Another Us in Parallel Universe

Introduction

Chapter 1

Introduction.

"What if there are other universes just like ours with an uncountable version of us?" 

I heaved a big sigh and focused on the class. The question that my professor asked caught my attention.

"Ang cool!"

"Edi maganda!"

"Paano 'yan sir?"

The noise gets louder and noisier. Everyone is so curious about the topic we are having now. Of course, who would not? It's science fiction that everyone can be interested in. Kahit ako na hindi interesado sa science subject, pero 'pag ganito ang topic, I would love to listen to.

"Okay, okay, chill." he chuckled.

"Up until recent years, scientists were sure that there was only one universe that contained everything known to humankind," he started.

The class went silent and are all ears.

"Again, I am talking about everything we have— the Earth, galaxies, everything that we have right now. But back in 1954, a long time ago, a Princeton grad student named Hugh Everette came up with the first theory of multiverses. He believed that the universe was constantly splitting, literally the one became two, and that each of these splits became its own universe."

Woah.

"That is known as the Multiple Worlds Theory by him," he continued.

"So that could possibly split again and make more universes?" one of my classmates asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Since there are different views among all the proponents of multiverses and Everett's is just one of those many."

"So, you mentioned multiple worlds, are we living in a multiverse?" Asher asked out of nowhere.

Everyone was looking at him and agreeing. 

If ever it has lots of universe, call me corny but I wanna live in Asher's space because he's my universe, but sadly, I am not his.

"Well maybe--" he inserted his both hands in his both pockets and walked slowly, "-- maybe because according to some scientists, they have taken evidence that we live in a multiverse, that our universe is one of the huge, infinite, ensembles of worlds. Therefore, to answer your question, yes, it's impossible."

"So how does this work?" Lark, one of my classmates, asked. 

I saw that everyone is focusing on whatever my teacher is saying. This was the first time I didn't get bored in his class. I hate science, to be honest. But I love talking about UFOs, aliens, vampires and other unexplainable things on Earth that only science can prove.

I shrugged. 

The ironicity. 

"How does this work? Well, maybe through visualizing a flowchart that keeps branching off continuously. A pyramid scheme, indeed."

Our brows knitted. Ano raw? Hindi namin naintindihan. Professor Villlaruel laughed after noticing our reaction. 

"Here, I will give you a personal one example."

"When I started in college, I couldn't decide what I wanted to major in. I personally love engineering, but I was also obsessed with science and teaching. Obviously, I ended up choosing the latter which is now, teaching my favorite subject, science. And according to the Multiple Worlds Theory, there's a version of me who chose the Engineering course and is living that life right now. In short, the other one choice that I couldn't have here is the one that I am taking up in another universe. I am a teacher here in this world, while my other version is already an Engineer there. Do you get it now? In a parallel universe, everything is reversed."

"Ahhhhhhhh," everyone nodded their head at the same time, then laughed after.

"I hope I am smarter there," Jason reacted and everyone laughed again, including me.

"Sir, since we have the same version of ourselves there, does it mean that the world we are living there is the same as we are living here?"

"Well, some attributes of our universe may be different while some are still the same. Maybe the same grass, trees, birds and sky. Or maybe it has the same buildings but in different positions," he explained.

"How can we possibly travel to a different universe, then?" 

My professor raised his brows and let a little laugh. 

"It's not obvious that you are all very interested, huh?" He sarcastically said and went back to the board. He gets some chalk and starts writing on the board.

He drew a...

A hole?

"First off there are always wormholes. A wormhole can connect extremely long distances such as a billion light years or more, short distances, DIFFERENT UNIVERSES, or different points in time. Hence, if you want to travel to another universe, all you have to do is jump into that hole. But it takes a lot of risk, tho. So you have to be careful when you spot one of them."

I glanced at Asher. He was just listening carefully while playing the tip of his pen. Asher was my first crush since I entered this classroom.

I remembered the first time I stepped inside, he was the first one that I noticed. Seems like a slow motion effect had turned on and everything went blurred out except him. He was busy writing on his paper back then, after he finished, he threw it inside his bag and accidentally glanced at me, and I was caught off guard. I couldn't move, my heart kept beating abnormally. At that moment, I realized that he got me for the first time we met. 

I couldn't get him out of my mind anymore. Over the past three years of being with him as his classmate, I never had the chance to talk to him.

Tho, I tried...

But he was not interested in me. Pain.

"Yes, I believe because even the theory on paper, multiple universes can exist... we just can't see them. Not yet...

Class dismissed."

The bell rang and everyone's rushing to get out. Habang ako ay dali-dali ko rin chineck ang invitation letter ko, when I saw it inside, kinuha ko ito saka dali-daling lumabas para mahabol si Asher. Pero hindi pa ako nakalabas ay may humablot na sa aking backpack kaya napabalik ako.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Ano baaaaa, Logan. Hindi ko na naman maabotan 'to si Asher, sige ka," reklamo ko saka kinuha ang bag ko.

