Chapter 12: The Accident

I've known about Julian since I was six years old. Schoolmates kami dati pa. At kahit noon pa man, sikat na siya dahil sa paglalaro niya ng soccer. Noong panahong iyon, he was already training abroad, polishing his skills and making a name for himself.

I watched him play one time—for the very first time. We were the same age, but it felt like he was already so far ahead. While he was achieving so many things, I was just... me. Still the same shy and timid girl that my mom hated.

"Huwag ka na lang lumabas sa kwarto mo mamaya at huwag nang humarap pa sa mga bisita. Kami na lang ng ate mo dahil aarte ka na naman ng hiya-hiyaan. Nakakahiya ka na, Sarina!"

I was used to hearing those words from her.

Julian had everything I didn't—confidence, charisma, presence. He looked so bright, so full of life, and he carried himself with an ease that I could never have. But I was never envious of him. If anything, he inspired me. Every time I saw him, I felt like maybe, just maybe, I could change, too. That I could be something more than the timid girl my mother was ashamed of.

Then high school came, and Julian only became even more well-known.

After they won the championship that year, he was only twelve, still a first-year student, yet he helped lead the team to victory. It was a huge deal—everyone in school was talking about it. His face was in the school newspaper, his name was all over the student forums, and even the teachers couldn't stop praising him.

But after that, something unexpected happened.

Biglang nag-quit ang student manager ng soccer team.

No one knew why at first. But eventually, the real reason came out—she had confessed to Julian and got rejected. Hindi niya kinaya ang hiya at sakit ng pagtanggi ni Julian, kaya nag-quit siya.

And that's when Chloe came in.

"Wala kang kawala, Noelle! Ikaw na ang bagay diyan!"

Before I could even protest, Chloe—being the pushy best friend that she was—practically shoved me into the role. Walang hiya-hiya pa niya akong nirekomenda sa coach ng soccer team, na ka-close din niya.

And just like that, I became the new student manager.

But even after that, Julian still didn't notice me.

I never really tried to get his attention either. I knew he wasn't the type who liked people fawning over him. He wasn't cold, but he kept his distance. Mukhang ayaw niya sa mga nagpapapansin sa kanya, and I didn't want to be one of them.

Then, before I knew it—he was gone.

He didn't even finish high school in our country. He left for his soccer academy abroad, and after that, I only ever saw him in news articles, interviews, and highlight clips online.

Years passed. We graduated high school.

I was still the student manager of the soccer team even in college, thanks to the years of experience I had back in high school. By then, I had already accepted that Julian was just someone I used to admire from afar. Someone I once shared the same school with but would never really know.

Until he came back.

And not just anywhere—he enrolled in our university.

Although Julian still went abroad several times for his matches and training now that he had become a professional player, I was still happy. Kahit papaano, nakikita ko pa rin siya ng personal—just like before, noong high school pa kami.

But then, I also witnessed his failure.

Nakita ko kung paano siya nabigo nang malaman niyang hindi pa pala siya nakapasok sa national team. I could only imagine how much that must have hurt him.

And then it happened.

Rumors started to spread about his supposed "rude behavior." Pero para sa akin, wala namang bago doon. That was just how Julian was—straightforward, reserved, not the type to fake a smile just to please people. But people in this country love gossip, and they always find ways to make trivial things seem more important than what truly matters.

Dahil doon, hindi nakapasok si Julian sa national team.

"Coach, sandali lang po!" I was almost running after the national team's coach.

Desperado na ako. I wanted to plead with him—to ask him to reconsider. Minsan lang ang World Cup. Just once every four years.

And Julian had been preparing for this moment for so long. Pero mukhang mas pinili nilang bigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga nauna na sa kanya—those who had already been in the national team longer.

Wala namang ibang dahilan para hindi siya payagang sumali. He was already an excellent player. He had the skills, the experience, the dedication. He just really wanted to be part of the national team and play in the World Cup.

But then, even his mother's political party started getting affected by the issues surrounding his past behavior toward the public.

"Subukan mo lang kay Coach Navarro. Soft naman 'yun pagdating sa magagandang girls," a college classmate of mine once told me with a smirk.

And so, with nothing left to lose, I set an appointment with the coach's assistant.

When I finally met him, I wasted no time.

"It's about Julian Trinidad."

The coach leaned back in his chair, raising a brow at me. "Oh. Are you his girlfriend? Akala ko ba, hindi naggi-girlfriend ang batang 'yon?"

I shook my head. "Hindi po."

His expression shifted instantly—his interest in the conversation fading the moment he realized I wasn't there for what he had hoped.

Then, without a word, he stood up and walked away.

Something about the way he looked at me, the way he dismissed me so easily, sent an uncomfortable shiver down my spine.

I didn't even realize I was chasing after him until I found myself stepping out onto the streets.

"Coach, sandali lang!"

I wasn't thinking. I wasn't aware of anything else but my determination to make him listen.

Then suddenly—

Headlights.

A loud honk.

A rush of wind.

And before I could react—

I was hit.

Everything blurred into nothingness.