Chapter 27: The truce, the bash, and the morning after.

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“Ate Chi!” I turned around and saw Andrea walking towards my direction. She was also carrying a huge box covered with a fancy gift wrapper.


“My brother is so lucky to have you as his best friend, Drea,” I chuckled. Last year she gave my brother a remote-controlled Air Force One Jet with a wingspan that is almost three feet long. “So what did you get him this year?”


“I saw this limited edition Spawn action figure on eBay last week and I know Wade doesn’t have that one yet so I decided to buy it in time for his birthday.” She suddenly bit her lip and her excitement was replaced worry. “Do you think he’ll like it, Ate?”


I assured her with a smile, “He’ll love it. Let’s go give him that present of yours.”


Andrea and Wade have known each other since they were in elementary. Even back then, my little brother is what you can qualify as a Filipino archetype of lampa and is a bit of an introvert, while Drea is the exact opposite. She basically showed Wade how to be a kid. She patiently taught him how to play sipa, how to whistle, how to fly a kite, and the many more childhood how-to’s and wonders at its best. Apart from that, she had, funnily enough, saved my brother from being beaten up by pesky school bullies countless of times in the past.


Andrea Yatco is his loyal-est and best-est friend. She has always been exaggeratedly protective… and, unbeknownst to my brother, madly in love with him — but she’ll never admit that to me or to anyone no matter how many times I’ve cornered her with the topic.


The boys were just clearing out their instruments when we walked inside the green room. “Andrea!” Wade ran up to her.


“Happy birthday, nerd,” she said as she handed over her gift.


“Wow, thank you!” My brother leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek.


“Hey, who said you can kiss me?!” Drea exclaimed while trying to hide her blushing face.


“I’m your best friend, I can kiss you whenever I want,” he countered jokingly and even tried to steal another kiss from her but she immediately locked her arms around his neck.


“They’d make a cute couple, don’t you think?” Sydney whispered while we watch the two wrestle around.


“Yeah. If only my brother wasn’t head over heels with someone else.”


Wade’s infatuation over Maxine began when Drea invited him to watch her soccer game at MAEC and Max happens to be Drea’s teammate. He was instantly smitten when he saw Maxine for the first time. And I like Maxine for my brother to be honest, but it breaks my heart knowing Wade doesn’t feel the same way for Andrea.




“Enchong Dee,” Kuya sneered. “I’m a way better swimmer than him for all I know.” He’s still in a bad mood because he just found out that his beloved Katt is dating the most sought-after matinee idol.


“As if,” Carrie snorted. “You can’t even swim past six feet!”


“Okay, you two, enough arguing,” Ciara intervened when we’ve finally loaded the last instrument inside Kuya’s GMC Envoy.


“So, we’ll meet you at Blue Velvet, okay? I’m taking the boys and Drea with me.”


Kuya offered to take us out for dinner to celebrate Wade’s birthday, and Valentine’s Day as well since none of us have managed to snag a date tonight at the auction. Well, except for Carrie, although she only did the purchase out of favor and not of impulse.


I brought my own car so we wouldn’t get too crowded in Kuya’s, who volunteered to give the boys a ride going to MAEC early that evening, and so did Ciara, who came with Sydney. I was just about to climb in the driver’s seat when Carrie stopped me. “I’ll drive,” she offered with a grin.


“What?” I chuckled, knowing that Carrie would never hold a steering wheel unless it’s her own car.


“I’m serious, let me drive.”


I rolled my eyes and prepared to get in. “Stop being silly, Carrie.”


“Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she sang and the next thing I know I was being tackled by my friends and my two brothers.


“Hey! What are you doing?!” I yelled while they covered my eyes with a blindfold and tied something around my wrists. “HOY! ANO BANG GIMMICK ‘TO?!”


“I’m sorry, Chi, but you leave us with no choice,” I heard Kuya say. I couldn’t see a thing but I could sense that I’m being led to another place.


“Kuya!” I shouted. “What in the name of Peter is this all about?! Let go of my hands right now!” I tried to loosen his grip on my arm but he’s too strong for me.


