"Class dismissed."
Halos mapasigaw na ako ng 'YES!' at ihagis ang mga papel na nasa desk ko nang marinig ko ang magic words na 'yon. I'm sure my other blockmates feel the same.
TGIF! At dahil Friday na nga, we have no assignments to do and quizzes to review for. The school tolerated this protocol kaya naman na-eenjoy talaga namin ang bawat weekend. Kaya mahal ko 'tong school, eh.
After the school's weekly flag retreat, unti-unti nang nagsisiuwian ang mga estudyante. I was sitting at one of the benches in the campus grounds as I watched the students slowly disperse.
Galing sa mga linya ng klase niya, nakita ko si Shin na naglalakad na papalapit sa'kin. His HRM polo shirt probably had stains from cooking dahil naka white shirt na lang siya sa pantaas.
"Yo, what's poppin'? Mukhang medyo nadumihan ang uniform mo, ah?" I greeted him the moment he sat beside me.
He just shrugged. "Kinda. I was out of focus today. Wala akong ganang magluto at makinig sa mga lecture kanina. It's probably because of the bad news I've heard this afternoon."
"Tsk, tsk. That's bad." umiling-iling ako, giving him a sign of disapproval. "You got it bad, Shin. Mind sharing the bad news with me? Para sabay tayong mawala sa mood. Ayos 'yon!" I grinned.
Umiling na lang siya at nagpakawala ng buntong-hininga. He avoided my gaze. "Don't bother asking me about it. Hearing about it made me feel shit, what more if I speak about it, am I not correct?"
Mukhang sobrang bad nga ng news na 'yon dahil napapamura na siya at lumalalim na ang English niya. Charot. Pero kasi 'yang si Shin, 'di talaga 'yan nagmumura, eh. 'Yan ang number one taga-sermon naming barkada 'pag may nagmumura. Pangalawa si Pat.
Nag-aalanganin akong sumagot ng, "Oh-kay?" gusto ko kasi pilitin siya kaso baka sa akin naman siya ma-badtrip. "You know that I'm willing to listen, a'ight? Everytime."
"Yeah, alam ko 'yon." he said. Then suddenly, from a smug look, his face lit up. Humarap siya sa akin bigla nang parang hindi siya badtrip kanina. "Hey, Ploy do you-"
"Sophiaaaa! Mega tayo!"
Napalingon ako at nakita ang mga kaibigan naming kumakaripas ng takbo papunta sa pwesto namin. I turned to look at Shin again. "You were saying something?"
"Never mind."
Nagkibit-balikat na lang ako at hindi na pinilit siyang magsalita. Better not piss him off or else we'll have a grumpy guy walking with us in Megamall.
"Anong meron at naisip niyong pumunta sa Mega?" as far as I can remember, ako ang taga-initiate ng mall gala and they usually refuse dahil mas gusto nila sa mga café kaya naninibago ako.
Ryan smiled smugly, saying, "Sila ang may pakana." and pointed the rest of the barkada using her lips.
"Well, it's Friday, mamsh! Lagi kaya tayong gumogora sa kung saan-saan 'pag Friday!" singit ni Earl.
"And trip namin pumuntang Mega, today. Ikaw ba, 'di mo bet?" tanong ni Jian.
Mahina akong siniko ni Pat. "Dapat maging proud ka samin! For the first time nagyaya kaming magmall! Maging proud ka, dali! Gusto ko may luha effect pa."
"Ayoko nga! Strict ang parents ko."
Ryan made face. "Ulol, Sophia 'wag ako! Nakakarating nga kayong Tagaytay at Laguna ni Nathan? Sana all!"
"Ay ganon, sumbatan tayo dito, Ryan?" natatawa kong tanong.
"Sige na kasi, 'wag KJ sa mga plano!"
Humalakhak ng malakas si Chris. Muntikan ko nang makalimutan na kasama pala 'to sa barkada. 'Di, joke lang. "At gusto naming humadlang sa mga plano. Plano naming maging KJ." he said and smirked.
"Awts, I feel like a villain." Jian seconded.
