Chantria“We don’t have any big styrofoam here,” Erin said on the other line.“Okay,” I replied. “Lorreine and I will look for some here. We already completed our purchases. So, is that the only thing you still need?”“Yes, that’s all. We have some here, but they’re small. They won’t be enough for what we’re going to do.”“Alright. I’ll call you again once we find some.”After I hung up the phone, Lorreine and I immediately searched for styrofoam. I tried calling Gab to ask if he needed anything else, but he didn’t answer. Maybe he was still busy looking for and organizing the things we needed from him.“Oh? Alright. We’re still at the mall. We’ll try to look for one.”I glanced at Lorreine, who was talking on the phone. I approached her. “Do Erin and the others need anything else?”She put her phone back in her pocket before answering me. “That was Gab on the phone. He said they no longer have small screws, so he’s asking us to buy some for him.”I sighed. I’ve been trying to call hi
ChantriaWhen I arrived home, I changed my clothes first. I promised Aling Tryna that I would have dinner with them, so I hurried my actions. Although I always eat at their house, so I don't know why I still needed to make a promise.I saw Iwatani outside with his back facing me. I didn't immediately see what he was doing, so I called his name. When he turned to me, he had just thrown something on the ground before stepping on it.I bit my lower lip. "Are you smoking?"He briefly scratched his head. "Sometimes. Only when I'm tired.""You know that's not good for your health, right?"He nodded. "Yeah."For some unknown reason, my blood suddenly boiled. Why did he seem indifferent to what I was saying?"You know that already. So why do you still do it?"His mouth dropped open when I suddenly raised my voice. "Uh... sorry. If you're worried about second-hand smoke, I won't smoke in front of you."I gasped. "That's not what I meant. Smoking is bad not just for my health but also for yours
ChantriaWhile waiting for Iwatani, who was called to the teacher’s office, I chose to stay in the car instead. It's very hot today, and I don't want to be far away from the car's air conditioning. Now I realize how hot it really is in the Philippines.There's summer in Canada too, but it's not this hot. It's also very humid, so it feels sticky when you sweat.While playing on my phone, I looked outside and immediately got out of the car when I saw Gab heading towards his car. But before I could get close, a man came out of the driver's side.I stopped approaching when I saw Gab's father up close. It was only then that I realized how big he was. He had a large build and was tall. He had a dark complexion and blue eyes.His forehead seemed to be permanently creased as he looked at his son. This was the first time I had seen him up close, so I wasn't sure. But his aura was intimidating, as if he would hit me for one mistake.And as if he heard my thoughts, he punched Gab on the right ch
ChantriaI watched myself while lifting weights. I could see the improvement in my body after a few months of weightlifting. Not only that, even in shooting, I am becoming better than before.I even took a video of myself before and tried to compare it now. That's when I noticed how big the change was in my body. At first, it wasn't really noticeable. If not for the video, I might lose hope because it felt like nothing had changed.After finishing my set today, I asked Iwatani if I could just use the comfort room quickly. He was still talking to some of his friends here, so I didn't want to disturb him too much.When I finished fixing myself up, I went out. But then my things fell when someone bumped into me. I quickly picked up my bag and the scattered combs. Even my phone wasn't spared.But what surprised me more was that the person who bumped into me just left without even saying sorry. I gasped and shouted at him, but he seemed deaf because he didn't even turn around."Wow!" I exc
ChantriaI sighed while staring into space. I couldn't get the image of the man who attacked Gab out of my head.I'm worried about Gab. What if the man comes back and does something even worse to him? What if no one else comes to help him? What if it's not just one man who corners him, but a dozen? How will he defend himself then?I looked down at my food when Iwatani placed a piece of chicken on my plate. "Eat," he said. "You've been staring off into space since earlier. Our break time is almost over.""Sorry," I said."Why are you apologizing?" he asked."We're supposed to be spending this break time together, but I've been zoned out. Sorry. I was being rude.""I don't care about that. Even if you don't talk to me, it's fine. What's important is that you eat because we still have classes this afternoon."I smiled and started eating. I couldn't help but glance at him while he ate. Am I being too shallow if I get happy just by looking at him like this? I just find him cute no matter w
ChantriaLorreine seemed to be jumping up and down with excitement when we arrived at the mall. She was the only one who was overly excited about our shopping trip today.Well, I was excited too, but not this much. She was like a child taken to an amusement park, jumping in the middle of the mall. Some people were looking at her and laughing, so I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. We looked like we brought a preschool student to the mall."What should we buy first?" Louella asked."Hey!" Lorreine protested. "We shouldn't plan like that. We'll go wherever the first shop we pass by is."I sighed. "Looks like we'll be going around the mall a lot today." I looked at Iwatani, who was just quietly following us. "Is it okay with you?"He nodded. "I'm fine here. Just enjoy yourselves.""You should enjoy too!" Lorreine exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "You're the first one we're buying clothes for and you need to look like someone who's going camping, not just someone who's going to school."Lou
Chantria"Hi!"I turned around when someone called out to us. I saw Aaron, Gab's friend, shyly approaching us. He also looked at Lorreine, Louella, and Iwatani before greeting them."Hi, Aaron!" I greeted him. I've talked to him before since we sometimes participate in the same activities, but he's too shy so we can't really talk properly. That's why it was surprising when he approached us."Um...I would like to ask a favor from you guys," he scratched his neck while speaking. "Gab's birthday is coming up and we thought of surprising her. Actually, it was Makino's idea and I was asked to talk to you guys."I don't know if I should laugh at Makino or not, but if it's for Gab, I'm sure even Lorreine would agree even if it's Makino's idea."What can we help with?" Lorreine asked, sounding a bit annoyed. "It seems like Makino can do everything for the surprise party for Gab. She won't need our help, unless she plans on holding the party in an expensive hotel and needs money. I know she ca
ChantriaMakino and her friends are preparing the hotel they reserved for the surprise party. We were assigned to do the grocery shopping for the food, so we went to the market early in the morning.It's a good thing that Gab's birthday falls on a Saturday and there's no work. Iwatani and I were assigned to do the shopping and cooking, while Lorreine and Louella will help with the preparations while we're at the market.We'll be cooking at the hotel and everyone will be helping out there. Some of them will pick up Gab and invite him to play basketball, but the truth is they will go straight to the hotel for the surprise.Makino and Aaron will message each other to let us know if they're on their way. We're here at the hotel waiting with the cake that Makino baked herself.I picked up some balloons to hold while Gab's male friends have party poppers. Lorreine and Louella also have balloons like mine.When I noticed that Iwatani didn't have any balloons, I quickly looked for one that he