the Quiet corner.

Of course, I took CWTS. Who would like to bathe in the sun the whole day? While doing, who knows what a soldier would be doing? Well, it might be fun, but I couldn't risk taking it because of my asthma. Huhu.

We got a surprise today. Our professor announced that we get to spend a day in Star City! Call me childish, but I really, really like amusement parks. If you haven't been there, I don't know if I can call you a person. Kidding! Haha.

We entered Star City, excited. But of course, we need to act like our age and year. I was with my friends, who I enrolled with the same class and schedule. Well, duh! True friends stick together. *Winks

The first ride that they wanted to try was The Vikings.

"Sam, let's go! Don't be such a KJ."

They said.

"Nope. Nope, on a rope."

Count me out! Sorry. I won't do that to myself. I might feel sick and feel bad the whole day. Which can't be!

And yes, the ones who did ride it felt sick. I feel bad, but I can't help and say I've told them so. They rested for a few minutes, and then we continued on our way.

As we were walking, we arrived at Gabi ng Lagim.

Wahahahaha. Finally! Something thrilling and fun. Gabi ng Lagim has a haunted mansion vibe, one of the two scary attractions here in Star City, I believe.

We went to the end of the line. As we were waiting, I couldn't help but feel giddy, excited, and nervous. We pushed amongst ourselves and started to decide who would be in front. It was so chaotic. OMG, haha. As for myself, I'll be in the middle, bleh!

But the real chaos started when we entered the place! There was pushing and pulling and so much laughing. I can't even see where we were going. We were just running. Hahaha. It was so fun until...

Someone stepped on my shoe, and we left it!

"Guys! Someone stepped on my shoe. Let's get it back!"

I pleaded. I was about to pull someone's shirt. At this point, I don't care anymore whose shirt was it when someone tapped my shoulder.

"Hey, I believe this is yours."

He chuckled while he handed me my shoe. I was so embarrassed!

"Oh, thank you.."

I shyly said. He smiled at me when I thanked him and took the shoe. When he smiled, it seemed like the place got less scary. He was so handsome. Plus, he was wearing a full black tuxedo. Gosh!

Yeah, yeah. It's kind of unusual, him wearing a tux, while in an amusement park. Okay, fine, it's a lot of unusual. But do you need to ruin this for me?

"Uhm, it might be weird to ask this because you're a stranger and all. But can you help me?"

He asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Uhhh. You're not a ghost, are you...?"

I replied nervously while looking at him, up and down. He chuckled.

"What if I am?"

He said mischievously.

"Then maybe I can refer you to Ed Caluag. Haha."

I laughed awkwardly.

"Huh, who's that?"

He chuckled.

"Nah, I'm just kidding. I'm not a ghost. I really need some help, tho."

He added shyly.

"Oh yeah, sure, what can I help you with?"

I replied.

"It seems that I got lost. Can you help me with how to get out of here?"

He said. I was dumbfounded by his question. It truly is weird, but hey, no judgment.

"Uh, yeah, sure, but first we need to find my friends."

I responded.

"Are those your friends?"

He pointed to a weird-looking group of people looking at us suspiciously.

"Oh yeah..."

I replied and ran to them excitingly with open arms.

"Aww, you waited for me!"

I exclaimed.

"Of course, you dummy."

One of them said.

"Who is he? We just took away our eyes of you for a moment, and you got yourself a boyfriend already?"

They added. I pushed my friend teasingly.

"Don't be stupid. He needs some help getting out of here. He got lost, haha."

I responded.

"Oh, right..."

They said suspiciously and then went ahead of us. I walked together with the guy.

"Hey, I'm Sam, by the way. You are?"

"Lost. Kidding, I'm Jeon Jungkook. You can call me JK."

He chuckled. I joined in.

Before we get out, we still need to pass by frightening attractions. One time, I got chased by a man in yellow, with a chainsaw.

I got super afraid and was screaming like crazy until Jungkook pulled me and pushed me against the wall, hiding me with his body. He's taller than me so he could easily overshadow me. He placed his finger on his lips, signaling me to keep quiet.

I was shocked. It made me speechless, and so I really wasn't able to make any sound. We watched the man who was chasing me past by.

"Thanks, Jungkook."

I smiled shyly. Little did I know, I was blushing a little.

"Oh, sorry if I went out of my boundary."

He said as he blushed as well while he bowed.

"No, no. No worries. It's all good. Thank you for helping me out."

Good thing you're cute. Haha, kidding! Sam, what are you thinking?

When we got out of the place, we were greeted by a group of men in black tuxes as well.

