JANUARY 26, 2023・THURSDAY・16:09
Hamza, Mariz, Gabbie and Pamela are all dressed up and are walking along Gab's neighborhood street, chatting and laughing amongst themselves. Suddenly someone calls them from the back. They turn and see Maya also fully dressed up. They all look surprised.
Maya catches up to them.
Mariz puts her arm around her waist and gives her a reassuring smile. Maya smiles back at her, and for a moment, tenderly leans her head on her shoulder.
They continue to make their way to Gab's house, excitedly talking to each other. Gabbie, carrying the cake, almost slips on the still-wet street. Lucky for her, Pamela is there to grab onto for support, which she isn't too happy about, as the cake almost slipped out of her hands.
They arrive in front of Gab's house.
Pamela braces herself and rings the doorbell.
They wait for a few seconds. Nothing. The girls all look at each other.
The huge white house towers above them. From a window they can see some people inside. They can even hear music playing.
Mariz looks at Maya. "Okay na ka?"
"YOU OKAY?"
"Erm..." She hesitates. "Oo. Naglain lang akong lawas."
"YEAH..."
"I JUST WASN'T FEELING WELL."
Mariz nods. "Ana baya si Ma'am Divine nga dili na daw niya iparetake ang absent."
"YEAH, WELL MA'AM DIVINE SAID THAT SHE'LL NO LONGER LET THE ABSENT PEOPLE RETAKE."
Maya shrugs. "Nakapasar ka?"
"DID YOU PASS THIS TIME?"
"Wala gihapon." She laughs.
"NOPE."
Maya halfheartedly smiles.
"Sure ka okay naka?"
"YOU SURE YOU'RE OKAY NOW?"
"Oo."
"YEAH."
"Abi nakog mag date mo sa imong uyab, Maya. Wala mo nadayon?" Pamela asks, ringing the doorbell again.
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DATING YOUR BOYFRIEND. WHAT HAPPENED?"
The girls look at Maya.
"Wala. Nabusy siya sa iyahang...erm...mga requirements." She adjusts her throat and forces a smile. "Dako ug balay si Gab no?"
"ERM...NOTHING. HE'S JUST...BUSY WITH HIS REQUIREMENTS."
"DIDN'T KNOW GAB WAS THIS RICH."
"Murag si doctor man yata na iyahang mama ug papa," Hamza points out.
"I THINK HIS DAD AND MOM ARE DOCTORS OR SOMETHING."
"Ahh. Mao diay. Dato gyud diay siya." Gabbie slings her bag onto her shoulder.
"WELL THEN. HE'S RICH RICH."
"Dili lage sila mangabri?" Pamela rings the doorbell again.
"WHY AREN'T THEY OPENING UP?"
"Wala siguro sila kadungog sa sulod," Hamza suggests.
"MAYBE THEY CAN'T HEAR THE DOORBELL."
"Wait, i-f nako," Maya says.
"LET ME MESSAGE HIM."
Pamela takes out her compact mirror and looks at herself.
"Gwapa na lage ka," Gabbie says.
"PAMELA. DON'T WORRY. YOU'RE ALREADY PRETTY."
"Sure ka?" Pamela adjusts her hair.
"YOU SURE?"
"Oo. Kigkigon na lage ka ni Julio ana."
"YEAH. JULIO WOULD BE DUMB NOT TO FUCK YOU."
"As in? Karon dayon?"
"REALLY? LIKE TODAY?"
Mariz puts her hand on Pamela's shoulder. "Ayaw kaayo pag-expect, dzai."
"DON'T EXPECT SO MUCH, GIRL."
"Relax lang Pamela. Mas ganahan mana ang mga lalake ug kanang mura ka'g dili interesado sa ila," Gabbie tells her.
"JUST RELAX, PAM. GUYS LIKE IT WHEN YOU ACT LIKE YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED IN THEM."
Pamela nods and exhales. She mumbles to herself. "Relax...relax...relax."
The black steel gate cranks open.
Gab pops out and lean against the gate. "Hi," he says to everyone but his eyes are glued to Maya. "Sulod mo."
"COME INSIDE."
"Happy birthday!" Gabbie says, handing him the box of cake.
