rewind

16

Carmella rushes to the nearest student lounge where her friends await her. With the horrible weather and large distance between the building she was in and her destination, she surely had a hard time, pacing around the dim and quiet classrooms.

The rain was heavy and hard to tolerate. She couldn't help but worry about her waiting family, her treasured pet dog, her other friends and her closest online best friend, Noj. She thinks its totally reasonable for her to think about the people closest to her but to be concerned about Noj, she ponders.

"Okay lang ba na pagisipan si Noj sa oras na 'to? Si Noj na online friend ko lang?"

The lad hasn't messaged her since the morning. Noj who is always active and replies to her messages hasn't been answering her. And the latter doesn't concern her. He already notified her about his absence and she doesn't expect him to be always there for her. But in this weather? She's overthinking and she doesn't like it.

Minutes later, Carmella arrives in a lounge filled with her schoolmates. The place is busy and she can not find her circle of friends quit well. Going left first, she doesn't find Kamara, Ellie or Casti but instead sees stressed first years, calling someone from home. She continues to walk around the side, having the chance to peek at the gloomy and rainy view of the city outside. She is left with a sense of melancholy and unexplained feelings but she quickly shrugs it off and continues to find them.

As she averts her gaze into another direction, her eyes immediately land to a tall boy with tousled wavy black hair and distinct black eyes. He is a stranger with a captivating presence.

And now his eyes look at her too. A brief moment where her life seems to go blank and the only thing in there is him.

Reality goes back to normal as the eye contact breaks, Carmella looking at another area as someone seems to be screaming her name.

"Ven!! We're here!" Kamara raises her voice, Ellie and Frederick, another friend of hers, waving their hand actively to catch her attention. Carmella's face immediately lightens up as she runs towards the group, relieved and happy to see them.

"Guyss! Hello!" She greets everyone with a smile, waving her hand excitingly as well.

"Uy buti nalang nakita mo kamii" Kamara says with a whining tone, face scrunching into a frown with her eyebrows upturned. "I was really worried" She adds before pulling Carmella for a hug.

Carmella slaps her arm playfully.

"Aray!" Kamara exclaims and then laughs.

"Tangina mo di kita ma contact kanina! I was more worried" She replies with the same concerned tone and they laugh together. At least they're together now, safe and in one piece.

Their arms are still hugging each other, Casti quietly trying to break their hug so he can reclaim Kamara all for his self.

"Wag kang mag-alala Casti, sayong-sayo si Kamara" Carmella reaffirms with a grin. She's just very glad to see her friend. Minutes later they part and Carmella composes herself.

"Upo ka muna rito Ven oh!" Ellie points to the seat beside them. A whole couch with no one sitting on it.

"Uyy bakit walang umuupo dito?" She asked while grabbing her stuffy, sitting at the couch.

"Ni reserve namin lahat para sa 'yo, hehe" Carmella's eyes widen with Kamara's answer. "Gagi girl"

They chat for a moment and catch up amidst the pouring rain. Kamara goes to another area with Casti. Minutes later, a group of men their age walks towards Carmella, she glances at them and sees the same fluffy-haired boy she saw minutes ago.

There were five of them. A guy with long hair, a chinito, the tall pale guy from the student council that everyone kinda knows as Damon, a tall smiling moreno and the guy with tousled curly hair.

The guy with long hair pushes the chinito towards the couch, startling Carmella and Kamara.

"Kyle gago" The chinito scoffs, looking back at the guy who pushed him that was now laughing. The pale guy scratches his neck, "Shouldn't we go?"

"Wag na. May upuan pa jan oh" The chinito insist, turning towards Carmella again.

"Ay miss, may umuupo pa ba dito?" He bravely asks.

"Azi, gago ka ba?" Kyle asks and Azi answers immediately, "Noon pa"

"May umuupo na nga raw dito. nakalimutan mo ba yung kanina, Azi?" The moreno named Ivan asks.

"Ay wala po actually, ako lang" Carmella replies and the boys' bicker stop.

"Nicee! Diba sabi ko sainyo!" Azi celebrates, pointing at his friends as a tease. "Hali ka rito bro! Ikaw lang mabait sa kanila kaya samahan mo ko rito" He invites the boy with tousled hair by grabbing his arm to make him sit but the lad doesn't want to and desperately tries to escape from his grip, moving his body away without speaking a word.

Kyle laughs, "Ayaw niya sayo, Azi"

"Ano ba J.A, hali ka na!" He pulls him once again and succeeds. "Kayo diyan, umalis na kayo! Mga walang kwenta" He adds while grinning with his eyes.

"Ay may space pa rito kuya oh, kasiya pa kayo" Carmella makes more space beside her for the guys.

"Kuya? Ang cute naman! Call me Azi nalang" Azi introduces himself and she nods, agreeing.

"Tabi" The moreno pushes the boy with tousled hair that was sitting quietly, quite awkwardly. The moreno wraps one of his arm arounds the other's shoulder, the three of them sitting comfortably with Carmella in the other end.

The tall guy that was standing grabs something from his pocket. It was a phone which he was trying to open. "Uy A, sayo to diba? Patay na ata phone"

"Ay oo nga pala thanks!" Azi receives the phone.

"May power bank ako rito, 'usto mo?" Kyle offers and Azi delightfully accepts. He thanks him and plugs his phone in, letting it charge.

Kyle and the tall guy excuses themselves as they say they're going somewhere else, Kyle accompanying the tall guy. "Balik mo nalang sakin power bank ko later ha. Suntukin talaga kita pag nawala yan. Joke"

"Sira! Baka nakalimutan mong taga student council kaibigan natin. Ang agresibo mo naman mag salita, Elyk" The moreno playfully says and a bell has been rung in Carmella's head.

Elyk. Noj's fb friend. Isn't it?! "Elyk Dump. He studies here?!" Internally, she screams many questions regarding Kyle. If Elyk is Kyle the guy she is seeing now then Noj must be really near her area. Though its Kyle's name, Noj is who she thinks off at the moment. She was in a daze until the boys sitting in the couch started to bid goodbye to the other two loudly. She's back to reality and life resumes with the rain ending.

What was up with this day and why does Noj keep staying in her mind?