The Girl Next Door Spin-off
During her open-water training on the waves of La Union, lead swimmer, Agnes, stumbles upon a hidden box in her assigned cabin. Inside was filled with journals and photographs of Maki and Althea.
Noticing a striking rese...
— Colleen stumbled along the rocky shoreline, her heart racing as the shouts and sirens of the rescue teams merged into a chaotic blur.
The usually calming sea roared with a menacing edge, its waves crashing violently against the shore. She barely felt the cold spray on her face as she pushed through the crowd, her eyes fixated on the distant figure being lifted from the waves.
Moments earlier, her phone buzzed with a new text. Colleen had fumbled to unlock it, her breath catching in her throat as she read her best friend's message: I'll be at the sea. I need to be alone for a bit.
The text was time-stamped just minutes before. Panic surged through her, and she'd raced to the shore, praying she wasn't too late.
As she reached the sea, the nightmare became all too real. Her eyes locked onto her best friend's lifeless body being pulled from the waves.
"Maki!" Colleen's voice cracked as she screamed, her gaze locked onto Maki's lifeless body. Her legs felt like lead, as she stumbled, falling to her knees on the wet sand. The world around her seemed to dissolve.
"No, no, no." she cried out, her voice breaking with raw anguish.
Paramedics rushed over, and Colleen grabbed one by the arm, her eyes wild with desperation. "Do something! Do something!"
The paramedic's face was grim as he knelt beside Maki. "Wala na, Ma'am. There's nothing more we can do."
"Hindi!" Colleen screamed, tears streaming down her face. "You have to try harder! Please, don't give up on her! Kaya ni Maki 'yan, please."
Ignoring the gentle but firm attempts to hold her back, Colleen forced the paramedics to continue, "Wag mo naman akong iwan, Maki."
Despite their efforts, the paramedics' faces grew more somber. One of them finally placed a hand on Colleen's shoulder, trying to offer comfort as he spoke gently. "Pasensya na, Ma'am. Wala na po talaga."
Colleen's heart felt like it was being torn apart. She shook her head violently, clinging to the hope that somehow, some miracle could bring Maki back. "Maki! Maki, sige na, please, Maki—"
In a final, desperate attempt, Colleen reached out to Maki's lifeless form, but the coldness of her skin was a brutal reminder of the reality she couldn't escape. The paramedic's words and the sight of Maki's unmoving body finally sank in, and the weight of the truth crashed down on her.
Her cries turned into deep sobs as she sank to the wet sand, her body shaking uncontrollably.
The sounds of emergency equipment and the murmurs of the crowd faded into a distant blur, and all that remained was the overwhelming sense of loss. In the midst of the chaos and the crushing grief, Colleen's heart broke as she finally accepted the harsh reality, her best friend was gone. —
Colleen's sobs slowly quieted as the cold reality of the scene faded into the background. Her breathing was ragged, and she felt a sudden shift.
Malia's gentle voice cut through the memory. "Uyab, I'm going to head to the bedroom na ha, I love you," Malia said softly, smiling faintly. Colleen managed a weak nod in response, unable to meet her wife's gaze.
As Malia retreated, Colleen stood alone in their living room, the heaviness of her grief still palpable. She felt detached, as if the pain had somehow transported her to another time and place. Desperate to divert herself, she wandered over to the bookshelf, her gaze falling on a collection of old photo albums.
Her hands trembled as she pulled one down and opened it, trying to focus on the familiar images. Each turn of the page revealed snapshots of happier times—moments filled with laughter and joy.
Colleen's heart ached as she saw Maki and Althea, their faces glowing with life, surrounded by friends who were once her family.
One photo in particular caught her eye—Maki and Althea in the center, laughing and carefree, with Colleen and others beaming beside them. It was a snapshot of a simpler, happier time, a sharp contrast to the void she felt now.
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Colleen's fingers traced the edges of the photograph, her tears streaming anew. She sank onto the couch, clutching the album as if it could pull her back to those better days.
The laughter and warmth captured in the images felt both comforting and cruel, a reminder of the joy that had once been.
As she looked at the frozen smiles, the ache in her heart grew deeper, underscoring the reality of the loss she was struggling to accept.
Colleen then remembered the first time she saw Agnes at the swimming try-outs. The resemblance to Althea was striking and overwhelming.
Agnes' presence felt like an echo from the past, stirring up a deep grief Colleen thought she had learned to manage. Every day, every interaction with Agnes was a painful reminder of the joy Althea had brought into their lives, lives that were now shadowed by loss.
Her anguish only deepened when Colleen met Maiko. It was haunting. Maiko mirrored not just her best friend's features, but also the qualities that Maki had, making Colleen feel as though she was reliving the pain all over again.
In Maiko's eyes, Colleen saw the ghost of Maki's laughter, a haunting sound that pressed down on her with an unbearable, suffocating weight.
The agonizing difficulty of getting close to Maiko only made Colleen's heart ached even more. She longed to hug her, not merely for comfort, but to relive the lost feeling of holding Maki again.
Each time she saw Maiko, an overwhelming desire to reach out and hold her gripped her heart, a desperate yearning to feel once more the warmth that was taken from her.
Watching her wife tenderly embrace Agnes only intensified Colleen's emotions, as she stood on the outside, unable to bridge the gap between herself and the reflection of her beloved Maki in the form of Maiko.
Despite the heartaches, Colleen still found solace in the small glimpses she caught of Maiko from afar during every competition Agnes competed in.
Though it was only a fleeting sight, it was enough. Colleen settled into the bittersweet reality, content to see Maiko and Agnes together, a living reflection of her lost Maki and Althea.
The pain of loss remained, but in those brief moments, she found a sense of peace, knowing that in some way, a part of Maki and Althea's love still lingered on.
In her heart, Colleen whispered silent wishes for Maiko and Agnes. Colleen often found herself smiling in the small moments the two would interact, believing that perhaps Maiko and Agnes could create the happy ending that Maki and Althea never had.