"Boss, we've been looking everywhere for you. Good thing we have placed a tracker on you -"

The man said but was cut off by JK.

"Oh yes, yes. Nice to see you, too."

JK said as he cupped the lips of the man who spoke, with his hand. He looked back at me.

"Thank you again for your help, Sam. I hope we meet again. Bye."

He smiled and bowed.

He chuckled and walked away with his group.

"Bye. Try not to be lost again, okay?"

I chuckled.

My friends circled around me, then started teasing ang poking me at my sides.

"Yah, hajimaaa."

I said playfully with a hint of irritation.

"Be careful, or he might steal your heart."

They said.

"Dang, girl. Don't be so dark just because we came out of a haunted mansion."

"And then give it back to me, since it's broken?"

I joked.

I shrugged my shoulders.

After a few minutes of walking, I smelled something oh-so-delicious nearby. I followed the scent, and it led me to a siomai stall.

The next day...

I got out of my house in search of something to eat. I didn't even bother to fix myself in the mirror. I was too hungry.

To my surprise, it was JK who was preparing and cooking the food. He looked flustered while cooking, like he didn't even know what he's doing. Also, why would he work at a stall, when just yesterday he was wearing a full tuxedo.

"Guess it must be my lucky day."

I whispered to myself while I walked over to the stall.

"Uh, hi?"

I said and smiled.

"Huh? Oh!"

He was taken aback by my sudden appearance. He accidentally dropped the kitchen utensil he was holding on his feet.

"I didn't think you would be this clumsy, JK."

I chuckled.

"Oh hi, Sam! Sorry for this. I'm new.."

He replied, embarrassed.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have laughed. We meet again, huh? Such a coincidence. Haven't seen you here before."

I replied.

"Yeah, I just got transferred from..."

He paused like he had forgotten what to say.

"Marikina. Yes, I just came from the Master Siomai Marikina branch."

He added, like convincing me and himself.

I didn't push the topic anymore because I was already hungry.

"I see. Can I have one order of these delicious food, please?"

I pointed to the menu.

I opened my wallet, but before I even pulled out one of the paper bills, he said something.

"Sure. One order, coming right up."

He said.

"Oh, don't even bother. It's on the house. Think of it as a thank you gift for helping me yesterday."

"Eh? That's not big of a deal, please accept my payment."

I persisted.

"No, no, no. It would be my pleasure to cook freely for you, Sammy."

He replied.

"Uh, what did you say?"

I asked, confused about how he knew my nickname.

"I said Sam."

He said.

"Really? It seemed like you called me something else."

I replied.

I reached for the plastic bag and shrugged my thoughts away.

"Yes, I said 'Sam'. Anyway, here's your order. I hope you'll enjoy it. Thank you and come again please."

He said, like he's avoiding the topic.

A few days passed. I went to a bookstore and was looking for something good to read and add to my collection.

"Thank you, JK. I'll eat this well. Take care!"

I bowed and walked away.

I saw a dark red book on the top shelf. I tried to reach for it and stood on my toes. As I pulled the top of the book, the wall beside the shelf suddenly opened and revealed a machine of some kind. I haven't seen anything like this before, in my entire life. It looked futuristic, like it's a time machine!

I was just about to go inside the secret room and look closer when the door of the machine suddenly opened.

"What the heck..?"

I whispered under my breath.

My eyes widened. It was JK and his group of men again. They are all in full black tuxes, AGAIN.

What the heck is happening here? I thought to myself.

I hid behind the bookshelf and overhead their conversation.

"I don't want to do this anymore. She looked happy and satisfied with her life."

JK said to one of his men.

I can't believe my eyes. I don't want to be involved in this madness. I was about to walk away when I tripped on one of the book piles scattered on the ground.

"But Boss, I thought you needed her in your life to the point that we've gone all this way, all these things, just for her."

He replied to JK.

Dang librarian, why would you leave these things lying around? I said in my mind.

Then I heard JK's voice.

"Sam?"

"Uh.. hi? Again.."

I slowly turned and faced them.

"Our mission has been compromised!"

One of the men shouted.

"No, no, no. Please, I won't tell anyone. I promise. Please don't hurt me or bring me in another dimension!"

I said in panic.

He slowly walked over to me. I got nervous as he drew nearer and nearer.

JK laughed.

"Stand down, everyone. It's fine."

And when he was just a few inches away, he kneeled down and reached for my hand.

"Uhm.. what is happening right now? I think I'm going crazy because of all the sci-fi sh*t I've been watching all my life!"

