Swayed on the Waves

Chapter Two:

We were already inside the Korean restaurant, and we were immediately escorted to an empty table that could fit seven people.

Helene sat near the grill, with Dahlia beside her, then me. Vera took the head seat since she had no one directly across from her, while the others were supposed to sit in front of us.

Wala pa sila dahil kumukuha pa ng pagkain. Vera stood up, excusing herself to go to the ladies’ room, while I just sat there,

observing my friends.

Helene was smirking while scrolling through her phone, while Dahlia looked like she was praying—her phone placed on her thighs as she typed.

"Bro, kunin mo pa ‘yung isa plato" Justin gestured with his lips towards the distance, balancing two plates filled with different types of meat on both hands.

"Teka lang bro, kitang kanin ang hawak ko e" Jeff replied, carefully placing two plates full of kimchi rice on the table.

I suddenly craved food and wanted to start eating, but we weren’t complete yet.

I glanced at Russel, and as expected, his expression remained unchanged. It was as if he didn’t care about anything. He was holding two plates—one filled with sushi rolls and the other with lettuce.

I took a sip of my water, watching as Jeff left again to fetch what Justin had told him to get earlier.

Justin was smirking at us before taking his seat. "Bilis makahanap ng table ah,”

Helene lazily put her phone down on the table. "Wala namang masyadong tao ngayon. Baka mamaya pa dumami,”

"Oh, ikaw may ari kaya alam mo?" Justine teased.

Helene just rolled her eyes at him.

We all turned to Dahlia when she suddenly stood up with her phone pressed to her right ear, seemingly talking to someone. Sakto namang bumalik na si Vera galing ladies’ room.

Vera looked confused as she settled back into her seat. "Saan ang punta ng isa?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

A few minutes later, Dahlia returned, and we finally started eating. Helene was the one grilling the meat, though she kept complaining about why she had to do it.

"Ikaw ang nandyan e," Jeff reasoned out.

Helene didn't respond, but it was obvious she was annoyed—especially with the way she aggressively stabbed the meat with the tongs, nearly crushing it. Justin reached out to take some, and Helene looked like she was about to smack him over the head with the tongs.

"Todo kuha ka, ikaw ba nagluluto, ha?"

"Hindi naman natin mauubos ‘yan kapag tititigan lang natin," Justin replied, unfazed as he chewed.

Tahimik lang akong kumakain. Panay lang ang kain ko ng kimchi at lettuce na ako lang ata ang bumabawas. When Russel and I made eye contact, he raised an eyebrow at me, so I raised mine right back.

"Hoy, wag nga kayong mag cellphone" Jeff scolded Dahlia and Vera, who were busy typing away.

Tinago naman agad nila ang cellphone at sabay na inirapan si Jeff. We spent nearly two hours at the restaurant, chatting and laughing. Jeff kept throwing jokes, and Justin hyped him up while their other friend kept shutting them down. Their dynamic was so balanced that I couldn't help but laugh along.

As we were about to leave, I grabbed some leftover lettuce. Russel stared at me with a confused expression, but I just popped the lettuce into my mouth. No way was I wasting food.

Mahal rin ang binayad namin 'no!

At baka naman mag reklamo pa siya dahil siya ang laging kumukuha ng lettuce namin kahit ako lang naman ang nakaka ubos!

We stepped out of the restaurant, and the group immediately started discussing where to go next. They were acting like it was the weekend, making plans as if we had nothing else to do later.

"Next time naman libre n’yo na kami,” Dahlia suggested.

"Lah, bakit kami?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Aba, edi wag" Dahlia looked away.

It was already late in the evening by the time we finished wandering around the mall, checking out random things. I only bought a book, while the others just window-shopped.

"Uuwi na kami. Huwag kayong mag ingat ha!" Vera joked.

"Huwag ka nang mag ce-cellphone sa daan ha?" Russel turned to me, laughing.

Kumunot ang noo ko sa kanya. Just because we spent a few hours together didn’t mean he could start acting chummy with me. I still remembered what he used to do to me when we were kids!