Medyo confused ako pero sige go. "Ha? I have no plans for the day naman. Pwede akong sumama sa Mega. What do you guys mean?" tiningnan ko sila isa-isa then si Shin. "Ikaw, may plano ka ba ngayon?"
He shook his head.
"Awts, gege." Pat said. She's been saying that phrase a lot of times now. I don't know if it's sarcastic or not...
Chris clapped while looking at somewhere. "Ayun, 'di pa naman pala fully booked ang schedule ni Sof at Nate. Available sila today!" he said and gave Pat, Jian, Ryan and Earl a meaningful look.
Pota, anong trip nitong mga 'to?
"Arat naaaa! Malapit lang naman ang Mega, convoy na lang tayo-" napatigil sa pagdaldal si Earl. "Papsh Nate, 'di ba you nae-excite? Kaunting energy naman dyan! Nakakastress ka ng bangs, oh! Gusto mo bang tawagin ko si Mr. Pure Energy para pasahan ka ng powers?"
Medyo kinabahan ako para kay Earl dahil baka ma-badtrip si Shin sa kadaldalan niya. To my surprise, Shin smiled and chuckled. "Of course, why wouldn't I be excited?"
Sana all cute 'pag excited.
"Haaaay, sana all talaga." Pat sighed. Mukhang parehas kami ng sentiments ni Pat, ah? Nakakainggit kasi expressions ni Shin, parang nasa movie at acting na datingan kahit natural responses lang niya 'yon.
Nage-gets niyo ba ang punto ko? Hindi? Okay lang, medyo 'di ko rin gets sarili ko, eh.
Going to Megamall is only supposed to be twenty minutes pero dahil sa dami ng ritual na ginawa namin, naging forty-five minutes na yata. Nagpaalam pa kami sa parents, nagtalo-talo sa kung saan sasakay, tapos idagdag pa ang traffic.
"Finally! 'Kala ko hindi na tayo makakarating dito, eh! Muntikan na akong umuwi dahil sa tagal niyo kanina!" reklamo ni Earl pagkapasok namin ng mall. We had to go through the trouble of parking in packed parking lots and security check entrances.
We ended up splitting in groups. Jian, Pat and Earl went together to a shop for drawing materials and every artist's needs, while Ryan, Earl, Shin and I went to National Bookstore. Sa grupo, kami ang pinakamahilig sa libro, let it be educational or fiction novels. The other group were far more interested in artistic materials which they can also find here, pero mas ginusto nila sa isang specific store.
"The Da Vinci Code?" Earl asked, nakatingin siya sa libro na hawak ko while his hands were also full of books of his own preference.
Earl and I were the novel readers in the NBS unit. Any genre, go kami. Basta maganda ang reviews at interesting. The other two, Ryan and Shin, are the educational books enthusiasts. They prefer reading subject books, encyclopedia, course-related books, everything that gives out information.
"Yup. Napanood ko na ang movie pero I think the books has more details and information." I pulled out another Dan Brown novel from the shelf. "Do you think I should buy this, too?"
Nanlaki ang mata niya sa hawak kong libro. "Oh, God. Yes!" kumuha rin siya ng kapareho mula sa shelf. "Bet ko 'tong Angels and Demons! Most insane plot twists ever. Like evah!" Maarte niyang sambit. "Wattpad books mamsh, 'di mo bet?"
"Bet... But may newly published books ba? I already have them all.."
Umirap lang siya. "Edi ikaw na ang old reader."
True enough, matagal na ako sa platform na 'yon. I even buy almost all books na still available for purchase. Doon ako natuto and nag-grow as a writer. Though half of them, limot ko na ang mga endings and mga plots mismo. But I still have them in my library shelves. Sayang, eh.
Tahimik lang kaming nagtititingin ng mga libro kaya I decided to break the silence. "Kumusta kaya sila Jian? Nakahanap na kaya sila ng bibilhin?"
"They're on their way here."