I said.

He gently took my hand and said:

"Sam, my dear Sammy. Will you marry me? Please?"

"I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't mean for this to happen. But you caught us redhanded, you know. So I might as well just be direct to the point."

"Eh? JK, are you insane? First, we just met a few days ago. Next, I just saw you come out on that gizmo-ey machine that looked like it came from the future. And then now, you're kneeling in front of me, asking me to marry you?"

I replied, obviously in shock.

"And that timeline is the future. I was hoping to find someone to be my wife."

I was still speechless. And so he explained and stood up.

"As you have known, from watching all those sci-fi.. stuff like you said earlier, there is what we call a time machine. We came from another timeline."

He paused.

I was even more confused than before.

"Why me? Why do you need to find someone in a different universe instead of just looking for that special someone in your universe?"

.

"Because.."

He hesitated and bowed his head.

.

.

.

"Because... everyone else in our timeline is dead."

Slowly, he faced me with the darkest grin I have ever seen in my life.

He wore a thin white collared shirt underneath a black coat with black slacks and black loafers. He looked like a guy who had just come back from a date, but the girl stood him up.

His eyes scanned the skies like he was looking for something, something that he had been longing for since that night. They glowed like the stars above him as tears started to swell up in his eyes.

And then, finally, his eyes landed on a star. A star, which he thought was the most beautiful one in the sky tonight. A star, which reminded him of a person he lost a few years ago.

"I wish.. I could have you back..."

He blurted out without even thinking.

Time passed by, and now the sun switched places with the moon. Taehyung fell asleep on the wooden chair by the silver railings last night.

He woke up and felt the autumn breeze brush against his cheeks. The leaves started to fall one by one, from the trees. All around, orange is all he could see.

"It's a nice morning to jog."

He thought to himself.

The wooden chair creaked as Taehyung stood up. He went down the stairs to his room so he could change his clothes.

He closed the door of his room behind him. He is now wearing a white shirt and black shorts. He added a black hairband around his head to complete the outfit. After putting on his shoes, he reached for the golden door knob of his home, turned it, and went outside.

"Truly, it's a good day..."

He thought.

After 15 minutes of jogging, Taehyung was about to turn around and return home when he noticed a vintage looking shop that had a big red sale poster on its front window.

He hesitated for a bit, but remembered that special someone who has always wanted to visit authentic shops like this.

Taehyung smiled weakly. He can still remember how she begged whenever they passed by these kinds of shops.

"Tae, let's go there! They have a sale!! Oh, please, please, I'll do anything you want after this."

She pleaded.

He sighed and then proceeded to enter the shop. There, he saw lots of old, vintage pieces that probably many collectors would buy and display in special glass cases.

Taehyung walked around until he reached one corner of the store. There, he noticed a small, dark, golden box on a bookshelf in between some dusty, old books. He picked it up and saw that it was covered with dust as well too. He blowed all the dust off the box and realized that it actually had a lighter shade of gold. There were star engravings on the top of it that looked like they were glowing. It made him want to open the box.

When he opened it, he saw some fairy lights inside, now illuminating the corner where he stood. They kinda looked like the star he wished upon last night.

Without any hesitation, he went to the counter, where an old man was sitting, waiting for Taehyung to return.

"I'll take this one, please."

He said while he reached for the wallet in his pocket.

"Nice choice, young man. I believe... You truly need the magic it hides within."

The old guy said cheerfully.

He noticed Taehyung's confusion on his face, and so the old guy added:

"I see it in your eyes. They were just like mine."

Taehyung didn't know what to respond, and so he just paid for it, bowed, and reached for the package. The old guy placed it on a brown paper bag.

Later that night, he decided to put the fairy lights around his room, specifically on the ceiling.

He felt tired, and so, he plopped down on his bed. While lying down, staring at his ceiling, he admired the fairy lights that he bought. He tried to fall asleep, but he just couldn't.

Just then, he noticed one bulb of the fairy lights, which started almost shining 10 times brighter than the others.

"Eh?"

He got curious, and so he stood up on the bed to get a closer look at what's happening to the bulb. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Reaching out his hands while raising his toes, he tried to reach the bulb and attempted to fix it by twisting it from left to right and then right to left.

"Hey, Sis! Look at this. It's getting kinda weird..."

He called out from his room. His little sister was just staying in the other room, just in front of his.

Kim Taeyeon, his sister, entered his room, a little annoyed.

"Yah.. What is it again? Ugh." "Taehyung-oppa? Eh?"

She gasped, noticing that his brother wasn't in the room.

