Mary Grace

Three

Three

AT EXACTLY ONE in the morning, we picked up Mariah. Naghihintay siya sa waiting shed ng village nila. She hugged the dark hoodie into her slender body as she slipped inside the car.

"Sobrang lamig," She muttered. Kakaulan lang kasi. The streets are damp from the heavy rain. Akala ko nga hindi matutuloy ang plano namin. Fortunately, the rain stopped half past twelve in the midnight. Contrary to what I had been expecting, I just spent the rest of the time with Jeremy snuggled comfortably on his bed and watching Disney movies. Akala ko hindi ko na ito mararanasan sa kanya. Puro lang kasi libog ang pinapairal namin kapag kami lang dalawa ang magkasama.

Danielle texted me na naghihintay na daw sila sa back entrance ng Dinosaur's Island. We speed down the empty roads of the town, occassionally talking about the upcoming final exams.

"We're going to be seniors soon. And one year later, we're going to step into college." She slumped back to her seat and gazed at the blurring trees and houses in the window. Her lips are pursed in a thin line as she lost herself in her carousel of thoughts.

Pinisil-pisil ko ang aking mga daliri. I wonder how people could look forward to their college life, have kids, and build a family of their own. I couldn't look forward to anything in my life. The thought of growing up, being a responsible adult, and paying bills until I die makes me sick.

Hindi ko na sinagot si Mariah. I tried placing my hands on top of Jeremy's when I noticed it by my side. I searched for his eyes but he was focused on the road. About 30 minutes later, we pulled in the parking lot of the theme park. Sa loob ng tatlumpong minuto na iyon, Jeremy didn't bother to hold my hand back. And the worst part is that, I wasn't even disappointed that he didn't. Minsan nagi-guilty ako sa ginagawa at iniisip ko sa aking nobyo.

This is not the first time that we're sneaking inside a theme park. We've done it countless times before. It was my brilliant idea. Sabi ko sa kanila, mas nakakatipid kami kasi wala nang entrance fee. And I get to enjoy the views without other human beings around that irritates the hell out of me.

Unang umakyat si Jeremy sa mataas na pader. Obviously, a security guard is assigned on the front gate so we couldn't just break in there. Natutulog siya pagdating namin, a gasoline-station coffee on his hands. Bigla akong nakaramdam ng awa pero agad iyong napalitan ng thrill at excitement dahil anumang oras ay puwede siyang magising at mahuli kami sa aming ginagawa.

Jeremy signalled us to climb the brick walls as well. The theme park is deserted except for the sleeping guard. Inalalayan niya ako hanggang sa makababa ko mula sa taas. My Dr. Martens splashed into something damp and squishy. I quickly glanced down at the wet leaves and twigs scattered around pools of water from the rain.

We wade through the moss and some mud. Nagrereklamo pa si Danielle dahil narurumihan na daw siya. I clamped a hand over her mouth when I spotted a flash of light in a distance. Siguro ay nagising na ang guard dahil sa maingay na bunganga ni Danielle at hinahanap ang pinanggagalingan ng tunog.

Buti nalang nalampasan niya na kami. I glared at Danielle which in turn raised two finger showing a peace sign. Napailing naman si Bea sa kanya. Obviously, Jeremy had been here a lot because he led us the way to the top of a building, passing by statues of dinosaurs, terrex, and other creatures that are long gone before the humans inhabited the earth.

Muli kaming umakyat sa itaas ng storage room nila. I suppose it's the storage room for cleaning materials and supplies o di kaya ay quarter ng mga staff dito. I placed my Kanken bag and noticed a smudge of mud and dirt on the bottom left side.

Naglatag si Jeremy ng picnic mat at inilabas ang dalang alak sa loob ng bag ko. All of my friends cheered silently as each one of us take turns of gulping down the bottle of gin that still burns down my throat as if it's my first time drinking it.

