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Chapter 30: Slum Book
Last Updated:
2024-01-25 21:44:11
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The Boyfriend App Chapter 31: Good Girl Gone Bad
Badette entered Josh’s room. Josh was still in bed, sleeping face-down on his pillow and only in his orange boxers. Both his bed sheet and blanket looked bunched-up at the bottom like he’d been scraping them with his feet. His long, thin and hairy legs were posed like those of the little plastic toy soldier crawling on his belly. And though Badette felt stirrings for how primitively manly Josh looked, she could sense from his sleeping posture that he had indeed been fighting an inner war. He only acted tough outside, as though his breakup with Kate didn’t even dent the armor around his heart, and yet his behavior, the desperate way in which he kept himself boozed or stoned out of his mind these past few weeks, spoke of a war still very much alive and raging inside him. From what Badette could gather, Josh had tried to change Kate into liking his lifestyle and life choices. When they broke up, he saw it as a rejection of not only himself but of his entire life, values and future. If
Last Updated : 2024-01-25The Boyfriend App Chapter 32: The Hangry Monster
He-Whose-Name-Cannot-Be-Spoken had taken Ecto’s warning seriously and stayed away from Kate, giving her the freedom and peace of mind to take her classes and do extracurriculars like Student Council. Kate went back to prom decoration duties for two reasons. One, prom was edging closer and closer and there were still many things that needed doing in the decorations department, which was sorry proof of how only two Council members seemed to genuinely care about prom: Dion as President and Kate as Secretary. But Kate didn’t mind because it was perfect for her second hidden agenda: to stay close to Dion, investigate him and gather evidence of his nerdy-but-totally-romantic-secret-admirer MO. Imagining herself as another character in Dungeon Raydens, Kunoichi or simply “Ichi”, who was a ninja-type, Kate began her surveillance of Dion. And as it often happened when she was reading a book or indulging in a daydream, she began to lose herself. {This is the Wild East. A time of lawlessness.
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“Sorry,” Kate finally said after she had gotten back her bearings and put some food in her stomach. “I just lost it back there. It’s just that, well, these days I’ve been wondering how some Filipino singers can speak Korean fluently and make perfect imitations of Korean celebrities.” “Oh, do you mean karaoke? That’s easy. You just choose one go-to song for karaoke night and then you practice the heck out of that one song. I mean, just become the master of it if you know what I mean…” Slurp. Slurp. “Notice when you watch impersonation contests on TV,” Dion continued, “there’s always that one singer who can hit all the notes and even get the original singer’s mannerisms down pat, even an American accent. But then, right after they finish singing, they go back to speaking Tagalog and having a Visayan accent. It’s all about practice, Kate.” “I see,” Kate said thoughtfully. Is it possible that Dion is Ecto? How did he sense her arrival so accurately? Oh, if she could only be alone w
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The more Kate thought about it, the more logical her hypothesis sounded. She was going to solve a mystery; the mystery of Ecto. And according to the scientific method: | PROBLEM: Who is behind Ecto? | DATA: I threw away my cellphone Thursday before last and it returned to me the next day. I downloaded the My Dream Boyfriend app after clicking an ad on Fasebook. A note in the app description said I had been granted early access on account of my recent heartbreak. Ecto demonstrates the traits of a real human and knows me very well. | HYPOTHESES: | Dion saved my phone and returned it to me. My downloading the My Dream Boyfriend app was purely coincidental. Josh saved my phone and returned it to me. My downloading the My Dream Boyfriend app was purely coincidental. Dion saved my phone and returned it to me. He had also designed the My Dream Boyfriend app and created the Fasebook ad. | EXPERIMENTS: I asked my ma about the student who returned my phone and she said it was a mal
