#longtimenowrite

"That was the state of his mind?" 

"There was… nothing." He dared to stare into the abyss. He swore witnessed a being slither through the cracks. He didn't stay there long enough, he only just growing into his element. 

"Stay away from him. I believe I told you he was unstable," Jiyuku hissed. "You risk yourself being trapped in that hellish scape with him." At best he could only command those weaker to dismiss themselves. To tread into someone's mind was beyond his capabilities.

Their souls, their core. 

The defiance in Kigiba's eyes, along with fear. His younger brother may be headstrong but he was no fool. Jiyuku forced himself to look away. He promised himself he would not interfere. This was a trial set in Kigiba's path, an obstruction he must overcome for growth. 

Chapter 1

On a Friday afternoon, the second day of the year—three girls were browsing through rows of gowns inside a modista’s store adorned with light blue curtains. One was Therese, who was voluptuous with thick black curly hair and pouty lips, the other, Hannah, had straight brown hair, thick eyebrows, and a face that made her pass out as Dua Lipa’s long-lost twin, and the last one, Miel, had long dark wavy hair, almost like a mermaid’s and with piercing russet brown eyes.

“Oh my god, you guys! I can’t wait for prom this Valentines!” Therese exclaims as she pulls a light blue gown from the rack and puts it close to her body.

“Did you find a date yet?” Hannah asks as she scrolls through her iPhone 5C with a purple case.

“My parents set me up with JC!—“

“No way!” Hannah and Miel respond.

“Isn’t JC your cousin?” Miel asks.

“No, he’s a family friend, and you know what, he’s taking pre-med!”

“That’s so cool!” Miel responds while Hannah scrolls endlessly on her phone.

“Hey, what about you Hannah? Who’s your date?” Therese asks as she flips her luscious curls to the side and pouts at the mirror.

“I don’t know who to pick…” Hannah responds while she scrolls through her phone.

“Such a maneater…” Therese giggles. Miel giggles in return until Therese finally lays her eyes on her. “Hey, what about you? Who are you taking to prom?” A moment of silence brews for a bit. “Um, I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t know anyone and—“

“No way! I can set you up!” Therese cuts her off.

“I can introduce you to my friends! We have a soirée tonight!” Hannah adds. “Um, thanks, but—“

“Oh, come on! It will be so much fun!” Hannah cuts her off as she places her iPhone in her pocket and grabs Miel’s hands. Miel lets out a sigh. “Fine.”

Chapter 2

In the evening, Therese, Hannah, and Miel walked side by side as they got dropped off by Therese’s driver. “You guys, I’m so excited!” Therese exclaims as the strobe lights reflect on her dark eyes and as they enter a mansion inside a private subdivision. “Stephanie! Anthony!” Hannah greets the two hosts of the party, who are siblings. “Hannah! Oh my gosh! Nice seeing you!” The Chinese siblings greet Hannah with a hug. “These are my besties, Therese and Miel.” She beckons Therese and Miel. “Hi!” The siblings greet Therese while avoiding eye contact with Miel. “Hi!” Miel greets them with a smile, but they avoid her. Hannah, the siblings, and Therese start conversing while Miel gets brushed aside—finding words to say, but they don’t hear her.

Miel leaves, but they don’t notice. She finds her way to the long table where servers serve Smirnoff on red party cups. She grabbed one and chugged it. “Miel! There you are! We were looking for you! You suddenly disappeared.” Hannah approaches while Therese flutters about effortlessly with every person she sees. “Come! There’s more people I’d like you to meet—“

“Hannah!” A guy wearing all black cuts her off “Oh my gosh! Justin! Hi!” They hug. “This is my bestie, Miel.” She grabs Miel by the shoulder. “Hi.” Miel smiles. “Hi,” Justin replies as he intensely gazes at her. “Justin!” A group of Chinese guys beckons him, and with bravado, he starts to dance on the dancefloor. Miel and everyone watch and laugh at him.

“Hey! Let’s try this one!” It was Anthony beckoning a guy with tan skin towards Miel. She smiles. “What the hell is that?” The guy with tan skin gazes at Miel with a smug look, and then he and Anthony laugh as they walk away. Miel immediately finds her way to the washroom, looks at her face in the mirror, smells her clothes, and checks for dirt on her teeth. There was nothing wrong with her scent or her appearance. She was baffled as to why that tan-skinned guy gazed at her disgustedly. She took a deep breath and looked one last time before heading to the battlefield outside.

On her way out, she found Therese still fluttering about with every person she encountered—deep in conversation while Hannah was laughing over trivial things with Justin and the rest. It baffled her how everything seemed so natural for Therese, Hannah, and the rest. Activities like these felt like a game to her—a test of bravado. It is the same feeling you get before jumping off a cliff, except cliff diving was a lot easier than scrambling for words to say.

She tried to go near Therese but felt it would be awkward if she interrupted her effortless banter with Anthony. On the way to Hannah’s group, she eavesdropped their conversation. She realized that she couldn’t relate to what they were talking about. On the far corner of the garden stood that tan-skinned asshole with a smug expression. “Fuck it.” She utters as she briskly walks to the long table lined with drinks. She grabs a red cup already filled with Smirnoff and chugs it all.

Swedish House Mafia’s Don’t You Worry Child was on blast on the Bluetooth speaker. She found herself dancing alone on the dancefloor while everyone remained busy socializing. In all fairness, her talent in dancing, thanks to ballet and hip hop, compensated for her lack of social game. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to socialize—she couldn’t relate to the small talk and preferred conversations about art, music, literature, and culture.

After waving her hands high in the air as if to rave at an EDM festival, she immediately stopped as she noticed that she was the only one dancing on the dancefloor. She found her way across the pool where a playground stood. On her way, she bumped into one of the servers. “Ouch!” The server passed by, crouching with her long straight black hair blocking her face until it revealed through Miel's accidental nudge. "Oh my gosh! Sorry!" Miel apologizes until the server looks at her surprised. "Mie—"

"Oh my gosh! Amber?" Miel recognizes her. It was Amber Ong, her good friend from her weekend acting workshops. 