Jeremy remained sober for the rest of us because he is our designated driver for this morning. Baka hindi pa kami makabalik nang buhay kapag pati ang boyfriend ko ay nalasing na din. But the alcohol must've hit him slightly because he started running his hands up and down my inner thighs while we we're all talking about Bea. She said she's from Catholic school. As cliché as it may sound but everything is planned out for her, except for the fact that she discovered her homosexuality when she was in 8th grade. Nakilala niya si Danielle dahil pareho silang uma-attend ng writing workshop. They started from being best buddies that turned into lovers. Tanging kami pa lang ang nakakaalam ng relasyon nilang dalawa. Ayaw niyang ipaalam sa magulang niya fearing that they would probably disown her.

Two hours later, we've already consumed our second bottle of gin. The alcohol must've hit Mariah hard because she started singing off-tune some Christmas songs I didn't know existed until I heard it from her. Tawa nang tawa si Danielle habang kinukunan ng video si Mariah, and as much as I wanted to clamp both my hands on their noisy mouths, nakitawa nalang din ako.

"Hey!" Blinding lights suddenly flashed in front of my eyes. Jeremy cursed out loud and quickly grabbed the bottle from me. Pati na rin si Danielle na tila nawala ang kalasingan pagkakita niya sa guard na natutulog kanina sa baba ng storage room. "Anong ginagawa niyo dito?" he angrily yelled at us.

My boyfriend grabbed my hands and practically dragged me down. Buti nalang nahablot ko pa ang bag ko bago ako napatalon nang wala sa oras. Pinauna niya ako ng takbo while Mariah was still laughing up there. Ayaw niyang bumaba. Jeremy let out a series of curses while Danielle helped Bea down the old storage room.

I walked past the peaceful statues of dinosaurs, finding my way back into the moss. Ihinagis ko ang bag ko at dali-daling umakyat sa pader pagkakita ko sa dalawang lalaking nakasuot ng black uniform at may logo ng Dinosaur's Island na humahabol sa akin.

I waited for a couple of agonizing seconds and watched how Mariah miserably climbed down the wall and landed on her butt. Napatawa si Danielle sa nakita. Jeremy is now dragging her towards the wall we've climbed earlier. Ihinagis niya sa akin ang susi ng Honda niya kaya agad ko naman itong binuksan. I slid into the driver's seat and urged everyone to get their asses inside the car dahil papalabas na ng gate ang dalawang lalaki at ang security guard.

As soon as Mariah managed to pull half of her body inside the car, I slam my feet into the accelerator. Muntik na akong atakihin sa puso nang halos lumipad kaming lahat sa loob ng sasakyan. Nevertheless, I wheeled our way from the Dinosaur's Island habang mamatay-matay sa kakatawa si Danielle. Tinutulungan na nilang makapasok nang maayos si Mariah sa sasakyan.

Jeremy on the other hand keep on instructing me to drive properly. I've never drive a car before until now. Jeremy tried to teach me how to drive this piece of metal but I'm always nervous. I noticed my hands were shaking while gripping the steering wheel but I couldn't stop now. My knuckles are turning white as well.

"Jesus, Mary Grace, the break!" Jeremy almost yelled when we almost hit the back of an SUV sa sobrang bilis kong magpatakbo. He was babbling about me stealing the other line and overtaking. The adrenaline is pumping into my veins. I could almost feel the blood gushing in my ears. I've been longing for thrill and excitement my whole life.

I slam the break too soon. Pareho kaming nasubsob sa dashboard ni Jeremy. Dead silence filled the air. And then Danielle cracked. She started to laugh. Hindi ko na rin napigilan ang pagtawa ko and soon we were all laughing hysterically like a dying hyena.

"You could've seen your face nung tumalon ka sa pader kanina!"

I clutched my stomach, grasping for air. The morning started too soon for the rest of us. I glanced at the clock. It's half past four. We all decided to visit the light house erected proudly on the other side of the town.

Mariah is still sleeping when we arrived. Hindi na namin siya ginising sa sobrang kalasingan. We all watched the sun rise gracefully from the horizon. I glanced at Danielle's contented face, to Jeremy's boyish grin, and Mariah's sleeping face. I knew back then and there that they were friends I can keep for a lifetime.