SHAN
“Congratulations, Shan!
You did so well!
Wow, I’m so proud!”
I was surprised when I got home and saw many dishes on the table as if there was something to celebrate.
Elyse and her mom were both standing at the edge of the table, wearing party hats.
I furrowed my brows, still confused about what all of this was for.
“You passed La Salle!” Tita Erin said.
“Elyse told me!”
Oh… All this fuss just for that.
I gave them a small smile before walking toward the dining table, placing my things to the side.
I didn’t want to make it such a big deal since I was destined to study there in the first place.
I was just following the plan Hiro and I had.
“Great job!” Tita Erin clapped when I blew out the candle.
There was even a cake.
“Thank you,” I told her.
“I’ll shower.”
I excused myself immediately and went upstairs to my room because I had just come home from school.
I appreciated the effort, but she looked more excited than I was.
I took a shower and changed into my pajamas before going downstairs.
I was planning to eat peacefully until I saw my dad seated at the edge of the table, ready to eat as if it were his own celebration.
I stopped and clenched my fist, wondering if I should still go.
Just seeing his face made me lose my appetite.
“It’s just college.
I’m sure Elyse can pass there too,” I heard him tell Tita Erin.
“You didn’t have to celebrate it.”
“Is it that hard to be happy for your son?” Tita Erin lowered her voice, afraid that I would hear them talking.
I was about to go back to my room when Elyse suddenly called my name.
I looked back and gave her a smile, then walked toward them, acting as if I hadn’t heard their conversation just now.
I sat in the chair farthest from him.
It had come to the point where I didn’t even want to breathe the same air as him.
“Elyse, do you want to study at La Salle too?” Dad asked her.
I ate quietly while listening to their usual family conversation.
“Yes!
I want to follow Kuya!” Eli looked so happy about it.
Oh, my dad must be so pissed that his lovely daughter was closer to me than to him.
That Elyse wanted to be like me and wanted to follow me everywhere.
I was sure the last thing he wanted was to see Elyse follow in my footsteps.
“What program did you take, Shan?” Tita Erin asked.
“Psychology.” There was no emotion on my face.
I didn’t even look at her when I answered.
“After college, do you have any more plans?” It was a good thing she didn’t ask why I chose that program.
I would probably ruin their family dinner by talking about my dad’s behavior.
“Not yet.” I said, pursing my lips.
I was barely surviving.
Planning that far ahead might only disappoint me in the end.
“Plan your life, and don’t waste the chance I gave you.
You wouldn’t even have the chance to have a future if I hadn’t taken you in when your mother died.” My dad said with a scoff.
Everyone at the table suddenly fell silent.
I tightened my grip on the utensils while counting in my head to calm myself.
I wanted to talk back so badly… but I didn’t want Elyse to witness it.
The last time I talked back to him was two days ago.
The bruise on the side of my face was still visible.
When Elyse asked about it, I said I had gotten into a fight at school.
“Done.” I stood up and put my plates in the sink before calmly walking upstairs with both hands in my pockets.
I was just trying to stop myself from clenching my fists.
My nails were already digging into my palms.
As soon as I entered the room, I sat down on the bed and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths.
I replayed the scene in my head.
The scene where I talked back to him.
It didn’t end well, and I ended up getting hurt, but I was relieved that I had said what I wanted to say.
I felt satisfied replaying that scene in my head, so it calmed me down.
Tita Erin had already convinced my dad to let me move into a condo near my university for college.
He probably agreed because he didn’t want to see my face in his mansion anymore.
I felt exactly the same way.
I would rather live alone in a small unit than live in a big house with him.
He also agreed to give me a monthly allowance in exchange for me not bothering him… as if I fucking would.
“I miss you, Mom.” I sighed again before closing the window.
It was too late to realize that life had been better when I was with my mom and stepdad compared to this.
This was complete torture.
I wasn’t just forced to be with him—I also had to watch him put on an act every single day in front of his new wife and daughter.
