Dying Embers

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five: End Call

It's only been a week. Pero parang ang tagal na.

For the past few days, halos every afternoon magkasama kami ni Chance pagkatapos ng practices niya. Minsan, hinihintay ko siya sa gym, doon sa may bench malapit sa vending machine, o kaya sa stadium kapag kakatapos lang ng last class ko. From there, we'd go somewhere simple. A quick stop sa café na lagi naming pinupuntahan, or a walk sa park habang nagse-set na 'yong araw, o 'di naman kaya ay tumatambay lang kaming dalawa sa sasakyan niya. It became our routine. And honestly, I got used to it. Maybe... too much.

Now that he and his team left for the next city for their intensive training, everything feels off. The silence hits different. The City Meet is just around the corner, and soon, the whole campus will be caught in the rush. Teachers preparing logistics, athletes practicing till late, even the cheer dancers perfecting their stunts.

Pati sa journalism team, busy rin. The sports writers, photojournalists — lahat may kanya-kanyang coverage. As officers, we're expected to help. Pero kahit na sobrang dami ng gagawin, there's still this hollow space somewhere inside me. Like I'm moving through the week half-aware, half-waiting for something or someone.

Sa section namin, halos kalahatian lang ang pumasok ngayon. Some teachers just left us with reading materials and worksheets. Tahimik ang buong room, and even that silence felt heavy.

"God, I just want to go home already," I mumbled, stretching my arms as Jilliana and I headed to the cafeteria.

The place was unusually quiet. Walang masyadong estudyante, at kahit ang tunog ng electric fan parang mas malakas pa kaysa sa mga usapan. We walked to the farthest, quietest corner and sat down.

"What do you want to eat?" tanong ni Jilliana, habang inaayos ang bag niya sa tabi ng upuan.

"Kahit ano. I'm not that hungry," I said, forcing a small smile.

"Okay, wait here." Tumayo siya at pumunta sa counter, leaving me alone.

I rested my chin on my hand, eyes drifting toward the window. The light outside looked pale, like it hadn't decided whether to stay or fade. Ano na kaya ginagawa ni Chance ngayon? Kumain na kaya siya? I hoped he wasn't pushing himself too hard. Knowing him, he probably was.

I bit my lip, then pulled out my phone. Walang message. No new notifications, just the same blank screen that had been taunting me all morning.

I opened our chat anyway. My fingers hovered over the keyboard.

To Chance:

'I miss you...'

I stared at it for a second, then groaned softly. Too much. Too obvious. I deleted it.

I tried again.

'Sana ayos ka lang dyan. Message me when you have time, please.'

I frowned. Too needy. Parang hindi ako 'to.

My thumb hovered over the send button for a while before I gave up and locked my phone. I slumped against the chair, letting out a sigh.

The cafeteria felt emptier than usual, parang pati hangin may kulang. I tried to brush it off, tell myself he's just busy, na malapit na ang City Meet, na dapat maintindihan ko. But it's strange, how one person's absence can change everything, how silence suddenly feels louder when it's him you're waiting for.

I tapped my fingers against the table, then whispered under my breath, "Busy lang siya... 'yon lang 'yon."

But even then, the ache didn't go away.