Hey guys! Thank you so much sa lahat ng pumunta sa Psicom Rising in Davao last Sunday! I may have given out some potential spoilers about the FHS series sa mga nagtanong sa akin last sunday hahahaha! I hope someday I get to meet more of you guys <3

Anyway, join kayo sa Serialreader Family on Facebook. You'll get to meet many new friends na readers din tapos super cute pa! Hihihihi. Just search "The Serialreader Family" on facebook :) 

Pagdating ko sa bahay mula sa eskwelahan, hinagis ko agad ang backpack ko sa sofa. Pupuntahan ko sana agad si Slade sa kwarto niya pero bigla akong tinawag ni Daddy mula sa kusina.

"Tawag mo ako?" Kunot-noo kong tanong at nadatnan ko siyang gumagawa ng mga sandwich.

"Yeah. How's school?" Nilingon niya ako sabay ngiti. 

"Okay lang." I shrugged as I sat on the counter stool. "Kanina pa ako inaantok." Sabi ko na lang.

"Anong oras na pala kayo nakauwi?" Dad casually asked when I know for a fact that it's one of those parental interrogation moments. I bet if our relationship was as smooth as other families, todo sermon na 'to sa akin.

"About 4 in the morning? We arrived in Filimon Heights at around 3 but we had to drop by a 7/11 and hang out for a while. Sabi ni Sawyer para daw mag pagpag." I explained as I grabbed a sandwich from the plate to eat.

Dad sighed and went silent for a few moments. Tumayo ako mula sa kinauupuan at aalis na sana pero muling nagsalita si Daddy.

"Anak, 'wag ka sanang magagalit, pero sinabi kasi sa akin ni Slade ang reaksyon mo kagabi sa lamay." Dad said but I felt the hesitation in his words. I suddenly felt a tug of guilt. Masyado ba talaga akong mabilis magalit?

"It's fine." I shook my head and chuckled. "I guess I just got a little freaked out. It's a dead body, after all. No biggie."

"You haven't seen a dead body before?" Dad asked curiously.

I shook my head and smiled. "Vicky was the first. Remember her?"

Dad stilled as he looked at me with so much guilt and sadness. "A-anak, pasensya ka na kung wala ako sa tabi mo nang mga--"

"It's fine." I assured him with a smile. "Gramps and Grams were with me during that time... Mom was there too. It's not a big deal."

The mention of Gramps gave me a sinking feeling while looking at Dad. All of a sudden, the guilt in my heart came back, even heavier. 

"Reika, you can always talk to me. Tandaan mo yan lagi." Dad assured me kaya ngumiti ako at tumango. 

Hindi na ako komportable sa usapan namin kaya inagaw ko na ang plato na may mga sandwich. "Ialay ko muna 'to sa Demonyo. Thanks!"

****

"Tulog ka?" Tanong ko sabay katok sa pinto ng kwarto ni Slade.

"Sandali lang!" Sigaw ni Slade mula sa loob. Alam ko namang hindi naglo-lock ng pinto si Slade kaya binuksan ko pa rin ito at nadatnan ko siyang nagtapon ng kung anong libro sa loob ng cabinet niya sabay tago nito.

"Reika ano ba!" Sigaw niya sabay harap sa akin. Natawa ako sa reaksyon niya. Ang cute pala nito kapag naiinis.

"Sandwich?" I asked as I sat on the edge of his bed.

Lumapit siya at kumuha ng isa. Hindi na kailangang subuan lalo't Sandwich lang naman. Pabagsak siyang naupo sa tabi ko at nahiga habang nakatitig sa kisame.

"How's school?" Kumagat siya mula sa kanyang sandwich.

"It got worse without Braylee." Ibinaba ko sa sahig ang plato at nahiga sa tabi niya. Gaya niya, napatitig din ako sa kisame. "She was the only good thing in that God-forsaken class but since she wasn't around, wala na. It felt like hell all of sudden."

"Hell agad?" He chuckled.

I sighed. "Hindi pala hell kasi wala ka doon."

Slade laughed and continued eating. "Pupunta pa rin ba tayo sa kanila mamaya?"

"Bukas pa. Pagod ang mga driver." Naupo ako nang makitang ubos na ang Sandwich ni Slade. Kinuha ko ang plato at ibinatong ito sa ibabaw ng kama niya. "Nga pala, aalis muna ako. If you need anything, just tell Dad."

"Bakit? Saan ka pupunta?" tanong niya.

"I'll just talk to Magno about something." I lied... just a little.

Tumango naman siya. Kontento sa sagot ko. 