I wished they knew… I wished they knew what he was really like.
I always wondered why Tita Erin forgave him, but it was probably because of Elyse.
Elyse needed a father.
She was willing to forgive and forget just to give her daughter a good life… just like what my mom did for me.
She put up with all of that because she wanted to give me a family.
But if the younger me had a choice, I would choose to be alone rather than let myself go through all of that.
I think I would be safer alone than having a complete family, than being around that kind of father.
The next day, Hiro and I went to Wings Club after class and even asked Acel to come with us.
He said he would after his class, so we just waited there with ice on my jaw.
I asked the waiter for an ice pack.
What a bad day.
“Aren’t you taking martial arts classes every summer?” Hiro asked, and I nodded.
I had already tried different categories of martial arts.
I was doing what I could to protect myself… although I still couldn’t fight back against my dad.
Sometimes, I froze.
Sometimes, I had this idea in my head that it would be better if he just killed me.
Maybe… just maybe… he would feel remorse.
We started joking and laughing until I saw that familiar face again.
I blinked twice just to make sure it was really her.
I didn’t notice how long I had been staring until Acel blocked my view.
“Why are you looking at my schoolmates?” He asked me in confusion, as if I was going to do something bad.
“And what happened to your jaw?”
“He accidentally got punched!” Hiro tried so hard not to laugh, but the funny scene just kept replaying over and over in his head.
“But… what about this?” Acel pointed at the one with the bandage, and Hiro suddenly stopped laughing, his mood changing.
Neither of us could answer Acel, so he quickly understood.
Acel let out a heavy sigh before sitting down beside me, taking the ice pack from my hand so he could hold it instead.
He was always this kind and caring to everyone.
I was worried that students might look down on him or just push him around because he was too nice.
“You really need to get out of that house.
I told you to live with me instead.” Hiro told me, shaking his head.
“I’m not your mother’s son.” I let out a short laugh and lightly hit his arm.
It was true… I wasn’t anyone’s responsibility except my dad’s.
I changed the topic so we could talk about our college programs instead.
Acel would take the scholarship at FlyAsia’s flying school, while Hiro would take Mechanical Engineering at La Salle while also earning flight hours at FlyAsia.
Once again, Acel was the odd one out among the three of us.
Not just different—he was far away.
His school was all the way in Clark.
On my way to the counter, I even ran into that girl.
She didn’t see me, which was better because she would probably just roll her eyes at me again.
She was being playful with the one in the messy bun, so she almost spilled her drink on me, but I held her hand to stop it and then quickly walked away.
When it was time to go home, it was raining so hard, so I texted Kuya Roel to pick me up.
Hiro and Acel left before me.
Hiro was picked up, while Acel walked to the transport terminal because he said he had an umbrella anyway.
When I looked to my side, the students from Valeria High were already planning to go home.
The familiar girl was left alone when the girl with the bun went to the nearest convenience store.
We were far apart from each other, but it still felt awkward.
She reached her hand out to see if the rain was still pouring hard and looked disappointed because it was.
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her watch, growing impatient.
Kuya Roel had already stopped in front of the small staircase, so I knew I had to go.
I opened my umbrella, and I froze just as I was about to go down the stairs.
“Damn it.” I whispered before walking back into the restaurant.
I left the umbrella right in front of her and covered the top of my head with my bag before running to the car.
When I peeked through the car window, I saw that she looked completely confused, but she still picked up the umbrella and went down the stairs to follow the girl at the convenience store.
I let out a heavy sigh and closed my eyes, leaning my head back.
“Is she your girlfriend, Shan?” Kuya Roel suddenly asked.
I didn’t know I could get so defensive.
I started blurting out things just to deny any connection with that girl.
“Okay…” I heard him laugh, so I just stayed quiet.
“I was just asking…”
KIERRA
“You keep asking questions!
Do you already have a new boyfriend?!”
