Chapter 4:

I shook my head in protest. "Nah, mas mabuting ma distract ako" then sighed heavily.

"Sure ka? Puwede ko namang sabihin sila-"

"We will still go, don't worry about me too much" I reassured him with a smile.

"Okay. Rest a bit for now,” he said before pulling his phone out from his pocket, dialed a number, and then placing it against his right ear.

"Hello, we would like to report an incident..." he trailed off.

Even if it was meant as a prank, it wasn’t a good one—it was disturbing. If anyone else had witnessed it, they definitely wouldn’t have seen it as a joke.

–

I lay down on the bed with a sigh, then glanced at the alarm clock on my bedside table—it was only two hours until the rendezvous. Yus had gone back home after the call, leaving me here, lost in thought.

Hanggang sa hindi ko namalayan na nakatulog pala ako sa sobrang kaka isip.I got out of bed and started getting ready. Thinking too much and isolating myself would only drive me insane, so it was better to focus on preparing instead.

"You're always so pretty, self" I praised myself as I posed in front of my tall mirror.

Wearing the clothes that the house helpers prepared for me, I was doing self-affirmations as my daily ritual. Nakabuhayhay pa rin ang buhok ko at hindi ko pa alam kung anong klaseng ayos ang gagawin ko.

When my phone rang on the bed, I only gave it a brief glance before shifting my focus back to my reflection.

Whoever it was can wait.

As I shifted my pose, my phone kept ringing, making me groan in annoyance. With a sigh, I half-heartedly grabbed it and answered the call without even checking the caller ID.

"Hello? Don’t you know you’re ruining my moment?" I asked irritably, my right hand resting on my waist.

"Oh, sorry, sweetie..." Mommy chuckled.

My eyes immediately widened as I checked the caller ID to confirm if it was really her. Once I saw the name, I quickly put the phone back to my ear.

"Sorry, Mommy. I'm just...well, posing?" then chuckled awkwardly.

"Prius called me earlier. Is it true that you witnessed a crime?" she asked, her voice laced with shock and concern.

I blinked a few times. I told him na huwag sabihin kay Mommy at hintayin akong ako mismo ang magsabi!

I let out a sigh, suddenly stressed about him. "I think so? We're just waiting for the police report since...he reported it a while ago,"

She let out a sigh. "Huwag na muna kayong lumabas ni Prius kung hindi pa safe, okay? Your safety is at risk if they know your face and still at loose, sweetie"

"What?" I asked with wide eyes. "But, Mommy...we already promised that we will go," with my shoulders down.

"Your safety is more important," she said.

"Kasama ko naman po si Yus e," I said, still encouraging her to let me go.

Then she let out a sigh again after a pause. "Okay, I'll let you but you have to go home immediately"

I almost squealed in excitement, but I quickly stopped myself.

"Thanks, Mommy! I'll be back at 11 pm!" I said merrily.

"8 pm," she said firmly.

Halos manlumo ako sa sinabi niya. 8 pm? But that’s not enough for us to have fun!

"Fine, Mommy" I said and smiled weakly.

She ended the call, and I let out a sigh.

–

We were now inside the car, and I sat with my arms crossed over my chest, complaining about my new curfew.

"We will still have fun, though" he said and looked at me through the rear mirror.

"Fun? 8 pm? Seriously? Baka nga magsisimula palang tayo nyan e tapos uuwi na kaagad ako?" then I groaned frustratedly.

"Stop complaining. Your mother is just worried about you," he said.

I groaned again as I roll my eyes upward. Sabi ko naman kasi na huwag muna ipaalam kasi alam kong ganito ang mangyayari pero pinangunahan niya pa rin ako.

Kaya siya pala dapat ang inaaway ko ngayon!

The drive wasn’t too long, so once we reached the area, he looked for a parking spot and pulled into one adjacent to the golf club.

I was just standing while waiting for him to be done by filling out the application form for us to get in. The girl smiled at me, but I just smiled a bit at her for only a second.