“Watch your head,” Carrie told me as she helped me board the car, which is the Envoy basing from the smell of the freshener.


“Are you trying to be funny? I couldn’t see a thing with this blindfold, smart aleck,” I snapped as I climbed inside the car. “And where the hell are you taking me? I swear if you don’t untie my hands and tell what going on, hell will break loose. I’m not kidding!”


“We know you’re going to try to sneak away if you find out about our plan, Ate.”


“So we decided to take it the hard way,” Carrie uttered while I heard the car doors closed and the roar of the engine.


“I don’t like this hostage reenactment if that’s what you’re hoping for so stop the car! I don’t think anyone whose sanity is still intact would be as happy as clam when their shackled and blindfolded!”


“Can someone shut her up?!” Kuya groaned.


“Hoy, Kuya, if Dad finds out about this, you’re going to get it from him! You and Wade can say goodbye to your Xbox, to your Wii, to your PSP, to your car, and to your night outs because you will be grounded forever!”


“That’s it! One more word from you and I’m going to seal your mouth shut, Wendy Isabelle,” Carrie cut me off.


“Right, make me! That’ll give you something to—” But before I could even finish my sentence, she covered my mouth with a plaster.


“Ang ingay mo kasi, Ate, para kang armalite,” Drea grumbled on my left.


I tried to yell but all that came out were muffled sounds. “Peace and quiet at last,” Kuya sighed.


ARGH! I am so going to kill them!




Liz was just telling me about Wendy’s perception towards Valentine’s Day while we’re trying to put up the final touches to the hotel rooftop. “Even when Chi and Ralph were still together, she only sees February 14th as her brother’s birthday and nothing else. But you are going to change that,” she said with a wink.


Changing her perception of Valentine’s Day is not on top of my list right now. I just want to patch things up between us so things would be back to normal again. I missed having constant companion to share and laugh with.


“Ate Carrie just called. They’re in the lobby and on their way up here,” Maxine informed us half-running from the excitement. “She told me that they had to apply drastic measures just to bring her here,” she chuckled.


“What drastic measures?” I asked as I looked at Liz dubiously.


“Let’s just say in the form of forcibly taking her against her will,” she chirped a little cheerful than expected. Sydney and Ciara just came out of the door followed by Wade and Andrea.


“You kidnapped her?!” I exclaimed when I realized what she meant. “Liz, what were you thinking?!”


“Do you really want to belabor on the details right now? She’s going to be here any minute,” she grunted.


“You could’ve at least told me about your devious little plan,” I groused.


“Oh, it’s not like we’re going to let anything happen to her. We made sure that she won’t fall off the magical unicorn, Your Majesty,” Sydney taunted as the door opened again and I saw Carrie and Wesley escorting Wendy in.


“Anyway, we should go downstairs and let this two moonstruck lovers have a privacy. Make sure this cold war end tonight, okay?” Ciara smiled and the rest of them cleared out of the rooftop, leaving Wendy and me on our own.


“You can take off your blindfold now,” Wesley called out to his sister just before he closed the door.


I walked up to her carrying the bouquet of white tulips, which meant forgiveness according to Liz, as she slowly removed the black cloth covering her eyes.




“Can we start over?” he said, putting on his best smile, while he gave me the flowers.


I couldn’t answer instantly because I was still too overwhelmed with what I’m seeing. All the garden lights were lit up, the ground was almost covered with petals of red roses, and a soft music was playing in the background. I would normally find these gestures as banal, cringeworthy, and sappy… but right now, I’m officially and romantically floored.


“I can’t think of any less clichéd word than I’m sorry. I’m sorry I acted like a jerk and I’m sorry that I said those words. I didn’t know what I was thinking that night.”


“You planned this entire thing, huh?” I teased.


“Except for kidnapping you. It was all Liz’s idea, I swear,” he answered hastily.


The name caught my attention. “Liz? Liz Mauricio? She’s here? In the Philippines?”