****

I felt relieved when the doctor finally removed the cast on Magno's foot.... but it wasn't enough to make me happy considering Slade is still far away from recovery. Ni hindi ko sinabi kay Slade na sa araw na iyon tatanggalin ang cast ni Magno dahil natatakot ako sa maari niyang maramdaman.

"How does it feel?" tanong ko kay Magno habang naglalakad kami patungo sa elevator. Kahit tinanggal na ang saklay, iika-ika pa rin siya.

"Parang lumilipad ang paa ko sa kada apak ko. 'Di na ako sanay." Tawa nang tawa si Magno kaya kahit ako, natatawa rin lalo na kapag inaapak ni Magno ang paa at kusa itong tumataas dahil nasanay sa bigat ng cast. 

Dahil hindi makapagmaneho si Magno at hindi pa rin ako natuturuan ni Daddy, pinagmaneho kami ng Driver ng Daddy niya.

"Parang gusto kong mag celebrate." Humalakhak ito bigla.

"What do you have in mind?" I smirked. 

"Inuman tayo mamaya sa bar ni Cohen... pero siyempre konti lang kasi bibisita ulit tayo kanila Braylee bukas hehe." Napakamot si Magno sa kanyang ulo. He looked conflicted between celebrating and mourning for the loss of our friend. See that is why i'd always be proud of him. He's not as selfish and prideful as I am. 

"Sure." I nodded coolly. "Let's not tell Slade or Silver though. Slade still hasn't recovered and Silver can't be distracted so... alam mo na." I shrugged trying not to make a big deal out of it.

Magno's eyes turned into slits. He looked at me like he was accusing me of something kaya natawa ako lalo.

"What?!" I glared at him jokingly.

"What's the score between you and that guy?" he asked.

"Si Slade?" Pabiro akong ngumiwi. "We're just friends. And besides, in love 'yon sa iba. On the other hand, I just got over Riley."

Magno's eyes widened in disbelief. "Pucha! Totoo pala talagang nagkagusto ka kay Riley?! Akala ko biro lang 'yon?!"

I rolled my eyes jokingly. "What's not to like about him? Gwapo na, maganda pa."

Napatakip si Magno sa kanyang tenga na para bang diring-diri. "Lalalala! Ayokong marinig ang pagnanasa mo sa isang bakla! Lalalalala!"

Hinayaan ko si Magno na mag-ingay hanggang sa wakas natahimik na.

"Pagod ka na?" I smirked triumphantly.

He nodded and sighed. "I'm good."

"How about we go to the cemetery?" I suggested. "I kinda want to visit Vicky after last night."

Magno looked surprised but then, nodded.

*****

"Looks like someone visited her recently." Sambit ko nang madatnan ang mga bulaklak malapit sa kanyang lapida. It looked like it's been there for a day or two. "I guess her parents did?"

"Maybe." Magno shrugged as he sat on the grass next to me. He placed his crutches by our side dahil kahit pa wala na ang cast niya, kailangan pa rin niya itong gamitin lalo't naga-adjust pa lang ulit ang paa niya.

"Ever wonder what our lives would've been like if she didn't disappear?" I chuckled. "I mean, if she didn't die, siguro kaibigan mo pa rin sina Gabe hanggang ngayon. Kirsten wouldn't have moved away... baka nga naging kayo pa ni Kirsten."

Namilog ang mga mata ni Magno at lumaki pa ang butas ng kanyang ilong sa inis. "Ako at ang sumpang iyon?! Psh!"

Tawang-tawa ako sa naging reaksyon niya. Noon pa man nagagalit talaga siya sa tuwing tinutukso kay Kirsten, hanggang sa pagtanda namin ganoon pa rin pala. "Why do you hate her so much?"

Parang batang bumusangot si Magno at nagkibit balikat. 

"Dahil ba tinalo ka niya sa basketball noong mga bata pa tayo?" Tanong ko kaya sinamaan niya ako ng tingin.

"Dahil ba tinalo ka niya sa taekwondo match ninyo?" Tanong ko pa kaya mas lalo niya akong sinamaan ng tingin.

"Dahil ba may aso siya at ikaw hindi pinayagang mag-alaga ng aso?" Magno's lips rose as he showed his canines like an angry dog. 

"Oh dahil ba--"

"Manahimik ka na nga!" Buong lakas niyang sigaw sa akin kaya mas lalo pa akong natawa. Madali lang talagang pikunin si Magno. 

I stopped laughing the moment I realized how much I missed Kirsten and Vicky. They were my only friends back when I was growing up. Magno and I weren't close back then so it was just us from Pre-K to 3rd Grade.... but then all of a sudden, everything changed.

 I don't want it to happen again... to have friends and lose them all of a sudden.

"If you miss Kirsten, you can just find her online." Magno said out of the blue kaya agad akong napangisi.

