The Beats of Your Heart

Chapter 4

I wake up to a pounding headache. 

Thin shafts of light filter through the blinds of my room. I rub my face. A cream ceiling stares back down at me. 

I rummage around for my phone and find it under the rumpled sheets. I open it to five missed calls, and 26 chats and groupchat notifications. 

My eyes catch the lone ECash notification sitting on top. I click on it. 

You sent P6,000 to A***y B***o. 
Your new balance is now 1XXX. 

I narrow my eyes. I exit the app and click over to my messages.

Avery: For last night plus my shattered phone screen 
also fuck you for that 

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Fuck. I did that. I don't remember shit. I delete the text and go to Messenger. 

Three missed calls from Reiner, and two from Yohan. I click on Yohan's chat and dial her. 

She picks up on the first ring. 

"Where were you last night? We waited for you." 

Oh, fuck. 

"I was busy." I rasp out. I try to clear my throat, but to no avail. I sit up straight on the bed. 

"Bullshit," Yohan snaps, disappointment dripping from her voice. "You dismissed the band early after your performance of the exhibition piece, Dom told me." 

"Look, I'm sorry. I'll make it upー" 

"I couldn't care less about what you do with your own time, but at least honor your word when you say you're gonna attend our family dinner."

Yohan hangs up the call. 

I take a slow, deep breath. I lower the phone from my ear. I stop myself from throwing it against the wall. 

I follow the small tick, tick, tick of the wall clock, my headache pulsing in time with them. 

I see a memory of her smiling in my mind and I hold on to it. I take in another deep breath, it rattles in my chest. My vision clears and I focus on my phone again. 

I click on Reiner's previous chat. 

Yaquel ma'am wants to talk to you in her office ASAP 

I leave his message a thumbs-up reaction and close the chat. My eyes then catch her name in one of the band groupchats. 

Shaira: ?? what do you mean betrayal?

Dom: last night 
you running off just because YOUR BF called

. . . 

I throw my phone against the wall.

•●○●•

I read over the contents of my Prospectus as our Program Head talks about it in front of the shared class. 

Fundamentals of Political Science… Introduction to the Philippine Government and Politics… Philippine Public Administration… 

"Hey," 

Government and Politics of Southeast Asia… 

"Excuse me," 

An Introduction to Comparative Government andーSomething taps my arm. 

"What?" 

A pair of heavy eyes look back at me. Girl, long, frizzy black hair floating around her head. Plain white t-shirt. A beaded black necklace hanging low from her neck.