The JC chronicles (PUBLISHED - PINK AND PURPLE)

5. Best friend's competition

 Dear Heart, 

Feb 14, 2001

It's Valentine's Day and I baked a cake for him – not just a cake but a heart – shaped cake. I wanted so much to give him this cake, excited pa nga ako, but as I walk towards his classroom, nakita ko na maraming babae na ang nagbibigay sa kanya ng cake, and the fact that Amber – his new girlfriend was beside him while he was entertaining those girls, made me regret the time I spent on making this cake. So in the end, I decided not to give the cake to him, the cake ended up being his best friend's Valentine's Day gift.

xxxx

"Hindi ka lang na-Maja Salvador, Ate, Na-Gerald Anderson ka pa."

Kumunot ang noo ni Alexis nang mabasa niya ang text ni Apollo. She was inside the supermarket buying supplies for their home, nasa trabaho naman ang kapatid niya at dahil mahaba-haba pa ang lalakarin niya she thought of texting her sister. She just wanted to know kung anong bang ginagawa nito sa ospital, in the end, nagaka-tsismisan pa silang dalawa. She told her what happened at the Araneta Coliseum a week ago.

Wala siyang pinagsabihan noon. Mas pinili niya pang sarilinin na lang ang sakit na nararamdaman niya kaysa sabihin niya pa iyon sa kung kanino man. After that night, things between her and Anne was never the same. Literal na niya itong iniiwasan, kung noon ay palagi silang sabay, ngayon ay iba na ang sinasamahan nito. Not that she minds it, hindi rin naman niya kayang pakiharapan pa ito tulad ng dati.

Sayang ang friendship nila. Kumbaga, lahat ng sinabi nito noon tungkol kay Jacinto ay kinain nito.

She sighed. She decided to reply at her sister's text message, she wanted to know what na-Gerald Anderson means. Naa-amuse taaga siya sa kanyang kapatid. Kung anu-anong napaglalaman nito.

"Ayy!" Napadaing siya nang mabangga ng kung ano ang kanyang cart. Agad niyang ibinulsa ang I-phone niya at saka tumingin sa kanyang harapan, naroon ang may-ari ng cart na nakabangga sa kanya.

"Naku, kuya, sorry po." Sabi niya dito.

"Okay lang, teka, ikaw si Lexy..." Nanigas ang balikat niya nang marinig niyang banggitin nito ang kanyang pangalan. Immediately, she looked up and she saw Jacinto's best friend from high school, Gene.

Si Gene iyong lalaking sinigawan ni JC noon sa Araneta a week ago, ito ang may-ari ng isang team sa PBA at hindi siya makapaniwala dahil ang bata-bata nito. Gene was only twenty-nine years old, halos kasing edaran ni JC pero mukhang mas marami na itong na-achieve sa buhay. Gene was your typical, tall, dark and handsome man plus he's chinito kahit na kayumanggi ang kulay nito and that dimple on his cheeks make everything so much better.

"Ikaw pala iyan!" Nginitian niya ito. Gene smiled back at na-reveal ang mga biloy nito.

"Yup, palabas ka na ba?" He asked.

"Di pa, may mga bibilhin pa ako." She answered, hindi pa rin nawawala ang ngiti sa labi niya. Gene looked so fine wearing that gray sports shirt and those khaki shorts, naka-sandals lang ito at kitang-kita niya ang malinis nitong kuko. Hindi niya alam kung bakit but big deal sa kanya ang lalaking malinis sa paa. She liked seeing clean toenails.

"Sabay na tayo." He volunteered. Pumayag naman siya. They walked around the supermarket. At first she thought that things will be awkward between them but she found out that Gene was a nice person, masarap itong kausap at napapatawa siya nito.

"Sabi ni JC you were school mates, ibig sabihin school mate din kita."

"Yup, pero ahead kayo sa akin ng one year."