Yannie Ace Ruiz"Are you not coming with us, Ate?""Yeah, Ate. Are you really okay with leaving you and Kuya James here? What about us there?""We won't have an Ate beside us when we sleep."It feels like something squeezes my heart as I watch and listen to Yuri and Yumi packing their things.I don't want to be separated from them, but I really don't know what else to do. I want to run to Josh's Mom right now and beg her to stop tormenting my family, but... something inside me is holding me back from doing that, because if I give up on Josh's Mom, it means I'm letting Josh go from my life."Don't worry, everything will be alright," I told my siblings."How, Ate? They don't even want us to live here anymore. And we don't have any money left because dad and mom don't have jobs anymore," Yumi said sadly.I smiled faintly at my siblings. "Just trust that everything will be okay." I hope.Moments later, my phone rang loudly with an incoming call from an unknown number. My heart raced with
Yannie Ace Ruiz"That's not fully cooked yet. It needs more time, so just let it be," I heard Veron complain while I was busy arranging the things we would need later."Isn't this cooked already? It's almost burnt," Ramil replied to Veron."This isn't cooked yet. Why do you always think you know better than me? Like you're some expert chef.""I don't know how to cook, but I always eat. Besides, this is always served as a snack during our drinking sessions.""Oh really? You're such a party animal, huh?""Once you're my wife, I won't drink anymore," Ramil teased Veron, who blushed and was stopped by Veron. We all laughed because of that."Oh well, you two haven't changed at all. You still bicker like cats and dogs but really love each other in real life," Jenny teased, which Jomar agreed with."What lover are you talking about?" Veron snapped at Jenny. "We're not like that!""You just don't want to admit it yet," Ramil added, teasing Veron again, which made Jenny laugh and Veron blush a
Yannie Ace Ruiz"Yeobo, are you really sure about what you want?" Josh asked me, his concern evident as I insisted."Yeah. It's just this once, and I'm with you and my friends," I decisively replied to him."But, Yannie... you're not used to drinking. You might regret it," Jomar reminded me, a concern shared by everyone here."Hey, bro. I should be the only one concerned about my girlfriend," Josh told Jomar, which made Ramil and the others laugh."You're so overly jealous, bro! Can't someone be concerned about your girlfriend because they're friends with Yannie?" Byron teased Josh, joining in the banter."Yeah, bro. We're all concerned about Yannie here," Ramil seconded."Whatever," Josh grumbled in response."Alright, it's Yannie's shot now!" Ivory interjected, handing me a shot glass filled with alcohol.We were still at the picnic park, now in the late afternoon, and they had decided to drink. Luckily, drinking was allowed in this area.I really don't drink any kind of alcohol. Bu
"HEY, Yannie!" I was startled by Belle, who was beside me, loudly calling me."Seriously? Am I deaf for you to shout like that?" I commented to her while clutching my chest due to surprise."I've been calling you several times, but you've been ignoring me. Kris might just melt with how much you're staring at him," Belle said angrily to me. I immediately felt my cheeks flush from what she said. "You know, friend, it's so obvious that you're in love with your suitor. Why haven't you answered him yet?" she continued, repeatedly fanning herself.We are currently in our school gymnasium to watch a basketball game. It's our school's intramurals, and Kris is one of the basketball players playing today.Kris has been courting me for over two months now. Although I have developed feelings for him, I can't find the right time to tell him. Additionally, I'm concerned about how my parents would react if they found out I have a boyfriend. My father often reminds me that it is not the right time to
Yannie Ace Ruiz"Veron, hurry up, we might be late! Come on!" I shouted loudly from the living room of Veron's house. After a few moments, Veron hurriedly came out of her room with her messy hair still soaking wet."Okay, fine. Jeez! Can't you wait?" she said, rolling her eyes at me."Hurry up! We might be late, and we could end up at the back!" I urged her, quickly passing by her on my way out of her house."Wait! I haven't combed my hair yet!" she complained, but I continued pulling her out."Auntie, we're leaving!" I bid farewell to Veron's mom, who was currently busy sweeping in front of their house."Oh, okay then. Take care, both of you. Manila is far, and you might get lost!" We heard it shout.Veron and I quickly hailed a tricycle to ride. After a few minutes, the driver dropped us off at the highway. Then, Veron and I promptly walked towards the jeepney terminal behind Central Mall."You're really something, Yannie. Your 4SBLUE press conference starts at one o'clock, and it's
Yannie Ace Ruiz"I'm Yannie Ace. But you can just call me Yannie," I politely responded to the girl. Her appearance shows that she's not a student like Veron and me. She looks a bit older, a few years ahead of us.Ate Rica smiled and shook hands with me. Later on, other girls with her approached us."Hi! I'm Renalyn.""I'm Becca.""Hello, I'm Christine!""I'm Jan."Ate Rica's companions introduced themselves to us. I shook hands with each of them and introduced myself in return. Before Veron and I headed home, we joined their group for dinner."So, how old are you, Yannie? Are you already working?" Becca asked me."I'm 20 years old. I'm in my second year of college. Veron and I are classmates," I replied."Really? What's your course?" Rica asked."I'm taking BSOA, Bachelor of Science in Office Administration.""Oh, which school? Where are you from again?" Rica asked while twirling pasta on her fork."I go to PUP Biñan. We're from Biñan, Laguna."Our cheerful conversation continued as
Yannie Ace Ruiz"I loved you, Yannie. I loved you genuinely."I took a deep breath as those words echoed repeatedly in my mind. Why do some people find it so easy to say the words 'I love you' without being able to stand by them? Because of people like them, those words lose their actual value. It is as if those words are only used to deceive others.When I saw Kris earlier, I didn't feel anything anymore. Except for irritation after he told me that he supposedly loved me. Why did he even need to tell me that? Who did he want to deceive after all? He loved me, but they hurt me. Just wow!Although we never officially became a couple, they still deceived me. The two months he pursued me in the past were swiftly overshadowed by a single day with Bella. It’s funny, isn’t it?I quickly shook my head to remove Kris and Bella from my thoughts. I don't want to think about them anymore. Two years have passed, and hopefully, I won't see them again. It just happened earlier, and hopefully, it wo
Josh Rain MontezI quickly caught the ball that Ramil threw at me and promptly shot it into the basketball ring. As expected, it went in smoothly, and my game today was flawless."Whoa! You're really amazing, Papa Josh!" Ramil exclaimed with a teasing smile as he high-fived me. I chuckled and sat on our team's bench because the head coach of the opposing team called for a timeout.I grabbed a bottle of water and took a sip. While doing so, I heard my phone making a noise inside my bag. I retrieved it and saw Sissy's name—my cousin Ate Rica—on the screen. Before the game could resume, I quickly answered."Why—" I started, but Sissy immediately cut me."Where are you now?" she quickly asked."Why—""We're going to Laguna. Join us," she cut me again."What?!" I asked in surprise."Hurry up, Josh—""I can't. I'm in the middle of a game right now, Sissy," This time, I cut her off."What time does it end?" she asked."It will be over later.""Alright, we'll wait for you to finish." If she d