Yannie Ace Ruiz"I'm sorry, I can't join you anymore. I just sneaked out from work, so I need to go back," Ate Rica told us."Your job or me?" Josh asked Ate Rica."Of course, my job. You're just my cousin," Ate Rica replied to Josh, which made all of us laugh. "Girls, I'm sorry, okay? I'll make it up to you next time," Ate Rica said with a smile."No worries, Ate Rica. Take care," I replied with a smile."I'm leaving too," Ate Aika said with a smile, then she glanced at Ate Rica. "I'll go with you, Rics.""Sure!" Ate Rica replied to Ate Aika. "Bye, guys!" they bid us goodbye and left."So, what now? Do we have somewhere to go? Any plans?" Ivory asked one after another.Josh hinted and then spoke, "Um... I was hoping to borrow Yannie from you guys," he said, which made me turn to him."Huh? What do you mean? I can't leave my friends—""Don't worry, Yannie! Byron and I will take care of your friends. We'll escort them," Ramil interjected with a smile at me, then he glanced at
Veron Velaz"Let's just drop off at the nearby mall. So we can just stroll," Ivory whispered to me as we followed Ramil and Byron."That sounds good," I agreed."Sigh. Josh borrowed Yannie from us. But it's okay since they don't always see each other. It's a shame Jenny isn't here, so the three of us could hang out now. It's still early," Ivory chattered, glancing at her watch. "5:45," Ivory read the time from her watch."But won't we be too late getting home? It might be traffic here in Manila, and we might have trouble getting a ride," I said to Ivory."It's okay. We don't have classes tomorrow anyway," Ivory replied, nodding gently.A few moments later, four girls approached Ramil and Byron, causing them to stop walking, and Ivory and I stopped too."Congrats, boys!""Congrats, Ramil and Byron.""You guys are awesome!"They congratulated the two with big smiles."Thank you, girls," Ramil said with a smile to the girls."Where's Josh, by the way? Did he arrive at the part
Yannie Ace RuizMy heart continues to beat loudly as I sit inside Josh's car. He's driving, with one hand holding mine. It's as if I'll disappear from his side if he let go of me. Occasionally, I steal glances at him and see the sweet smile on his lips, melting my heart."I know a nice place to eat nearby," he breaks the silence enveloping us."Huh?""But if you have any preference for where to eat or go, just tell me."I hesitate. "I-I'm okay with anything... whatever you want.""Alright," he replies, still with a smile on his lips.After a while, Josh stops his car in front of a simple yet elegant restaurant. I immediately feel hesitant as I look at the restaurant. It seems like my outfit doesn't quite fit in there.Josh quickly get out of the car and turns to open the door for me. Before I can move to get out, he extends his hand to assist me. My heart pounds loudly as I accept his outstretched hand and finally leave his car."Let's go," his eyes gleamed with excitement dur
Yannie Ace RuizI freely observe the surroundings and the beautiful scenery in front of me while the cool and refreshing breeze continues to embrace me. The laughter of children happily playing with their parents, the joyful conversations and laughter of friends, and the heartwarming moments of couples being together are just some of the things I repeatedly enjoy watching now, which bring peace to my heart. It feels good to be happy and to live in a way that you know you're not stepping on anyone else. In my whole life, it's only now that I've experienced feeling so small like this. And I don't know if it's a consequence because I fell in love with someone like Josh.Moments later, I felt Josh sit beside me on the bench. It's already seven in the evening, and we're currently at a People’s Park. He brought me here after we left the restaurant where we ate earlier."Here," he said, handing me a bottled juice that he had already opened for me."Thank you," I replied, gently accepting
Yannie Ace RuizI gave Kris a small smile in response. Following that were the teasing remarks from our companions. I avoided Kris' gaze, especially when he sat in front of me, smiling and looking at me as if he was amused by the teasing from our friends. I didn't know why I suddenly felt awkward and nervous. Maybe it was because I was worried that Josh might find out Kris was here, knowing that Kris was the reason for our last argument that led to our breakup. I didn't know what Kris had said to Josh when they spoke using my cellphone, which made Josh so angry and aggressive. Yes, Josh was jealous, but I didn't think he would react so violently without reason. Between the two of them, of course, I trusted my boyfriend more. Josh didn't tell me what Kris said to him back then. He didn't want us to talk about it anymore.Minutes passed until Ma'am Cillia arrived, and we started celebrating her birthday. We sang and greeted her, then handed her our gifts."Thank you, guys, for coming!
Yannie Ace Ruiz"Yannie!" I quickly stood up from my seat when I saw Veron, along with Jenny and Ivory, hurrying towards us. The deep concern on their faces was evident.We were currently at the hospital to treat the wounds sustained by Josh and his friends, as well as Jomar. We were brought here by the police who assisted us earlier, along with Kris and the other injured men seeking revenge against Josh."Yannie, are you okay? Huh? Are you hurt?" Ivory asked me with evident concern as they approached."I'm okay. Don't worry," I reassured them gently.Veron let out a deep sigh of relief. "That's good to hear.""Thank goodness your boyfriend arrived," Ivory remarked."By the way, where is he? Jomar? Was he also among those injured earlier?" Jenny asked, concerned."Yes. They're here," I said, leading them to where Josh and the others were. They followed me, and we were greeted by Josh, Ramil, Byron, and Jomar, all sitting on their respective hospital beds while nurses attended t
Yannie Ace Ruiz"I thought you could go home now? Is there a problem? What did the doctor say?" I asked Josh in succession while Ramil, Byron, and Jomar remained silent, lying on their hospital beds as if they didn't mind staying in the hospital for a few more days.I glanced at Ate Rica, hoping to get some answers from her. But she just avoided my gaze as if she knew something she didn't want to tell me. I took a deep breath and turned my gaze back to Josh. "Josh...""Hmm?" Josh responded to me as if he didn't understand my questions earlier. I kept my eyes on him, waiting for his response. Eventually, he answered me. "We still need some time here because our wounds and bruises haven't healed yet.""Just because of wounds and bruises? Didn't the doctor say anything else? Were you not injured severely?" I asked him with growing concern, which slightly interrupted him and made him glance at Ramil. I furrowed my brow and glanced at Ramil, too, but they quickly avoided eye contact wit
Yannie Ace RuizMy heart skipped a beat as I saw Josh hurrying towards me. Earlier, I was sure of my feelings. But now that I see him, it's as if I suddenly forgot everything I felt a moment ago. All I can feel now is a strange sense of joy and excitement in my heart because I see him now.As he finally approached me, he quickly kissed me. "I miss you," he said, softening my heart even more. Then, he gently pulled away from me but reached out and held both of my hands tenderly. "Have you been waiting long? I told you I'd just pick you up at your school." I didn't wait for him to pick me up at school. Instead, I decided to meet him at a mall near his place so he wouldn't have to travel too far to see me.I swallowed and slowly looked at his right arm. These are the things that have been bothering me since yesterday when I found out about his serious injury. Honestly, I don't really know what I'm feeling at first. Sadness, regret, resentment, or worry. I'm feeling all of these mixed e