CHAPTER 8

I gripped the edge of Ei's shirt as we made our way to the gymnasium, surrounded by a crowd. Everyone had gathered for the graduates' recollection.

"Do you have social anxiety?" Ei asked suddenly as we stood in line.

I quickly shook my head. "No, not really..." I replied softly.

I looked away because she was staring at me for too long. After a while, she smiled at me and took my hand to link it with her arm.

"Hmm. Okay," she replied with a smile.

I felt uncomfortable because aside from the students staring at me, I also felt like someone was watching me.

"Are you uncomfortable because they are staring at you?" Ei asked when we got inside.

"Yes," I answered quickly.

When she heard my answer, we hurried to find a seat. She pointed to two empty seats at the end, and we sat there.

"Do you want this? This is blotting paper to quickly absorb the oiliness on our face." Ei handed me a thin piece of paper in a small green packet.

"School air really makes you look haggard," she muttered to herself and looked at me.

I chuckled softly and accepted the blotting paper. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and put it in my pants pocket.

"I can't relate," I replied with a laugh. "I've been haggard since birth," I joked.

She turned to me and crossed her arms. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Sarah. You're doing it again."

I just shrugged. "That's true, Ei."

Ei was starting to remind me of Rafael, a bit. Thinking about it made me sad.

I still couldn't accept that Rafael was gone. What about our promise to get tattoos together? To graduate together? He was the only true friend I had besides Ei.

"Hey..." Ei called out to me suddenly. She took my hand and squeezed it gently. "Everything is going to be okay, Sarah. I know you're brave," she said softly to me.

I nodded. "Thank you, Ei. You're like the girl version of Raf," I said to her, feeling tears in my eyes.

She chuckled softly and pinched my cheek. "You're so cute."

She took a tissue and wiped away my tears. Then he used the blotting paper to wipe my face.

"If you're going to wipe the sweat off your face, don't rub the blotting paper on your face, okay?" she said seriously. I just nodded. "Just dab it like this," she demonstrated gently on my face.

"Your face is sensitive, Sarah. Your cheeks are red now."

I grimaced. "Sorry."

She just smiled at me. "It's okay. Next time you know what to do?"

I nodded, and we both looked forward as someone started speaking. I wiped away my tears and took a deep breath.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

I stood up happily and smoothed out my dress. It was a simple white dress, made of silk. Today was our graduation day. This dress was actually my mother's wedding dress when she married my dad. I saw her throwing it away, and I secretly took it and hid it.

It fit me perfectly because I'm thin. I looked at myself in the mirror one last time before leaving my room. I didn't expect Mom to attend my graduation because I knew she wouldn't.

"Finally, Sarah. You're a graduate," I said to myself with a smile and laughed softly as tears welled up in my eyes. "We're graduates, Raf," I said tearfully while looking at my phone's wallpaper. It was a picture of us two at our favorite spot by the river.

I tied my hair into a low bun because it seemed to have gotten thicker after I combed it. How annoying.

From Ei:

Hey, girly pop! Where are you? Let's stop by my condo. I sent my driver to pick you up so you don't have to take a cab. He's on his way now. Be careful!

My eyes widened. Huh! Why did she decide so quickly? I had no choice but to fix my black flat shoes and go downstairs. No one was home because my mother and the rest went to visit a relative in the next neighborhood. I told them when my graduation was, but they chose to go to the fiesta instead. I know that's how they are, but I still had a little hope.

I took a deep breath and typed a reply to her.

To Ei:

Okay. Thank you, Ei.

From Ei:

You're welcome, babygirl! See yah. My room is on the third floor, and the room number is 310.

To Ei:

Noted.

I came back to my senses when I heard a car honk in front of the house. I went outside and saw a white car, I think it was a Fortuner. When I heard the backseat door handle click, I got in.

"Good morning, Sir. Thank you for the ride," I said with a smile.

"You're welcome, ma'am," he replied with a smile. My eyes widened when I saw him take a flower from the passenger seat and give it to me. "Congratulations to both of you and Ma'am Ei," he greeted me with a smile.

I took it involuntarily. "Oh my, Kuya! Thank you, but I wish you hadn't bothered to buy this," I replied shyly.

"Ma'am Ei told me to give this to you. I couldn't do anything about it," he replied, scratching the back of his neck.

He started the car while I was still staring at the flower in my hand. I was so confused about this flower.

A bouquet of peonies.

