Love Sucks, But Not Always

Prologue

I've been in love.

Yes, you read that correctly. I've experienced love before. It was not a pleasant experience for me. I can't say I don't regret falling in love because, let's face it, who doesn't? I regretted it.

I regretted falling in love. I regretted not being able to prevent myself from falling in love.

"Jairee! It's nice to see you again."

I forced a smile. I moved to a province to study. My family and I have lived in Baguio for many years already, and moving to a province is my decision. I've wanted a new life. I want to start over again. And I never thought that I would see someone familiar here.

"Scarlet! Hey... I didn't know you moved here," I told her.

It was awkward, considering I didn't talk to her that much when we were both still studying in Baguio. She was my block mate twice, but we never had an interaction. 

"Family matters. I didn't expect to see you here either," she glanced at my luggage. "You're moving here?"

I slowly nodded my head. I don't know if I should explain, but why would I? I don't have to explain everything I do—besides, we're not that close.

"May matutuluyan ka na ba?" tanong niya ulit. For someone who's not that close to me, I'm surprised that she's a little concerned for me.

"Yeah. I found a small apartment already" I nodded at her.

Her face lit up. "Dito ka na rin ba mag-aaral? Which school? Please tell me you're going to study at the same school as mine."

I swear if I can only see her hands behind her, I can tell she's already crossing her fingers. 

"I haven't enrolled yet," I sighed. Totoo naman. I thought of moving here, but I haven't thought about which school I'll study at.

I badly want to excuse myself already because I'm exhausted. Hindi pa ako nakakatulog magmula kagabi. There's too much in my mind right now that it won't let me sleep in peace.

"How about St. Claire University? I'm studying there! And ooh, I'm sure you'll like it there! There's this basketball varsity team...They're really good."

My head's throbbing, but she won't stop talking. I don't want to be rude to her because she seems nice. 

"Yeah. I'll uh... think about it."

She smiled at me again. "Aasahan kita ha?"

I nodded at her again before she left at baka makalimutan niya raw iyong inuutos sa kanya ng mama niya. I continued finding the address of the small apartment I'd be staying at. Hindi naman ganoon kalaki itong probinsyang 'to pero parang nawawala na ako. I'm really bad at directions.

After a few more minutes, I finally found it. It's a small apartment, but it's habitable. It looks more decent than what I expected. Inilapag ko ang mga gamit ko sa sahig at nilibot ng tingin iyong kabuoan ng apartment. The walls are painted white. The curtains are pastel blue, the door to the bedroom is brown. Overall, it looks good. It is clean too, especially in the kitchen.

I took a photo of the apartment and sent it to my father with a message.

Me:
The apartment is clean. You don't have to worry about it anymore.

After I sent the message to my dad, I opened the door to the bedroom. A small bed, a wooden vanity, and a study table and chair was the first thing I saw. There's also a wooden closet on the other side of the room.

I started fixing my things so I could rest already. I didn't bring so many things. I have three luggage for my clothes and one for the other things I'll be needing. Girl things.