He told me that Liz flew in yesterday, immediately after her first term had ended, (I could bet my life that it was Carrie who tattled on about the fight Gerard and I had) and that she was the girl who outbid me in the auction. Everyone knew about the plan, except Gerard, who’d just jumped on the bandwagon after Liz told him about she had in store tonight, and of course me.


“So…” he went on. “Can we? Start over I mean?”


“Yeah, truce, why not,” I chuckled.


He held out his hand to me. “I’m Gerard Tyrone Sanciongco, seventeen years old, and a third year student in Sedbergh International School Manila. I have an annoying younger sibling, I know how to speak Chinese fluently, and my nickname is Ardie.”


I chortled and shook his hand. “I’m Wendy Isabelle Mañalac, seventeen years old, and a third year student in Abberley International University. I have two siblings, I can speak rudimentary Spanish, and my nickname is Chi.”


“Nice to meet you, Chi,” he beamed.


“Nice to meet you, Ardie,” I smiled back.


“We still need to do one more thing,” he mumbled as he took his phone out and typed something in. “I know you didn’t had the chance to appreciate the fireworks the last time. I thought it would be nice to watch it again with you.”


Within seconds, the night sky was filled with playful colors of pyrotechnics. Random spherical break of colored stars suffused the atmosphere, leaving visible trails of sparks across the dark welkin for seconds longer than usual firecrackers.


“It’s beautiful,” I sighed in astonishment.


“Not as much as you,” he whispered and kissed my hair. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Chi.”




Kuya raised his champagne glass, “To the birthday boy!”


“Cheers!” We allowed the boys, Maxine, and Drea to have a few drinks since there was an occasion and as long as no one ends up getting drunk. Though I think my friends are starting to exhibit a bad example after perpetually ordering rounds after rounds for our table.


Liz, who was sitting opposite Gerard and me, asked, “So, do you still hate Valentine’s Day?”


“Yep,” I grinned sheepishly. “But I don’t hate the idea of celebrating it.”


“Well, I guess the lesson we’ve all learned from tonight is sometimes, money can buy happiness.”


“And that you can’t always find a reason behind things because every so often, this is all there is.”


“I’m sensing that the booze is starting to kick into your system because you’re starting to turn poetic.”


All of us were having a blast except for Carrie, who was wallowing at the bar by herself. It was usually around this time of the year that she consumes all of the liquor the bar has to offer until she is left in a drunken stupor.


I was just about to stand up and join her when Kuya interceded. “I got it,” he assured me.




It was already nearing midnight when I told my sister and Gerard to take the troupe home. I stayed behind to keep a tab on Carrie’s alcoholic intake. She was already as drunk as a lord but that didn’t stop her from chugging the entire bottle all to herself.


“Kuya Henry could drink someone under the table,” she said, her words coming out in a slurred manner.“Ate Phoebs and I just can’t beat him on any drinking game.” She swigged the brandy from the glass sitting in front of her in one gulp and asked the bartender for another one.


“I hate Dad,” she garbled. “He thinks I wanted that to happen to my brother? Ano ako, g*go?”


“Carina, that’s enough for tonight,” I firmly told her.


“Hoy, Wesley Mañalac, I didn’t spend forty grand just so you can order me around! You owe me for doing you a favor. So whether you like it or not, you’re my b*tch!” Despite her refusal to admit that she’s smashed, she was starting to wobble even as she sat. I even had to hold her up just so she won’t slide off the chair.


“Hey, give us another round here,” she shouted but I shook my head at the bartender and handed him a wad of bills instead for our drinks.


I removed my jacket and put it around Carrie and helped her out of the barstool. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home,” I mumbled as I led her to my car.





A very annoying, cacophonous sound like something was being grated to pieces was disturbing my sleep. It seemed to be coming from somewhere close and I badly wanted it to stop.


I switched sides and covered my ears but I felt something. An arm. Embracing me.


I slowly turned around and found Wesley snoring next to me, with his mouth hanging open welcoming a fly to nest in. However, what disturbed me the most was the fact that…















































we’re both in our birthday suits.


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