Jane could do nothing but watch Nella leave. Tears poured out of her eyes while she called Nella's aunt, Weng.
"Jane?" She answered after a few rings.
"Hi po tita, sorry po kung nastorbo ko po kayo. Um—something came up po, and I won't make it to dinner. Pasensya na po kayo," Jane let her know right away.
"Ay, naku naman. Sayang, 'nak. Pano—next time na lang?" Weng said feeling disappointed.
"Basta okay po kay Nella," Jane replied.
"Oo naman. Okay yun sa kanya. In fact, matutuwa yun. I can tell she's very fond of you. Thank you ha. You must have done something extra special kaya she let you in. Closed off kasi masyado yang batang yan eh. I'm so happy na ngayon may friend na syang kasa-kasama sa school. Mas napanatag yung loob ko. Salamat Jane ha. Salamat din for calling me and letting me know na you can't make it to dinner," Weng said genuinely.
"Salamat din po, tita. Sige po," Jane said her goodbye before ending the call.
Within ten minutes, Nella arrived at her aunt's house looking extremely exhausted.
"Hey, Nels, ikaw na ba yan?" Weng asked from the kitchen.
"Yes po, tita," Nella answered. She tried to hide the fact that she had been an emotional wreck the whole day.
"Hinatid ka ba ni Jane? I just spoke to her. Hindi daw sya makaka-join satin for dinner. Is she okay? Is everything okay?" Weng wiped her hands with a towel and headed straight to where Nella was standing. "What's wrong?" She asked worriedly when she saw her niece's eyes almost swollen shut from crying.
Nella shook her head. She didn't like revealing her emotions to her aunt, but she couldn't help it.
"Oh no, what happened? Come here," Weng walked towards her niece and pulled her into her arms as soon as she started crying.
"I'm tired, tita," Nella admitted while she wept silently on her aunt's shoulder.
Weng led her to the couch. "Does it have something to do with Jane?"
Nella sighed while she wiped her eyes. "Yes and no po."
Weng nodded. "Go ahead."
Nella started sobbing. "Tita, kahit anong gawin ko masakit pa din po eh. Hanggang ngayon hindi ko po alam how to handle the people in my life lalo na yung mga bagong dumadating. Jane's been such a good friend, I didn't want to lose her pero eto po ako, I'm pushing her away."
Weng inhaled and exhaled slowly. She laid her hand on top of Nella's lap. "'Nak, your mom wouldn't like it pag nalaman nyang you're pushing people away, especially the good ones like Jane."
Nella nodded and sniffled. "Tita, alam ko naman po eh. Sa tingin ko nga po sya tumulong na mag-dala kay Jane sakin eh."
Weng nodded as well. "I agree. I think your mom knows na kahit pa sabihin mo ng paulit-ulit na you're fine on your own, she knows na deep down you're lonely and you need a friend." She held Nella's hand. "Alam ko masakit. Alam ko mahirap, anak. But you can't limit yourself because of fear. You can't let fear take over your life like that. You're going to miss out on a lot of things lalo na meeting the right people and doing things with them kagaya kay Jane. Alam ba nya yung tungkol sa mama mo?"
"Opo," Nella answered quietly. "But I didn't tell her everything."
Weng stared at her niece. "Which part did you not tell her?"
Nella looked down at the center table in front of them.
Weng took a deep breath. "Can I ask her to come pa rin tonight? Can I talk to her?"
YOU ARE READING
Hey You
Fanfiction"Hey You" is a JaneNella Fanfiction starring Jane De Leon and Janella Salvador. Indeed, love moves in mysterious ways. It tucks its way deep into the corners of even those with the most stubborn hearts, and they won't even know it. No one can get a...
