The second day of the camp was packed with activities. Right after breakfast, we watched an inspirational film and had three individual activities. Mostly about personal and leadership development.

Now, it was merienda time, but in just a few minutes, babalik na ulit kami sa function hall for the second part-the group activities.

"May film showing ba ulit?" I heard Bea ask. "Bet ko yung last movie. Nakakaiyak yung dulo."

"Anong dulo ka d'yan? Simula pa lang yata, umiiyak ka na," natatawang sinabi ni Camille.

"Nakita mo pa 'yon?"

"Oo, girl, ang ingay mo kaya manood."

When I laughed at their conversation, Camille whipped to me.

"Maiba nga tayo," bigla niyang sinabi. "Kahapon ko pa 'to gusto itanong. Close pala kayo ni Geon? Kailan pa?"

I got confused. "Geon? Who's Geon?"

"Si Angelo. Angelo Castillo. Yung kahapon."

"Ah. Is that his nickname or something?" I said. "And no naman, we're not close. 'Di kami yung friends. Sila nina Kuya."

"Oh? How did they meet daw?"

"Sabi niya kanina, he's part of the swimming varsity team. I heard he competed with Kuya once during first year and became friends with him after."

"Oh. Kaya pala. Ang dami talagang friends ng mga kapatid mo."

Napangisi ako. She wasn't wrong on that one. Napatingin ako nang hindi sinasadya kay Angelo. Kasama niya ang mga kaibigan niya ngayon, plus new people from the other universities na dito lang din nila nakilala. They were hanging out near the grotto.

As if on cue, the guy in question suddenly turned and grinned at me. I smiled back at him.

Kaninang umaga sa film showing, siya na naman ang katabi ko. Akala ko nga sasabay pa siya sa merienda, but then he excused himself after his friends called him back.

"After nito, group activity na 'di ba?" Bea asked, changing the topic.

"Yeah," sagot ni Ahron. "Indoor and outdoor."

"Pano yung groupings?"

Tumingin sila sa 'kin.

"Sina Sheena at Christelle ang nag-ayos. I don't know din kung sinu-sino ang magkakagrupo," sabi ko. "Tara na sa loob."

I glanced at Ahron but she was looking elsewhere. Nakakunot ang noo niya at mukhang iritado. Nang lingunin ko kung kanino siya nakatingin, napangisi ako. She was looking at Justin Mercedez. I wasn't even surprised.

"Just stab him and get it over with," biro ko sa kanya.

"Malapit na," sagot niya lang, shrugging.

"Pano ba kayo nagkakilala?"

"Bars lang din. But he's so persistent, it's annoying."

"Type na type ka lang siguro."

"Nothing new, but still annoying," she muttered under her breath.

The three of us followed her back to the function hall. Not long after, Christelle began to announce the groups and their members.

Dahil masyado kaming marami, hinati kami sa dalawang batch. The first batch, sa labas muna para sa outdoor group activities habang kami, sa loob. There were ten teams in total, each having ten members.

After announcing the teams, my mouth hung open. The girls snickered at my stupefied face.

"Well, I guess magka-team tayo?" Camille told me, still laughing her lungs out at my reaction. "Pero I guess hindi lang ako ang kakilala mo."

"At least nga magkakagrupo kayo e. Sa outdoor batch ako, bwisit," reklamo ni Bea, sabay sama sa mga kagrupo niya palabas ng hall.

"Ditto," sinabi ni Ahron bago bumuntonghininga at dumiretso na rin sa team niya. Like me, she was riled up too. Kagrupo niya si Justin, and from the way the guy was smiling, I knew he pulled some strings to get her on his team. Lucky for her though, she's also with Joseph and Shane. And there's also Melissa and Gwen.

I, on the other hand, didn't have it easy. I was teamed up with the worst people for today. Sina Racel at Angelo. The only consolation? Na sa 'min din sina Christelle at Camille kaya medyo okay na rin.

But damn.

Racel and Angelo? You've got to be kidding me.

And it looked planned, too. Ngumisi kasi si Angelo nang makalapit ako sa grupo namin. He was waggling his brows, looking smug.

