Code Blue Heartbreak

Kabanata 1

Familiar

“Sama tayo sa celebration mamaya. Congratulate lang natin sila, tapos uwi na tayo,” Yesha said after the game.

I frowned at her. “Huh? Anong oras tayo makakauwi?”

She rolled her eyes. “7:30 pa lang, huwag kang OA. Uuwi kita mamaya ng ligtas,” she reassured me with a smile.

I sighed as she flashed her sweetest grin. Ano pa nga bang magagawa ko? Dinadaan na naman ako sa pa-cute niya.

As the crowd began to leave the arena, I pulled out my phone and quickly texted Kairi.

Me:

Cheer up. You did good. Bawi sa susunod.

After sending the message, Yesha and I stepped out of the arena. She grabbed my hand and started leading me somewhere.

“We’ll wait na lang muna. May interview pa sila, pero saglit lang naman ‘yon,” she explained.

I nodded, a bit reluctant. “Ikaw bahala…”

Kairi’s reply popped up on my screen:

Hababa:

Plastic. Hindi bagay sa’yo.

Napairap ako. He’s always like that. We’re always like this. Simula pa nung bata kami, aso’t-pusa na kami ni Kairi. Every time na susuportahan ko siya, ganito lagi ang reaksyon niya.

Kairi and I were born on the same day. Halos five minutes lang ang tanda niya sa akin, kaya parang magkapatid na talaga kami.

Me:

Edi, kawawa ka naman. Walang aalo sa’yo.

Hababa:

Meron na. Sorry ka. Blee!

Napailing ako. Childish.

Me:

Edi ikaw nang may girlfriend! Matauhan sana girlfriend mo na mahaba baba mo!

“Uy, sino ‘yang ka-chat mo?” Yesha asked, peeking at my phone.

“Kairi. Nang-aasar lang,” I replied.

Bigla niya akong kinurot sa bewang, making me yelp. “Yesha!”

She smirked. “Naku, Betty! Baka tama nga ako.”

I frowned. “What?”

“Baka kayo talaga ni Kairi,” she teased, giggling.

I smacked her lightly on the head. “May girlfriend ‘yon.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

I nodded. “Oo. Saka kaibigan ko siya-hindi magbabago ‘yon.”

She pouted, disappointed. “Ay, sayang. I was rooting for you and him.”

I laughed and fixed my hair. “Baliw! Gumuho na ang mundo, hindi kami magkakagusto no’n sa isa’t-isa.”

Hindi kami talo ni Kairi. We both feel the same way. Bukod sa pagkakaibigan, wala na kaming ibang nararamdaman para sa isa’t-isa. We love each other as friends, and that’s it.

She laughed and shook her head. “Tama. I can’t imagine if you two end up together…”

I laughed, too. Kairi and I argue a lot. Noong bata kami, sobrang close at sweet namin, pero habang tumatanda, puro na lang asaran. We support each other, palaging nandiyan, pero nandoon pa rin ang inisan.

Maybe that’s just how we show our love for each other. Hindi na rin kasi kami bata tulad noon na halos lahat sabay naming ginagawa. I have my own life now, and so does he. Pero salamat, kaibigan ko pa rin siya hanggang ngayon.

“Andyan na pala si Levi…”

I looked up and saw Levi walking toward us, a big smile on his lips. He was still in his jersey, but now he had a jacket on.

Levi is tall, with a messy mullet haircut and a noticeably built body. Simple lang siya kung titingnan, pero makapal ang kilay, medyo singkit ang mga mata, at may matangos na ilong. He’s the quiet but handsome type.

Yesha immediately ran to him and hugged him.

“Congrats,” I said, smiling.

He smiled back while hugging my best friend. “Salamat.”

“Ang galing mo kanina! Alam ko na magaling ka, pero grabe, iba pala pag live!” Yesha gushed.

Levi chuckled. “Nood ka ulit sa susunod. Mas gagalingan ko.”

My friend giggled. “Of course! I’ll watch all your games from now on.”

“Mas maganda. Mas magiging inspired ako.”

I crossed my arms, feeling like a third wheel. Levi even kissed Yesha’s forehead, and my friend looked like she was about to melt.

I shook my head but smiled. I could see the love in their eyes. Dati tutol pa ako sa kanilang dalawa dahil two years ang tanda ni Levi kay Yesha. I thought we were too young to fall in love-ano bang alam namin sa pagmamahal?

But seeing them together, I get it now. Siguro nga, walang pinipili ang pagmamahal. It has its limits, but if you love someone, you love them.

