As Time Passes By

Chapter twelve: Cookies?

By the 23rd of December, class has ended for Christmas break. I have spent the last few days hanging out with Noah and Ru through texting random stuff that made our brains forget about algebra formulas

I didn't know what to do the entire break, which led me to play GTA V day by day or just stroll on random malls with one of my cousins.
I was getting more and more attached to Noah every single day. But to be honest, he was like a virus that is really hard to be cured. Like seriously.

One gloomy night, Layla and Giselle had stayed on my safe house for a sleepover after New Year's Eve. The whole house was decorated in the finest Christmas decorations and the best part: The Christmas tree.

"You're over-decorating." Giselle blurted while eating one of the cookies I placed in the counter to cool down. Layla laughed like a moron and even slapped my shoulder because she couldn't keep her emotions in check.

I let out an amused chuckle and walked towards the kitchen counter to escort the group ube puto out of the steamer. It wasn't snowing outside, literally because we're in the Philippines, and it NEVER snows no matter how I prayed to God when I was five years old to have snow in Mindanao.

You know, my dreams were bigger than me thinking about my future.

Layla took a wooden spoon and started using it as a weapon to keep on annoying Giselle.

I was silently praying my soul for them not to leave my house with bruises and scars or else I'd kill myself right here and right now.

"Stwapp!" Giselle hissed childishly at Layla while I placed the putos on the bowl while silently listening to their cute argument.

As I settled the steamed cakes aside, Giselle's attention turned to the heavenly smell, and her expression softened. "PUTTTOO!" Giselle exclaimed cheerfully before attacking the steamed puto entirely. Layla was amused and also took a cake, munching it in just one bite.

But I couldn't help but think of Noah again.

I became even more clinged to him each passing day, which was more distracting.

"Primo," Layla spoke up, breaking the verbal fight between me and stupidity. I looked at them with a confused look, watching them take the last cake without ME taking even one of the puto.

"Bro!" I screamed just before Giselle could smash the puto in her mouth and snatched it out of her hands.

Layla laughed softly and patted my back while I munched the puto in front of Giselle's disappointed face. "Little bitch." Giselle blurted jokingly as she stood up and walked towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Layla glared at Giselle for calling me a 'bitch', but I'm fine. "Lays, I'm old." I rolled my eyes after Layla's attention came to me. "You're just a child in her junior year! You're thirteen!" Layla exclaimed with disappointment. "Chill, sister. She's old enough to swear and curse." Giselle winked at me while Layla watched in disbelief. Mother material!

After a few hours of chatting, watching coffee and vanilla; throwing popcorn at each other, dance breaking randomly, and even trying to bake a box of cookies.

It was already 10 o'clock, and both the non identicals were asleep in the most awkward positions on the couch, while I scrolled through Instagram for entertainment since I couldn't sleep yet.

I walked upstairs, barely making a sound but just my emerald necklace chiming as I walked up to the master bedroom and onto the balcony.

I slid myself on the huge glass sliding door, revealing the full night sky, stars bloomed beautifully and softly in the surface.

The cold breeze made my spine shiver, which resulted me to chuckle to myself.

I never felt so alive and free, remembering the time back when stupidity never thought of anything... that I convinced special to my life.

The flowers across the street were circling their smell on the air, creating a soft breeze.

"Loser," I muttered to myself while my stupidity kept jumping up and down on my brain to chat with Noah. I wouldn't lie. It was almost midnight, and literally almost everybody in this subdivision is asleep.

I took out my phone and read most of my unreads, I have not been active ever since Christmas has started and made myself occupied by over-decorating the house.

But, hey! At least you weren't being too much of a Gen Z! Right?

Well, I guess stupidity is right. I went back inside to the master bedroom and pulled out a book. I was getting bored, and I couldn't sleep without me thinking that cookie monster was looking at me even though he was just a character.

Eventually, I fell asleep at almost 1 am. Crap!