"Huh? Anong sabi mo?" tanong niya, nanlaki ang mata ko na nakatingin sa kaniya bago umiling. 

"W-Wala... wala ah, guni-guni mo lang 'yon. Kung ano-ano ang naririnig mo." ani ko, utay-utay siyang tumango bago muling kumagat sa donut. Silence took over the place. Wala na akong maisip na sasabihin o itatanong. Napakagat ako sa pang-ibaba kong labi at tumingin sa paligid. The design of their hut right now is a bit different. Over the pass huts I have been, their things on this one got into different position. It also seems smaller and so is their bed. 

"Is there an instances na... hindi kayo dito sa Tagkawayan nakatira? What if sa ano... sa Gumaca, what if may trabaho doon si tito Ray?" tanong ko bigla bago nagbalik ng tingin sa kaniya. 

Napa-angat siya ng tingin at napakunot ang noo, "Hindi 'yon mangyayari. Kasi hindi tumatanggap si papa ng trabaho sa ibang lugar. Dahil kung aalis siya, paano ako? Saan ako titira? Hindi naman ako pwedeng sumama sa kaniya dahil dito ako naka-enroll." sagot niya at utay-utay akong napatango. 

"Huy," tawag niya at muli akong nagbalik ng tingin sa kaniya. 

"Huwag kang mag-alala, lods. Hindi ako aalis, lagi mo makikita itong pogi na mukhang 'to." Mayabang niyang turan at napa-irap ako. 

"Ang dami mong sinasabi." Bulong ko na narinig pa rin niya at ikinahagalpak niya ng tawa. Maya-maya ay naisipan ko nang umuwi dahil napapagusto akong matulog. 

"Inin, una na ako." ani ko bago tumayo mula sa bangko na inuupuan ko. Tumango siya at tumayo na rin bago inihatid ako sa labas. 

"Uy, pasensya na ha, di ako nakapag timpla ng kape para sa'yo. Next time ipaggagawa na kita. Wala pa kasi kaming... kape at asukal ngayon." He said as he scratch the back of his head. 

A small smile crept on my lips, "It's fine, pero aasahan ko yung next time ha." I said and he smiled wide before nodding. 

"Of course! Ako pa!" Masaya niyang turan kaya napahagikhik ako. 

"Sige sige, una na ako, bye!" I said before hopping on to my motorcycle and driving off. 

The day of the prom came. Wala akong balak na magpaayos sa mga make-up artists that's why I decided to do my own make-up. Since I am a bit good at it and Ali taught me how to do it back in elementary. I just do my own  make-up. It's just a simple one since I don't want my face to dominate my whole look tonight. I want them to look at my gown and not on my face. 

After my make up, I put on my gown which took me a bit longer since I need to fix the ties at the back. I didn't ask for any help since I know I can do it by myself. After my gown is my shoes and then my accessories. I grab a Dior hand bag and put my essential things inside. I also sprayed some perfume on me before taking another glance at the mirror and heading out of my bedroom. It was tough to get down on the stairs, so when some maids saw me, they help me with my gown. Tito Thiago knows about the prom today so they let me use their Mercedes Benz as a vehicle to get to the prom. 

When the car stopped in front of our municipal covered court and I hop down from the car, I immediately caught some eyes of people around. I don't really care about them or what they think so I proceed on going to the direction of my friends. 

Gwen is the first person I saw since me, her and Laura are assigned at the same table. 

"Hey," bati niya, agad napakunot ang noo ko dahil sa tono ng kaniyag pananalita. She sounded elegant which is odd. Not that she sounded bad, she actually sounds good, but this is not the normal her. 

I carefully sat down on the chair beside her, still my brows furrowed, "What's up? Bakit ganiyan ang boses mo?" I slightly lean closer to her so she can hear me clearly since there's a loud music playing. 

She lean closer to me, "Tangina Lorinda, yung photographer na kinuha ng school ay kaibigan ni mama. Madadal 'yang taong 'yan, kapag nakita niyan na nasisiraan ako ng ulo dito ay magsusumbong 'yan kay mommy." she said, my lips parted before I starts looking around and look for the photograher, when I spot him, he is looking at our direction. And then suddenly he starts walking towards us which made me gasp. 

