by Katt Briones
“Looks like you’re really tired, that reaction was seriously anticlimactic. Go to sleep.”
“Sorry,” I answered, doing as I was told. She looked at me for a few seconds and shook her head.
“No, that’s fine. I just thought you’d be happy, seeing she was responsible for what happened between you and Cholo and a lot of other things you wouldn’t want to mention.”
“I know. But I think we’ve settled that it’s actually my fault, and not hers, so I don’t think it’s fair on her part.” I cut off my own sentence, seeing Liana gaping at me like I was an alien. “Ugh. Sorry. I’m not myself right now.”
She laughed.
“It’s nice, actually.”
“Huh? What’s nice?” I asked, confused.
“This new you,” she replied. “I mean, I know you’re conscious and touchy about that subject right now; but hearing you say this, it’s honestly not that bad.”
I thought for a moment before answering.
“You’re just saying it because I’m nicer to you now.”
“That’s a fair point,” she said with a laugh, fixing my blanket. “But you know, I don’t think Cholo was trying to change you into someone else. It’s more like he’s helping you grow and be aware of your own capabilities so you can be at your best. I mean, your grades were never bad. Your grades in your majors were much better than mine. You’ve always been smart and diligent, Vinnie. And save for a couple of trips to the disciplinary office, you’ve always done well.”
“It sounds nice when you phrase it like that.”
“Look,” she said, her face serious. “I’m not just saying this to make you feel better, but we all see it. We’ve all seen how awesome you can be, not just with school work or org activities. Well, you’re still scary when you’re angry and you need some work on that, but with everything else, you did it all on your own.”
“Really?” I said, sniffing. “Dad said I’m starting to just depend on Cholo.”
“Your dad doesn’t see you as much as I do,” she replied, wiping my face. “Fine, it all started with that trip to the Prefect’s office. And you talking to me and Mom again – we should give Cholo credit for that, too. But really, Vinnie. What Cholo gave you was a wake-up call, and him staying behind you for the rest of it really helped, but your accomplishments, what you have done so far. That’s yours and no one else’s. Sure, you had your moments of uncertainty and you will continue to have them. You’re going to need help here and there, but that’s not something you should feel bad about. Especially not if it had been offered to you in the first place.”
“I wish I didn’t throw it in Cholo’s face,” I replied, shaking my head. “He didn’t deserve that.”
“He’ll understand,” she answered. “As a couple, you’re going to fight. The next ones will probably be worse. You acted out of pent-up anger and frustration that boiled over at the worst possible moment, but once you understand why that happened, once you’re able to explain to yourself and to him on why this came to be, it’ll all get better.”
“You think he’ll take me back?”
“Well,” she said in a mock-serious voice, “Seeing how he’s still liking and retweeting your last Era of Maidens tweets, I’m going to bet he’s not going to ditch you. At least not yet.”
“Bwisit ka,” I said, finally laughing. Liana got up and walked towards the door.
“Go to sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a better day.”
I was tempted to check if Cholo was still indeed following me and liking my posts, but my exhaustion won over and I fell asleep.
I had a free cut the next day because the professor for the period before lunch called in sick. A student assistant just pasted a note on the door, with the professor telling us to use the extra time to study as we were going to have a quiz the next week. This was fine with me, since this would give me enough time to eat a proper lunch.
I took a jeepney to the shopping center as it was too hot to walk. I had a sudden craving for tapsilog and upon checking my watch, I figured it wouldn’t be as full and the best time to eat there would be now.
When I got there, however, I remembered that Cholo liked this tapsilog joint. The thought left me feeling like I just swallowed a ball of crumpled paper, so I simply ordered two tapsilogs to-go and went back to our college building, hoping I could convince him to eat lunch with me.
It was quiet as the 10–11:30 classes were still ongoing. I tried to practice what I was going to say on the way back, but I couldn’t figure out a way to say everything without sounding forced, corny or stupid.
