WINTER'S POINT OF VIEW

"Winter, is it successful?" Flinn asked me referring to our business.

"Yeah, it is," I said to her.

"But why do you seem so unhappy?" Ugh! Napansin niya pala. Bumabagabag pa rin kasi sa akin yung lalaking tinawag na Aristotle. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Maybe they also have an illegal business which is he is the boss and he is also called as Aristotle. Maybe their organization is not Poison. Yeah! Maybe that's just it.

"Me? Unhappy?" I asked her. She slightly nodded his head for a response. Tumawa na lamang ako para mapanatag ang loob niya. "No. I'm not unhappy. To tell you the truth, I am very happy kasi nga successful yung kinalabasan ng pakikipag-usap ko sa mga gustong manira sa club and of course, hindi na mawawala ang pinaghirapang club ni mommy." I feel like puno na naman ng tubig ang mata ko, but I don't wanna Flinn see me when I am vulnerable.

"So how can we celebrate your success?" Pag-iiba ng usapan ni Flinn. God knows how much I want to thank Flinn sa pag iiba niya ng topic.

"Uhmmm...Let's go to our club?" I asked her. Tumango-tango naman siya sa akin. "By the way, where is Lauren? I haven't seen her for a while." I wonder where she is right now. Napakalaki pa naman nitong mansion namin at ayokong libutin ito para lang mahanap siya. "Did she have her cellphone with her?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I'm planning to track her location in this house. Don't worry, I downloaded an application on your cellphones that I can track as long as you are here in this house," I said. "So, let's go?" I already started tracking her location and luckily she was here in this house. We found ourselves standing in front of the door of the room of Lauren.

Saktong kakatok si Flinn ng lumabas si Lauren na nakabihis ng pang-alis. "Lau, woㅡ" Hindi na natapos ni Flinn ang sasabihin niya ng magsalita si Lauren.

"I just have to go to the mall. I forgot to buy something yesterday." Kahit nagtataka ay tumango na lamang kami ni Flinn. I wonder what will she buyㅡor do there. Knowing Lauren, she won't forget something that she needed to buy.

Saglit na namayani ang katahimikan sa pagitan naming dalawa ni Flinn ng makaalis si Lauren. "So, paano ba yan? Tayong dalawa na lang?" Pagbabasag nito sa katahimikan.

"Yeah. Tayong dalawa na lang. We will go there after dinner. Do you mind if I'll sleep muna?" I said.

"No. Not at all. Sige na magpahinga ka na. I'm sure that you're tired right now." After she said those words ay pumunta na ako sa kwarto ko.

***

"Are you ready Winter?" Flinn asked me. Papunta na kami sa club ngayon and I don't know but I have a feeling that something bad will happen tonight. Hanggang ngayon ay wala pa rin si Lauren and we didn't bother to contact her nor track her location.

"Of course," I answered, nodding my head.

Nauna ng pumasok sa loob ng club si Flinn dahil nag-ring ang phone ko at isang unregustered number ang nakita ko. "Hello?" I said to the person on the phone but I didn't get any response. "Hello? Who's this?" I repeated but still, I didn't get any response. Dala ng pagkairita ay binabaan ko na lamang ito.

Pagpasok ko ay hindi ko mahagilap si Flinn kaya naglibot na lang muna ako nagbabakasakaling makita ko siya o ako ang makita niya.

Saglit akong natigilan ng may makita akong isang pigura ng babae na kilala ko. Lalapit na sana ako kay Lauren ng may isa na namang pigura ng lalaki ang lumapit kay Lauren at inakbayan ito and to my surprise, it's Rye.

What are they doing here? Why are they here TOGETHER?

Nang mabalik ako sa huwisyo ay nakita ko silang naghahalikanㅡ Yeah! Rye and Lauren are kissing! And I also saw Flinn papunta sa direksyon ko.

