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"Alyssa Valdez, lead guitarist."
That name made her stop. There she saw Alyssa, she knew she couldn't be wrong. She knew it was her, how could she forget the face of someone who was the good thing that happened on a bad thing that happened to her a year ago? The good thing her mom was referring too. Then in a moment, that memory flashed to her mind. The memory she had the day her mom died, that moment in the chapel, how she was crying her heart out, how she questioned everything and even Him. How she made her forget about it for a moment but made her remember it again the moment she left. She forgot about her for like a year because she was mourning for her mother but when she remembered her, she searched for her on the social media but failed to find her because she only knew her name and nothing else. How she badly wanted to know her more but couldn't do anything to find her. That name. Alyssa.
That girl who handed her her handkerchief even though she was still using it, the girl who made her throw that paper plane along with the pain she was feeling, and that girl who became a part of her memories she wanted to treasure. There she was, just across Dennise, holding her guitar while introducing herself like she knew Dennise was there. Dennise was just staring at her with mixed emotions. Dennise didn't notice that she already had her smile painted on her face which later faded when she realized something.
Why isn't she smiling?
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"Oh Den! What brought you here?" Synjin asked her bestfriend who just arrived at his resto bar. He noticed that her face was rather light.
"Huh? To chill? Where's Ells?" Dennise answered and asked. She approached Synjin who was sitting in a stool. She even looked around.
"Really? Pumunta ka rito para hanapin si Ells? Kayo ang schoolmates ah?" Synjin asked. He felt there was something unusual about Dennise which he was just about to know later. Maybe.
"I said I came here to chill." Dennise cleared. Synjin stood up with his drink on his hand. He took a sip before answering his best friend.
"Don't use that I'm-here-to-chill card on me, you don't come here unless we "force" you to do so. So what really brought you here?" Synjin asked again. But then Dennise heaved a sigh and gave him the look she gave her best friends whenever she didn't want to answer their question. "Magka-away kayo ni Ells?" still Dennise didn't answer. "Ni LA?"
"No!" Dennise finally answered. "Fine, I'm here to see the band who played last Saturday." She admitted.
"Ooh." Synjin said. "What's with that band? I thought 'di mo rin gusto?"
"Ells told me to watch it, but late nga 'ko last time 'di ba? So I came back." Dennise explained. Still not telling the truth. She was starting to get annoyed with the look Synjin was giving her the moment she set foot inside this resto bar today.
"Nag-effort ka pa talagang bumalik, unusual. Crush mo 'yung vocalist 'no?" Synjin teased her. Her brow creased.
"What the, magtigil ka nga. Fine aalis na 'ko!" She said then turned her back on Synjin.
"Tsaka wala sila ngayon, every Saturday lang."
"Don't care 'di na 'ko manonood!" Dennise shouted.
"I'm just kidding hoy!" Synjin called her while laughing but she already left.
Dennise just headed home and went straight to her room. She went to her study table and opened the lowest drawer where she had been keeping it.
She picked it up to look at it. It was the paper plane Alyssa made her throw in the chapel. She was treasuring it because it was the only thing that Alyssa had left her. She looked at it whenever she had troubles that bothered her like it was a hobby. Weird but she got used to doing it. It never failed to make her smile and forget her problems for a moment. Like now, she was smiling.
See you again on Saturday.
She came back. She was standing in front of Synj, not the owner. She actually didn't want any of her best friend know that she would watch Pormanteau's gig. She didn't inform any of them because she thought they would just tease her. Especially to the vocalist who wasn't really her type. She came here to watch Alyssa. She told LA that she would be here but not the Alyssa-part. Although LA insisted to come with her, she declined. She didn't want him to see her watch Alyssa, though nothing was wrong about it. She didn't know why she was feeling nervous, maybe because she was thinking how she would enter without Synjin noticing. Like she was a criminal who was scared to get caught by the police. But thanks to the band, the resto bar was crowded again so she easily made her way in without getting noticed.
When she was already inside, she got disappointed when they were no tables available but she just didn't care and just stood at the back where no one could see her.
Then the first set went on. Portmanteau started playing and Dennise regretted standing at the back, she hardly saw the band. She kept on tip toe-ing and jumping just to see her play. How she wished Alyssa was the vocalist so hearing was enough. But she wasn't and she hated it.
After that first gig she had watched, she came back again the next Saturday, and the next. Synjin even told Ella that Dennise was having a crush on the band's vocalist that made the two of them tease her, so she decided she would never really tell them she was watching Portmanteau's gigs.