I eventually reached the prefect’s office on the fifth floor, still unable to come up with anything. The room was empty, and I didn’t know whether I was relieved or disappointed. I went straight for his table and wondered where he was since his backpack was on the floor next to his chair.
And then I heard a kettle whistling.
It was coming out of a space in the office corner that I never noticed was there. The smell of coffee wafted through the air, and a few footsteps later, Cholo appeared and saw me.
He immediately stopped in his tracks. I willed myself to smile but my face seemed to have forgotten how to do that. Cholo just blinked and took a tentative step, looking over my shoulder for a bit before shifting his gaze back, probably thinking I got myself in trouble again and that a professor was going to walk in after me any second.
“Vinnie,” he finally said, voice low. “What’re you doing here?”
“Hi,” I said after an embarrassingly long while of just staring. “Um, I’m here on my own. I didn’t get sent by a teacher or anything. Just so you know.”
“That’s a relief,” he said, his face still impassive. He finally walked over to his desk and saw the food I had left there. “What’s this?”
“Lunch. I thought you’d be hungry.”
“Um, not really.”
Okay. Of course he wouldn’t make it too easy. I knew I deserved this but it didn’t stop my ears from burning.
“Fine, give it away if you insist on being so—
“You haven’t answered my question,” he said, cutting me off. It seemed that he also noticed the sudden change in the tone of my voice and was reminding me who was boss. We were in his office, after all. “Why are you here?”
“I was hoping we could eat lunch,” I said with a shrug, trying to lower my own voice. “But that’s out of the question now so maybe I should just . . . you know, say sorry.”
Breaking eye contact, I stared at my shoes instead, too ashamed to look him in the eye.
“The past few days were painful,” I began, playing with my fingers. “But I didn’t know what to say. I still don’t, actually. All I can say right now is how sorry I am for messing up. And this is in no way sufficient but it’s a start.”
I looked up at him again and noticed how he wasn’t looking at me either. His eyes were dead fixed on his steaming coffee cup, seemingly calm, but I could see that his fist was clenched.
“Don’t worry. You don’t have to eat that. And next time I’ll have something better up my sleeve,” I said, turning to leave. I had almost reached the door when he spoke again.
“Vinnie, wait,” he said, and I stopped in my tracks. “Are you coming to Ephemere?”
I knew he just wanted to get me to attend and help out at the event but I jumped at the chance.
“I’m supposed to help out with the booth when gates open,” I just replied, looking back at him over my shoulder. He still had his eyes somewhere else. “But if you need me there early for ingress, just let me know.”
“Actually, we do need some extra help. I’m picking you up,” he told me, finally meeting my gaze. “Be ready at 7 a.m.”
“Thank you,” I just said, not wanting to sound too pleased.“I’ll see you on Saturday.”
It took all of my willpower not to start jumping happily on the hallway like an idiot. I was walking down the stairs towards the cafeteria when my phone beeped.
> “Gmail
Charles Paolo Valiente
FW: Requirements”
I blinked, unsure of what was going to be in that e-mail, and opened it.
“I’ve attached the application form and list of requirements for the Seoul trip. Make sure you compile and submit these at least two weeks before our flight.
(Also, thanks for the food. I ~was~ hungry.)”
Smiling, I put my phone away and jumped the last three steps on the stairs, feeling happier than I had been in what felt like weeks.
Cholo stayed true to his word and picked me up at 7 a.m. the next Saturday.
It was awkward in the car, though—we didn’t talk at all, and both of us were still sleepy. I wish I had tried, since there was no chance at all for us to talk in the venue. I came running from one station to another, telling the tech guys where the wires should go, helping the Logistics Team on where to put the cocktail tables and beer station, calling the lighting people to please arrive on time, setting up the booth and the tarps (some of which were taller than me and Erika). It was a bit more confusing than the launch event because this venue was much larger. Patsy arrived to help at around lunchtime and had adobo for everyone.
