ON HOLD: When The Stars Align (Varsity Series #1)

Chapter Nine

Ate Jam was freaking out when she saw me by her door at 1 in the morning. Akala ko naman dahil nabigla lang siya at walang pasabi akong nagpunta sa condo, noon pala dahil naka suot daw ako ng hoodie ng lalaki. At mukhang pang basketball player pa daw. I asked her why she knew and immediately regretted it. Gino even backed her up and showed me the hoodie's Nike logo which I didn't notice.

"So, kanino 'yan?" she pushed for the fifth time as I took the hoodie off.

It's already midnight but they're still on TV and watching Grey's Anatomy. Her and her little obsession with anything related to Med.

Naupo ako sa kabilang sofa dahil ayoko namang istorbohin ang moment nila. Maluwang naman ang condo at may dalawang kwarto pa nga. One is theirs, and the other is for the guests—or unwanted guests like me.

"Hiniram ko lang 'yan sa bakla kong kaibigan. Natapunan kasi ng alak 'yung damit ko kanina," I said with the safest excuse ever. Sorry, Pons.

They still didn't buy my alibi and Gino kept on teasing me about it. Kesyo may boyfriend na raw akong basketball player at hindi raw niya alam na tirador pala ako ng basketball player. Hindi ko na sila pinansin pareho at nag shower na lang pagkabigay sa 'kin ni Ate Jam ng damit na pangtulog.

They're both ahead of me by 2 years kaya working na sila pareho. Ate Jam is a registered nurse and works at St. Luke's while Gino has a sneakers business. Dati rin kasing basketball player 'yon at sobrang hilig sa sapatos kaya naisipan na niyang pagkakitaan. Gino is my cousin but for some reasons, I'm closer to Ate Jam. Maybe because we're both girls and we understand each other better. Sila lang din naman ang takbuhan ko dito sa Manila whenever things go wrong.

I spent the whole day at Makati. Nag day off pa si Ate Jam para lang samahan ako. Inaya lang naman niya ako mag shopping buong araw at pinabili ako ng kung ano anong damit. She said my fashion is very 2000's daw kasi and masyado nang outdated and that I have to keep up with the trend if I want to blend in with the Manila people. Hindi na ako nakatanggi dahil naubusan na din ako ng dahilan. Siya pa nga ang nagbayad. I can pay daw 'pag nagwowork na 'ko which I knew she only said to shut me up.

When we got home, she made me try each piece of clothing we bought na halos ten na paperbags ata. Hindi naman luxury brands, just H&M, Mango, Uniqlo and other common brands around the mall. Pero kahit na, pricey pa din for me since I don't usually buy clothes that are above 500 pesos. Usually naman kasi, shirts and jeans lang talaga ang wardrobe ko.

She taught me how to look fashionable in them and how to pair up each piece with another so as to come up with a whole new look. Para raw hindi ako mukhang "outfit repeater". Grabe, I didn't know outfits were this big of a deal for her until now.

Ang dami ko tuloy dala pauwi sa Parañaque. At ang dami rin sinabi sa 'kin 'pag dating ko sa bahay.

"San galing 'yan, ang dami niyan ah?"

"Marami ka palang pera pang shopping Ate Louise, e! Baka kaya mo na rin sarili mo. Char! Hahahaha!"

"Uy, nagpapaganda, dalaga na siya."

"Bakit ngayon ka lang umuwi?"

I made a mental note to tell them I wouldn't be home until Sunday but it somehow slipped my mind. Na-entertain din ata ako sa ginawang pagddress up sa 'kin ni Ate Jam.

"Bigay ni Ate, Tito. Hindi ko po sariling pera," I explained when Tito asked me if I still have allowance left. I know it's their specialty to judge me but I still opted to say the truth. Totoo namang galing kay Ate Jam lahat ito dahil hindi naman ako gagastos ng ganito kadami para sa damit.