Your Lucky One

Chapter Thirteen: Crossed Wires

Trese Anaya's Point of View

"Oh, talaga ba, Praise?" I asked sarcastically, as I leaned against the wall of the garage, arms crossed. She still wasn't looking at me, and the tension between us was palpable. Since that night, she had been giving me the cold shoulder, acting like I didn't even exist. And to top it all off, I had no idea she was dating Kasha. "I didn't know, no!" I added, pushing for a reaction, kahit galit na siya, I wanted her to acknowledge me at least. 

I thought before we all met today ay okay na kami kasi sumipot siya sa practice namin ngayon. But since kanina wala siyang ibang ginawa kung hindi magsungit at sadyaing magkamali. Of course, I'll be pissed. I looked at her, but praise barely flicked her eyes toward me, scoffing quietly under her breath. That infuriating, dismissive attitude made my blood boil even more. But before I could say anything else, Fonso, who had been sitting quietly on the couch, suddenly spoke up. 

"Pwede bang tumahimik kayo?" Fonso snapped, his voice dripping with irritation. He wasn't even trying to hide his frustration at this point, kanina pa kami paulit ulit ng kinakanta. If I were in his shoes, watching me and Praise pissing each other for the last thirty minutes, I'd be pissed off too.

He wasn't wrong. This back-and-forth between Praise and me had been escalating for days, and it wasn't just affecting us. The rest of the band was caught in the crossfire, and Fonso, being the most neutral one, was clearly done with our petty drama.

"Fix your issues like adults," Dale chimed in next, not even looking up as he placed his bass guitar on the floor. He stood up, pulled out his vape pen, and blew a cloud of smoke in my direction before walking off.  So ganon ba ang adult?

"Oh really, Dale? That's the adult thing to do?" I shouted after him, but he just kept walking.

The tension hung heavy in the air as I looked around. We were supposed to be rehearsing, and gearing up for our gig tonight. It was our first time playing the new setlist, and I wanted it to be perfect.  I had even invited Lenore again, hoping to make it extra special. But, of course, everyone had their own issues, and they weren't exactly helping. Hindi sila nakikisama ngayon.

"Kailangan niyo siguro ng hangin," Fonso spoke again, his voice calmer this time but still distant. "Let's take a break. Let's be back here at 3 p.m."

Fonso had been distant lately—detached, even. Minsan na lang siya magpakita, and when he did, he was a shadow of his usual self. I wanted to ask him what was going on, pero something told me to wait. Maybe he'd open up when he was ready. For now, I had to focus on fixing this mess. So I nodded and watched him grab his guitar and leave.

As I turned to walk toward Praise, hoping to finally break the ice, she grabbed her drumsticks and tossed them in the air, her face twisted into a scowl. Her glare was sharp enough to cut glass. Sinamaan niya ako ng tingin, and I hated it—yung maldita niyang expression, yung cold, dismissive way she looked at me as if I was just another problem she didn't have the energy to deal with. Like Dale, she walked out without another word.

Now I was alone. Great.

I stood there, alone in the empty garage, feeling the weight of everything crush down on me. I hated this—feeling like the odd one out like I was the reason everything was falling apart.  I decided to go to 7-Eleven.  Walking distance lang naman, and I figured a cold bottle of water might help cool my head—and maybe calm the heat rising inside me.

As I walked into 7-Eleven, the cool air from the store's AC washed over me, providing instant relief from the heat. Pero pagtingin ko there the snack aisle,  I saw someone,  Diego... with Kasha. Again. On a Saturday.