A Close Second

Fiftieth

Hello hello!
I enjoyed writing this chapter.
Check out the Estudillo's Kitchens sa multimedia.

Since I have my Ate who's an ARMY like me, dedicating this to her.
To my fellow I-ARMYs, I think you'll like the latter part also.

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Two days.

I was absent for the first two days of my college freshman year.

It was a good thing two days lang. The infection didn't have any lasting effects to me and neither did the accident.

I went to school the next day, with nothing but a band aid on my upper forehead, barely visible. I had worn a brown long-sleeved turtle-neck sweater with a brown leather skirt. Those were the only ones that reminded me of what had happened.

Thea and I had the same classes, which was a big help on us checking in on her.

In all honesty, I couldn't even begin to imagine how hard the entire situation must have been for her. A month easily passed and I saw how life ran by her.

Maraming oras na nakakasama ko siyang bumibisita kay Jacob, both of us in hospital gowns and surgical masks as we visit. By day, hinahatid siya ni Kuya Gab or Kuya Max (o kahit sino sa mga pinsan niyang naging present na for the past few weeks), bringing her to school. There were times that Keith and I fetch her too, the former had taken to getting me from my condo which was a bit close to his, at madalas isa na rin sa mga Kuya niya na rin ang naghahatid sa kanya pauwi. We also have our lunches together, secretly making sure na kumakain siya.

She does. And the truth was, she was quite normal with everything.

She eats, she talks, she smiles, she laughs. She dresses sensibly (and fashionably too, which I think was by Ate Katie's influence) and she doesn't even show any indication na meron siyang  pinagdadaanan.

Though I know that behind everything, this was a mask that she was putting up with because there was no way that she was fine in her situation.

This led me to feel a little guilty though, seeing her suffer so silently, when this time it was Andrew and I who were so free for a change. Although Keith Andrew had said that we did deserve it.

This time around, it was our relationship that was flying so freely.

We had gone on dates, stayed over (wholesomely might I add) since we both had our own places. Our friends knew about us too, and we've gone out with them a couple of times (once with Aya and Nico, and then kasama sila Jethro and Laiza when they went to Star City one time).

Even social media wasn't an issue anymore since my IG Stories was filled with photos of him and me that had been sitting around in my files forever. The feed was still reserved, but I posted a few shots of him with our friends. If ever I post of him alone, it'd be without showing his face dahil nagagalit siya at pinapabura niya dahil daw mas mahalaga ang privacy.

All in all, it  was a nice change.

All those things aside, it felt as though we were starting anew being in our college life now. Because here, we were as free as birds could be.

Living arrangements weren't bad. Ate Cathy had told me the place was mine now, and that the bills and dues were under her name at di ko na kailangang alalahanin. Tita Jodi and Tito Kurt had given Andrew his own space rather than have him stay with Andrei. It did help that Andrei's school was a lot farther than XEI was.

I wasn't the governor's daughter, I wasn't the girl who was expected to be in the governor's parties, and my last name was nothing but a surname to anyone.