"I was sure he was here! Aish, he's teasing me again..."

She stamped her feet, then ran out of his room.

Little did she know, Taehyung really did vanish from his room that night.

-------

Taehyung tried to open his eyes, but it was super bright. He tried to stand, but his legs were super wobbly. It seemed like he had just woken up from a deep slumber.

"Taeyeon is overacting again. She opened all the lights AGAIN. Such a scaredy-cat. That's what she gets for liking horror films too much."

He thought while he tried to walk and reach for the light switch with his eyes half-opened.

After taking about three steps, he tripped and started falling down...

From a cloud?

"Oh... my... gosh? AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

He was about to fall through another cloud when a girl suddenly grabbed his shirt and tried to pull him up.

"Aigoo, so heavy..."

She gasped.

Taehyung looked up.. and saw an angel. Well, for him, she looked like an angel, with her wings fluttering in the wind. The next thing he noticed was her smile, a very familiar one, a smile that he had been longing to see, for too long. It's the only smile that can make Taehyung forget his name.

"Hey there. Guess you still don't know how to use these wings of yours, huh?"

She said sweetly while pointing his wings.

"Sam??!!"

I grabbed her hand tightly and then started sobbing.

"I thought.. I thought I've lost you forever..."

Taehyung said in between words while now hugging her so firmly, crying on her shoulders.

Unbeknownst to him.. The fairy light he bought in the vintage shop was whimsically authentic. They were made from real stars. Mixed with fairy tears, it created a talisman that can transport anyone into a different kind of world.

Where humans live on stars..

Where humans could relive a wish, one wish that anything their little hearts mostly desires.

"I missed you too, Taehyungie..."

She replied, while tears began to fall from her eyes as well.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Taehyung shyly asked.

"Anything, my love."

She chuckled when she noticed his shyness.

"Could you maybe... Teach me how to fly?"

He laughed while wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"えがく story かなう ように wishing on a star... "

(The story that we paint, I'll be wishing on a star so that it comes true...)

That made me smile.

After that, acting workshop came up next. There was a guy who was really good, he acted as a villain. I came up to him and said, while smiling,

"I have a question. Are you really friendly, or is it just acting?"

He didn't say anything and just did a thumbs up, lol.

Fast forward, he became my boyfriend. The heck, right?

It was my birthday and I fell asleep while waiting for him. After a while, he arrived. He picked me up and placed me in his car, careful not to wake me up. Everyone who saw us were surprised and jealous because my boyfriend was very handsome. Well.. Kidding!

I woke up in my bed some time later and then I looked for him. I asked everyone I saw, like literally.

"Did you see him?" (Like they already know who I was pertaining to.)

And then a man said,

"Yeah, he's been gone for a while. We're also wondering. He said he was going to buy bananas there."

I ran where he pointed (there were no banana stalls here), screaming his name frantically. I can feel my heart beating so fast. I was already overthinking. Is he OK? Is he flirting with someone else or what? And then I checked at the edges where we are (on a mountain it seems) and saw him! He was trying to climb back up. I helped him. Just as he arrived at the top, I hugged him so tight while crying.

And then... Of course, I woke up.

I was holding my notebook, and then when I was about to place it back in my bag, I was approached by a familiar face. He was my classmate in elementary school.

(What's so special about it is that he was my crush back then. Why him? It's been so long.)

He was smiling at me, like he was thinking to himself:

"same old sam, still diligent at taking notes."

(He probably thought that because I was already in the train station, and yet I was still holding my notebook. Why the heck am I even holding my notebook? You're such a nerd, Sam.)

A short convo about how we are's exchanged between us, and then the weirder part came along.

He asked me:

"we're okay, right? because of what happened with..."

(I already knew what he was talking about, but what's weird is that I don't know how he became aware of that. Or maybe it's not that weird because it's possible he might have heard about it, or maybe, I think they were close, that's why he knew. But why would he ask that? He wasn't even part of that issue. It was just between me and her, our classmate in elementary.)

So reluctantly, I said:

"Yeah, we are."

Then he added:

"Because you know, there's no life after death if a fight happened because of a movie."

(So weird, right? like something so important and deep, like the topic of life after death is connected by fighting because of a mere movie. What's even weirder is that we didn't even fight because of a movie...)

Then I noticed big amounts of brown and orange crumbs, like that of choco butternut donuts...

(Lol, why these donuts? They're not even my fave.)

...beside my feet, piled up. And then I tried slipping them out of the level of stairs I'm in, using my feet. Then I woke up.

I was really weirded out by this.

