Wild Beat [BxB] |ON-GOING|

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 8

I didn’t drive my motorcycle straight to their house. Instead, I took a detour around the area before deciding to drop him off at his home. Nang makarating kami sa tapat ng gate nila ay hindi na ito nagsalita at bumaba nalang ito bigla.

I looked at him and noticed he looked pale, magulo rin ang kan'yang buhok “What happened to your face? You're so pale,” I teased him, trying to hold back my laughter.

“Inaka,” was all he said as he rang the doorbell at their gate. Hindi ko na napigilan ang tawa ko at tumawa na.

His mother came out and smiled at me. Bumati lang ako sa nanay niya and said I was leaving. I wasn't very close to his parents. They thought I was a bad influence on their son, pero ang totoo naman talaga ay ang anak nila ang bad influence sa akin.

Vin and I met last year at a contest and became classmates, which is how we became friends, walang malalim na dahilan. But Ace was my best friend. We had been together since we were kids. Our parents were also close because they were business partners.

Last month, Ace told me he was transferring to a new school because of me. I didn’t know how to react to what he said, pero alam ko kung ano ang totoo niyang dahilan kung bakit, but I respected his decision. Alam kong kailangan niya rin ‘yon, gusto niya na munang lumayo sa akin, simula no'n ay hindi na kami nag kita o nag usap pa. It turned out that night in the alley was the last time I would see him.

As I rode my motorcycle back home, memories of Ace and I flashed through my mind, hindi pa rin mawala sa akin ang tarantadong ‘yon. We had shared so many moments—playing in the park, studying together, and even getting into trouble, kasabwat ko siya sa lahat ng bagay. I remember how we used to race our bikes down the hill and how we would sneak out at night to go to the club, at uuwi ng umaga.

When I got home, the house felt emptier, madilim na sala at walang babati sa'yo pagkapasok. I went to my room and looked at the old photos of us on my phone. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness, knowing that things would never be the same.

Naligo na ako at saka humiga sa kama, and I immediately fell asleep.

The next day, I tried to go about my usual routine, pinipilit na maging normal ang pang araw-araw, but everything reminded me of Ace.

I saw our favorite hangout spots and remembered our inside jokes. I knew it would take time to adjust to this new reality, but I need to act normal, mas okay na rin pala na dati hindi ko siya nakikita pero alam kung nasa maayos siyang kalagayan.

Vin and I continued to hang out, but it wasn’t the same without Ace. We still went to the contests and practiced our dance moves, but there was always a part of me that missed that asshole.

As usual routine, sumali rin ako sa dance club. I don't know what crosses my mind when I fill up the form that Vin gives me, but I enjoy practicing, pagkatapos naman mag practice deretso sa gym, this is my every day routine at hindi na naging bago sa akin.

Gabi na at napagpasyahan kong pumunta sa itaas ng rooftop, as I was sitting on the rooftop looking at the stars, I thought about Ace’s last words to me, hanggang ngayon ay tila ba naririnig ko pa rin ang boses niya. He said he needed to find his own path and that he hoped I would understand, pilit kong inintindi ang mga sinabi niya sa akin.

I realized that he was right, pero ang hindi ko maintindihan sa huli niyang sinabi sa akin bago ito tuluyang umalis, but I know people need to take their own paths, at ito naman talaga ang dapat even if it means parting ways with those they care about, but I didn't know that it was the last time I could see him, edi sana sinulit ko man lang.