Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

I did not think I would need three hours but it proved to be just enough for me to tell him everything—the meeting with Mikayla, other club stuff, the heavier things like the things I was processing with Liana. We had just exited off the freeway when I finished explaining all of it.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Much better, now that I’ve talked to someone about it. Thank you for listening to me.”

“See? It’s not just fights and teasing I’m good for,” he said. I snorted in reply. “But really. Are you feeling okay now?”

“It’s fine. I’m just rolling with it. It’s just Liana I’m worried about now. I’m still thinking of how to make it up to her. No, scratch that. I’m thinking of a way to even start. All that shit I put her through.”

“Big mood,” he replied, shaking his head. “Not to sound preachy or anything but you can start by apologizing.”

“Wow. Coming from you?” I scoffed.

He did not laugh and suddenly turned serious. “No. Really. I started by apologizing,” he said. “And I think that worked okay. Juliana told me I can let it go now. Gian Luca said I needed more work though.”

“I’m sorry, you did what ?”

“You’re not the only one who had character development these past few days, ma’am,” he joked. “I apologized to her and Gian Luca for giving them hell in gradeschool. Properly apologized.”

“What? How did this happen?”

“I was at Monique Siy’s party yesterday. Weren’t you?—

“Who’s Monique Siy? Ah, wait, was that the girl who was handing out invites?”

“Yup,” he said. “I was having a beer next to the koi pond, and I’ve had a lot of beers because I’d been stressed out, too. Then Juliana appeared with this plate of lasagna and asked if she could share the bench. Mind you, she visibly flinched when she saw it was me.”

“I don’t blame her. Please continue.”

“Shut up,” said Cholo, making a face at me. “Anyway, I stared at her for too long and she asked me what I was looking at. I was going to ask if she was with you and then I remembered you probably weren’t speaking to each other because of that thing the other day.”

“Oh,” I said, curious now. “Tapos?”

“I apologized for overhearing you in that corridor, not that you were trying to be quiet. Then I said I tried to call you out on it and by golly, you should have seen the look on her face.”

I really tried not to laugh but imagining Liana chastising Cholo with just a look was hilarious.

“I then beat her to the punch, admitting I had no right to say that whatsoever because I was the one who tortured all three of you in grade school and made your lives hell. She was like, ‘I don’t know what to say to that.’”

Cholo gave a small laugh while I felt proud of Liana for not immediately forgiving him.

“And then you apologized?”

“And then I apologized,” he echoed. “I also tried to express my regrets for taking too long to apologize when we’d been moving around the same building for three years now. I could have done it sooner.”

“Interesting. Wow. Character development,” I said, dragging out the syllables just to be annoying. “What did she say?”

“Juliana finally budged after that and said I could let it go now. Gian Luca, on the other hand?—”

“Did he push you into the koi pond?” I asked hopefully.

“Not quite,” he said, pausing for a bit with his forehead creased, as though considering what to say next. “He told me it doesn’t mean we’re friends now or whatever but he hasn’t been throwing me angry looks since then. Honestly, I’m happy with that.”

“That’s it?” I asked. “Did you join them for dinner?”

“No. They started talking and I passed out after. They had to carry me to my kuya’s car,” he said.

“I can’t believe you.”

“But I meant that. I meant every word of my apology,” he said, looking at me now as we stopped at a red light. I looked around, recognized the buildings, and felt relieved because we were finally in Alabang. “That said, I owe you one, too.”

I turned to look at him, smile fading. He was serious.

“I’m sorry, Vinnie. I’m sorry I made your childhoods miserable,” he told me. “I apologize for adding to the already heavy burden of losing your mom back then. And I apologize for making light of it now that we met again, when the first thing I should have done was this.

That whole experience of being bullied was not a joke. I deeply regret my actions and I could only hope to make amends by doing right by you this time around.”

I gulped, only just realizing the weight of those words. “You are. You’ve been nothing but helpful these past few weeks. Okay, let’s not get carried away, you were a bit of a pain in the beginning,” I replied, and he cracked a smile again. “But I appreciate that. And I’m sorry, too.”

I paused, taking a deep breath.

“I owe you an apology, too, for all the shitty things I said the other day. I didn’t have anyone else except for Gian and Liana for most of my life, so I have no idea of how to be a friend or whatever. I thought you were just being my club chairperson. You were being a good friend, gutsy enough to call me on my bullshit and I threw that in your face.”

Cholo did not comment.

“Thanks for looking after me during this whole Ephemere thing. I know I’m not like the club veterans in your team but I’m learning. All that help is appreciated. I apologize for not being able to properly convey that.”

“That’s fine. I’m glad we’re talking about it now.”

“I’m glad we’re talking again, period,” I said and that got him to smile again, not the golden boy kind but the other. The one where his eyes turned into half moons and his dimples showed.

“Congrats on scoring the launch, by the way. It’s the first time a major event got such a thing.”

“Thanks! And I know, it was so funny to me. We’re having a party to launch another party. That is unheard of!”

“Party club reputation intensifies!” Cholo quipped. “Anyway. Is there anyone waiting for you at home?”

“No. Not really.”

“Do you want to get dinner before getting home?”

“Oh my god, yes!” I said. “The malls might already be closed, though.”

“There are food chains outside our village that run for twenty four hours, but we’re a good ten minutes away. Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” I replied. “I could eat a whole pizza right now.”

“Then yes, we’re having pizza. Hang tight.”