KAREESHMA'S POV
Good day guys! It's a beautiful morning here at MVH. I can really now feel the chills of Christmas season although it's not snowing here. Tropical country ang Pinas eh unlike South Korea.
Nakatayo na ang mga giant Christmas trees around the field and even ang mga gates ng university punung-puno ng mga Christmas decors and lights.
Hindi kami magkasabay pumasok ngayon ni babe, overtime kasi ang naging practice nila ng ZSADE, naghahapit daw kasi mahaba haba ang Christmas and New Year break sa school. At dahil break sa school, break din muna ang rehearsals for the season.
I was walking to our high school building nang mapansin kong hindi pala ako ang pinakamaagang pumasok sa barkada namin. Best was already here sitting under a tree at parang malalim ang iniisip. Mayamaya ay binuksan nya ang iPad nya, she punched some keys, read for a while and then frustratedly held her head with both hands. I can tell, she has problem. Hopefully it's not with Zac or else, sasakalin ko ang dark choco na yun.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I said as soon as I get near to her.
"Best.. Ikaw pala. Ang aga mo ah." Tin said. "Where's Lei?" tanong pa nya ng mapansing hindi ko kasama si babe.
"He's too tired to get up early today after their exhausting practice last night so nauna na lang akong pumasok. As I can see, wala pa din si Zac noh."
"Yeah." and then all I heard from her was a deep sigh.
"Teka, do you have a problem? I mean, nag-away ba kayong dalawa?"
I sat right beside her sa ilalim ng puno.
"It's not a big fight at all, it's just a simple misunderstanding."
"Spill. I'm listening."
"Well.. Ummm... You know... the topic Alex and Dave brought up yesterday... the errr... endearment thingy..."
"Yeah, what about?"
"That's it."
"What do you mean?"
"I said that's it."
"You're talking riddles best, please elaborate."
"Argh! Jung wanted an endearment for us. Imagine, he was asking me to stay up all night with him just to think what we should call each other. Kelangan daw something unique, something sweet.."
"And then?"
"I told him, hindi na kailangan. We know naman what we feel for each other. And I'm used to calling him Jung, why does it have to change? Tapos hayun, nagtampo na. So childish."
I stared at her, yung tipong para syang alien from outerspace.
"What?" she asked.
"You know what best, para kang hindi babae."
She looked at me with confusion all over her face.
"I mean, girls like us should be the ones excited to have endearment with our boyfriends. We should be the ones bringing the topic up. Ako nga until now kinikilig pa din everytime Eid's calling me babe. Dapat nga happy ka eh coz Zac's the one initiating it. I mean, not all guys are like that. Yung iba mababaduyan, mahihiya, makokornihan pa. He's making efforts to make you feel how special you are to him, mapa-actions or words."
"Sige pa, konsensyahin mo pa ako."
Nilingon ko sya, simangot na simangot sya while looking at her tab. Nakakatawa talaga 'tong bestfriend ko.
"Ano bang nirereserach mo dyan best?" I tried to peek at her tab pero nilayo nya kaaagad.
"No."
"Ay madamot." I tried to snatch it from her.
"I said no!"
"Don't tell me porn yan kaya ayaw mo ipakita."
"Of course not! Green minded." natatawang sagot nya.
"Patingin na nga kasi." She's gonna put it on her bag. "Zac! Andito ka na pala"
I pretended nakita ko si Zac, kumaway pa nga ako eh. Hayun si best napalingon, kaya nakuha ko ipad nya.
"You tricked me." sabi nya as soon as marealize nyang wala naman talaga si Zac. Hinampas pa ako sa balikat.
"Sus. Weakness mo talaga si Zac. Imagine, naisahan ko ang top 1 student ng senior class. Yey! I should be given a trophy."
"Sira! Akina nga yan."
Sinubukan nyang agawin sakin pero syempre nilayo ko kaagad.
"Wait lang, titingnan ko lang. Ano ba kasi 'tong sinesearch mo?"
I looked at it, and what I saw totally shocked me.
"Seriously?" I asked.