"What are you doing here?" They both ask at the same time.

"Attending the siblings' party—"

"Serving for the siblings' party."

"No way!" They both respond to each other. "Who would've thought I'd see you at an elite party? How did you get invited? Are you close to Stephanie and Anthony?" Amber asks as she adjusts the empty silver tray to her side. "Well, one of my best friends, Hannah, is close friends with Stephanie and Anthony, and she took me and my other best friend, Therese here," Miel responds. "Wow! You didn't tell me you were friends with elite people! I swear Miel—you're so secretive." They both giggle. “How did you meet them?” Amber asks as she lays the empty silver tray on the slide. “Well, they’re my schoolmates. I grew up with them in Segovia Learning Centre—”

“No way! You didn’t tell me you study in an elite all-girls school! Miel, you act so lowkey in our theatre workshops and I wouldn’t have expected that you’re well-to-do. What the fuck?” They both giggle. “What are you doing on this side of the pool though? Why aren’t you joining your friends?” Amber asks while Miel responds with a queasy smile. Amber gazes at Miel’s friends who were busy chitchatting with the boys on the other side of the pool and then fixes her gaze back at Miel. “Ah, I see.” Amber gazes at her with a mischievous look as if she immediately knew why Miel chose to cross to the other side of the pool where the empty playground stood. “What?” Miel responds taken aback with a quizzical expression on her face. “You feel left out. You can’t relate—” 

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Are you psychic or—”

“Maybe I am—maybe I’m not.” Amber chuckles. “You know what, come sit here. Besides, they’re not looking for you yet.” She beckons Miel to sit beside her in the swing. As she sits, Amber turns her head and gazes at Miel again with a mischievous look. “Dude, what?” Amber draws closer. “You’re awkward with boys!” Amber whispers. “Dude, shut the fuck up! How did you know?” Miel responds as her cheeks turn red. “I read people very well, Miel. I’m an empath—”

“What is that?”

“Well, basically we’re gifted in reading people, their personality, their emotions—that’s that.”

“Oh,” Miel responds as she chugs from her Smirnoff. “Mhmm, is that why you’re drinking alcohol instead of conversing?” Amber asks. “The more I drink, the more I become a better conversationalist,” Miel responds and they both chuckle. “Oh, come on! I think you’re capable—it’s just that these boys aren’t your crowd. They’re a little too immature.” Amber gazes at the boys and back to Miel. Miel laughs until she notices Therese and Hannah across the pool effortlessly bantering with the boys. She wondered if it was easier for Therese and Hannah to catch their attention because they were conventionally beautiful, popular, and extroverted. “I’m wondering how I’m best friends with the cool kids. I feel like such a fraud. Maybe I should drink a little more to become a good conversationalist—”

“Shhh Miel, don’t say that.” Amber consoles her. Tears start pouring from her eyes. “My best friends are so perfect! I mean, just look at them and look at me!” Miel sobs. “No way! I think you’re pretty too. I think you’re just in the wrong crowd.” Amber responds. Suddenly, Miel’s sobs start turning into laughter. “Yo, what’s happening?” Confused, she gazes at Miel with a quizzical look. “My best friends are so beautiful!” Miel starts laughing hysterically. Her face turned red, her eyes bloodshot, and she touched her stomach as she couldn’t control her laughter. “Oh shoot, it’s the alcohol,” Amber utters. “Miel, I think you’re—”

Miel falls from the swing and lands on the ground with moist grass. “My best friends are so beautiful!” She lets out a boisterous laugh and starts looking at the sky. “Miel!” Amber rushes down to her. “Oh look, the Pleiadians have arrived!” Miel points to the sky as she continues the boisterous laughter. “Miel, I think you—”

“Is everything alright in here?” A strong voice interrupts. It was Therese with her dark eyes glaring at Amber. Amber gulps. “Um, yeah, she-she just got drunk and fell from the—”

“Can you step away from my best friend please?” Therese commands Amber. “Oh yeah, sure, um…” Amber steps aside. “Shouldn’t you be with them?” Therese points to the direction of the servers serving Smirnoff on the long white table across the pool. “Oh yeah, my apologies.” Amber leaves and heads toward the long white table. “Miel, who was that? Are you okay?” Therese attempts to get Miel off the ground. “Look! The Pleiadians have arrived!” Miel points to the sky. “Miel, I think you’re drunk. Here—you need to drink this.” Therese hands over a glass of water. “Look! They’re here!” She points to the sky. “Miel, come on, you need drink this.” Therese helps her get up and assists her in drinking the water. 

Chapter 3

As Miel arrives home, she takes a shower, sits on the sofa in the living room with all the lights off, whips out her black iPhone 5, and starts scrolling on YouTube. On her feed, a trailer to a movie called D.U.T.F. shows up. She clicks on the thumbnail and views the trailer. Afterward, the rectangle glow from her phone shows her eyes slowly turning red. She opens her Messenger App and rings Amber. “Hey Amber—”

“Oh my gosh! Miel! I was worried about you! Were you able to get ho—”

“Yeah, Therese’s driver drove me ho—”

“Oh, thank God! I was so worried. I’m so sorry if I wasn’t able to help you get up, your best friend was really intimidating and she—”

“Oh, that was Therese. So sorry about that—she really does have a strong personality.” Miel chuckles. “Why did you call by the way? Is everything good?” Amber responds. “Look Amber, so I came across this movie trailer called D.U.T.F. and I came to the conclusion that maybe I’m Therese and Hannah’s D.U.T.F.” Miel lays on the sofa as her black German Shepherd, Brandy, approaches and gives her face a lick. “Wait, what does D.U.T.F. even stand for?” Amber replies while she’s heard eating a bag of chips on the line. “It means designated ugly thin friend.” Miel responds as she brings her iPhone 5 closer to her right ear while her left hand pets Brandy’s forehead, whose tail was wagging. “What? Why would you think that? I think that Therese and Hannah love you, it’s just that—”

“I’m the ugly friend in our group?” 