"Wow. Ka sweet. Salamat."
"WOW. HOW...SWEET. THANKS."
One by one, the girls walk inside. As Maya passes by him, Gab gives her a flirtatious smirk.
"Hi," he says.
"Hi. Happy birthday."
"Family gathering diay ha."
"THOUGHT YOU HAD A FAMILY GATHERING."
She rolls her eyes.
"Pa-hard to get."
"STILL PLAYING HARD TO GET. OKAY."
She doesn't respond and joins the other girls.
As they walk in through the main door, Maya sees Jasmin with her friends on the other side of the living room. She immediately grabs Mariz's arm.
"Unsa man?"
"YES?"
"Wala...Erm. Nakulbaan lang ko."
"NOTHING...ERM, JUST NERVOUS."
Mariz smiles. "Babe, ako'y bahala sa imo. Basta ayaw kalimti. Itlog ug liog. Itlog ug liog."
"BABE, I GOT YOU. JUST DON'T WORRY. BALLS AND NECK. BALLS AND NECK."
Maya nods.
"Ug kung dili na mugana, pag-isturya lang about politics or science."
"AND IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, TALK ABOUT POLITICS OR SCIENCE."
Pamela sees Julio and approaches him.
"Yup. Rich kid," Gabbie says. "Wait." She gasps. "Naa siya'y chocolate fountain? The fuck?" She walks over to it.
"HE HAS A CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN? THE FUCK?"
Mariz, Maya and Hamza take their seats. People around them are dancing and chatting. Maya steals another glance and Jasmin and crew.
"Pwede na ta mangaon?" Hamza asks.
"ARE WE ALLOWED TO EAT?"
Maya looks around. She sees some people holding plates and eating. "Okay naman siguro."
"YEAH I THINK SO."
Hamza gets up. "Mukuha na kog pagkaon uy. Kamo?"
"OKAY, I'M OFF TO EAT. GIRLS?"
"Unya nako," Maya says.
"MAYBE LATER."
"Sabay lang mi."
"YEAH. I'LL JUST GO WITH HER."
Maya steals another glance at Jasmin and her gang. Her jaw clenches.
"Kato man diay nang maldita sa katong showcase sa HE," Mariz says. "Ngano diay to?"
"THAT WAS THE BITCHY GIRL AT THE SHOWCASE, RIGHT?"
"WHAT WAS UP WITH THAT?"
Maya shrugs. "Erm...Ambot. Siguro nasobraan ra pud gyud akong makeup ato."
"ERM...I...MAYBE SHE WAS RIGHT AND I JUST WORE TOO MUCH MAKEUP."
Mariz pouts. She stretches Maya's cheeks. "Maya...gwapa. Bahala na to siya."
"MAYA....PRETTY GIRL. FUCK HER."
Maya laughs halfheartedly. Suddenly, she can feel her phone vibrate from inside her purse. She checks to see who it is. It's Noel.
"Uy," Mariz says with a bit of a chuckle.
"WAIT."
Maya hesitates at first. But she eventually decided to decline the call and sets her phone on airplane mode.
"Awa." Mariz points to Pamela by the stairs. She's sitting beside Julio and laughing at whatever they're talking about.
"LOOK."
"Basta gusto gyud nimo ang isa ka tao no, wala gyud makapugong sa imo," Mariz says.
"SEE? WHEN YOU LIKE SOMEONE, NOTHING'S STOPPING YOU."
Maya sighs.
"Sayang wala ka kakita sa among sayaw ganiha," Gab appears out of nowhere which surprises the two girls. He sits beside Maya; resting his arm behind her back through the couch.
"SHAME YOU MISSED US DANCING EARLIER."
She quickly reaches for Mariz's arm and weakly smiles. "Nanayaw mo?"
"YOU DANCED?"
He takes a sip off his beer bottle and nods. "Oo...Daghag nanyagit."
"YEAH...A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SCREAMING."
"Siguro kay nahadlok sila," Mariz says, rolling her eyes.
"PROBABLY OUT OF FEAR."
He looks at her. "Gwapa pud imohang amiga, Maya. Unsa iyang pangalan?"