Nang nakawala ay tumakbo ako sa labas ng classroom pero hindi ko na mahagilap pa si Asher.

I faced Logan and frowned. 

"Tignan mo, hindi ko siya naabotan tuloy," reklamo ko.

Logan is my only bestfriend here! 

The one who never left, rejected and abandoned me. 'Yon nga lang, sobrang napaka kulit nito. As in. Palagi akong na s-stress sa kakulitan lalo na 'pag pinipigilan niya ako magpapansin kay Asher. Gusto ko lang naman mapansin ako ng taong gusto ko, pero eto, paepal lagi. Kainis.

Hinablot niya ang letter saka walang pagdududang binasa ang laman nito.

He laughed terribly after a minute. 

"Akin na kasi 'yan—-"

"Seriously?! You are inviting him to be your prom partner?!" At humagalpak ito sa tawa. 

"Lalaki ka ba? Lalaki lang gumagawa nito—"

"Stop stereotyping, okay?! Everyone can do the first move," I cut him off and grabbed the paper.

Nagsimula na akong maglakad pero bumuntot naman ito sa akin. You see how annoying he is? 

"Yeah, I know that. But Heather, you deserve to be treated like a princess. From your name HEATHER, you should be the main character. The one who they are pursuing, chasing, name it. You are pretty, okay? Stop doing that. Stop admiring someone who doesn't even care about you."

"Blah blah blah," I mocked.

"Wala naman kwenta sinasabi ko e." Tumawa lang ako dahil nakikita ko ang reaction nito.

Logan couldn't resist me. Mapapagod lang 'yan kaka-advice sakin na kahit isang words of wisdom niya hindi pumasok sa tenga ko. Bakit ako makikinig sa gtaong hindi pa na inlove sa tanang buhay niya? He couldn’t understand my feelings because he had never been in love. He couldn’t relate.

Logan is the type of guy who is so introverted with other people. Para rin siya si Asher sa ibang babaeng nagkakagusto sa kaniya, tahimik at mukhang suplado lalo na 'pag hindi nagsasalita. He is attractive. Gwapo siya sobra pero napakadaldal 'pag dating sa akin. He shows his soft sides exclusively for me only. Kaya hindi rin ako nawalan ng pag-asa kay Asher 'e, nagbabakasali na baka may side of kulitness, softness, or other ness pa diyan na katulad ni Logan. Ahe.

I ran away from Logan to find Asher. 

I smiled as I saw him sitting on the bench at the playground, alone. Finally, after hours of finding him, I can now approach him.

I heaved a big sigh before facing him.

When I already gained some confidence, I walked towards him. Pero bago pa ako nakalapit ay naunahan na ako ng mga tropa nito. They tapped Asher's back and gave the bouquet to him.

"Malapit na uwian nila Charleigh, bro. Buti na lang nakabili kami kaagad nang hindi namin naabotan, edi sana hindi mo na siya maimbenta."

Tumawa silang apat.

Charleigh? She's the girl from the other section ah? I already heard the issue that Asher likes someone from the other section, pero hindi lang ako naniniwala dahil ayoko masaktan. How come that she can like anyone from another section, when he can't even like me who is so near? 

'Kasi wala siyang pakialam sa'yo,’ my brain uttered.

Napatingin ako sa kamay ko dahil biglang may pumatak. Takte, bakit ang bilis kong masaktan? Mababaw pa naman luha ko. Argh!

"Whatever, I still don't have any plans to court her, but one thing I am sure of, I wanna make Charleigh my girlfriend at the end of this school year."

"'Yon oh!"

Hindi ko pa pinahiran luha ko ay nag tuloy-tuloy na ito sa pagpatak.

It was just too dumb to stand here, eavesdropping to their conversation. Great! Witnessing how the person I love confesses to his loved one? Ang tanga ko sa part na ito ha. Indeed, the terrible pain is when you feel that the person you love loves someone else. It hurts so much that you couldn't stop your heart from aching. 

Why can't we have the person we want? Why can't we be with them, why the universe doesn't allow us to be with them? Why is it so unfair?! Bakit kasi hindi na lang tayo, e pare-pareho naman tayong nagmamahalan dito ah, bakit kailangan pang masaktan!

I ran away from the playground and went home. I locked myself in the room and threw myself in bed. Then, I cried. It feels like someone's trying to rip my heart inside that I couldn't access. Seems like it is squeezing inside then throwing it and then stepping on it, tearing it apart with dull fingernails. Sobrang sakit. Napakasakit. Durog na durog. Aaaaaaaah!

I punched the pillow to relieve the pain I've been feeling right now.

Now I wonder what my parallel universe self is doing right now. Is she happy?

Is she getting a lot of attention from the guy she likes? Or does Asher like her there?

If so, then I wanna go there in a parallel universe. 

Just maybe timing would be kind to us.

Just maybe he could be mine.