“No way! It’s—”

“Oh my gosh!” Miel interrupts as a notification bubble shows up on her iPhone 5. “What is it?” Amber asks. “Justin Chan just followed me on Twitter!” Brandy’s pointed ears lower as she gets surprised by her Miel’s voice. “Oh, sorry Brandy!” Miel makes her voice a pitch higher. “Holy shit! He likes you! See, I told you, you’re not ugly!” Amber responds as she stuffs the leftover chips on her mouth. “You know what, when Hannah introduced me to him, he did stare for a bit—”

“Why didn’t you talk to him?”

“I was too intimidated—he was basically the life of the party!” 

“Oh come on, you were too!” They both giggle. “Which one was he again?” Amber asks. “He was the one in all black.” Miel responds. “Ooh spicy!” They both laugh.

Chapter 4 

The following day, Miel met up with Therese at Rizal Global Center—more commonly known as RGC—the city where people smoldered, buildings towered, and every corner was surrounded with people of power. “Miel! Thanks for coming with me!” Therese hugs Miel as she gets off her ride. “So, I might plan on getting an iPhone 6 Plus!” Therese exclaims as they walk towards a glass-encased store of Apple in the middle of an open air mall. “Yo, that’s awesome!” Miel responds. The store, although seethrough from outside had a frosted glass ceiling and an aged Balete Tree as the view towards its back portion. 

Upon entering, they start browsing the selection of iPhones. On the speakers, Spectrum by Zedd, featuring Matthew Koma plays. Miel starts tinkering with one of the phones on display and opens the camera. “Hey Therese! Come here! Let’s take a selfie.” Miel beckons Therese. “But first, let me take a selfie.” They both chant, strike a pose as Miel clicks the shutters, and giggle. “Um, excuse me?” Miel and Therese turn their head as a guy with tan skin, straight black hair with side bangs, and a grey sweatshirt maybe around their age or a little older interrupts them. “Um, that’s my phone.” He points at the phone on display that Miel was holding with her right hand. “Oh shoot! I’m so sorry! I literally thought it was on display! I’m so sorry!” Miel raises her hand and apologizes. “It’s fine.” The guy replies with a faint smile and then starts tinkering on his phone, which he charged on the display area. “That was so embarrassing!” Miel utters as her eyes enlarge. “Dude! He likes you!” Therese’s eyes enlarge too as she whispers and nudges Miel. “What? How’d you know? This is too embarrassing! We gotta leave!” Miel whispers in return. 

Therese and Miel giggle as they dash out the store. “Dude, I swear, he likes you!” Therese nudges Miel. “How? How on earth do you even read into that?” Miel responds while panting. “I can sense—”

“Wait! What about your phone?” Miel interrupts Therese. “Oh, right. Don’t—”

“Guys! I’m here!” Hannah who just arrived with shopping bags interrupts their conversation. “Oh, you’re here! Perfect timing! You can go with Hannah in the meantime while I buy the phone!” Therese suggests as she walks back to the store. “Oh, sure!” Miel responds. “Wait, why?” Hannah asks. “We’ll tell you later!” Therese winks as she re-enters the store. “I guess it’s just us for now, Miel. Wanna grab some Dippin’ Dots?” Hannah grabs Miel by the arms. “Yeah!” She responds as they promenade towards the open air stall. 

On the way to the stall, passersby kept staring at them or perhaps it was because of Hannah since she looked foreign and stood out from the crowd. From the corner of Miel’s piercing russet brown eyes which shone like pools of honey under the afternoon sun, she caught a glimpse of Justin and his group of guy friends from Wei Wu International School sitting on the outdoor cafeteria with orange chairs and tables. From her peripheral, she knew that Justin was looking at their direction even with his black shades on, but she chose to avert her gaze, keep an air of nonchalance, and move towards the ice cream stall.

Upon finishing their ice cream, Hannah excused herself to the bathroom and Therese arrives. “Hey, were you able to buy it?” Miel greets Therese as she finishes the last bits of her Cookie Monster-flavored Dippin’ Dots. “Yeah, here she is!” Therese smiles as she raises her Apple paper bag. As she joins Miel, she pulls out a box, puts the iPhone 6 Plus out and immediately taps on the Facebook icon. “You were able to download apps already?” Miel asks. “Yeah.” Therese responds as she scrolls on her new phone. “That was quick!” Miel responds as she crumples the empty paper cup and disposes it on the trash can near their table. “Hey, by the way, Anthony and Stephanie already uploaded our pictures from last night on Facebook. They made an album.” She states as she scrolls on her phone while Miel takes a seat, grabs her Bath & Body Works alcogel, squeezes some out, and rubs her hands. “And by the way—look, there’s a picture of you here where you’re seen looking at Justin—”

“What?” Taken aback, Miel stops rubbing her hands with the alcogel and immediately turns her attention on Therese’s phone. On the picture, it is seen that her eyes are gazing up at Justin who was wearing all black in the photo doing his silly antics dancing. She takes a gulp, cheeks turn red, searches for words to say, and clenches her fists as she never wanted to be founded out—not with her best friends being a part of Justin’s close circle. No one should know about this forbidden secret. At last, she sees the time on Therese’s phone. “Oh shoot! It’s 4:30 PM! I better go to my rehearsals before I catch the rush hour!” Miel excuses herself. Saved by the bell—she thought. 

Chapter 5

“Hi!” Miel rushes as she enters a dance studio. On the silver clock on the wall, it was 5:20 PM. In front of the mirror, Amber is seen wearing leg warmers, stretching, and warming up. “Miel! Hi!” She waves her hand as Miel approaches her. “Oh my gosh! Amber! You won’t believe who I saw in RGC earlier! Guess who—”

“Justin?”

“Yeah!”

“Duh.” Amber snorts. “He was staring in my direction!” Miel exclaims as soon as her phone vibrates with a notification. She gasps. “What is it?” Amber asks as she splits to the side. “He replied to my tweet!” Miel responds as she scrolls through her phone. “What’d he say?” Amber stretches to the other side. “Clever girl!” Miel exclaims as she and Amber start giggling with excitement. “He likes you!” Amber nudges Miel. “Oh my gosh! He sent me a message on Messenger!—”

“No way! Can I see?” Amber grabs the phone from Miel and the message read:

Hey Miel! Would you like to meet up tomorrow at RGC? Would love to hang!