***

FLINN'S POINT OF VIEW

Pagpasok ko sa club nila Winter ay namangha ako sa laki nito. Ang balak ko sana ay hintayin siya sa may pintuan ngunit binigo ako ng mga paa ko dahil natagpuan ko ang sarili kong naglilibot sa kabuuan nito.

Ilang minuto ang lumipas ng namataan ko si Winter na nakatulala. What's with her? Lumapit ako sa kaya at may mga sinasabi siyang salita ngunit hindi gaanong maintindihan.

"Uh-oh!" Winter said as she turned her gaze to me.

"Hi, Winter. Sorry if I didn't wait for you at the front of the door," I said but I didn't get any response from her.

Saktong lilingunin ko na ang parte kung saan siya nakatulala pero nauna siyang nagsalita. "Flinn, can we talk?"

"Sure."

She dragged me toward the parking lot. "Winter, it hurts." Tila natauhan naman ito at binitawan ako.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." I was about to talk but Winter talks again. "Diba si Rye ang boyfriend mo?" I was shocked by her question. She is the first one to know that Rye is my boyfriend.

"Yes. Why?" I don't know but I have a bad feeling about this conversation of ours.

"Did you two broke up already?" For the second time, I was shocked by her questions. I want to tell her that she should go straight to the point ngunit parang bumara ang lalamunan ko at hindi ko ito masabi.

"No," I said. I saw Winter sighed. I wonder if what is she thinking right now. Hindi ko na siya pinasalita pa at pumasok na lang ako sa loob. Narinig kong tinawag niya ulit ako ngunit hindi ko alam kung bakit tuloy-tuloy lang sa paglalakad ang mga paa ko.

Nang pumasok ako ay hinanap ko ang dahilan kung bakit natulala si Win kanina at bakit niya ako tinanong ng ganun. To my surprise, I saw Lauren and MY boyfriend Rye kissingㅡ What the heck?!

Saktong lalapit na ako sa kanila nang may kamay na humablot sa braso ko. "Flinn, be calm please," Winter pleaded. That's why she asked me before about my relationship with Rye.

"Winter, do you think I will be calm after I saw MY boyfriend and Lauren kissing?!" Bulalas ko sa harap niya. Well, wala siya sa sitwasyon ko at hindi niya nararamdaman ang nararamdaman ko.

I walked toward Lauren and Rye at binigyan ko ng isang malutong na sampal si Lauren. "What's the meaning of this?!" Tinignan ko sa mata si Lauren at nainis ako dahil wala man lamang akong makitang kahit anong emosyon sa mukha niya.

"Let me explain," wika niya ngunit hindi ko pa rin mabakas ang kahut anong emosyon.

"Let me explain?!" I roam around my deadly gaze and I saw the people in this club na nanonood na sa amin. Ano ba tingin nila sa amin?! Nasa movie?! Well, if they're thinking the same, I like to tell them that this is real life! REAL LIFE! I turned again my gaze to Lauren. "There's nothing to be explained, Lauren! I already saw it with my own two eyes!" Wala akong paki kahit gumagawa na kami ng eksena dito. I'm just annoyed when I saw these two betrayed me.

Ano ba tingin nila sa akin?! Kahit anong oras pwedeng pagtaksilan?! Kahut anong oras pwedeng saktan?! Argh!

"Flinn, makinig ka muna kasi sa akin!" said Lauren. Aba! Ako pa talaga ang kailangang makinig sa mga palusot niya.

"Ako makinig sayo?!" I let out my annoying laugh. "Nagpapatawa ka ba Lauren? Kasi kung oo, congratulations you make me laugh." I said sarcastically.

"Flinn, you are my best friend. You know that I can't do this to you."

I laugh when she said that I am her best friend. "Seriously, Lauren? Bestfriend? You can't do this to me?" Hindi ko namalayang may tumutulo na palang luha galing sa mga mata ko. "Aaminin ko, Lauren. Yes. You WERE my best friend. Yes. I treated you like my own sister. But f*ck it, Lau! You will say that you can't do this to me after you just did it!" Akmang sasampalin ko ulit siya ng may kamay na pumigil sa akin.