"'Yan ba ang ginawa mo?" Pang-aasar ko at sa puntong iyon mabilis na ipinulupot ni Magno ang braso sa leeg ko at ginulo nang marahas ang buhok ko.

****

Alas-otso na ng gabi nang dumating kami sa bar. Nagtungo kami sa booth na karaniwang pwesto ng Cream Team sa tuwing nasa ground floor sila. Naabutan agad namin sina Sawyer, Haji, Jethro, at Cohen na nag-iinuman na.

"Tagal n'yo ah?" Bulalas ni Sawyer, halatang nakainom na dahil namumula na ang mestisong mukha.

"Family. Had to sneak out so nagtulog-tulugan muna ako." Magno shrugged.

"And I had to wait outside the house! Got feasted on by mosquitoes, thank you so fcking much!" Umingos ako at agad siyang sinamaan ng tingin. Mabuti na lang talaga at naka-jeans ako at pullover kundi sobrang dami ko nang kagat ng lamok. 

"Shh.. inom na." Sawyer laughed at my woes and handed me a shot. Uminom na lang ako.

"Himala? Hindi mo kasama si Slade?" Tanong ni Jethro at sa puntong iyon lahat kami ay sabay-sabay na napatingin sa kanya habang may mga ngisi sa mukha namin.

"Si Slade ba talaga hinahanap mo o ang kalahi mong bato?" Pang-aasar ni Haji sabay inom ng isang shot ng brandy.

Cohen chuckled and patted Jethro's chest with his knuckles. "Damn! Good luck with Silverianne. i tried to sleep with her twice but I always ended up with a punch."

"You what?!" Sabay-sabay naming lahat na sigaw.

Dali-dali kong inagaw ang saklay ni Magno at hinampas ito kay Cohen. Napasigaw siya sa sobrang sakit at agad na umakyat sa upuan at tumalon paalis. 

"Humanda ka talaga sa'kin fckboy ka!" Sa sobrang inis hinabol ko siya sabay taas ng hawak kong saklay. 

Ilang minuto ko ring hinabol si Cohen ngunit tuluyan itong nakapagtago mula sa akin. Susuyurin ko na sana ang second floor pero bago pa man ako makaakyat sa hagdan, narinig kong may tumawag sa akin.

Paglingon ko, nakita ko si Kate na kumakaway sa akin mula sa dance floor. She had her headphones on her neck while wearing her red strappy crop top and high-waist jeans. Her hair became a lighter shade of blonde but I'm sure it's her! As usual, our lipsticks were different from each other; hers was bright red while mine was a really dark shade of red that it could be mistaken as black.

I gave up on chasing Cohen and just went to Kate.

"Buti naman nakita kita rito ulit! I was so close to coming over to your house just to see you!" Biro niya at niyakap ako nang mahigpit. I could feel her boobs pressed against mine and I could tell by her smell that she had been drinking.

"What's with the crutch?" She laughed as she pointed what I was holding.

"Just wanted to punish a fckboy for messing with my friend." I said jokingly, trying not to make a big deal out of it.

"Atta girl!" She clapped hard and loud while nodding her head. "Let me get rid of this for you though." Aniya at kinuha ang saklay mula sa akin at inabot ito sa dumaang water.

"Please give that to Magno on VIP Booth 12B!" I yelled so the waiter could hear me over the loud music around us. Before I could even say another word, Kate giggled and happily grabbed me towards the dance floor.

Next thing I know Kate and I were already dancing and drinking in the middle of the dance floor. Neon lights were hitting our faces while our bodies were influenced by vibes of the music around us. 

Kate was too nice that I couldn't dare to say no to every drink she handed. I'd have to admit, I was having a good time with her too. Kate had the bitchy and stuck-up look but she was a total sweetheart with a pretty wild side.

"Hey, want to go to the rooftop?" She whispered in my ear so I nodded. A breath of fresh air wasn't a bad idea too.

Kate and I were laughing and joking around as we climbed up the rooftop. We were both so drunk that we found everything funny and worth a giggle. 

"God! That's beautiful!" Kate screamed as she looked up at the sky.

"You're beautifuler!" Sigaw ko kaya mas lalo kaming nagtawanan ni Kate.

We stood by the railings and looked up at the starry sky. We were no longer drinking, instead we were just talking over just about anything. She was a stranger but she never felt like one. 

All of a sudden, Kate and I fell silent as we continued looking up at the sky. The cold breeze of air kept hitting our faces but it felt so good and relaxing that it never bothered us even if it was messing our hair.

"I came back to Filimon Heights just to look for you. I couldn't seem to find you on social networking sites." Kate said, breaking the silence between us.

I looked at her and smiled. "Damn, that's a great compliment coming from a hottie like you."