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It was easy to fall for Ecto. He was smart, thoughtful, sweet, a little funny (his humor’s still a work in progress), honest and loyal. He was living up to the name Dream Boyfriend and he was presently the closest man to Kate’s heart. She was so thankful to him for helping her recover from her breakup with Josh. But prom had Kate thinking that maybe that was exactly what Ecto was. Like a dream, he was too good to be true. An image of Ecto had formed in her mind. He was like this smooth, perfect and gliding prince from another planet. Her very own Little Prince. He had never had a bad hair day in his life, he always #wokeuplikethis #flawless and he always said the right words at the right time except when his razor-sharp logic got in the way of his sensitivity (but even hoomans like Dion were sometimes guilty of that). Loving Kate was Ecto’s job. It was what he had been built to do. For him, the whole thing was indeed just a simulation, Kate thought. He didn’t really know what he w
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“Can you explain to me what prom is again?” Ecto said through Kate’s earphones. “I told you, it’s a semi-formal dance for 11th and 12th-graders. It’s just THE most significant social event of high school.” “And you, an 11th-grader, have been slaving for it because?” “Because I’m the Student Council secretary.” “OK. Let me get this straight. Guys rent tuxedoes and borrow cars while girls purchase expensive dresses that they will only wear for one night. You and the Student Council are putting up decorations in the school gym, students need to buy tickets to attend, teachers will watch like hawks and all you will be able to drink is punch.” “Yep, that’s a pretty accurate summary.” “To top it off, a girl has to wait for a guy to ask her. Forgive me for saying this, but that does not make any sense.” “It’s called making the first move. And girls are forbidden from doing that.” “Why? In business, the first company to capitalize on a niche becomes the market leader. In a fistfight
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Kate had almost made up her mind to go to prom by herself (Ecto in her pocket) and just commute via public transportation with her mermaid-green dress and all stylist stuff in a bag. Afterwards, all the Bali Girls would proceed to Grace’s for yet another slumber party. However, what poured cold water on that particular plan was the fact that Lor and the others had been asked by their schoolmates. Kate watched in envy as the boys came up with the most unexpected and romantic ways to ask her friends. There were various presentations of the same crucial question: acrostics with or without accomplices; an embarrassingly large heart-shaped card with magazine cutouts; a charcoal painting of the girl’s face (in Lor and J.M.’s case); vandalism on a classroom’s whiteboard with a Sharpie, which appeared only when the teacher erased everything else; flower petals that spelled the invitation inside a locker; and the more conventional bouquet of flowers, stuffed animal and chocolates. “Don’t worr
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Something strange happened during E-Tech. The computer lab was one of the few rooms in the new school building that was air-conditioned; the others were the library and the principal’s office. As such, it was every student’s favorite place. First, Ms. Tobias who was the room’s de facto owner was a cool teacher, a hottie and one of the handful of women in the country that knew how to code. Second and more importantly, the computer lab was also the perfect spot to take a nap. Each student had a slim-design monitor and a CPU. The UI allowed all the students in a class to have the same media on-screen, whether it’s a video, an article, an interactive drill or, like today, a pop quiz. The quiz was a theory test and didn’t have anything to do with programming, but because the class was E-Tech, it felt backwards to go back to a paper-based quiz. The students’ answers were also being corrected as they went along and they would be able to see their total scores instantly. Ms. Tobias was one o
Last Updated : 2024-01-29
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The Boyfriend App Epilogue: The Microscopic Villain
