THIRD PERSON’s (present)

The whole room went silent the moment Jessica stopped talking, at mas lalo nilang naramdaman ang presensya ng isa’t isa. Yumuko lang si Yuri, wala siyang ibang sinabi, At kahit pagod na ang mata niya kakaiyak, ay meron pa pala itong iluluha, gaya niya, kahit pala sobrang sakit na, may isasagad pa.

“Aalis na ko.” Yuri didn’t bother saying anything. Tumayo siya at nagumpisang maglakad palayo, however, Jessica was quick to stand infront of her. She wouldn’t let this chance to slip away.

“Kausapin mo muna ako, please Yuri, wag naman ganito.” She begged, hoping the young woman will turn and face her.

Naghintay si Sica, naghintay siya ng kahit anong sasabihin ng dalaga, but only a devastated Yuri looked straight at her eyes. The way her stares are plain and empty, Sica just found herself wiping the tears away from her face. At bago pa nya magawa ‘yon ay inalis kaagad ni Yuri ang kamay nito.

“Ako na.” Pero hindi nagpapigil si Jessica, niyakap niya si Yuri, until she couldn’t move from where she is standing. At kahit sobrang nanghihina na ang katawan nya sa alak, naikalas pa rin ng dalaga ang sarili sa yakap.

“Bakit ka ganyan? Talaga bang wala kang pakialam sa nararamdaman ko? Sica naman, nasasaktan ako. Sobrang nasasaktan ako, hindi mo ba pwedeng ibigay sakin tong gabing ‘to? Kahit ngayon lang.”

“Gusto kong mag usap tayo, sige na... sige na Yuri.”

“Anong gusto mong sabihin ko sayo? Na? Okay, sige bukas wala na lang lahat. Na bukas hindi na lang masakit. Kase nagmakaawa ka na? TANGINA LANG!”

“I didn’t mean that way Yuri, hindi naman sa ganon...”

“Anong kulang? Anong hindi ko naibigay? Hindi ba ‘ko naging sapat sayo?”

“Yuri no, you were enough, everything you did was enough for me. Ako yung nagkamali, ako yung nagkulang sayo, and I’m really really sorry....”

“Sana kaya akong gamutin ng sorry mo no? Ang hirap eh, ang sakit, sobra. Para akong paulit ulit pinapatay Jessica, and seeing you...”

“...seeing you here with me hurted more than ever.”

Jessica couldn’t do anything. Hindi na siya gumalaw pa, hindi na niya hinabol si Yuri and found herself sitting on the cold floor. How come the person you love the most will also be the reason for you to get hurt? She was left there crying, hindi siya makatayo sa bigat ng nararamdaman niya. It was a good thing that their friends didn’t leave—or maybe not so good at all.

“Sica, let’s go... Wag ka maupo diyan.” Tiffany, dragged Jessica up, but then a loud noise was heard outside the room.

It was Yuri. Napabalikwas ng tayo si Jessica para tignan ang mga naiwang kaibigan sa labas, and there she found the rest of them arguing. Galit na galit si Yuri sa mga kaibigan nila, sabagay, no one can blame someone’s anger when they are badly hurt.

They deserve to feel whatever they wanted to feel.

However, Sooyoung, Taeyeon, and Hyoyeon all started crying. And when Jessica glanced at Yuri’s direction, she saw a very fragile woman in front of her. She can’t help not to think kung gaano niya sinira yung loob ng taong mahal niya. Kung paano patuloy nasisira yung taong bumuo sa kanya. She thought, maybe she doesn’t deserve her love afer all.

“Tangina nyo. Tangina nyong lahat! Ano enjoy ba? Enjoy ba makitang masaktan ako? Enjoy ba makitang wala akong ka alam-alam sa lahat nangyayari when all of you ing know?!” Wala na, Yuri doesn’t care whether they get hurt from her words or not.

“Yuri, we didn’t mean to hurt you, Jessica doesn’t want you to know, at ayaw rin naman namin pangunahan yung tao.” Sooyoung defended the situation.

“Oo alam namin, but we can’t simply meddle with these kind of things, we also want Jessica to explain everything in detail, ang pangit naman na—” Yuri could not just bear another second hearing Taeyeon finish her explanation.

“Galing ah? Kanya kanyang depensa ng sarili? Nagmamalinis kayo ngayon, ganon ba? Pinagmukha nyo kong tanga! Tinulungan nyo pa ko sa punyetang surprise na yan? Para ano? Pampalubag loob?!”

“Yuri! That’s enough! Yes, I told them not to mention anything. Wag mo sila idamay, they have nothing to do with us!” Jessica defended their friends. Wala naman talaga silang kasalanan, she was the one who made them involved.

“It doesn’t make them any different from you! Pare-pareho kayo! Ni hindi ko na alam sinong pagkakatiwalaan ko sa inyo! Tangina, sana pala hindi na lang ako umuwi, sana pala hindi nalang kita inalala o kahit sino man sa inyo!” Yuri looked at them for the last time before she left. All the revelations surely made her sober, enough to handle her own self.

Naiwan silang lima, nagkatinginan sa isa’t isa. Jessica almost broke down from crying, while Tiffany could not look at them properly. At ang tatlo naman ay naghiwa hiwalay habang naghanap ng mauupuan.

Yuri will never get over this, what she had today will forever leave a mark inside.

At sa tagal na nilang kakilala ang kaibigan, they know it will also leave a gap between them all. Bihira lang magalit si Yuri, and when she did, bihira lang din magpatawad ang dalaga. None of them are moving, until Jessica gathered all the courage to stand, she wouldn’t just give up on her like that.

“Sica, saan ka pupunta? Don’t even try running after her.” Tiffany warned her the moment she started walking.

“No, I’ve hurt her once, I couldn’t afford another mistake this time.” She was firm, at bago pa makasagot ang mga kaibigan nya ay naglakad siya para hanapin ang dalaga.

Tinakbo nya ang bawat sulok ng lugar, kung nasaan man siya, alam niyang magtatagpo sila. She’s desperate, she would do what it takes just to find her woman. At habang palalim na ang gabi, pabilis ng pabilis ang tibok ng puso niya.

‘Hindi ko na ipagbubukas pa ang paghahanap sayo. Kailangan kitang makita ngayon.’ Jessica told herself, with enough determination, she didn’t quit. Kahit nakakapagod, kahit malamig, kahit mag isa siya ngayon, she will do whatever it takes to take back what’s hers.

On the other hand, Yuri was walking on the streets, malayo na siya sa lugar na pinanggaling