The Roommate Situation

Chapter 1

Gracie

I plopped down on one of the stools behind the counter, exhausted. I watched my bestfriend and co-worker, Sunny, pour two shots of espresso into her drink.

"Gosh, Gracie. Mukha kang malungkot na palaka," komento ni Sunny matapos niya akong tapunan ng tingin.

"Thanks," sagot ko. "Just the vibe I'm going for."

"So bakit ka wala sa mood today? Is it still the Roommate Saga?" tanong niya habang nililinisan ang espresso machine na gamit niya.

I groaned. "Ugh, yes. Ang hirap maghanap ng matinong roommate, teh! 'Yung isa gusto kasama ang jowa, 'yung isa may alagang ahas, 'yung isa tamang 'good vibes' daw ang ibabayad sa'kin."

"Parang okay 'yung may alagang ahas, ah? They won't eat your snacks."

"Oh, it won't, kasi baka mas prefer akong kainin, sis."

Sunny leaned against the counter. "Ikaw kasi, mi. Pinalayas mo 'yung ex-roommate mo." Pang-aasar niya.

Nag-360° ang mata ko. "Deserve niya naman. Ayokong maging accomplice sa pangangabit niya. Saka ayon sa mga reditors, Di Ako Gago for ratting her out." I said, referring to the reddit post I made sa r/AkoBaYungGago.

"Oo nga pala. Nag-post ka pala du'n. Wala bang nag-dm sa'yo, baka naman may naghahanap din ng shared apartment."

I frowned. "Well, I got a bunch of replies, but they were all... questionable."

"Oh, come on," Sunny said, grinning. "You have to tell me!"

Nilabas ko ang phone ko at nag-backread sa inbox ng reddit account ko. "Let's see. There's this guy na 'ibe-bless niya daw ang apartment ko with healing crystals' but in one condition, hindi daw siya magbabayad ng rent during Mercury retrograde. Then we have this girl na may alagang pitong pusa, and oh, my personal favorite—someone who only communicates in haikus."

Sunny burst out laughing. "Haikus?! Seryoso?"

"Oo. Ito sinend niya: 'Two rooms, one sweet deal. I will bring peace to your home. Also, I need cash.'"

"Pure art," Sunny declared, wiping tears from her eyes.

"True the rain," I said flatly, feeling defeated. "At this point, tinanggap ko na lang talaga na karma ko 'to at wala na akong mahahanap na matinong roommate."

As if on cue, my phone vibrated. I picked it up and saw a notification from reddit.

"Hmm.." I muttered.

"Ano 'yun?" tanong ni Sunny, craning her neck to look at my phone.

"Someone just dmed me on reddit. User... NightOwl97?"

"Oh great," Sunny teased. "Definitely not a vampire or something."

Hindi ko siya pinansin at binuksan na ang message.

NightOwl97:

Hey, do you need a roommate? Where's your location?

I frowned at the screen. Kapag siraulong tao nanaman 'to, magwawala na 'ko, promise.

"Ano sa tingin mo?" I asked Sunny.

"I think you're about to overthink this," she replied, sipping on her coffee.

Tinapat ko sa mukha niya ang screen. "What if serial killer 'to? I can't give my location to this random dude!"

"You know walang serial killer sa Pinas, right?"

"Source?"

"Myself, 'cause I could've been the first honestly," she rolled her eyes at me. "Ikaw na lang mag-ask ng location niya since you're not willing."