T-Shirt Girl (COMPLETED)

TSG 16 - All About Us

"Every heart in the room will melt." --All About Us, He Is We

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Pinatunayan ni Toby na karapat-dapat itong bigyan ng second chance. Maybe the thought of it finally ending scared him. He became the sweetest guy and she could not be any happier. It just saddens her at the same time, because she knew that underneath all that sugar and everything nice and pleasant, lays a heart that is still not hers.

But she's not pushing it. He needs time, not persuasion.

Minsan nga ay natatakot na siya. She knew that something bad would happen if the happiness escalates. Based from her experience, happiness is not something that stays.

Back when she was a kid, she won something big. May isang major competition sa school kung saan siya nanalo. Her parents weren't there to witness it because they had been very busy lately. She wanted to surprise them that day. Excited syang umuwi noon. Hindi na sya masyadong nagdamdam kahit hindi siya nasundo ng daddy niya noon. Tuwang-tuwa siyang nagkikwento sa driver nila tungkol sa napanalunan nya sa school.

She was showing off her medal. Pati sa yaya niyang kasamang sumundo sa kanya. She didn't know back then why they look so sad. Inaya pa siya ng mga ito na gumala muna. But she insisted on going straight home.

And what did she find?

Puro kalat sa bahay. Akala niya noong una ay ninakawan sila. She noticed her father on the edge of the stairs. Nakatulala ito.

Despite the chaos inside the house, she managed to smile as she showed him her medal. And when she asked for her mom, that's when he cracked.

"Mommy left," he said.

"What time is she coming back, dad?" she asked.

Hindi sumagot ang daddy niya. Niyakap lamang siya nito.

Hindi pa malinaw sa kanya ang nangyayari noon. She tried to ask the help but they won't say anything. It's as if they're all in on a secret that she's not allowed to know.

Then, weeks later, may ipinakilala sa kanyang magandang babae ang daddy niya. He asked her to call the woman Mommy Anya. She didn't want to. Para sa kanya, isa lang babae ang pwede niyang tawaging mommy.

Her father understood so he didn't push it. Pero, di kalaunan, lalong hindi niya naiintindihan ang mga pangyayari.

Her mom came back, but she's with someone else. Her mom asked her to come with her. Hindi pumayag ang daddy niya. They were arguing about custody, which she had no idea about. Tapos pumunta sila sa isang lugar kung saan may mga taong pormal na pormal manamit. They were pleasant to her pero kapag kakausapin ng mga ito ang mga magulang niya, kunot-noo ang mga ito.

There came a point na tinanong siya ng mga ito kung kanino niya gustong sumama: sa mommy or sa daddy niya. Ayaw niyang mamili. It's like choosing between cake and ice cream. She loves both, equally. Kaya nga gustong-gusto niya ang ice cream cake, because it's a combination of two things that she loves the most. Her parents were like that to her, she can't have one without the other.

Nang hindi magkasundo ang mga magulang niya ay napagpasyahan siyang kupkupin ng lola niya. Her lola was different from her parents. Hindi ito naniniwalang dapat ay itago sa kanya ang lahat. It wouldn't spare her the hurt. It will just deepen the lie hanggang sa kung kailan kailangan na itong hukayin, masyado nang malalim.

So her lola told her everything. Both her parents were seeing other people. Taon na ang binibilang ng mga affairs ng mga ito. The only thing keeping them together is her. And then one day, every stretched tie just snapped.