I hadn't told anyone except Rafael that they were my favorite flowers. It couldn't be a coincidence, right? I just shrugged it off and put on my seatbelt. Ei's condo wasn't that far from my house, so after a few minutes, I arrived.

I stopped in front of Ei's condo door when I found her room number. I was about to knock when the door suddenly opened.

"Omg! There you are!" she greeted me with a smile.

She had a big smile on her face. Her hair was in a clean bun with a few strands hanging loose around her face. She was also wearing a lavender dress with a sleeveless design and a ribbon in the middle, near the v-neckline.

"Thank you for the flowers."

She giggled and pulled me inside. I was greeted by the cool temperature of her unit. It was so cold... so refreshing.

"I'm glad you like it," she replied and started fixing her makeup on the table in front of the mirror. I think it's called a vanity table. She gestured for me to come closer and sit on the soft chair.

"These are my favorite flowers," I said softly, looking down at them.

They were so beautiful in my eyes. I smelled them and was even happier.

"Oh my... really?" she replied. She clapped his hands in delight and took a small comb and started dividing my hair into three parts. "I'm glad I chose well. Actually, that was the only beautiful one in the flower shop we went to. We were planning to go to Dangwa, but we didn't have enough time."

I smiled at her in the mirror. "You're pretty, Ei."

She stroked my head and smiled. "Thank you. You too! You're so pretty, Sarah. We're both pretty!"

We both laughed at that.

"I'm going to straighten your hair, okay? We still have a lot of time, don't worry."

"O-okay," I replied, stuttering because I was nervous about how my hair would turn out after she straightened it.

It's not until one in the afternoon that our graduation ceremony at school starts. I just got ready early because Ei told me we had something to do, so she had me get ready early, but I didn't know we were going to do this. I let her do whatever she wanted with my hair.

"I'm going to put on some makeup on you, okay? So you'll look beautiful when we go up on stage," she said with a smile while straightening my hair.

"Okay... you decide."

She thanked me and continued what she was doing while I just watched.

After a few minutes—I think it was almost an hour—she was finally done. With the thickness of my hair, it wouldn't take forever to straighten it. Now she was busy putting makeup on my face.

"Uhmm, Ei?" I called out to her while my eyes were closed.

"What?"

"Well... maybe it won't look good on me," I replied nervously.

"Trust me. You'll look beautiful now," she replied.

I took a deep breath and didn't say anything. I trusted her, but I didn't trust myself. I was a little surprised when I felt Ei putting on lipstick on me, then a sticky substance that I think was lipgloss. I flinched slightly when I felt something cold on my face, then Ei handed me her portable fan.

"And we're done!"

I slowly opened my eyes and looked in the mirror. I almost didn't recognize myself. Ei had given me a simple nude glam makeup look because of my morena skin. My skin tone was tan, and she had contoured my nose to make it look a little sharper. She had also tweezed my eyebrows and added an arch.

My hair was very straight, and I was wearing a simple hairband with pearl designs. My lips were full and slightly nude in color. They were shiny because of the lip gloss she put on. She also put pearl earrings on me, but I didn't notice because I was probably spaced out or thinking about a lot of things.

"Wow... it's beautiful," I said in disbelief.

Ei held my shoulders and looked at me in the mirror.

"See? I will make you very pretty, Sarah. I forgot to tell you that after the graduation ceremony, the school will hold a night party near the hotel. Near our school, don't worry, it's already paid."

Huh? Night party?

"Night party?" I asked.

"Uhuh. We can drink there and also party!" she replied with a smile.

"Are you sure it's paid for? Is it included in the graduation fee?" I asked, confused.

She nodded quickly. "Yes and yes. Don't you want to? It's also our reward for finishing college!" she replied with a smile.

I found it strange that our school had such a big budget for that. I just shrugged and looked at Ei.

"Okay. If you're going, I'll go too."

"Perfect!"

I watched her as she rummaged through something in her white closet. She took out a box and handed it to me.

"This is my graduation gift for you."

I looked down at it. I shook my head. Ei had already done so much for me.

"I can't accept this, Ei," I said when I saw what was inside.

It was a pair of sandals, I think they were about 2 inches tall. They were white and had rhinestone designs in the middle. They looked brand new.

Her shoulders slumped. "Oh, come on, Sarah. Accept this, please? I promised this is the last one."

"It looks expensive, Ei. I feel bad. You've already given me flowers, had your driver pick me up, fixed my hair, and did my makeup, and now you're giving me this?"

