When the Stars Lead to You

03

"Are you ready, kids?"

Mommy asked us when her and daddy drove me and Devin to school. Sumabay na sa amin si Devin kaninang umaga. His mom hated the idea of her missing the first day of class of Devin, but they had an emergency sa business daw nila. Devin was cool will it though.

"I'm ready! But Devin said he's nervous!" I answered.

Devin's eyes widened and shook his head. "H-huh? No kaya! Psh."

I hid my laughter and covered my mouth. I don't want Devin to be pissed at me. It's his first day of school. He should be happy!

"Mommy he whispered that to me earlier," natawa ako and so did my parents.

Devin pouted. "Liar," he glared at me but after that, a small smile appeared on his lips.

Not too long after, we reached the school. Now, Devin really looked like he was about to back out. While looking around, I can see fear in his eye's kaya ay inakbayan ko siya.

"My classmates are nice! And they will be your classmates too!" Well, some of my classmates are nice enough not to hurt me.

"What if... they won't like me?" he pursed his lip.

"Oh, they will! You're cool kaya!" sabi ko and pulled him towards the gate.

When we entered inside the gate, I really tried so hard to stop myself from laughing because I can feel Devin shaking. His hands are also cold. Parang ayaw pa bumitiw sa pagkakahawak sa akin.

We entered the room na and mas lalo lang siyang nagtago sa likod ko because my classmates are staring at him. I sighed and guided him to the seat next to mine since no one wants to sit with me.

"Good morning class, today we have a new student!" our teacher were all smiles when she entered the room. She looked at Devin who was sitting beside me while holding on to the hem of my uniform. "Come up here, Devin."

Devin looked at me with worry and I urged him to go. He stood up with his head down. Muntik pa siyang madapa dun sa may platform sa harap. He pursed his lip and looked at me. I gave him a thumbs up and I saw him inhaling and exhaling before talking.

"H-hi... I'm Devin..." he slowly muttered. I pursed my lip when I felt like I was about to burst into laughter. He's like... a burst of happiness when he's just with me and Ali. Pero pag dating dito, napaka mahiyain.

"Tell us more about yourself, Devin."

"Uhm... I'm new here..." iyon lang ang sabi niya before he completely shut his mouth. Because of that, the teacher made him sit down nalang.

"Why didn't you talk?" I whispered because the teacher was now starting to discuss lessons.

"I got shy..." natawa siya konti.

Our lesson started with our teacher, and it was tiring because daddy already thought me this in advance, so I get it na. Tuloy, I was stopping myself from talking to Devin because he looked like he was really paying attention and I don't want Devin to get in trouble because of me on his first day of school.

Wala naman ako masyadong nagawa and instead, listened to the teacher nalang. Maybe I should ask dad to stop advance tutoring me so I wouldn't get bored in school. And if I find anything hard, I'll just ask him about it. Maybe that's the best idea.

"Puwede humingi ng water?" Anne asked me, pointing at my bottle.

I looked at my bottle of water and back to her. I still don't like her because she pushed me the other day! "No."

"Ang damot mo naman!" she angrily said at kinuha ang bottle ko.

"Give it back! Why can't you take no for an answer?!" I stood up and got my bottle from her, harshly. Ang bad niya kaya sa akin nung nakaraan and then now, she asks me for water?

Hah! Bahala siya mauhaw diyan!

"Why can't you just give me water?!" she asked me too at pinag agawan na namin ang water bottle ko.

"Hey... I think that's bad..." Devin tried pulling me away from her but his strength was not just helping.

"Give me!"

"No!"

Until she hit my head with the water bottle. My mouth hang open and I stepped back because of it. My head is hurting.

"You hurt me..." I said to her, and my eyes were starting to sting because of my tears.

"Hala! May sungay ka na, Maya!" Devin gasped and pointed at the bukol in my forehead.

"Oh no..." I muttered. I will look like a goat anytime soon! A goat na isa lang ang sungay!

Because of that, I didn't speak to Anne ever again. My only problem now is how am I going to explain this to my mommy and daddy? For sure, they will get mad.

"Don't tell this to mom and dad, okay? Just tell them that I hit the door with my forehead," sabi ko kay Devin.

"You want us to lie?" he asked me. I bit my lower lip and nodded. "Okay!" he agreed.

But I didn't say na hindi ako maghihiganti kay Anne. The following day, I saw Anne putting her water bottle on her cabinet inside the classroom because we had these cabinets with our names on it. I waited until no one saw me and got her water bottle.

I giggled by myself when I poured her water and went to the pond near the school. I almost puked when I gathered some tadpoles from the pond at nilagay iyon sa water bottle niya. I silently put it in her cabinet back and waited for her to notice it.

"OHMYGOD!" I bit my lower lip when I hear her scream because she saw the tadpoles inside the bottle. She almost drank it. "GET THAT AWAY FROM ME!"

"You did that, didn't you?" Devin whispered beside me.

"No..." I answered but he was just staring at me. "Maybe..."

We were asked by our teachers about it but obviously, I didn't tell them that I was the mastermind behind all of it. Good thing there are no CCTVs inside the classroom, so it was a win for me.

"Hello!" My face lit up when I saw Ali with Devin's mom outside the school's gate to pick us up. I immediately ran to him and hugged him. I felt him hug me too. After that, nagmano ako kay tita Janette.

"I told your parents that I will be picking you guys up, today," she explained and opened the car door for us. Unang sumakay si Ali at sunod ako and then si Devin. That makes me in the middle. "How's your day, kids?" she asked.

Me and Devin looked at each other at sabay na bumungisngis. Of course, we wouldn't tell anyone about our secret. "It's fine!" we both answered.