"Akina nga kasi yan." namumula yung mukha ni best tapos pawisan na ang ilong nya sa hiya hanggang sa hindi ko na mapigilan natawa na talaga ako.
Tumawa ata ako nang tumawa for about 3 to 5 minutes.
"Sige, tumawa ka pa."
"Hindi na best, promise!"
Pinigilan ko na ang pagtawa ko at umayos ng upo.
"Bakit ka nagsesearch ng ganito?"
"I want to make it up to Jung."
"Why search the internet?"
"Yan na lang ang last resource ko eh, malabo namang magkaron sa library books."
I can't believe it. Kung kayo ang nandito, for sure humahagalpak na kayo sa pagtawa.
Imagine she was searching for "couple endearments" over the internet.
"Sige pagtawanan mo pa ako behind your mind." sabi nya while turning his ipad off and placing it on her bag.
I looked at her and hold her hand.
"You know what best, there are things in this world na hindi masasagot ng mga books and internet. There are questions that only our hearts have the answer. Like yung endearment, it doesn't have to be a unique word kasi limited lang ang mga love words sa dictionary, mauulit at mauulit yun kung lahat ng tao may isang salitang aangkinin. Pwede naman kasing common yung term na gagamitin pero iba-iba tayo ng interpretation. Kagaya namin ni Eid, ilang libong tao na ba ang gumagamit ng word na babe di ba, but we still use it to convey our love to each other kasi para samin ang meaning nun is we're gonna take care of each other like how we'll take care of our future baby if ever we'll be tying the knot in the future, which only God can tell."
"Therefore you should call each other baby."
"Eh mas feel namin na isang syllable lang."
"Silly." She smiled to me na naiiling.
"So ano, may naisip ka nang common term with a unique meaning?"
"Ummmm... Meron na."
Tumayo na sya at binuhat ang bag nya.
"Ano? Share mo naman." tumayo na din ako.
"Secret! Samin na lang muna yun. Akyat na tayo, the bell's about to ring."
Natawa na lang ako habang pinapanuod syang pasway-sway pa habang naglalakad paakyat ng hagdanan. She's mad. Madly in love with that dark choco.
KRISTEN'S POV
Argh! Miss na miss ko na sya even though less than 9 hours pa lang kaming hindi nagkikita and naguusap. Kasi naman ang boyfriend ko medjo matampuhin. Oo na, sige na, may kasalanan na ako. Hindi naman kasi ako sanay sa ganitong relationship, nangangapa pa lang ako, I still don't know what to do, what to say. But pa yung mga math equations, they're much easier to solve.
I checked my wrist watch, 5 minutes before 7 am, our class is about to start, hindi ba sya papasok?
"Hi Tin!" bati sakin ng ibang members ng ZSADE.
"Wala pa si bugoy?" Eid.
I just shrug. Obvious ba Lei? Nakikita mo namang bakante yun silya nya di ba.
"Guys, nagtext si bugoy. Malelate daw, ihahatid si Zia sa school." Dave.
I simply peek at my phone, baka naman nagtext sya sakin, di ko lang napansin.
"Bakit hindi sa'yo nagtext?" tanong sakin ni Lei.
Kelangan talagang ipamukha sakin na hindi ako tinext ng boyfriend ko?
"Woah! Nangangamoy away. Haha." Dave.
"Masyado naman yatang maagang LQ yan." dagdag pang-aasar pa ni Alex.
Pigilan nyo ako, kukutusan ko 'tong mga bugoy na 'to.
"SHUT UP!" sabay naming sigaw ni Stan sa mga kagrupo nya.
Sakto namang dumating din ang teacher namin at nagsimula na ang klase.
Napalingon ako kay Stan sandali, ngumiti lang sya sakin.
10 am, morning break na. Wala pa din si Jung, wala pa din akong narereceive kahit isang text mula sa kanya. Baka may nangyari nang masama dun. Geez Kristen! Wag ka ngang praning. Pumunta na lang muna ako sa restroom.
Pagkalabas ko, I noticed a familiar figure sa dulo ng hallway malapit sa pinto paakyat ng rooftop. Hindi ako pwedeng magkamali na si Jung yun, I can recognize him even from the back. He was talking to a... girl.
