"Can you show me your grades, Lia?"

I chewed my food and got my phone to pull up my grades from last semester. I gulped because I have a 1.45 grade on a certain subject. My Mom gave me a disappointed look at umiwas na lang ako ng tingin.

"What happened? Why do you have a low grade on a major subject?" She said before giving me back my phone. Hindi ko na lang siya pinansin at ipinagpatuloy na lang kumain."Your Dad won't be happy when he finds out about that grade," She warned me at walang ganang ibinaba ko ang kutsara at tinidor ko bago siya tingnan.

"I'm still on the dean's list, Mom. You and Dad have nothing to worry about," I said and took a sip on my water. Tumango naman siya sa akin pero siningkitan ako ulit ng mata.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" I denied quickly. She knows me enough that I'm already dating med school. I have no time to flirt kasi baka malaglag ako sa pag aaral ko. I still need to keep my scholarship which is completely dumb because they own Alcantara Med.

One of the most famous hospitals in Manila. We have money to afford my tuition so why bother accepting a scholarship?

I do have excellent grades kaya lahat ng scholarship deals pasok ako. Kaya lang, my whole life is just full of pressure and breakdowns.

Lagi akong napepressure sa mga magulang ko dahil gusto nila na ako lagi ang nasa tuktok ng klase. They even told me when I was back in high school that I would repeat a level when I get a grade lower than 92. It was a shitty rule but I guess it worked because I graduated as a batch valedictorian with subject proficiency in Math, Science and English.

Hindi ko nga naenjoy ang teenage life ko eh. Most teenagers spend their weekends with their friends while I am stuck in my room studying. People even bullied me for the reason being the nerd but I didn't even have glasses or braces on! I just like to study.

My whole family are doctors. My Mom being a Neurosurgeon, my Dad being a Rheumatologist.

I don't even know what I'd like to be to be honest. I don't know if I should be a pediatrician or an OB/GYN.

Minsan nga napapaisip pa ako kung ginagawa ko ba 'to para sa sarili ko o para sa ikasasaya ng magulang ko eh. That's why part of my breakdowns are me being so unsure of what my life would really be in a few years.

Matagal pa naman kasi bagi ako maging isang doktor. I'm currently in second year med school and I have two more years left and four years for residency before I take the board exam.

"I'm telling you, don't get a boyfriend while you're still in school. It will affect your grade and distract you. You don't want your Dad taking all away your inheritance money, do you?"

I just nodded, wala naman akong choice.

Love. Four letters but can cost you a lot. That's why I'm scared to experience it. I'm afraid that I'll be hopelessly devoted to it so much that I'll forget my priorities.

My Mom got a call and she was quick to get up and wore her coat and stethoscope. "Duty calls, I won't be home for dinner. I have a 48 hour duty." Tumango na lang ako sa kanya at nang maka alis siya ng bahay, huminga ako ng malalim.

"You're good, Lia. Kaya mo 'to. Just a few more years, you'll be the best at this," I tried comforting myself. It's been always lonely since I was a child. My parents are always on duty, we rarely even eat together and even if we did we would eat with the whole family tree.

I washed the dishes before going back to my room to study. I was already finished with my book so I lay in bed, bored. I don't have friends, well I have a few but they're busy partying.

Should I sleep? I checked my clock and it's 3 pm. If I sleep now, I'd be awake at 11 pm trying to fall asleep. Kailangan ko pa naman maaga gumising bukas dahil magaaral pa ako for a quiz.

After a few hours I got a call from my friend so I answered it right away, dahil wala naman akong ginagawa.

"Hello?" Agad kumunot noo ko at napahawak sa kabilang tenga ko dahil ang lakad ng background music sa kabilang linya. Was she at a party? "Where are you?" I asked worriedly. Hindi naman na ako magtataka dahil matibay 'tong babaeng 'to eh.

Kayang pagsabayin ang pag inom sa med school and surprisingly pumapasa pa siya. She's like second to me in class, if I would've done that I'd probably fail all my classes and lose a home.

[Lia! Come here, there are lots of cute boys here,] She said in her tipsy voice. I sighed as I rolled my eyes.

"May pasok bukas, Eve. Mapapagalitan ako ng magulang ko pag nalaman nila."

Narinig ko naman na may kumuha ng cellphone ni Eve, [Girl, punta ka na. Wala namang makakaalam eh, at kailangan mo namang magpahinga kakaaral. Kung kaya namin pagsabayin ang inom at acads, ikaw rin syempre!] Ryssi said and I sighed defeatedly before standing up.

