The Gangster Princess

Chapter 10

Chapter 10:  Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Aisha Fancy Lee

Akala niyo wala akong gang? Joke lang 'yon. Of course, I have one. Pero never ko silang tinuring na “gang” in the typical sense. They’re my people. My constants. My chaos. Pero ako? Ayoko maging leader. I hate being responsible for people—I can barely handle my own issues.

Nandito ako ngayon sa hideout ng Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Sounds badass, right? Actually, na-inspire 'yang name sa kanta ng BTS. Tyler once said *"Blood" * kasi daw lagi kaming may nabubuong gulo, laging may dugong lumalabas. "Sweat," kasi lagi kaming nasa trouble or init ng laban. And "Tears"? I don’t even know—Tyler said we made a lot of people cry, pero feeling ko punchline niya lang ‘yon.

The moment I stepped in, the chaos greeted me like an old friend. Laughter, music, the smell of coffee mixed with gunpowder and leather. Walang nagbago. Except—

“Tyler!” My voice cracked a little. Damn. Ngayon ko lang siya ulit nakita after ilang buwan. Bumalik na pala siya from the States.

Di ko na napigilan sarili ko. Hinagkan ko siya agad. Wala akong pake. I missed this man. Not in a romantic way—just that familiar comfort. He was like an old hoodie—luma, rugged, but still warm.

“Miss you too, my Gangster Princess.” Tyler grinned, his arms wrapped tightly around me.

That nickname? It means nothing. Just an inside joke. Kami lang ang nakakaintindi nun. Well… kami lang at yung buong grupo. Keila especially—my Apple Bestie—would kill me if it meant something more.

“Wow. Ako yung bestie mo pero siya ang una mong niyakap?” Keila’s voice was laced with fake drama, pero halatang may kurot ng tampo.

I looked at her. Smirked. “Syempre, siya ang mas mahal ko.”

Tyler leaned in. “Told you, ako ang pinaka-importante.”

Keila pouted. The kind na parang bata. But let’s be real—hindi bagay sa kanya. She’s too pretty to look cute.

Before I could tease her more, someone cleared their throat—loud enough to shake the mood.

Max.

Leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, with that smug look he always wore when he smelled chismis.

“Hmm. May nangangamoy hiwalayan,” he said, eyes flicking between me and Tyler.

I rolled my eyes. “Stop being dramatic, Max.”

Tyler and I? We had history. But that’s all it is—history. Wala nang spark. Wala nang anything. And the one person na sobrang naging reason kung bakit ako ganito ngayon… he wasn't Tyler.

Speak of the devil.

“You’re late.” James’s voice cut through the noise like a knife. Hindi siya sumigaw. Hindi siya tumayo. Pero ramdam ko.

He didn’t even look at me. Pero naramdaman ko ‘yung lamig. Yung disappointment.

“Nako… I smell something jealous,'” Shae sing-sang, her voice laced with sarcasm.

“Parehas kayo ng boyfriend mong si Max,” I threw back casually.

Max raised his eyebrows. “Babe, may naamoy rin akong selos. Legit.”

I smirked, trying to brush it off. “Ahh, si James kasi gusto si Tyler.” I said it like a joke. But it wasn’t. Kasi deep down… alam kong hindi ‘yon ang issue.

He was mad. Not because of Tyler. But because I still cared too much. Still looked at Tyler like he was a safe space. And James hated that. He hated na hindi siya ‘yung una kong niyakap. Hindi siya ‘yung una kong tinawag.