Gerald was helping Kim load her luggage into their excursion bus when a young blonde guy tapped Kim on the shoulder. “Hello again gorgeous!” Kim turned around. “Nick. Hello.”

Nick: Are you guys leaving?

Kim: Unfortunately yes. We’re only here for a class trip.

Nick: I should give you my business card so you can keep in touch. I know you have a boyfriend but I’d really like to get to know you.

Kim: (“Malas talagang buhay to. Last minute ko na nga lang dito itong malignong to pa talaga ang makita ko.”) Sorry Nick but I’d rather not because my boyfriend is the jealous type.

Gerald was irritated that Kim seemed to be familiar with this good-looking white guy. However he was relieved when she snobbed him off and even mentioned her boyfriend.

Gerald: Babe, do you know this guy?

Kim: Not really, just met him in the café yesterday but that’s about it.

Nick: Why is this guy calling you babe? Isn’t your boyfriend that Matt guy over there? He was the one you were getting cozy with at the café.

Gerald: What? Kim is that true?

Kim: (“Oh crap! I forgot all about that. Baka magselos si Gerald about Matteo.”) Uhm, Ge, I’ll explain later na lang.

Nick: Ooops! Did I say something I wasn’t supposed to? Sorry Kim I didn’t mean to get you busted. Maybe you should really take my card. I don’t mind sharing you with other men. (smiled while handing his card)

Kim noticed how angry Gerald looked, even carelessly slamming his bag into the bus. “Nick could you just please leave?” Nick also noticed Gerald’s reactions and decided it’s best to disappear as fast as he could.

Kim: Gerald wa’g kang maniwala dun. That guy was bugging me at the café yesterday. Luckily Matteo came on time to rescue me. Kulit kasi ng taong yun as you may have noticed.

Gerald just kept shoving their bags into the bus and didn’t say a word. He got on the bus and slumped into a vacant seat. He noticed Kim entering the bus, looking for him. She sat down next to him, feeling confused, unsure of what to say next.

Kim: Is it okay if I sit here?

No answer.

Kim: Come on Gerald, you can’t possibly be upset because of what that guy had said. You have to give me more credit than that. As if I would go for Matteo.

Gerald: You did.

Kim: Ok, I guess I did but not since you came in the picture. He doesn’t mean anything to me now, you know that. And he’s not the type to stab a friend behind his back.

Gerald: What about you? Are you the type to betray your bestfriend and boyfriend?

Kim: That hurts Ge. I never realized na wala ka palang trust sa akin. Ganyan pala kababa ang tingin mo sa akin.

She looked away as she tried to stop her tears. She stood up to sit with Mel. Gerald noticed her hop out the seat just when Matteo entered the bus. He thought that she had decided to sit with him instead.

Gerald: Oh ayan na si lover boy mo. I’m sure excited ka na to get cozy with him again. Who’s the player now?

Kim quickly walked away and joined Mel, struggling not to break down and cry.

Mel: Excuse me iha, why are you sitting here with me? Pinagtripan mo na naman ba ang babe mo?

Kim: Haven’t you heard that friends are more important than boys? What’s wrong with wanting to spend quality time with my bestfriend?

Mel: I love the idea of course pero matiis ba ng honey mo na hindi ka nya katabi at kayakap? Grabeng paghihirap yan, ilang hours pa naman sya magtiis that you’re so close but yet so far. Maawa ka naman ni babe mo baka atakihin sa puso.

Kim: He’s a big guy, he can handle life without me. (said it loud enough for him to hear.)

For the rest of the trip, Gerald and Kim have not said a word to each other. Gerald slept (or at least pretended to) the whole drive back while Kim chatted with Mel about her moments with Matt. The whole class found it unusual that Kim and Gerald weren’t close the whole time.

Mel: Bes, hindi talaga ako sanay makita kayo na hindi magkadikit at magka-usap. It’s like as if the whole world has gone mad and lost it’s meaning. Hindi talaga normal, ako ang naiilang sa inyo.

Kim: Hindi naman kailangan na always kaming magkasama ni Gerald. Syempre we have to learn to spend time with friends din. There’s more to life naman, hindi lang puro Kim and Gerald parati.

Mel: Well dapat lang na di mo i-take for granted kaming mga bestfriends mo. I’m glad that you try to find time for us bes, the best ka talaga.

Gerald wasn’t really sleeping the whole trip back home. In fact, Joaqui noticed him wiping his tears every now and then. He knew something must have happened between him and Kim but decided to let him wallow in his misery for a little while. (“Kaya pala she was acting cold after she disappeared. Something probably happened between her and Matteo. He used to be someone special in her life, maybe she realized that he still means a lot to her. I thought she loved me! What went wrong? What changed? I did everything for her. I went through heaven, hell, and back to earth all because of her. This really . I hate how much it hurts.”)

When the bus reached Gerald’s place, he walked over to Kim and kissed her cheeks.

Gerald: Goodbye Kim. Take care of yourself.

Kim felt shivers down her spine. The way he said those words sounded so final, so ultimate. Even the kiss seemed so gloomy. “Why do I feel bad for him? Ako nga dapat ang mas upset eh, ang sakit nya magsalita. Kung magbintang, parang hindi nya ako kilala, parang wala kaming pinagsamahan. He can’t possibly make a big deal out of what Nick had said!”

Kim: Uhm, ok. You too, take care.

Gerald locked himself in his room and slept for the rest of the day. He received a couple of messages from Kim but decided to ignore his phone. He eventually turned it off to indulge himself with uninterrupted sleep.