Nadine's POV
Fridays meant no class. Library research day kasi 'yon for students.
At sa mga taken, date with the bae.
TEKA...ANO BA YUNG BAE?
Di ko rin alam, teng. Gaya-gaya, puto maya lang ako. :D
And it is my 18th birthday. We will celebrate my birthday at the house, with the family. I have only invited a few friends. Hindi kasi ako sanay sa engrande na handa. Aside from the hassle sa preparation and the ranting sa kung ano pa ang kulang, which by the way hindi nauubusan basta parties, I am not fond of being with people I barely even know.
Antisocial ka lang, teng.
ASOCIAL AKO. I AM NOT BREAKING THE LAW, KAYA HINDI AKO ANTI-SOCIAL.
Ay ateng. Ikaw na ang suma cum laude to-be.
But what made me sad was, I haven't even received a happy birthday greeting from him. Ni wala man lamang signs of life ni Robert James Reid sa cellular phone ko ngayong araw.
He is supposed to be the first person aside from family to greet me. He does that for the past two years.
I have been here at the mall for hours with Anya. We have been going along pretty fine. She is sweet and easy to talk to. At medyo may pagka-sira ulo rin paminsan-minsan.
We were having a break from our mind-crushing exams and the paperworks. Architecture is taking toll on my life.
Eh, diba parang nainggit naman si James sa kurso mo, ano?
"Girl, halika na.." sabi niya while I was busy picking stuffs for Kaleb. "Ang swerte naman ni Kaleb sa ate nya. Naku girl, ikaw na talaga ang nag-shopping."
Napangiti na lamang ako, "Nag-promise kasi ako na may pasalubong siya sa'kin, girl. He told me to never give promises you can't keep."
"Grabe sya oh...Ay,tara na, girl.Nagli-litanya na ang bituka ko." and we both chuckled. It's past twelve o'clock.
We were at the food court to pick up some food when a familiar body built was standing not far from where we sat. But he was not alone.
Para akong na-estatwa na di ko maintindihan.
It seemed to look like James from afar.
Siya nga.
HINDI NAMAN SIGURO.
And he is with a girl. The girl seems to be clingy towards him, grabbing his arms to wrap around her waist. The moment he turned slightly to look around, mas naging malinaw ang kanyang mukha sa aking paningin.
Teng, hindi naman siguro. Baka kamukha lang. At kasing-gwapo rin ni Hayme of your life.
IT IS HIM.
Oh, no. THIS MEANS WAR.
My heartbeat was racing as fast as it could. Cold air filling my throat down to my lungs. My skin went pale by the minute. But my face was flushing.
I cannot believe it. Especially when the girl turned to face him. Kilala ko siya. All my life, I know her.
Alexi Madrigal.
My childhood best friend.
And she seems to be on a date with my boyfriend. They seem to be happy...
Walanghiya.
WALANGHIYA TALAGA!
The canned soda drink fell from my serving tray. Because we were not sitting far from them, they both turned to look at me.
I was almost trembling in fear of being seen and disbelief of what I've witnessed. But James was even more shocked.
Mabuti na lang, tila gumana pa ang utak ko. I dragged Anya, "Tara na Anya. Gusto ko ng umuwi."
"Girl, bakit ba? Sayang naman yung libre mo..." but after she saw them, she understood why and hurriedly walk towards me. At napamura pa ang kaibigan ko, "Anak ng pitumpu't pitong puting tupa ng putang ina niya naman, oh!"
Trembling, I cannot even hear what James was saying. I tried to contain myself in fear of embarrassment. There were a lot of people in the place. I hate a crowd of people, and I hate publicity even more.
You have to run. Faster.
"Nadine, magmadali tayo. Tumatakbo na palapit sa atin yung boypren mong salawahan." she warned while chasing her breath.
We ran fast towards the parking lot where Manong was just waiting along the exit.
I cannot think straight. Anya was talking, trying to cheer me up.
"Alam mo,girl... baka blessing in the skies yung ginawa ni Kano sa'yo." so much for Anya being classy. Muntikan na akong tumawa kung hindi man lang para sa hustisya ng mga pangyayari ngayon. "Well, I knew there was something behind his absences sa classes niya the past few days.".
Ang laki ko namang tanga.
And Manong was concerned about me. But no word came out from my mouth. It seems like my voice will crack right before I could talk.
Why....did he cheat on me?
Kitang-kita ko pa.PARANG HINDI NA TOTOO YUNG WALANG KASINGSAKIT ANG LOKOHIN KA NANG WALA KANG KAALAM-ALAM.
Pain and anger filled my heart. But I cannot even cry. This is the hardest.
Anak ka nga naman ng kwapang, James. Kung hindi lang talaga kasalanan ang pumatay.
My heart fell for him too hard, and now, it is shattered into pieces.
Things will be fine.
Will they ever do
"Naddie, kanina pa may tumatawag sa'yo." Anya said. But I didn't care to check it because by the look of it, 54 missed calls, I think I know who was calling.
James' POV
Alexi insisted to go at the mall today. Even against my will. I had to.
You should be with your real girlfriend, and not this God-knows-what.
Billie had me monitored by his friends. And I don't want to risk Nadine's safety.
One more week, and I'll be free from this stupid bet.
We were at the food court, she said she was hungry.
"Do I really have to go with you?" I asked hesistantly. Alexi knows that I am with somebody. And she knows exactly who it is.
She even told me how she envies Nadine even before. Because Nadine was always everyone's favorite. Everyone liked to be her friend.
Alexi once said, "Gusto nila maging kaibigan si Nadine. Pero mailap siya. Samantalang ako na friendly, second choice lang palagi. Nakakainis na."
How is my girl? I have lost track sa mga araw at date. All I have in mind was the countdown sa bet na ito.