"Flinn, tama na yan. Let's go home," wika sa akin ni Winter.

"At ikaw, Winter, tinanong tanong mo pa ako kanina. Why didn't you get straight to the point?! Is it because you think that I will get hurt?! If that what you think, congratulations too because that is exactly what I feel right now." Saglit akong tumigil dahil hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili kong mapahagulgol. Tinabig ko lang ang kamay niyang nasa braso ko at tumingin ako kay Lauren. "You guys know that this is not the first time that I got broken-hearted after I saw my boyfriend with another girl but crap it! I didn't expect that I will see you Lauren with my boyfriend Rye. Yeah, aaminin kong sa inyong dalawa ni Winter ay ikaw ang mas pinagkakatiwalaan ko. Sa inyong dalawa ikaw yung pinagsasabihan ko ng mga sikreto ko. Sa inyong dalawa akala ko ikaw yung mas nakakaintindi sa akin. Kasi sa inyong dalawa, you are my childhood friend, you are my first ever best friend! Then now, I think I can't treat you a best friend after what you did to me." I saw some people with a confused look. Of course, they will not understand what I say because it's Filipino.

"Flinn, intindihin mo naman kasi ako," Lauren said.

"Wow!" I clapped my hand. "You are expecting me to understand you? Let me tell you that I understand it now. You betrayed me by having an affair with my boyfriend," I said to her while still clapping my hand and laughing. I might look like that I'm out of my mind but who cares. I am hurt.

"Stop it, Flinn. You're making a scene here," sabat ni Rye.

"You two are unbelievable! You, Rye, I thought you wouldn't hurt me. You said that you will go to London with your family to have a family bonding but this is what you call a family bonding? And you Lauren, when Tito Jerome gave us an invitation, you immediately say yes. At first, I was hesitant to go but you insisted 'cuz you said that the view here is so beautiful. But after what I saw, I think I can't go again in this country," I said.

This time, I grabbed Winter's arm and dragged her to the parking lot. I want to go home. I can't breathe here because of the pollution made by the two of them.

Imbes na sa bahay nila Winter ang destinasyon namin ay dinala niya ako sa pinuntahan naming park kahapon. "Why here?" I asked out of curiousity.

"I know what you will right now. When the time is past 7:00 P.M., the people in this park ay kakaunti na lamang. When you scream here, they don't care. When you cry here, they don't care." She stopped a bit. I looked at my watch and it's 7:43 P.M. "So I brought you here for you to be calm," she continued.

I scream until I don't have a voice. I cried until I can. I don't know what I feel right now. Frustrated? Sad? Broken-hearted? In short, I feel all of them.

Win tapped my back when I was crying. "It's okay, Flinn," Winter said.

"Thank you, Win. I don't know what will I do right now if your wasn't here," I said.

She smiled at me genuinely. "I hope tomorrow, Lauren and you can talk."

"I'll try," I said. I think I can't talk to her tomorrow or even after a week. But as I promised to Winter, I'll still give it a try. I hope I can.

***

WINTER'S POINT OF VIEW

After Flinn screamed and cried, we went to our mansion to relax.

I went to the guest room for Lauren and she's there. Right now, I want to talk to her.

"Lauren, can I come inside?" I said after knocking on her door.

She opened the door at bumungad sa akin ang luhaang mata niya. I know that she's hurt too.

"What do you want, Win?" she asked me.

"Can I talk to you about what happened earlier?" I asked and she nodded so I continued. "I know you know that Flinn's boyfriend is Rye, but why did you do such a thing?" I said.

"I am just drunk and wasted earlier. I don't know what did I do. But now, it's clear as water that I just lost a best friend after what I did. I know Flinn doesn't want to talk to me but I hope she can talk to me tomorrow." I admire her for being brave at all times but now, I can see that she's vulnerable.

After I comforted her, I went outside. I just hope that they will understand each other when they are ready to talk.

(To be continued...)

VOTES and COMMENTS are highly appreciated