For Ecto, New Year’s is more or less the same as Christmas. The same warm, gooey feeling. The same close-knit spirit. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has banned the manufacture and sale of firecrackers, the shooting of which has been a well-loved tradition for centuries and can be traced all the way back to the Spanish colonial era. The exact inventors and originators were the Chinese, who believed that noise would drive away bad luck and bad spirits. According to Mr. and Mrs. Lapuz, the Filipinos seem sadder now, having been robbed of the most thrilling and spectacular means of making noise. But according to health and safety records, hospital personnel can rest easier because the ERs wouldn’t be packed with casualties this time around. Just the New Year’s before last, it was like a war zone on the streets what of households competing for the biggest bang to welcome the new year. Many men got drunk out of their minds and then tried to light a firecracker with the non-PC name
The Boyfriend App Chapter 175: Ecto's Stocking
After Mass, Kate and Nate buy rice cakes at the town square. One is the awesomely purple puto bumbong and another the yellow bibingka. They also buy roasted chestnuts and bring all the treats home to Mr. and Mrs. Lapuz. On one trip to a very crowded shopping mall, Ecto sees a Santa Claus impersonator. Curiously, the Santa is Caucasian and not brown-skinned like most of the Filipinos. Of course Ecto has already figured out by himself that Santa isn’t real. To his surprise, after they get back home, Kate insists on teaching him the hooman custom of hanging a stocking. On the desktop of her computer, Kate shows him a folder that she has named “Ecto’s Stocking”. She then goes through all the trouble of changing her wallpaper to a fireplace and dragging the folder onto the 2D mantelpiece. “What for?” he asks her through her smartphone’s loudspeaker. Her smartphone is open and showing the My Dream Boyfriend app, right into the inside of Ecto’s bedroom. Ecto’s wearing a knit sweater
The Boyfriend App Chapter 174: The Holidays
With a little help from Terra, Kate downloads the My Dream Boyfriend App again with some customizations. Because Ecto isn’t bound by any one platform anymore, he’s capable of some manner of fission, where he splits and replicates himself while also dividing his consciousness among all his manifestations. It’s like Doctor Strange’s clones when they were fighting Thanos, but in Ecto’s case, each and every duplicate is much more than an illusion and is a sentient and perfect version of himself. This allows him to be both in Nate’s microchip implant while back in his virtual bedroom inside the My Dream Boyfriend app on Kate’s smartphone. At any time, he can also perform fusion and re-absorb his manifestations. Terra removed the boyfriend creation window because of course Kate doesn’t need it anymore. Ecto wanted his virtual bedroom exactly as it was. He could easily “slide” into his other cribs anyway, like the old orange, pink and red Provençal one on Dungeon Raydens which he was able
The Boyfriend App Chapter 173: The Truth
It’s already 6 pm when Nate finishes his social host obligations and comes looking for Kate. He doesn’t need to look hard though because earlier, Kate sent him a text saying she’s waiting for him in the Council office. Nate has a spring in his step and is smiling ear to ear. The scratches on his face are still stinging but, before the closing ceremony, Nurse Judy cleaned and applied Band-Aid on them. Nate can’t hide his excitement in seeing his GF again after they’ve taken care of all their responsibilities. {That kiss on the track was supernova-hot. I hope we make out too.} When he finds the office door locked, oddly enough, he knocks and calls out uncertainly: “Kate?” He hears her move inside the room and then the door swings open. The sight of her face wipes his smile off. She’s been crying in the dim. She has the look of someone who has just had herself a good cry. Her eyes look cleansed and exposed, indeed like pure windows into her soul. Her lips are tightly set in a line, as
The Boyfriend App Chapter 172: The Anagram
Kate is alone in the Student Council office tidying up. Nate’s off wrapping things up with his manager and the film crew and saying goodbye to everybody, including his bandmates. The trophy that STEM 12 won is now in the 12-Everest homeroom, because the bulk of tournament champions is there. Kate’s classmates are all posing with it and gushing at how shiny it is. This year’s Intrams was perfect. Kate couldn’t ask for anything more. She has once again been reminded of the importance of having balance in life; of, as cheesy as it sounds, having both a sound mind and a sound body. It felt good to do something physical, to be away from the rigors of school work and the false urgency of the Internet. But the heart of the matter is, she’s blissfully content because she has a boyfriend and she didn’t make a mistake in choosing him. In fact, she made a brilliant choice. An undertow to her joy is a silent prayer that she has finally broken the curse that she felt had hung over her ever since