I was at the middle of thinking how Nadine was doing right now, when somebody dropped a can of soda near us.
I turned to look who it was when I saw the girl that I dearly love. She looked at me -- pain and disbelief was all I can see in her eyes.
"Baby... let me explain.." that was that came out from my mouth. I know I've messed it up. But I had to do this for her.
Did I really do this to protect her? But why do I feel na I'm doing mire harm than good?
I kept things from her in fear of losing her. Now, that fear became the reason why I feel I'm about to lose her.
Without a word nor another glance, she walked out the court with her friend, Anya. Mas mabilis pa sila sa alas tres na kumaripas sa pagtakbo.
I wanted to go after her but Alexi grabbed my arm, "Let her be... don't ruin the mood now. Mall ito. Remember?"
Her grip was tight but I took her hands off and ran to try chase her. But it was too late, they were gone.
"James... ano ba?!" Alexi sounded annoyed already. She grabbed me by the arm again, with her grip even tighter than the last time.
Oh, this bitch.
I did not even care, and took her hands away from me. "This is bullshit, Alexi. Billie can go to hell! She is the only person I ever loved like this. Hindi ba, alam mo yon? And instead of going out with her on a date on this research day, I am stuck with you! Sa pagsama ko sa'yo and all this bullcrap with you and Billie, nasasaktan ko siya. I saw her leave like that, and I can't even go after her!" umiinit na ang dulo ng tenga ko. "You don't get to tell me what I should and shouldn't do for my only girlfriend! "
I left her with a crowd of people in the court. I took off with my car and drove fast to Nadine's house.
Just when their housekeeper opened the gate, I asked, "Manang, is Nadine here? Kailangan ko lang po siyang makausap."
"Ay, sir.. Kanina lang po andito, pero umalis rin po. Nagpaalam sa mama niya na mag-good time muna." good time meant, iinom at magpa-party with friends.
She is still seventeen. She is not allowed to go to clubs.
I rushed to find where she was having her good time. Then I saw Anya on a restobar near the avenue of clubs.
I stopped to ask her, "Where is Nadine?"
She just raised an eyebrow. But later said, "Andoon siya sa room na ni-rent namin. Babalik na rin ako."
"Sino kasama n'yo?" I asked.
She was slightly stuttering, "si Manong, Yuan, and yung kapatid mo."
Jacko is there?! And Yuan, too?
Fake IDs. What about it, anyway
"Why are they there?" my eyebrows were furrowed.
"Nag-iinuman sila sa dito sa labas. We came and Nadine invited them for karaoke. Para daw hindi boring." she started. "Kawawa nga eh, birthday niya ngayon. She was excited kanina, until she saw you with some girl. Baka hindi na raw itutuloy yung celebration. Wala sa mood."
I was speechless. To think that I am her best friend and her lover, it seems na nakalimutan ko na yung pinakamahalagang araw sa buhay niya.
Of all the things, ang birthday niya pa ang nalimutan ko! That stupid bet is to blame.
I let out a sigh before asking, "Can I talk to her?"
She nodded, "Oo, pero depende rin kay Naddie... Sobra mo siyang nasaktan, oy. She did not say anythinh, nor even dare to cry...pero yung mga mata nya, clearly she is hurting."
I almost stormed my way towards the room. But I saw her holding a microphone and on the other hand, a bottle of wine.
She hates the smell of alcohol. Why is she gulping a whole bottle of it?
Pain, you little prick. That is why!
I kept my distance outside the room for a while to see what she was doing.
Anya opened the door and secretly let me in, without anyone noticing.
She was singing. She seem happy but loneliness was in her eyes.
She sang something that could just explain it all. Almost by Tamia. This girl is one hell cool for an average guy.
Do I even deserve her love?
"Can you tell me, how can one miss what she's never had?
How could I reminisce when there is no past?
How could I have memories of being happy with you, boy?
Can someone tell me how could this be?"
How could I made her feel like she has no security with me?
"I miss the love that we almost share;
I miss the love that was almost there;
I miss the love the times that we use to kiss..
I miss the times that we never had.What happened to us, we were almost there.
Who ever said it's impossible to miss?
when you never had....never almost had you"
Then for a minute I thought, are we that complicated? All I wanted was for her to be happy. And now, all I made her feel is worse than a heartache.
"I should have grabbed you up and never let you go;
I should've went out with you,
I should've made you my boo, boy..
Yeah, that's one time I should've broke the rules
How could I celebrate a love that wasn't real?
And if it didn't happen, why does my heart feel?"
"Nadine, kailan ka pa natutong uminom?", my brother asked. "James will beat me up 'pag nalaman nya na alam ko'ng ginagawa mo ngayon and did nothing to stop you," and he went towards her and took the bottle from her.
Jacko has always been responsible, especially to the people I care for.
She was raising an eyebrow, "Manong is here. So you don't need to worry. And I can drink as much as I want. Mabait lang ako, but I am no saint." then she grinned. "Your brother? Oh, no.. he won't. He is too busy with something...with someone."
For a drunk, she is still the most beautiful girl I've laid my eyes on. She was wearing a black crop top and a pair of washed out skinny jeans with a plaid tied to her waist. Her hair was a little bit messed by how she combed it with her fingers.
"Nadine, maybe that wine is too hard for you. I'll call James to get here." Yuan suggested.
"NO. For once, let's not mention his name as if he didn't exist at all. Today is my birthday, and today, everything has to go with my rules." she almost stuttered. "Nobody mentions his name. Nobody calls him. Nobody tells him anything. Nothing."
And then suddenly, my heart was crushed with every word she said. This is my fault, instead of being with her all throughout the day, I gave her an unusual birthday surprise.
I broke her heart.