Serendipity (Dauntless Series #3)

Epilogue

Manilka Bellamy Desmarais

If I learned something throughout the years of my existence, it's not letting people destroy you just because you present yourself against their beliefs. They will always find a way to ruin your self-confidence and manipulate you. I used to believe in their manipulations, not until I saw the real world and learned to stand up for myself.

Being a non-binary lesbian doesn't make me a bad person. Your gender and sexuality has nothing to do with your attitude and how you treat other people. Why is there a prejudice when it comes to people like me who just chose to be true to themselves?

My gay awakening started during grade school. My parents sent me to an all-girls school until high school. It didn't help that most of my friends came-out earlier than I knew I was a lesbian, so they became a sort of an eye opener to me.

"Hey, look at Daya. She has braces now?"

Nilingon ko iyong direksyon ni Daya na nasa kabilang mesa at nakikipagtawanan sa mga friends niya. I sipped on my juice while looking at her. She's slender, dark skinned, and has curly hair. She's kinda popular in our batch since her father is a US Ambassador here in the Philippines. She's also mataray that's why whenever she sits near me in class, I just mind my own business and talk to her if she was the one who initiated it.

One day, I was busy reading some textbook when sat next to me. Nilingon ko siya at pinagtaasan ng kilay. Tinuro niya iyong hairclip ko. I didn't even want to wear it but my Mom forced me. I don't like the design and the color of it. It makes me look girly. I feel uncomfortable wearing but I can't tell my Mom because it will break her heart. "Where did you get that?"

"My Mom bought it."

"Where?"

I shrugged. "At the department store, maybe."

Tumango siya. Ngayong medyo nasilayan ko na ang mukha niya nang malapitan, doon ko napansin na mayroon pala siyang freckles sa mukha. She caught me staring, though. I immediately pulled the clip from my hair and handed it to her.

"Do you want it?"

"Are you kidding? It's yours!" Her forehead creased. Kinda annoyed that I'm giving away the one thing that she wants so bad.

I tilted my head and smiled. "I don't want it, anyway."

"Really..." kinuha niya iyon at inosenteng sinuot ang hairclip. She tucked the remaining hair behind her ear and looked at me afterwards. "You're so kind, Manilka. Do you want to be friends?"

Napatulala ako dahil sa sinabi niya. I'm gonna be honest with you, I never saw myself being her friend. Siguro dahil nayayabangan ako sa kaniya kasi halos lahat ng tao sa school hinahangaan siya. Tinuturing din siyang prinsesa ng ibang mga teacher dito. That's so unfair in our part who is not a daughter of some politician or who has a high position in the government.

But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe once I know her personally, my thoughts on her will change. We may as well become best friends. Who knows?

"Why not?"

Since then, Daya joins our group during lunch break whenever she can. Mayroon kasi siyang friend group na kauri niya rin, at ilan sa mga ito ay mga maldita, kaya nagagalit ang mga ito kapag kasama namin siya. Hindi na lang namin pinapansin ang mga masasamang tingin ng mga ito. Hindi ko rin naman sila masisisi. Daya and I have gotten close more than my friends Selena, Beatrice, and Adrianne did. If I could convince her to just stay with me and hang-out with my friend group, I wouldn't think twice. But I know that I can't. She must be the one to decide if she wants to choose me. For the meantime, I'll just settle with whatever she's going to give in our friendship.