(Word of the day is weird, lol.)

Well, I know dreams are weird. But I'm just saying. Like, why now? Why him?

As we all might probably know, dreams are in our very deep, subconscious part of our minds.

I discussed this with my lil. sis, we did a little bit of brain storming and came to the conclusion that this is one of those memories from the past that still crosses my mind from time to time, but I'm just shrugging it off 'cause it was already a long, long time ago. I realized that every time it crossed my mind, i kept thinking how I wanted it to be over already. Somehow hoping that we're already okay with each other. Maybe that's what the crumbs are symbolizing, crumbs that were left from the past. And by cleaning them off from the stairs, it indicates the part that I want that issue to be over.

Another conclusion from my sis is that maybe those crumbs are left over from what was whole before, but became broken. Ooh, so deep right, coming from a lil sis.

Also, why did he say that about movies? Maybe because I've been watching too many movies? Or is this a warning sign that I won't be going somewhere after this life if I don't fix that issue with her? But it's already a long, long time ago. I bet she would also be weirded out if I asked her about this so suddenly.

When I think about it, it's not a big deal anymore since, just like what I said, it was a very long, long time ago. But maybe I'm just that kind of person that is not really used to fights and cold wars, not that I'm a kind person, but I really tend to avoid it because it makes me feel this way. Makes me feel so heavy inside.

I don't know if I'm just overthinking, like maybe she's already okay with me but, just would like to add that, I did try to reconcile with her in high school, 'cause yeah, she became my schoolmate back then as well. I tapped her back when she passed by, hoping she would acknowledge it. But her reaction made me stop. She just looked at me and continued on her way. I don't know if she was just shy, but it made me think that maybe she was still not okay with me that time.

Crush nga pala kita, mag-lilimang taon na. As usual, ang pogi-pogi mo. Pero di talaga dahil dun kung bakit kita naging crush. Nakakahiya man, kukuwento ko parin sa inyo.

Enrollment noon, at bigla mo na lang ako tinapik at tinali ang isang jacket sa bewang ko. Nabigla ako nun, pero wala ng mas bibigla pa nung bigla mong nilapit yung mukha mo sa tenga ko at may ibinulong.

Me and my introvertness:

PERSONAL SPACE SPACE SPACE-

Ang sabi mo:

"May tagos ka, Miss."

Lalo akong namula at bigla na lang napatakbo sa CR.

Nung nakita ko meron nga, dumiretso agad ako sa vending machine para bumili. Kamalas-malasan, nastuck pa yung napkin sa loob. Ayaw mahulog.

Pinalo-palo ko yung gilid baka sakaling mahulog pero ayaw talaga.

"ABA, POT-"

Napatigil ako nang bigla ka uling sumulpot at sa isang malakas na palo sa machine, nahulog yung napkin.

Bago pa ako makapagpasalamat, sinabi mo nang nakangiti:

"You're welcome."

Sabay alis.

Dun, dun na kita naging crush. Anubanamanyan Jiyoo. Wala ka talagang kwenta. Masyadong marupok.

Naglagay na ako ng you-know-what at lumabas. Luminga-linga ako baka sakaling mahagip kita ng mga mata ko. Sa malas kong 'to, nakita kitang patakbo sa hagdan. Di naman pala ako ganun ka malas. Sinundan kita.

Nung makarating sa pwesto mo, na lugmok ako. Malas ko nga talaga, haha.

May kahalikan kang babae. Haha, gf mo siguro. Ang swerte naman niya.

Ngayon, almost 5 years have passed at parehas na naman tayo ng school. Kaya naman hanggang ngayon, crush ka parin ni self.

Napansin kong malapit na ako bumaba kaya tumayo na ako. Nabigla ako nung bigla ka ring tumayo. Oh diba lagi na lang ako nabibigla kapag nakikita kita. Ano bang meron sayong lalaki ka?

Bumaba na ako ng bus ng napansin kong may paparating palang kotse sa kanan ko, napapikit na lang ako nang biglang naramdaman kong may humila sakin. Nagtataka ako kung bakit wala akong naramdamang sakit. Binuksan ko yung mga mata ko at di ako makapaniwala sa nakita ko. Ikaw na nasa harap ng kotseng paparating kanina, nakabulagta.

"Hoy-"

Tanging nabanggit ko at tumakbo papalapit sayo.

Nagising ka at nagsalita.

"Patawad."

Nagtaka ako.

"Bakit ka nagsosorry? Baliw ka na ba?"

"Patawad, kasi di na kita mapoprotektahan pa. Mahal na mahal kita."