"YOUR FRIEND'S CUTE. WHAT'S HER NAME?"
Mariz rolls her eyes. "Ask her yourself."
"Okaaay. Unsa imong pangalan?" he asks.
"OKAAAAY. WHAT'S YOUR NAME?"
"Mariz. Naa na baya na'y uyab si Maya."
"MARIZ. ATE MAYA ALREADY HAS A BOYFRIEND."
"Kabalo man ko. Relax, gusto raman ko makipag-amigo," he says in between chuckles.
"YEAH, I KNOW. RELAX, I JUST WANT TO MAKE FRIENDS."
"Okay," Mariz says with a clenched jaw. "Happy birthday."
He mouths 'thanks' and takes a sip of beer from his bottle after. "Gusto mo?" he offers.
"DO YOU GIRLS WANT BEER?"
"No thanks. Wala pa mi'y panihapo—"
"NO THANKS. WE HAVEN'T EATEN DINNER YE—"
"Okay," Maya interjects. "Sige. Beer."
"SURE. BEER."
"Sure ka?" Mariz asks.
"YOU SURE?"
Maya nods.
Gab smiles, pleased by her response. He gets up from the couch. "Ikaw Mariz? Unsa imong gusto? Orange juice?"
"AND YOU, MARIZ? WHAT ARE YOU HAVING? ORANGE JUICE?
Mariz fakes a smile and gives him the finger.
Gab nods and walks off to get Maya's beer.
The two girls laugh.
"Ikaw pud no, birthday baya niya run," Maya says.
"DUDE CHILL. IT'S HIS BIRTHDAY."
"Wala ko'y paki ug birthday nimo. Basta fuckboy ka, wala gyud ka'y pilion nga adlaw," Mariz responds.
"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY. FUCKBOYS DON'T HAVE A SCHEDULE."
She smiles. "Kabalo ka, Mariz...Idol kaayo tika."
"YOU KNOW WHAT, MARIZ...YOU'RE PRETTY AWESOME."
She hugs her. "Awwwe. Thanks, babe. Ikaw pud. Idol pud tika."
"AWWE. THANKS, BABE. YOU'RE COOL TOO."
"Ako? Idol ko nimo? Bugason unya naay body odor?"
"ME? COOL? RIDDLED WITH ACNE AND BODY ODOR?"
"Sige. Idol tika gamay."
"OKAY. MAYBE YOU'RE JUST A BIT COOL."
They both giggle.
Maya looks over to check on Pamela. She sees her making out with Julio.
The girls gasp.
"Ay wow. At least naa'y makigkigan karong gabii," Gabbie says, her mouth still full of cake. She takes a seat next to Maya. "Girl, lami gud ilahang chocolate fountain. Kuha na mo kaw. Klaro kaayong pangdato ilahang chocolate nga gigamit. Unsa'y ganap dinhe?"
"OH, WOW. AT LEAST ONE OF US IS GETTING FUCKED TONIGHT."
"GIRL, THEIR CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN IS TO DIE FOR. YOU JUST KNOW THEY USED EXPENSIVE RICH PEOPLE CHOCOLATE FOR IT. HOW ARE YOU GIRLS?"
"Giduol si Maya ni Gab," Mariz responds.
"GAB APPROACHED MAYA."
"As in? Ay, duha diay ang makigkigan sa ato karong gabii."
"REALLY? SO TWO OF US ARE GOING TO GET FUCKED TONIGHT."
Maya playfully slams her purse against her arm.
"Agay!" She quickly holds out a peace sign. "Char, joke lang. JOKE LANG, MAYA!"
"OW!"
"I'M JOKING! JUST JOKING, MAYA!"
Gab approaches them, holding a bottle of beer.
Gabbie notices and nods him.
He pauses, not knowing where to sit since Gabbie has already taken his place. At first he smiles at the girls, thinking one of them would budge and make space for him. No one does.
"Asa ko mulingkod?" he asks.
"WHERE DO I SIT?"
The girls look at the couch arm. To their left.
"Pero..." He gives it a few seconds to cook inside his brain. A cheeky smile appears on his face and he gives the beer bottle to Maya. He sits down. "Sige. The more the merrier."