"Gwen, he's coming towards us." I alarmedly said and me and Gwen fixed out postures. 

"Hey pretty girls, kuhaan ko lang kayo ng pictures ha." he said as he point his camera to us. Me and Gwen didn't have the choice but to smile at the camera. 

"Ang ganda talaga ng anak ni ma'am Georgia, manang-mana sa pinagmanahan!" he complimented Gwen, Gwen slightly chuckled and said a thank you before he left us. 

"Ehh, 'Ang ganda talaga ng anak ni ma'am Georgia.' puke niya, kamukha ako ng tatay ko." ani nito at napahgalpak ako ng tawa. Every sentence that comes out of her mouth never lack of a foul words. 

"Susunod niyang sasabihin, 'Mag-artista kana rin gaya ng mommy mo.' heck no! Tapos malalaos din, tapos ma de-depress, ayaw ko!" Dagdag niya at  muli akong napahagalpak ng tawa. 

Napatingin ako sa kabilang table kung nasaan si Ali at Jax, "Puntahan ko lang yung dalawa." ani ko at tumango si Gwen. I stand up from my seat and approach the two who's busy on their phones. 

"Nice gowns," I said as I sat on an available chair. 

"Salamat, bagay ba talaga?" Ali hesitantly ask, she seems unsure with her gown. 

I gave her a nod, "Oo, sobra!" I said which gave a smile on her face. 

"Where's your partners?" I ask, "Ah si Tobi papunta na daw." Jax replied and I nod. 

"Si Nico may pinuntahan lang." Ali replied and I nod. I went back to our table and waited for the others. 

I am playing with my phone when I suddenly got a message. 

from Inin:

Uy, balita ko prom niyo ngayon sa court. Panigurado ang ganda mo. 

A small smile crept on my lips but I made sure that Gwen doesn't see it or else she might think of me of being suspicious. 

to Inin:

Siyempre, ako pa ba? 

from Inin: 

Yun naman oh! Confidence level unreachable! 

Soon Tobi came and then Laura who looks stunning in her gown also. After few minutes of talking, the prom started. My partner found me and we position ourselves for the entrance. And after the entrance is the cotillion which I am not a very fan of since it contains us in dancing like those princesses in movies. I wasn't even smiling the whole dance. I just want it to come to its end. And when it did, me and my partner went to our table with my other friends. But just like what we expect, our partners seems awkward with us since they are not close to us nor even friends. After the remarks and speeches of the guess speakers. We can now eat. We are peacefully eating when they called our attentions cause they will announce the candidates for the prom king and queen. Ali, Gwen and Laura got selected so they had to model once again. We were cheering for them, I chanted their names simultaneously as I want to show support on each of the three. 

We are excited when they are about to announce the prom king and queen. The King got announced first and its Nico, Ali's partner who won. But when it the queen already, the six of us is tensed. 

"And our Prom Queen for tonight is... Miss... Avelline Gwen Jimenez!!" The six of us started cheering as Gwen got called. Gwen who was eating had to wipe the side of her lips and stand up to get onto the stage. 

"Yass!! Deserve, sissy!!" Tobi shouted while clapping, "Baka sissy namin 'yan!" Ali cheered. When Gwen is on the stage next to Nico, our cheers got louder and louder. It was a good moment of cheering and shouting. 

After eating, I grab my phone from my purse and messaged Inin. 

to Inin:

Nanalo yung friend ko as queen prom namin. 

from Inin:

Weh? Sino? 

to Inin:

Wala, bawal, hindi ko sasabihin. 

from Inin:

Hala, mapaglihim masyado. Dapat ikaw nalang nanalo para mas masaya. 

A small smile showed up on my lips that I immediately tried to cover up. 

to Inin:

Ayaw ko 'no, nakakahiya. 

I was a bit startled when Laura suddenly ask me if I want to dance. I put my phone back to my purse and go with her to the dance floor. We were enjoying the moment of our youth. Ali is pretty much enjoying the moment too cause she's dancing so much. We were enjoying the whole party song when a love song came, my lip twitch before stepping out of the dance floor. 

"Gabriella, tara na!" Tobi told Jax, Tobi wanted to have a dance with Jax and Jax agreed anyways. When I sat down back on my seat, I watch the two on the dance floor together with other students dancing. Some are probably couples which made me roll my eyes. 

