Playmaker

9

"It's hot."

She walked towards the curb.

"Where the hell is she?"

Stepping onto the road, only to get honked at by some guy on a tricycle.

"Juskopo, has it always been this hot here?"

Crossing her arms and walking back to where they were.

Standing outside a very crowded Ninoy Aquino International were Bret and Claire, who were watching Nadine pace from one end to another. Every few seconds she took turns between staring up at the sky with a look of disbelief that she was back in the Philippines and complaining about very minuscule things. To say Nadine was an anxious mess was an understatement at this point.

The 22 hours it took from New York to Manila, the pair had witnessed about every face that Nadine could possibly make when she was frustrated and trying to sleep. Halfway through the flight, Claire reminded Nadine that no one forced her to go back home with them, only to get a middle finger and grunt before she turned her back to them.

After about 15 minutes of her going in about every direction possible, a black SUV pulled up in front of them and the windows rolled down to reveal a female driver.

"Get in losers! We got a party to get to!" Yassi yelled out, clicking the trunk to open.

She ran out as Nadine ran up to her to give each other a hug. Nadine clung on to Yassi as if her life depended on it, while Yassi waved at Claire and Bret as they got their stuff and themselves into the car.

"You're gonna be okay, Nadz," Yassi said, prying Nadine off of her and guiding her into the front passenger's seat.

The car exited onto the main road and almost immediately came to a stop, making Nadine smile. As the group slowly made their way along EDSA, Nadine noticed the things that changed and the things that were always a constant as she grew up here. But the was one thing she knew about herself, as the car stopped for the nth time within 30 minutes, as that she was always going to be a city girl.

"If I ever leave the Philippines, I will never miss the traffic," Yassi said, snapping Nadine out of her thoughts.

Nadine looked up at the high rises along Greenbelt, emotions overcoming her as she knew they were getting closer to home. She didn't realize how much she missed home until she was actually back. But her nerves took over the minute they saw Araneta come into view, a big billboard of James' latest concert date on it. Bret tapped Yassi's arm to look at Nadine grow quiet and stare at the sign.

"He just came back from another concert in Cebu, right?" Claire asked, hoping that Nadine wouldn't shut them out.

"Yea, his homecoming concert is next weekend already. He's been practicing non-stop," Yassi answered when she caught on, winking at Claire through the rear view mirror.

Nadine stayed silent and slouched in her seat as soon as the coliseum was out of sight --- Quezon City coming into view. She closed her eyes and gulped down her nerves.

Bret and Yassi saw the panic in her face, but they knew what they were doing was for their friends' own good. After the confrontation with Nadine, Bret called Yassi and Henz to let them in on his idea to bring the two back together. Yassi argued that Nadine wouldn't come back so easily if she didn't even come back home for the holidays. Henz said that he was going to Mimi's debut with James and asked if they could guilt trip her into coming back for her sister. After weighing out the pros and cons, Bret had Claire convince Nadine to not miss her baby sister's coming of age and within hours, Nadine had an itinerary and her passport out on her desk.