denly ficlets

you'll be safe here

I just finished freshening up and packing my bag when I saw a familiar car still parked outside the coliseum. Is she here because she still has captain duties she needs to fulfill after the game, or is she waiting for someone?

"Besh, puntahan mo na. Alam mo namang hindi matatahimik 'yan. Kami na bahala kay Mafe," Ella said as she tapped my back and pushed me towards the car's direction.

"Ha? Eh besh, anong oras na, kailangan na nating lahat ng pahinga oh," I countered, despite every voice inside my head screaming that I should approach her.

"Sus, kunwari ka pa, besh. Kung ang lemons, kaya niyong utuhin na hindi kayo aware na may ship kayo hanggang nung nakagraduate kayo, ako, hindi. Roommate niyo na in-OP niyo, oh," she said while smiling.

"Lemons," I muttered and grinned at her.

"Oh, sige na, besh. Baka iwan ka niyan, sige ka," she said, earning a slap at the back from me.

"Bastos talaga ng bunganga mo, sorry na nga eh. Sige na, I'll go ahead, besh," I said before finally leaving her.

I was mustering up the courage to walk towards her car when I saw some of my other teammates leaving the coliseum. I followed them with my eyes and saw that MG, Erica, and Aleiah were approaching her car. I watched her as she opened the door and talked to them, then my phone buzzed.

EDJ: Sige na, besh. Iniwan ka na talaga namin, wala ka nang choice.

As I looked up from my phone, I saw that the three girls were gone, so I finally approached her.

"Ly," I called her name while knocking on the passenger seat's window. She rolled it down, but someone had already sat there to my surprise.

"Hi, ate Den!" Aleiah and Erica greeted me, so I greeted them back.

"Den, is it okay if you sit muna sa likod? Besh already told me that you needed a ride, but I still have to drop Aleiah and Erica off sa condo nila, kaya mauuna ko na muna sana silang ihahatid since on the way naman na rin," Alyssa explained, looking at me with an apologetic smile.

"No worries, Ly. Wala rin naman ito sa plano, ako pa nga yata ang nakakaabala sa'yo," I said while I got settled in sa backseat, sitting beside Erica who was already yawning. She's probably super tired, it's her first game her in the Philippines and she did so well after all.

"Parang others naman itong si Dennise. Anyways, are you set na? Aleiah and Erica? Let's go?" She said, looking at the three of us, getting nods of approval from everyone.

While we were on the road, I put on my earphones to rewatch the game without letting Alyssa know. I already know that she has been beating herself up during the game, thinking that her injuries cost us the first loss of the conference, so she doesn't need to hear me rewatch the game. This was why I wanted to approach her since I saw her outside the coliseum. I am exhausted, but she needs a support system tonight. In hindsight, and not that we're counting scores, but this is nothing compared to the countless nights that I came to her unit just to cry, looking for comfort and love that the world could not give me.

I do not know how many minutes have passed, but I felt the car slow down and noticed that Erica and Aleiah were gathering their things. As Ly pressed the flasher, I looked up and saw that we were already in front of an unfamiliar condominium, probably where Erica and Aleiah's condo was. I saw Ly get out of the car, so I followed, and we walked the girls towards the reception area. After saying our goodbyes and ensuring that the girls got inside the elevator, we started walking back to the car.

"Heto nanaman tayo e, parang others ka talaga. Dito ka na sa harap, Den, alam naman ng lahat na upuan mo talaga yan," Alyssa said as I was opening the backdoor, so I laughed and sat in the front.