Cari Ramirez

"Gwapo talaga?" Joan asked me. "From one to ten, ano rating?"

"Ten," diretso kong sagot. No need to think about it.

"Whoa. Mas gwapo kay Geon?" Mariz chirped, her doe eyes widening with shock and awe.

I nodded my head.

We were currently lounging in Starbucks, killing time. Due to the flurries of activities and reporting, ngayon na lang ulit kami nakapagkwentuhan nang ganito katagal.

Joan and Mariz were my high school friends. Joan was a year older than us, so she was already in second year while Mariz was a frosh like me. Nakasundo ko sila dahil pare-parehas kaming mahilig sa fashion at adventures. Last time, I trekked Mt. Daraitan with them. Soon, we were planning to rise to the challenge of Mt. Pulag. Maybe this coming holidays.

With that thought, I suddenly remembered the Saturday trip to Pagsanjan and fought an excited smile. Couldn't wait for it.

"Wow! Ang swerte naman! Gwapo talaga 'yang si Andrei," sagot ni Joan. "E yung kapatid? Yung Travis?"

"Gwapo din naman. 'Di sila magkahawig."

"Ten din?"

"Not really." I shook my head. "Eight lang. Uptight siya, babe."

"Grabe ka naman, girl. May discrimination kagad sa mga quiet guys?" Mariz said, laughing out.

"Hindi naman," I said simply. "There's a difference between quiet and uptight lang."

Like Andrei. He's quiet but not uptight. May tahimik kasing chill lang at meron naman na tahimik na sinasadyang i-isolate ang sarili nila from the public. Travis would be the latter but then again, I couldn't really judge him. He's the eldest son. The successor. Maybe he was geared to be professional at all times, considering that party was a business event somehow.

"So mas feel mo si Andrei, gano'n?" Mariz asked. When I nodded again, she sighed dreamily. "Feel kita, girl. Sa mga pictures pa lang, I can say na si Andrei na ang best pick among the De Villa boys. And mind you, lahat sila may wow factor pero sa kanilang siyam, siya na ang cream of the crop. Ang yum to my burger. May oomph factor, e! Gano'n!"

I raised my brows at what I'd heard. Siyam? If I remembered correctly, sabi ni Mariane lima lang silang magkakapatid.

"Siyam? Siyam sila?"

Mariz stared at me like I came from another planet.

"Oo, 'di mo ba alam?"

When they saw my honest expression that I really had no clue, Joan blurted in disbelief, eyes widening, "You can't be serious!"

I shrugged my shoulders in response. Well? 'Di ko ugaling maki-chismis. I had my blog but other than that, I wasn't active in any other social networks. Kilala ko yung dalawa. That Chris and Jacob. I heard there's also a little sister. But the rest, I hadn't even heard about. Admittedly, mas updated ako sa mga known figures from the fashion industry.

"It's not like I waste time digging gossips," I told them nonchalantly and sipped from my cappuccino.

Mariz gave me a weird look. "Technically, sampu sila," she explained. "Nine boys and one girl pero nasa high school pa 'yon. Lima talaga silang magkakapatid. Yung other five, pinsan na nila."

Oh. One big family, then. Like us.

I nodded, taking the information in. "They're all popular?"

"Well, naturally. Ikaw ba naman ang mabiyayaan ng good genes," said Joan, taking a bite from her cheese cake.

I tilted my head, suddenly skeptical. That couldn't be true. All ten of them? I was thinking na baka nadala lang yung iba ng pangalan. You know, reputation and all. Baka overrated lang. They all couldn't look that good.

But then I remembered Travis and Andrei and kept my mouth shut. I'd seen their parents. Mukha silang may halong ibang lahi. Hindi farfetched kung sasabihin na lahat sila may mga hitsura talaga. But for all of them to be famous?

"At ito pa, ha. Lahat sila active either sa sports or social media. God bless the De Villa genes!" Mariz mooned again. "Shit lang, girl. Ang swerte mo! Dalawa 'yon, o! Imagine!"

Napangisi ako sa reaksyon niya. "'Di ko rin naman sila masyadong nakausap. Saglit lang. Wala rin."

"Pero friendly ba?"

"'Yung Andrei, oo. Laging nakangiti. In fact, pupunta akong Pagsanjan kasama siya."

Nanlaki ang mga mata nila. Napatawa ako sa magkasabay na pagsinghap nila. Joan was trying to stifle her wide grin but she was failing miserably.

"Ohmigod!" Mariz squealed, unable to contain her excitement. "Deets! Deets!"

"Oo nga!" Joan agreed, evidently excited too. "Details!"

I didn't realize I forgot to tell them all about it. Truth be told, ever since that night, puro 'yon na lang ang laman ng isip ko. I couldn't wait to go out again. I missed the road, the travel, and the fun. Huling lumabas ako, last summer pa. Kasama ko si Geon at ang mga pinsan ko papuntang Ilocos at sinubukan namin ang sand dunes doon. Masaya naman kahit mainit.

Grinning as well, I told them the details of the trip.

"Perks of being best friends with Geon. Ang daya mo naman!" biro ni Joan.