"Relationships at 10th grade, really?" I said before looking back in front of me where I saw Laura looking at me with a semi widened eyes. 

"What?" I ask and she shake her head, "Wala naman," she replied before drinking her water. 

By 10PM, we are finally allowed to go home which I am thankful for since as time passes by, more couples starts dancing and showing affection with each other in public which annoys me. 

The Mercedes Benz is still outside just like what tito Thiago told the driver to wait for me. I hop in and almost fell asleep inside. When I reached the house, I immediately went upstairs and change into pajamas, wipe of my make up and sleep. 

"Ali 'yan yung project mo?" Gwen asked, surprised when she saw Ali's project. 

Ali look at her and slowly nod, "Oo," she shortly answered, "Huh?! Bakit ang laki?! 1/4 na illustration board 'yan ah?!" Gwen ask, Ali's brows furrowed and look at me. 

"Diba 1/4 naman talaga?" she ask me and I nod. "Yes, ikaw pa nga nagpa-alala sa akin diba?" I replied and she nods. Gwen then looked at me with wide eyes. 

"Ay hanep, oo nga! Hayaan na, 1/8 nalang yung akin. Okay na 'yan." she said, calming herself down. 

"Right, sayang naman kung magbabago ka pa. Ngayon na pati ang pasahan." Ali said before sitting down on her seat. 

 It's the last week of classes,  by Friday is out moving up ceremony. Aside form I am excited that school will once again be over and we have two months vacation, Ali is inviting us for a sleepover in her house. I will finally experience a new atmosphere!

On this week, we had to submit projects and other requirements. And on the passed days, Ali is always the one who's reminding me of those projects and I am very much thankful of her. She sometimes sends me answers for other assignments so she said I won't take too long on answering an assignment and I can have more time on doing the other  projects. It was between a hectic and relaxing time. We no longer have classes but during those vacant time, we are doing our projects. So it feels like we are needed to go to school but once we are there, we get to sat down on floor, talk with each other while doing our projects. 

On the day of the moving up ceremony, mom was the one who come up to the stage with me and put on the medal. Just like how it usually happens. She looks like a decent mom to everyone's eyes except mine. 

"Ate, how long will you be there po?" Theo ask me as he watch me pack my things. 

"It's just three days, tsaka ang lapit-lapit lang oh. Tanaw mo nga sa terrace ng kwarto ko yung bahay nila ate Ali, diba? Tsaka you get to own this house in that three days. Mom and your dad are not home. You can do anything you want, just be careful, okay?" I said before standing up from the floor and giving him a kiss on the forehead. 

"Enjoy your time here, message ate when there's something wrong, okay?" I said and he slowly nod. I pick up my travelling bags and went out the bedroom. I went down the stairs and exited the house and get inside the van. I am too lazy to walk to Ali's house so even it's just less than 100 meters away, I still ask the drivers to bring me there. 

"Lory!!" Gwen is the first one to shout once Ali's father let me in. 

"Andiyan na sila?" I ask when we are going up the stairs. 

"Oo sis, ikaw ang pinaka malapit tapos ikaw pa ang huling dumating." Gwen said which made e chuckle. Laura and Ali are inside her bedroom when we get there. Their bags are all over the place and a loud music is playing. 

"Kids, enjoy kayo ha, aalis lang kami ng papa ni Ali." Napatingin kami sa gawi ng pinto nang sumilip si tita Aleah. 

"Sure! Bye bye!" Ali waved at her mom like a kid, tita Aleah smiled and closed the door. 

I played some songs for us  while we play. Laura brought some toys for us to play. Gwen already have some ideas for parlor games. We are like kids who are having the best moment of our lives. There's also bunch of foods on Ali's small table. Gwen even brought carbonara. I think every 30 minutes we are eating. 

At night we watch bunch of movies until midnight. Until almost all of us are knocked out. 

"Next time kila Lory naman tayo mag sleepover. Feeling ko lagi akong nasa kusina." Ali said while watching the movie. 

"True sis, walang gutom kila Lory." Gwen added, 

"Gusto niyo pa magpadala ako ng mga pagkain dito bukas?" I asked and they shook their head. 

"Huwag na sis, ang daming pagkain dito." Gwen said, her attention is focused on the TV. 

