I Brought My Heart To Hong Kong

Chapter Four: Without You

Chapter Four
Without

Zywon and I started just fine.

First, he was the only guy I got close to ever since we were kids. He used to protect me from the kids who bully me in school, he used to treat my wounds kapag naglalaro kami noon sa playground at madadapa dahil sa sarili kong kagagawan, and he used to kiss my forehead kapag nakikita niya akong umiiyak o hindi kaya malungkot.

That was Zywon when we were kids. He's like a real brother.

Pareho kami ng school noong Elementary. Naalala ko pang palagi kaming naghahati sa baon namin saka kung paanong lagi kaming magkatabi sa school bus tuwing papasok at uuwi galing school.

Noong junior high school, nag-enroll ako sa school kung saan siya nag-enroll. We, again, became classmates. I never really tried reaching out and making new friends dahil masaya na akong kasama ko si Won.

I was too foreign to others dahil alam kong si Won lang ang kayang mag-handle sa akin. Although I made some friends who were the first ones to reach out to me, in the end of the day, Si Won pa din. I was with him and he was with me.

My junior high school classmates even asked us if we were together dahil palagi kaming magkasama. In the three years we spent in junior high school, ako pati ang palagi niyang ka-date sa prom.

"Hails, did anyone ask you out for the prom?" I remembered him asking me during our third year.

"Sino namang magtatangka, Won?" Tinawanan ko siya.

"Good to know dahil ako ang magiging ka-date mo," he said briskly.

I smiled secretly. Siyempre, may nagtanong sa'kin. I turned them down. I always anticipated Won would ask me out and I saved it for him.

The prom became one of my most-awaited events during my junior high years. I don't know but Won asking me to be his partner just made the butterflies grow in my stomach. Akala ko pa flattered lang ako.

That was all before Chloe transferred during our fourth year in junior high. Seatmate ko siya pero hindi ko siya nadama noong una. We only kept on crossing paths in some situations where I helped her and she helped me until the time came and we got to know each other more.

Isang beses kasi siyang nabastos ng isang lalaki nang nasa labas ng school. Ako ang unang nakita kaya tinulungan ko. Isang beses din niya akong nakitang umiiyak tapos nilapitan niya ako para bigyan ng panyo.

She's nice. Very expressive and graceful. She even told me about her interests, her hobbies and her life before moving into our school. Noong nagsimula kaming maging close, she invited me over to their house at ipinakilala pa sa kambal niya at sa parents niya.

I thought it was weird. Befriending anyone aside from Zywon. Pero ang mas weirdo pala ay 'yung pati si Won, hindi na lang sa'kin nakatingin. He started acting differently kapag kasama ko si Chloe. Tapos kapag wala siya, he'll ask me about her. Like what we talked about, what she's up to, and every little thing that he wants to know about her.

"Pumunta ka sa bahay nila?" interesado niyang tanong. "Bakit hindi mo sinabi sa akin?"

"She told me not to tell you kasi nahihiya siya sa'yo."

He ruffled his hair. "Why would she?"

Umiling na lamang ako. Chloe and I got really close. I cannot deny her good company. She was too nice to me.

Then it happened so fast, too. Won called me in the middle of the night. Akala ko mayroon lamang siyang problema ngunit noong tawagan niya ako ay parang excited na excited siya.