Friendship And Family (Currently undergoing a rewrite. Do Not Read.)

CHAPTER 2. Ritual

Maria's POV

It was the moment of our squad ritual, a thing we normally did at the end of a session ever since we became friends. So we were all seated in a circle, on our big mat, under a large umbrella tree in the community greenery park.

"Is he coming or not?" Andrew muttered to our hearing, more like grumbled. He's the blunt one in the group, arrogant and cocky. Still, having the look of a charming prince in his polished brown skin had given him the attention of the whole school. Think of handsome, and his face will appear with a wink, like his name does in every student's rate book. We became friends a few years back, during a rush class hour-students trooping in to get the best seat for a combined class. Unluckily for me, I was pushed so hard that my glasses fell off, and a big foot stepped on it, smashing it to pieces.

"You broke my glasses!"

"Thanks to your carelessness?"

Long story short, our parents got involved, and after the whole mess, we turned friends. Crazy.

"He should," Francis responded, the nicest amongst us, or should I say in the world? Very religious-smart-obedient-responsible-and a strict rule keeper. Francis and I have been friends for as long as I can remember, a friendship formed with books and church activities; with me in the choir, and him serving on the alter.

"Hey, guys." Mathias finally showed up, wearing a long face like he always does. He's the serious type, except for school matters. Talks only when necessary and lives in his head, eighty percent of the time. A class skipper, which makes me his go-to whenever there's a need to update his notes. Maybe because I appear as a nerd with my glasses, or because I'm just so dedicated to burning the midnight oil. Whichever it was, created the friendship history I have with Mathias.

He plopped down between Francis and I.

"Are they fighting again?" Andrew asked him with a knowing look.

"Do they never?" he stated in a form of a question, his tone wishing otherwise.

"Okay... let's get this over with," I said cautiously as I took out the bracelet rosary from my brown purse that was hung across my shoulder and wrapped my fingers around it. The atmosphere had gone still. I then let out a sigh after gathering my thoughts. "I pray love finds me."

"Amen," they all said in unison.

"What a waste of prayer," Andrew remarked.

I rolled my eyes at him and passed the rosary to Agnes.

She took a deep breath. "I pray for... good health." Her prayer seemed unintended. Agnes is that dark skinny girl that'll effortlessly make it to an African teen model magazine. She maintains a strict diet which I don't recommend for a fifteen-year-old; even herbivores animals have a reasonable amount of weight. Asides that, she's a beauty with brains, a fierce tiger when stepped on, and a goal-getter. We're a lot closer, probably because she's the only girl in the group. And my friendship with Agnes started off in the choir.

I've been friends with these guys since junior class.

"Amen," we all responded.

"You're not sick, are you?" Francis asked warily.

"I doubt it, I mean, she eats more grass than a goat," Andrew added before we could sink in what Francis had said, making us all laugh, well except for the person in question, and the one who had made the comment.

"I'm not," she said to Francis, then turned to Andrew with a frown. "And long term health is also important."

He said nothing and only received the rosary from her with a stolid expression. "I pray we don't break up."

We all stared at him, getting a drilling stare back as he awaited our response that wasn't forth coming.

"Amen or what?" He gestured with a shrug, as if he hadn't just surprised us all with his deep words of concern, something he hardly expressed on a normal day.

"Amen," we all said after recovering from the shock, and then he passed the rosary to Francis. A familiar tension arose, and we all braced ourselves, having a mutual knowledge on what his prayer would be.

"I pray I one day get to meet my biological parents."

And there it was, his same old prayer.

"Guys, please," he said, then chuckled sadly, not liking our looks of sympathy. His shoulders received a quick, supportive tap from Mathias and Andrew who sat on either side of him.

"Amen," we all said unevenly, starting with me, and the rosary was passed to Mathias.

"I pray I make it through school." He hated school more than anything, so hearing him say that was quite impressive.

"Amen," we all chorused.

"And then what?" Andrew asked him.

"We'll see," he replied as he handed me the rosary, which I put back in my bag.

"That wasn't so bad," I said. "I have a suggestion."

"You always do," Andrew said, but I ignored his statement with a look that demanded his attention. "Why don't we start a group study?" My eyes flickered at all of them, landing more on Mathias as I searched to see their reactions, glad that they all got the hint in my attempt to help Mathias out with his studies.

"Maria is right," Agnes backed me up, holding all of us in one gaze to make it seem like a group thing and not a Mathias' thing.

"Yeah, it'll give us all a good start once school resumes," Francis added.

"Can we not talk about school?" Mathias' light skin turned pale as he spoke against my idea of a group study, with a tone that elaborated his lack of interest.

"What then should we talk about?" Andrew drew his attention.

"I don't know. Not school?" Mathias replied, his tired face pulling up with a raise of his eyesbrows.

"Guys, I'm running late for alter practice," Francis said, not delaying a second to entertain any further chitchat.

"We have choir practice too," Agnes reminded me, and we all got up.

"Still not joining us?" I asked the two boys without a society.

"We'll pass," Andrew answered for the both of them.

"Let us know when you both change your minds." I left with Francis and Agnes for church, while Mathias and Andrew walked home together.