Kim was walking backwards with a measuring tape in hand as she helped set-up the stage for their graduation show. She accidentally bumped into another drama student. “Ooopsie! Sorry.” She was stunned as she turned around and realized it was Gerald. She froze as she felt his hands touching her arms.

Gerald: It’s okay, sorry din Kimmy.

Class: Oooooyyyyy….

She quickly walked away and tried to get busy with Mel. (“Letcheng heart to. Hanggang ngayon ba naman hindi ko pa rin mapigilan? It was just a simple gesture pero parang ma-heart attack na ako. Why is it so hard to try and get over him? Get a grip Kim!”) She scolded herself while cutting some paper.

Mel: Hoy Kim, okay ka lang? Kung makagupit ka, parang iniimagine mo na hindi papel yan and ulo yan ng enemy mo.

She was about to reply when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Somehow she knew it was Gerald. The loud pounding of her heart told her so.

Gerald: Kimmy, you left this measuring tape.

Kim: Uhm, thanks. (“Ano ka ba Kim, stop blushing! Masyado ka namang assuming, sinuli lang yung tape.”)

Gerald: Kim, congratulations for being the valedictorian ha. It’s no surprise naman eh pero I’m really happy for you.

”Uhm, thanks.” (“How lame am I? Have I totally lost my conversational skills? Dapat siguro i-congratulate ko rin sya, top 5 din naman sya eh.”) She was talking to herself that she didn’t even noticed that Gerald had walked away.

Joaqui: Congratulations? That’s it? You made that effort to walk all the way to where she is just to congratulate her? What happened to ‘I really miss you Kim, mwah mwah’ like we practiced? You lost your chance man. Ngayon wala ka nang excuse para puntahan sya. Na-suli mo na yung tape eh.

Gerald: Eh kasi, I got real nervous. Besides she wasn’t interested in talking to me. She hardly even responded.

Gerald was full of regrets as he watched Kim laughing with their friends. He wanted so much to tell her how much he missed her and how much he still loves her. He doesn’t have much time left as graduation day was fast approaching. He couldn’t bear the thought of never getting a chance to see her again. She seems happy now. She looks like she had moved on. Friendship is probably a lot to ask from her after all that’s happened but he was willing to take whatever he can get. (“I’ll learn to deal with seeing her with someone new. Wa’g lang na tuluyan syang mawala sa buhay ko. I can’t take it.”) His eyes were getting a little misty as he continued to adore her from afar.

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

Kim had mixed emotions after the graduation ceremony. She achieved massive success in her studies and she had countless medals and awards to show for it. Somehow though, she felt as if something was still missing. They were all teary-eyed as they all had to say goodbye to friends, teachers and classmates. She was even more saddened as she looked at Gerald who was also showing tears. “I’ll always cherish what we had Gerald and I’ll never forget you”, she thought as more tears flowed down her cheeks.

Kim’s Mom: Congratulations honey! I’m so proud of you. Wipe off your tears hon, masisira ang make-up mo. Ang ganda mo pa naman.

She smiled as she gave her mom a hug. Gerald’s parents also congratulated her and gave her a heartfelt hug. They were also so proud of her and even handed her a present. Gerald and Kim both felt awkward as her mom hit it off so well with his parents. She never got a chance to talk to her mother about her falling out with Gerald and apparently Gerald’s parents weren’t aware of their break-up either. Gerald just kept smiling and pretended as if they were still a couple in front of their parents which infuriated her. (“Why is he doing this? Is he waiting for me to break the news to them? Grow some backbone Gerald!”) Although it felt good to have him close again, she didn’t like him putting his hands on her shoulders just to put on a show. He was smiling and acting so happy the whole time as if he was enjoying his pretend game. She felt used. She wanted to cry but desperately trying to hold back the tears.

The after-party was a blur for Kim. She remembered feeling so sad to say goodbye to everyone and mad at the same time at Gerald for acting like he’s still her boyfriend in front of their parents. She drank and drank to try and get over all those feelings that overcame her. Soon enough she had a happy face as she partied and danced with her friends. Next thing she knew, she opened her eyes and noticed that the room she was in didn’t look familiar at all. She tried to get up but quickly lied back down as she felt a massive headache. “Hangover ,” she murmured.

Mel: Tell me about it! I have such a headache it’s not funny. Buti na lang our after party was held at a hotel and we hired a room for the night no? Otherwise, my parents would have killed me coming home so drunk. I don’t even remember how we got here. All I can remember is, you asked me to join you with your boozefest.

Shaina: Finally! You two are awake. You scared me last night when you both passed out. Gerald got so worried, he even thought about taking you to the hospital.

Mel: Gerald?

