Saved by Time's Sand

Chapter 7: A Day of Surprises

Xierra's POV
The next morning started like any other. I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring next to my bed. "Sino bang nag-imbento ng alarm clock?!" I grumbled as I slammed the snooze button. After a few more minutes of lazing around, I finally forced myself out of bed, knowing that I couldn’t afford to be late again.

I quickly went through my morning routine—shower, brush teeth, get dressed, and put on a little bit of makeup. As I was finishing up, I noticed that I had a missed call from Aki. "Bakit kaya siya tumawag?" I wondered, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I grabbed my phone and texted her, “Sorry, Aki! I missed your call. Papunta na ako sa school. Kita na lang tayo doon!”

I hurried downstairs to find Mom already preparing breakfast. “Good morning, anak,” she greeted me with a warm smile as she set a plate of pancakes on the table.

“Good morning, Ma,” I replied, giving her a quick hug before grabbing a piece of toast.

“Kain ka muna ng mabuti. Alam kong maraming bago sa school, kailangan mo ng energy,” she said, her eyes full of concern.

“Oo nga, Ma. I will,” I promised, though I was more focused on getting out the door on time.

Winston was already waiting outside, leaning against the car as usual. I noticed that he seemed more relaxed today, less tense than the past few days. “Ready ka na?” he asked as I approached.

“Yup, let’s go,” I replied, getting into the passenger seat.

As we drove to school, the atmosphere in the car was lighter, almost comfortable. Wala kaming masyadong pinag-uusapan, pero hindi na kasing awkward tulad ng dati. It was a small step, but it felt like progress.

When we arrived at school, I spotted Aki and Feliz waiting for me near the entrance. “Xierra! Dito kami!” Feliz called out, waving her hand excitedly.

“Dali! Ang dami naming ikukwento sayo!” Feliz added, her face lit up with excitement.

I waved back at them, then turned to Winston. “Thanks, Kuya. See you later.”

“Okay. Ingat ka,” he replied, giving me a small nod before heading off to his own class.

As soon as I joined Aki and Feliz, they started bombarding me with stories about their new classmates and teachers. “Grabe, Xierra! May bagong transferee sa HUMSS. Ang gwapo, as in!” Feliz gushed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Talaga? Baka naman pogi lang sa paningin mo,” I teased, nudging her playfully.

“Hindi! Totoo nga!” Feliz chimed in. “Parang artista, promise!”

I laughed, feeling the stress of the morning melt away as we walked together to our classrooms. It was nice to have friends who could make even the most mundane things feel exciting.

As we reached the classroom, I took a deep breath before stepping inside. The familiar chatter of my classmates greeted me, and I quickly found my seat at the front. Gabriel was already there, busy flipping through her notes. “Good morning!” I greeted her with a smile.

“Good morning, Xierra. Ready ka na ba sa quiz mamaya?” she asked without looking up from her notes.

“Ha? Quiz?” I echoed, my eyes widening in surprise.

Gabriel finally looked up, smirking at my reaction. “Joke lang. Pero dapat handa ka palagi, baka may pop quiz si Sir.”

I rolled my eyes, half-relieved and half-annoyed. “Grabe ka, Gabriel! Akala ko totoo na!”

She laughed, and we spent the next few minutes chatting about the day’s lessons. As the morning classes progressed, I found myself getting more comfortable with the new routine. The subjects were challenging, but I was starting to get the hang of it. Plus, having Gabriel as a seatmate made things more bearable—she was sharp, quick-witted, and surprisingly easy to get along with.

By lunchtime, I was eager to meet up with Aki and Feliz again. We headed to the cafeteria together, and as we were looking for a table, I spotted Winston sitting alone, eating quietly. I was about to ignore him, as I usually did, when Aki suddenly spoke up.

“Uy, di ba kuya mo yun, Xierra?” he asked, pointing in Winston’s direction.

“Uh, yeah,” I replied, feeling a bit awkward. It's my first time seeing him eat alone in the school. He have lots of friends na lagi niyang kasama. "Siguro busy yung friends niya sa Org. ng school" Halos lahat naman kase ng friends niya ay academically active.

But before I could say anything else, Feliz grabbed my arm. “Let’s join him! Para hindi siya lonely,” she suggested, already pulling me towards Winston’s table.

“Wait—huh?!” I protested, but it was too late. They were already making their way over, dragging me along.

“Hi, Winston! Can we sit with you?” Feliz asked cheerfully, not giving him much of a choice.

Winston looked a bit surprised but quickly nodded. “Sure,” he said simply, moving his things to make room for us.

As we sat down, I felt a strange mix of embarrassment and gratitude. I wasn’t used to this—eating lunch with my brother and my friends all together. It felt… different, but not in a bad way.

We ate in relative silence at first, but Feliz, being the chatterbox that she was, soon started asking Winston questions about his classes, his teachers, and even his hobbies. To my surprise, Winston answered her questions, albeit a bit awkwardly. It was strange seeing him interact with my friends like this, but it was also nice in a way.

"So why are you alone Bro?" Aki asked. He is a guy, maybe that why he is kind of comfortable in talking to him?

"They're in a meeting. SSLG. I think. Hindi naman ako kasali so I didn't go. Not interested" It's the first long reply taht I have ever heard from him. Wow.

As the lunch period came to an end, I couldn’t help but notice that Winston seemed more at ease than he had been in the past. Maybe this new school year was affecting him as much as it was affecting me.

“See you later, Kuya,” I said as we parted ways, giving him a small wave.

“Yeah. See you,” he replied, giving me a rare, almost-smile before walking off to his next class.

As the afternoon classes began, I found it hard to focus. My thoughts kept drifting back to lunch, to how different things felt between Winston and me. Maybe it was just the newness of everything, but it felt like there was a shift happening—a slow, gradual change in our relationship.

By the time the final bell rang, I was ready to head home. The day had been full of surprises, and I needed time to process everything. As I packed up my things, Gabriel caught up with me. “Hey, may homework ka na ba sa Gen.Math?” she asked.

“Wala pa, bakit?” I replied, curious.

“Perfect. Sama ka sa study group namin mamaya? Para sabay-sabay na tayong mag-aral,” she suggested, her tone casual but inviting.

I hesitated for a moment. I wasn’t used to study groups, but then again, this year was all about trying new things. “Sige, I’ll join. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Great! Kita tayo sa library after school,” Gabriel said with a grin.

As I walked to the parking lot to meet Winston, I felt a strange mix of excitement and nervousness. This year was shaping up to be full of new experiences, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for all of them. But one thing was clear—I was no longer the same person I was when I started this journey. And maybe, just maybe, that was a good thing.

When I reached the parking lot, I found Winston already waiting by the car, as usual. But this time, when he saw me, he didn’t just nod or look away. Instead, he gave me a small, almost shy smile. “Let’s go?”

I smiled back, feeling a warmth spread through me. “Yeah. Let’s go home, Kuya.”

And as we drove away from school, I couldn’t help but feel that maybe, just maybe, this year was going to be different—better, even. And for the first time in a long while, I felt hopeful about what was to come.