A Perfect Match?

Chapter 1: The Escapade

April 12, 2014. Two weeks has passed since San Carlos High School's promotional program. Kate, Leah, and Jane were all promoted to Grade 9 for the next academic year.

And so, the three decided to celebrate by going for a tour to Vigan City. Of course, Leah's family was rich and her parents were somewhat permissive, so she often got what she wanted. Kate and Jane went along with her, of course.

Since none of them were old enough to get a driver's license and drive a car, they were accompanied by Leah's brother Mark.

Mark is Leah's only sibling. But unlike other siblings, Mark and Leah are relatively close, so close that some people who see them think that they are lovers and not siblings. But definitely they do not do those things done by couples. Mark definitely would not want to spend time in jail.

The 19-year-old brother of Leah stands at 5'11". Yes, their breed is relatively tall. No wonder that Mark is one of the prized members of his university's basketball team.

Mark shares some of Leah's facial features, and he also has a well-developed body build and a slightly darker skin than his sister.

"Mark, you are the adult. Take care of your sister and her friends, okay? They are counting on you, and so do we," Mrs. Fajardo told Mark.

"Yes, mom," Mark answered.

"And you, three, don't give big brother a headache. Especially you, Leah," Mrs. Fajardo turned her attention to the girls.

"Alright, mom," Leah answered.

"Now, you better get going, so you would reach Vigan earlier," Mr. Fajardo told the children.

And so, the car left San Carlos at 8:30 in the morning. As expected, Leah sat on the passenger seat while Kate and Jane sat on the back seats. This is actually the first time that Jane went along with Kate and Leah in such a long-distance travel. Usually, Jane is not into such for she prefers reviewing for exams, but since it is already vacation time, she thought that there would be nothing wrong in it. Besides, the tour was in Vigan, so she thought it might be a good idea if she saw the historical city for herself.

Mark turned the car's radio on and "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden started playing.

I'll be your dream

I'll be your wish 

I'll be your fantasy

Mark sang along with the music while Leah was leaning on her shoulder. 

I'll be your hope

I'll be your love

Be everything that you need

"How sweet!" Kate and Jane cheered from the backseat.

"Of course. I got a brother and a boyfriend at the same time," Leah answered, afterwards she cuddled with her brother from the side.

"Well, I wish everyone had a big brother," Kate said with a little disappointment.

After about two and a half hours, Mark stopped the car in front of a restaurant.

"Alright, ladies. Would you like to have something to eat before we proceed with our journey?" he asked.

"We would love to, big brother. Actually we're getting hungry," Leah immediately answered.

"Don't eat too much or you'll lose your sexy body," Mark said to his sister, afterwards he giggled.

"I hate you," Leah remarked, followed by a smirk on her face.

"Just kidding, Sorry," Mark said with a childish voice. "Love you."

"Love you too, big brother," Leah responded, afterwards she hugged her brother.

With this, Kate and Jane cleared their throats.

"We're going back to the car. We'll just leave you so that we won't be able to ruin your moment," Kate remarked, stressing the 'moment.'

"Yeah. I agree. Let's go, sis," Jane seconded.

"Wait. Are you serious, guys? You aren't going to eat?" Leah asked her friends.

"Too bad I was supposed to give you a treat," Mark added.

"Really, big bro? Alright then, we'll come with you. Right, Kate?" Jane immediately remarked.

"Oh, sure. Free food is delicious," Kate agreed.

At once all four entered the restaurant. Mark ordered a whole roasted chicken and four servings of rice. In here, you could just ask for an extra serving of rice if you want one.

"Do you want vegetables? I'll pick an order for you if you wish," Mark offered. 

Well, after all, Mark's family is wealthy, so it is no wonder that he has a lot of money in his pocket.

"Oh sure, big bro. Veggies would be good," Kate answered.

"I agree," Jane remarked.

"So do I," Leah added.

"Very well then," Mark responded. With this, he ordered four servings of pinakbet (a vegetable dish endemic to the Ilocos Region in the Philippines).

"Go, find a place for us. I'll wait for our order," Mark asked the girls.

With this, Kate, Leah, and Jane found a table for four people. They found one near a window.

Meanwhile, Kate was thinking about some stuff.

"Should I tell my friends about my secret? What if they won't accept me? What if they would shun me if I told them about my sexuality?"

After a few minutes, Mark followed the girls, bringing along with him the food. Then all four started eating.

Mark and Leah would occasionally spoon-feed each other, and so, Kate and Jane tried to stop them.

"Don't act like that. In no time, everyone in this restaurant might be looking at you two," Kate told Leah.

"No matter," Leah remarked, shrugging her shoulders.

After they finished eating, the four went back to the car. Mark drank some energy drink so he would not fall asleep while driving.

Furthermore, Mark opened the radio so that he could hear some music and he would not fall asleep. Upon opening the radio, "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor started to play.

Upon hearing the interlude, Kate chuckled.

"Why? What's funny with this song?" Mark asked Kate.

"Nothing really, big bro. I just really enjoy watching Manny Pacquiao whenever he fights in the boxing ring," Kate answered.

"Ah. I haven't known that such a beautiful girl as Kate would be a Pacquiao fan," Mark remarked. "But anyway, I guess almost everyone enjoys watching Manny Pacquiao whenever he comes into the boxing ring."

Well, Kate is indeed a fan of combat sports. She even had taekwondo lessons when she was younger. However, she preferred not to show this to everyone because she did not want to attract attention to herself.

After a while Kate began singing with the lyrics.

It's the eye of the tiger

It's the thrill of the fight

Rising up to the challenge of our rival

And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night

And he's watching us all in the eye of the tiger

"Well, seems that you have memorized the song, Kate" Mark deadpanned. 

