The daily routine of UP Manila student Novella Banaag during her junior year is composed of three actions: first, she'll (attempt to) make her lunch and get ready for school; second, she'll go to school and attend classes, even help her father when she can with his business; third, she'll go home, study, and rest, or sometimes, she'll party with her friends. Pretty simple and easy to follow. But when she begins to take an interest among one of her father's customers, October Chali Luy, the routine she built will slowly disintegrate as October permeates her heart.

Adiel Lincoln Torres and Cyra Kapili have known each other since they transferred to the same school in second grade. It was easy to predict that the two would eventually be immersed in each other's warmth and company. After all, growing up together meant that Diel knew Cy so well, he'd never make fun of the birthmark she was insecure about. Growing up together meant Cy knew that to cheer up Adiel, she only needed to rewatch Naruto with him, the one with 500 episodes. It was uncomplicated to love someone you knew almost your whole life. So, they did fall. Not only were Adiel and Cyra close while growing up, but their families were too. When they enter college, stability, patience, and trust are the basis of their relationship. Anyone would say they seemed to have everything figured out for their future already--degrees waiting to be finished, work waiting to be applied to, and a home waiting to be built. But no one can truly know what the future looks like, and Adiel and Cyra's future didn't become what both hoped it would be. Now that their present was far from what they had dreamt, what kind of future can they look forward to now?

Micah was the leader of her music group. It wasn't because she was the oldest, it was because she was the most reliable one. Her four members always looked at her when they needed a voice to tell them they performed well, or when they needed a hand to hold when haters bashed them. Micah Kalinawan isn't all that tough, though. She, too, has her vulnerable moments wherein she'd need an ear to rant to and to say how happy she is when fans praise her. So, Dion Jasper de Santos steps in and becomes the ear she needs. And they catch a fondness for each other. But what happens when Dion and she are forced into a corner to either admit or deny their feelings?

Having to care for her mother since the end of grade school, Meadow Jil Carreal was no stranger to exhaustion. Being the bigger person physically, mentally, and emotionally was excruciating, but Meadow always was. When Meadow, a DLSU student, eats dinner outside her campus one day, she sees Kalon Mangundapat, the Isko who often eats near her school. Kalon liked the cheap food he consumed on Castro Street. What reasons would the two find to know why their existence in each others' lives suddenly jumped from the air?

Dreams begin and end in school, that's what Diwata Yvon Mahalina, a student from UP Manila, thought. Because for her, after school, you must be aiming for stability. Nothing can compare to a safe life. However, Ignacio Trillano, a guy who lived in Blumentritt and studied at FEU, disagrees. A quiet life like Diwata's dream was not fulfilling and meaningful, Ignacio argues. Ignacio was a ComArts student who was loud as an airplane flying away. Would Ignacio's words and actions be enough to encourage Diwata to begin a life beyond her comfort?

Switching to a condo would be a huge shift in Eloise Danielle Madrigal's life, the Iska from UP Manila. From living in her aunt's home, she will independently live near her school. From growing up with so many hands to help her, she will face a new life alone. Since Eloise wasn't familiar with commuting from Padre Faura that well, the cousin of her block mate, Graham Anthony Laurel, will surely be of help. This walking GPS guy that was a first-year Thomasian had quite a temper as he taught Eloise. It seems as though one of them needed to teach the other beyond directions, would Graham find a calm and kind way to tell Eloise that her head was in the sand?

Anjel Delo Santos, a Lasallian, craved affection from her parents. It wasn't easy getting it. She had to be brilliant because her parents were intellectual people who yearned for recognition in their own fields. College was her opportunity of being brilliant. As Anjel walked on the streets of Malate, she will see a disappointed-looking River Alexandre Abad. As a fan of River, who is a DLSU student, she couldn't help but be concerned with the basketball player's state. While they get to know each other, would their eyes appreciate the silver lining in the midst of the nimbus clouds around them?

WATTY'S SHORTLIST 2023 Stuck in the never-ending responsibilities as one of the breadwinners of the family, Calisse Abigail Guillermo, an Iska from UP Manila, seeks to find true comfort between drinking and smoking. But she never does. Her desire to find consolation in everything is not found within the consumption of toxins. When she meets fellow smoker Chance Luy, a UP med student, in the bustling street of Pedro Gil, she thanks the heavens for a chance to meet him. Chance is your worn-out med student who is stingy. As they ponder about life, would they find solace as they share a moment of smoke?