Take A Chance With Me

3: quick changes

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MAVEN

The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, and I packed up my things, still thinking about the events from earlier.

It was a good day—great, even. Jaimie had said yes to being my date for the ball, and I couldn't wait to tell Ac all about it earlier in the area.

But something had been off since the soccer field, and it nagged at me the entire afternoon.

Cress hadn't been herself. She was quiet, distant, and the look on her face when I found her in the infirmary stayed with me like a shadow.

I swung my bag over my shoulder and made my way to the front gate, expecting to see her there as always.

This was our routine—uwian na, we'd meet up, take a ride together, talk about our day.

It had always been our thing since we became friends, no matter how busy we got.

But today, as I walked toward our usual spot, a strange feeling twisted in my stomach.

Wala siya.

Cress wasn't waiting for me by the gate.

I glanced around, my eyes scanning the crowd of students. My heart sank when I didn't spot her familiar figure in the sea of faces.

'Maybe she's still in the infirmary?'

I thought, picking up my pace as I headed back inside.

I found her near the exit, walking quickly with her head down, as if she was trying to avoid being seen.

And that's when I noticed him—Ken—walking beside her. The sight made me pause for a moment, a small frown tugging at my lips.

I knew Ken and Cress were childhood friends, but something about this felt different.

"Cress” I called out, jogging over to them.

She flinched at the sound of my voice but didn't stop walking. Ken glanced over his shoulder, offering me a half-smile before looking back at my best friend.

“Hey,” I said, catching up to them. “Ba't hindi ka naghintay sa gate? I was looking for you.”

Ac gave me a quick glance, her expression tight, and then looked away.

“Sorry, Maven. I— I just have some things to do for my next book project. May mga kailangan akong asikasuhin.”

Her voice was quieter than usual, and there was something in her tone that made my chest tighten. I reached out, gently grabbing her arm to stop her.

“Cress, what's going on? You've been acting weird since the soccer field. Kung may problema, pwede mo naman sabihin sakin, diba?”

“Wala, Mavs. I'm just tired. And I really need to get started on my project. Ken's going to help me out, kaya siya na ang kasama ko pauwi.” She let out a small sigh, pulling her arm away gently.

I blinked, momentarily taken aback. Ken? Ac and I always went home together—this was our thing.

She never once mentioned Ken taking her home before. A strange, unfamiliar feeling swirled inside me, but I couldn't quite put a name to it.

“Pero we always go home together” I said softly, my voice uncertain. “What's going on, A? Why are you avoiding me?”

She hesitated for a second, her eyes darting to Ken, and then back to me. “I'm not avoiding you, Mavs. I just really need to focus on my book right now, okay? Don't worry about me.”