, man", Picaro shot back.
"I like him", Namee said boldly, startling all of them.
"But Picaro is not made for girlfriend-boyfriend shit. Let me show you. Picaro, do you like Namee?"
Picaro was stunned in silence and stared at Bonsai blankly. There were a lot of thoughts simultaneously buzzing inside his head, but no words came out of his mouth.
"Uh-oh. Five seconds passed, man."
Namee slid her hand off Picaro's arm and faced him. "Sorry, I misunderstood your intention", she mumbled and abruptly walked away.
"Wait. Namee!" Picaro called out and followed her, leaving Bonsai and Dara behind.
The two looked at each other, not knowing what to say with what just happened. Bonsai lifted his arms and clasped his hands behind his head while staring at Dara.
"What about you and Jiro?" He asked.
"What about me and Jiro?" Dara asked back, confused.
"Are things clear between the two of you?"
Dara remained silent. Oddly, she wasn't able to answer that question.
***
"Hey", Dara greeted when she finally found Jiro. He was at the stairs of the Arts Building, sitting at one of the steps while staring faraway, lost in his own thoughts. He shifted his gaze at her, the stoic expression never leaving his face.
"Can't you at least pretend to be happy to see me? Like smile, for example", she said.
Jiro bared his teeth at her, possibly his attempt to smile.
"How handsome", Dara said while chuckling. She sat beside him on the stairs, letting out a deep sigh as she scanned the school ground. "What are you thinking?" She asked after a while.
"Stuff."
"Like what?"
"Graduation."
Dara nodded in response. Graduation was just around the corner. Time flew by so fast. "I heard from Picaro and Bonsai that you're one of the best among Electronics Technology students. You have nothing to worry about."
Jiro glanced at her momentarily before shifting his eyes forward once again. "I'm graduating, Ramirez. That's what worries me the most."
"Things will fall into place."
"That's not always the case", he murmured.
A comfortable silence passed between them as they watched the familiar activities of the InterSAT students. Their school was never a boring place. Not in their eyes. It was a cradle for them – a cradle for memories past; a place that bore witness to the changes between the two of them.
"How's Riko?" Dara mumbled after a while.
"Still resting", he answered quietly. "Her parents are out of the country when it happened. But they went back when they heard what Riko did. When I tried to talk to her during my visits, she's not responding. She hasn't said a word to anyone since she regained consciousness."
"I see", she nodded solemnly. "I hope she'll be alright." And she did. She sincerely hoped that Riko would be able to win over her inner demons and face life once again.
"I'll straighten things out, Ramirez."
Dara looked at him and smiled, not uttering a word. He stared at her face and lifted his hand, tucking her hair behind her ear. "How about you? How's your friend?"
"My friend? Namee?"
"I think his name is Arden Lee", he said, his expression turning sour instantly. Dara chuckled lightly before replying, "You two really hate each other, don't you? He's a nice guy, Jiro. You two should be friends."
"Right."
"I went to his house last weekend-..."
"You went to his house?" He exclaimed, his eyebrows mashed together, clearly unhappy with the piece of news he heard.
"Yes, because I wanted to check on him. We talked and we are still friends. Despite what he says, I know Bullet respects you, Jiro. And he respects my decision too."
"He still likes you", he murmured grudgingly.
"Is that jealousy I'm hearing, Ice Lord?" Dara teased, nudging his elbow. Jiro grunted in disapproval but didn't say a thing.
"By the way, Picaro and Namee are going out!" Dara exclaimed.
Jiro cocked his eyebrows in disbelief. "What did your girl do?"
"Hey!"
"No, seriously."
"It was Picaro who kissed her!" Dara defended.
"Hah. Let me guess, Cheng claimed that they're already seeing each other because he did that."
"Of course! Do you guys just kiss anyone even if you don't like them?"
"Is that a trick question?"
Dara narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Do you kiss just about any girl, Jiro?"
Jiro sighed and shook his head in exasperation. "Women", he muttered.
"Jiro!"
"Can we go back to Picaro and Cheng?"
Dara threw him a suspicious glance, a slight pout gracing her lips. "Fine", she mumbled. "They have been going out for a while. I must admit, it's a bit unclear because Picaro was shocked when Namee announced it."
"See?"
"Hah! He should be responsible for his action. Don't forget, our friend is the leader of Fire 39 gang. If Picaro is just leading her on, he will answer to Bullet!"
"Picaro is the next leader of Black Dragons. He will not bow down without a fight."
"Stop it!" Dara snarled at him and lightly hit his arm.
"What?"
"You're dragging my friend down", she complained. "Just be happy for them."
"I am. Cheng is a brave girl. I'll light a temple candle in her honor."
"You think you're funny?" Dara said, trying to stifle her smile.
"It's my strongest charm."
"Eww! It doesn't suit you, Jiro. Please go back to being stoic or I'll have nightmares of you trying to be funny", Dara said while laughing.
"Hey, I know how to tell a joke."
"No! Please, Jiro. Control yourself!"
"There are two muffins in an oven. One muffin says to the other, 'is it hot in here, or is it just me?' The other muffin says, 'AAAHHHHH!" Jiro waved his hands in the air for added effect, "A TALKING MUFFIN!"
"OH MY GOD! That is so lame!" Dara exclaimed, gasping for breath because of laughter.
"Funny, aren't I?" Jiro smiled triumphantly.
"You're not! You're so corny!" Dara said, still laughing hysterically.
Jiro stared at her - watching her happy face, listening to her voice, taking in everything. Her laughter gradually died down when she noticed the smile in Jiro's lips. She fell into silence as she stared back at him, her eyes roaming on his face.
"I like your smile", she said quietly.
"Hmm..."
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the period and the start of their respective classes. Jiro stood up and offered her his hand. Dara took it and faced him. They held each other's gazes, their smiles already gone from their lips.
"I'm hurting you, aren't I? Because of Riko", Jiro asked.
Dara's heart pounded hard as she nodded lightly.
"I tried to avoid her but-..."
"But you can't, especially when she tried to harm herself because of you", Dara finished his words. "I understand that. I know you're worried for Riko", Dara stated. "I am too. But if you look around us, time doesn't stop for anyone. That's life. Just like her, everyone is fighting their own battle. I hope she'll realize she's not alone and stand up again...on her own. I know she needs you, but you can only give her so much. Think about yourself, Jiro. Think about us."
Jiro didn't say a word as Dara walked past him. He turned around and stared at the girl's back, wondering how much more she was hiding inside.
***
"So, Dara Ramirez is your girl, huh?"
Jiro's steps halted. He slowly turned his head sidewards and saw Stone leaning on the pillar near the Black Dragon's turf, possibly waiting for him.
"Shouldn't you introduce me to her? She was quite abrasive when I tried to talk to her", Stone grinned.
Jiro took a few strides towards him and gripped his collar. "Don't drag her with your childish play", he warned him, his voice laced with the promise of danger. "Don't talk to her. Don't come near her." He then pushed him forcefully, causing Stone to stagger backwards.
"Whew! You're really serious with that chick?" Stone chuckled mockingly. "Poor Dara Ramirez. He's with a guy who is good in running away. I won't be surprised if she'll be ruined. That's your specialty – making decisions by yourself that destroys people and then, you bury your head in the sand and pretends everything will be fine."
Jiro's eyes squinted in tiny slits as he glared at Stone. His mouth slightly opened as he was about to say something, but he decided against it. Instead, he turned around and started to walk away, leaving the guy whom he once regarded like a younger brother behind.
Writer's Note:
Please vote and comment guys! Thanks!
MGP trailer video made by Baktinski - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCBzAf2OSGc&feature=youtu.be