"Galing ko 'no?" bulong niya sa 'kin.

"What did you do?" I whispered back.

"Oh, you know . . . " He shrugged nonchalantly. "Sheena arranged the groups and I may have suggested a few things."

"Dude, this is not a good joke."

"Why? Ayaw mo bang kagrupo ako?" tanong niya in that saccharine innocent tone of his.

"I'm not talking about that."

"Then what?"

At first, he looked genuinely confused. Then, he darted around and started to understand. "Are you mad about . . . ?" Pinasadahan niya ng tingin si Racel, sabay lingon pabalik sa 'kin. "No, no. You got it wrong. You're teammates na before pa ako nagpalipat sa inyo."

"Really."

"I swear," sabi niya lang, raising his hands in a gesture to placate me. "Believe me. I don't joke around like this."

I released a sigh. It wasn't like I could do anything about this so hinayaan ko na. I tried not to look in his direction but I knew Racel was sitting at the far end of the table. Good. Medyo malayo ako sa kanya. Less awkward.

At bakit ba awkward, really? It shouldn't be, 'di ba? I shouldn't feel like this. He was acting okay. I should, too.

After the groups settled down, the second part of the seminar started. One by one, nagpakilala kami sa isa't isa. Medyo maingay ang grupo ko, magkatabi kasi sina Ivan at Angelo, at makukulit din yung ibang boys. Naging light lang ang introduction namin. Ivan was good in finding humor in everything and with Angelo in the equation, they were a deadly combination.

Some of the boys introduced themselves first. Then, sina Camille at Christelle.

Then finally, it was my turn to speak. I tried to ignore the way he intently looked at me, like he was interested in what I had to say. Clearing my throat, I introduced myself in one go. When they found out I'm a De Villa, the boys bombarded me with questions.

Bottomline, it felt awkward. Nagtatanong sila about Kuya Jacob while Racel was around. Christelle noticed what was happening and cut them off. When it was Racel's turn to introduce himself, doon lang natauhan yung boys.

The first two hours passed with activities intended to build our group rapport. It was going well for our team. Parang si Angelo kasi ang naging glue namin, which was amazing in itself.

Makulit siya at palabiro, but he had a charisma about him, I came to notice. He eventually became the leader of the group dahil doon.

For the first three games, okay kami. Our team was highly competitive. Ang daming pinagawa sa amin. Kung ano-ano. I admit, nag-eenjoy ako. Angelo's energy was contagious and was bouncing off on all of us, except kay Racel na silent creature lang as usual.

Soon, it became increasingly difficult to avoid Racel. Ayoko namang masira ang teamwork namin so I gave up trying to.

Christelle kept glancing our way. Like she knew something. At some point, nakita kong tumango sa kanya si Racel. Tapos siya, umiling lang, tumingin sa 'kin, at ngumiti. What did that mean?

"Oy, oy, oy! Madaya kayo!" sigaw ni James, leader ng kabilang group. "Bawal tumayo sa table!"

For this activity, we were instructed to construct a tower using straws. Kailangan stable at makakatayo by itself. Okay naman yung gawa namin but since competitive nga ang boys, Angelo wanted our piece to be the tallest; hence, the table issue.

Angelo snickered at James. "No, it's not. The rules didn't say we can't be resourceful."

Wala pa naman ang facilitator sa loob ng room so no one could back up James's complaints.

"Wag kang epal, bro. Gumaya ka kung gusto mo," gatong pa ni Ivan.

We were all over the place. With the time ticking closer to the deadline, mas lalong nagkagulo ang grupo ko sa pag-aayos ng foundation at mga strings. Grabe. I didn't expect it would be this difficult.

"Babagsak!" biglang sigaw ni Christelle.

"Hawakan n'yo!"

Naghiyawan kami nang bumagsak ang top part ng tower. Suspense pa dahil dahan-dahan. Naghagalpakan naman ang ibang grupo.

"Shit, dude. Kulang pa sa himas 'yan," komento ng isang guy from another group.

"Ayaw tumayo?" natatawang tinanong ni James.

I grimaced at their vulgar words. Seriously?

