Maybe Next Time

Chapter 20

Mamang helped me pack last night. I brought 3 tops, 3 pairs of pants, and 2 pairs of pajamas. I also packed our corporate attire uniform since that’s what we’ll be wearing for the competition.

The competition is tomorrow, so we have to travel six hours to get to Davao. Gumising ng maaga sina Mamang at Papang para ihatid ako sa school.

When we arrived at school, Ate Lysandra, Rey, and Lachlan were already there. Rey told me that Lachlan was the first to arrive. We were just waiting for Ellie so we could start our trip

Binigyan ako ng pocket money of 2,000 pesos ni Mamang. I told her it wasn’t necessary since the school would cover all our expenses for the competition. But she insisted, so I accepted it.

Mamang kissed my cheeks and told me to text her when we arrived. I kissed and hugged her back, saying, "I love you."

Pag alis nina Mamang ay siya ring pagdating ni Ellie. Since nandito na siya ay agad na kaming umalis. Ma'am Riel told us na si Sir Bert ang magiging driver namin sa Davao kaya hindi na namin kailangan pang mag commute.

During the trip, I watched the different trees pass by when we were in the provinces and buildings when we were in the cities. It felt so refreshing to be able to travel this far.

Ang mga kasama ko naman ay mahimbing nang natutulog. Si Ellie lang ang hindi natutulog. She keeps on talking with Ma'am Riel dahil katabi niya ito. Si Lachlan naman ay nakaupo sa passenger seat. He's a passenger prince for today. Tatlo kami ang nasa back seat.

I glanced at Lachlan and saw him looking at me through the front mirror. I quickly looked away, feeling my heart race just from his gaze.

Since I had four more hours to wait, I decided to take a nap as well. It felt like we were on a roller coaster because the car kept making sharp turns.

When lunch came ay kumain kami sa Jolibee dahil nagugutom na raw si Ma'am Cat. She told us to go inside and line up while Sir Bert parked the car. We invited Ma'am Riel to join us, but she gently pushed us forward, telling us to go ahead and order.

The five of us entered the building. Ate Lysandra lined up while Rey and I stood behind her. They were already listing what they wanted to eat. The three of them ordered burger steak, and chicken joy naman sa akin because I find the taste of burger steak a bit odd. I'm used to eating burgers in a bun.

I looked at Lachlan sitting. Ni-isa ay walang lumalapit sa kaniya. Siguro dahil napaka intimidating ng awra niya. Umupo ako sa tabi nito at tinanong.

"Anong order mo?" tanong ko.

"Ikaw." sagot nito.

"Baliw! Seryoso nga" saway ko sakaniya.

"Yeah. I mean ikaw? anong order mo?"

Yun pala! Akala ko ay ako ang oorderin niya. Nakakahiya.

"Chicken Joy. Yun din ba ang order mo?" tanong ko sakaniya.

"Yes."

"Okay!"

I left him and told Ate Lysandra na chicken joy din ang order ni Lachlan.

Pagdating namin sa dining table ay puro burger steak ang inorder nila. Ako, si Lachlan at Sir Bert lang ang nag order ng chicken joy.

Since I was a fast eater, I finished my meal first. I cleaned up my area slowly because it would be rude to clear my space while they were still eating.

Lachlan didn’t finish his food and quickly went to the restroom. When he came back, Ma'am Cat asked him why he didn’t finish his meal.

"Bakit hindi mo inubos Lach? Busog ka na?" she asked.