I let out a loud laugh, unable to believe what I had just heard from Luna.
I was only asking if she had told any guy my name or if she had set me up with someone!
“Are you sure?
You didn’t set me up?” I asked again just to make sure.
I was still wondering how he knew my name!
Was he a stalker?
It wasn’t even on any of my social media accounts!
“Do you want me to set you up, Ke?
We’ll find a way.
Wait a second…” She took her phone and lay on her stomach on the sofa.
She showed me the people Samantha was following so I could choose from them.
“Here, this one looks okay… but I should get to know him first so I’ll know if he’s decent… or we can ask Sam…”
“I don’t want to be set up, okay?” I shook my head at her and pressed a hand to my forehead.
“You’re so confusing to talk to!
I thought you wanted to be set up?!” She complained again.
I was just asking!
How did that become me wanting it?!
“Fine then!
Don’t worry!
I’ll ask Sevi for help!
Maybe he knows someone to set you up with!
He’s from Engineering, after all.”
“I have no plans of getting into another relationship.”
I leaned back in my chair and massaged my temples, thinking about where he got my name.
“Wait… Theo?!
Don’t you like him?!”
Luna quickly sat up properly and looked even more excited.
“He seems pretty good!
Handsome, smart, tall, has dreams in life, a future engineer, and it even looked like he had a crush on you before.”
“He didn’t have a crush on me.” I told her.
“I bet he did.” She said confidently, looking so sure of herself while still scrolling through her phone.
“He even has a handsome voice.
What more could you ask for?
You don’t want that?
An architect and an engineer?
You’ll be a power couple in the future.”
“We’re not compatible.” This girl was really persistent.
I didn’t have time to think about what she was saying because my mind was in complete chaos because of Ciandrei.
“Hayy…”
Luna kept looking through the guys in Sam’s following list while I finished my food.
I had been busy from the weekend until Thursday because of the amount of schoolwork.
______________________
“So?
Are we going to 4M?” Luna invited me.
It was a drinking session in Dapitan.
“Does it look like I’m carrying very little?” I showed her my plates.
I was carrying so much on my way home after class—returning the plates, plus my bag was heavy.
I even had a drawing tube slung over one shoulder.
“Hay, fine then!
What about you, Via?”
“Pass.” Via said.
She was carrying a lot too.
“Aw, come on!
Fine!
I’ll just attend the meeting then!” Luna said goodbye to us.
I just tied my hair up because it was so hot walking toward Noval.
It was only 4 PM, and my classes had already ended.
While I was walking through Plaza Mayor, someone suddenly took the illustration board I was carrying, so I turned around.
“I’ll carry it.” Theo said, smiling at me.
“Oh, you don’t have any more classes?” I asked him as he took the drawing tube off my shoulder.
“No more.
Master and I were just hanging out at QPAV.” He walked beside me.
“I’ll walk you home.
Looks like you’re carrying a lot.”
We went out through Gate 2 and crossed the overpass to get to the jeepney stop.
It was a good thing it was still early, so it wasn’t crowded.
“Ah, I still need to stop by a coffee shop.” I was craving the drinks.
“Do you know it?
Yesterday’s Coffee?”
“No, but I’ve heard my friends talk about it because they have a crush on one of the baristas there.” He even laughed.
I had a feeling I knew who he was talking about.
“Come on, it’s my treat.
You walked with me, after all.” When I smiled at him, he immediately looked away and scratched the back of his head.
We rode a jeepney and sat near the back so my things wouldn’t be difficult to manage.
After paying the fare, I put my wallet and phone back into my bag.
Better to be safe.
When we got off, we crossed another overpass to get to the coffee shop.
Theo even held the door open for me before following me inside.
He looked around in amazement.
The café’s interior was really spacious and beautiful.
“So there’s a place like this here?” Theo said softly to me.
I stopped when I saw Ciandrei just coming out of the staff room, tying the strings of his apron behind his back.