The next morning we had a morning jog. It is part of our plan so I can't be slacking around and not join them have a jog around the subdivision. We then went out the subdivision and roam around the town. 

When we came back to Ali's house, tita Aleah is already cooking breakfast for us. And after few minutes, we are finally able to eat. 

"Anong oras na kayo nakatulog?" Tita Aleah ask, Gwen snorted which made us all burst out laughing. 

"Mga 1AM na po." Laura replied and tita Aleah laughed, "Oh sige, maiwan muna ulit namin kayo. May inaasikaso kami sa bahay ng lola ni Ali eh." tita Aleah said before her and tito Isaias leave. 

After eating breakfast, the six of us helped each other to clean the whole place. Jax, Tobi and Gwen washed the dishes, while me, Laura and Ali cleaned the table and planned for what we should eat by lunch. 

We were having a good time at Ali's dance room when Laura suddenly excused herself and had to leave. It looks like an emergency so we didn't even stop her and just let her go. We were confusedly, yes, but we respect her privacy and it looks like indeed an emergency since she looked alarmed when she left so we didn't ask her immediately. 

Then Ali suddenly got a call from Laura and she had to go back to her bedroom, leaving me, Gwen, Tobi and Jax. 

"Ano kayang nangyari?" Jax asked as she sat down on the floor. 

Gwen shrugged, "Awan, ang gatekeeping naman nung dalawa. Alam niyo suspicious si Ali at Laura. Mas nagiging close sila these pass few days!" Gwen said and my brows furrowed. Are they? Ah yes, I've also noticed some interactions between the two that seems very private. 

"Baka mag jowa sila." Tobi said which made Gwen snorts and burst out laughing. 

"Alam mo Tobias kung ano-ano na ang lumalabas sa utak mo." Gwen said before changing the song. My head slowly turn at the direction of the door to Ali's room. The two are indeed being a bit suspicious. 

Nang mag hapon ay naisipan namin na magkaroon ng fashion show. Nabuksan kasi ni Tobi nag closet ni Ali at doon nakita ang mga damit nito. Inabot ng topak si Gwen at Tobi at pinagsusuot iyon kaya naman nauwi na rin sa pagmomodel. 

Nasa kalagitnaan kami ng fashion show nang bumalik si Laura. Nang makita niya ang sitwasyon sa paligid ay halatang nagulat at naguguluhan ito. 

Inaya ito ni Gwen na sumali sa pageant namin at hindi na nito nagawang makatanggi dahil inayos na siya nila Jax at Ali. 

They come up with a photoshoot inside Ali's dance room. Jax have her camera and Ali is the one who's fixing the studio and putting random objects for props. Laura is doing good honestly. She looks like a real model. She can be a good one though. 

After the sleepover at Ali's place, she suddenly called me in the middle of the night which confused me. 

[Alam mo sis, gustong-gusto ko talagang ipasa itong pictures ni Laura sa mga modeling agency. Ano gawin ko ba?] she ask me, she sounded like she really wanted to do it. Nanggigil siya kaya bahagya akong napapatawa. 

"Ask Laura first, if she agree, then good. I'll start looking for modeling agency na rin." I said and she hum, 

[Sure sure, ask ko siya tomorrow. Maghahanap na rin ako tonight.] she said before bidding goodbye and ending the call. 

Just like what I said, I look for modeling agency and gladly, I found decent once. I sent it to her and she also sent me some of what she found. When I look at the list, some of the agencies she found are also at my list which made the two of us laugh at ourselves. 

We were glad that Laura's mom let her apply for modeling agency. She invited us to her house and that's when we start applying her to multiple agency. We split the agencies into six groups and start sending her resume that we made for her. It was a mixed feeling that we are excited for her and nervous at the same time. 

And the moment  Ali told us that some agencies replied, we immediately had to see each other again and talk about Laura's future career. Laura chose an agency who can offer her magazine modeling and runway modelling too. I may not be good at expression my emotions but I am really excited for her! We have a future model in our friend group!!

We are watching a movie when I suddenly got a text, when I saw the notification and saw that it's from Inin. I immediately cover my phone to check it to make sure no one else see it. 

from Inin:

Kape? G? Para sa mahal kong prinsesa.