The Uncertain Something

XV

07 April 2019. I'm walking as fast as I can, and I can finally see the convenience store where Ashley told us to meet. I push the door hastily looking for her but all I'm seeing is this long queue line to the cashier. This tall guy is blocking my view—oh it's Jolo—my feet suddenly tiptoes to look for Ashley and also to look like I don't give a damn about him.

I can finally see her at the front of the gulp station and quickly walk my way towards her as if there's an emergency, but give me a break, it's her birthday and she just had a huge fight with tita Mary—her mother—so I'm simply worried.

I exclaim, "You cried!" I laugh as I continue, "I need to capture this aftermath," I raise my left hand holding the film camera and points it towards us, "Nina, join us!"

"You're really mean sometimes." Ashley utter as she laughs.

We all walk outside the store as I hand my gift to her. It's just a developed picture of us from the film camera with a message written on the back of it, nothing much because now I'm broke and unemployed.

I'm doing a head count as I ask them where we are headed now and someone replies, "Buendia." I can see that we're six and we're going to commute. It will be a hassle if we'll be taking the jeepney. I utter, "Oh so we're taking the train?"

JP replies, "Maybe, anyway this is Dan. He's coming with us."

I stare at Dan for a moment, thinking that I've seen this guy already and as I realize it, I exclaim, "Ohhh I know you, hi! You're friends with them?"—well that came out wrong I hope they didn't notice it—Dan looks at JP and Jolo while replying, "Yeah, they're my dorm mates before but I moved."

JP interrupts us saying, "You two know each other?" I chuckle, "Not actually but we've been bumping at each other a couple of times in the student council office because you know me, I'm everywhere."

We continue the conversation while on our way to the train. We seem to be in pairs. Nina is with Ashley, JP is with Jolo, and I'm still conversing with Dan. All of a sudden, Nina exclaims as she laughs, "well there goes another one of Florence's victim."

My jaw drops as I chuckle, "hey I felt offended by that even if I didn't get it. What does that supposed to mean?" Ashley looks back at me and chuckles, "You'll get it babe, you're a big girl."

I pause talking to Dan and realize they're mocking me that I'm flirting with Dan. That is freakishly hilarious, it just happened that we're acquaintances and we're trying to learn the depth of our mutual friends.

We walk upstairs to the train station and see an extremely long queue line so I show the rest of my developed pictures from the film to Nina and Ashley to entertain them while waiting.

The film roll that I developed includes the photos I capture in streets of Shaw, Cubao, and Baclaran—which was the night that I drank with their circle for the second time—

I chuckle pointing at the photo, "Look they're complete and they're with Ashley, plus that 'fuck you' hand sign is what makes it real cute."

Ashley laughs hysterically as she sees the photo of Nina and mike inside a jeepney, all drunk and exhausted, and they sure does look annoyed at me that I took that picture.

There are actually plenty of them to see, forty-three photos to be exact, and as they are skimming through the photos, I just notice a bunch that was captured in a fast food chain. I ask them anxiously, "did we eat after drinking in Baclaran?"

Ashley utters, "Yes," she stares at me with those daring eyes as she continues, "you can't remember do you? Well this is proof. Hard evidence. No more questions."