"Dariantha!"

Umalis agad ako sa piangta-taguan ko when I heard Kaid called for me. I approached like nothing happened. Buti nga, they didn't hear Kaid's shout because if they did hear, they will see me. Even Mom, hindi rin niya narinig.

"Saan ka galing, my girlfriend?" he asked, smiling, as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"Diyan lang." 

"Okay." While going inside, pasimple kong tinignan sila sa likod. Mom was still crying habang hindi pa rin siya napapansin nila Dad. When she turned her back, mabilis kong ini-iwas ang tingin ko.

"Hey, Dari, where did you go kanina?" bungad sa akin ni Lynn.

"I just went somewhere." It looks like she believed it because she focused on her phone again. From my peripheral vision, nakita kong nakatingin din sa akin si Ackley.

"By the way, Dariantha, why did I see 'yung flower na hawak mo kanina inside a bin?" Suddenly, I completely looked at Ackley. 

What is he saying? Hindi ko naman tinapon 'yung flower, ah? Or tinapon ko, but I just don't know? Pero as far as I can remember, hindi ko talaga 'yun tinapon. "What does it looks like? Baka namamalik-mata ka lang?" 'yan na lang ang natanong ko. Kasi baka Ackley just saw a different flower because what ha is saying was impossible.

"It completely looks like the flower that you were holding earlier. Remember the flower I gaveㅡI mean, 'yung nakita ko kanina na may pangalan moㅡthat was what it looks like. Kaya I'm sure na hindi ako namamalik-mata, Dariantha.

I excue myself kay Kaid na naka-kunot ang noo. I went to the room where I stayed last night. I looked at the vase where I put the flower earlier, and I was shocked nang hindi ko na makita 'yung flower doon. Vase na lang.

I immediately headed my way towards sa sala nitong hut, wearing my worried face. Baka kasi tama si Ackley ng nakita. "You saw it?"

I shook my head as my response sa tanong ni Ackley. "I think you're really not lying. Saan mo ba banda nakita?"

"There," he pointed at the bin na malapit sa veranda. I went there, but I found nothing. 

"You sure?" He nodded kaya napa-sabunot na lamang ako sa buhok ko. Aish, it's my fault kaya nawala 'yung flower. I looked at Kaid and saw how lethargic he is. Aish, I felt sorry for him! Nakaka-inis naman kasi. I just left it in the vase inside the room, then when I will come back, wala na?

"Dari, why is it like a big deal para sa'yo?"

I turned to Lynn. "Because it's given by someone important para sa akin," I forced a smile.

If tama kasi ang theory ko, he will be really sad! 'Yung feeling na nag-effort pa siya to go here just to give me the flower for this day, pero malalaman niyang nawala ko. Aish, that's so sad! 

I want to search every bin, but I don't know where to start. Kaid approached me. "It's okay, Dariantha. Hindi mo naman kasalanan na nawala 'yung flower na binigay sa'yo, e." I was about to say sorry when I remembered something.

I told him that I just plucked it, right? Pero bakit sinabi niyang binigay sa akin? Yes, he heard it from Ackleyㅡnot really na sinabi ni Ackley na binigay, he just said he saw it with my name. Tapos I said that it was given by someone importantㅡbut I didn't mention his name. Pero how did he looks so sure sa sinabi niyang binigay 'yun sa akin?

And yup, it just made my theory much stronger. And it also made sadder. Hays, ang pariwara ko kasi. "But he won't be mad, right?" I asked back.

Naka-ngiti naman siyang umiling. "He won't be mad. Kung ako sa'yo, tatayo na ako riyan at sisimulang hanapin ang bulaklak na iyon kasi mukha talagang napaka-importante 'nun sa'yo even if you just plucked it," he chuckled. "Ah, sorry, binigay pala 'yon ng isang taong mahalaga sa'yo."

"Pero hindi ko alam where I will start. There were so many bins here," I told him, almost sitting on where am I right now.

He sighed. "Kaya nga kami tutulong para mas mapabilis, 'di ba?" I looked at Ackley and Lynn, they both nodded, agreeing on what Kaid told me.

Umayos ako ng tayo at nagpagpag kaunti ng damit ko. "Okay, sabi niyo 'yan. So, shall we start?" I asked them with a smile on my face.

They agreed bago kami naghiwa-hiwalay ng landas. They went to the bin near sa park, while we went to the bin near sa gubat.

After an hour, hindi pa rin namin nahahanap 'yung flower. Kaid suddenly laughed when he looked at me. "Wha's funny?" nagtatakang tanong ko. Kasi naman, he's laughing while holding his stomach.

"Para kang batang pulubi," he told me in between his laughs. My forehead twitched. I got my phone out of my pocket and looked at my face. Natawa na rin ako when I realized na may mga dumi na pala sa mukha ko. Tinignan ko rin ang ibang bahagi ng katawan ko, and yup, mukha nga talaga akong pulubi.

Pero, "Hindi naman na ako bata," I said at him.