Then he stood up straight before letting out a sigh as he put down the pen. "Can you remove those arms off of your chest? Mas halatang maarte ka," without even looking at me.

My eyes widened at that, and I immediately shot a glare at the girl, who nearly burst into laughter before covering her mouth.

"We're not laughing," I said.

Binaba niya ang palad niya sa bibig niya bago pinag isang linya ang kaniyang labi bago tumango at tumahimik.

Nauna na akong maglakad nang hindi pa rin inaalis ang pagkakahalukipkip ko. Narinig ko pa siyang humingi ng tawad sa babae dahil sa inasal ko pero hindi ko na ito pinansin.

I was really in the bad mood right now. Hindi pa nga kami nagtatagal dito pero alam kong hindi na kami magsasaya ng ganoon katagal.

"You're also ruining my mood, Azalea. Stop with that attitude," Yus said, sounding so tired.

Naiirita kong inalis ang pagkakahalukipkip at luminga na sa paligid nang bumaba na kami na stepstairs papunta sa malawak na field.

"Finally!"

"Finally, my ass" I whispered to myself.

We walked toward them, and Rafael stood there waving at us, looking like a smug cockroach with two girls standing nearby.

I also saw a familiar back of a boy who was playing.

"Where the heck is the person who invited us?" I asked Rafael as finally reached them.

"Nasaan si Dexter?" Yus asked.

Rafael and Yus exchanged their usual fist bump greeting before Rafael shrugged. "Nandito na kanina pa. Maybe...he's off screwing someone while waiting for you two?" he let out a laugh.

My face scrunched involuntarily. That’s kind of gross. "With someone he just met here, I presume?"

But wait a minute. Hindi na ba talaga sila nagkabalikan ni Macy? A miracle, honestly. I thought they’d at least make it to ten breakups—just to keep it an even number.

So their relationship was officially done for good, I guess.

Rafael shrugged again before introducing the two unfamiliar girls beside him.

“I’m Katrice. Nice to meet you,” she said, offering her hand. The way Rafael’s left palm rested on her lower back told me all I needed to know.

I glanced at her hand, debating whether to shake it, but Yus nudged me, so I accepted it with a small smile.

"Yes, yes, hello"

“And this is Thalie,” Rafael introduced the other girl, who had been waiting for her turn. I assumed she was a cousin or something.

I almost stepped back when she immediately rushed toward me, shaking my hand a little too enthusiastically.

“You are my idol, Azalea. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she gushed, eyes practically turning into hearts.

I turned to Yus, lips slightly parted in surprise, but he just shook his head.

"Uh, yes. The pleasure is...mine," I said, letting out an awkward chuckle.

Yus inhaled sharply before exhaling. "Well, I guess that's all for the introductions. Why don't we start playing?"

I looked down at Thalie, who was still holding my hand and standing way too close. Carefully, I removed my hand from her grip and gently pushed her shoulders back.

"You're too close," I said, lips stretched forming a small smile.

"Sorry," she let out a chuckle before stepping away.

"Hey! Akala ko hindi na kayo makakarating e," A familiar voice shouted from a distance.

We all turned to see Dexter approaching, buttoning his white short-sleeved shirt while a girl behind him hurriedly smoothed out her crumpled skirt.

With his hair still messy, the side of my lips stretched. Good thing he and Macy were over–this guy just proved, yet again, that he was not worthy to be her boyfriend.

"Ang tagal mo," Yus scolded.

Dexter let out a laugh. "Natagalan kami e," glancing over his shoulder at the girl following him.

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to the boy who had just finished playing. He was about to lean his golf stick against a black folding chair, but I held out my right hand.

Pinanood ko siyang punasan ang kaliwang kamay niya sa khaki shorts na suot. Shifting the golf stick to his right hand, he extended his left.

"I was asking for the golf stick," I let out a chuckle.

His lips parted slightly before he let out a sheepish laugh. “Oh, I thought you wanted a handshake.”