“Ah, sama kayo. Paalis na kami. Sabay na lang kayo sa service namin. Pumayag naman si Coach,” Levi said after their little moment.

Yesha turned to me. “Sama tayo.”

Levi nodded. “Simpleng celebration lang.”

Before I could answer, Yesha was already beside me. “Saglit lang. Tapos uwi na tayo.”

“Sinabi mo ‘yan, ah,” I warned, giving her a look.

She just smiled. “Yep. Halika na.”

I scratched my head as I followed them out of Green Sun Hotel, where the Phantom Phoenix service bus was waiting. The bus was black and yellow, with their logo painted on the side.

“Nakakahiya,” I whispered to Yesha as we walked closer.

It looked like they were waiting for us.

“Don’t be. Kasama rin naman ng ibang members yung girlfriends nila,” Levi said, smiling.

“Kahit na,” I muttered.

He chuckled. “Nandoon naman si Kairi…”

I sighed, remembering what Kairi said earlier. He mentioned he’d introduce his girlfriend, so now I was curious.

As we boarded the bus, everyone inside looked our way. There were a lot of people, including some girls I didn’t know.

“Dito na lang sila, Levi,” someone said, pointing to two seats.

I noticed the team captain sitting across from us. Our eyes met, and he looked surprised before quickly looking away.

“Doon tayo,” Levi said.

Yesha and I settled in. She took the window seat while I fidgeted nervously. This was my first time joining something like this.

Normally, it’s just me and Yesha. And now, puro lalaki pa ang kasama. I didn’t want to judge, but I couldn’t help feeling anxious.

“Relax, Betty. Nandoon daw si Kairi,” Yesha whispered, noticing my nerves.

I pouted. “Medyo kabado lang,” I admitted.

“First time ba?” Levi asked from nearby.

I nodded. I also noticed the guy beside him-Chessman-glancing at me before looking away.

He shook his head. “Nandoon si Kairi. Kaibigan mo ‘yon, ‘di ba?”

I nodded again. “Yes.”

“Hello! Justin nga pala,” someone in front of us said.

He was smiling and held out his hand. I stared at it, caught off guard.

“Hoy, Justin! Umaandar na naman yang kalandian mo!” someone yelled.

He kept his hand out. “Sasakit kamay ko nito.” he said with a smirk.

Embarrassed, I shook his hand quickly. “Betty,” I said shortly.

“May boyfriend ka na?” he asked.

I frowned, unsure how to answer.

“Gago ‘to, oh!” Levi said.

“Walang boyfriend ‘yan,” Yesha answered for me, making me scowl.

“Wala pang balak,” I added.

He grinned. “Pero pwedeng pumila?”

Now I felt uncomfortable. He looked nice— bleached hair, killer smile, and good looking but he was creeping me out.

“Wala ngang balak. Bobo ka ba?” a deep voice cut in.

I looked across and saw Chessman glaring at Justin, clearly annoyed. I swallowed, not sure why I felt nervous.

Justin just laughed. “Ito naman, hindi mabiro. Joke lang.”

“She’s uncomfortable with you, don’t you see?” Chessman said firmly.

I pressed my lips together, unable to look away. He looked really mad, and I didn’t understand why.

“Sorry na, Captain. Joke lang naman,” Justin said, his tone calmer.

I shook my head and looked at Chessman. “Hindi. Okay lang,” I said.

He looked at me seriously. “Sorry. Don’t think of anything else. Mabait ako.”

I just nodded and forced a smile. He sat back properly while I turned to my right, just in time to see him look away again.

I frowned. He adjusted in his seat, and I couldn’t help but stare. I don’t know why, but he looked familiar. Now that I saw him up close, I felt like I’d seen him before.

I tilted my head, trying to remember. I couldn’t recall, but the feeling was there.

When he glanced at me again, our eyes met. It was brief-he looked away and shifted in his seat, turning slightly away from me. I pouted.

“Why?”

“I think I saw him somewhere before,” I whispered to Yesha.

She raised an eyebrow. “Sino? Chessman?”

I nodded. “Hmm…”

“Really?”

“Hindi ko lang maalala, pero may pakiramdam akong nagkita na kami.”

“Baka hindi naman. Hindi ka naman masyadong gumagala,” she said.

I didn’t answer. The celebration for Phantom Phoenix’s win was held somewhere in Makati, at a restaurant they’d reserved. When we went inside, I spotted Kairi, drink in hand, with a petite girl beside him.

“Nandito na sila. Congrats!” someone called out.

Kairi turned and saw us right away. He smiled and walked over with the girl.