"Yo! Stop it. There are ladies here!" tumatawang sagot lang ni Angelo habang inaayos ang tuktok. Fortunately, that stopped the green jokes.

"Kailangan pa namin ng isa dito," Camille told the team.

Christelle nudged me, gesturing to the table. "Javee, ikaw na lang."

I nodded and started to get on the table. Medyo mataas 'yon kaya nahirapan akong pumanik.

"Here," a deep voice said.

Bago pa ako makasagot, naramdaman ko na ang mga kamay niya sa braso at likod ko, assisting me up. Tumindig ang mga balahibo ko at the way he touched me. Shit, Javee. Bakit? Pull yourself together!

"Thanks," awkward na bulong ko nang makatayo na rin ako sa wakas. Our eyes connected in that moment. Napalunok ako, biglang kinabahan.

Racel just nodded, smiled briefly, and went back to work. Agad din ako lumingon palayo. Christelle lifted a brow at us. Nagkunwari akong hindi ko nakita 'yon.

Angelo noticed the exchange. Kumunot ang noo niya sa 'min ni Racel but then he didn't comment on it.

"Jamie V, hold this," he instructed instead. I did as he told and held the mid part of the tower.

Pumasok na ang facilitator at inanunsyo ang time.

"We should hurry. One minute na lang," sabi ko at nagmamadaling kumilos.

I gotta give it to Angelo. Kahit na may time pressure, his hands were quick, swift, and precise. Everything was on point. But sad to say, hindi pa rin perfect ang gawa namin.

"5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . ." said the facilitator. "Time's up!"

No one stopped at first but the groups stopped moving eventually.

"Damn, baby! You have to win this thing," Angelo said to the tower before jumping off the table. Then he helped Camille sa pagbaba.

I made a move to jump off the table too. Nagulat ako nang nilahad ni Racel ang kamay niya sa 'kin, obviously offering to help me down. Nakatingin sa 'min yung iba so I accepted his help to avoid unnecessary tension.

His eyes were on mine as he guided me down. Shit. Parang lalo akong pinagpawisan.

His hand lingered on my arm, heating up the skin that he touched. He stepped back when Angelo approached me.

"Daya. Bumaba kagad." Ngumuso siya. "I was going to help you pa naman."

I waved him off with a laugh, hoping I didn't sound so nervous.

Inisa-isa ng facilitator ang mga straw towers. Sa 'min ang pinakamataas but it was also distorted. Yung sa iba, halos kasing taas na rin ng sa amin pero either may kulang sa foundation o medyo unstable. I couldn't guess kung sino ang mananalo.

When the facilitator announced our team as the winner, I jumped in happiness. We took a group photo with our straw tower at the request of the facilitator. Since alam kong mapopost 'yon online, I took caution. I made sure na malayo ako kay Racel nang hindi magka-issue kapag nakita 'yon nina Kuya.

After that, food break again. Unlike yesterday, by group na ang seating arrangement. Christelle said may activity pa raw kasi. We didn't have to line up for food anymore dahil ise-serve na ang pagkain.

Angelo took the seat on my left. I froze when, shit, Racel took the other seat on my right.

I held my breath, growing nervous again. What was he playing at? He knew I was avoiding him. Bakit parang nananadya siya?

The others were surprised at what he did but they refrained from commenting. Except Angelo.

Angelo furrowed his brows at us, his grey eyes fixing on Racel and me, as if he was trying to understand what was going on. But he was quick to hide his expression, and in an instant, all smiles na naman siya.

He whistled. "Isn't this an interesting sight? Intersci and Centrex students, sitting closely together."

Racel seemed unfazed and said nothing to that.

I frowned at Angelo though. Siniko ko siya. "Shut up," I mouthed.

Tumawa siya. "Selfie na lang tayo." Before I could react, he had already hovered his arm around my shoulder, careful not to touch my skin but there nevertheless, and leaned his head sideway, closer to mine. Ginawa niya 'yon nang mabilis na mabilis kaya hindi na ako nakapalag. The photo was taken in a second.

"Andrei will be fucking surprised when he sees this," he said, laughing.

