Artificial Love | SB19 Justin ✓

1

Napabuntong-hininga nalang si Ayi paglabas ng classroom. She was so done with school that day. It was only Tuesday.

Pa-finals na naman kasi. They were swamped with requirements. Paper dito, paper doon. Classic buhay College of Arts and Letters student sa UP Diliman.

Buti nalang, dismissal na.

Papunta na sana sa kung sana nakapark ang kotse niya nang nagmessage ang mga kaibigan sa groupchat nila.

B1:
Ayi, punta ka rito samin.
May ipapakita lang kami sayo.

Ano na naman kaya yun? Ayi thought. Siguro nantitrip na naman yung mga yun.

Ayi:
Busy ako...

Wala pang isang segundo nang may sumagot. That was when she knew her friends have just been waiting for her classes to be over.

B2:
Dali na. Kain ka na rin dito. Nagluto si tita.

Madali namang siyang kausap si Ayi kapag tungkol na sa pagkain.

Ayi:
Okay. Omw.

Estudyante rin ng UPD sina B1 at B2. They have been Ayi's friends ni since high school. Engineering students silang dalawa.

Mahilig silang mag-imbento ng sari-saring bagay. Madalas, napagdidiskitahan si Ayi para i-test ang mga  ito.

You name it, nasubukan nang gawin nina B1 at B2.

Electric fan na mainit na hangin ang binubuga ("Parang steamer yan!" "O kaya heater." "Ang init sa Maynila, mga ungas!"), Nokia 3210 na may internet ("Matibay pa sa relasyon ninyo ng magiging jowa mo." "Aray ha."), roomba na may music ("Para masaya namang naglilinis yung robot.")...

As weird as Ayi's friends are, they make her day. Kaya naman sinusuportahan pa rin sila ni Ayi.

Mabuti nga hindi pa nila nafi-figure out kung paano gumawa ng spaceship o time machine. Malamang kasi si Ayi ang ipapadala nila sa space o sa future.

So, instead of driving back to her house, Ayi went to her friends' shared apartment. Magjowa rin kasi sina B1 at B2.

Ayi took the spare key to her friends' house from her bag, but they opened the door for her before she could even do that. They must have heard her keys jingling. Halatang hinintay talaga siya ng mga kaibigan.

Ano na naman kayang meron sa mga to? Isip ni Ayi.

"What?" Tanong ni Ayi. "Am I going to be a ninang soon?"

Sejun, or B1 as he is the leader and decision-maker between the two idiots, shook his head in horror. "God, no, Ayi. Nothing like that."

Stell, or B2, equally looked terrified. "Ayi naman. Di pa ko ready maging tatay."

"So ano ngang meron?" Ayi asked as she settled her stuff on the couch before heading to the kitchen. "Nasaan na yung niluto ni tita Grace?"

"Nandiyan sa ref. I-microwave mo nalang," sabi ni Sejun.

"Inuna mo talaga yung pagkain ah," sabi ni Stell na nagkukunwaring nagtatampo.

"Wag ka nga. Ito pinanghatak nyo sakin dito," sagot ni Ayi. She took out the food container from the fridge to microwave it.

"Sure ka hindi sasabog itong 'microwave' ninyo, ha?" Tanong niya sa mga kaibigan.

Halos lahat ng bagay kasi sa apartment nina Stell at Sejun ay nakalikot na ng dalawa.