Lubos na akong naguguluhan.

"Anong pinagsasabi mo diyan?"

Pero napapikit ka na lang at di na huminga. Inalog-alog kita baka sakaling magising ka.

Pero wala, wala ka na. Namatay ka dahil sa katangahan ko. Sino ba ako para gawin mo yun?

Tinangay ka na ng ambulansya habang ang pamilya mo na dumating ay hagulgol ng hagulgol. Pero nagulat ako nung biglang napatingin sakin yung babae. Nanay mo yata.

Lumapit siya sakin:

"Jiyoo?"

Kelan ba matatapos lahat ng surpresang ito? Di ko na kinakaya.

"Pano niyo po nalaman-"

Di ko na natapos kasi bigla mo akong niyakap ng mahigpit.

"Mahal na mahal ka niya, Jiyoo."

Umalis ako sa pagkakayakap mo.

"Sino po kayo?"

"Boyfriend mo siya dati. Kaso nagkaroon ng malaking away sa pagitan niyo. At naaksidente ka. Nagkaroon ka ng amnesia. Nagdesisyon siyang di na magpakilala sayo dahil sa nabanggit mo noon sa kanya dati."

"Sana di na lang kita nakilala."

Napailing ako.

"Kelan po nangyari ang aksidente?"

"5 years ago."

Akala ko ako ang unrequited dito. Maling-mali pala. Dahil ikaw pala yun.

You always make me smile, even with those small things. I replied:

"Good, with you in it."

Pfft, stop it Rakki, you're blushing. He's your best friend, remember? I went down my bed and went to the comfort room.

How great, I have my first day of period on Christmas day. Isn't it awesome? Aish. I decided to take a bath because I already soiled my underwear. It's my last napkin. I'm lazy to go down and buy some. When I got out of the comfort room, someone knocked on the door. I opened it but no one's there. I looked around.

"Boo!"

"Sh*t!"

I slapped his shoulder.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?"

I said to Baek.

He's Malaysian but he speaks fluent English.

"Ahm, buying you what you need?"

He said as he gave me a plastic with a pack of napkins in it.

"How did you know? Gosh, you're such a stalker Baek!"

I shouted.

"Hey, don't let everyone know!"

He chuckled.

"I just know whenever you have your period, so here I am. Trying not to get on your nerves."

"And it's certainly not working, you dork."

I laughed. I pulled his ear and whispered:

"You're a savior. See you later!"

And I pushed him outside. I closed the door, smiling widely.

"Well, well. Christmas morning, and my daughter is smiling a lot, coming from outside. I wonder who that was."

Mom smiled teasingly.

"Relax, Mom, it's just Baek."

"Hmm, just Baek, huh?"

"What? Why? Haha."

"Never mind, darling. Eat breakfast."

After eating, I texted Baek that I would be going to his house. I knocked on their door. Tita was the one who answered it.

"Hi Tita! Where's Baek?"

"Oh, he's there, just preparing himself like he's going on a prom with the girl of his dreams. He's taking hours. Come inside first."

When I got inside, I shouted:

"Hey Baek! Don't make me wait for too long, or some prince will snatch the girl of your dreams!"

After I said that, I heard fast steps of going down the stairs. He peeked at me.

"Oh, you're here. So fast. I thought I'm the one who would pick you up?"

"Ahm, you are so slow. I got bored waiting."

Tita asked:

"Where will you two be going? Not on a date, are you?"

"No, Tita!" "No Mom!"

We simultaneously said.

"Whoa, okay. Indenial teenagers."

We looked at each other. I almost laughed.

"We'll be going now, Mom."

Baek said.

"Be careful, you two. Rakki, hon. Please keep an eye out for this Baek, okay?"

"Will do, Tita."

I smiled.

"I will be the one keeping an eye out for her, Mom. I'm not the one who gets in trouble every now and then."

I glared at Baek.

"Geez, okay, okay."

He said.

We went to the mall to watch a film together. I wanted to watch a horror film, he wanted to watch a romantic film. I feel like he's the girl here. My gosh!

I asked my classmates where I could ride to get there. They say that I should take the jeep on Guadalupe and get off at Market Market. Luckily, I got there safely.

I asked the guard where the Treston Gymnasium is. They pointed it to me and again, surprisingly, I arrived at my destination. I look for a place where I can eat because I haven't eaten anything since I woke up.

I found an expensive looking place and didn't bother about the price because I'm so hungry. When I got inside, I left the place. Why? Because they only serve bread, cookies and cake. I want something with rice. When I got outside, I stumbled with someone I knew from my school.

