Serendipity (unedited)

05 - away from the world that betrayed me. (unedited)

Monday. Oh, how I used to hate waking up on a Monday morning. Now, I don't want to get out of bed and face others. There were a lot of students in the school who saw what happened that night. I bet I'm already the laughingstock at school.

"Shang, wake up!" My old yaya voice woke me up from my sleep with the loud voice that used to be my wake-up call when I was in junior high school.

I had nowhere to go and the only place I could think of was this place. My old yaya's house which happens to be closer to where I ran off to.

Ate Aning used to be my yaya growing up. She resigned when I was in ninth grade because she became pregnant. Since then we barely had any contact and I even invited her to my party but she was busy that time so she didn't get to go.

I had to wait for her outside to go home as no one was home. And she found me on their front porch sleeping. She thought I was a pulubi but when she took a good look at me, she recognized me and woke me up.

I explained to her everything and begged her that she won't tell my parents where I am. She sided with me and let me stay without telling anyone. Today is the first day of our break and the supposed to be the first day of the remedial classes. There are only a few students in school yet I don't have the courage to face anyone today. I was worried all weekend about how that night affected my reputation.

I still can't believe Areum would betray me like that. I know she was so jealous of me but I didn't expect she'd take things too far. I bet she played the victim card so that her followers and probably the others will take her side. Still, if they do side with me, I don't need their pity. I'm more miserable than I already am. I don't want them to add fuel to the fire.

The time I got out of the room, the aroma of her cooking greeted me. It awoke me from my sleepy ass and I immediately ran towards the kitchen. Her house is a medium size house fit for 1 family. It's not too small or too huge, it's just right. I greeted her husband and played with little Missy, her daughter, for a while before she placed the breakfast she cooked for us. It was a Tapsilog, with her signature fried rice which I absolutely obsessed with growing up. She each poured our cups with orange juice before we dig in.

"It's so delicious Ate." I praised her cooking which made her blush.

"It's already late, Shang. Aren't you going to school?" Ate Aning asked.

Shang, a special nickname she gave me, and only her and Mommy used to call me that. There were times where also Kuya called me that but when Ate Aning left the mansion, he stopped calling me that. I know how close he was to her. And I also know that calling me that will remind him of her. He threw a tantrum after finding out she'll be leaving. It took him a while to recover.

"I'll just skip," I replied which was the wrong way to answer her.

"Shang. That's not how I raised you." From the tone of her voice, I can tell she was disappointed.

"You know what happened. I'll just be a laughing stock at school." I tried convincing her but she won't budge.

"Did I raise you to become a coward? This is not the Reverie I taught how confidence to be. Where is she now?"

She was right. I was being a coward. I'm not really easily affected by anything but this one made a huge impact on me. I don't know why, but it left a scar. I remained silent and Ate Aning read the message as she instead switch her attention to her husband. They continued to talk about things that happened in their workplace as I sat there so deep in my thoughts.

I was thinking of ways to avoid going to school or any way to not go to that remedial class. Then it hit me. The other option that Mr. Nicholas gave me. I didn't really want to go but it's either this or being humiliated the whole summer. This is what I'm good at and the safer option, running away.