When her longtime boyfriend proposes to her, Nari does not seem happy. She rejects him, hoping he would understand. But two years, seven days, three hours, five minutes, and thirty seconds later, Nari enters a church and watches him get married to someone else. *** At 21, Nari Miranda graduates from college wanting to complete her bucket list-being independent, visiting the US, traveling Europe, and adopting a dog-so when Benny, her longtime boyfriend proposes and surprises her with a house-their own house--she doesn't feel right. Until she follows the first thing she thinks of that moment: she rejects him. Nari hopes that everything will still be okay between them, but seeing Benny with another girl becomes too much for her. Feeling broken, she goes to a bar to drink her pain away and meets Preston, the man she always coincidentally crosses paths with, not knowing her life will take a whole new different turn. DISCLAIMER: This story is written in Taglish COVER DESIGNED BY: Louise De Ramos

(Yours Series # 5) Graciella Rae Arevalo just wants to love and be loved. She feels like she has a lot of love to give and she just wants her own person to love. Mayroon na kasing mga boyfriend at girlfriend iyong mga tao sa paligid niya. She doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. She wants her own person to love and to spoil. Ang problema, parang ayaw naman sa kanya ng pag-ibig. She has been told to just wait for it because it will eventually come to her. And she wants to, ang kaso, she's always surrounded by death that she feels like she's always running out of time. Ilang blind date na ang napuntahan niya. She always tries to find the good in the person in front of her, but for some reason, walang spark. Ayaw niya naman na i-sacrifice iyon. Alam niya na nag-eexist iyon. She's seen it. She just needs to look harder. Pero baka tama nga sila... na kapag hindi mo hinahanap, saka doon dadating. Because apparently, she's been looking for love in all the wrong places when all along, he's always been right in front of her.

(Trope Series # 1) Cerise's younger sister is getting married and she's expected to attend. The logical thing to do was to attend (duh, it's her sister's wedding! It would be weird if she's not there) but how could she attend when her sister's getting married to Leo, her ex best friend slash almost boyfriend from years ago? And it's not like she could just suddenly blurt out their 'history' because she's pretty sure that she'd be branded as bitter by their relatives... like, it's been years! Move on! She needed to attend. But she didn't want to go alone. She needed an arm candy, but not just any arm candy-she needed someone who would make her the envy of the night. Iyong tipo na walang magdadalawang isip kung nakapagmove on na ba talaga siya. She looked and looked and looked for the perfect wedding date. Until she wound up in a bar and met this bartender named Pablo.

(Trope Series # 3) Arielle was contented living her quiet life. She's got a job that pays well, a place to live, eats three times a day, and had friends that she genuinely enjoys being around with. Life's good as far as she's concerned. It may be boring for some, but she's at peace and contented and that's what's important. Until she met Zion. He's hot and funny and kind-and he wants her. So when he asks her to be fuck buddies with him, against all logic and rationality, she said yes. It's just temporary and for fun. As long as she knows her boundaries and consciously stops herself from being attached, she'll be fine. It's all for fun and experience... so how bad can it be, right?

Nadia de Marco knew what she wanted in life and that is to be the most powerful woman in the country. Growing up in the Philippines, she knew that it would be an uphill climb. There is misogyny everywhere, but instead of fighting it, she decided to use it to her advantage. That is probably the upside of being undermined, being almost invisible-people will never see you coming. While she was watching everyone's moves, no one was watching hers. Things were going according to plan until Avery Brienne Eliseo came into the picture. Suddenly, she got an enemy. And unlike Avery who has her cousin by her side, she has no one. And she needs to have someone. She's been looking for so long until she found Archibald Reign Gallego-the perfect partner in crime... or so she thought.

(Game Series # 9) Mauro Eugenio dela Rama's life revolved around school and work. At times, he felt like drowning pero hindi siya pwedeng magreklamo kasi pinili niya naman 'yon. For him, he'd rather be exhausted with his 9 to 5 and 5 to 9 kaysa humingi ng pambayad ng tuition sa tatay niya. He was doing fine kahit nahihirapan siya. Akala niya hindi niya kailangan ng tulong... Then he met Atty. Achilles V. Marroquin. Mauro thought that he was just being nice to him dahil abogado na 'to ay siya ay 'di hamak na struggling law student lamang. Kahit nahihiya siya, humingi siya ng tulong dito. Kakapalan niya na ang mukha niya kaysa bumagsak siya sa subjects niya. He thought he was just being regular nice to him... hanggang isang araw ay napapatanong na lang siya sa sarili niya kung normal pa ba 'to o nilalandi ba siya ng abogadong 'to?

(Game Series # 10) Tali coursed through life with ease. Coming from a family full of lawyers, she knew that getting a job would not be a problem. Kailangan niya lang pumasa sa school at pumasa sa BAR exam. Madali lang naman iyon lalo na kung wala ka namang ibang iniisip kung hindi ang mag-aral. Hindi niya kailangang isipin kung may pambili ba siya ng libro o pambayad ng tuition. Life had been really good to her. But one night, she met this guy named Lui... She had heard stories about him, but has never really met him. And when she finally put a face to the name, that was when she understood the stories about him. Nakaka-baliw nga pala talaga iyong lalaki na iyon. There's just something about him that makes you want to say yes... So, she said yes. Yes to kissing him. Yes to making out with him. Yes to everything. Tali told herself that it was just for one night, but she found herself wanting for me despite all the protest of the people around her. She kept on convincing herself that he's not worth it... but she knew the moment his lips touched hers, it was already game over.

Confused with his feelings for Max, Deib tries his best to suppress these and avoid Max at all costs. But when the saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' suddenly applies to him, can Deib keep his growing feelings in, or will he decide otherwise? Season 2 of He's Into Her *** Starting out as enemies, Deib Lohr Enrile believes someone like him can't fall for someone like Maxpein Zin del Valle. No matter how he looks at it, he knows it won't happen. So, when he suddenly realizes he's starting to feel something for Max, he immediately shuts it down and decides to avoid her. But no matter how much he tries to keep it in, his heart keeps saying otherwise. After deciding to keep Max beside him and show her his true feelings, can Deib convince Max to let him in inside her life and heart? Or will Max's nonchalant attitude and complicated life eventually throw them apart? DISCLAIMER: This story is written in Taglish. COVER DESIGN: Rayne Mariano

Completely drawn into his feelings for Max, Deib strives to stay loyal and loving to her. But when unexpected people and circumstances threaten to separate them and harm those around them, can Deib and Max fight through it all, or will these challenges bring everything to a halt? Season 3 of He's Into Her *** Finally back in each other's arms, Deib and Max are hoping that nothing wrong will come their way. As long as they have each other, they believe they can overcome any obstacle. However, unexpected people and circumstances start to create problems for them and their families, putting Deib and Max's relationship to yet another test. In a battle between peace and revenge, can Max live up to her role and successfully save everyone? Or will sacrifices need to be made to bring their challenges to an end?

Short Stories/Novellas about side characters from Montello High: School of Gangster. Written by Siel and/or @mzobjel Story Cover created by Jeyne Riego Torrealba