"But this is it, pancit! Chance mo na! Makaka-close mo na siya! Yes! Pwede nang magka-boyfriend!" tuloy-tuloy na sinabi ni Mariz. "Ayee! Take lots of pictures, ha. Yung close up ni Andrei! Yung marami! Tas post mo sa Facebook. Wala kasing FB 'yon, e. Daya!"

Napangiwi ako.

"Pero ang mysterious talaga n'on. I mean, who doesn't have Facebook and Twitter nowadays? IG lang ang meron siya tapos puro cars pa ang laman. Unfair," dagdag pa ni Joan, her nose wrinkling in disappointment.

"E gano'n talaga. Tahimik, e. Gano'n naman yata ang lahat ng De Villa. Yung Onyx na ka-close ni Andrei, gwapo nga pero tahimik din naman sa ibang tao. Pati yung pangalawa sa kanila, yung Chris, tahimik din daw. May quiet genes ba? Uso sa kanila, e," biro ni Mariz, sabay tawa na sinabayan ni Joan.

I shook my head, laughing quietly. I stirred my drink with the teaspoon. My girls were getting hyper. Kulang na lang pati ang mga magulang ng mga 'yon, makilala na rin nila.

"Uy! Parang hindi naman! Yung bunsong lalaki, si Jacob daw, hindi. Super friendly daw. One year lang age gap nila ni Andrei."

"Baka magbago pa 'yon!"

"Pati kaya yung Paul, friendly."

"So? Tahimik din 'yon tas suplado pa yung kakambal."

I raised a hand, stopping them.

"How come ang dami n'yong alam sa family nila?" I asked.

"Duh, girl. May friend akong journalist sa campus nila. Na-interview niya si Chris dati. Tapos kumalat sa social media yung article. So ayun."

As ever. Trust her to be updated. Pag dating talaga sa usapang campus heartthrobs, she's the girl to go to.

"Why am I not even surprised?" I said, shaking my head in amusement.

"Bakit ba," she told me. "Crush ko sila, e!"

"Obviously." Napatawa na lang ako.

There was a momentary silence after that. Nagpunta muna sa restroom si Joan habang si Mariz naman, may kinausap sa phone. I took that short time of peace to enjoy the moment.

My mind went back to the Saturday trip. Malapit na 'yon at na-e-excite na rin ako. I did some research before. Matagal ko nang gustong puntahan ang Pagsanjan, hindi lang natutuloy. There were two routes we could take. Pagsanjan mismo o yung Cavinti. Alin kaya doon ang sa 'min?

I hoped we'd take Cavinti. Mas gusto kong maranasan ang trek kesa sa Shooting The Rapids.

Soon enough, bumalik na si Joan. Kasabay n'on ang pagtapos ni Mariz sa kausap niya sa phone.

When they settled again, Mariz spoke up.

"Booze mamaya. Merging. You in?"

"Pass ako," sabi agad ni Joan. "Errand for my mom."

Mariz turned to me.

"Ikaw, C?"

Hm. Hapon pa ang pasok ko bukas at wala rin naman akong assignments, nagawa ko na kahapon pa. I actually didn't want to go home yet. Maiinip lang ako sa kakahintay sa weekend.

"Merging, with what group?"

"Friends ni Jill."

Jill, her cousin that we met last month.

She was a cool, vibrant girl. It wouldn't hurt to try.

I nodded at her. "Sure, I'm in."

At around ten p.m, nagpunta na kami sa bar na malapit lang dito. The place brought back so many memories. Dito kami madalas mag-hang out ni Katrina back in high school days. Patakas pa 'yon. This place was lax kasi, and you could easily sneak in kahit minor ka pa.

But that was before. I didn't frequent this place anymore simula nang na-discover namin ang iba't ibang bars sa Taguig.

Mariz led me to a table with five girls. Sa hitsura nila, mukha silang mga elite. And they're stunning, too. Ang dami ngang nagsusulyapan sa booth namin. A few of those were eyeing me. Aware naman ako na maganda ako and on top of that, mahilig akong pumorma. I wasn't a lifestyle blogger for nothing.

Right now I was wearing a patterned dress and black boots. I matched it up with a brown sweater and pulled it around my elbows. It wasn't much but it suited me. I preferred simple styles with basic colors over loud and daring fashion.

"Em!" greeted the tallest girl in the group. Tumayo siya at niyakap si Mariz. Si Jill. "Long time!"

"Kamusta na?"

"Good. I'm good. Buti nakapunta kayo." Lumingon siya sa mga kaibigan niya. "By the way, these are my girls. Si AJ"—she pointed at the girl sitting on the left, "Ira, Hannah"—the girls in the middle—"And si Alexa"—the girl on the right.

"Hello," bati ni Mariz, waving.

Ngumiti ako sa kanila.

"Girls, si Mariz. Yung kinukwento ko sa inyo," pakilala ni Jill." And her friend . . . "

"Cari," tapos ko.

The girls smiled at us. We exchanged hi's and hello's. Maayos naman sila. Mukhang hindi nakakailang kasama. At hindi rin nakaka-intimidate. They looked friendly enough, lalo na yung Hannah.

