Sincere Lies

Twenty

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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR!" Lannie screamed as a start from the other line. "HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY, BITCH!"

"Thank you! Thank you," I laughed as I held my phone near my ear. "Baliw ka talaga, haha."

"Ikaw nga, baliw kay Chris, e," she cackled.

"Hoy, si Cerulean lang 'yon," I said.

"Talaga nga ba?" she said with a weird tone. " 'Di mo love si Chris?"

"Love," I giggled. "Aywan ko sa'yo. Puro ka kalokohan. Lumayas ka na nga sa cellphone ko, haha."

"Ang harsh, ah," she laughed. "Sige na, happy birthday raw sabi ni Maddie, ta's sunduin ka namin mamaya kasi pupunta tayo ng Town in a Building on your special day!"

"Sige, sige, bye-bye na," I said. "Lagay lang ako ng gamit sa locker tapos lalabas na rin ako."

"Sige, malapit na kami sa inyo," she said. "Bye-bye."

"Bye."

The call ended. That was my sign that I should get going. That I should go and fix my things.

"Hap—py—birth—day—a—gain," a familiar voice said, holding me by my shoulders and shaking me.

"Aray, parang baliw lang, oh," I laughed as I looked behind me, and I saw it was James. "Thank you."

I remembered how much past me would lose her mind if this happened before Chris came into my life. I would blush if I wasn't in love with Chris yet, but yes, I didn't feel flattered that James greeted me twice on my birthday.

Well, it was happy. Yeah. Everyone greeted me on my special day. But I was going to meet someone who hadn't greeted me yet, and so, I was excited to meet him again.

Chris, I smiled as his name echoed inside my head.

I looked around to ground myself. Wala ka pa sa Town in a Building, I thought. 'Wag ka munang kiligin. James had already left and walked to his seat all the way over to the back. Rivera siya, so nasa second row siya from the back.

I picked my books up from below my seat, hugging them tight since they were a lot. With five books and three notebooks in my arms, I walked out of our classroom to meet the fresh air and my locker. The skies looked so pretty and clear. Ang aliwalas din ng paligid.

Oh, my, why am I like this?

"Happy birthday, Stephanie," Lian, my friend from the other section and my former classmate, said, raising her eyebrows.

"Thank you," I said as we passed by each other. She soon followed me to where I was walking to.

"Hoy, magtapat ka nga, blooming ka, e," she laughed. "In love ka ba?"

"Oo," I said. "Char."

" 'Di nga?" Lian said, quite shocked. "Stephanie, parang ang saya mo kasi lagi, e."

"Talaga?" I said in disbelief. Wow.

"Oo. You're more appreciative than the way you are before. Light na rin yata ang everyday mood mo ngayon."