I raised my right eyebrow at him. "Close ba tayo?"

Russel mirrored my expression. "Gaanong close ba ang gusto mo?"

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Dahlia. The others waved goodbye, but I just kept my eyes on the street, waiting for the signal to turn red so we could cross.

"Sana hindi traffic," Helene muttered.

"Traffic na ‘yan. Alas otso na oh," Dahlia replied, checking her wristwatch.

When I got home, I went straight to my room. Pauwi palang daw sila Mama kaya mag isa akong bumaba para kumain. Bumalik ulit ako sa kwarto para gawin ang dapat kong gawin hanggang sa nakatulog ako.

–

The next day, since I left home too early, I decided to stop by my unit to grab a few things. We had practice, and I needed an extra towel and new goggles since my old ones broke during our last session.

I was one of the swimmers chosen to compete in a contest next month. To earn extra points, I had to give it my best. My specialties were freestyle and backstroke, but the event required butterfly, so that’s what I was focusing on.

Dumating ang second subject at doon lang ako nagpa excuse para sa practice namin. The professor said they’d give me the handouts later, so I wouldn’t miss anything important.

Pumasok ako sa pool area at nakita sila Saffiro na naka upo sa sun lounger at may kausap na iilang swimmers. Some were already in the water, training, while our coach was yelling at them for swimming too slowly.

"Kanina ka pa hanap ni coach," Saffiro said as I set my things down on the lounger beside his.

"Kinausap ko pa teacher namin," I explained, and he just nodded.

The moment our coach noticed me, he called me over. I quickly changed into my gear and stretched before stepping up beside my teammate.

Nang marinig ang pagpito ay lumusong agad kami.

At the sound of the whistle, we dove in. I started with freestyle, switching to butterfly halfway through. Reaching the other end, I pulled off my goggles and glanced at the large screen on the wall displaying our recorded times.

"Lopez, mas bilisan mo. Nauunahan ka na ni Kostelo,” Coach called out.

"Sorry, coach!" Mat replied.

We swam for hours, used to the constant scolding. But with the big competition coming up at another school, there was no way we could afford to lose—not after all this intense training.

Nag usap usap muna kami nila Coach at dalawa na kami ni Ford ang pinapanood niya para isabak sa laban. I also asked a few of the reserve players who were skilled in butterfly to help me refine my technique.

–

We were at the mall to buy a few things.

"Daan tayo sa Mac, may titignan akong makeup products na bagong release" Vera said.

"Kakabili mo lang last week ah?" Dahlia asked her with brows furrowed while holding her large paper bag filled with all the things she had bought.

Vera laughed. "Last week ‘yon,”

Meanwhile, I was busy texting on my phone as I followed behind them. Russel had been annoying me nonstop.

From: Russel Serevilla

Bakit ba ang sungit mo? Dati maarte kalang, ngayon level up ka na HAHAHAHA

To: Russel Serevilla

Shut up.

Kanina pa kami magka usap. Apparently, his mom had invited us over since it had been a long time since we visited. Only Mom ever went there to catch up. I had gone once because she insisted, saying his mother wanted to see me. But that was it—I never had a reason to visit again.

From: Russel Serevilla

Nood kayo ulit ng game namin next week.

To: Russel Serevilla

Paano kapag ayaw namin?

From: Russel Serevilla

Weh? Kaya pala todo cheer ka saamin :D

To: Russel Serevilla

Tumigil ka nga sa ilusyon mo.

Prom was coming up this Friday, but we weren’t attending. Instead, we planned to go to a bar since some of Vera’s college friends invited us. Hindi naman kami tumanggi.

–

Nakasimangot lang ako kinabukasan. Justin and his group had joined us since it was their school's Foundation Day and the campus gates were open, allowing them to go out.

"Nakasimangot ka na naman," Russel teased, smirking.

I looked away while he chuckled. I wasn’t sure what had gotten into him—he had always been serious and aloof, but lately, he’d become annoyingly playful.

"Bro, kanina pa nakatingin saatin ‘yung lalaki. Crush ata tayo," Jeff nudged Justin.