“Oh my gosh! Girl! Go for it! I’m gonna reply for you!” Amber starts typing back. “Wait! Amber! No! Oh my gosh! Wait!” Miel attempts to grab her phone. “Girls! Places please! We’ll start our rehearsals in a minute! What’s the fuss all about?” Their choreographer and coach, Madame Valencia claps her hand as she heads to the bluetooth speakers by the mirror. Miel and Amber tone down as they tuck their phones in their bag. 

Chapter 6 

The following day, Miel headed her way to RGC. She sprays Un Jardin Sur Le Toit all over her body, her phone rings as she gets off the cab and walks towards the Japanese restaurant they dealt to meet in. “Hello?” She picks up the phone. “Girl! So are you pushing through?” It was Amber. “Yes, I’m already here—”

“Holy shit! I’m so excited for you girl! Hope you enjoy!” Amber responds with excitement. As Miel turns around to walk towards the Japanese restaurant, Umami, she sees Justin heading her way with his signature black shades, a black leather jacket amidst the heat, and a white shirt. On the open air mall’s speakers, Do I Wanna Know by Artic Monkeys plays. “Wait! I’ll call you later! He’s here!” Miel drops the call and gazes at a moment which seems to be captured in slow motion. “Hey Miel!” Justin gives her a hug. “Hey!” Miel brushes parts of her hair behind her ears. 

As they enter the restaurant, they take off their shoes and leave it on the shelves and enter the tatami-like rooms with low tables and pillows as chairs. They pick their orders and at last, their food arrives. “Itadakimasu!” They both exclaim. Miel starts slurping the spicy broth while Justin breaks his chopsticks in half. “So yeah, Miel, I invited you out today to tell you something.” Miel stops slurping the noodles mid air. “Yeah?” She responds and then continues slurping the noodles. “I have something to confess to you Miel.” Justin smiles. Within, Miel could feel her heart beating faster, but as if it’s beating fast in slow motion. This is it—she thought. “I’m in love…” Justin pauses while Miel’s eyes enlarge. “I’m in love with your best friend, Hannah—”

“Oh!” Miel accidentally spits her noodles out. “I—I—I actually knew all this time.” She stammers. “You knew?” Justin smiles as his cheeks blush. Shakily, she responds, “Yeah,” She takes a gulp of water and sends a queasy smile. “Look, I really want to take her to prom and give her the best one ever and I need your help. Will you help me plan out my promposal for her?” A moment of silence. “S-s-sure! Would love to!” She takes a sip from the broth. “So, how did you know I was in love with Hannah? I’m kind of feeling shy and exposed all of a sudden.” He giggles as he adjusts the shades on his head. “Um, I—I—I just noticed. It was obvious.” She fakes a giggle. 

After they finish eating, Justin offers a ride home. “No thanks, I have a ride home.” Miel responds. “Alright, great talking to you! I can’t wait to plan this out! Appreciate your help really! Thanks! Bye and take care!” He hugs Miel, but she immediately pulls away. “Bye.” She responds softly. She turns around and finds her way to the taxi stand, hails a cab, and gets inside. As she enters, Tumblr Girls by G-Eazy plays on the radio. 

Chapter 7

As she arrives home, she immediately finds her way to her bedroom and drops on her bed. 

Her eyes turn bloodshot red as tears start falling. Behind her, the door suddenly opens and a pitter-patter is heard. Suddenly, something leaps on her bed. It was Whiskey, her smaller brown dog who is a German Shepherd and Shetland Sheepdog mix. Though he was partly a German Shepherd, he was short in his stature—almost as small as a Corgi, but with the face of a Shetland Sheepdog and ears of a German Shepherd. As Miel sobbed, Whiskey licked off the tears from her face. She pulls the dog closer as if she is holding on to a stuffed toy. Moments later, she drifts off to sleep with Whiskey by her side. 

An hour later, her phone rings. “Hello?” She answers with a hoarse voice. “Oh my gosh! There you are! I was worried about you. You haven’t been updating me. Have you arrived home yet?” It was Amber. “Yeah.” Miel responds faintly. “So, how did it go?” Amber asks giddily. A moment of silence. Miel doesn’t respond. “Hey! Miel! Yo! Hello? How did it go?” On the line, Amber is heard speaking while munching on a bag of chips. “He—he—he’s in love with—”

“Oh my gosh!” Amber squeals. “No, Amber. It’s not me he’s in love with! It’s my fucking best friend, Hannah!” Whiskey jumps off of the bed and his pointed ears flops at the sudden sound Miel makes. A moment of silence. “No fucking way! Miel, I’m so sorry. I—”

“It’s okay, I understand. Who wouldn’t fall for my best friend? I think I would too if I were a boy. She’s perfect—”

“I’m sorry, but wait, why Hannah? What does he see in her?” 

“Because she looks like Dua Lipa.”

“That’s it? Is that his only reason why he’s into your best friend?” 

“Yeah…”

“What the fuck? That’s not a valid reason! What the…I’m gonna slap the shit out of that asshole! I’m gonna—”

“Hey, it’s okay. She won. Why would I compare to her anyway? She’s beautiful. Everyone has a crush on my best friend anyway…”

“Hey, Miel! Not a pep talk or anything, but I think you’re really beautiful too in your own way. Please don’t get discouraged—we’ll find you a—”

“I think I’m gonna go to sleep now. Goodnight.” Miel responds faintly. “Yo! Miel, come on, please don’t give u—”

Miel ends the call and rests her head on the pillow and gazes at the dark ceiling above her. How could she have been so foolish to think it would be her? She wasn’t beautiful enough for the boys her age—she thought—not as beautiful as her two popular best friends who were the eye candies of her school. They were the life of the party—butterflies fluttering from one flower to another and she was a caterpillar bound to nowhere. 

