"narahuyo" | YJW

Six

Jace has always loved the rain, that's no secret. But she thinks she loves them extra these days.

It's been days and contrary to what Jungwon said, rain stopped paying visits. Which means, it's been days since him.

The school's front is in a hot yellow of nearing 1pm. She and her friends had decided to go outside the store to buy something that will aid the heat. All thanks to Vienna's obvious hinting of something cold, Jules, the usual, is treating them before they return to classes.

Jace can never find it in herself to love this weather.

"Ihhh, meron ako ngayon, bawal malamig!" Vienna complains. Her arms hooked with Jace's and Jules'.

Jules nudges her and advances to the store's front completely shedded from sunlight. He slides the freezer's door open. "Okay lang 'yan! Ikaw ba Jace, kumakain ka ba pag meron? Tutal parehas naman kayo may matres neto sige.."

Jace bites the inside of her cheeks, glancing at the frustrated. "Minsan lang.."

The freezer is paused halfway, Vienna's hand off Jules' arm and instead, on top of the cold glass. He tries to push it further but her hand is stiff.

"Teka nga nag-iisip yung may matres!"

Jace cackles at the way Jules' hand slaps her hand off the cover at this. The child watching the store, probably seven, watch them instead of the familiar tune of nursery rhyme on the phone she's holding.

"Pwede naman, pero isa lang bilhin mo kung hindi ka talaga sigurado." Jace advices. She opens the door further and gets one herself, then closes it back to not consume more electricity.

"Oo yun na nga lang! At least bente lang magagastos ko sa'yo!" Jules opens it again and gets himself cookies and cream, after the cute watermelon shaped one Vienna would always choose on this weather.

"Psst, 'gang! 'To o, tatlo.." His call for the kid waving the violet peso bill. The child stands up from the monoblock chair and move so slowly, tallying the total, then collecting the change. By the time they're done and turning to walk back to the back gate, an unfamiliar car is done passing through the front to be noticed by the three.

"Nakalibre na naman.." Vienna singsongs earning another chuckle from Jace as they enter the gate.

The school's usual vacant lunch break is an occupied open field. Students from other grade levels assemble in groups. Volleyballs, and rockets wave to the air. The three walk the path overshadowed by the trees. A shuttlecock fall in front of Jace, and it's almost of no feather. She throws it to the urging group and continues walking. There are also people busy running, she guesses they're first years. Freshmen this year appear so much smaller than the previous year. They also seem to not have registered they are no longer graders, always running around.

"Si Jungwon ba yun?" these words have Jace tearing her eyes off her frozen cookies and cream. Instead, it wanders around. She finds an SUV parked in front of the senior building, oblivious of the black pickup by the school's front parking lot. She thinks how from the last time, Jungwon wasn't driving an SUV. She debates whether Vienna is talking about the same beautiful boy.

But Jungwon is not a very common name. If it is, then she'd be searching the crowd everytime.

"Saan, teh?"

She wants to ask the same. There is so much going on. Where is the boy?

But then, it is what always will happen. One beautiful face is always meant to blur the crowd. This Jace, the next, and even that from the past life she's lived, tells her this is no odd at all. And that there will always be just one Jungwon wiping off everything else.

But she wonders too if who, in all of them, have found who first? Because right now, she sets her eyes on him and he already has his on her. His boba eyes, under the bright, is obviously looking at her. She wishes she wasn't aware.

And maybe it's all the scorching sun. Jace feels like melting.

Jungwon is melting, too. And perhaps these are truths both will never even know.

"Yun oh! Tangina pogi parin pala n'yan. In-uncrush ko na 'yan, eh!"

Jace diverts her eyes off of him, and instead on the volleyball rolling and unnoticed below Jungwon's left foot. This is her denying Jungwon a chance of reading her(it feels like he could despite the distance), that this attention from someone also given so much of it at the moment, is taking a toll on her.

Jace hates her pictures, cameras, and seeing what she looks out of her perceptions. She wants to believe this is just her tolerating this, being looked at no matter the crowd. It's starting to scare her. Tolerance keeps you wanting more.

Jungwon though, with the way he's always been, is the opposite. He feels it in himself. The urge of freeing them, the words from rolling off his lingua. He would say this with his mouth and even though he's not an eye talker, he could see them animated by his eyes, honest—that he doubts she actually knows how much of a beau she is, and how he's been days asking the universe for this. Because the past storm had never left him since.

But he leaves it for some other day. Maybe somewhere only the two of them, so he could keep the moment to himself.

Jace denies him her attention. Because it's starting to scare her, the wanting more. At the same time, because she knows it's safe.That this is enough. She doesn't have to worry. She will never lose him.

Jungwon will always be watching.

"Kuya, pakitapon po!" two girls in junior uniforms demand his attention, pointing to the ball in front of his shoe. Jace watch them before giving her eyes back to Jungwon.The two students whisper to each other when he picks the ball up from the ground and throws it to the group. Not only the two loud girls, but almost everyone in the crowd is at watch. A few continue to even after the ball has flown home.

Jungwon, oblivious of almost everyone's attention, would've ran across the field, if not for Riki calling him from behind. Reminded of why they're here, he settles with sending her a nod. There will always be some other time.

Vienna is too busy judging the girls to even notice this. While Jules does in silence. The way Jace accepts the farewell with the same volume. It elicits hope from her when the boy runs to climb the stairs to one of the building.

"'Tong third years na mga 'to ang aaga naman lumandi! Tapos tagaibang school pa kursunada.." she bites on her ice cream, tongue now redder of food color.

"Mas maaga ka nga nagsimula noon!" Jules' laughs at her. They continue walking.

"At least kilala ko talaga 'yan noon bago ako nagtransfer. Aside sa looks," the back of her hand touch her chin twice, "masasabi kong may iba akong dahilan kaya ko yun naging crush!"

"Galing kaya nun magsoccer.." Vienna adds.

"Explain explain ka pa, hindi ka rin naman nacrushback." Jules follow the two turning the green railing to the building. Jace, in the middle, is busy absorbing that information.

She visualizes it. A guy in a football uniform, Yang in italics at the back, running the field and focused on the game, sweaty and the center of attention. She could see herself cheering and she knows nothing about the sport. This is not to be embarrassed, though. Because she joins half the bench.