The following Saturday night, I threw small rocks outside Ali's window. He looked up to me and smiled a little. I wrote 'climb on the tree' on a piece of paper before grabbing the notebook and pen with me at inakyat ang puno that basically connects mine And Ali's room. The sky was so beautiful because the stars were surrounding the beautiful moon.

'Hello,' I wrote on the paper and gave it to him.

'Hi,' he wrote on the paper.

'What are you doing tomorrow?'

'It's Sunday so nothing. Me and my mom don't usually do anything and just stays at home.'

Nag isip ako kung anong pwede naming gawin bukas. It's a Sunday so for sure me, mom, and dad, are going to attend a mass early morning and then have a family date after. But I have decided that we should stay at home tomorrow so I could spend time with Ali tomorrow.

'Do you want to learn to ride a bike tomorrow?' I asked him.

He looked at me with his lips parted. he blinked and wrote on the paper. 'I don't know if I can do it. I'm scared that I will fall.'

I pouted and wrote on the paper. 'You can do it. I also thought I couldn't do it when I was still learning! So... do you want to learn a bike tomorrow?'

'Yes.'

So, the following morning, I convinced my parents that we should stay home because I will be going with Ali and Devin to the park. My parents were completely cool with it but of course, sasamahan nila ako as well as Ali and Devin's mothers.

"We're going to the park! Grab your bike! And wear a gear!" sabi ko kay Devin at madali naman niyang kinuha ang bike niya sa garage nila and some gears to protect his elbows and knees in case he falls from the bike.

When we arrived at the park, good thing walang tao. Ali and Devin first did the balancing things before completely riding the bike. I was like a proud mom because whenever they ride the bike without falling from it, mukhang ako pa ang masayang masaya.

"it's okay!" I clasped my hands when I saw Ali falling from his bike. He pouted at pinagpagan ang sarili niya. I smiled when he smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Assuring me that he was okay.

We called it a day after that. Good thing Ali didn't had scratches because of it. Though his skin looks a little pinkish kasi maputi siya and maybe because of the heat.

"Wow! For me, daddy?" My eyes lit up when dad came home from the hospital with a bouquet of pink tulips.

"Of course, my love." He kissed my cheek and gave me the bouquet of flowers. I almost couldn't hold the bouquet because it was big and I was small.

I stumbled while holding the bouquet to the kitchen. I saw daddy giving mommy the other bouquet of red tulips for mommy. I was about to interrupt them when I saw them both slow dancing in the middle of our kitchen.

Sometimes, when they thought that I was asleep, I silently sneak into the living room where dad and mom had the lights dim and some candles were lit. Slow music were playing in the background, and they will be in the middle of the living room, slowly dancing.

My mom's laughter filled the room. They were both too focused on each other that it seems like even the loudest noise couldn't interrupt them. My mother always told me that the others always see my dad as snob and looks like always glaring at somebody. But she said, that whenever dad looks at her, he would smile like she was the only thing that keeps him happy when they were still dating, and I wasn't here yet.

"Daddy, hug." Lumapit ako sa kanilang dalawa when I saw dad hugging mommy. I want to be included in the hug too! Kinuha ni daddy ang flowers sa akin at nilagay iyon sa lamesa before picking me up and hugging me and mommy.

"Let's dance, Maya." Mommy laughed and picked me up from dad. She held my hand and dance with me. I giggled and tried to keep up with her, but mommy just had this energy that I couldn't keep up on.

When I looked back at daddy, he was just looking at me and mommy while leaning on the kitchen countertop with a small smile on his face.

"Daddy," I called him and handed out my hand to him. He smiled at lumapit sa amin ni mommy before dancing with us.

It was Monday the following day. I don't know why I was so sleepy even though I slept early naman last night. I've been experiencing this daytime sleepiness for the past weeks kahit maaga naman akong natutulog.

"Are you okay?" Devin asked me and patted my shoulder.

"I think I'm walking in the clouds," I giggled. No like literally, I know I'm walking but I feel like I'm walking on a soft mattress.

When our sundo arrived, which was my mommy and daddy, I slept inside the car because it was traffic, and my eyes are literally closing on its own.

"Hey, my love," dad tapped my arm slightly to wake me up. "We're home. Are you tired? Do you want me to carry you?"

"No dad, I can do it," umiling ako and got my bag before heading inside my room.

After that, I did my assignments kasi 'yun ang kasunduan namin nina mommy and daddy. I had to make my assignments and study first before I can go out. I got so stressed because of this one problem sa math kaya hinayaan ko nalang sana iyon but even after I got out to the house to hang out with Ali and Devin.

"You look tired?" Devin pointed out while we were inside the house of Ali.

Ali looked at me with questioning eyes. he gave me a thumbs up to ask if I'm okay and I nodded in assurance and gave him a thumbs up too. It's his own little way of making sure that I'm fine.

"What do you call the kuto of a bald person?" Devin suddenly asked us.

"What?" I asked him.

"Homeless!" he joked.

To be honest, even though his joke was not funny, I laughed because he laughed. Nakakadala ang tawa niya. I laughed so hard, but I stopped when I felt a very large wave sleepiness crash through me. I could feel my body shutting down because of it.

"M... maya?!"

What... I don't know if it's because I'm losing my consciousness, or my mind was playing tricks on me. but I swear to all the Greek gods, Ali just shouted my name.

"Maya what is happening to you?!" Devin suddenly shouted and then gasped. I know I'm awake because I can hear them but part of me knows that I'm asleep too because I can feel my eyes closed.

"And... Oh my god! Laurent, you talked!"

It was the last thing I heard before sleep finally took me in.