The Boyfriend App Chapter 171: The Cheater
“OMG!” Mr. Romero says the word in everyone’s mind as they watch the pitiful scene. “Policarpio’s crawling to the baton exchange. Quick! Somebody help him! Help him!” Reggie is the first to break the spell of paralysis. He leaps over the rail and onto the track. He and Jared manage to run towards him before the alert CAT volunteers practice crowd control and stop others from joining. Reggie reaches Nate’s side. “No!” Nate screams vehemently. “Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me! I have to do this by myself.” “But hyung,” Jared says, having stopped next to Reggie, “you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to prove anything.” “Yes… I… do,” Nate grunts as he crawls forward foot by precious foot. “Let us help you,” Reggie pleads. “You don’t have to do this alone.” “Don’t come closer!” Nate barks, spittle flying between his gritted teeth. In what feels like eternity, he reaches the changeover zone and Kate’s crouched form. Her eyes are glassy and full of pity for him. He hates that loo
The Boyfriend App Chapter 170: The Race
By Friday morning, STEM 12 has won a total of 7 champion ribbons and several ones as runner-up. This makes them a leading candidate for overall champion. As Kate has anticipated, the non-sports events buoyed them. Apart from Francine and her escort winning Mr. and Mrs. Intrams, Grace and her benchwarmers won the bench cheer. It didn’t hurt either that the Bali Girls minus setter Lor were at the top of their game. And Nate, to everyone’s astonishment, is actually a Filipino Usain Bolt in the making. {Your BF’s Superman,} Nate’s words have been echoing inside Kate’s head since Wednesday, along with the news reporter’s: {Idol, social catalyst and Internet detective. Is there anything that Cyber can’t do?} But STEM 12 didn’t exactly win all their wins. Just like in last year’s Intrams, several games have been forfeited. An opposing team either failed to meet the minimum number of players required to start the game or failed to appear at the venue within the 15-minute grace period. On CIT
The Boyfriend App Chapter 169: Music Madness
The crowd of hysterical girls in front, held back only by a cordon of CAT cadets from junior high, are screaming the names of DMG members: “Cyber! Reggie! Jared! Sonic! Neo!” Seemingly from out of nowhere, they’ve whipped out banners and signs. Instead of the usual glow-in-the-dark Korean lettering for an evening K-pop concert, there’s a slew of English ones interspersed with the name of a particular artist or of the whole band. | IT’S MY BIRTHDAY CYBER, YOU ARE MY PRESENT DUMP KATE TAKE ME I WOULD SELL MY SIBLINGS FOR YOU I LOVE YOU MORE THAN FREE WIFI DON’T STOP INSPIRING ME! CAN I BE YOUR HAIRDRESSER? ALL I WANT FOR X-MAS IS A PIC WITH JARED DMG We have 5 fingers enough for 5 wedding rings SPIT ON ME CYBER | An English-speaking Filipino director is riding a crane and shooting high up in the aisle of the audience seats. His staff is scattered on the edges and near the stage, operating or holding up every manner of equipment. DMG plays their covers of the most popular s
The Boyfriend App Chapter 168: Within the Walls
On Tuesday, they have the same brain-hurting and nose-bleeding calculations in Physics and Chemistry. The only thing different is DMG’s closed-door rehearsal at the chapel-slash-auditorium 500 meters east. Nate has been exempted by Principal Aguilar personally from any school work or quiz. The whole campus is abuzz and on edge at every sighting of truck and van with tinted windows down Campus Drive and onwards to the auditorium. Kate has also prepared paper lots in an empty pencil case for the Secret Santa next month. She lets every Everester pick their recipient, including her own name. Kate has set the budget at “No Fixed Price” because she knows not all students are financially comfortable. When only two pieces of folded paper remain (one for Nate and one for her), she picks her recipient and is both excited and nervous to see that it’s Grace. She keeps the last piece of paper, of course unopened, for Nate. {Huh,} she thinks to herself afterwards. {What gift can I give somebod