I don't know who she is or even saw her face, and what they're talking about, but I felt my temper rise up. Ni isang text wala akong natanggap mula sa kanya and then makikita ko syang nakikipagngitian sa ibang babae. Teka lang ha, may nakakalimot yata na may girlfriend na sya.
I walked straight to 'em only to find myself slamming the door beside them and running upstairs to the rooftop. I ended up crying. Has he already lost his interest on me. Dahil sa isang simpleng tampuhan lang ba inayawan na nya kaagad ako. Wala pa kaming isang buwan, nagsawa na ba sya kaagad sakin?
ZACHARY'S POV
"Ya!" sigaw ko sa bumangga sakin mula sa likuran ko. Muntik kasi akong mapayakap kay Tracey sa lakas ng impact.
Paglingon ko, I saw her, my girlfriend. Tumingin sya kay Tracey and then to the long stem red rose she was holding and then to me. Sh*t! Don't tell me...
She ran to the door paakyat ng rooftop.
Kinuha ko kay Tracey kaagad yung bulaklak.
"Tracey, salamat sa paghawak. Tinext ko na kay Dave na nandito ka. Hintayin mo na lang sya."
Dali dali ko nang sinundan si Tin.
Nakaupo sya sa sahig habang ang likuran nya nakasandal sa dingding.
Lumuhod ako sa harap nya pero tumayo kaagad sya.
"Bumalik na tayo sa klase." sabi nya.
"Mag-usap muna tayo." hinawakan ko sya kamay nya pero inalis din nya kaagad.
"Text ako nang text sayo, kahit isang reply wala akong nakuha. Mag-isa akong pumasok kanina alam mo ba. Kina Stan ko pa nalaman na malelate ka kasi ihahatid mo si Zia. Isip ako nang isip ng paraan to make it up on you kasi alam ko na nagtatampo ka sakin. Pati nga sa internet nagresearch na ako makahanap lang ng unique na endearment for you, pinagtawanan pa ako ni best. Tapos makikita lang kita, may kasamang iba." she said while she's still crying.
I ended up hugging her. "Mianhe. I'm sorry."
"Kung ayaw mo na sakin pwede naman....."
"Sssshhhh... Don't say that. I will never leave you."
I kissed her on her forehead. "I love you"
I was about to claim her lips when she lightly pushed me away from her.
"Teka, sino yung kasama mong babae kanina?"
"Sinong babae?"
"The one with you in the hallway." she crossed her arms while looking intently at me na parang iniinterrogate ako. Ang cute naman magselos ng girlfriend ko.
"Babae ba yun?"
"EWAN KO SA'YO!"
She was going to walk out kaya hinapit ko sya kaagad sa bewang nya.
"Pinsan sya ni Dave, si Tracey."
"Bakit mo sya binigyan ng bulaklak?"
"Hindi naman para sa kanya 'to eh, para sa'yo 'to." iniabot ko sa kanya yun red rose. "Nakasabay ko lang sya paakyat ng building, hinahanap nya si Dave. Nakalas yung shoelace ko kaya ipinahawak ko saglit sa kanya yan."
"Sigurado ka? Yun lang talaga?"
"Oo nga." natatawa kong sagot. "Tama na nga yan, namamawis na ang ilong mo sa selos oh." I wiped off the sweat on her nose using the back of my right point & middle fingers.
Ngumiti na din sya sakin sa wakas. "Sorry."
"No. I'm sorry, I made you cry."
"No worries, you already made me smile YAM." she pinched me on my cheek and then walk to the door.
"Yam? Anong yam?"
"Endearment ko sa'yo."
"Bakit yam? Kasi yummy ako?"
"Haha. Very funny."
Hinarangan ko ang pinto kung san sya lalabas.
"Bakit nga? Ang damot mo naman eh."
"Kasi..... You.... Are.... Mine....."
Lumusot sya sa ilalim ng braso ko.
"Saan mo nakuha yun?"
"Sa puso ko! Haha."