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Chapter 37: The Coup
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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The Boyfriend App Chapter 38: The Poem
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
The Boyfriend App Chapter 39: The Dream
“No no no,” Kate pleaded inside her dream. “That’s not true. I still need you. I still haven’t fully recovered. I can’t do this without you.” “Save the last dance for me,” Ecto whispered. “I’ll meet you at the beginning.” He flashed his trademark crooked smile. The one she had selected for him. But soon his mouth refused to work and half his face was disintegrating into bits of data that swirled in the air, a phalanx of binary codes that was being eaten away. He was like a sandcastle blown away by a hurricane. “No, Ecto!” Kate was shouting now. “First tell me who you are. How do I find you? Are you Dion? Who are you?” She awoke to the repeated vibrations of her phone. Ecto had been trying desperately to wake her up. Kate lifted her phone and unlocked the screen. “Are you OK?” Ecto asked. “Yeah, just a bad dream,” Kate answered breathlessly. This was the first in a while that they were chatting late at night again. They were still in the middle of their impromptu cool-off. From
The Boyfriend App Chapter 40: The Dress
“How did you do it?” Kate asked Ecto, almost in a scream. She could barely contain herself. “Global metasearch,” Ecto said with an invisible shrug. “E-commerce and price-matching do not make a lot of sense. However, they are definitely more sustainable because they are community-powered.” His explanation barely registered in Kate’s pumped-up brain. All she could think of was OMG as she stared at the purple dress in the box. It was second-hand but still looked new. She took it out with trembling hands and pressed it against her body in front of her largish mirror. It was a perfect fit. “Miss Bulgaria for the Miss Earth competition decided to donate her evening gown to a girl in India and that girl in turn decided to give away a dress she had already bought and so on and so forth.” “But this dress is form-fitting!” she asked in half a shriek. “How did you know my size?” “I investigated a fashion purchase that you made two years ago and then compared the data with the women’s size gu
The Boyfriend App Chapter 41: Prom
Prom had the makings of a good memory, not only for the yearbook but in the minds of the graduating class and the batch that was next in line. That was all Kate and Dion ever hoped for. All their efforts hadn’t been in vain. The decorations were spot on. Everyone oohed and ahhed and felt like they had been transported to a futuristic dance club with giant robots and mobile phones, and the rented laser lights and special effect smoke enhanced the effect. Dion as the overall planner and her mom as the official caterer had superb taste. By 6 PM, the other students started arriving. Many dresses also complemented the backdrop. There was one with a reinforced neckline, a UV reactive print and a cage skirt; there was a bodycon dress with a rubber circuit design and a cute space age dress with a hooped style hem. The anime geeks found self-expression in donning wigs instead of making the arduous and expensive trip to the hair salon. There was a geometric hairdo, layers, a deep undercut and
The Boyfriend App Chapter 42: The Confession
Kate, feeling warm all over, her own eyes widening and heart hammering, managed a last grasp at a lifeline. “Why?” she asked. Dion’s eyes flicked down to the right. “What do you mean why?” “Why do you think you love me?” “Well, for all the obvious reasons.” “Like what?” Kate asked innocently enough but she was regaining her calm. “Well, you know, because you’re hot – I mean, beautiful. You’re also cute sometimes but I like it especially when you’re wearing makeup and a designer dress and shoes like tonight. I can see the attraction.” “What do you mean?” “I mean, I can see why Ecto likes you.” Kate thought she was getting a better handle on Dion Agustin. “Why do you think Ecto likes me?” “Well, it’s like what my mom said. There are two types of girls. First, there are the diamonds because they’re just that: wife or Forever material. They deserve a big shiny rock and a fairytale wedding. All guys want to treat them like the princess that they are.” Kate raised an eyebrow. “
The Boyfriend App Chapter 43: The Appointment
“Ecto wrote the poem,” Dion confessed. “Everything was his idea. He called me on my mobile and explained that he wouldn’t be able to come to prom. He knew it meant a lot to you so he convinced me to take you and show you a good time. In return, he promised that he and his frat brothers would take care of me when I moved to State U.” Kate felt the same sadness she felt in the girls’ bathroom two weeks ago. It was a sadness akin to panic. There was a pounding and rushing noise in her ears and it felt as though all the lights and the shadows were closing in on her. “I’m sorry, Kate. You’re a really great girl and any man would be lucky to have you as his GF. But it’s the same reason I never asked you out. I consulted my algorithms several times but we’re just not compatible. I didn’t want to waste our time trying to build a relationship that’s bound to fail.” Upon those words, Kate lost her composure and couldn’t keep up the charade. She just couldn’t anymore. She gasped and ran back
The Boyfriend App Chapter 44: The After-party
He grinned. And though she had loved him for several months, Kate couldn’t recognize the boy that she once knew. It was as though Josh’s face had been replaced with a mask. His eyes, in particular, were distinctly dilated. There had been rumors that Josh and his gang took drugs but this was the first time he had shown her a glimpse of that life. Right next to him was Bernadette. There was a mixture of emotions in her face. First, she was mellowed like Josh and The Retaliators. Second, she was jealous because, even though she was Josh’s current GF, it was obvious that Josh still had feelings for Kate. He made no effort whatsoever to conceal this from her or the rest of the gang. Last, Bernadette was uncertain and scared. She knew what Josh was capable of and whatever was about to go down, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be a part of it. “Look, Josh. Let’s just leave the two love birds alone. We’re gonna get in a whole lotta trouble if we—” Josh threw a backhand slap that staggered Bern
The Boyfriend App Chapter 45: Revelations
“Give it up, Josh,” Terra said in a calm voice. “It’s over.” Kate was hugging his arm and standing behind him. He looked very different from the last time she saw him. She thought it was likely because he was stark naked and stringy then and he was wearing a tailored suit now. Bernadette held Josh back by the arm and whispered something in his ear. She looked like she was ready to back out of whatever serious heap of trouble Josh was getting himself into, but Josh shoved her away. “Who’s gonna make me?” Josh asked Terra. “You and what army?” Terra pointed over their heads and a small spot became bigger and bigger as it hovered closer. It emitted a small noise, just a muted whir, and had blinking lights like a UFO. It then shone a powerful beam that bathed the scene. “The Internet army. That drone is equipped with a camera and is uploading and broadcasting on the Internet as we speak. So make the right choice, Josh.” “You’re bluffing,” Josh said but with just a tinge of uncertai
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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