"Oh, yeah. Seems to me, too," Kate agreed.

Mark just kept the radio on so he would remain awake while driving.

After a few more hours, the car reached their destination. Upon reaching Vigan, they searched for a transient house that they could book for their stay.

Once they were able to set everything in the transient house, they immediately decided to take a tour. They immediately went to Baluarte, where they saw the different animals. Kate loved animals so much so she took photos of such.

Then they travelled to Calle Crisologo to see the remains of the ancient Spanish city. Jane was especially amazed to see the old buildings and the stone-paved road. She somewhat loves history, so she wasted no time in taking photos of those.

After a few hours of touring, they were finally tired, so they decided to eat. To no one's surprise, they munched some native Ilocos delicacies.

After eating, they went back to the transient house that they booked. Mark was especially exhausted, so he easily fell asleep.

While Mark was asleep, the three girls played "Truth or Dare." Since all were minors, they used a soft-drink bottle instead of a bottle of liquor. 

Leah was the first to spin the bottle. After it stopped spinning, it pointed on Kate.

"Truth or dare?" Leah asked.

"Truth," Kate answered.

Long before this, Leah has noticed that Kate has been fantasizing about some girls. The former often notices this a girl who is their senior passes through them. The situation often leaves Kate dumbfounded.

And so, Leah used this to ask Kate a question.

"Are you lesbian?" Leah asked Kate.

This question grilled Kate, as expected. She was shocked with the question.

"Wait, what? How did she think that way? I was not telling her about my crushes or something," Kate was telling to herself.

Kate was still in shocked so Leah passed her hand through in front of Leah's face.

"Hey!" Leah caught Kate's attention.

"Huh?" Kate asked in bewilderment.

"I was asking if you are lesbian," Leah stated.

"Huh? N-no," Kate answered in confusion.

"Tell the truth," Leah said to put more pressure on Kate. "I often notice you drooling over girls at school."

With this, Kate was caught off-guard. And so, knowing that she could no longer hide it, she took a deep breath to ease her nervousness.

"Well, I developed infatuations for girls. I admit that. But actually, I also had some crushes on boys so I think I might be bisexual," Kate answered.

"Is that real?" Jane asked in shock. Kate nodded.

"Whoa!" Leah exclaimed.

With this,  Mark was awakened.

"What's going on here?" he asked, trying to open his eyes.

"Nothing, big bro. We're just playing," Leah answered.

 "Alright. But please do not talk too loud. I was tired of our journey," Mark requested.

"Noted, big bro," Leah responded.

And so, the girls continued playing. Kate spun the bottle next and it pointed on Leah.

After a few more minutes, the girls got tired of playing. But then, Jane asked Kate about her revelation. Still, what Kate revealed about her sexuality was not able to sink in to Jane.

"Are you sure you feel that way? I mean, is it real that you have such feelings for girls?" Jane asked, still in confusion.

"Well, yes. But please do not tell anyone yet until I am already sure of my feelings," Kate pleaded.

Here, Leah held one of Kate's hands and Jane held the other.

"We're friends. Your secret is safe with us," Leah assured.

"Thank you very much," Kate responded. "You're good friends indeed."

That evening, Mark and the girls continued their tour. They went to Plaza Salcedo in a bid to enjoy some fresh air. Leah and Mark walked around the park together while Kate and Jane sat on a bench, talking about some random stuff.

It was already almost 9:00 in the evening when they returned to the transient house. Upon coming home, they took a shower and went to sleep.

The following day, they went shopping for some souvenir items and delicacies that they would bring back home before they left.

It was already 10:00 in the morning when they finally left Vigan. On their way home, Kate, Leah, and Jane were murmuring among themselves, which annoyed Mark.

"What are you murmuring among yourselves? You sound like bees," Mark asked, his voice almost rising.

"Nothing, big bro. Girls' talk," Leah answered.

"Okay. I'll just turn the music on so you could talk about your girls' talk without me hearing of it," Mark said, stressing the "girls' talk".

And so, he turned on the radio and "Heaven" by Bryan Adams started to play.

Oh, thinking about all our younger years

There was only you and me

We were young and wild and free

Mark was still driving while the music plays. 

Now, nothing can take you away from me

We've been down that road before

But that's over now

You keep me coming back for more

At this point, Mark could not resist singing along. This actually happened to be one of his favorite songs.

Baby you're all that I want

When you're lying here in my arms

I'm finding it hard to believe

We're in heaven

With this, he parked the car at the side of the road to sing along with the music.

"Why did you stop?" Leah asked, with a little annoyance.

Mark did not answer. Instead, he continued singing.

With this, Leah had an idea.

"Guys, bring your phones out. Let's record his voice and upload the video on f*******:. Let's make my brother famous," Leah told Kate and Jane.

With this, Mark was startled. 

"Huh? N-no. Don't do that," Mark said in bewilderment.

"Yes, we will do it. We will upload your video on f*******: so you better continue singing," Leah sternly said.

"I said no!" Mark exclaimed. With this, he turned the radio off and disappointedly continued to drive the car.

When the car was running, Leah chuckled and talked to Kate and Jane.

"My brother is afraid we will upload his video. He's afraid people would discover his golden voice," Leah said. The other girls laughed.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Mark asked, afterwards he grinned.

"Hah! You're afraid your voice would be discovered," Kate teasingly said, which pissed Mark off.

"Whatever," Mark said, annoyed. With this, he just continued driving the car until they safely returned to San Carlos.

"I'll drive you home, girls," Mark offered. The girls immediately agreed and thanked him.