"Ay, gago!" halos mapatalon ako at muntikan nang mabitawan ang mga librong hawak ko nang may naramdaman akong bumulong sa may malapit sa tainga ko. "Shuta, Shin! Medyo nakakagulat ka, ah!"
He flashed an innocent look. "Why? I was just answering your question."
"Pwede mo namang sagutin 'yung tanong ko nang hindi nanggugulat, ah?" inis kong tanong.
Mukhang napikon siya sa pagiging mature ko dahil umigting ang panga niya. Ramdam ko na rin ang papalapit na sarcasm na lalabas mula sa bibig niya.
"How should I say it then? 'Don't be surprised, they're on their way here?' Is that how it's supposed to be?"
Umirap na lang ako at 'di na pinatulan. Sungit naman nun.
Sooner, National Bookstore became quite noisy, hudyat na nagsidatingan nga ang mga balahura kong kaibigan. I mean, not that noisy, but you could say that there were some changes in the peaceful ambiance of the place.
"Sophiaaaaaa!" ramdam kong yumakap sa'kin si Jian. "May gift ako sayo!"
Confusion dawned on my face habang ngiting-ngiti naman sila Pat at Jian na nakatingin sa akin. Earl and Shin have their eyebrows raised while Earl patted Shin's shoulder at umakbay rito. He was whispering something inaudible to Shin.
"Sof! Nandito ka pala talaga!"
Halos malaglag na sa sahig ang panga ko dahil sa boses na 'yon. I was actually simultaneously chanting the phrase "it's a prank" in my head to actually remove the hope inside me. Turning around and facing the source of the voice didn't do me any good.
Dylan was actually there!
"Akala ko these people here are just pranking me. Baka gusto lang nila akong ma-solo or something. Alam mo naman, gwapo." he made a pogi sign kaya medyo pinigilan ko ang pagngiwi. "Joke lang!"
I tried pinching myself mentally to make myself focus. "Uy, hi!"
Tip: Ganyan dapat bumati, hindi pangatal. Chill lang!
"Hello! Oh, by the way, una ako! I just came by to greet you. Chat na lang kita bukas. Leigh and Mathieu are waiting for me." kumaway siya sa akin atsaka bumaling kay Shin. "Nathan, MIA ka today, ah. Now I know why. Bye!"
Shin was carrying books, which looked like Ryan's, kaya hindi siya nakakaway at tumango na lamang sa kakilala. Leigh and Mathieu were probably their co-trainees.
After waving at all of us, umalis na rin si Dylan, leaving us to continue our business.
"A'ight, let's finish our business here and eat, shall we?" yaya ko sa kanila.
The whole mall gala was fun. After buying stuff of our own interests, nag-ice skating kami for an hour then nag-foodtrip. We ate at the foodcourt, sa World Chicken then kung ano-ano pang dessert ang binili namin.
Umuwi ako nang may dalang pasalubong. My parents and brother love pasalubongs to the ultimate level kaya I brought home two boxes of doughnuts.
And as usual, umabot na naman ako ng 6AM sa pagpupuyat. People usually ask me kung anong ginagawa ko sa pagpupuyat ko. I simply say that I write, update, and practice acting. Time-consuming, right?
It's after writing one and a half unpublished chapters when I decided to take a break and sleep. 'Di pa ako inaantok dahil natulog ako pagkauwi ko at gumising ng 2AM but I have no choice and I have nothing to do.
"Matutulog ka na, self. Matutulog ka na, self." I keep on chanting to myself as I ascend the stairs.
I'm halfway through the stairs when I heard a car engine stop in front of our house. Syempre na-curious ako kasi wala naman kaming inaasahang bisita nang ganito kaaga.
"The fuck are you doing here this early?"
Standing beside his parked car was Shin who looked like he's waiting for someone. I actually assumed that he's here to cook me breakfast just like what he'd said, pero hindi mukhang pagluluto ang pakay niya. Tell me, are you gonna cook while wearing ripped jeans and sweater?
"Tara, date."
Naiwan akong nakatulala lang sa kanya at pinoproseso ang kung ano mang sinabi niya. I don't know if I should feel flustered or whatever but I feel like my face is as red as a tomato now.
