Rival Hearts

CHAPTER 6

Days passed, and the weekend finally arrived. I opened my eyes, staring up at our white ceiling. Rubbing my eyes, I sat on the edge of my bed, still half-asleep and just staring at the wall with random thoughts running through my mind.

My vision was blurry, and my eyes felt heavy. Sleep still lingered in my system. I yawned, made my bed, and freshened up.

"Himala, 'di ako ginising ni Mama ngayon," I thought to myself, still a bit amazed.

I let out a heavy sigh and grabbed my phone to check for messages. It was already 8:00 a.m. Of course, it's the weekend, kaya tanghali na ako nagising.

When I opened my Instagram, I saw a message from Ellie, sent just 20 minutes ago. It was still fresh.

From: elliedafaq

Hey, let's go to the mall. BFF bonding!

I reacted with a heart to her message and quickly typed a reply. After sending it, I opened my bedroom door, planning to set my phone on my study table when it suddenly rang.

"Oh gosh! What time are we going?" Ellie asked, already on the other line.

"Maybe 9:30. I just woke up," I replied lazily.

"Just woke up? Seriously?" she said. I couldn't see her face, but I knew she was probably rolling her eyes.

"Bakit ba?" I retorted, yawning.

"Yuck, ang baho ng hininga mo 'te. Amoy ko hanggang dito," she teased dramatically.

"Tse! Ang O.A. mo naman. Magto-toothbrush na nga ako!" I said, a bit annoyed.

"Fine, basta 9:30 tayo aalis. Bye!" I added, yawning again.

"Okay, just-" She didn't get to finish because I ended the call.

Bahala siya sa buhay niya. Basta, 9:30 kami aalis, and I'm not changing my mind.

I went downstairs and spotted Mom and Levi eating together. They were discussing something but stopped when they noticed me. They looked my way before returning their attention to their food.

"Woah, princess, you're awake," Mom said. Ugh. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes-baka kurutin na naman ako.

"Mukhang bihis na bihis kayo, Mom, Levi," I observed.

"We're going grocery shopping. Sama ka?" Mom offered.

"And we're going to church too," she added.

"'Wag nyo na isama si Ate. Baka masunog lang 'yan pag tumungtong sa simbahan," Levi chimed in, grinning.

"Dafaq, Lev?! Eh kung sakalin kita diyan?" I snapped, rolling my eyes at him. Then I told Mom I wasn't going, since Ellie and I planned to go to the mall for some best friend bonding time.

"Talaga bang hindi ka sasama?" Mom asked, double-checking.

"Hindi po," I replied politely.

"Sige, ikaw na ang maghugas ng plato," she said.

"Mom," I groaned in frustration. Seriously? And my mood worsened when I looked behind Mom.

He was laughing his head off.

"Levi?!" I yelled.

"Anong nakakatawa?" I asked, annoyed.

"Maghuhugas ng plato ah-" He didn't finish his sentence because I pinched his side, irritated.

"Aray ko!" he yelped.

"Anong sabi mo? Ano? Ulitin mo nga!" I taunted, exasperated.

"Tama na 'yan, Leyi, Levi!" Mom yelled.

"Kung hindi lang kita kapatid, nasapak na kita," I muttered, glaring at him.

"Nye nye," he replied, sticking his tongue out. I was about to pinch him again when Mom dragged him away, and they left the house.

"Sige na, alis na kami, Leyi. Ikaw na ang bahala diyan!" Mom called out.

Padabog akong pumunta ng kusina para maghugas ng Plato. I hummed a song as I cleaned, but suddenly, a mug slipped from my hands, crashing onto the floor.

My heart pounded, but I thought, Okay lang yan. Isa lang naman 'yon at hindi ko sinasadya. Madaming sabon kasi kaya dumulas.

I remembered I hadn't eaten yet, so I went back to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. Even though we were going to the mall, I wanted to eat just in case we didn't get to grab food there. Gutomin din ang babaeng 'to.

- **Fast Forward** -

I just wore a simple cardigan with a white shirt underneath-matching with high-waisted jeans and a pair of white sneakers.

I already texted Ellie that I was at the mall. I checked the time and saw she still had about 15 minutes. It was just 9:15; I'd arrived early since I only had to wash the dishes.

Naglibot-libot ako sa labas ng mall while waiting. As I walked around, I saw a familiar face. It was him-Hanz.

"Shit, Ellie, ang tagal mo," I muttered under my breath.

I kept backing away until I bumped into someone behind me. Shit. My heart raced; I felt like it was going to jump out of my chest, and I couldn't move.

When I turned around, it was Ellie. Laughing.

"Girl, what happened?" she asked, laughing her ass off.

"Dafaq, Ellie? Halos mamatay na nga ako sa kaba, ikaw lang pala 'yan?!" I huffed, annoyed.

"There are tons of people here, Reign. Let's just eat; gutom lang siguro yan," she said with a grin on her freakin' face.

I rolled my eyes and followed her. While walking, I still caught glimpses of Hanz's face. Ano ba 'yan? Kung nasaan ako, nandun din siya. Kailan ba ako magiging malaya? Aghh.

We went to a restaurant inside the mall-a green-themed spot known for their grilled chicken.

I let Ellie order for us since she already knew what I liked. I reserved a table, and we got number 13.

Ellie returned to our table, and we waited for our food to arrive.

"Anyare, gurl? Bakit parang kabado ka kanina?" she asked.

"Nakita ko na naman yung hipokritong iyon," I replied honestly. That was the real reason.

"What? Baka in love na ang beshy ko," she teased in an exaggerated tone. Kairita kang babae ka.

"Anong in love? Eh kung sakalin kaya kita?!" I shot back, raising my left eyebrow.

She just rolled her eyes and laughed even harder. Our food finally arrived, and we started eating. Just rice, grilled chicken, and some orange juice-not bad for a morning meal.

While eating, I noticed Hanz was at another table, glancing at our direction. Kanina pa ba sila? Shit. I needed to hurry up.

"Aba 'te, hinay-hinay. Wala tayo sa inyo," Ellie said.

"No, we need to go. Nandiyan yung hipokrito," I replied.

"Nu ba 'yan? Sige na nga, mabulunan ka sana," she muttered in frustration.

We quickly finished the remaining food and juice.

"We gotta go," I said seriously.

We called the waiter and were about to leave when I realized I'd forgotten my bag. Tss.

I grabbed my bag, and we hurried out.

Next stop: shopping!