On the 7th Day of July

CHAPTER 1

Birds singing, children catching dragonflies and it's the coming of July. Dry hot summer air makes the girl sitting at a monobloc chair placed on their house's balcony fan herself using a piece of old cardboard, and at the same time observing the kids with their agenda. Her mother, Janice, who was busy sweeping the fallen dried leaves outside their house managed to look up at her daughter. She sighed when she saw the look on her child's face.

"You should go outside with your friends, Sienna."

Sienna looked down at her and automatically rolled her eyes. She sipped the soft drink placed on a small plastic bag one of her hands holding. The cardboard earlier was replaced by her cellphone, now she is scrolling through social media while biting the straw.

"I don't have friends, Ma," Sienna replied not taking her attention off her phone. Her mom stopped for a while at what she was doing before shaking her head a little.

"That's because you don't make friends, 'nak," Sienna, however, only nodded at her mother's remarks. Itinaas niya ang dalawa niyang paa at inilagay sa babahan ng balkonahe nila bago siya sumandal sa sandalan ng inuupan niya. She doesn't care kung pagtitinginan siya ng mga taong dumadaan. Pake ba niya, 'di ba?

It's a Sunday morning today. Rest day, pero at the same time preparation day dahil simula na naman ng panibagong linggo. This upcoming week will also serve as the last week for Sienna being a Junior High School Student. Bukas na magsisimula ang practice nila para sa moving up day. Surely, most of the students are excited to go up the stage and receive the medals they deserve. Kasi sino nga ba naman ang hindi magiging masaya kapag makukuha mo na ang kapalit ng sandamakmak na papel na pinasa mo, mga luhang nagpa-basa ng reviewer tuwing gabi before the exam, at mga pawis na natamo mo sa pakikipag-unahan sa faculty para lang hindi ma-late sa pagpasa ng mga assignments. It would be pure ecstasy dahil makakaraos ka na, finally, after four long years.

However, seems like not all students are delighted with the upcoming day. Just take Sienna for example.

"Sinabi na ba sa inyo ng teacher niyo kung kalian magpapasukat ng toga?"

The girl then looked away at her phone and it took her a second to move her head sideways, looks like she was quite unsure sa isasagot niya. Why would she be this unsure? Because she's never been active in any of her class group chats after all. Kaya kapag may announcement o mga balita sa kanilang klase, she would be the last to know, or sometimes, she never knows.

Graduation, Recognition, Moving up day, or whatever it is called, Sienna never really considered those important since she feels like it's another "waste of time" for her. She did not even attend every recognition day her school had when she was in elementary, well, of course, maliban noong graduation nila noong grade six siya because she needed to deliver her valedictorian speech there. And she will have her speech again as, once again, the valedictorian this upcoming July 8, their moving-up day.

The day went pretty normal, tinulungan niya ang mama niya sa mga gawaing bahay at nagpahinga pagkatapos. It's just the two of them. Sienna's the only child and her father died when she was still young. It has been pretty hard for the two, but luckily, nairaos nila iyon magkasama. Sienna promised her late father that she would do her best in everything to make him proud, which she did and is now at the top of her batch.

"Mama, don't wake me up tomorrow." Janice suddenly looked up from her food to her daughter who was busy eating. "Pwede na kaming ma-late bukas, wala na pong flag raising saka wala na rin po kaming mga klase."

"Kanino ka sasakay? I can't use the car since the tires need to be replaced. Ipag arkila na lang ba kita ng tricycle?" Sienna stopped eating and wiped her mouth using a napkin.