"Hey, Lucy!" Jiyoo said.

"We're going to eat first before the party starts. You know how they schedule eating time at parties. We're starving. Wanna come?" She replied.

"Oh, hi!" I answered. "Where are you going?"

"Yes, please." I agreed.

We entered the store I entered before. It's the only store opened there. I was surprised when I got to the cashier and saw that the menu included rice meals. My eyes twinkled, and ordered the one with the rice, spam, and egg.

Jiyoo and his friend, Kijo, decided to order an ensaymada and a slice of banana cake. When my order arrived, my friend was glaring at me.

"I'm angry at you. I'm jealous of you. I want that, too." She said.

"You can have some if you want. Taste it." I responded.

I ate the spam and egg. Spam is my favorite, and the egg was so fluffy and soft. It's not salty like the usual egg in other restaurants. I felt full. I forced Jiyoo to taste it because I noticed that she was staring at my food. She liked the spam. Haha.

"No, never mind. Don't make me jealous anymore." She replied while smiling.

After eating, we decided to go ahead at the party so I could change into my dress. My dress was pink and glittery at the top, with satin-like, kind of see-through texture below. I wore gold with black heels.

I just laughed as a reply.

"Wow, pink!" Jiyoo said when she saw me.

The party started, then the raffle. I was super disappointed because my name was not called, even once. The prizes were iPhone 7 and a PS4. Golly.

We ate, and then the party ended after six hours. There was an after party and I decided to go with my schoolmates. We decided to walk from here to the new venue but eventually called a cab to take us there. My feet were killing me, for goodness sake. When we arrived, one of my classmates, Ace, said:

We took a seat and they started pouring drinks. I only asked for coke, but there are no available glasses anymore except the shot glasses.

"Don't tell them that we took a cab." And we laughed.

I was getting kinda bored and my phone was already dead so I asked Sweet, one of my classmates, if she could book a Grab for me. She said okay and when a driver accepted, it said that it would arrive in 3 minutes.

"Just use this." Ace said, and we laughed.

You may notice that I'm always laughing when I'm with my classmates. I'm lucky to have them.

Ace and Sweet went with me to wait for the Grab. When we got outside, we found out that the driver had canceled. Ace decided to just call a cab for me. He was still holding his drink when a cab stopped in front of us.

"Luce, where you headed?" He asked me.

"San Andres, Manila." I replied.

"You know why they're declining you?" Sweet asked Ace.

When he said that, the driver said no.

So, I took it. But then, these two love birds thought of a joke. They told me to hold the glass with class and took a photo of me. They sent it to the gc with the caption:

"Because you're holding a glass with wine." I added.

"Lucy ran outside. That's why the glasses are becoming less."

I glared at them. But that doesn't stop there, they told me to hold the glass near me like I don't want to give it back. Again, they sent it to the GC with the caption:

"Luce doesn't want to give it back."

I glared at them again. I don't know why I agree with them to do these nonsense. And then a cab arrived.

Ace told the driver where. He asked me:

"How much does it usually take?"

"About 450." I answered, then he told the driver.

"Yep." I agreed.

"You okay with 500?" He said to me.

I entered the cab.

"You still have the glass with you?" He asked me while smiling.

I waved goodbye, and they also did. Some time passed, and I fell asleep at the cab. When I woke up, I realized the cab had stopped, and the driver was nowhere to be found. The place is still familiar, so I decided to just head back. It was already nighttime, and I was walking alone.

"No!" I said while laughing. "I gave it to Sweet."

A cold breeze blew, and one by one, the streetlights went out. I was afraid, so I ran until I arrived at the party venue. I was confused and bewildered because there was an ambulance, and I saw Sweet crying while Ace was comforting her. I don't know why, but I felt like going upstairs where the party was held.

There are no more people left except for the girl sitting, her head at the table like she was sleeping. Her dress was familiar, so I moved closer to her. I tapped her shoulder, and she woke up. Not looking at me, her back facing me. She slowly turned her head at me. I was scared. We have the same face, but what's different is that she was smiling, wickedly.

"I hope you like it..."

She paused like she was thinking of the right word to say.

"Dim."

Wag kang ano, may beauty talaga sa sleep ko. Pagkasipa ko sa alarm clock ko, napansin kong mataas na yung sikat ng araw. Naalala kong first day of school pala sa nilipatan kong school.

"Aw-waw-waw."

Napabangon ako nang sobrang bilis sumakit yung ulo ko. Nung umibsan na ito, dali-dali akong pumunta ng CR at binuksan ang gripo.

