Chasing Pavements

HS Life

20 minutes into their session, and Dr. Villa think she hasn't even scratched the surface.

Maine keeps looking at the window every few sentences, and kept letting out heavy sighs.

"So this little boy Alden. Do you still see him?"

"Yes. Not very often, but yes, I do."

"What is he to you?"

"He's..." Maine sighs for the nth time.

"He's... My person."

"What does being your person mean to you?"

"He's always there. He's always been there for me."

"So he's like your best friend? But you don't see him often?"

"Yes."

"And he's also your first love?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to talk about that?"

"About when I realized I love him already, or when I realized we're not meant to be?"

"Whichever you feel comfortable telling me first."

"I loved him the day we started talking again, a few years after grade school. I moved to another school after graduation, and it just so happened that he was going to that school as well."

"Go on." Her therapist says.

Maine recalls her high school years.

At that time she thought it was a mistake moving in with her father, but in hindsight it was one of the best decisions she made in her life.

Not that she had a choice really, given that she was a delinquent child and her mother sent her to live with her father because she couldn't handle Maine anymore.

"It was the first day of school and I was nervous being a freshman in a school where I didn't know anyone."

Maine was a 14-year-old girl who tried to keep it cool during the general assembly.

She found her section and falls in line with the rest of section 14.

As she arrives in their classroom, she meets some of her classmates and they all seemed friendly.

"Good morning class!" Mr. Alvarez, their class moderator greets them.

"Let's start first with arranging your permanent seating arrangements. Here's the list of your names and class numbers. Please arrange yourselves accordingly."

The whole class did, and she found her name and class number "24. Mendoza, Nicomaine C."

As she sits in her chair, she is placed in between 2 girls, who both say hi to her.

"I'm Gella, Morales."

"Ako naman si Toni, Manalo."

"Hi. I'm Maine."

"Hi Maine. New student ka ba?"

"Oo, kakalipat ko lang."

"Kami kasi ni Gella classmates na since Grade 3. Lagi kaming magkatabi, ngayon may naka gitna na for a change!"

"Oo nga, di na ako madadamay dito sa most talkative, kasi di na ako ang dadaldalin nya."

"Hoy ano ka, ikaw kaya dyan laging nasusulat na noisy!" The girls giggle.

Maine laughs with them, which prompts their moderator to tell them to keep it down as the class starts.

Maine has a feeling she will love it in high school.

"Maine, recess tayo mamaya sama ka samin ha?"

"Uh, sure! Thanks!"

She and her new found friends focus on their 2nd class before the break.

"So, saang school ka galing?" Toni asks Maine as all three of them walk to the cafeteria

"Sa St. Paul Bulacan" Maine answers

"Saan yun?" Toni asks

"Eh di sa Bulacan! My gosh hahaha don't mind her Maine ha, antok pa ata yan eh" Gella teases Toni

"I mean saan exactly, malay ko ba diba bakit yung University of the East wala naman sa East."

They all laughed.

"Kayo, dito kayo nag gradeschool?"

"Yeah, since preschool dito na ako. Si Toni naman mula grade 3 nandito na, that's when we became classmates."

"So familiar na kayo dito sa campus... Parang mawawala ako dito sa laki eh."

"Don't worry, we'll show you around later."

As they head back to their classroom, Maine saw a familiar face. It was Alden.

Sya ba ito?

"Sino tinitignan mo?"

"Sya."

"Si Alden?"

"Kilala mo si Alden??"

"Yeah, bakit?"
"Sobrang sikat nyan! 3rd year, Homaygahd!"

"Nakasama ko sa isang leadership training dati. Mag hi lang ako ha."

As Maine tried to approach Alden, a girl came running and kissed him on the cheek, and they both went on their way towards the stairs.

Maine did not bother to call out to him, figuring she'll just find some other time.