Sinubukan kong agawin yung phone niya to delete the photo but he was putting it out of my reach.

"Ehem. Ang umay n'yo pong dalawa," sabat ni Ivan, sabay bato ng tissue sa 'min.

Nagtawanan sila but Racel frowned. He pulled out his phone and started texting.

My phone then vibrated.

Racel Gutierez:
Can we talk? Alone?

He had a chance yesterday, didn't he? But he didn't take it. What did he want now?

Hindi ako sumagot at hindi ko na rin siya nilingon.

He was still looking at me, alam ko 'yon. I could feel the heat of his stare lalo na at magkatabi kami ng upuan.

Another text came.

Racel Gutierez:
After this, sa maze. I'll wait.

I ignored him again. And then the facilitator started the activity. Hinati niya kami into smaller groups and I ended up with Racel and Angelo.

The next game was called Banana Surgery. May mga items na nilapag sa mesa: bananas, cutting board, pins, glues, tapes, at plastic knives.

The first instruction was to split it into tiny slices. Ako naman ang nasa gitna kaya ako na ang gumawa.

Angelo was laughing at how absurd the activity was. Maya-maya pa, binigay na sa 'min ang next instruction. Simple lang naman. We had to put everything back together.

Racel grabbed the tray and did it for us.

Napalingon kami ni Angelo sa kanya. He just shrugged, looking bored, and began to place the pieces back together.

Angelo was chuckling. "You like playing games, dude?"

Racel ignored his blatant jab while I shushed him for his stupid remark. When the final instruction was given, Racel slid the tray toward Angelo.

"Bakit ako? I have to stitch it up?"

"Sabihin mo lang kung 'di ka marunong," Racel deadpanned.

"Give me that." Hinablot niya ang mga items at sinimulang tahiin ang mga slices.

Umiling lang si Racel. "Gagawin din pala, ang dami mo pang sinabi," he mumbled

Angelo shrugged. "Hindi kasi ako mahilig maglaro."

Racel ignored him again.

I sighed. Sumasakit ang ulo ko sa dalawang 'to.

Buti na lang, saglit lang yung activity. Pinaliwanag sa amin yung purpose no'n, which I admit was quite striking. The point was, you cannot easily put back together the things that have been taken apart. No matter what you do, it will never be the same way again.

"Oo, tama!" sabi ni Ivan. "Kaya kapag nag-break, break na talaga, 'di na dapat balikan. Ang sira, sira na talaga! Walang balikan 'pag ex na!"

"Bitter mo ha," sagot ni Christelle sa kanya.

"Bakit? Totoo naman, a. Walang forever."

"Meron, dre. 'Yang mukha mo. Forever pangit," singit ni James.

Everyone laughed at that. Kahit yung facilitator.

"Pero ako, naniniwala ako sa forever. Bitter lang talaga kayo," sabi ni Camille. "Wala naman problema ang 'di naaayos. Basta ang mahalaga, may tiwala kayo sa isa't isa."

I nodded, impressed. "Atta, girl."

"'Di na uso 'yan sa panahon ngayon," sagot sa kanya ni Ivan. "Ngayon, ang trust, condom na lang."

Napangiwi ako. "Because guys like you love to do things behind our backs."

Racel stiffened from beside me. I noticed the quick flash of a frown on his face.

"Damn straight to home," Angelo commented with a laugh.

"Grabe naman yung hugot culture? May pinagdadaanan ka ba?" tumatawang sagot ni Ivan.

I shrugged. "I'm just saying the truth. If you want forever to exist, you better give a damn effort to create it. And the first rule? Build trust. That's it. Simple 'di ba?"

The boys whistled. Angelo started making drum noises on the table.

Bumaling si Camille kay Ivan, looking smug. "Felt that? She just slapped you."

Ngumuso lang si Ivan.

After the food break, pinapunta na kami sa fields for the evening activity. But before I could even step outside the dining hall, I felt a hand, gentle but firm, close around my wrist, holding me in place.

Hindi na 'ko nabigla nang makitang si Racel 'yon.

"Stay. Let's talk."