Hours passed by quickly, but our practice with the launch party two weeks ago paid off and we were better prepared. Ingress was done an hour ahead of schedule. None of the USBs and hard drives managed to disappear this time, and unlike the launch party, we were all happy, ready, and fulfilled when everything was finished. Cholo declared a break for us to do whatever we pleased at around 5:30 p.m., but said we should be ready and dressed at the lobby by 8:30 p.m. for the pre-event meeting and opening of the gates.
Erika and the other girls pulled me into their makeshift ‘glamping’ station (whatever that meant) behind the DJ booth. I saw a plethora of makeup and brushes spread neatly throughout the table. Two girls from the PR Team were now curling their hair near the electric sockets, while Erika sat me down on one of the chairs and started rubbing cold creams on my face. She was enjoying herself so much that I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I did know how to put on BB cream and eyeliner. I was also rather pleased with the fact that she was filling me in on all the meetings that I wasn’t able to attend while contouring my cheeks. By the time she was finished, I had perfect eyebrows and no one could tell that I was unable to properly sleep the past week.
“Thank you, Erika!” I said happily, checking out my reflection. “I love it!”
“Yeah, yeah, go and dress up na!” she said with a light push. “There won’t be room in there later!”
I obediently ran and did as I was told. Thank goodness the cubicles were roomier than your average public restroom, because otherwise I would not have been able to properly put on the bodycon dress that Liana chose for the occasion. After hurriedly putting on my shoes, I rushed out, satisfied with how I looked and wondering how Cholo would react when he saw me.
I didn’t have to wait long for it, though.
“Vinnie!” he said, looking bothered. (Not the reaction I was hoping for). “Erika’s looking for you. Can you help her man the beer station?”
“What? You’re kidding, right? I’m assigned to the ticket booth,” I said. “And gates don’t open until twenty minutes. What’s going on?”
“Vinnie! Cholo!” said Seth from nearby. “Group prayer and pre-event meeting time! What’s taking you so long?”
I made a face at Cholo, wondering if the event-related stress was already getting to him, then rushed towards the entrance before he could stop me.
He caught up pretty quickly, but I was already in the prayer circle when he reached us. I was about to grab Seth (the team insisted on holding hands) when Cholo rudely stepped between us and pulled my hand instead. Rolling my eyes, I concentrated on the prayer people were taking turns in reciting. After the prayer, Cholo went into serious chairperson mode and gave a small pep talk, congratulating us on the job well done the past semester, and telling us to enjoy the night.
After a messy group hug, the rest of us started spreading out to our designated stations. I was about to go straight to the ticket booth when I noticed that Cholo was still holding my hand.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, but he was staring at a point about five meters away ahead of me. There I saw Kristine (our event marketing head) talking to someone, and I felt my eyes grow to the size of saucers.
Shit. Miki was here, and she probably knew what happened. I had the feeling she was about to cause a scene, and that was probably why Cholo tried to hide me in the beer station.
A tall guy in a crisp shirt joined them. The way Miki’s arrogant stance eased told me the guy was her senior or something. I was going to bolt right in that second, but then our co-officer glanced around the room and found us.
“Vinnie!” she called out.
I looked at Cholo, whose hand tightened around mine. His face had no trace of shock or fear whatsoever.
“Cholo! Over here!” Kristine said. I had no choice but to come over as Cholo made his way towards them. Miki turned to face us, her smile vanishing completely as we approached.
“Hi, I’m Lance,” said the tall guy in a crisp shirt. “I’m the brand manager for Exonerate.”
Cholo and I took turns with shaking his hand. Behind Lance, Miki was giving me the deepest look of dislike but surprisingly didn’t say anything.
“I’m Cholo. Chairperson for Ephemere.”
“My n-name’s Vinnie,” I stuttered as I could feel Miki’s killer stare from where I stood. “Publicity officer.”
“She made the videos for Exonerate x Ephemere,” Kristine said, with an air of a proud mom showing her child’s achievements. I would have been flattered if it weren’t for the timing.
