After The Credits

Chapter 12 The Rest of It Karl's POV

It was about 8:00 PM when Karl heard a knock on the door. His first guest had arrived.

"Sandali lang!" He yelled, getting up from the couch to open the door.

He unlocked the door and swung it open to see Chomskie in front of him, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Hiiii! Na-miss mo ako, no? Bigla ka na lang nag-invite, eh." He said, greeting Karl by raising his hand and waving his fingers, starting from his pinky going to his thumb.

"Aba, feeler! Siyempre ako yung na-miss niya." A voice said from behind.

Chomskie turned around and Karl looked over his shoulder to look for the voice's origin. They saw Joan walking up the stairs in a brown shirt and striped pajama pants with her bag on her shoulder, greeting them with a peace sign and a smile.

"Hi Joan!" Karl greeted her.

"Heeeey! I brought drinks!" She replied, showing the crate of bottles in her hand.

"Aba, lasinggera!" Chomskie joked.

The three laughed before Karl led them inside. They sat near the table in front of the TV, Karl on the floor by the couch, Chomskie on a chair to the left, and Joan on the couch.

"So Karl, ano'ng agenda natin tonight?" Joan asked.

Ah wala lang, mag-o-out lang ako...

"Tara, nood tayo ng movie!" Chomskie said before Karl could even think of an answer.

"I'm so g! Ano bet niyo? I'm Drunk, I Love You?" Joan replied.

"Ha, ayaw mo ba ng may happy ending? 'Di ba 'di sila nagkatuluyan diyan?" Karl answered.

"'Wag na love story, 4 Sisters na lang!" Chomskie insisted.

"Uy, kung gusto mo ng comedy, g ba Kimmy Dora?" Karl replied.

"OMG YES!" Joan shouted excitedly.

"Sige, g ako sa Kimmy Dora." Chomskie agreed.

Joan began passing around the bottles of beer she brought while Karl set up the movie on the TV.

The trio spent the night drinking while watching the movie, yelling its lines as it went on.

"Manny, Manny, Manny! It's true! I'm buying you out!"

"I'll look into it. I'll get back to you on that. I'll give you an update."

"So what if I said thank you? Do you think I meant it? Get lost! Go to hell!"

Karl enjoyed the movie, but the lingering thoughts of what he had to do that night and how he would do it stayed at the back of his mind. He'd think of what to say, how to say it, and even when to say it.

Sasabihin ko na ba pagkatapos ng movie? Parang pangit yung timing...

The credits rolled as the three laughed together. Joan, getting up slowly to maintain her balance, pointed at Chomskie before imitating Dora and yelling.

"Siya si Kimmy Go Dong Hae!"

Chomskie laughed, getting up too before yelling in response.

"No! Siya si Kimmy Go Dong Hae!"

The trio burst into laughter once more. Joan fell back onto the couch while Chomskie sat himself back down. Karl was laughing on the floor, struggling to compose himself.

The minutes passed as the three conversed, enjoying each others' company with the occasional swig of alcohol. Joan would occasionally turn to her phone and start typing, presumably texting Sue, Karl assumed.

As the night went on, Karl knew he would have to say what he needed to eventually. He excused himself and went to the bathroom to give himself a pep talk. He looked at himself in the mirror and talked to his reflection.

"Kaya mo 'to."

While he couldn't deny that part of his motivation to do this was for Vlad, he knew deep down that if that was his only reason, he wouldn't have gotten this far. Here he was, at a sleepover he planned with one main purpose: to tell his friends the truth.

"I'm gay. Bakla ako." He whispered to the mirror.

He didn't doubt that they would accept him. After all, they were both openly queer. But there is something about coming out that just seems so irreversible. The thought that maybe it would be easier to stay in the closet was there and the thought of losing this ease forever lingered on his chest. His heart rate was picking up despite his attempts at calming himself down by managing his breathing.

Liquid courage.

He took another drink from his bottle.

It's now or never.

He stepped out of the bathroom and was greeted by Joan, still on the couch with a bottle in hand, and Chomskie, now sitting next to her, with a glass of water, probably attempting to sober up.

"Joan, Chomskie... may sasabihin ako." He began to say, walking towards them.

"Ooooh, what's this?" Joan asked curiously.

Chomskie drank his water while holding his head, probably nursing a headache from the alcohol, but kept his eyes on Karl, letting him know he was paying attention.

"I-I- uhh..." Karl stuttered.

Kaya ko 'to.

He held up his hand to signal them to wait as he regained his composure. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"I'm gay."

Joan reached for Karl's hand and pulled him onto the couch to give him a hug. Chomskie, who was still next to her, screamed as he tried saving his glass of water from spilling as Karl crashed onto the sofa. After a while, Joan finally let go of Karl. He tried his best to get up without falling over, the alcohol clearly having taken effect on him.

"Karl, you know that whatever you want... whatever you are... uh... basta we accept you." Joan said, too drunk to form coherent sentences.

"She's right. Siyempre 'di ka namin i-jujudge, bakla din kami, hello?" Chomskie added.

"But Joan! Natapon yung tubig ko! Ang careless mo, mhie!" He continued.

Joan rolled her eyes at him in response.

"Ewan ko sa'yo, Chomskie. Stop ruining the moment. Also, kaya pala malapit na kaming mamatay noong nag-drive ka! Gays can't drive talaga." She joked.

Chomskie gave her a light push as if to say "Who's ruining the moment now?"

"Wait, 'di pa ako tapos." Karl said.

"Mahal ko si Vlad. At kung naging kami... gusto kong maging boyfriend na pwede niyang ipagmalaki sa mundo. Deserve niya 'yan. 'Di na ako magtatago sa closet. At gusto ko ring ipagmalaki ang totoong kasarian ko. Bakla ako at ayoko nang magtago."

Joan got up to hug Karl again. This time, Chomskie got up and joined in. Joan began sniffling while hugging Karl.

"I- I'm so proud of you." She said, her sniffling slowly transitioning into a full-on cry.

The two ended up having to comfort her until she stopped crying.

"Salamat, Joan, Chomskie." Karl said, hugging them tightly.

As the hours passed that night, eventually, Karl was the only one awake. Chomskie fell asleep on the couch while Joan passed out on the floor after one too many drinks. Karl knew better than to try to move her after how much he had had to drink that night, worried he'd end up hurting her instead and decided to leave her be. She seemed comfortable, anyway, he thought. He looked at his friends and smiled, confident he found a home in these two. Karl sighed and crawled into bed, letting himself drift into sleep. Karl felt relief sweep over him. He had felt this way before. This freedom that came with being able to break down the walls he himself had built. He knew this feeling because he felt it the night he and Vlad danced around the room and shared a kiss.

Soon, Vlad. Uuwi ulit tayo sa isa't isa.