"Ginagawa mo? Baka wala ka pa ring tulog kaya ka ganyan, ah?" tanong ko.
Kumunot ang noo niya. Ah, I know where this is leading to. Sermon. "You haven't gotten any sleep yet? May dugo ka pa ba, Ploy?"
"OA naman! Excuse me, I only do this every Saturdays, 'no! Atsaka natutulog ako after every gala natin 'pag Friday kaya may extra sleep ako."
He sighed, looking unimpressed. "I was serious in, uh, asking you out but then 'wag na pala kasi wala ka pang tulog so bye—"
"Okay lang!" I cut him short. "Naligo ako kagabi pagkagising ko so I don't think to take a bath pa. At hindi pa ako inaantok! All I need to do to is dress up and freshen myself up and— teka, why are you asking me out for a date?"
Sa hinaba-haba ng litanya ko, it all ended up in one question na dapat tinanong ko muna bago ilahad ang plano ko na magbihis at mag-ayos.
"Why? Is it wrong to ask someone out for a date?" seryosong tanong niya.
Umirap na lang ako. This guy is playing naïve, I know that. "Mali kapag wala ka namang rason para yayain ang isang tao sa date."
"I have my reasons, alright. Pero ayoko sabihin, just tell me if you wanna go out with me or not."
Without doubting, I nodded my head. "Okay." Nilawakan ko ang pagkakabukas ng pinto at pinapasok siya. "Come in, maghahanda lang ako, magpapaalam na rin."
We ended up leaving at around quarter to 8 AM. I still had to argue with myself kung ang susuotin ko ba ay pants or shorts but I ended up wearing a sweater tucked in a plaid black miniskirt.
"This is the way to MOA!" I exclaimed. Napansin ko kasi na nasa Pasay kami and we're literally en route to SM Mall of Asia.
Sa pagkakaalam ko, 20 minutes lang ang travel time from Mandaluyong to MOA. But Shin insisted to eat first in McDo kaya naman nagtagal pa kami ng ilang oras dahil sa traffic at sa pagkain which is is fine kasi 10 AM pa naman ang opening time ng mall.
After kong kumain, sumimsim ako sa iced coffee ko at sumandal sa upuan, tinitigang mabuti ang lalaking mukhang enjoy na enjoy sa fries niya. "So...?"
"So what?" he asked after swallowing the food on his mouth. Napakamasunurin talaga when it comes to table etiquette.
I snatched a piece of fry from his lalagyan since mine was already empty. He glared at me pero 'di ko siya pinansin. Instead, I continued to speak. "Bakit ang aga mo naman mag-aya? What if tulog na ako?"
"Impossible."
Instead of answering my queries, we ended up bickering. Na naman. And it resulted in pikunan hanggang sa inis na siyang magyayang tumuloy na papunta sa MOA. Edi okay.
"Kakabili mo lang ng libro kahapon, Ploy." he said when I insisted him to accompany me to the novels section in National Bookstore. Chill lang siyang naglalakad at nakapamulsa habang ako naman ay parang batang namimilit ng magulang.
Pinadyak ko pa ang paa ko. Now I'm being whiny, ugh. Buti na lang wala pa masyadong tao sa National Bookstore. Kaka-open lang kasi. "Medyo kakabili mo rin lang ng mga libro kahapon, Shin!"
"Those were Ryan's."
Napa-'o' ang bibig ko at tumaas ang mga kilay. "Oh, so what's the score between you two?"
I felt awkward asking that since we really don't talk about these kinds of stuff but I'm really curious so I had the urge to know at maki-usyoso.
"What score?" takang tanong niya, nakakunot pa ang noo.
What now? Did I say something wrong?
"You know, it's sweet of you to carry her books for her. I think you guys are kinda bagay. So, may something na ba sa inyo, best friend?"
And why am I not wanting to push through this?
"That's not sweetness, Ploy. It's just being a gentleman to one of my close friends."
I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Close friends, my ass."