"UGH ANG LAMIIIGGGGG!“

Nadatnan ko na lang yung sarili ko sa loob ng school. Lunch break na. Buti na lang may kakilala akong kaibigan na nagaaral dito. Sabay kaming pumunta ng canteen. Pumila na kami ni Chandra (yun ang pangalan niya).

"Ate, gusto ko yung sinigang."

Sabi ko kay ateng nagseserve.

"Gusto ka ba?"

Sabay na sinabi sakin ni Ate at Chandra.

"Eh kung pag-untugin ko kaya kayo?"

Napatawa ng mahina si Ate samantalang si Chandra ay nagkibit-balikat lang. Umupo na kami. Isusubo ko pa nga lang ung isang kutsarang puno ng kanin nang narinig ko ang tyan kong nag-ingay. Takte, tawag ng tanghalan- este kalikasan.

"Hoi anuba."

Sabi ni Chandra nung bigla akong napatayo at tumakbo papuntang CR.

Anong meron sa araw na 'to, lagi na lang akong nagmamadali o tumatakbo.

Pagdating sa CR, sa dulong-dulong cubicle ako pumasok. Lam niyo namannn, hahahahaha. Alam kong di lang ako ang gumagawa nito. Di pa nakakalabas ung poop ko (pasensya na po sa mga kumakain dyan), may narinig akong ingay.

Rinig ko ang mga yabag nilang nagmamadaling pumasok sa katabing cubicle ko. Biglang lumamig yung simoy ng hangin. Chill lang ako pero nung naalala ko na walang bintana dito, takte kinilabutan ako. Ayoko ng tumingin sa space sa baba ng kabilang cubicle.

Binilisan ko na lang tumae. Tatayo na sana ako ng, may narinig akong "Plok~" sa katabing cubicle. Fudge, pati ba multo tumatae? Dahan-dahan akong lumabas ng cubicle ko.

Tatakbo na sana ako, pagkalabas ko. Kaso nagtaka ako nung biglang yumanig yung pinto ng katabing cubicle. Pabilis ng pabilis. At may biglang umungol. Wth, multo nag-aanuhan? Yikesss. Tumakbo na ako. Nung tumakbo ako, napalingon ako sa salamin at nakita ko ang sarili kong tumatakbo.

Pagdating ko sa canteen, tapos ng kumain si Chandra.

"Bat ka namumutla? Anong nangyari sayo?"

Sabi niya at kinuwento ko sa kanya lahat ng nangyari.

"Teka, san ka ba nag-CR?"

Tanong niya.

Sabi ko:

"Dun sa tabi ng hagdan."

Sabay turo kung san nga ako nag-CR.

Agad niyang pinalo kamay ko:

"Walang CR diyan."

Subject naman namin nun Art class.

"Repertoire, repertoire, repertoire. Asan na ba yung repertoire ko ng mga utang? BWAHAHAHA."

Yan yung unang una niyang binanggit pagkalabas namin ng room noon. Napakahype. At ngayon nasa music class kami at eto ang lesson namin ngayon. Ang ibig sabihin daw nun ay:

"gradual increase in the loudness of a sound or section of music."

Tinignan ko si Zach sa likod ko. Tahimik yata. Usually, nakangisi yan kapag alam niyang titignan ko siya. Ngayon, seryoso mukha niya. Kulang yata sa tulog.

After class, dumiretso ako sa CR bago pumunta ng canteen. Lunch break na kasi. Pagkatapos ko dun, agad kong hinanap si Zach sa canteen. Nakakapagtaka lang talaga. Yung taong yun laging gutom eh.

Napadpad ako sa terrace. At dun may nakita akong baunan na nakalagay sa pulang bag. Sabi dun:

"Eat me. - Repertoire"

Napatawa ako ng onti. Si Zach talaga daming pakulo. Binuksan ko yung baunan at tumambad sakin ang amoy ng chopsuey. Mahhh feyvorit. Yum. Tinikman ko. As usual, napakasarap ng luto ni Zach.

"Ang takaw mo kahit kailan."

Narinig ko ang iyong boses mula sa likod ko kaya napalingon ako.

"Chopsuey ba naman ihain mo. Baliw ka na."

"Oo, baliw sa'yo."

Ha? At bago pa man ako makapagreact ng tuluyan, biglang na lang akong natumba. Buti na lang nasalo mo 'ko. Nandilim ang aking paningin at bago pa man ako tuluyang nawalan ng malay, narinig ko ang iyong sinabi.