"BUT..."
"OKAY. THE MORE THE MERRIER, I GUESS."
The four of them sit awkwardly for a while, the noise of Gab's guests and the music washing wash over them.
Mariz stares at Maya's bottle. "Hoy," she exclaims. "Gab."
"HEY."
The two Gabs look at her.
"Birthday boy," she clarifies.
"Yes?"
"Gibutangan ni nimo ug pampatulog ning beer ni Maya? Kay pwede ka namo kasuhan ug buhaton na nimo."
"DID YOU SPIKE HER DRINK OR SOMETHING? WE COULD GET YOU ARRESTED FOR THAT."
"Wala uy. Gago," he says, a bit annoyed.
"I DID NOT. THE FUCK?"
"Okay. Sige. Naniguro lang."
"OKAY. FINE. JUST MAKING SURE."
"Dili ko ganahan sa imong amigo, Maya."
"I DON'T LIKE YOUR FRIEND, MAYA."
"Maayo. Kay dili pud ganahan iyahang amigo sa imo." Mariz gives Gab a piercing stare.
"GOOD. BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T LIKE YOU BACK TOO."
Gabbie and Maya share a quiet laugh.
Pamela is in the corner, still making out with Julio.
Hamza is nowhere to be found.
"Asa si Hamza, dzai?" Mariz asks Gabbie.
"WHERE'S HAMZA, BY THE WAY?"
She shrugs. "Nawala man to siya ug kalit. Naa to siya'y gipakita sa iyahang cellphone. Basig naa'y tawag."
"I DON'T KNOW. SHE JUST DISAPPEARED ALL OF A SUDDEN. SHE WAS SHOWING ME SOMETHING ON HER PHONE. MAYBE SHE HAD TO ANSWER A CALL OR SOMETHING?"
"Basi."
"MAYBE."
"So Maya," Gab interrupts. "Asa man imong uyab? Nganong wa man ka niya giubanan run?"
"WHERE'S YOUR BOYFRIEND? WHY ISN'T HE HERE WITH YOU?"
"Erm..." She purses her lips. "Kuan...naa lang siya'y—"
"WELL...ERM...HE JUST HAS A THING THA—"
Suddenly a scream errupts from kitchen. Gab immediately gets up and approaches the situation. The girls follow and look to see what is going on.
Hamza quickly walks towards them. "Tara," she says, her clothes stained with some rice and food.
"WE HAVE TO GO."
"Ha?" Mariz asks. "Naunsa diay?"
"WHAT?"
"WHAT HAPPENED?"
"Yawa!" Another scream from across the room.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Maya looks and sees that it's Jasmin panicking, her dress also have the same grease stains Hamza has.
They start making their way to the door.
"Si Pamela..." Gabbie remembers. She turns around and yells, "Pamela! Pam!"
"AND PAMELA?"
Pamela is already looking at the scene, confused. She shrugs.
Mariz gestures that they have to go.
Pamela nods and scratches her head. With one last quick kiss on Julio's lips, she makes her way through the people crowding Jasmin and her friends. And sprints towards the girls.
"Naunsa to?" Pamela asks as she approaches them.
"WHAT HAPPENED?"
Maya looks at Hamza. "Ambot."
"I DON'T KNOW."
"Tara...tara...tara," Gab says, right behind Hamza. The other girls all hold on to each other's hands as they walk through the door.
"HURRY UP...LET'S GO."
Somehow, through the crowd, Jasmin sees Maya and her friends. She quickly yells, "Maya, amigo na nimo?"
"MAYA IS THAT BITCH YOUR FRIEND?"
Maya freezes up, overwhelmed.
Jasmin smiles smugly and turns to her friends. "Tama ra pud. Basta yawa, yawa pud ug mga amigo."
"OF COURSE. WHEN YOU'RE THE DEVIL, YOU ATTRACT DEMON FRIENDS."
The other girls look at Maya, all confused.
"Sorry kaayo!" Hamza yells, already halfway outside.
"I'M SO SORRY!"
Mariz has a bit of a staredown with Jasmin and her friends, before Gabbie eventually grabs her and they all exit the house.