Chapter 5: A Way Back

"...Noelle?"

Pareho kami na napatingin sa tumawag sa kaniya. There was another girl, definitely our age too. She was calling to Noelle with her lips slightly parted...

Lumapit siya sa amin ni Noelle.

"What am I seeing? Julian?" Then she turned to me too.

"Hello...?" I thought of greeting her. Do I know her? But she knows Noelle, so it's probably just right to greet her as well. Is she Noelle's friend?

"Are you two," tinuro pa niya kaming dalawa ni Noelle, "really talking to each other? Is this real?"

"Chloe..." Mukhang nahihiya naman na tawag din sa kaniya ni Noelle. Then she turned to me after she went beside her friend. "Julian, uh, this is my best friend, Chloe."

"Oh, hi, Chloe." I wasn't really this friendly before, but I guess it doesn't hurt to do it. Especially if she's Noelle's friend. I thought that I should be equally polite to her friend as well.

"Hi! Sorry, medyo na-shocked lang ako kasi kinakausap mo ang kaibigan ko?"

"Tama na, Chloe..." Nahihiyang saway na ni Noelle sa kaibigan niya. She also tried to look at me with her apologetic eyes.

While I just gave her a reassuring smile.

"Uh, sorry about how I probably acted with you guys before? I wasn't that friendly, eh?"

Mabilis naman na tumango si Chloe sa sinabi ko. "Oo, si Mr. Dedma ka kaya!—"

"Chloe, please, tama na. Nakakahiya kay Julian," Noelle looked at me again and she was trying to apologize to me with her humble eyes on behalf of her friend.

Ngumiti lang naman muli ako sa kaniya, also trying to tell her with my smile that it's okay.

"Pero mabuti naman kung ganoon! Kung nag-uusap na kayo ngayon ng kaibigan ko!" Chloe grinned widely.

"Halika na nga!" Hinila naman na ni Noelle ang friend niya.

Habang sumunod lang naman ako sa kanila at iniisip kung paano marahil ang ugali ko dati sa kanila ni Noelle at ng kaibigan niya. I hope it wasn't that bad. I sighed quietly while I followed them.

"Totoo ba talaga iyong sinabi mo sa akin kanina?" Noelle asked me when we were left alone again.

Chloe already left with a weird smile on her face earlier for me and Noelle before she was gone. "Take care you two!" Then she even turned to me and looked at me a bit seriously. "Julian Trinidad, you take care of my bestie, okay?" Then she grinned more widely before she turned to look back at Noelle again. "Ingat kayo, Noelle!"

"Your friend was a little weird, I'm sorry..." I can't help but comment.

Ngumiti lang naman sa akin si Noelle sa sinabi ko tungkol sa kaibigan niya. Bahagya na rin akong napangiti sa kaniya. Tapos ay nanatili pa ang tingin ko sa mukha niya. She has a small and cute looking face indeed. She was also a bit small or I was just really tall for my age too. She has fair skin and brown hair that matches her pretty looking brown eyes, too...

Does she have a boyfriend? Probably, because a girl this cute can't be single, right? Although we're still young; we're still in high school at this time.

When did I ever think about this stuff, anyway? Come on, I should only know about soccer. It was my world.

I shook my head. I have to stay focused. I nodded at her for her question. "Yes. I think I really time-traveled..." I said it to her again.

Her lips parted while looking at me after what I said. I sighed.

"I know it's maybe hard to believe? But I really did come back in time, Noelle. And I'm telling the truth. Please believe me." I almost begged her.

But in the end, I didn't expect that she'd make it easier for me when she nodded and started to believe in me. I can see the sincerity in her pure eyes. Ramdam ko na naniniwala nga talaga siya sa akin. And she was so eager when she listened to me as I explained to her what happened.

"I believe in you, Julian," she said to me.

I know that at first, she was also still hesitant to just believe in what I said, which can seem impossible. But in the end, she was so determined to believe in me after I explained to her in detail, and she eagerly helped me.

