Mel: Come on Kimmy, you’ve been keeping us in suspense. Show us the photos from your trip please?

Kim: Later na lang guys kasi I haven’t gone through all the photos sa laptop ko. Ang panget ko kaya sa mga pictures.

Gerald: Babe, kahit bagong gising ka photogenic ka pa rin. I have yet to see a single bad photo of you. We are all excited to see them please?

Vanessa: Yes Kim. Bakit kailangan mo pang i-edit, you have nothing to hide naman diba? Why? Are there shots na hindi dapat naming makita?

“Kainis na talaga tong babaeng to. While you were away, panay ang pagsulsul nyan kay Ge about your faithfulness. Show her nga bestfriend para matahimik na yang bruhang yan. Take out your laptop to prove that you have nothing to hide.” Mel whispered to Kim while trying to control her temper.

As they went through the photos, Gerald noticed that there were way too many photos where Jean-Pierre was getting too cozy with Kim. The same Jean-Pierre that he had been furious with and had been the cause of their little quarrels over the phone. That didn’t escape the rest of their friends’ eyes as well who made various comments, teasing Kim of how much of a party animal she was and in particular, about Pierre.

Mel: Girlfriend, you weren’t kidding when you said your trip was like one whole big party. You were livin it up, gurl!

The jokes were all harmless fun at first until a couple of their classmates started making comments that were more like accusations rather than jokes.

Lara: Yeah, and dami mong hotties ah. Pasa mo naman yung iba sa amin single ladies!

Kim: Ha! Ha! They’re all yours ladies!

Vanessa: What, is this a case of ‘been there, done them’? Wa’g na lang, rejects mo na sila eh.

Kim: (“Please Lord, kasal-anan ba talagang sakalin ang bruha na to?”) Puhleeeze, you all know naman na off-limits na ako no! I ain’t no single lady, my hottie na ako. (She hugged Gerald but was a little surprised that he didn’t budge nor say a word. As she went through the next few photos, she thought, “maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I should have deleted some of these pictures first. Bakit nga ba nakinig ako kay Mel? Parang nagselos tuloy ang baby ko eh.”)

Vanessa: Wow, ang sweet nyo naman ni Pierre. I see why you wanted to edit the photos first. If I didn’t know na may Gerald ka na, I would have thought na boyfriend mo si Pierre. You wouldn’t let a guy that close to you kung wala kayong gusto sa isa’t isa diba?

Kim: (“Note to self: Learn voodoo and kulamin si Vanessa!”)

Lara: Oo nga ang sweet nyo. As in, kinilig ako. In fairness ha, gwapo nya! He could give Gerald a run for his money. Idol talaga kita Kim. Kahit saang lupalop ng mundo, ang gwapo ng mga boylets mo!

Mel: He! Magsitigil nga kayo! Nandito kaya si Gerald, hello! Kanina pa nakasimangot yung tao eh, kinukonsenti nyo pa!

Kim: Oy, stick to one lang ako ha!

Gerald had been trying to hold his anger but after Mel’s defense, his emotions got the better of him. He felt Kim’s hands squeezing his but it did nothing for him. He felt so heartbroken looking at the pictures but he couldn’t get himself to look away. He was fuming mad but he knew that this was not the right place to confront her. He rushed out of the room before he completely loses it.

Kim quickly packed up her things to run after Gerald.

Mel: See what you girls have done?

Vanessa: Anong kami? We were not the ones having an affair. Bakit kami ba ang nakikipaglandian with French guys?

“Naku ang kapal talaga ng mukha! Mel, pigilan mo ako. Bahala nang magka-bad record, sasambunutan ko na talaga yan”, Kim whispered.

Mel: Sweety she is so not worth it. Bitter lang yan kasi she wishes na meron syang cute French guys na umaaligid sa kanya. Palibhasa kasi kahit she exposes herself sa mga lasing dyan outside school na mga lubak lubak yung mukha, wala pa ring pumapatol sa kanya! Sundan mo na lang si Ge, I think he’s really hurt.

Vanessa: Kawawa naman si Papa Ge no. Ang bait pa naman nya, napunta lang sa isang maneater.

Mel: Zip it ! Hoy! Babaeng malaswa! May proof ka ba na Kim really did cheat? At mahiya ka naman! Tawagin ba si Ge na papa? Wala syang resemblance sayo at magka-age lang kayo kaya imposibleng maging ama mo sya, gaga! You have a lot more genes in common with a chimp kesa kay Ge no!

Vanessa: A picture is worth a thousand words. What more proof do you want? Hay naku Lara let’s go na nga! May mga imbyernang baklitas dito eh kasi alam nila na tapos na ang maliligayang araw ng perfect couple nila. Ha! Ang bestfriend nilang little miss perfect is a not so perfect, devil in disguise after all.

Mel has had it. She grabbed Vanessa’s hair. “At itong malansang, imperfect mong mukha, ilampaso ko dito sa sahig! Para naman gumanda ka ng konti at may magkamaling pumatol sayo. Napakadesperada mo nang tingnan buntot ng buntot kay Gerald!”

Shaina: Mel stop! You said so yourself, she’s not worth the trouble. It’s not worth breaking your perfectly manicured nails para lang sa isang trying hard desperate and dateless. Don’t give her the satisfaction na magka-bad record ka.