Curious, I followed Jeff’s gaze, and my eyes widened when I saw Jackson approaching us. Nasa supermarket kami ng Mall dahil gagawa raw ng mango graham si Vera at doon kami sa unit nya para makapag chill kasama ang iilan nyang pinsan na nandito sa Manila.

"Oh, you're here" I said, a bit surprised.

"Hi, Jackson!" my friends greeted him.

He gave them a small smile before grabbing my right arm, pulling me slightly away. I immediately noticed the irritation on his face.

"Kaya ba hindi mo sinasagot ang tawag at chats ko dahil may kasama kang iba?" he accused.

"Huh? Hindi naman ako nag iisa" I replied, confused.

He closed the distance between us. "Busy ako next week kaya sinusulit ko na ang oras natin pero mukhang busy ka" he said, almost sulking.

Hinaplos ko ang braso nya. "Pwede kang sumama saamin kung gusto mo. I'll tell Vera,”

Jackson’s face immediately lit up, and he smiled. I took his hand as we walked back toward Vera and the others, who were already at the cashier paying for the groceries.

The rest of the group was staring at us when we arrived.

"Vera, isasama ko si Jackson saatin. Ayos lang ba?" I asked her.

Vera glanced at us before looking up at Jackson. "Sure, the more, the merrier!" she said with a laugh.

Helene leaned in as Justin whispered something to her. Hindi ko naman alam ang sinabi pero natawa si Helene at hinampas pa ang braso nito.

"Gago, jowa nya ‘yan. Mukha ba silang magkapatid?" she cackled.

Jackson must have noticed the exchange because Justin suddenly straightened up.

"Yo, bro! Jowa ka pala ni Silene. Akala ko kapatid, 'sensya ka na"

Jackson didn’t respond, simply staying behind me. I caught Russel rolling his eyes impatiently from the side.

"Lah, snob," I heard Justin mutter under his breath.

–

As soon as we got to Vera’s unit, Jeff and the others immediately started making noise. Vera’s cousins weren’t there yet, so we had the place to ourselves for now.

I helped Vera in the kitchen to prepare the mango graham, while Jeff and the guys went downstairs to buy some light drinks and canned beer. Sila Helene naman ay nag se-set up sa sala para magkaroon kami ng mala bar ambience.

While I was layering graham crackers in the container, Vera smirked. "Naghaharutan na kayo ni Russel, ah."

My face scrunched involuntarily. "Anong harutan? E na aasar nga ako sa mukha nya,”

She laughed while nodding. "Pero para kasing may sarili kayong mundo kapag magkakasama tayo,”

My face scrunched even more. "Ew, magtigil ka nga, Veronica Andrea. May boyfriend na ako,”

She glared at me. "Pasalamat ka at wala kang second name,”

The doorbell rang, and soon, Vera’s noisy cousins burst into the unit. There were three of them, and just by looking at them, I could

already tell they had different personalities.

"Woah, marami pala tayo," said the petite girl with a high ponytail. She had an energetic aura that stood out immediately.

"May dadating pa," Helene replied who was sitting on the black leather couch.

The fair-skinned girl nodded and went over to help Helene. Meanwhile, I focused on wiping the table since we had finished making the mango graham, which was now chilling in the fridge.

Vera was chatting with her moreno cousin while standing near the oven, waiting for the chicken to heat up.

The door suddenly opened, and Jeff’s voice rang through the room.

"Yo, what's up…?” his eyes scanned the place, lips slightly parted before he grinned at Vera’s female cousins.

"Dami natin,” he whispered to Justin.

I immediately approached Jackson, who was carrying a bag of junk food. Russel was the last to enter, holding two boxes of pizza.

Nagsimula na kami sa pag kwentuhan habang nag iinuman. I was sipping San Mig while munching on chips, sitting close to Jackson, who was laughing along with the others.

"Ang boring kung hindi tayo maglalaro," Vera announced.

"Anong laro naman?" the fair-skinned girl asked.

Vera took a swig of her drink before smirking. "Truth or dare?"

