How Did It End? (HamBebe)

We Hereby Conduct This Post-Mortem

Sheena couldn't escape the tormenting loop, each memory of Gwen a sharp blade that cut deeper with every pass. She replayed it all, desperate to find that precise, gut-wrenching moment when their world began to crack, when the warmth between them faded into a chilling distance. It felt like clawing at a dream that once held her close, now dissolving into a haunting fog that slipped cruelly through her fingers. In the suffocating silence of the night, after waking from dreams that mocked her, Sheena's heart would scream the question she dreaded: How did it all fall apart?

Maybe it was that afternoon during dance practice when Sheena first noticed the closeness between Ate Aiah and Gwen? It didn't make sense. The two girls weren't even that close— Ate Aiah was usually with Ate Colet or Mikha. Everyone knew that. But things between Ate Aiah and Mikha had been strained lately, their friendship on rocky ground. So seeing Ate Aiah with Gwen, laughing and walking side by side, felt strange and unsettling in a way Sheena couldn't quite explain.

Sheena stood there, heart sinking, forcing a smile to hide the growing tightness in her chest. Something had changed. The air felt different.

She tried to shake it off with a joke, her voice light, masking the worry gnawing at her. "Ate Aiah, bakit kayo sabay ni Bebe? You're making agaw Bebe from me!" She said it playfully, but deep down, it felt more like a plea, a cry for reassurance that everything was still the same.

But Sheena could never be mad at Ate Aiah, not really. How could she, when Ate Aiah was the kindest person she knew? The most patient, loving, and selfless Ate Aiah—the one who always knew how to make others feel cared for.

Ate Aiah had just laughed softly, brushing aside Sheena's fears with that ever-gentle warmth. "Sleepover ako sayo mamaya," she said, smiling like it was nothing at all. And Gwen had smiled too, as if the moment meant nothing to either of them. But for Sheena, it was the beginning of something she didn't know how to name.

Of course, she had smiled back—because how could she not? "No! I want to solo Bebe because you made agaw," she teased, forcing the grin to stay even as her chest tightened with an ache she couldn't shake. But beneath the playful words, that sinking feeling lingered, like a crack forming in a foundation she once believed unbreakable. Gwen is hers. Right?

Then came the time when Sheena got her first boyfriend. It had been thrilling, exciting—something new and exhilarating that made her feel alive in ways she hadn't expected. But Gwen had been distant, disapproving from the start. Sheena still remembered the look on Gwen's face that night they had finally talked about it, a sadness in her eyes that Sheena had never seen before. It was more than just disapproval; it was a deep, unspoken fear that had been growing between them.

After days of disagreements and tension, Gwen had finally broken the silence. "We need to talk, Shee," Gwen had said softly, her voice trembling in a way that Sheena knew this conversation wasn't going to be easy.

Sheena had nodded, already feeling the weight of guilt pressing on her. "I know, Bebe. I'm sorry for how things have been lately. I've been distant, and I know it's hurt you." She tried to explain, but even as she spoke, the words felt insufficient. Gwen's distance wasn't just about Sheena's new relationship—it was about everything that had been shifting between them.

"Bebe, I feel like I'm losing you," Gwen's voice cracked, and Sheena saw the tears in her eyes. It was the first time Gwen had ever been so vulnerable, so openly hurt, and it crushed Sheena to see it. Gwen, who had always been her strength, was now breaking before her eyes.

Sheena had reached for Gwen's hands, desperate to hold onto something that felt like it was slipping through her fingers. "I'm so sorry, Bebe. I promise I'll do better. I'll make more time for us. I don't want to lose you." She meant it. Every word. But the guilt in her chest told her that the distance between them wasn't just because of her boyfriend. It was deeper than that.