Kim’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing his name. (“Stop it Kimmy, deadma lang okay? You are trying to move on na diba?”) “What? We passed out? Was it in front of the whole class? Thank goodness school is over and I don’t have to show my face to them again. How embarassing!”

Shaina: Well, konti na lang naman ang naiwan here sa hotel when you guys were blind drunk. Actually, si Mel lang ang nag-pass out while still at the party. Matteo carried her to this room kasama namin. Kimmy, you just crashed straight into the bed when you got here.

Mel: Did I look horrible? Was it a graceful stumble? Thank God I wore my y underwear!

Shaina: Kamusta naman yun at you are more worried about how you looked? Halos ma-heart attack na ako kung buhay pa kayo tapos all you care about is what underwear you got on?

Kim: Relax Shaina. Sorry na that we got you all worried. And thank you so much for looking after us. You really are such a wonderful friend. We owe you babe.

Shaina: Hindi naman talaga ako ang nag-alaga sayo eh. Natulala na kasi ako. Kay Gerald ka dapat magpasalamat kasi he made sure you were okay the whole time. He never left your side, he was so worried.

“There’s that name again! Wait, he was here? That guy hates me for hurting him. Why would he play the knight in shining armour role? He must have some ulterior motive. Siguro he took pictures or even worse, videos of my most embarrassing moments just so he can have his revenge! What if he posts it in youtube? Ughh! Para namang wala kaming pinagsamahan, walang utang na loob! Bastos! Papatayin ko talaga sya! Ano nga bang underwear ang sinuot ko?” Her eyes widened in shock. “Do I still have my underwear on?!! Baka pina-auction ng bastos na yun sa e-bay!” She quickly tried to casually run her hands on the silky material of her yellow dress to make sure her underwear was still intact. “Thank God!” She let out a sigh.

Mel: Hoy! Kimmy! Ano bang nangyayari sayo? Tahimik ka dyan na pa-iba iba ang facial expressions. Did the alcohol burned up all your brain cells at tuluyan ka nang naloka?

Kim: Huh? Eh, wala. Ang sakit lang talaga ng ulo ko.

Shaina: Grabe naman kasi kayo kung maka-inom. As if you guys have a death wish!

Mel: Let’s not change the subject muna ha. You said Gerald was here last night, looking after Kimmy?

Shaina: Oo, in fact, he’s still here. He couldn’t leave until he knows that you guys are fine so he is staying in the room next door. This morning pa nga lang yun natulog eh kasi he was sitting next to Kim the whole night. Pinalayas pa nga niya si Matteo kasi Matteo insisted to stay with us para alagaan kayo ni Mel.

Kim: Pakialam naman nya whatever happens to me? I thought he hates me.

Mel: Gaga! Hate ba ang tawag dun na he stayed up all night to look after you? If that’s how he hates people, bugbugin ko na lang sya para may mag-alaga din sa akin.

Kim: You have a point. I don’t know what his deal is so I’d rather not think about it.

Shaina: He loves you and you know it. Umiiyak nga yun while he was watching you sleeping eh. I think miss na miss ka na nya.

Kim: Naku ayoko nang mag-rely on false hopes. (She tried to ignore the butterflies on her stomach and the fact that she wanted to scream out loud thinking about how much he still cares.)

Mel: Bakit kaya obvious na kinikilig ka?

Kim: Ewan ko sa inyo, you two are making my headache worse. Maka-shower nga muna wala pa ako sa mood makipagkulitan!

While Kim was in the shower, the two girls continued on with their Kimerald discussion. A few minutes later, they heard a knock on the door and invited Gerald in.

Gerald: Hey Mel! How are you feeling?

Mel: Gerald! Oy thanks for all your help last night ha. I feel guilty tuloy na I have been mean to you at times. You know I don’t mean to be, right?

Gerald: It’s all good Mel. I know naman that your loyalty lies with Kimmy. Happy nga ako that she has such good friends who are always there for her. Anyway guys, I brought some breakfast and coffee.

Shaina: Thanks Ge. Kim is still in the shower.

Gerald: Is she ok? May medicine din ako dala for her headache.

Mel: Grumpy but she’s alright. Bakit kaya ang caring mo pa rin sa kanya hanggang ngayon. Do you miss her?

Gerald: Syempre naman.

Mel: So, what’s your deal?

Gerald: What do you mean?

Mel: You and Kim? Are you just going to get on with your lives as if you two never happened? May plano ka bang makipagbati?

Gerald: Bakit, is she ready to be friends with me? Did she say anything to you guys?

Mel: Like you said, my loyalty lies with her. Obviously, mahal mo pa rin sya. You wouldn’t have cared the way you did last night kung wala ka nang feelings for her. You wouldn’t have bothered coming here this morning to make sure that she’s okay.

