TJ's POV
"I kissed you?"I was surprised when he returned the question to me. I touched my lips, it feels real.Wtf, Is that just a dream!? "Aray!" napahawak ako sa ulo ko. I looked at the back and there, I saw someone I know here in front of me. "Sh•t, nabatukan na naman. Inaano kita, Sam, ah?""It's not a dream, okay?" she explained, as she laughed."Huh?"We both sat down while Zack just went to the kitchen himself. And Sam started to explain what happened. And After explaining that all to me, I asked her."Eh, bakit mo naman ginawa 'yon? Ang sakit pa rin, ah?" angal ko, habang nakahawak sa sintido ko."Kuya TJ!" I heard Little Bao's voice.I will not be mistaken. How can I forget that?Humarap na ako ron sa may tabi ng kwarto ni Zack, at tama nga ako. I saw Little Bao running towards me from the car. He hugged me. Maybe Sam didn't have the key to Zack's apartment, but Little BaTJ's POVIt's afternoon already and now, I'm standing here on the shed outside the department building of Engineers. Patiently waiting for Zack because we're going home together, but we have to go to Jaybi first since Sam said something to me and we're the ones who will deliver it.Zack just got here, full of sweat."You should go first, I forgot something. Magkita na lang tayo mamaya, puntahan mo na lang muna si Jaybi." And then without my answer, ran again.I'm just looking at him while he's running away, I took a deep breath.He said everything to me.How can he bear all the pain? The pain he was in when his grandfather died, back then? The pain he was in when nobody was around but a person he doesn't even know? How can he bear it all?Pareho kaming nawalan ng taong sobrang mahalaga sa amin sa parehong araw. Ang kaibahan nga lang nung kinuha ng kalawakan si papa may mga tao sa paligid ko pero siya, wala. I have my Mam
Sam's POVI'm here now at the mall to spy. Pinag-date ko nga si Faye at Jaybi tapos ito namang si Petot ay niyaya ako at puntahan daw namin sila.And now, we're following them. Actually, Petot is the one who's following them and I'm just following her. "Look, they are so happy! Ito ba yung gusto mo?" Petot asked, angrily while pointing at those two, Jaybi and Faye playing at the fun house.Inutos ko, pero 'di ko ginusto.I didn't say anything and just kept looking at them, just watching their every move."You have the looks, that beauty and brain. Pala-kaibigan, medyo may pagka-gangsters pero mabait at mayaman—""`Di ako mayaman," I cut her off."Mayaman ka, ayaw lang i-claim ng Lola mo. Mayaman kayo.""Sila, 'di ako.""Oh sige, pag-awayan natin 'to. . . . but tell me, sa'n ka nagkulang? sa'n din ako nagkulang ng payo sa 'yo? Anong naisipan mo para gawin 'to?" And she kept asking me.
Sam's POVWe walked to his car, and just got here. I faced my palm when I realized that I was waiting for Petot before a crisis happened. So, I immediately checked my phone and saw her texts.“Where were you, Sam? anak ka ng tokwa, iniwan niyo ‘ko,” I said, reading the text that she sent which caused me to laugh, “e, di ‘wag ka mag-reply, basta ‘wag ka na rin uuwing Samantha ka ah!”I can’t stop laughing because of what I read, and Kurt was the same but right after a single laugh, he looked at me without doing anything and just starting. So, I asked him.“Ano?” But he just shook his head and tapped his car key. He next opened the door of the front seat so I just sat down without asking. And he drove me to my dorm without talking to me, probably letting me rest because of what happened. When we reached our destination, he opened the car door for me, so I got off.“Get inside,” he said.I smiled at him, and nodded, “Thank
Sam's POVThe next day...After that night, I promised that I will leave my mind empty and I'll let the music take care of it, those songs of Parokya ni Edgar. And I will fix the mistake that I made. Sinabi ko kay Petot na nakausap ko na si Kurt, and said that he already let go of me.At sunod naman ay si Faye, at mukhang umayon ang tadhana dahil si Faye na mismo ang gustong kumausap sa akin ngayon. She went somewhere near our building, and asked me to go there."Sam, I think I'll leave you both alone." Petot while trying to get rid of herself from us."No, be here," Faye said, "Gusto ko habang kinakausap ko si Sam, nandito ka."Petot looked at me awkwardly, but smiled and nodded to Faye."Sam, thank you sa lahat. I know Jaybi is not a thing that you can give easily to someone but thank you, you let me. Alam kong gusto mo rin akong kausapin, about that, and I want to say thank you very much," she thanked, saying it like
