Are We Just Friends? ( Chapter 5)

*MY FRIENDS*


- Freya Angelina Lopez. A girl with brains, looks and values. She is a wise girl. Her looks was stunning. And a girl who loves bunnies. MM's soon to be bestfriend. Bunsong anak ng may-ari ng Lopez Marketing.

- Andrea Sue. A girl just like MM kung manamit. Simple lang din at mabait katulad niya. Matalino katulad niya. Medyo tsinita ang itsura pero maganda. Anak ng Chinese-American businessman at filipinang businesswoman. She was said to inherit the company that's why she is studying Business Management course.

- Brandon Rivera. A boy was fuzzed by girls. He was the filipino 'Justin Beiber' .Popular. Has the looks that makes most girls collapsed. He doesn't really care 'bout girls but there is this one girl that he really adores. Freya Angeline Lopez.


" May!" sigaw sa kanya ng isang babae habang kumakaway. Papunta na sila sa canteen kasama sina Freya at Christian. " Oh, hey Andrea!" bati niya rito ng makalapit pa sila. " Join us at lunch." Paanyaya niya rito. " Um, may kasabay na kasi ako. Pero okay lang ba na sumabay kami sa inyo. 4 kami eh." tanong niya kay MM. " Sure. Mas marami mas masaya (giggles)" na may kasama pang ngiti.

" Hey there Andrea!"  bati ng isang lalaki sa likod ni Andrea. " Oh, hey Daniel, Brandon and Nathan!" masayang bati nito rito. " Hi Dee! Brandon! and Nathan right?" bati ni MM. " You know Daniel?!" Nagtatakang tanong ni Brandon at Andrea. " Oh yeah! Were friends." sagot niya sa kanila. " And this is Freya and Christian. Brandon you know Freya already right?" tanong niya rito at may kasamang nakakalokong ngiti. " Yeah, Hi." Bati niya sa kanila na medyo kinakabahan. " Can we join May for lunch?" tanong ni Andrea sa tatlong lalalki. " Sure!" sagot ni Nathan. 

Sa table, " So how did you know them?" tanong ni MM kay Andrea habang tinuturo ang tatlong lalaking kasama niya. " Ah, sila? When I transfered here nung 1st year, there are girls na nam-bubully sakin. This 3 guys here were always there to protect me. Even from boys. Kaya yon friends na kami since then." lahad niya rito. " Hoy Dee, bakit di mo sinabi sakin na matapang ka na pala? ha?!" pang-aasar nito sa kanya. " Hey Emy-Ems, matapang na ako noon pa noh!" inis na sagot niya rito.     " Emy-Ems? What's that for?" takang tanong ni Freya. " Di ko alam sa mokong na yan. MM ang nickname ko noh!" at taas ng kilay kay DD.

" Can I call you MM then? tanong naman ni Andrea. " Sure! We can call each other nicknames! That's nice right?" excited na tanong ni MM. " Wow! That's great!" sagot ni Freya at Andrea. " Uh- Oh here she goes again!" nababahalang sabi ni DD. " Why?" tanong ni Brandon. " I guess it was 8 or 9 years ago she gave me a nickname." with matching roll eyes. " Maganda naman ah. Diba Fretz?" tanong niya rito. " Oo nga maganda naman ang DD for Daniel Diaz ah." sabi nito. " OMG! Freya! Ok ba yung Fretz?! Na nickname?" tanong ni MM kay Freya. " Ang nice!" sabi ni Andrea. " TQ. Andrea, hmmmm.. An... Ann. How about Ann?" tanong naman ni MM kay Andrea.

" Yeah its nice. To make it shorter. :D" habang sumusubo ng pagkain. " Christian is Ian. Brandon is Brandon Rivera... Hmmm... Bri... Bre... How about Bren?" tanong nito na parang unsure pa. " Well it's fine but I guess if we change the 'n' its better." suggest niya kay MM. " Bret." sabi ni DD. " Bret. Bret. Is it okay?" tanong muli ni MM. " Yeah its cool." sabi ni Freya na nangngiti. " Yeah, Bret is okay." sabi ni Brandon habang nakatingin sa nakangiting Freya. " Tra la la la laaaaa! Ang nice nito!!!" sabi ni MM sa sarili. " How about Nathan?" Tanong ni Ian. " What's your full name?" tanong ni MM. " Samuel Nathan Castro." matipid nitong sagot. " Sam is fine..." sagot nito muli. " Alright!" masayang sabi nito. " We have, Ann, DD, Bret, Sam, Ian, Fretz and me, MM."

" You sure are still like before. When we were kids." sabi sa kanya ni DD habang papasakay sa mini bus. " Huh? What do you mean?" tanong niya habang nagbabasa ng librong nabili niya sa isang bookstore last week. " And still like to read books. I wonder what your collection looks like now... I remembered when you toured me in your room, You have a cabinet full of books and that was when we were 7 right? Then when I get back in your room again when we were 10, it was two cabinets." lahad niya kay MM. " He remembered." sabi niya sa sarili. Hindi niya alam kung bakit ang saya niya nung malaman na naaalala ito ni DD.

" Well when you start not to visit, I already have almost 4 cabinets." sabi niya. " Hey Dee, may I ask why can't you visit... For the past years?" Tanong niya. " simple. I'm busy with school." sagot niya.   " Oh ok..." di niya alam kung bakit parang dismayado siya sa sagot nito.

****

Ilang linggo na rin ang lumilipas halos a month and a half na nga, nag-iimprove na ang pag-mo-move-on ni MM. Medyo nakakalimutan na niya ang nakaraan. Minsan bumabalik pero konti na lang ang sakit. Wala silang pasok ng two weeks. Holiday nila eh. Nung pumasok si MM sa school nila, half year na lang. Late na siyang pumasok dapat nga kasi ay sa America siya magtatapos ngunit dahil sa nangyari umuwi siya ng Pilipinas. Naging close na rin ang barkada nila. Napagdesisyunan nilang magbakasyon sa isang resort at sa resort ito nila DD sa Palawan. Naaalala ni MM ang reaction ng mga ito ng sabihin sa kanila ang plano...

-FLASHBACK-

MM: Guys, have you think of what were gonna do this holiday....

Freya: Ako, sa bahay lang siguro. I don't have one in mind eh....

Brandon: Ako siguro bahay lang din.

Andrea: Ako siguro mag babasa na lang ng books.

Christian: Meron na man akong studio sa bahay. manunuod na lang ako ng movies...

MM: Ikaw DD?

DD: I don't know...

Tita Marie: Mga bata, what are you talking about there?

Nasa bahay kasi sila nina DD kaya nanduon ang Tita Marie nila.

MM: Nag-aask lang po ako kung ano gagawin nila this holidays.

Tita Marie: Why not in the resort. This Season, walang masyadong turista doon kaya magandang puntahan.

MM: Ah yung sa Palawan po?

Tita Marie: OO naman. Dahil kakilala namin kayo free admission for 1 week kayo. Then yung bayad sa plane yung private plane na lang natin Em.

MM: Ok lang ba Tita?

TIta Marie: Yeah... I'll have it arrange na. So, walang tatanggi ah...

Freya and Andrea: Tita talaga...

MM: (Giggles)

Brandon: Is ir really okay for us not to pay?!

Christian: Yeah. Bret is right. Is it okay?!

Tita Marie: It's okay. Now I'll go ahead to reserve it.

MM: Thx Tita Mars. (Hugs her Fretz and Ann hugged her too.)

Tita Marie: Kaya paborito ko kayo eh...