***********************************************************

Lying on his bed, Gerald stared blankly at the tv screen. Though his tears have subsided, the stabbing pain in his heart was still impossible to ignore. He his phone and noticed 15 missed calls and 6 sms all from Kim. He knew he was not in the right frame of mind to talk to her just yet. Heck, he’s not even sure if he ever will be. His heart was filled with so much pain and anger. If he answers his phone, all that will come out of his mouth are hurtful words. He was not ready to hear her confess about how far her little overseas adventure really did got her.

Kim: Babe… (She wasn’t sure how to approach him as she caught him staring blankly at the tv screen.)

Gerald was startled that she was in his room. “What are you doing here?”

Kim sat down and reached out for his hand. “Baby, please lets talk about this.”

He pulled his hand off hers. “Kim, I would really like to be alone right now. I’d really appreciate it if you could please leave.”

Kim: Baby, we shouldn’t go to bed without resolving our issue. I’m tired and still jet lagged. I really don’t want a restless night. For my whole stay in France, I have not kept a secret from you. We have discussed Pierre several times and each time, I have re-assured you that he really is just a friend, nothing more. I don’t know how else I can prove that to you.

“There I go again! Damn these tears! Come on Gerald, be a man, toughen up!” It made him mad that his own eyes couldn’t cooperate with him.

Kim noticed his tears and her heart went out to him. She then realized the gravity of the situation. This was not just another jealousy session that can be settled with just a kiss. Her heart broke along with his. She rushed to his side to comfort him. Gerald was sobbing and gave in to his emotions until his tears finally ran dry.

Kim: Babe, I’m so sorry. I love you so much that it’s killing me to see you get hurt like this. I really never meant to hurt you, I hope you can believe that. If I knew that I was going to hurt you this way, sinampal ko na sana si Pierre those few times na he puts his arms around me just before the camera clicks. I’m really sorry baby, I don’t know what else to say or do to stop your heart from breaking.

(“Oh no! Was she just trying to confess what I was afraid to hear? Well, I guess she wouldn’t apologise if she had done nothing wrong, right? Damn, I hate all this!”) “Could you entertain your feelings of guilt somewhere else please? For the millionth time, let me be!” It was a struggle for him not to blurt out all the things he wanted to scream at her. He just wished that she would leave soon before he runs out of control.

Kim: Just know babe na mahal na mahal kita and hurting you had never been my intention.

Gerald: Yeah well, the damage is done. If you really love me the way I love you, you wouldn’t have flirted with other guys while I’m out of sight. I stayed faithful to you Kim. I a crowded room, wala akong ibang nakikita kundi ikaw lang. Masakit na you can’t say the same about me.

Kim felt that there was no use for her re-assurance or any comforting words. He would just assume that she’s only telling him the words he wanted to hear. His mind was clouded with visions of her and another man. She walked out with a heavy heart.

*************************************************************

Mel: He must be really hurting. I have never seen Gerald this cold to you before. Whenever may LQ kayo, palagi pa rin syang naka-stare sayo from afar. Pero this time, deadma talaga. Super melodramatic ang approach nya, pang-teleserye!

Shaina: Yeah, it feels so strange na in class, you don’t even acknowledge each other. Parang it’s so out of the ordinary na hindi kayo magkasama 24/7. Nakakapanibago.

Kim: I don’t know what to do friends. I feel so lost. A part of me wants to woo him, to beg him for forgiveness but at the same time, I want to give him time muna to calm down and think straight so I can reason with him. Hirap kasi paniwalain sya at the moment, he doesn’t have an open mind right now. What should I do?

Mel: I think you should talk to him now. Explain mo lahat na you haven’t done anything wrong. Ipaglaban mo ang innocence mo and your love for him.

Shaina: No I think you should give him time. Things seem so much worse than they really are for him ngayon. Once medyo cool na yung utak nya then he’ll see na he got upset for something so minor.

Mel: Oo nga. Masyado naman syang OA. The pictures weren’t even that bad. Wala namang explicit pictures na masasabi mo talagang hindi dapat. May dramatic exit pa syang nalalaman ha!

Kim: He was never happy with the idea of me going from the very start. He was paranoid na makahanap ako ng iba. Then dagdag pa yung mga sinasabi ng malalanding girls sa kanya about what I was possibly up to. His imaginations probably ran wild right after he saw the photos of me and Pierre na medyo close. You guys should have seen him. Super naawa ako sa kanya, I have really hurt him. I could feel his heart break into pieces while he was crying on my shoulders.

Shaina: You two are such a great couple. I just hope that this will boil over soon. Nakaka-nervous kasi si Gerald parang ni hindi nya kaya tumingin sayo.

Kim: I know, it’s scaring me that I might have hurt him bad enough for him to hate me. Maybe I should talk to him. It’s been two weeks. I have given him enough time, right?

Mel: The sooner you patch things up, the better for Shaina and me. I’ve gained five pounds na kaka-binge with you.

Kim: I don’t think Shaina minds. Looks like all those calories went straight to her s, much to Rayver’s delight!

Shaina: Ang sama nito! You know, pareho talaga ang takbo ng utak nyo ni Ray. Yan din ang unang napansin nya na they are growing daw.

Mel: Whhhhaaaat! Pinakita mo kay Rayver?! And I thought ikaw ang good girl sa ating barkada. Nasa loob pala ang kulo ha!

Shaina: Eww, of course not no! Bakit, being topless ba is the only way para mapansin ang size?

Mel: It’s the most accurate way. Anyway, let’s drop the talk muna. Kimmy, get up. Magpaganda ka at kausapin mo yang mister mo. Ilang days ka nang walang tulog baka maapektuhan ang studies mo.