Gerald: It’s just that I don’t know how to approach her. I was the one who asked for space. I don’t want her to hate me even more if I make the wrong move.

Mel: Gerald, quit your drama and just tell me straight up what you really want to happen between you two!

Gerald: All I know is, I just really want to be with her. Miss na miss ko na talaga sya and I still love her so much no matter how much I’ve tried to put my feelings aside. Sinasabi nga ni Joaqui na uto-uto talaga ako pero she’s all I want to make me happy again.

Shaina: You’re taking love advice from Joaqui? Uto-uto ka nga siguro! Well, it might interest you to know that she’s still not over you.

Mel: Shaina! Loyalty remember? Ba’t mo binuking?

Gerald’s face lit up. He wanted to jump up to the sky after what he just heard. (“She still loves me?”)

Gerald: I thought she can’t stand having me around?

Mel: She had been avoiding you because she’s trying to move on. But doing these sorts of things like bringing her breakfast is really not helping her with her goal. So unless you have some decent intentions or plans with our friend, quit it. You’re only making it harder for her. If you want your revenge, you’ve got it na. She had been miserable, in case you haven’t noticed. Kaya nga yun naglasing kagabi ng dahil sayo! That was her last time crying over you and she’s glad that she won’t have to see your face again because she’s moving back to Sydney for university. (“Oh crap! Me and my big mouth! Did I just say those things out loud? Patay ako nito kay Kim! Si Gerald kasi, kahit kailan pahamak talaga!”)

Gerald suddenly panicked. “What?! Aalis si Kim?” He had this sudden rush of emotions as if his emergency glands were all activated. He wanted to run to the bathroom and just hold her so she can’t go. He wanted to kneel in front of her and beg her to stay. Realizing that hugging her or kneeling in front of her self in the shower is probably not the best approach, he thought of another plan. He begged her bestfriends for their help instead. It wasn’t an easy task and Mel made sure she got a good bargain out of doing him a favour before he could get her to agree.

Mel: Shaina, I can’t believe he made us agree with his plans! Bilib din ako sa convincing powers ng mokong na yun. Nag-puppy dog eyes lang, napa-oo na agad tayo. Paano kaya nakaya ni Kim ma-resist sya? Saludo talaga ako sa willpower ni Kimmy.

Shaina: Hindi naman ang puppy dog eyes nya ang nagpa-oo sayo eh. He just had to mention trip to Boracay and our bestfriend’s soul was sold.

Mel: We’re helping her naman in the process diba? Para sa kanilang dalawa to, right? Unless she kills us and she ends up in jail then we weren’t much help at all.

Shaina: Teka, why did we kick him out of the room? Shouldn’t we have given them a chance to talk to Kimmy first?

Mel: Para surprise nga diba? Pero more importantly, para hindi tayo mabuking na kasabwat tayo sa plans ni Gerald.

Shaina: Naawa talaga ako kay Gerald. He really wants Kim back and pareho naman silang mahal ang isa’t isa eh. Tama lang na we help them out.

Mel: Bahala na. If all else fails, at least we got a free trip to Boracay out of this, right?

Kim: Who’s going to Boracay?

Mel and Shaina jumped from their seats as Kim exited out of the bathroom door.

Shaina: Uhm, wala. We were just thinking about what we can do for the summer holidays. We have almost 2 months before you leave for Sydney. Kailangan natin ng todo bonding moment kasi iiwan mo na kami ng ilang taon no!

Kim: Kayo naman, syempre I’ll come over din naman pag may holiday ako. It’s not like I’ll be gone for good. Pero you’re right we should make the most of our time bago tayo maging busy with our courses. Boracay sounds good.

“Looks like hindi tayo mahihirapan sa task natin”, Shaina whispered.

Mel: As long as she doesn’t find out that Gerald is coming along. Once we get on that plane, patay tayo!

Kim: What are you two whispering about?

Mel: Ha eh… We just…

Shaina: May breakfast kasing dinala si Gerald for us. Kainin mo daw ang share mo then take this paracetamol for your headache.

Kim: He was here? Bakit umalis sya agad? Baka naman may lason yan ha.

Mel: It’s safe, I have done a taste test na. He had somewhere to go daw so he couldn’t stay. Ang tagal mo kasi sa shower eh, mauubusan na ang buong hotel sayo ng tubig.

Kim: You guys don’t have to cover up the fact that he is avoiding me. I guess this is his way of saying goodbye, huh? Sayang lang, I didn’t get a chance to thank him.

Mel noticed how sad she looked and couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for asking Gerald to leave before Kim sees him. “It’s okay Kimmy, we thanked him for you.”