"Edi, magandang babaeng pulubi, happy?" Hindi ko alam pero I felt my cheeks burning again. Aish, kinikilig na naman ako. "Uy, nagba-blush si girlfriend ko," he teased, kinda smirking now.

"I'm not," I lied. He was about to held my face nang iiwas ko ito. Nakaka-hiya kaya, if he only knows. "Stop it, my boyfriend."

"Your wish is my command, my girlfriend. O, ayan, tinigil ko na, ah?" Bigla niya akong inakbayan kaya medyo na-out of balance ako. Thanks to him, I didn't fall. Nakasimangot ako nang bumalik kami. While Lynn was kinda smiling, Ackley was wearing his poker face again. "Bakit ka nakangiti riyan, Lynn? Nahanap niyo na ba?"

"I don't want to tell it to you, kay Dari na lang," she laughed at Kaid bago siya lumapit and pulled me away from him. "What does it looks like again?" I explained what it looks like na naging dahilan para mas lumapad 'yung ngiti niya. "Nahanap ko na, I guess."

My eyes widened. "Where?!" She laughed at my reaction.

"Sa park. So, let's go?" When I nodded, hinila na naman niya ako papunta sa isang bin sa park. She wore a gloveㅡ that I don't know where did she getㅡbefore she got something out from the bin. Nang mai-angat na niya 'yung kinuha niya, I was so happy.

It was the flower!

"Told you," nag-flip hair la siya after niyang sabihin 'yon. She threw her glove away before she gave me the flower. Nang tignan ko 'yung flower, malinis pa rin, and my name was still engraved on the stem of it.

We sat sa dalawang swing na nakita namin doon sa park. Wala pa kasi masiyadong bata kaya medyo hindi pa maingay. Ackley and Kaid went to us. I showed them the flower that made them smiled. Lalapit na sana sa akin si Kaid when Ackley forestalled him.

Ginulo niya buhok ko. "Happy na?"

"Yup," I answered, energetic.

Tumikhim naman si Kaid kaya Ackley gave way for him to go to me. Naka-upo lang kami nila Lynn on the swing while Ackley and Kaid were beside us. "May naa-alala ba kayo rito?" biglang tanong ni Kaid.

We all looked at him. "None," we told him.

"Try niyo i-remember 'yung araw na nagkita-kita tayo sa park din sa Batangas."

Suddenly, the day he was telling us ay bigla kong na-alala.

"Ackley!" I ran towards Ackley. One week had already passed since the day na tutulungan niya dapat ako, but we ended up both on mud. And yup, we're already friends.

"Dariantha!" he smiled. We hugged each other nang tuluyan na akong nakalapit. "How are you?"

"Okay lang. How about you?"

"Okay lang din." When I turned my head to face him, bigla niyang ginulo 'yung buhok ko. "You're so cute," he chuckled.

I pouted. "Don't make my hair messy. Also, hindi naman ako cute, e."

"By the way, I have new toys. Gusto mo maglaro?" After I nodded, he invited me to go to the part of the park na puro grass lang. He got a bag bago niya inilabas ang mga laruan niya. My eyes sparkled when I saw a toy na parang camera kapag nagsho-shooting. "You like this?" he handed it to me.

I held it with care. "Wow." Habang hinahawakan ko, it suddenly fell nang may bumangga.

Natumba 'yung babaeng bata na naka-bangga that's why I stood up and was about to extend my hand when a boy helped her. "Okay ka lang, bata?" he asked the girl.

"Excuse me? Hindi ako bata, and who are you to help me?" I was stunned when I saw her face. Siya 'yung kapatid yata ng kaibigan ni Kuya na si Allairy. 

"Hi! Do you know Allairy?" I asked her out of curiosity.

"That's my sister, why?" she asked back.

"Ah, wala. I just asked."

When I turned to the boy who helped the sister of Allairy, he smiled at me. "Hi, batang maganda!"

"Me?" I pointed at myself and he nodded. "Hi!"

"Ang ganda mo, anong name mo?"

I was about to answer nang bigla kong naramdaman ang prsensiya ni Ackley na nakatayo na pala sa likod ko. "She's Dariantha Fernsby, while I'm Ackley Belvoir. You are?"

"Kaiden Adler ang name ko," the boy answered, still smiling. Parang hindi siya napapagod ngumiti. "E, ikaw, bata, anong name mo?" Tumingin naman siya sa babae.

"Breylynn Relish is my name, bakit mo tinanong?" she rasied her brow.

"Wala naman, gusto ko lang magkaroon ng friends kasi wala naman akong friends. Puwede ba?"

"You can't befriend us if kaka-kilala mo lang. You don't know if someone is bad or good kaya if I were you, don't be befriend us agad-agad." After it, the girl named Breylynn left us.

"Ah, sige, una na rin ako." Umalis na rin si Kaiden kaya kami na lang ulit ni Ackley ang naiwan.

"Ackley, I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Do you think we should befriend Kaiden? Kasi he seems nice naman."

He sighed. "You should have listened sa sinabi ng babae kanina. We shouldn't befriend agad-agad the people who we just knew by name."

~💐To be continued💐~