Endless Horizons ( Youth Series #1 )

01

Bzzzzzt...

"Ang aga-aga naman nito..."

I mutter, reaching blindly for my alarm clock as it buzzes loudly beside my bed. It's barely 5 AM, and here I am, already awake, already stressed.

"Ate, yung tinapay, sunog na!" Heather shouts, her tone a mix of panic and frustration.

Napabangon ako bigla. Agad-agad akong sumugod sa kusina, na halos matapilok pa dahil sa pagkamadali. Pagdating ko, nandun si Heather, ang kapatid ko

"Ano ba, Heather!" inis kong sabi habang kinukuha ang nasunog na tinapay sa kamay niya.

"Eh, Ate, sinunod ko lang naman 'yung sinabi mo," she mutters, all wide-eyed and innocent

"Next time, sundin mo na lang 'yung instincts mo, please," I sigh

I quickly pop another piece of bread into the toaster, making sure hindi magiging uling na naman ito. Heather lingers around, tapping her fingers on the counter, parang may pinaplano na naman.

"Ate," she starts, looking at me with her usual pa-cute face. "Kailan ka nga ulit magkaka-boyfriend?"

Ay, hindi talaga natatapos ang usapang ito.
I shake my head.

"Ay nako, Heather," I say, shaking my head. "Ano bang boyfriend-boyfriend na 'yan? Tignan mo nga ang schedule ko-umaga hanggang gabi, aral, asikaso, trabaho tapos kayo pa ni Mama at Papa. Saan ko isisingit ang lovelife?"

Heather raises her eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Eh kasi naman Ate, sa tingin ko masyado ka nang... seryoso. Nung high school pa lang, puro ka na academics. Hindi ka ba napapagod?"

"Of course napapagod," I say, sighing. "Pero kailangan ko magpursige, di ba? Saka, nakakatuwa naman yung may goal ka eh. Hindi naman kailangan lagi akong may drama sa lovelife para maging interesting ang buhay ko."

She chuckles, though there's something serious in her eyes. "Well, sana lang Ate, hindi mo masyadong pigain sarili mo. Lagi ka na lang masyadong focused sa 'future,' baka nakakalimutan mo na rin yung 'present.'"

I pause for a second, medyo nata-tamaan. "Kailangan ko talaga maging focused, Heather," I insist, masking my slight hesitation. "Para sa inyo rin naman ito, 'di ba? Kapag nakatapos ako, maiaahon ko rin kayo. Okay na akong walang distraction."

She just shrugs and heads to the table, all while giving me a teasing smile. "Bahala ka, Ate. Pero tandaan mo, isipin mo rin ang sarili mo, hindi puro kami lagi"

Tapos na ang agahan, at si Heather na ang nag-volunteer na mag-hugas ng pinggan. I'm sitting at my small study corner sa bahay. The table is littered with textbooks and notes, and as I take a deep breath, I focus on today's to-do list. Chemistry, calculus, physics.

Knock, knock.

"Ate, papasok ka na ba?" Tanong ni Heather pagpasok niya sa kwarto

"Mga fifteen minutes pa" I say, keeping my eyes on my notebook but sensing her sa pintuan.

"Sabay na tayo, please," she says, making puppy eyes.

I glance at her, and finally give in. "Okay, sabay na tayo. Pero bilisan mo ha, hindi ako maghihintay!"

She laughs and gives me a quick hug before rushing out, shouting, "Yes! Thank you, Ate!"

Pagkatapos kong mag-ayos ng gamit, we leave the house together and head to the jeepney terminal. Tahimik si Heather habang nakasakay kami, but I can feel her gaze on me every now and then, as if she's still thinking about our conversation earlier. I know na iniisip niya kung paano ko kaya kinakaya lahat ng ginagawa ko araw-araw.