"Fine, just send me the location and I'll be there in an hour." Magdodoctor ba talaga sila? Ang hilig kasi nila mag sunog ng atay.

Binaba ko naman na ang tawag at dumiretso sa aking walk in closet at inisip kung ano ang susuotin. Should I wear a basic outfit or go out of my comfort zone? Usually when I go out I just wear baggy clothes but now I feel like wearing something that people haven't seen me in before.

I decided to wear a silver silk dress that ends above my knees and hugs my curves tight. I also wore a pair of beige 2 inch heels and glam makeup.

I took my sling bag and placed my phone, keys and wallet before looking at myself in the mirror. Pupunta ba talaga ako? There's still a chance to turn back naman. Pero tinatamad na 'kong hubarin ang makeup ko.

Hay, bahala na nga.

I drove to the location they sent me at pagkarating ko doon ay sobrang daming kotseng nakaparada. Rinig ko agad ang malakas na tunog ng music at amoy ko naman ang halong sigarilyo at alak.

Nandito ka na, Lia. Hindi ka na pwedeng mag back out.

I walked towards the entrance at may nakita naman akong lalaki na nakaharang doon talking to another guy. I hope they're not drunk baka masapak ko sila bago ako pumasok sa loob ng bar. I went towards them and I caught both of their attention, the guy whistled and looked at me with a grin while the other one was looking at me with a blank expression.

"Excuse me, you're blocking the entrance," I pointed at the door and the guy smirked and placed his arms around my shoulder. Agad naman kumunot ko at tinaasan siya ng kilay.

"You look new here, beautiful. Are you even old enough to be in there?" He asked in a flirty voice, I chuckled sarcastically before removing his arm around me.

"I'm flattered but I could tell that I am way older than you two," I told them and I was about to go in ng harangan ako ulit ng lalaki. Ano bang mayroon at ayaw niya ako papasukin? I looked at him and raised a brow and he chuckled.

"You're feisty, I like you," He said and I gave him a forced smile.

"I don't like you, so fuck off," I hissed at him at may narinig akong tawa sa likod nung dalawa. The guy was crossing his arms while looking at us. He was dashingly handsome and hot but I know that he was a jerk at first glance.

"Come on, Zach. The woman doesn't like you, now you two, let's go. We have to prepare our equipment," He said before leaving us be. Umalis naman ako sa harapan nila at pumasok sa loob. The bouncer didn't even check my ID.

I immediately saw my friends sitting at the couch, they looked so stunning in their bar outfit. They are warming up with random guys from the club. When they saw me approaching them agad naman sila lumapit sa akin bago ako tingnan ulo hanggang paa.

"Damn, Lia. You got to go out more at clubs and expose your skin! You're too sexy," Eve said while she poured me a shot. It almost overflowed but luckily I stopped her. Literal na shot puno ang gagawin ko

Tumayo si Ryssi at sumayaw sayaw sa gilid at alam kong lasing na siya dahil hindi niya na mabuksan ng maayos ang mata niya.

It was a bad idea coming here but I don't regret it. Drinking alcohol makes me happy because I don't need to think of anything and just drink up my shot.

"Ayon oh, Lia. Gwapooo, type mo naman ata siya so why not make out with him right now?" Eve asked in her drunk state. I sighed before fixing her hair.

"You're drunk, Evetthe. And you know that I have high standards just for me to kiss some random guy at the bar. It's unhygienic and disgusting. Who knows if the guy kissed and fucked people with STD's or STI's?" I ranted and she just chuckled before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"You really know how to spoil the fun huh?" She said and I just shook my head before drinking another shot. Tinapik naman ako ni Ryssi at nginuso ang isang direksyon kaya sinundan 'yon ng mga mata ko.

It was a guy holding drum sticks? Is he performing later? He looks handsome but not my type, he looks like he could break me into pieces and I'm not up for that.

"Seems like Harvey is busy eye-fucking you," Eve smirked. Harvey is his name huh? Hindi ko naman na 'yon pinansin and acted like I was busy drinking... nadala naman ako dahil umiikot na ang paningin ko.

I was already tipsy enough to think that juice is hard tequila while alcohol is my chaser. I've had enough to drink and I have to get myself home.

It was already 10:30 pm and I should be at home preparing for bed.