So far so good.

Nang makaupo kami sa tapat nila, nagsalita yung Ira.

"So, should we order?"

"What do you wanna get?" AJ asked.

From her tone, narinig ko ang twinge of superiority niya. She's sophisticated. No doubt she's the alpha of the group.

Nagtinginan sina Mariz at Jill.

"Vodka and sprite, gusto n'yo?" tanong ni Jill sa 'min.

Tumango yung iba. Tumingin sa 'kin si Mariz.

"Babe, okay lang sa 'yo?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, I'll order for us," deklara ni AJ.

"Sure ka?" tanong ni Jill.

"It's on me," she said with a wink.

And that was how the first half started. So far, okay naman. In fact, I discovered na mga girls with substance pala sila, which relieved me to no end. Akala ko kasi puro mabababaw na babae lang ang makikilala ko ngayon. It was usually like that. That's why I didn't like merging unless the common friend was decent.

Through the conversation, I found out several things about them. Nalaman kong fashion blogger din pala si AJ. Nagkasundo kagad kami sa photography at fashion. Si Ira naman, artsy. Mahilig magpaint. Si Jill, isang magazine model while sina Alexa at Hannah naman ay parehas writers. Published author na si Hannah habang soon to be released pa lang ang libro ni Alexa.

I was amazed. Nalilibang ako. Natutuwa akong kausap sila. There were no dull moments between us at all dahil pare-parehas kami ng wavelength.

So this was what true merging felt like. It felt great. I liked it.

"So, any plans for summer?" I asked out of the blue.

"Wala pa nga, e," Mariz whined.

AJ shrugged. "None, as of now."

"Same," Alexa and Hannah said in unison.

Pare-parehas pala kami.

Ira grinned. "I'm flying with my folks to Paris."

Napalingon sa kanya si Alexa. "Wow, ikaw na talaga! Last time sa Italy, ngayon Paris naman."

"Ano ba. Remember, my couz just gave birth last week. The whole clan needs to be there. Traditions."

"Pero ang cool pa rin," sagot sa kanya ni Hannah.

"Innit!"

May accent si Ira, yun ang una kong naisip. She's probably from London. Katono niya si Geon, slight. Pati pa yung London slang. Ganyan ang accent ni Geon lalo na no'ng bagong lipat sila sa Pilipinas. He still had it but his Filipino's gotten better over the years.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Mariz. Mukhang 'yon din ang nasa isip niya dahil ngumisi siya.

"Ako, pupunta ako ng Bora with the parentals," pasok ni Jill. "Gusto n'yong sumama?".

"Sure. Better than nothing," AJ replied, downing a Tequila shot without any chaser.

Ira sneaked a glance. "Weh, babe? Maniwala akong wala ka talagang plano?"

Tumawa nang bahagya si AJ. "Wala nga. Just some work out sessions and yoga. I plan to have a stress-free summer. Away from any annoying dramas."

That caught my attention. "You do yoga?" I asked her.

Tumingin siya sakin. "Oo. You din?"

"Yes. Saan ka?"

"Sa Manila dati. Lilipat ako ng Makati this summer."

Nice. Konti lang ang kilala kong mahilig sa yoga.

"I do yoga too. In my free time."

"More hang out for us, then," she said, winking.

"Okay, OP alert," singit ni Mariz with a hand raised. Natawa tuloy kami.

"Back to topic. Sasama ba kayo?" Jill asked us again.

In a second, sumagot si Mariz. "Green light. Ayokong kasama sina Mom."

"I'll keep you posted na lang. 'Di ko sure kung may plano sina Mommy," sagot ko naman.

Spontaneous sina Mommy. Ayokong umoo kung magka-cancel din naman pala at the last minute.

Jill nodded at me. "Update me lang. Maya, kunin ko number mo. Aasahan ko kayo sa summer, a?" Jill declared. "Tamaan ang talk shit!"

"Oh, cheers sa newly-found friendship, " Mariz said loudly over the music, raising her shot glass.

"Cheers!"

Sabay-sabay naming ininom ang shots. Napapikit ako habang gumuguhit sa lalamunan ko yung tequila. I drank it bare.

"Tara, sayaw," yaya ko, medyo tipsy na.

Nagtayuan na kami. Biglang huminto si AJ at humarap sa 'min bago pa kami makarating sa gitna.

"Remember. No going out with guys, no random shots with anyone, and strictly no giving out names and numbers. Gets?"

"Gets," sagot namin and then we hit the dance floor.

I enjoyed the time with them. Truly. Iba talaga kapag kaugali mo ang mga nakilala mo. Either you'll be the best of friends or the worst of enemies. I learned a lot from them. Turned out we had a lot of things in common.

Especially when it came to guys.

We didn't like commitments, just pure fun. Why? To avoid heartbreaks.

In their defense, may reasons sila. Naiwan na dati sina AJ at Jill. Si Alexa naman, naloko na nang paulit-ulit. As for me? No particular reason. I just wanted to have fun, to enjoy my freedom.

Attachments, expectations and feelings?

Love?

I didn't want it. I was only in for the thrill.