So, that’s the girlfriend, huh?

“Hey… akala ko hindi ka sasama,” he said when he reached us.

“Pinilit lang ako ni Yesha.”

“Betty, doon lang kami ni Levi,” Yesha whispered.

I turned to her. “Okay lang. Basta puntahan kita mamaya pag-uwi na tayo.”

She nodded, then she and Levi disappeared like a whirlwind.

Kairi laughed. “Of course, ikaw pa ba?” he said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes at him, then glanced at the girl beside him. She smiled, so I smiled back.

“Oo nga pala,” Kairi said. “Betty, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Hailey. Hailey, my best friend Betty.”

“Hi, I’m Betty,” I said, offering my hand.

She took it right away. “Hailey. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

Hailey was petite-smaller and skinnier than me. Her straight hair was loose, and her features were delicate. Maamo ang mukha niya at mabini rin kung kumilos.

“Kairi mentioned you a lot to me.”

I laughed and glanced at my friend. “Huwag mo sanang intindihin lahat ng sinasabi niya tungkol sa akin.”

She laughed, too, her laugh soft. I looked at Kairi and rolled my eyes.

“Maswerte ka na at maganda ang girlfriend mo. Naka-chamba ka na naman,” I teased.

He chuckled. “Oo nga, eh. Mabait pa.”

“Ako ang maswerte. Kairi is a great guy,” Hailey said.

I nodded. “Good choice.”

Unlike Yesha, whose first boyfriend was Levi, Hailey was already Kairi’s second girlfriend. The first one cheated on him. Ang kapal, ‘di ba?

“Have you met Chessman?” Kairi suddenly asked.

I frowned. “Yes. Kanina,” I answered.

He smirked. “Did he talk to you?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Nope. Why?”

He just shook his head and sipped his drink. I bet it was just juice. He looked around, and I realized he probably knew Chessman, too, since he used to be part of Phantom Phoenix.

I also noticed both teams were there. I didn’t know why, but I guessed they were friends.

“Ayon pala ang gago,” he muttered. “Andres!” he suddenly called out.

I followed his gaze and spotted Chessman from across the room, holding a drink and talking to some teammates. He looked over, and our eyes met again.

My heart skipped a beat. The room was noisy and crowded, but when our eyes met, I felt something. I froze.

He smiled and raised his drink, then turned back to his friends. After a moment, he excused himself and walked toward us. I pressed my lips together as he approached, his gaze serious.

He was even taller up close, definitely taller than Kairi, and looked a bit older-maybe by a year. I couldn’t help but notice how he carried himself. Moreno, obviously worked out, with visible muscles on his arms. He wore glasses, and his hair was styled in a comma undercut that suited him.

His thick eyebrows framed his almond eyes, adding depth to his serious gaze. His jawline was sharp, his nose well-defined, and his lips full and pinkish. He had an aura that made me stop in my tracks. Ngayon ko lang ‘yon napansin!

“Congrats, bud,” Kairi said as Chessman reached us.

I was still staring, dumbfounded. He was good-looking, but with a bit of a bad boy vibe.

He just smiled. “Thanks. Kasama mo pala si Hailey,” Chessman said.

“Oo, pati si Betty,” Kairi replied, gesturing to me.

I straightened up as Chessman turned to me. Our eyes met again, but this time, I was the one who looked away. I tucked my hair behind my ear and smiled awkwardly.

“Betty, this is Andres. Andres, si Betty, kaibigan ko.”

He nodded. I smiled like an idiot and offered my hand.

“Hi, Chessman.”

He gave a small smile. “Andres na lang. Andres Jay Delavin,” he said, shaking my hand.

I gasped softly when I felt a jolt as our hands touched. He seemed to feel it too, because we both let go quickly. Now it was even more awkward.

“Bethany Aria Villanueva. Betty na lang,” I said, putting my hand behind my back. “Congrats pala. Galing niyo kanina.”

“Salamat. Anyway, kain ka kung gusto mo.” His voice was deep.

I nodded. “Hmm… mamaya.”

“I’ll leave you two for a while. Samahan ko lang si Hailey,” Kairi said suddenly.

I turned to him. “Saan?”

“Diyan lang,” he replied, then turned to Chessman. “Ikaw munang bahala rito sa kaibigan ko.”

Hala!

Before I could react, Kairi and Hailey left. Suddenly, the room felt even more awkward. People were chatting everywhere, but we were just standing there.

I scratched my head and glanced at Chessman. He was staring at me. I bit my lip, not knowing what to say.

“Gusto mo kumain?” he offered.

I nodded. “Okay.”