"Eve, Ryssi... it was fun hanging out and drinking with you but I have to head home," I said, almost tripping over a lost red cup.

"What? It's only 10:30! It's too early," Ryssi pouted and I sighed.

"Yeah and my bedtime is 11 pm. Don't forget we have a fucking quiz tomorrow," I said angrily and they both chuckled. I was about to leave when I stumbled on my own feet. They helped me up and brought me water.

"You can't drive yourself home, you're wasted, Lia. Sober up for a bit before dipping," Eve suggested so I nodded and drank a lot of water. People started chattering and clapping when a host came up on the mini stage.

"What's up, beautiful and handsome people?" He said and the people at the bar roared as they anticipated with the thrill. "We have regular performers tonight! Give it up for Bloodthirst!"

Maraming nag palakpakan at naghiyawan nang umakyat sa mini stage ang apat na lalaki kaya napahawak ako sa aking tenga dahil sa ingay. The noise is making my head hurt.

When I saw those three faces agad naman nanlaki ang mata ko. They are the guys that were in the front entrance kanina! They didn't look like they were in a band, that's why I didn't suspect anything earlier. I guess they all are friends? Why am I even surprised, four beautiful faces not in a band together, it seems oddly impossible.

"Who are they?" Tanong ko sa dalawang kaibigan ko and they looked at me shocked. "What?"

"Hindi mo sila kilala? Gosh, is that what studying does to you?" Ryssi sarcastically asked me and I just gave her a pissed look. "Okay, they are a band called Bloodthirst, they debuted 7 months ago at their university. They are not that popular but people know them. They do gigs and performances everywhere," She explained and I nodded as I looked straight at the guys.

"Today we're going to perform an original and a cover later. I hope you enjoy it," The guy holding a mic said. He was the one I laid my eyes on earlier. He knows how to play the guitar huh? That's hot.

I mean, why am I saying that? I'm just drunk, yes.

"I see you got your eye on their lead guitarist and vocalist. That's Raizen Vini, people call him Ravi. He's currently a second year college student taking business administration. Their family is really rich and—"

Before Eve continued to brag about him pinutol ko na siya. "Girl, I'm not interested," I rolled my eyes and she chuckled. Hindi ko naman siya kailangang kilalanin, besides, it's not like we're going to meet each other again after tonight. This will be my last time setting foot on this bar because I actually got drunk.

Plus, my parents would go all you-can't-have-a-boyfriend talk again and I don't want that. I know already that I can't have a lover that would understand and connect with me so I'll just have to suck that one up.

They finished performing their first song and my eye caught the bass player. He was the guy who flirted with me earlier! At 'yung kasama niya no'n ay 'yung drummer nila.

After a few more minutes natapos na sila mag perform at bumaba na ng stage. Suddenly, I felt my stomach twisted so I ran towards the bathroom but unluckily I bumped into someone.

It was the Ravi guy! "Woah.. are you okay?" He asked as he held my waist to support me from falling. Hinagod ko naman ang kamay niya at pumasok na sa loob ng comfort room as I puked my entire guts out.

I should've stayed at home and slept peacefully. My makeup is already ruined and I look so tired. I needed to rest because I was feeling weak.

Lumabas ako ng CR only to see Ravi standing beside the door. "Okay ka na? Dapat hindi ka uminom." He said in a worried voice pero hindi ko naman siya pinansin. Hindi naman niya kailangan maging worried sa akin, we're strangers after all.

Maglalakad na ako pabalik sa couch namin nang humarang na naman ang lalaking lumandi sa akin kanina. "I found you! How was my performance?" He asked but instead of being nice, I bursted.

"Bakit ba ang hilig mong humarang sa daan ko? Gusto mo ba 'ko? Sorry to hurt your pathetic ego but you're far from my type," I told the guy at nakita ko naman na nasaktan siya sa mga sinabi ko dahil nakita ko ang mata niya.

Panigurado naman ako na wala akong maaalala kinabukasan kaya hindi ko na kailangang mag alala na mapapahiya ako kinabukasan. Like what I've said, it's impossible for us to see each other again after tonight.

"Zach, just stop flirting with the girl. She doesn't like you! Don't add her to the list of girls that you hurt," Ravi told the guy at umalis naman ito leaving us both.

Ravi looked at me head to toe and was about to say something when I fell down because of exhaustion.

"Shit!" I heard him curse.

But it was too late, I already passed out in his arms.

It wasn't the best feeling ever.

But it wasn't bad either.

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:p