"Let's just go to the novel section." He said after pulling three books from the shelves. Nauna na siyang maglakad kaya hindi na ako nagsalita at sumunod na lang.
I just picked one sci-fi novel at ngising-asong naglakad sa counter. Sa sobrang excitement ay naunahan ko pa siyang makarating doon kahit siya ang nagyaya rito.
"Ang gastos mo." he muttered while we're walking along the shops. He's wearing a mask kaya muffled na muffled ang mga bulong niya pero naintindihan ko 'yon.
Umirap ako ng patago. "Magastos pero ikaw nagbayad." ngiwi ko. "Medyo shunga ka sa part na 'yon 'no?"
"Nasabihan pa nga ng shunga. Bawiin ko sayo 'yan, eh."
I smiled sweetly, the type of smile that literally says 'don't mess me or else...' and eyed him while asking, "Nanunumbat ka?"
"Joke nga lang po."
"Good."
And after that, kung saan-saan na kami nakarating. We went to buy some clothes, food and everything that catches our interest. We also rode the ferris wheel. A gala in MOA is not complete without that.
Syempre nilibre ko siya ng dalawang malaking bote ng Made in Candy since he likes those sweet food. Para fair din 'cause binayaran niya ang libro ko.
5:30 PM nung nagdecide kaming sa seaside na lang tumambay. Syempre hindi mawawala roon ang pagselfie at pag-photoshoot. Sapilitan kong in-assign si Shin bilang photographer ko. And when I looked at the photos he took, maganda ang mga kuha.
He wasn't as photogenic as I was kaya puro stolen ang solo pictures niya. Ang ganda nga eh, parang boyfriend pictures ng mga K-Pop artists na madalas kong i-lockscreen.
Nang mapagod kami ay nakatitig na lang kami sa sunset. The sky is beautiful, the colors are magical. Maraming tao but the ambiance is so beautiful.
"So would you mind telling me what this date is really for?" I suddenly asked.
He didn't shot a glance at me but I did saw him smile habang nakatingin sa kalangitan. "It's for you and me." kaswal na sabi niya na para bang walang nakakagulat doon.
Ako nga nagulat sa sinabi niya. Medyo hindi ko na-gets 'yong part na 'yon. Ano raw ang sabi niya, para sa aming dalawa? And he just said casually like it's nothing weird!
"Para sa'yo? Para sa akin? Wait, medyo hindi makuha ng utak ko ang ibig mong sabihin."
"Let's just say that I wanna date someone."
Napaikot ng husto ang eyeballs ko sa narinig. "So you used me as a training ground for your first date?"
"No, this is a date, remember? So technically, this is my first date."
"Teka, teka." napahawak ako sa ulo ko at medyo napaisip. "Is this a romantic date para i-consider mo na first date? I mean diba, ganoon 'yon?"
I heard him chuckle. "Does it matter? Casual, friendly or romantic, it's still a date."
I smiled creepily. "And you're planning to ask Ryan out? She's the most possible choice for you, in my own humble opinion." tanong ko.
"Paano naman napasok si Ryan sa usapan? You've mentioned our friend's name twice now."
Napaisip ako bigla. Bakit nga ba? "Meh, never mind that part. And you said na para rin sa akin, why? Anong mapapakinabangan ko sa date na ito?"
"If I tell you, you're gonna go nuts and get mad. Baka makatikim pa ako ng sapak."
Niyugyog ko siya nang malala atsaka pinilit na sabihin. People might think that I'm harassing this guy but the hell they care. "Sabihin. Mo. Na. Pleaseeee?"
I even used my puppy eyes na nagttwinkle kahit alam kong hindi 'yon masyadong kita dahil padilim na. He heaved a sigh.
"Dylan's gonna ask you out."
#
time check, it's 8:33 in the morning and wala pa akong tulog. yay! i personally decided to finish this chapter before sleeping because why not? dont worry, may dugo pa naman ako.
anyways, i havent proof-read this yet and who knows, baka sabog na ako so please bear with me and i'll edit this out once i got the time.
good mornight!
(ps. cttro of the picture i used ❤️)