#Yatiz is a story focusing on the lives of young people in a small seaside municipality called Carmen in the southern part of the Philippines. The name is based on a cuss word here, "Yati/Yatis" that has no English equivalent but is closest to WTF.
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FEBRUARY 10, 2023・FRIDAY・17:14
Maya quietly stares at Pamela who is anxiously walking around the room.
"Basi'g niback-out sila," she says, her voice shaking from the panic. "Sure jud ka nga nisugot sila, Hamza?"
"WHAT IF THEY'RE BACKING OUT?"
"ARE YOU REALLY SURE THEY AGREED TO DO THIS?"
"Sure gyud ko. Ipakita pa nako ilahang text." She takes out her phone from her bag and browses through it.
"I SWEAR. I'LL SHOW YOU HER TEXTS."
"Basi'g ginaprank lang ta nila."
"WHAT IF THEY'RE JUST PRANKING US OR SOMETHING?"
Mariz crosses her arms. "Relax lang, Pam. Muabot lang lage to sila."
"JEEZ. JUST CALM DOWN, PAM. THEY'LL BE HERE."
"Unya'g dili sila maabot? Unsaon mana nato? Mangita na pud ta'g lahi nga mga guests?"
"AND WHAT IF THEY WON'T? WHAT DO WE DO THEN? DO WE LOOK FOR OTHER GUESTS?"
"Ana gyud. Dawaton na lang gyud nato. Naa ba diay ta'y choice kung dili sila ganahan sa ato?" Mariz leans back and sways back and forth on teacher's ergonomic chair.
"YES. WE JUST HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT. DO WE REALLY HAVE A CHOICE WHETHER THEY LIKE US OR NOT?"
"Maypa'g ako na lang ang nakipag-sabot ato sa ila," Pamela mumbles to herself, giving a pointed glance towards Hamza.
"I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE NEGOTIATING WITH THEM."
"Chill lang tang tanan, baby girls. Kung dili ta madayon tonight, manglibre ko," Gabbie says, trying to connect her phone to the bluetooth speaker.
"WE SHOULD JUST ALL CHILL, BABY GIRLS. IF NOTHING HAPPENS TONIGHT, I'LL TREAT YOU ALL TO DINNER."
"Sure ka?" Mariz asks. "Ay dato man ka so sure gyud."
"ARE YOU SURE?"
"WELL, YOU'RE RICH. SO OF COURSE YOU ARE."
"If dili madayon tonight. Pero madayon man ta tonight, so dili ko manglibre."
"IF NOTHING HAPPENS. BUT I KNOW SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT, SO I'M SURE I WON'T BE TREATING YOU."
Hamza gets up and shows her the phone.
Pamela nods as she skims through them.
Mariz notices Maya separating herself from the rest of them, sitting at the far back of the classroom. "Maya."