Bumili sila ng isang bote ng vodka at nakakalahati na namin ito. elene and the others were getting louder, and I just went along with the energy.

We sat in a circle—Jackson and I on one end, Jeff and his group in the middle, and Vera along with her cousins in front of us.

Ang petite na babae ay kanina pa tingin ng tingin kay Russel habang umiinom ng alak. Meanwhile, Russel furrowed his brows, drinking his vodka like it was water, accepting another shot from Jeff without hesitation.

I leaned in slightly toward Jackson to hear him better. "Ang lalakas pala uminom ng mga kaibigan mo,”

I chuckled. "Nasasanay na,”

Taking another sip of my nearly empty San Mig, I tuned into the conversation. They were still debating what game to play.

"Suck and blow?"

"Gross," my face scrunched involuntarily as I muttered under my breath.

I heard Russel chuckle in a deep, husky tone.

Vera raised her index finger. "Ang makahulog ay iinom ng vodka,”

"Game!" The fair-skinned girl cheered.

I didn’t want to be a killjoy, so I reluctantly joined the game, even though I was already feeling a bit dizzy. My alcohol tolerance was embarrassingly low.

We rearranged ourselves so that the seating alternated between girls and boys.

Si Vera ang una at pinasa kay Justin ang papel. I watched as they passed it around, my face slightly twisted in discomfort because I had no idea how to play this game properly.

When the petite girl passed the paper to Russel, she was giggling and blushing. Their lips almost touched when the paper nearly fell,

but Russel caught it just in time.

Russel passed it next to the fair-skinned girl, then to Jackson. When it was Jackson’s turn to pass it to me, my lips trembled as I pressed them against the paper.

And then, the worst happened.

The paper slipped.

Jackson’s lips landed on mine.

Because we were both already tipsy, he kissed me. But before it could go any deeper, I pulled away.

"Woah, live!" the petite girl laughed.

"Mag inuman nalang tayo” Russel muttered, taking another swig of his drink.

"Mas mabuti pa nga” the fair-skinned girl agreed.

Nagising nalang ako at tulog na silang lahat. I sat up, rubbing my temples, and glanced at the wall clock. It was already 7 AM. I had no idea we had been here for so long.

Just as I was about to shake him again, I heard a noise from the kitchen.

Instantly alert, I got up and made my way there, only to find Russel throwing away empty beer cans. He glanced up when he noticed me.

Parang hindi siya uminom dahil maayos pa rin siya.

"Nagising ba kita?" he asked in a calm voice.

I immediately shook my head. "Akala ko may ibang tao kaya pumunta ako dito,”

He nodded slightly. "Gisingin na natin sila. Maaga pa kami bukas,” he said before walking past me back to the living room.

Nagising na sila at halos nakayakap na ang babaeng petite kay Russel dahil sya ang pinaka maraming nainom saamin.

Meanwhile, Marc, Vera’s cousin, was helping the fair-skinned girl stand. Jeff seemed fine but was leaning sleepily against the wall of the elevator.

Siniko ko si Dahlia para umayos ng tayo dahil halos dumausdos na sya. Si Helene ay may tama na pero nag ce-cellphone pa rin.

Vera was massaging her neck, looking drained. She walked us downstairs and hailed a taxi. Marc had his car, so the cousins were riding together.

He even offered us a ride but we declined it. Dahil hindi naman kami kakasya lahat kaya kailangan naming mag commute.

"Ingatan mo Jackson ang kaibigan namin. Baka mabugbog kita,” Dahlia warned, holding up her clenched fist in front of him.

"E, wala na rin ata ‘yan. Tignan mo, mas malakas pa si Silene" Justin joked.

Russel turned to me. "Taga saan ba ‘yan?"

"Malapit lang sa school n'yo. Isabay n’yo na,” I replied.

He nodded before looking at Helene. "Helene, alalayan mo yung kaibigan mo"

She raised her head to look at Russel. "Sino sa kanila?"

"Si Silene. Mukhang mahihimatay na e,”

I just scoffed.