“If you still want one, I can shake your hand,” I teased, glancing at his now idle hand.

My lips stretched to form a smile as we held eye contact. "Have we met before? You look kinda familiar,"

"Uh, I guess? My name is Cole, by the way" he extended his hand again.

"Hi, Cole. I'm Azalea," I shook his hand with a smile.

"The sun is still up, Azalea" I heard Yus say, making everyone laugh.

My lips parted as my face scrunched when I glanced at him. And what was that supposed to mean?!

Inikot ikot ang hawak na golf stick habang pinapanood silang maglaro. The girls were taking their turns, and the guys—except for Cole, who remained beside me—were cheering them on.

Katrice was pretty good. Halos pumapasok sa butas ang mga bola niya.

I watched as she calculated her swing for the next shot, bending slightly—almost like she was showing off her round butt—before hitting the ball.

Everyone followed its trajectory with their eyes, while Yus used binoculars. Without a word, I walked towards him, snatched the binoculars from him, and peered through.

"Omg, that girl is a player" I praised, still looking at how the white ball went in.

Did she really just make that shot from this distance?

“Hey, you’re really good,” I told Katrice after handing the binoculars back to Yus—without even glancing at him. I felt him take them from me.

"Uh, thanks" she smiled.

"You must be playing a lot, huh" I said, still looking at her.

“Yeah, it’s my favorite pastime” she said, then look ahead.

"Bakit ikaw, Lea? You still can't get the hang of it?" Dexter asked, laughing.

I looked at him. "Nah, maybe wala lang talaga akong talent sa mga ganito. And don’t ever call me that pet name again. You have terrible taste in nicknames,”

They all laughed, including Dexter, who didn’t even seem offended.

We kept playing until the sun began to set, and our arms felt sore from swinging.

“I am not comfortable with this posture, Yus,” I grumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

He stood behind me, holding both of my hands as he controlled my swing. My lower back was aching from all this bending and positioning.

"Kaya hindi pumapasok mga bola mo kasi mali yung stance mo," he reprimanded.

With another swing, he guided my movement again.

"Lumayo kana nga, ang pangit mo magturo" I said.

Lumayo siya saakin at inirapan pa ako bago tinawag si Katrice para siya naman ang maglaro.

"I can teach you,"

I turned and saw Cole just as I was about to swing.

"Oh, Cole...baka mala Yus ka rin," then sighed, then calculate again because he made me lose my concentration.

“I won’t,” he promised, already stepping closer.

Kung hindi ko lang tinignan ang kamay niyang hahawak sana sa bewang ko ay baka hinawakan niya na ito nang tuluyan pero natatawa niyang binaba agad ang kamay niya.

I finally swung, squinting to see where the ball landed. As if on cue, the nearby lamp posts flickered on, illuminating the area.

"Pumasok ba?" I asked Cole, who was watching through the binoculars.

"Oo," he said.

My eyes widened. Feeling a rush of excitement, I grabbed the binoculars and checked for myself. It really did go in!

"Yus! The ball went in without your help!" I said merrily to Yus, who was also playing.

“Really? That’s great, then” he replied, lining up his own shot.

“Aren’t you guys tired yet?” Katrice asked.

I looked at her, and our eyes met, but she looked away immediately, making me confused. Hindi namin namalayan na ilang oras na pala kami dito at medyo ngalay na rin ang kamay ko kakalaro.

"What about we have a mini party for this unexpected...uhm, how do we call this?" I

unconsciously looked at Yus and he was playfully smirking at me.

I glared at him before awkwardly turning back to Katrice and Thalie. I was about to say “unexpected friendships,” but I wasn’t sure if they saw me as a friend yet.

Still, everyone agreed to the plan, and soon, we were inside a nearby bar, ordering drinks. The night was still young, and the energy was high. Laughter filled the air as we clinked glasses, making strangers around our age chug down their drinks in competitive spirit.