He looked surprised to see me too, but I immediately looked away.
“Find us a seat.” I whispered to Theo, and he immediately did.
After he left me at the counter, Ciandrei took his place at the cashier and adjusted the monitor.
“Long time no see,” He said while his fingers were busy setting up the monitor.
“Here for a date?”
“Can I order a ‘mind your own business,’ please?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
What a gossip.
At that, he laughed and glanced at me.
“What else?
A hot ‘leave me alone’?”
“One strawberry matcha latte and one iced Americano.
To go, please.” I ordered properly this time.
I didn’t have time to fool around with him.
“Why don’t you eat here?” He even suggested.
“Okay.
Can I also get two slices of Oreo cheesecake?” I placed the bills in the small basket and waited for him to hand me the receipt.
After that, I went back to the table where Theo and I were sitting.
He asked me about my busy week, so I started complaining about the workload.
They were giving us so many things to do!
I wasn’t getting any sleep anymore!
“Why did I even choose this…” I could only slump onto the table.
“Are you still sleeping?” He asked me.
I paused and sat up properly, thinking about how my nights had been.
Sometimes I still dreamed about him, but sometimes I didn’t anymore.
Sometimes I slept well, sometimes I really couldn’t… but it was still better than before.
“Of course.” I smiled at him and nodded.
“What about you?
How’s Engineering?
Still no girlfriend?”
He thought about my question before shaking his head.
“Ever since I entered Engineering, I haven’t been okay at all, Ke,” He said dramatically, making me laugh.
“I’m serious!”
I stopped laughing when someone set a tray down on our table.
I leaned back and watched Ciandrei place our orders on the table before removing the tray.
He stayed there, so I looked at him and raised an eyebrow, silently asking why he still hadn’t left.
“Enjoy your meal.” He said with a smile before walking away.
I frowned.
That was so unlike him!
“He’s handsome. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
He’s probably the one my friends were talking about.” Theo whispered to me.
“Is he handsome?” I asked in disbelief.
His lips parted while I bitterly sipped my iced Americano.
Fine… I’ll admit he was a little handsome, but… his attitude?!
So annoying!
I hurriedly finished my food so I could leave that coffee shop already.
Theo walked me all the way to the condo lobby before commuting home.
When I got home, I just took a shower and lay down on my bed.
I suddenly got curious and tried searching for him on Instagram.
I couldn’t find “ciandrei” in Sam’s following list, so I tried his nickname instead.
I was right.
shanlopez
97 posts | 7,543 followers | 678 following see me in yesterday.
I frowned when I read his bio.
I said that to him!
Was it intentional?
Wait… He was already following me!
I kept scrolling through his feed to look at his photos.
All I saw were drinking sessions and pictures of him with different people.
He really enjoyed his college days, huh… He was often at parties in his posts, but his older posts were pictures of him at the beach… There was also a dog… and then a little girl.
Should I follow him back?
I actually thought about it.
Could my pride handle it?
I just shook my head and went to sleep.
I skipped my Friday morning classes just to get some more rest, then attended my afternoon classes.
My blockmates invited me out for drinks again, and since I had managed to rest, I went with them.
I really needed to get out more.
Besides, Luna would be there, so I was sure there would be someone to take care of me.
We were going to a Korean BBQ restaurant to drink.
It was perfect because I was already hungry.
It was somewhere near Yesterday’s Coffee, so it was also close to Luna’s condo and mine.
It would be easy to get home.
“Cheers!”
I raised my glass too and drank the beer mixed with soju.
We had already gone through several bottles, and I was starting to feel warm.
Luna still seemed fine, although she was a little more playful now.
I stopped eating because I might just throw up.
“I’m just going outside.” I told Luna, hoping the food I had eaten would settle.
I thought I was still okay, but the moment I stood up, my vision started spinning.
I held my head and forced myself to walk outside to get some fresh air.
As soon as I got out, I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall, trying to regain my senses.