I felt so embarrassed! I'm not used to being given things, so that's probably why I reacted this way.

"Don't think about what I've done for you. Come on, take it, please," she begged me.

I sighed. "Fine."

"Yes!"

She happily took the sandals out of the bag and handed them to me. I put on the sandals, and they fit me perfectly. They were also very secure because they had straps.

"Very perfect!" she said, smiling.

I stood up and looked at myself in the big mirror. I smiled when I saw myself. I couldn't deny that I looked good thanks to Ei.

"Okay! Let's take a picture," Ei said.

She adjusted her phone on the tripod and set the timer for 3 seconds. She checked herself in the mirror and brushed off her dress. The dress had a flowy style, making her look like a doll.

"Cheese!" she said as the timer was about to reach 1 second, and we were captured in the photo.

We took several more pictures before she got her instant camera from the drawer. She fiddled with it for a moment before looking at me.

"Go stand near the window, Sarah. Let me take a picture of you. Your skin is literally glowing under the sun. You look like a gold bar," she said, laughing.

I chuckled softly and followed her instructions. I positioned myself there, holding the handle of my bag in front of me. I stood straight and gave a small smile to the camera Ei was holding.

She paused because of my pose, saying it was too simple. She smiled at me and started taking pictures of me. She took two shots and wanted to keep one copy for herself. Then, we took a picture together.

"You're so beautiful!"

"Stop it, Ei. I'm embarrassed," I said softly. I felt like my cheeks were burning; I'm really not used to being complimented.

She just laughed and picked up her small bag.

"Let's go?"

I nodded. "Let's go."

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

We immediately lined up outside when we arrived at our graduation venue. There were already many students there with their parents. Something ached in my chest because of it. I wished Mom was here, even if she didn't have to go up on stage. I just wanted her to see me standing in the middle of the stage, holding a medal.

Even though I didn't make magna cum laude, the important thing is that I graduated. I didn't get a perfect score in one subject. As they say, there are some subjects that you'll struggle with. I did my best, but that's all I could do. When we got inside, we sat down and listened to the ceremony. It took a few more minutes before they started announcing those with honors.

"Dayanghirang, Sarah. With highest honor."

I stood up and received the medal on stage. One of our professors suggested adding this setup because we deserved it even if we didn't have perfect grades.

"Congratulations, dear."

"Thank you very much," I replied with a smile, starting to tear up.

I wish Mom was here. So I could hang this medal around her neck. I graduated for them to give them a comfortable life.

I saw Ei in the distance, smiling at me and giving me a thumbs up. I smiled back and waved, but the smile faded from my lips when I felt like someone was watching me. I tried to find the person, but with so many people around, it seemed impossible. I ignored it and went down from the stage.

The graduation ceremony ended around midnight because it started late and there was a sound system problem.

"Congratulations to us!" Ei said happily to me.

"Thank you, Ei. Congratulations to you too," I replied with a smile and hugged her tightly.

"Iylla."

We both turned around when someone spoke.

"Oh, Mr. Winslow. Hello," I greeted him politely.

He was my professor in one of my subjects. He was only a few years older than me.

"Hi, Ms. Dayanghirang," Mr. Winslow greeted back.

"Let's go, Sarah. Let's go back to my condo for a moment to freshen up before going to the hotel," Ei suggested and took my arm to pull me away.

"Iylla, I'm talking to you," Mr. Winslow stopped Ei.

My eyes darted between the two of them. It was like watching a drama.

"What?" Ei asked seriously.

"Uhmm... maybe you two should talk alone..." I started to say, but Ei cut me off.

"No. You stay here, Sarah."

"Huxley and Madden are looking for you," Mr. Winslow said quietly. It was loud enough for both of us to hear.

Huxley? Madden?

I noticed Ei stopped at what Mr. Winslow said. I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Oh... next week I will be at your house. Don't worry," Ei replied quickly.

"You can just stay there..."

I discreetly walked away from them so they could talk properly. I didn't want to eavesdrop on their conversation because I respected them.

"I need to pee..." I whispered, and I hurried to the bathroom.

Since everyone was busy at the venue, there were hardly any people in the hallway. I breathed a sigh of relief when I entered the bathroom. It was spacious and empty, which was good.

"Ah!"

I screamed and couldn't finish my sentence when someone pulled me to the side. Then, the lights suddenly went out.

SHANGPU