Archetype

Chapter 20: FRIENDS

"Someone's in love." Nagulat ako sa biglang nagsalita. It was Marge. She's holding a tray of food, cups and a tea pot. Behind her is ate Ly, wearing her usual cheerful smile, and ate Ki with a frisky smirk on her face.

"I think I'm in love with your Cosabella's." I compliment her nighties trying hard not to sound surprise with their presence.

Her shoulder moves up and down as she let out a quiet laughter.

"Yeah. Too flirty, Margie." Ate Ki jokes at sinamaan siya ng tingin ni Marge knowing that she can't slap her since her hands are full.

"Too mean. Get your food sa baba, bahala ka." Her childish side subdue again.

"Okay girls, enough. Baka kung san pa mapunta yan." The team's mediator, ate Ly, cuts them.

They join me here at the roof deck. Ate Ly prepares the food they brought.

They are quiet at first, it lasted for half an hour, if I estimated it right. I miss having quiet moments with them honestly. I'm so busy with Bea these past few weeks and I forgot spending some quality time with my other teammates.

I was also clouded guarding myself from Jia, Gizelle and ate Ella's opinions to the point of making myself distant from them, thinking that they feel the same way.

"What's new, Jho?" Ate Ki breaks the silence. I look at her while sipping my tea. I let the wind invade my system, to make myself a little calmer.

I'm nervous. I'm scared of opening up to them. I'm afraid of being judge again. I am not close to them as much as I am close with Gizelle and ate Els, to Jia even. Among them, I can only talk to Marge, who always answers me figuratively, which I didn't understand sometimes.

That's why I felt relief when they chose silence. I never imagine there will always be a continuation of Marge's salutation awhile ago.

"Jhoana, can you trust us?" Ate Ly, who's quietly eating her ube cake awhile ago, joins the colloquy.

Do I trust them? I don't know anymore. Maybe during games and trainings I still do. But trusting them my personal life? I'm quite unsteady.

I nodded. Of course, it will be unfair on their part if I will generalize them again. I maybe afraid, but I need to trust them. Burning on the same fire twice will not make me any stupid. It just goes to say that they are worth taking risks.

"What happened to you, Jia and Gi?" So the two never told them? I wonder why.

"Misunderstanding lang, ate Ly." They looked at me waiting for some elaboration. "Do you think it is possible that the person you value the most, will just cause you distractions?" I asked them instead. I need enlightenment after all.

"Depende. If you love yourself as you love the person, it will never happen. But if you love the person and wala ng natira sayo, you're in trouble." Ate Ly answers me.

"Listen to her. She mastered it already." Ate Ly punches ate Ki's biceps due to her joke. Then she looks at me sincerely.

Ewan ko ba bakit parang nagsama-sama kaming mga na one-sided love dito. Except Marge kasi masaya ang love life nyan.

It's been awhile, 5 months to be exact, when ate Den and ate Ly decided to downgrade their relationship. Yet here she is, still thinking of ate Den while the latter is entertaining someone already, trying to forget her. I don't know if it will work though because based from what I heard to Bea, for ate Den, it's still her.

As for ate Ki, Ponggay is sweet to everyone. We all know that she is giving no malice to anyone. She's still clueless of ate Ki's feelings for her.