Taking Chances

Drive me Crazy

There was nothing wrong with the airconditioning in the car, but Sarah could already feel herself starting to sweat. She had both hands fastened to the steering wheel, her feet stepping on whatever pedal Matt told him to step on.

Matt and Xian somehow thought it was fun to turn the girls' driving lesson to a contest.

"Sira talaga kayo ng barkada mo!!!" Sarah shouted. "Pano pag naaksidente tayo!!!"

"Don't worry we have the whole race track to ourselves. Tsaka di mo pa nga ginagalaw yung gear o! Kilos pagong tayo! Aksidente ka dyan..." Matt laughed.

"Huhuhu.... Pano ba bibilis?!"

"I told you already... Wag ka kasi magpanic." Matt grabbed her hand and guided her in shifting gears.

"Masyado naman yatang mabilis..." Sarah complained nervously.

"If we don't move faster uumagahin tayo bago makafinish line. Relax ka lang. O nauuna na sa tin sina Kim o!!!"

"Pinepressure mo pa ko! Ikaw kaya dito?!" She said in annoyance.

"Haha. Shut up and drive darling." Matt was laughing.

"Maka-hawak ng kamay at maka-darling ka naman dyan! Porket di kita masita!" Sarah said.

"O... Mauunahan na tayo!!!" Matt took her hand again and changed gears.

Sarah screamed.

It took her 40 minutes to complete the short distance. It was the first time that Sarah drove a car ever. Her knees felt like water when she got off. She and Matt won by a good 5 minutes.

"Urgh!!! I hate you!!!" Kim said as he hit her boyfriend's arm as soon ast they got off the car. "I hate you too Matteo! Ano bang naisip nyong dalawa?"

Sarah also pulled Matt's ear. "Oo nga! Puro kayo kalokohan! Dinamay nyo pa kami!"

"Buti nga natuto kayong magdrive! Women should be independent!" Xian said.

"Ugh... But to have two girls who don't know how to drive race against each other??? That's real mature Xian!" Kim hit him again.

"At least now we know that Men are really the better species." Matt said haughtily, giving Xian a high five.

"Better species ka dyan. Baka baliw na species. Tinorture nyo kami!" Sarah scolded.

The men decided to have a race of their own. "Let's show these ladies how it's done shall we?" Xian said to Matt.

"Pa-cute kayo masyado! Bahala kayo." Kim said.

"Good luck kiss naman dyan?" Matt said leaning his face closer to Sarah.

"Good luck sapak gusto mo?!" Sarah said, still irritated by the game he played on her.

Matt ruffled her hair before he walked away.

The girls sat on the sidelines as the boys hopped on their cars. Racing was a favorite past time within their circle.

"Kinabahan talaga ko!" Kim shared.

"Ako din e. Ilang beses ako namatayan ng engine."

While they watched, Sarah and Kim related to each other how their first driving experience went and how their coaches handled them.

"Si Xian sobrang dictatorial. Nakakainis."

"Si Matt naman puro joke. Nakakaasar."

"Tapos pag nagkakamali ako, pinapagalitan ako!"

"Ako naman pinagtatawanan!"

The two girls laughed uncontrollably.

"Alam mo Sars... Matagal na namin kaibigan si Matt. Nagugulat talaga ko sa mga ginagawa nya for you. He's really crazy about you."

"I know." Sarah said quietly as she watched Matt's car go.

"So ano pang hinihintay mo?" Kim asked.

Sarah was silent for a while. "... Na mag-fall din ako ng ganong katindi sa kanya." She admitted. She only wanted to be the girlfriend that Matt deserves, someone who will be willing to love him as much as he loved her. She cared for Matt but she had to be honest that she wasn't in love with him yet.

"Are you... Still... You know... Moving on from Bernard?" Kim asked with caution. It was the first time that she asked.

Sarah stopped to think. She honestly didn't think of Bernard anymore these past few months. But she couldn't help notice her heartbeat quicken when Kim mentioned his name. "Hindi! Matagal ko ng kinalimutan yon. Matt helped me move on."

"That's really good to hear!" Kim sighed with relief. "Take your time. Fall completely in love with him first. Loveable naman yang mokong na yan e."

Matt won the race. He was beaming when he approached Sarah. "That win was for you pretty girl," he said, pressing a finger briefly on her nose.

Sarah was amazed at how handsome he looked with the sunlight hitting his hair.

"Hayaan mo next year tatalunin na kita." Sarah joked. She took Matt's hand as he helped her get up.

Xian had an arm around Kim and she was turning her cheek up for a kiss.

"Cute ka pa rin kahit talunan ka." Kim said.

"That's sweet hon." Xian answered.

Sarah watched them with a bit of envy. They loved each other so much. She couldn't wait to have that one day.

"Ehem ehem..." Matt coughed with exaggeration. Xian and Kim instantly pulled away from each other.

"Tandaan mo yan Guidicelli! Pag naging kayo na ni Sarah sisirain ko din ang moments nyo!" Xian cried out.

"Haha. Tara na. Remember you owe us dinner!" Matt told his friend.

The couples went back to their cars with the sun setting behind them. Sarah felt Matt's hand on her elbow. And at that moment, she was convinced that no matter what happened, Matt would always be there to guide her.