I'm Home (One shot)

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JERIC MARCO FORTUNA. At dahil birthday mo, siyempre... Meron kang one shot! Haha. Although it's not related to your birthday but... You know. It's you. Haha. Gosh. Nakakahiya na okay. But happy birthday. I hope you had an amazing one. Enjoy the last few hours of today. :) We're all so proud of you. Ang layo na ng narating mo. Play well in the PBA and we all pray that you will have a long basketball career ahead of you. We'll continue cheering you on. (kahit di mo kami pinapansin sa Twitter CHOS LANG)

Happy Birthday, pands. <3

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“Hindi ka pa uuwi?”

I looked up from the plate I was doing. Masiyado ata akong naka-focus doon sa ginagawa ko kaya hindi ko napansin na nagsimula nang mag-pack up yung mga blockmates ko. Tiningnan ko yung nagtanong sa akin. Si Chris pala.

“Not yet. I’ll just finish this… Onti na lang naman eh,” I smiled at him then went back to finishing my plate.

Gusto ko na kasi ipasa ito and I also wanted to keep myself busy for just a while longer.

I heard him sigh. “O sige. Ingat ka ah,”

“Ikaw rin,” I mumbled.

“Sige. Bye Ella,”

My name’s Adriella Ann Sy. Most of my friends call me Ella. I’m a third year Advertising student from UST. So taga-CFAD ako at hindi na bago sa akin yung mag-stay sa campus ng ganito ka-late kasi may ginagawa pa akong plates o kaya naman project.

There’s really nothing special about me… Well, I believe that. I mean, I just look at myself as an ordinary student but the other students here don’t. And I guess I see where they’re coming from.

Nung natapos na ako sa plate ko, agad ko namang sinubmit ito sa faculty room ng professor ko. Buti na lang naabutan ko pa siya bago siya umalis.

Paglabas ko ng building namin, medyo madilim na at halos onti na lang yung taong naglilibot. I decided to pass by the chapel, like I always do… Or we always do.

I couldn’t help the sad smile that formed on my lips as I knelt on the kneeler.

Lord, sana okay lang siya. Please help him overcome the jitters and the doubts in his head. I know he can do it. Please, take care of him.

I said my silent prayer in my head and wished him and his team the best. Pero siyempre, I also prayed for my family and friends, pati na rin for myself. Siguro to overcome the loneliness na rin.

Lumabas na ako ng chapel at saktong may nakasalubong akong group of girls. Actually, dumadaan lang sila nung nakita nila ako. At parang hindi sila makapaniwala na makita ako.

“Ate Ella!” they gushed as the group of girls went closer. I smiled at them. “Pa-picture po,”

I nodded and smiled for the pictures they took with me.

Hindi na bago ito para sa akin… Pero kahit ganoon, I still think of myself as an ordinary student. If I never met him, edi malamang hindi nangyayari ito.

“Ate Ella,” sabi nung isa. “Kumusta na po kayo?”

I smiled at her concern. “I’m fine, thank you,”

However, they knew and I knew that I wasn’t completely fine. Alam ko na despite those words, part of me still isn’t complete because he wasn’t here. But I knew I had to accept that at the moment.

“Okay lang po iyan,” the others cheered. “He’ll come back. Kami rin po, hinihintay namin siya,”

I smiled at them once again and nodded. “Thank you… For always supporting him,”