Chapter 8

At last, it was January 31, 2015—the day Justin was going to prompose to Hannah during dismissal in the Giambelluca Gate of Segovia Learning Centre. “Guys, it’s already February tomorrow and I still don’t have a prom date!” Hannah whines. “Oh come on, I don’t even have prospects yet.” Miel responds. “No way! I can set you up!” Therese exclaims. As they walked towards Giambelluca Gate during dismissal time, there he was waiting behind the metal bars of the gate with a brown leather jacket and his signature shades on his head. “Hey, is that Justin?” Therese spots him. “Metal boy.” Miel utters. “What was that?” Therese asks. “Oh, nothing, just got a notification on my phone.” Miel responds as she leans on the pillars and finds the strength to watch the scene she dreaded seeing the most. “Hey Justin! What are you doing here?” Hannah calls him out. Suddenly, a group of boys start playing instruments and sing an acoustic version of Bruno Mars’ Treasure and start singing, “Treasure! That is what you are! Hannah, you’re a golden star!” They unfold a banner that says, “Will you go to prom with me, Hannah?” Justin brings out a purple bouquet of flowers. “Oh my gosh! Thank you so much! Yes definitely!” Hannah exclaims. And that was the day Miel remembered why an alto like her in musicals always ended up as the Eponine—never the Cosette. 

And of course, the day she even the dreaded the most approached—Valentines Day, which was the same day as their prom. Everyone was adorned with Avatar-themed gowns. Miel wore a sapphire blue gown with a peacock design on the side. She entered the gymnasium of her school with the date Therese set her up with, Tuan Tran, another student from Wei Wu International School. The school gymnasium was designed with otherworldly David Cameron Avatar-like designs and the DJ played Avicii’s Levels on the booth while the students danced and conversed on the dance floor. 

“Hey Tuan, one sec, do you mind? I’m just gonna grab some drinks. Would you like some too?” Miel excuses herself. “Nah, I’m good.” Tuan adjusts his eyeglasses with his pale white hand. Miel heads to the long white table serving drinks and her eyes enlarge upon the sight of Amber Ong. “Amber, what the fuck are you doing here?” She stares at Amber in surprise. “What? I need extra money of course.” She responds as she tends to the bar. “I’m also here to spy on the devil.” She whispers. “You’re crazy!” Miel whispers in return. “Look! I think your friends are looking for you!” Amber points to the dancefloor using her mouth. “Alright, I’ll be right back.” 

“Miel! Come join us.” Hannah and Therese beckon her on the dancefloor as Clarity by Zedd, featuring Foxes is played by the DJ. “Why are you my clarity?” All the students singalong as they jump up and down with 5-inch heels and raise their arms in the air. It may have been the day she dreaded the most, but one thing’s for sure—her friends always made everything feel better and this raving moment with them would be something she’d like to include once life flashes before her eyes. This would definitely be a part of it—smiling and dancing with Therese and Hannah, the agony of their heels, but jumping all the way, savoring their last two months of high school before they part ways for university.

Miel didn’t quite understand how two of the most popular girls in school loved her while everyone else in school treated her like she was non-existent. But anyhow, that didn’t matter when the two most important girls loved her anyway.

“So, how are your dates going?” Therese asks both Hannah and Miel. “Meh, what a bore! I don’t even like him!” Hannah chuckles. “Then you should’ve just given your date to someone else.” Miel chuckles as she takes a sip from the Smirnoff while Therese gazes at Miel with concern. “I should’ve just gone with the date my mom was gonna set me up with.” Hannah projects her voice as the music overpowers their conversation. “Who?” Therese and Miel respond at the same time. “Jay Reid!—”

“No way! Like the singer/songwriter and actor?” Therese and Miel respond at the same time. “Yeah!” Hannah chugs from her Smirnoff while their three male dates gather together. “Pssst!” Amber Ong beckons Miel to the bar. “Guys, I’ll be right back. Just need to grab some drinks.” Miel excuses herself. “What?” Amber looks around and then beckons Miel to come closer. “I have a theory!” Amber whispers. “What?” Miel responds as she grabs a new drink. “It could be possible that him checking you out during Stephanie and Anthony’s party wasn’t really him checking you out, but him planning a ploy to use you to get to Hannah.” She whispers in Miels ears. “That’s a given.” Miel rolls her eyes. “Hey! Look! They’re slow dancing now.” Amber points at the dancefloor using her mouth. All of Me by John Legend plays and Hannah and Justin are seen slow dancing. Miel watched them with her piercing russet brown eyes gazing, which turned hazel with the green strobe lights hitting her eyes. 

As the slow dancing finished, Miel noticed Justin and Tuan gathering. She goes behind them to overhear the conversation. In the background, Lose Yourself To Dance by Daft Punk featuring Pharell Williams plays. “You know what, I only befriended Miel so I could get to Hannah.” Justin chuckles. “Well, I only accompanied her to this prom because Therese told me to. I pity her—”

“Excuse me?” Miel interrupts Tuan. Justin, Tuan, and the rest of the gymnasium suddenly divert their attention to Miel. “The nerve of you to use me just to get to my best friend who doesn’t even like you! Fuck you you user! If only you knew that I liked you! And I can’t believe you only like Hannah just because she looks like Dua Lipa! What about her personality, huh? Don’t objectify her like that you fucking user!” Miel splashes her Smirnoff on Justin’s face and everyone in the crowd gasps. “The nerve of you hurt Miel like that!” Therese yells at Justin and throws her Smirnoff too on his face. “The nerve of you to objectify Hannah like that!” She splashes his face again. “And you Tuan, your audacity to mistreat your date tonight!” Therese splashes Smirnoff on his face too. “You weren’t even fun! What a bore!” Hannah splashes Smirnoff on Justin’s face. The three best friends laugh and the whole gymnasium cheers. “Hey! Girls! That’s enough!” Miss Christian, their History teacher who had adorned himself with pearl jewels that night and only allows himself to be called Miss came rushing down from the bleachers. “Oh shoot! Girls! Run!” Miel beckons Therese and Hannah and they run towards the exit of the gym with laughter and the whole crowd cheering for them. Upon nearing the exit, Miel grabs Amber’s hand and allows her to join the three of them hand in hand as they escape the gym with smiles and laughter on their faces. Upon exiting, the ending of Lose Yourself to Dance by Daft Punk featuring Pharell Williams is heard echoing in the whole gym.

