D'Cartes: Amelia D'Cartes' Story

Julian Horace

Amy, wake up,rinig kong paulit-ulit na sabi ni Mommy. Imbes na tumayo ay mas lalo ko pang hinigpitan ang yakap ko sa aking unan.

Amy, if you dont get up immediately, I will be the one to bring you to school, I heard her say.

I instantly opened my eyes, stretched a bit, and got up. Im awake now, Mom, I responded.

Good,I saw her smile and continued, I need your opinion on our upcoming trip. I still dont know which one is better; a cruise vacation at Royal Caribbean with a month of stay in France or a month of Asian tour?.

What did Dad say about this? I asked.

Hes good with either of the two, she answered.

Weve been to many Asian tours and cruise vacations. Im honestly getting bored with them, I said.

So what do you have in mind, dear? she asked.

Why dont we stay at Grandfathers Island for a couple of weeks and another two weeks at Grandmothers Peak?I suggested.

Oh!!! That sounds like a great plan, Dear. I will make the arrangement right away, she answered and went out from my room.

I was about to return to bed when I received a call from Julian.

Julian: Are you done?

Me: What?

Julian: Nakalimutan mo? May sports tour tayo ngayon and the bus will leave in less than an hour.

Me: WTF? I gotta prep now. Please tell Nana Cecil to pack up my stuff. I totally forgot about it.

Julian:*sigh* Dont worry. Nagawa na niya days ago pa. Sige na. Bilisan mo diyan.

I hung up the call and instantly went to shower. In 30 minutes, nakatapos na ako at sumakay sa elevator pababa sa parking lot.

Nakita ko agad si Julian sa tabi ng blue Corvette. As soon as he sees me, he starts up the car and drove off to school.

Lahat natatandaan mo pero ang sports tour nakalimutan mo,sabi niya habang nagmamaneho.

It does not catch my interest, bored kong sabi sa kanya.

Dont forget to drop me at 50th Street,paalala ko.

No time for that. Umalis na ang bus,sabi niya.

WHAAAT?napabulalas ako sa pagkabigla.

Caven called me 10 minutes ago so whether you like it or not, we will go to the airport together,sabi niya.

I guess, I dont have a choice.

After 15 minutes, nasa airport na kami at pumasok kami sa isang parking lot na pag-aari namin. Its safe to park here dahil sobrang higpit ng security at maraming hidden camera bawat sulok.

Lets go, sabi niya dala-dala ang suitcase ko at ang duffle bag niya papunta sa shuttle na maglilipat sa amin sa parkade naming at sa airport mismo.

After few minutes, nagcheck-in na kami at nahanap namin ang mga kaklase namin at bago pa man kami lumapit kinuha ko kay Julian ang suitcase ko at dumistansiya sa kanya.

Nakita naman agad ni Julian ang mga kaibigan niya dahil maraming nakatumpok na mga babae sa gawi nila.

Hey, J. Why are you late? Good thing our flight is delayed, rinig kong sabi ni Callen.

And yes, ilang linggo pa lang kami sa university naging sikat agad si Julian dahil naging member siya ng football team at plus factor ang looks, at angking kakisigan nito.

Agad naman akong nagpunta kay Mr. Forbes, our Physical Ed and Homeroom teacher.

Sorry Im late, Mr. Forbes, sabi ko sa kanya.

Its alright. Go find Vernice Johnson. She will be your partner for this trip, sabi ni Mr. Jones.

Hindi naman ako nahirapang hanapin si Vernice dahil nakita ko agad ang leather jacket. She is with her 3 friends na sina Ginger Wallace, the girl with brown hair; Brianna Jones, the girl with bob-cut hair; and Diana Fred, the girl with violet highlights.

I did not hesitate to go to them.

Hi, Vernice. I will be your partner sabi ni Mr. Forbes,I told her.

Biglang nagdilim ang paningin niya at biglang umalis. Even her friends were completely stunned by her sudden departure except for Brianna.

Hey, Nerd. Dont you ever call her by her first name. Thanks to you, her day is ruined, sabi niya.

Im sorry, I did not know, nasambit ko.

Piece of advice, if you want to be on Vs good side, dont be too loud, sabi ni Ginger.

Lets follow her,sabi ni Brianna at sumunod naman sa kanya sina Ginger and Diana.

I guess, Ill be on my own now.

For the past few weeks, wala pa akong nakikilalang gustong makipagkaibigan sa akin. Julian was kind of worried about it kasi it seems like nobody notices me.

Who could probably notice me?

Im plain and boring. I just wear a pair of Nike sneakers, faded jeans, and plain shirt. Most people see me as nerd dahil nakasuot ako ng eyeglasses and I always carry a book with me. Being in an elite school is living like youre in Paris fashion week. The students and even the teachers are wearing different well-known brands every day. Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Dior, and many others are like their daily casual. Compared with them, I look like a beggar.

Anyways, I dont really mind because I just dont care. My mom used to dress me up for school and those brands I mentioned were my daily suit. Things changed when I reached High School, I learned to dress up on my own and I saw the value of money so no matter how great they are, Ive chosen to save up and buy cheaper clothes. My parents never argued with me because I made a great point.

Amy, I heard from a distance. I stared at him as Im trying to remember who he is. Then, I saw some resemblance with Andrew James. I could not believe it. Before I could react, I saw my classmates flocking around him but it did not stop him. He continued coming towards me. I dont know what to say dahil sa mga matang nakatingin sa akin.

Drew, I muttered.

How are you, Amy? he asked while giving me a big smile.

Im good, Drew. Seems like your acting career is lit, I told him.

Nah. I just got lucky. Where are you off to? he asked.

Were going to California for our sports tour. You? I asked.

Cali, too. I guess we will be together on this trip. Wanna come with me? he asked.

Sorry. I just could not leave easily. But I will surely meet you in Cali, I told him.

Sure. Anyways, I gotta go. See you later, he said before he passed through a pool of people asking for selfies and autograph.

Andrew James used to be my playmate when I was a kid up to middle school. He used to be bullied because of his curly ginger hair, buck teeth and freckles. We lose communication when they moved to Canada for business. When I was in High School, I saw him on the television and social media. He has become a sought-after actor and singer. Hindi nga ako makapaniwala na sisikat siya pero he changed a lot. That ginger-haired little boy with buck teeth and freckles turned into a black-haired, muscular hunky. If I did not recognize his birth mark on his neck, I would not really mind him. Time really changes people.

As soon as I recovered from disbelief of what just happened, I saw some girls around me.

Amy right? one girl asked and I nodded.

Howd you know Andrew James? another asked.

Were childhood buddies, I answered.

You wanna be my partner during the tour? a girl butted in and the rest offered me to be their partner. They are trying to get me when

Im her partner, V came and grabbed my hand.

We walked away and nobody followed us.