Kate chuckled and took a step towards me. I thought she was going to hug me but to my surprise she pressed her lips against mine. My eyes were left wide open as her soft lips began moving against mine. I was so shocked that I froze on the spot and I couldn't even move a single muscle.

All of a sudden, I thought about the moment I kissed Slade. Memories of him snapped me out of my trance-like-state.

I took a step back and pushed Kate's shoulders slightly. I looked at her questioningly. I couldn't dare to say a single word because I didn't want to offend her. Kate looked just as confused as I was.

"What was that?" I tried to laugh it off just to spare her feelings. 

"Aren't we on the same page?" Kate asked, a confused smile plastered on her face.

I was left dumbfounded with her question. I didn't even know what to say anymore.

"Wait..." Kate sighed as she held her left temple. Her confused smile turned to an embarrassed one. "Please don't tell me you're not into girls." She whispered and laughed shakily, pressing both of her lips against each other.

I blinked twice, still in disbelief over what just happened. I blew a loud a sigh and continued putting on a smile. "Then I won't tell you that. Instead, I just want to say sorry if I have given you any mixed signals and I am so sorry  if I didn't really understand your signals. You are an amazing lady and someday, you will find yourself a lady."

I took an awkward step back and chuckled. "It was really really really nice to meet you Kate."

"Pleasure to meet you too, Reika. I'm really really sorry," Kate gritted her teeth and smiled awkwardly. I could tell both of us felt embarrassed towards each other.

"No, don't apologize." I quickly shook my head. "Go Bi's!" I even cheered while punching up the air. Na-realize ko kung gaano ka-awkward ang huli kong sinigaw kaya nagpaalam ako ulit at mabilis na naglakad palayo at pababa sa hagdan.

"Let's go home!" Pakiusap ko agad kay Magno nang balikan ko siya sa booth.

****

Habang nasa loob ng sasakyan, tuluyang nakatulog si Magno dahil sa kalasingan. Para kumalma, sinubukan kong i-distract ang sarili ko sa pamamagitan ng cellphone ko. 

Sinilip ko ang cellphone ko pero mas lalo lang dumagundong ang tibok ng puso ko sa kaba nang makita ang mga missed call at mensahe ni Slade mula sa akin. Mula nang maaksidente siya, ngayon lang siya ulit nakapag-text.

Villacorta #2:

Heard you're at the bar?

Wag maglasing

Musta?

Wag na uminom. Wala magbabantay sa pinsan mo.

Papasundo ka ba?

Sagot kung ayaw mo isumbong kita kay uncle hahahaha joke lang

Wouldn't hurt to reply though

U must be having a really great time huh?

Lalo pang tumindi ang kaba ko nang tuluyan kaming makarating sa bahay. Bumaba ako at nagpaalam sa driver at dire-diretsong pumasok. 

Huminga ako nang malalim at mariing pumikit. Halos tawagin ko ang lahat ng mga santo bago binuksan ang pinto. Ngunit parang tuluyan akong pinagsakluban ng langit at lupa nang madatnan ko si Slade sa sala, masama ang tingin sa akin habang nakahalukipkip ang mga braso.

"'Ssup?" I greeted, trying to play it cool.

"Walang load?" Sarcastic niyang tanong kaya tumango ako.

"Bigyan mo ako load next time." Sarcastic akong ngumisi at tumingin sa kanya.

Nahigit ko ang hininga ko nang bigla kong napansin na nakatingin si Slade sa labi ko. Pilit ko itong binalewala dahil baka nililinlang lang ako ng pangin ko...pero biglang nagsalita si Slade.

"Ba't may ibang kulay ang labi mo?" 

Oh fuck! Kate's lipstick smudge! 

Napatili ako sa isipan ko at halos mawalan ako ng lakas sa mga tuhod ko. Sa kabila nito, pilit akong nanatiling taas noo.

"Reika, ilang beses bang--"

"Manahimik ka Slade kung ayaw mong halikan ulit kita!" Bulyaw ko sabay duro sa kanya.

Nalaglag ang panga ni Slade dahil sa gulat at ganun din ang sa akin. Hindi lang si Slade ang nagulat sa sinigaw ko, ganoon din ako. 

Para na akong mahihimatay sa kahihiyan nang bigla kong narinig ang isang singhap.

Napalingon ako sa direksyon ng hagdan at nakita ko si Silver na nakalaglag din ang panga dahil sa sobrang gulat. Nang magkatinginan kami, dahan-dahang humakbang si silver nang paatras habang paakyat sa hagdan.

I cried inwardly, realizing the mess I put myself into.

"This never happened!" Sigaw ko at agad na nagtatakbo paakyat sa hagdan.

▬ end of 40// thank u ▬