She was now enjoying watching their gigs without any of her friends knowing, though still didn't like the genre. She enjoyed the next gigs she attended because she was able to watch Alyssa more closely it was like the only thing she heard was Alyssa's sound, every gig. So she really didn't know what they were playing. She had also thought of what she wanted to do. How she wanted to approach her and ask her if she still remembered her, but her body always backed out and forgot how to move whenever Alyssa left the stage. So she always ended up just watching her. She even raised her hand whenever Ask Portmanteau started, she had always raised her hand hoping to be called but they never did call her. How she was itching to be chosen and ask Alyssa about her.
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"Where were you last Saturday?" LA asked Dennise when her teammates left the gym. Dennise took her duffel bag then approached LA then greeted him. But she saw his expression, he looked angry.
"Huh? I told you I was at Synj." Dennise said truthfully. Her brows creased.
"Oh really?" LA asked with a different tone. Dennise was just giving her a confused look. "Kaya pala sabi ni Synj wala ka do'n nung Saturday." That made Dennise close her eyes tightly.
Why the hell did he ask Synj for Pete's sake.
"Bakit 'di ka sumasagot? Tell me where were you?" He asked again. Dennise opened her eyes then she saw his expression again, she heaved a sigh. That expression that meant he would push some stubborn conversation all over again.
"Because I didn't tell Synj I'd come." Dennise answered. "Because I didn't want him to know, nor Ella." LA smirked.
"Or you didn't want me to know?" LA asked. "Now tell me, kaninong lalaki ka naman nakipagkita?"
"Wow!" That was what Dennise could only say. She was shocked though LA had always accused her of cheating whenever he was jealous. With her body got tired of training, she just wanted to hit LA with her duffel bag. "You're accusing me?" Her voice raised.
"Yes!" LA almost shouted. "Ilang beses ka nang umaalis tuwing Saturday, lagi mong paalam sa'kin pupunta ka ng Synj ta's malalaman kong wala ka naman pala do'n? Now tell me what should I think about it?" LA was raising his voice already.
"I already told you I didn't want them to know! That's the only reason why they didn't know and you're accusing me cheating behind you're back?" Dennise was losing patience but it seemed like LA didn't want to believe any of what she had said.
"Oh sige nga bakit ayaw mong malaman nila?"
"Because they're teasing me for having a crush on that band vocalist when in fact I just really like that band!" Dennise said half truth.
"So kaya pala ayaw mo 'kong kasama kasi may crush ka sa vocalist ng bandang 'yon?" Dennise could see in LA's face he was hurt, hurt about something he didn't understand. She was close to punching his face. Dennise face palmed. "'Yun pala 'yon! Kasi mahihirapan kang magpa-cute at lumandi sa harap niya 'pag ando'n ako!" That was it. Dennise slapped her really hard. "OUCH!"
"Ang kapal ng mukha mo! Bobo mo pa kausap!" Dennise shouted, looking at him with anger. She couldn't believe how LA got really stubborn whenever he was jealous. She had always tried to understand his jealous side but accusing her just because he didn't understand what she said? Too much. Her friends had always told her about LA being stubborn and making himself always look like the victim but she just ignored it, but not now. Not ever. She stormed out of the gym.
"Talagang ikaw pa ang may ganang manampal!" She heard LA shouted.
"I broke up with him."
Silence engulfed the three of them but after a minute.
"OH MY GOD LET'S CELEBRATE!"
"So proud of you my dear best friend!"
"Nakawala ka na rin sa pagkakatali!"
Dennise saw how happy her friends were. Ella started pouring drink on their glasses while Synj ordered for more.
"Wait, it's not like that we really broke up, we just had a fight that made me want to end everything we have." Dennise added but her friends didn't seem to care.
"Just cheers na Den!" Synjin said while his' and Ella's glasses were already raised.
"Won't you guys ask why we had a fight and why I wanted to break up with him?" Dennise asked again but they didn't really seem to care.
"No." Ella said. "Because LA alone is enough reason already. So cheers!"
Dennise had been told that by her friends many times already, the only difference was, she now agreed with them. A smile let out of her face, realizing how happy she was knowing that she was finally free.
"CHEERS!" Dennise finally raised her glass.
Dennise and LA never talked to each other again. Dennise didn't want to talk nor see him, as for LA, he believed it wasn't him who should approach first. Dennise didn't shed a tear, in fact, he never crossed her mind. Her mind was occupied by Alyssa, how she would approach Alyssa, what she would ask Alyssa, how she would get to know her more. Alyssa, Alyssa, Alyssa. She never even thought she would do something crazy just because of Alyssa. She thought of doing it when she had this conversation with Jia during their training.
They were all busy jogging around the gym when Jia suddenly approached her.
"Hey Capt." Dennise heard Jia call her. She turned to look at her while they still jogged. "Miguel wants to thank you for recommending his band to your friend. Though hindi sila natanggap." Jia said. Dennise gave her an apologetic smile.