Chapter 9 

Two months after, Miel, Hannah, and Therese graduated from high school and moved on with their separate lives yet still kept in touch from time to time. Nine years after, Therese proceeded to become an architect and urban planner and Hannah moved to Australia to purse her Masters in I.T. Miel and Amber, on the other hand, successfully graduated from university and continued pursuing their passion for Theatre all at twenty seven years old. 

It was October 18, 2024, and Miel had mellowed out and grew curves in the right places when she used to be really frail and skinny in high school. Her russet brown eyes were still piercing in its gaze, except she had permed, dyed her hair chestnut brown, which matches her eyes, got Sabrina Carpenter-like curtain bangs, and had more experiences in love and relationships in the last nine years. 

In a black box theater, Miel and Amber, along with other performers took a bow for the curtain call with an arena type of stage, which required them to bow four times—once for each side of the stage. As Miel raised her head from the final bow, a familiar face sat in the audience with a yellow smile glowing bright in the dark and shades on the head. She saw that his arms were adorned with a leather jacket clapping his two hands together. Immediately, her smile faltered into a queasy type. 

Upon exiting to the backstage, Amber nudges her. “Hey! You would not believe who I saw in the audience—”

“I saw too!” Miel cuts her off. “What the fuck is that asshole doing here?” Amber flares her nostrils as she removes bobby pins from her hair. “I have no idea. What a—”

“Hey Miel!” A male voice calls from behind. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Miel turns around and gazes at Justin with contempt. “I wanted to watch and congratulate you! I think you did really great! These are for you! I’d really like to ask you out—”

“Why only now, Justin? You had your chance years ago. Heck, nine years ago! Why only now?” Miel refuses the sage green bouquet of flowers. “Pretty please. I’m really sorry. I—” 

“I said no! Get off and get the fuck away from me you user!” Miel throws the flowers on the floor. The whole backstage and audiences gasp upon the sight. Miel leaves. As she exits, she bumps into her Auntie Marina. “Auntie! You startled me—”

“Miel, was that a potential suitor I saw earlier? Why’d you reject—”

“It’s a long story and he’s not worth it.” Miel interrupts her Auntie Marina as they exit the the building and head to the parking lot. “Anyhow, what brought you here by the way, Auntie?” She asks as she fumbles for the keys from her bag. “Your mom told be to fetch you. She has something important to say—”

“She always has something important to—”

“Something happened, Miel.” Her Auntie Marina cuts her off. Miel immediately stops and looks at her.

Chapter 10 

Upon arriving home, Whiskey, who has mellowed and whose whiskers have turned white, greeted her on the gate, but with a movement that is quite lethargic than how ecstatic he was nine years ago. Brandy has also aged—still big in her size, but slower in her movements. “Hi babies! Mom’s home!” Miel raises her voice a pitch. 

“Miel.” Miel’s mother, Mimi, calls her. “Mom, what happened?” She fidgets her hand. “I-i-it’s your Uncle. Uncle Doug.” Her mother purses her lips. “Why? What’s wrong?” Miel drinks water from a glass. “He-he-he passed away today and they’re immediately holding his wake tomorrow in Mactan—”

“What?”

“Yeah. You’ll need to represent us by the way.”

“Why? I wasn’t even close to him. Wasn’t he also a maniac?”

“I won’t be able to attend or represent us. Remember, that I need to tour my clients around the city this weekend.” 

“Oh right.”

“So please. I even bought a First Class ticket initially, because I thought it would be for me only, but I decided to give it to you instead. At least you finally get to try First Class—”

“Fine.” Miel sighs. “But I wasn’t really close to Uncle Doug and he gives me the creeps—”

“Please. Just be in solidarity. Don’t spit on the grave—he’s still your family.” Mimi urges her as she forwards the electronic ticket to Miel via email on her iPhone 14. Miel sighs. 

Chapter 11

The following day at 6AM, Miel found her way scrambling through the seats in the aircraft. “Good Morning and welcome to Mactan Pacific Flight 5J 561, may I please see your ticket?” The flamboyant male steward with a high pitched voice and zesty attitude checks Miel’s ticket. “Oh, this way please.” The male steward struts forward as he beckons Miel to her seat in the 3rd row middle aisle of her aircraft bound for Mactan City. 

Miel settles on her seat and wraps her navy blue cardigan over her neck. On her left a male passenger who was flamboyant in his demeanor as well scrambles about. “Good Morning Sir, may I know your seat number please?” A female stewardess asks him. “Um, I don’t know. Here.” The flamboyant male passenger flashes his electronic ticket to the stewardess. “Oh, right here Sir.” The stewardess beckons him to his seat, which was beside Miel’s. From his clothes and way of speaking, Miel knew that he was of her kin. “Guys! There you are!” He exclaims towards two passengers who sat on the same row as us, but on the left side by the window. One was a girl who seemed athletic, a bit of a tomboy, and had her hair in a ponytail. The other one, was a male who was also fit and preppy in his style. They were all brown in complexion and seemed to be very close. Miel assumed that they were probably close friends heading to Mactan City to go island hopping based on their tropical fit. 

On the speakers of the plane, Sabrina Carpenter’s Juno was playing. “Bro, they’re playing Sabrina Carpenter!” Miel’s flamboyant seatmate nudges the guy wearing a preppy outfit, who sat on the left side by the aisle, while the tomboy-looking girl sat by the window. They laughed at the thought of inappropriate Sabrina Carpenter songs being played on a plane with some minor passengers. The three of them continue mumbling inaudibly while Miel minds her business. However, it distracted her how the guy with a preppy outfit kept nudging Miel’s flamboyant seatmate. 

