"Buti naman malapit na tayo matapos" sabi ko habang nag-uunat.Si Joohyun naman ang naka-upo sa aking tabi.

"Kaya nga eh" tugon niya. Patuloy pa din ang kaniyang pagtutok sa aking ginagawa.

Tinignan ko ang oras at nakitang mag alas-kwatro pa lang ng hapon. Hindi pa naman masyadong pagabi at lakad lang naman ang kailangan para maihatid siya sa kanilang subdivision.

"Ano oras ka uuwi?"  Mukha siyang na-offend sa aking tanong. Genuine naman yon ah?

"Grabe gusto mo na agad ako paalisin"

"Hoy hindi naman. Masyado maaga pa nga eh. Nuod muna tayo movie?" tinignan niya muna ako at unti-unting tumango.

"Ano ba papanuodin natin?" tanong niya habang naghihintay na matapos ako mag set-up ng laptop.

"Have you seen the movie Wonder yet? If you haven't, let's watch it together." banggit ko habang inaayos pa ang hdmi pagkatapos ay tumabi na ako sa kanya. 

"I think I did, but I want to watch it again. Kaya ayon na lang panuodin natin." sagot niya habang kinuha ang isang throw pillow at nilagay sa lap niya.

I nodded and pressed play on my remote. We were both invested. A few scenes were shown, and then came the moments of the film where Auggie was getting avoided by his classmates.

"You know, back then I was like, Auggie. I don't have that many friends. Wait, let me rephrase that I don't really have friends, but just like Auggie, he met Jack. I'm guessing you know who Jack is in my life now."I stated, breaking the ice. She took her gaze away from the movie and started focusing on what I was going to share.

"I didn't really had that many friends aside from Wendy. Many people would find me weird and judge me." I continued.

"I guess it started when I was in grade 4. I was a total outcast. I was lacking in every aspect. I didn't have the looks, and I'm not even that smart. But still, I kept going because I thought it was going to get better. I was so sure that it would get better. It turns out I was wrong." I can feel the familiar burn in my throat. She was immersed in what I was sharing. The sounds that were emitting from the movie were now a white noise.

"It got worse when I transferred schools. They were in groups. They would often tease me on social media. posted some mean things too. I wasn't classmates with Wendy, and I felt like I would be a huge burden if I told her everything, as well as my parents. We were going through a rough patch at the time, so I didn't bother. I just kept it to myself because I thought maybe they'd get tired of it too. I just told myself that this would be over, but it just got worse when Bogum and Chelsea added fuel to the fire. The bullying got physical. " My cheeks were getting wet. I felt her hands wiping them away.

They're warm and comforting. 

"I would fake that I was sick just so I could not attend school. Turns out, it was getting used so much that my parents were starting to get suspicious. When they found out, they were really furious about it. I was glad that it stopped, but the rumours about me went on. And then one day, I found out that Chelsea had been suspended because she was involved in a fight. I never knew who the other person was since the school let me not attend for a while. I'm very thankful to that person. "

I can't even look at her. I stared at my fidgeting fingers that were blurry because of my tears. I suddenly felt warm hands on my cheeks. It guided my face to look at her.

There I saw Joohyun with teary eyes and her lower lip was bitten, probably trying her best not to cry.

"I'm here, Seulgi. I'm so sorry." I cried in her chest as she hugged me tightly.

"I promised that I would protect you. I'm here, always." 

I just hugged her back.