If This Was A Movie

Chapter 4 - La La Land

No matter how long you've been in school, the first few weeks of a new academic year will always feel like a brand new page. Everything is calm, easy, and sure. You know where you need to be and you haven't failed any quizzes yet.

It's 9 AM and a Carmela gets ready for her class. A little hung over, but she's gotten used to it. It wasn't always like that though. The first time she got drunk was at an initiation party when she joined the UP Film Society as a freshman. After a couple of tequila shots, some lemon and a shit ton of peer-pressure, she had come face to face with the toilet bowl. "Ayoko na mag inom ulit," she cries out. But after four years, she's learned to handle her alcohol. The only way students knew to relieve stress was to drink. Whether it's at a club, a bar, or in one of their friend's apartments, alcohol will always be present, along with some good company. And Seokjin and Yoongi were always great company. They were frequent visitors of Omelas, to the point where they've befriended the owner, Sir Pat--a retired English professor. He also owns the small secondhand bookstore a few blocks away. Carmela would visit the shop every now and then, scouring the shelves for cheap titles.

Sir Pat would often go around talking to his customers, making corny dad jokes. The three liked talking to him though, especially when he would start discussing books and movies from a professor's perspective. Every now and then he would mention that Carmela would be a great match for his nephew and that she should meet him.

"Nako, aalis na lang ako hindi ko padin napapakilala pamangkin ko sayo." Sir Pat regretfully says.

"Sir, if we're meant to be, magkakakilala din kami. Kalma ka lang sir." Carmela tries to make light of it.

"Dyan tumatandang dalaga ang mga tulad mo! Sa mga meant to be na yan. You have to act on it, hija. You have to go out and meet people."

"'Tong si sir mas worried pa sa love life ko kesa saken."

"Nako sana naman pagbalik in two years may boyfriend ka na ah. O kaya girlfriend."

"Oo nga Carms. Love wins." Yoongi says as he pats Carmela's shoulder.

"Sabihin mo lang, this is a safe space." Seokjin rubs her back.

"Dami niyong alam! Sige sir, pag umuwi ka na wala pa akong jowa, pakilala mo yang pamangkin mo." Carmela proposes, knowing she would have graduated by then and would never have to see Sir Pat again.

She understood their concern for her love life though. After all, she's never had a boyfriend. But she didn't like it when people would play matchmaker either. It's too much pressure for something already so nerve-wrecking. To her, love should never be forced. It should happen naturally.

She leaves for her first class, Economics. The whole way she's praying she doesn't get her professor from last time, Mr. Abad. She gets to her class and sits in one of the chairs at the back. It's 10:30 and a tall, slightly heavier man walks in. Carmela whispers to herself an offensive word. "Good morning, I'm Mr. Abad and I'll be your Economics professor for this semester." He announces to the class as he skims through the list of enrolees. "Some of you are new to me, and some of you are not. I hope we have a good semester together. And maybe I'll let some of you graduate." Carmela's heart pauses. It felt like an arrow directed at her. But she has no choice but to show her professor that she's determined to pass this class.

An hour and a half later, the class is over. Carmela meets Seokjin and Yoongi in Rodic's where they're already seated at the mezzanine.

"Nakuha mo nanaman si Mr. Abad?" Seokjin assumes seeing the dismay in Carmela's face. "Oo, tangina napakamalas ko!" Carmela rants as she ruffles her hair in frustration.

"Okay lang yan. Pag binagsak ka ulit, may next year pa naman." Yoongi and Seokjin bursts out laughing.

"Ahhh ganooon?" Carmela straightens her back, cocking her head to the side, raising an eyebrow.