As the flight was about to take off, the flamboyant passenger and the guy with a preppy outfit, who seemed to actually be his brother, kept typing on their phones. Miel wondered how they still could be texting when the plane’s about to take off. Anyhow, at last the plane took off, and it felt weird for her to experience what it’s like to take off from the front row of the plane. She got used to flying coach and sitting by the wings or middle portion of the plane that it felt new to her. It felt light and as if no take off happened—just a feeling of someone seeming to lift her body upwards.

After the plane has completely ascended, the seatbelt signs were turned off, and passengers started lining up for the lavatory. With Miel sitting on the 3rd row, she got a clear view of the passengers lining up. On the left aisle, the male with a preppy fit takes off his unbuttoned short sleeved white polo, which he draped around his inner shirt. Upon taking it off, it revealed that he was wearing a black sando, which revealed his muscles. It caught Miel’s attention. “He works out.” She thought to herself. What caught her attention even more was the tattoo behind his right arm. It seemed to be a round mandala tattoo. You could also see that he had a clean pompadour cut and that his calves were firm. He looks behind and catches Miel looking. She averts her gaze. 

As he finished from the lavatory, he walked back to their row with bravado and nodded to his flamboyant brother. He wears his white polo back. His flamboyant brother transfers to his preppy brother’s seat on the left aisle, while the sister remains by the window. The preppy guy transfers to his flamboyant brother’s seat and sits beside Miel. It boggled her as to why they didn’t sit together on the left row when there were three seats enough for the three of them. There was an extra seat there. Why bother sitting beside her when they can sit together as siblings? Was it the airconditioner? Did she smell weird? She takes a sniff and she still smelled like Un Jardin Sur Le Toit.

As the preppy guy sits, he spreads his arms, unashamed to take up space in the seat with his right arm rubbing on Miel’s left arm. It startles her. After a while, she catches the preppy guy check her outfit from head to toe and stares at her black boots. She felt uneasy, as if there was some sort of familiar tension, but thankfully, flights to Mactan City usually just take an hour from Nilad City and they were about to land. “Thank God.” She thought to herself. 

As the plane descended, a phone dropped on the floor between Miel and the preppy guy. He grabs it. “Is this yours?” He asks Miel. “Um, nope, this is mine.” Miel flashes her sage green cased iPhone 14. He then turns his head to the row to the right of Miel. “Hey Mom, look what I found!” He raises the phone. Startled, Miel realizes that she was actually surrounded by the preppy guy’s family in the 3rd row. His mother sat on the right row aisle of the 3rd row along with other relatives. “Whose is that?” The mother asks as she catches a glimps of Miel. “I don’t know. I’m gonna ask for help from the stewardess.” He raises the phone. “You better return that.” His mom laughs. “Of course. Excuse me, I think someone dropped their phone.” He beckons the stewardess. “Does anyone own this phone?” He stands from his seat, looks at the back rows, and raises his voice as he flashes the phone. “My phone! My phone!” A Korean man in his late 30s or early 40s who seems to be a casino goer in Mactan City from the 8th row responds. “Excuse me Sir. Kindly sit down please. We’re landing right now.” The stewardess beckons the preppy guy to seat. “Later Sir.” The stewardess beckons to the Korean man on the 8th row. 

At last, the plane safely landed in Mactan City and securely connected its cabin doors to the airport tube. The preppy guy immediately unfastens his seatbelt and heads to the 8th row to hand over the phone to the Korean man. “Kamsahamnida! Daghang Salamat!” The Korean bows his head to the preppy guy as he claims his phone back. As he walks back to the 3rd row, he spots another male passenger struggling to grab his baggage from the overhead cabin. “Do you need help with that?” He asks. The passenger nods his head. “Here you go.” The preppy guy hands over his baggage to the male passenger. On the speakers of the plane, Bed Chem by Sabrina Carpenter started playing. Miel grabs the huge Mary Grace paper bag from the overhead cabin filled with 6 boxes of Cheese Roll and Ensaymada for her relatives in Mactan City. Upon grabbing it, one of the boxes almost falls on her head. “Oops!” The preppy guy catches it from behind her back. For a brief moment, she felt his body rub behind her in closer proximity. “Thanks.” They both giggle. His sister smirks at his flamboyant brother and then to their mother who was in the other side of the row. 

Upon walking in the tube, the preppy guy walked ahead of Miel with his blue Ray-Ban Aviator shades on. She got a full view of his outfit and the silver Rimowa luggage he dragged. “They’re well-to-do.” She thought or at least in the same social class as her based on how he and his family conversed with one another. It’s the same way she converses with her mom and it felt like home.

After Miel finally claims her luggage from the conveyor belt, she heads to the comfort room and quickly retouches her lip gloss and heads to the arrival exit of the airport. Upon exiting, she sees the three siblings waiting at the exit as if they’re waiting for someone. “Don’t be delusional. They’re not waiting for you, they’re waiting for their mom.” She thought to herself as she walks past them. The preppy guy still had his shades on, but you couldn’t tell if he was looking or not with his eyes hiding behind it. 

Chapter 12

The wake of Miel’s Uncle Doug was held at the Mactan City Hall. He was so special to his fraternity brothers that his best friend, the Mayor of Mactan City, Anthony Rama, urged his wake to be held in the City Hall. Upon entering, she sees that the place is packed with her relatives and fraternity brothers of her Uncle Doug. In front, she sees an urn instead of a casket. This perplexed her. “That was so quick.” She thought when he just passed yesterday. “Miel?” She turns around and sees that it’s her Auntie June, the older sibling of her Uncle Doug and late father, Dean. “Auntie June! Oh my gosh! Hi! Long time no see and my condolences.” She hugs her Auntie June and blesses her hand. “My goodness! Miel, you’re so grown up now! You’re a beautiful lady!” Her Auntie June gazes at her almost teary eyed. “Thank you.” She responds faintly.

