Stacy
"Good morning, Orion Hunters. This is Dean Archie Cortes, head of the Humanities Department. I would simply like to call in Miss Sophia Ann Sta. Ana from Education into my office for a very important matter. Again, Miss Sophia Ann Sta. Ana, kindly come to my office as soon as possible. That is all. Thank you, and study hard, Hunters."
What the hell? My sister NEVER gets in trouble. I inwardly groaned, knowing I had no valid reason to excuse myself from this class.
Come 10am, I felt my cellphone buzz inside the pocket of my gray vest as I stood from my seat.
From: Your Nutty Sister
I'm not in trouble. The dean's niece was an S. Green fan and was visiting him. I'll meet you at lunch later.
I breathed out a collective sigh of relief while pocketing my black phone. She's fine, so I'm fine.
"What's the matter, Sta. Ana? Did your precious sidekick get punished for being a goody-goody?"
I shot daggers at the tall girl with buttery blonde hair. She was making duck faces in a compact.
"Be careful, Rivera," I warned Alison. "Your face will freeze like that if you don't stop soon."
The governor's daughter glared in my direction. "Whatever, Sta. Ana."
My friends, Miles, Dylan, and Selena walked up to me, their backpacks behind them.
Dylan fixed me with a curious smile. "So what did Sophia text you?"
"You're such a girl sometimes, Dy," I told him. "It's nothing serious. A book thing."
Miles snorted, folding her arms. "Books plus Sophia? Always a major situation."
Even Selena nodded her head in agreement. She looked at me then at Miles and Dylan.
"Remember the Book-Utopia Sale three years ago? Damn, it was insane," mulled Selena.
Dylan gave a chuckle. "It was AWESOME. Remember, Ace? When your sister did the thing?"
A nostalgic smile crept its way onto my pink lips. I replied to him: "How can I forget?"
When we were fifteen years old, Sophia and I had saved up a lot of money for the once-in-a-lifetime sale, Book-Utopia. The sale took place in Mall of Asia, and all the books were slashed to unbelievable prices--from 20 pesos to 100 pesos. Bundles were under 150 and 200 pesos. I couldn't delete the details from my mind because my twin kept screaming them in my ears.
It had been a very eventful day,thanks to Sophia. I had been subjected to pushing the grocery cart containing our sweet finds (I was more into Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars Series) while my adrenaline-filled sister was on war mode---Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, she wore two army green horizontal marks on both her cheeks, a soldier-print cap, a silver whistle dangling from her neck, and she had been dressed in a white shirt, khaki pants, and rubber shoes. Several heads turned to gawk at her military getup. Some took pictures.
She loved being melodramatic about her passions.
But not even I had expected her to pull that stunt three years ago.
The Mall of Asia was filled with massive crowds, an ocean of kids, teens, adults, and senior citizens. There were hundreds of them with their own suitcases, dozens of them pushing their grocery carts stacked with staggering towers of old classics and modern fictional books.
Book-Utopia extended up to the second floor, and the tidal wave of people kept me trapped on the first floor, so I stayed in my spot while Sophia managed to weave through the upper story.
And then it had happened.
It sounded like a jungle girl's battle cry. I found myself looking up to the heavens, and I gaped.
Sophia was peering into her binoculars while leaning against the metal railing. What was she..?
By then, everyone in the mall was staring at her in astonishment---several had their phones up.
"THIS IS THE DAY YOU ALL REALIZE, WE ARE NOT BOOKWORMS!" Sophia screamed into the air.
To my cold terror, she began to put the soles of her sneakers. Everyone gasped in horror. I could see from a short distance, a chain of three security guards sprinting up the elevators.
My crazed sister quickly reached for the nearest promotional Book-Utopia flag hanging from the ceiling and gripped her arms and legs around the colorful vertical flag, and then she swung herself into the cold air of the first floor.
"WE ARE ALL BOOK DRAGONS!" she yelled as she swayed to the right.
"SOPHIA!!!" I shrieked, all blood draining out of my face.
"I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THIS!!!!" My twin cackled with sheer glee as she swayed left to right.
Cupping my palms over the sides of my mouth, I shouted up at her: "SOPHIA! GET DOWN!"
"I DON'T KNOW HOW," she bellowed, her voice full of joy and laughter.
"YOU DIDN'T THINK THIS THROUGH, DID YOU?"
"OBVIOUSLY NOT."
I distinctly recall a giant trampoline being carried from the Toy Kingdom department store.
"Ace." I felt someone touch my shoulder. "Let's go get a snack."
My sky blue eyes blinked twice at Dylan. I told him and the girls: "Yeah, sure."
Selena abruptly said: "Bryce De Los Reyes is so hot, isn't he?"
"What?" I frowned at her. "What the hell, Lena?"
Her lips formed a mischievous grin. "Just testing if you're still with us, Ace."
The four of us were already walking out of the university, which coaxed me to realize that we were going to eat fast-food snacks, which I detested greatly, and they knew this.
"Milk-tea," Miles told me upon reading my expression.
Oh. Then, perfect.
But when we stepped inside Milky Way, the nearest and most popular Milk-Tea shop in Manila, I felt my face turn sour.
Not perfect.
The dilemma wasn't the environment. Milky Way had leaf-green walls, a cream ceiling, and varnished brown tiles. My first visit here always had me coming back for more of their comfortable atmosphere and delicious smoothies. And oh yes, the cozy bean bag chairs.
I chose to ignore the two people in the other line, which was three lines away from mine.
When it was my turn, the male barista in his early twenties gawked at me with an open mouth.
"G-Good morning, miss. What would you like today?" he asked me.
"Fruit tea," I complied him, leaning my arms on the counter. "Strawberry. No sugars."
He scribbled my order over the transparent cup. He then stammered: "N-name, please?"
"Stacy," I said loudly. "And you better spell it right."
In my peripheral vision, I could see a number of heads pop up with interest from the other line.
Ugh, why did those two have to be here at the same time as me?
From the opposite side of the counter, the female barista called: "Honeydew for Miss Scarlet."
"Bee, my drink," said a girl, whose boyfriend rose from his bean bag chair and got her milk-tea.
"I've got it, Stacy," replied the tall guy.
Everyone in the Milk-Tea shop became paralyzed in awkward silence.
I stole a glimpse over my shoulder and saw Scarlet's jaw had dropped. Her hazel eyes hardened.
Her voice cold as glacial ice, she glared at her boyfriend,who was standing still, cup in his hand.
"What did you call me?" Scarlet demanded Bryce.
Shit.
Where had the peaceful ambiance gone?