I bent my knees and squatted without letting my butt touch the ground.
I held my head, wondering if I was about to throw up.
“Drunk, huh?”
I looked up and forced my eyes open when someone spoke nearby.
I saw Ciandrei leaning against the wall with a cigarette between his fingers.
He blew the smoke out of his mouth without looking at me.
“There you are again…” I said irritably, unable to believe it.
“Wherever I go… you’re there… You must be following me!” I even hiccupped, so I patted my chest.
He laughed and put the cigarette back into his mouth.
He was leaning against the wall of another building, so he was far away from me.
Good.
I didn’t want to smell his cigarette smoke.
“Right.
Why do we always see each other?” He asked himself.
“Hmm… Destiny?”
That was probably the most absurd thing I had ever heard come out of his mouth.
It was hilarious!
Destiny?!
I ended up laughing loudly even though I was so dizzy.
“You?
You believe in that?!
That’s not on-brand for you…” I covered my mouth, still laughing.
Was that a joke?
“Damn, you really are drunk.” He let out a short laugh before shaking his head.
When I tried to stand up, I almost fell face-first onto the floor, so I grabbed onto a post.
“I’m going to throw up…”
“Huh?” He immediately straightened up.
I walked around looking for somewhere to throw up while covering my mouth.
I was staggering as I walked, which only made me even dizzier.
“I’m going to throw up!” I said to him, sounding like I was about to cry.
“Wait… Wait!” He started panicking too.
I didn’t know where he got a plastic bag, but he handed it to me.
He probably bought it from the convenience store!
I immediately took it from his hand and threw up into it.
His face was indescribable as he watched me vomit my guts out.
After that, without thinking, I tied the plastic bag and handed it back to him.
“What the hell?” He complained.
I grabbed onto the post again, then held my head.
It felt like my brain was being hammered!
I didn’t even know what I was doing anymore!
“My head hurts…” I suddenly burst into tears while both my hands were holding my head.
I sat back down on the ground, crying.
“Why are you suddenly crying?” He didn’t know what to do anymore.
He threw the plastic bag into a nearby trash bin and walked over to me, pulling me to my feet.
“Get up.
It’s dirty.”
“My head… It hurts…” I cried even harder.
“Well, what did you expect from drinking alcohol?
A relaxed mind?
Woman, it’s not some herbal tea.” He laughed at me and pulled my hand again to make me stand.
I heard him mutter a curse before lifting me up and leaning me against the wall.
He was trying to sober me up, but my eyes stayed shut.
My head hurt so much!
What was in the alcohol we drank?!
He let go of me and let me lean against the wall so I wouldn’t sit down again.
“Stay there.” He whispered before walking away.
I thought he wasn’t coming back anymore, but I saw him again carrying a bottle of water and a popsicle.
He stopped in front of me and made me drink some water.
After that, he fed me the popsicle.
I just stood there, enjoying my popsicle.
Somehow, it distracted me.
He leaned against the post across from me and lit another cigarette.
He turned to the side and simply waited for me to sober up without saying anything.
“So where did you find out my name, huh?” I asked while eating.
He glanced at me for a second.
“Your I.D.
It’s attached to your bag.”
So that was it?!
I practically drove myself crazy wondering whether he was a stalker or not!
I even blamed Luna!
“Kierra Zylene V.
Ynares.”
“Why are you following me on Instagram?” I asked next.
“You’re asking lots of questions today, huh…” Smoke escaped from his lips.
“The real question is… Why aren’t you following me back?”
“And why would I do that?” I asked coldly.
When he saw the look on my face, he scratched his head and walked over to me.
He took out his handkerchief and gently wiped my mouth.
He even took the popsicle stick and wiped my hand.
It had been dripping.
“You’re too close…” I gently pushed against his chest, so he stepped back.
He just stood there and stared at me for a long time.
“So how close can we get, Kierra?” He suddenly asked.
“What should be our limit?
You tell me.”