Petot's POVIn just a day, Sam did everything to be okay to everyone. And we even celebrated that by eating street foods. At the same hour, I invited her to go to our barangay's fiesta, the barangay of my Lola so that Inay could see her too, because I know they miss each other so much.We all woke up early so that we could make it in time. We all decided to meet at one place and go at once with our cars. We both have three cars, ours, Jaybi’s and Al’s. May 05, At Janopol Oriental Tanauan City Batangas. The day before fiesta."Inay!" After opening the car’s door, I saw my Inay smiling at me. I ran and went there, nagmano ako at niyakap siya. “Sobrang na-miss ko kayo, Inay!”"Ala eh naman apo, dagasa eh, ako ata ay sadya mong miss," with her accent, batangueño accent. Hugging me back, too.Inay ang tawag ko sa Lola namin. She unhugged and smiled at me, "Aba, eh balita ko'y marami kayong kasama, maige iyan, eh teka asan
Al's POVI planned everything, from the very beginning.Pagkaalis nila agad akong tumakbo para makapunta sa stage. And the exact time, everything became so dark, as I expected.After asking her, I sing a song. "Maybe you're wondering why I sing this song," I said. Flashback...Pagkatapos naming gumala sa school nila Petot, umuwi na kaagad kami. And all of a sudden, Kuya Tj approached me."Maybe she told you but not in detail," he started.I get it right away, yung kinowento ni Petot sa akin yung ginawa siya sa stage for someone. And I nodded as an answer.They are siblings having telepathy, because they know what each other's doing."Si Lauren ay isa sa mga stranger na naging importante sa buhay ni Petot. That stage, where she sing Harana by Parokya ni Edgar, it was all dedicated to him, as well, to Lauren." Now I fully understand why that school, especially the stage, was so memora
Jaybi's POVAfter a long day, we all decided to sleep early for tomorrow’s event, because we will go somewhere. Around 4 am when we woke up to go for a jog.And now, it’s already 5:45 am. I'm looking at them, they are sitting and talking. Petot said to me that I should wait for her, because she will give me a sign. A sign because she said we, Sam and I, should spend these hours next to each other.I don’t know what she’s thinking or planning, I just decided to go with the flow since I know she will not do anything that will make us feel destroyed.Pero sa tagal nilang nag-uusap, naiinip na ako, kaya sinubukan kong lumapit ng kaunti. Not far, I can hear them."Sam, it's your choice. Ayo'ko sabihin na tama, ayoko rin sabihin na mali because it's your choice. . . . but I'm here for you," Petot said. And they hugged each other. What are they talking about?"But you know what? You will find smarter, more handsome, more talen
TJ's POVMama and I went out of the room at the same time, and I saw Petot and Sam, naghahanda na sa lamesa para sa hapunan. I saw Jaybi, Tom and Nathan playing with each other in the living area, and just saw Al from the comfort room, too. It made me wonder where Zack and Inay were. Without thinking twice, I decided to find them first. I looked over the whole house but I couldn't find them, and the last thing I needed to look at was Inay's room. I was about to knock, but I saw that the door was a bit open so I took a peek. I saw them together, they were standing in front of Inay's pictures."Oh apo, hinahanap na ba kami roon?" Nang mapansin at makita ako ni Inay ay agad niya akong tinanong.I opened the door and smiled, "Ah, hindi naman po. Wala lang po kayo ron kaya hinahanap ko po kayo." "Ay, siya! sige na tayo e' pumunta na roon, ako e' pasal na, tayo'y magsi-kain na," yaya pa ni Inay saka lumabas ng kwarto habang si Zack kasunod na rin.