Three Seconds ✔

   CYRIEL MARIMON GOPIO

Being in love with my best friend was the best feeling I had ever felt.

Stephanie smiled meaningfully at me as I walked closer to her whilst holding a book for we'd planned to study together.

"Sabihin mo sa 'kin kung sino ang crush mo, Cy," she said, swatting my left arm wickedly. She was grinning as if she had some obnoxious ideas in her head.

We were in our 8th grade when I started to like her-she was sweet, caring but sometimes crazy. While she was enjoying making fun of me, I stared at her beauty-no, it was not just beauty, it was also elegance-and became fallen for more. Funny how my young heart fluttered that time.

"Cy, may chicks!" she yelled under her laughs, eyeing me expressively. Meanwhile, a girl in her fitted jeans walked just in front of us, leaving Stephanie giggling, obviously humiliating me again. "Bagay kayo no'n! Dapat pinormahan mo!"

"Bata pa tayo," I just answered and sometimes peeked at her. Of course, despite the fact we were best of friends, I was still ashamed to confess my feelings. I didn't want to rush into any actions; I wanted to take everything slowly but surely.

It was recess when I noticed a bunch of girls chuckling in the middle of a gray field. Of course, I never had been so curious with some girls, but Stephanie was with them. By that, confusion overflowed my whole system. I was just worried, because I had known the records of those girls-they were known as bad students.

I had seen them walking off outside the school and bullying some vulnerable students. And at the same time I was jealous, because since Stephanie and Janna's relationship got ruined because of misunderstanding, Stephanie started to have more time with other girls. I knew I had no right to feel like that, but seeing her with bullies was enough to wake my whole system up.

It was a cloudless day when I went to their rice field. I had not seen her for a week, and so I was really nervous to the core. I felt like I had a big responsibility to keep her safe. Her father was also scared and baffled, he even once told me about her weird words and actions. I was entirely clueless, not until one day, I saw Stephanie with that bullies again.
And if I wasn't mistaken, I saw her bullying someone and throwing some harsh and excessive words. By that, I knew she had changed.

She wasn't the Stephanie that I was in love with. Her new friends changed her personality. The girl whom I admired and saluted the most unexpectedly became a bully. Nevertheless, I tried to contact and talk to her, but no matter how hard I tried to fix the things up, she wasn't cooperating anymore. She... was gone.

"Gusto kita, Steph," I confessed, but just what I expected, she just stared at me with a blank expression on her face, as if she didn't know me anymore, as if I was just a stranger. "Baguhin mo na ang sarili mo, please, 'di ba gusto mong sabay tayong magtapos? Sabay na tayong mag-study, oh." I could still picture out how desperate I was that time. I seemed like I could do anything just to pursue her to change for better.

It took a long moment before she turned her heels on, but before she could walk off again and leave me hopelessly, I hugged her weakly, and she didn't protest. Thank, god. But I was terrified the moment I stared at her eyes-she wasn't indeed my Stephanie anymore. Her eyes were glittering red, and I couldn't see emotions anymore. The eyes that I treasured the most had become emotionless. Lifeless.

"Gusto mo 'ko?" she mumbled.

I was taken off guard as I saw something in her eyes. It seemed like she was trying to control her whole self, it seemed like she was fighting with whatever inside her system. And then I remembered our last symposium last week. Stephanie wasn't there for she was nowhere to be found, but I could still remember our topic: It was all about drug addiction.