“So, Auntie, if you don’t mind me asking, what caused Uncle Doug’s death and why was he cremated right away?” Miel asks as she gazes at her late Uncle’s urn. Her Auntie June sighs. “Well, the truth is that he’s been dead since October 5th according to the forensics and everyone only discovered his body on the 10th. Apparently, what happened was that he turned the ceiling fan on maximum until the ceiling fan fell on his head and…and…yeah, his head was…yeah…and his body was completely…you know, and the authorities thought it would be best to cremate him right away because his corpse was so unrecognizable, so…so…it’s—it’s too much to see, and then of course we had to fly his urn from Cairns to here in Mactan.” She sighs. “I see.” Miel responds taken aback. “June!” It was Mayor Rama beckoning Auntie June. “Oh, I’ll be right back.” She follows Mayor Rama. “Sure.” Miel responds faintly. A waiter with trays of red wine passes. “Can I have one please?” Miel beckons the waiter. “Sure, Madam.” The waiter hands over a glass of red wine to Miel. She takes it and exits the hall for a bit.

She finds her way to the lobby of the City Hall and to her right, a hallway was hidden in the corner. She walks towards it, takes a sip from her glass, and sighs. “A breath of fresh air.” She thought to herself. Everything was too much to take in, the crowds overwhelmed her, and her Uncle Doug’s death made her irrational fear of ceiling fans even worse. In the hallway, there was an exhibit of paintings by young Mactan artists. One painting catches her attention. It was a painting of two girls taking a selfie. It looked familiar to her. Strangely, the girl on the foreground of the painting looked like her when she was in high school with her old black wavy mane and russet brown eyes piercing through the painting while the girl on the background, who was a bit blurred by contrast resembled Therese. She whips her phone out and takes pictures of it.

“That painting’s exceptional isn’t it?” A male voice from behind her asks. She doesn’t look behind as the painting intrigues her. “Yeah. It’s probably my favorite in this exhibit.” She responds as she gazes at it and swirls the red wine on her glass. “You’re the only one I noticed who’s into it.” The voice comes closer and beside her stood a man robust in his stature. From her peripheral, she saw that his arms were tan. She was about to look until, “Miel! Oh, there you are! Come, your cousins are looking for you!” It was her Auntie Junie calling her from the end of the hallway. She follows her Auntie June out until something within her told her that she needed to look behind. She turned her head, but was surprised to see that the man immediately disappeared.

Chapter 13

On February 14, 2025, Segovia Learning Centre held a 10th Year Anniversary Alumni Ball for the Batch 2015 students of SLC back in Nilad City. The theme was Bridgerton, and upon entering the venue filled with white marble columns, a signage read, “Welcome Back Segovians Batch ‘15!” On the speakers, BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Billie Eilish played. 

“Miel! Oh my gosh! I missed you so much!” It was Therese with her now Italian husband, Zeke Petrelli. She and Therese hug one another teary eyed while Zeke nodded his head and smiled. Hannah followed suit. “Miel! I missed you so much! Oh my gosh. Queenie, this is my other bestie!” Hannah beckons her girlfriend, Queenie. “Can you believe we all caused chaos in prom around this same time ten years ago?” Hannah laughs. “Yeah!” Therese and Miel laugh in return.

After catching up, Therese, Zeke, Hannah, and Queenie slow dance on the dancefloor. Miel hails the waiter for a glass of champagne and heads to the balcony made of white marble overlooking a hedge maze with a large white marble gazebo and fountain in the middle. She leans on the balcony, sniffs the sift of moist grass flowing in the air, and sips her champagne. She was alone, but something felt good about the air. Perhaps it was the breezy Amihan weather or how the champagne had a chocolate aftertaste. 

“No partner?” A voice from behind interrupts her. “Nah, whatever.” She chuckles as she turns around. It was a man, robust in his stature with pompadour hair, a long white polo that revealed the shape of his arms, a brown belt, khaki trousers, and brown loafers. “Um, wait, have I seen you somewhere?” Miel asks with a puzzled look. “Maybe.” He replies with a smirk and his baritone voice sounding whole. “Would you like to dance?” He offers his hand. Miel chugs the champagne from the glass and then gives him a mischievous look. “Race me to the fountain down there in the hedge maze first and you get to dance with me.” She chuckles. “Now?” He asks. “Now!” They both run down the marble stairs and laugh as they race to the hedge maze. 

As they reach the fountain inside the hedge made, Miel makes it first, but slips into the fountain and the man accidentally falls on top of her. “Oh shit! Are you alright?” He helps her up. She cackles. “I’m fine.” Her long white dress and her hair are suddenly drenched with water. “Oh, your clothes!” He starts unbuttoning his white polo and wraps it around her. He’s left wearing a white sando. “Here, so you won’t feel cold.” He helps her up. “Thank you.” She responds faintly as she shivers. “Hey, you’re cold. Do you want to enter the gazebo first to warm up a bit?” He beckons her inside. “Yes please.” She responds as she notices a round mandala tattoo behind his right arm. “Wait a minute, are you that guy I rode a plane with to Mactan City last October?” She asks. “I remember you. What’s your name?” Miel asks as she smiles faintly and gazes up at him. “It’s Andre—Andre Braveheart. And you?” Andre responds. 

“It’s Miel.”

“Sweet.” He replies as he grabs Miel’s hand and pulls it to the direction of the white marble gazebo where there was a mini exhibit of paintings. Miel browses the paintings and is surprised to see that same painting of her and Therese from Mactan City. Another painting catches her attention and it’s a painting of a woman’s left profile who looked exactly like her sitting on a plane with curly chestnut brown hair and a royal blue cardigan wrapped around her neck. As she sees the signature of both paintings, both have scribbles of the name, Andre Braveheart. 

“Did you paint these?” She gazes up at him with her black pupils eclipsing her russet brown eyes. “Yes.” Andre replies faintly. For a moment, only their breathing could be heard escalating as they drew closer to one another. Rain started pouring and from a distance, Heavenly by Cigarettes After Sex could be heard playing in the ballroom where everyone was. He gently grabs her face and gazes at it with his dark eyes as if to examine a sculpture and draws it closer to him. He draws in closer and pecks on her lower lip with his lips. Miel surrenders. 

I am a mess

Can’t you see

the timer

on my back?

I spell

‘danger’

‘radioactive’

‘keep off’

I am

the next

Hiroshima

and I’ll obliterate

everything

in my way.