"But that doesn't mean they're not good enough." Dennise said.
"Good thing Miguel is optimistic, he's actually happy for his schoolmates, Portmanteau." Dennise didn't want to have conversation while she was running out of breath but the band's name made her interested.
"Hmm about that band, close ba si Miguel sa members no'n?"
"Nope but friendly daw ang Portmanteau, except sa isa." Jia said, Dennise brow creased. "'Yung lead guitarist nila, si Alyssa daw. Pero mabait 'yun I had talked to her pero saglit na saglit lang." Dennise found it odd, the Alyssa she once met was friendly. She got curious so she jogged closer to Jia.
"Mahirap siyang i-approach?" Dennise asked, Jia shook her head. "And uhm what did you talk about if you don't mind?"
"I just congratulated their band when they won against Miguel's band. She just shyly thanked me. That's it, ang tipid kasi niya magsalita eh." Dennise obviously wanted to talk about Alyssa, she hoped Jia didn't notice but if she did, Dennise thought she wouldn't dare ask because she knew Jia was scared of her. Dennise nodded doubting in her mind if she were the Alyssa she met or not. But she knew at the back of her mind that it was her. She could just feel it. But that doubt left her mind after hearing the last thing Jia said.
"Pero she's popular in their school, not just because of her band but because she is known to always have a paper plane in her hand. Trademark na nga raw niya 'yun eh."
"WHAT THE HELL DENNISE?!"
Dennise saw how mad her best friend was, Ella who almost said it at the top of her lungs. Guilt was painted on Dennise's face so she just looked down letting Ella scold her. Synjin on the other hand, just watched his two best friends.
"Are you out of your mind?! Oo hinayaan kita ipagpatuloy 'yung relasyon niyo ni LA dati kahit obvious naman na hindi na healthy but this? Like what the heck? What are you thinking?" Ella asked Dennise. She kept on stopping her but Dennise was really hard-headed. She was frustrated by her best friend's sudden action. How she hated Dennise's decision making.
"Ells calm down, I know how bad I am at making decisions. But trust me on this, I know it's her." Dennise explained.
"Kung gusto mo siyang makilala sana kinaibigan mo na lang hindi 'yung mag-t-transfer ka bigla sa school niya! Nag-start na ang school year, and you're not even sure it's really her for Pete's sake!" Ella shouted at Dennise.
"I know but I remember her face Ells! What she did have helped me a lot, if I got to know her more we could all be best friends!"
"Best friends? Like we're not enough? Kahit tawagin mo 'ko ulit na exagge kahit ibang tao sasabihing you're making a stupid decision!"
"Stupid? Really? Can't you just support me? You stopping me won't make me really stop. Dad had already agreed so pwede ba." Dennise sounded offended.
"So 'yung opinyon ko 'di mo na kailangan? Hello? Ako 'yung iiwan mo bigla, 'yung best friend mong may kasiguraduhan, hindi best friend na hindi ka man lang sure kung kilala ka!" Ella sarcastically said. She was actually mad at Dennise for leaving her without even hearing her opinion, like she didn't matter. Synjin wasn't that affected since he was really studying in different school but he was affected because her best friends were fighting already.
"Guys! Kumalma kayong dalawa please, mag-usap kayo nang mahinahon. Raising voice won't help at all." Synjin told his best friends.
"Fine! Do what you want! But I won't support you with this one!" Ella said with finality then left. Dennise just took a deep breath. Synjin shook his head.
"You know what? Calm your heads down then talk again." Synjin advised but Dennise just chose not to answer. She just bid him goodbye then left the resto bar too.
Dennise decided to talk again to Ella but the latter didn't want to, she was still mad at Dennise. Dennise understood it very well so she just didn't push their talk to happen. She thought she would just talk to her again when Ella's head cooled down.
But then again her decision was final. She prepared herself for a week before entering her new school. She had already settled everything. She wouldn't have a hard time catching up with the lessons since it was just the same as every school. She had already bid her goodbye to everyone, but she never told them why she transferred, only to her best friends and family. After knowing about it, LA had been bugging her, asking her to come back, not just to their school but also to him. But Dennise no longer wanted to have a relationship with him again.
As much as she would miss everyone who got close to her in that school, excitement overcame. She still asked herself why she had done such thing, but only one name popped in her head then she would think she didn't need any more reason.
Alyssa.
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a/n:
wala na anemic na ko
sorry natagalaaaaaan
hope you enjoy reading this story
ps: next chap na yung pagpasok ni Den sa school ni Ly, side na ni Den uliiit
pps: may mga scenes na nangyari na sa book 1 kaya hindi detailed ang next chap, magfofocus lang sa side ni Den so kung limot niyo na yung book 1 baka maguluhan kayo haha
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