Then we started finding a way back. We must find that same exact clock tower, the same one in the future, to teleport or travel back to the future where I came from. And that means we have to go back to Santa Mariana. My ancestor's hometown.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Noelle. I just don't really know who to ask..." I sighed my problem deeply.

Pagkatapos kong sinabi ang lahat kay Noelle kung paano ang nangyari sa akin, naisip lang din namin—no, sinabi niya sa akin na baka kailangan ko lang na tumayo muli roon sa eksaktong clock tower ng Santa Mariana sa eksaktong oras, at doon ay baka pwedeng makabalik na ako sa hinaharap kung saan ako galing. Because truth be told, I haven't read it in the records yet kung paano ba ako makakabalik kapag nangyari ito. And come on, I didn't also expect that this would happen. Instead of just wanting to teleport from one place to another, I was sent here to the past? It's so crazy.

Gusto pa akong samahan ni Noelle sa Santa Mariana. But I told her she doesn't need to do that anymore. Malayo rin ang lugar ng Santa Mariana rito. But I can just ask our driver to bring me there. "I'm fine here, Noelle. You already told me what to do, and I'll just do that as well." I said to her with a reassuring smile on my face.

But she still looked worried for me. "Pero sigurado ka na ba sa gagawin mo, Julian? Kasi hindi ko rin alam kung tama ba ako at naisip ko lang 'yon..."

I shook my head. "It's all right, Noelle. I'll just try doing it, too. But thank you for helping me."

"I don't think I am of much help to you..."

"You are. You believe me. And that's already more than enough, so thank you very much, Noelle."

Tumango na rin siya sa akin pagkatapos ng sinabi ko. And despite there still being worry on her face, she still gave me a kind and beautiful smile that I'm sure I'd remember even when I get back to the future. Our future...

"Nandito na yata ang driver mo, Julian..." she said.

Binalingan ko rin ang sasakyan namin na nandoon na nga para sunduin ako. I left school earlier, and I even had snacks with Noelle and her friend Chloe here at the coffee shop before Chloe went home first. At hindi na rin nga siya nagtagal na kasama kami ni Noelle. At dito na rin ako sa shop nagpasundo sa driver ko.

Tumango na ako matapos makita na nand'yan na ang sundo ko at magpapahatid pa ako sa Santa Mariana.

"We'll meet again in the present, okay?" I asked her.

"Yes..." and she agreed as she gave me her beautiful, reassuring smile, too.

I smiled happily. I felt happy and hopeful... to have something... or someone to look forward to meeting again in the future. And I'm sure she'd remember me because we already met here. Our past might have already changed, right? Na kung dati ay hindi pa kami nag-usap, but now we just had a conversation at nagsabay pa nga kaming kumain ng snacks dito sa isang shop.

I will meet her again. I will meet Noelle in our future.

"Let's go to Santa Mariana," I instructed the driver who came to pick me up.

"Huh?" Mukhang nagulat pa siya. "Hindi ba tayo uuwi na dapat agad sa bahay n'yo?"

Umiling naman ako sa kaniya. He's also my bodyguard, and he's young, so he can be stupid sometimes, but he's a reliable guard. At hindi siya strict sa pagsunod sa mga bilin at utos sa kanila ni Mommy. Minsan kung may iba pa akong gustong puntahan, naalala ko dati na hinahayaan niya lang ako at kasama ko rin naman siya. He's also skilled, you know, so he can make me completely safe while he's guarding me. At madali ko lang din kasi siyang mapasunod sa akin.

"Let's just go, Joey. Just search the place in the maps. We have to be there as soon as possible," sabi ko sa driver at bodyguard ko.

And in the future, Joey was still my close bodyguard. Kaya lang hindi na muna siya pinasama sa akin ni Mommy sa Santa Mariana dahil alam na nila ni Daddy na mas sinusunod naman ako ni Joey kaysa sa utos nila. That's why I also like this guy. Matagal na rin siyang nagtatrabaho sa family namin. And every time I'm home here in the Philippines, siya ang palagi kong bantay simula noon.

"Okay." Joey started driving to Santa Mariana after I told him so.