“Oh, you’re Vinnie,” said Lance. “Those videos were awesome. Thank you.”
“No, thank you,” I replied. “For the launch. And stuff.”
I realized my mistake too late, but Lance didn’t even flinch as he turned to Cholo.
“Time sure flies. I was in this org, too, you know. Same position. Is this your stepping stone to running for Executive Committee?” he asked, looking around, and Cholo nodded. “Good. I think you’ve got it in the bag. This event’s awesome! From what I’ve read online about this team and the launch, it looks like I’ve put Exonerate in the right hands.”
“Thank you,” Cholo replied, finally betraying a small hint of confusion on his otherwise smooth façade.
Wait. Was it possible? Could Miki have forgotten to tell her boss about what happened? Lance was talking like he had no idea.
“Anyway, I won’t keep you. Good luck with the event,” said Lance. I stole a glance at Miki, who looked like she was going to strangle someone. “And Vinnie—I’ll see you at the interview next Tuesday.”
“Thanks!” I said. Lance waved goodbye, and Miki threw us a last murderous glare before storming away behind him. Cholo let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
“What just happened?” I asked him, my eyes wide. Cholo opened his mouth to respond when we heard loud voices calling us.
“Look! Holding hands! I told you they’d be okay already,” said someone. I immediately let go of Cholo’s hand and turned around, wanting to see it for myself, and I wasn’t disappointed.
“What the fuck?”
It was getting weirder and weirder.
“Asher?” Cholo exclaimed. My jaw literally dropped as I saw Asher and Chan approaching, both looking happy, with Chip and Ate Ania following closely behind them. “What are you all doing here?”
“Supporting your event, of course,” said Asher, who was smirking. “Why’d you let his hand go, Vinnie? We don’t mind.”
“Hah. Di pa okay,” said Chan, and Asher whacked him hard against the shoulder while cursing under his breath. “You owe me, Ash.”
“Look at you two, betting like kids,” Chip teased, and only then did I realize what was going on.
“Wait. They know?” I said, round
ing on Cholo. “And you were letting them bet on whether we were okay now or not?”
“Are you kidding? Why would I do that?” Cholo snapped, folding his arms and glaring at his brothers. Chan raised his hands in surrender, looking like he was about to laugh. Asher flinched under Cholo’s gaze.
“Don’t look at me, Choleng. It wasn’t me who told them.”
“Actually, it was me,” said Ate Ania, and Cholo’s angry expression disappeared, replaced by shock and confusion.
“Ate Ania, I trusted you!”
“You trust her but not your brothers?” Chip cut in. “You need to tell us these things, man.”
“What, so you can make bets on my life choices or something?”
“Do not use that tone with me, Charles Paolo,” Chip said in a mock-serious voice, and Cholo visibly flinched. “Not after what I did to keep Mikayla from jumping at your throats.”
“Who’s Mikayla?” I asked, which the brothers ignored.
“Chip! Hoy!” said someone from behind us and I saw Patsy approaching.
What the heck. Was I still in Ephemere or was I in a family reunion? Why were they all here?
“What did you do?” Patsy went on, putting a hand on Chip’s shoulder. I’d never seen her so ecstatic before. “How’d you do it?”
“I told Lolo about what she said,” said Chip. “And Lance, her boss—he’s a frat bro. Let’s say I pulled a few strings. But don’t tell her that.”
“What are they talking about?” I asked Asher, now thoroughly confused.
“They’re talking about Miki, duh,” he replied. “Earth to Lavinia?”
“You told Lolo what, exactly?” Cholo asked. “And what does Lance have to do with this?”
“Everything she’s been saying the last decade, except I gave some emphasis on this small incident that happened two weeks ago. Lolo got so mad when I told him, but she had it coming if you ask me,” Chip replied, putting an arm around his wife. “It was strangely fulfilling, though. Chan, did you see his face?”