ang Kalinaw sa magulong mundo

Chapter 17

Zaki 💚

Zaki 💚:
Hoy ang tagal ha

Zaki 💚:
Letche kanina pa kami dito, di makapag simula si Cal dahil ala ka

Me:
Geez, nandito na.

Hindi ko na hinintay ang response niya, instead, I am now heading  inside. Maraming tao ang nasa loob, the first floor was crowded with people I didn't recognize, so syempre nag assume ako na they are on the floor above me.

Before making my way to find them, I decided to go to the counter and order my food. Sabi ko kasi sakanila wag na ako order-an dahil nga ma l-late ako at baka lumamig na ang pagkain ko pagdating.

Kakatapos lang ng midterms namin. At agad akong dumiretso sa place na sinabi ni Cal na pumunta daw kami. Wala naman akong work since my boss was kind enough to grant me and the other students working a leave from dec twelve - seventeen to prepare for our mid terms.

Dapat sasabay ako kay kuya, pero pinauna ko na siya, since mas maaga natapos ang practice nila kesa sa classes namin. Pumayag naman siya, since mabilis lang ang byahe papunta sa isang café sa may quezon ave.

After receiving my receipts and change, umakyat nadin ako sa second floor para hanapin sila.

It didn’t take long to spot them—or rather, to spot Cal. His white long-sleeve hoodie layered with a jersey and green sweatpants made him stand out, immediately catching my eye.

Nagsimula akong maglakad papalapit, masayang nakangit, but came to an abrupt halt when I saw something unsettling, causing my smile to slowly drop.

There was a girl who was particularly clingy with Cal—my Cal. My eyes narrowed, and I raised an eyebrow slightly in displeasure.

“Hey, li.” Yno was the first to greet me. He stood up and welcomed me with a kiss on the cheek, his arm smoothly wrapping around my waist.

I gently tapped him on the shoulder so that he could let go of his hold on me so I could greet the others. Lahat sila binati ko at niyakap, hanggang sa dumating kay Cal.

The sight of the girl right beside him, made me uncomfortable, stopping me from going over to hug him. Instead, I gave them a simple smile as acknowledgement.

Mukha naman siyang mabait, but I still couldn't shake off the unease. I don't like it when other girls are close to him. I tend to get possessive sometimes, you know?

“Hi, Cal.” I said, offering only a smile before taking the farthest seat, which happened to be next to Yno.

“Hi, I'm solenne.” The girl next to Cal began as soon as I settled into my seat. “Me and Cal, have talked to each other, months before, about going to paskuhan together. And recently, Jal asked if there was a way to bring you guys.” She explained, pausing.

“How do you guys know each other?” Ssel suddenly asked, drawing everyone's attention.

“Uhm, Cal or Jal? Well, me and uhm Jal knew each other because-”

“Both actually.” Pagsingit ko, causing everyone to look at me. I shrugged, encouraging her to go on.

“To make things short, Cal, and I are friends, more likely in the same friend group when we were in senior high. Basically me and him.” She said. “We introduced Trixia to Jal.” She explained, furrowing my brows in confusion. Trixia, who?

I glanced at Ssel, whose head snapped towards Jal, sitting directly across from him. We were seated in a U-shape: Yno, Ssel, and I on the left side, with Zaki, Jal, and Kuya across from us. Cal and Solenne occupied the head of the table on the other side.