Don't Let Go S1

S1 EP1 - ALL MY FRIENDS

This is written out of my love and compassion for all the people in this story. I have changed their names for their peace and privacy. I hope they get to read this one day and reminisce about their youth.

I write this to set our story in stone. For when we are long gone, our story will remain as proof that we existed. And our love for our friends was real.

I pray that as you read this, you read it with much understanding and love. To understand us for our mistakes, and love us for who we truly are.

Don't Let Go S1

It's just a normal Friday night. I tell myself as I pick out what combo to wear. I flip through freshly laundered clothes on the hamper and try to find something that would fit my mood. Blue sweater, gray jeans, blue jeans... I'm ruffling through them in the dark not knowing what I really want. I picture an outfit together in my head and rummage from the pile. I feel their textures and pull them out.

My name is Andrew. Or Addie to my friends and family. Born to Spanish Filipino parents, I don't resemble them at all. I got my Mom's skin tone and her eyes. From my Dad, I got his skin texture and wit. Aside from those, nothing else. I didn't get my Mom's height and also none of my Dad's musculature. My sister however, got all of my Mom's features. The brown eyes, the tall nose and the built. I think I might be adopted. But hospital pictures of my Mom giving birth to me say otherwise.

My Dad works for an international law firm so we've been moving around a lot. We moved to Doha when I was in first grade and Kuala Lumpur during middle school. We loved living abroad. It gave us freedom from family obligations and judgement. We loved being being able to do what we want and figure stuff out on our own. We loved being together surrounded by strangers.

College eventually came for me and my parents decided that going home would be more practical for me and my sister. We cried upon the thought of being alone in our hometown but there was no stopping it. I remember crying so hard because I couldn't bring my blanket as my bags were already overweight. My parents console me and tell me there would be better blankets back home. I cried more because I wanted what I already had. After hours of crying, my parents took pity on me and decided to splurge on extra baggage that allowed me to bring the blanket and a couple of pillows. Years later, I realized I wasn't crying because of the blanket. I cried because I knew there was no going back and the blanket was the last physical piece of my life there.

Back in our hometown, our relatives welcomed us with open arms. They were friendly and nice which made moving a little bit easier. They weren't there for us directly, but they were there whenever we needed something. Everyone here thinks we're loaded but we were never rich. Just slightly above comfortable living. Oh I can't tell you where I live. I'd have to kill you if I do.

I'm now a freshman at a top university in my hometown. With a city population of just about 300,000, it was easy to get in a top school.

I go out a lot. Me and my bestfriend Jonathan. There's nothing else to do around here.

Jonathan or Jomo (joe-moe) to me and our friends is fruity and famous. His family is loaded so we get a lot of invites to events and parties. It used to be just him getting invited and I'd just be his plus one. He made me a permanent attachment and now, I get invitations too as well. He feels like my brother from another mother. He could be my soulmate but we were just too similar to match. And if you were probably wondering, I'm fruity too.

I lay the chosen ones on the bed. A pair of black jeans and a hoodie. It was just a random Friday night after all. I move and turn the lights on.

My room floods my eyes. Messy and cramped. Clean and dirty clothes everywhere. Two messy beds and air conditioning on full blast. I dump all my used clothes on my sister's bed. We shared a room before she moved to the US after her graduation. I remember getting so mad at her. I stopped talking to her weeks before her flight. I didn't even look at her. She was leaving me and I couldn't do anything about it.