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"Good morning, Miss Glenn!" Jasmine greeted with a bright smile.

"Good morning din," I smiled.

Maaga akong nakarating sa office nang umagang 'yon. May kadiliman pa ang langit, pati rito sa loob. The lights were not lit up yet. Si Jasmine pa lang ang nasa department pagdating ko. She was setting up her PC, and I was going to do so. Mabuti na rin at makakapagsimula agad ako dahil gusto ko na rin matapos agad. Susubukan ko pang humanap ng gown by the time I check out. Actually, hindi ko pa natitingnan ang invitation. Hindi pa rin ako nakakapag-check in. Lagi ko na lang nakakalimutan, I thought. Sa jeep ko na lang titingnan 'yong theme ng ball.

"Wala pang ibang tao, 'no?" I asked Jasmine, but when I looked at her, she was in her headphones, slightly headbanging to the music I could only slightly hear.

"When you rise, it's your time," she sang.

"Jasmine!" I called out, coming closer to her to poke her shoulder. "Hey."

"Ay, sorry po, Miss Glenn," she giggled awkwardly. "Sorry, sorry po, nakaka-LSS po kasi. Sorry po. 'Di ko narinig. Ano po ulit 'yon?"

"Ah, okay," I giggled. "Wala pa bang taong dumadating?"

"Ah, wala pa po, e," she said. "5:47 AM pa lang po, Miss Glenn."

I smiled at myself. "Ang aga ko ngayon, ah. Yes!"

"Oo nga po, Miss Glenn, e," ang sabi ni Jasmine. "Dati po ako lang mag-isa hanggang quarter to seven."

"Hahanap pa kasi ako ng gown para sa ball, " I said. "Ikaw ba? Paano gagawin mo roon? May gown ka na?"

"Biglaan nga po, e," ang sabi naman ni Jasmine. "Pero no'ng nalaman ni Kuya, sabi niya, bibilhan niya raw po ako."

"Ah," ang napatango kong sabi. "Buti ka pa. Hindi ko kasi alam gagawin ko, e."

"Sabay ka na po sa'min ni Kuya pag-alis namin," she smiled.

Malamang mahal 'yong mga pagpipilian nila.

"Hala, okay lang," I immediately said. "Hihiram na lang ako—"

"No need na, Glenn," ang bigla kong narinig. So I turned around to see who it was. Standing in a black dress, Kailey was there, behind me. Calmly.

"Sasabay na kita sa Uncle ko," Kailey spoke. "You already forgot what I told you yesterday. 'Di ba, I told you that I got you? Don't worry about the ball."

Jasmine giggled awkwardly (again) and said, "Oh, Miss Glenn, 'wag ka na po mamroblema. Si Miss Kailey naman po pala ang bahala sa'yo, e."

I smiled, my cheeks heating up, not because I remembered this girl named "Kailey" called me "babe" last night, but because I am ashamed that I forgot what she said. Besides, nakakahiya naman kung ipababahala ko na lang kay Kailey 'yon. I am not her child or responsibility or whatever.

"Glenn, follow me to my office," Kailey said out of nowhere. Napatingin naman agad ako sa kanya.

"Uh. . . Jasmine, diyan ka na muna, ah," I said, waving at her and giggling. "Soundtrip ka muna riyan, ha. Bye-bye!"

I snapped into my feet's walking pattern, following Kailey's very ladylike steps against the probably cold floor. I was careful not to be so close behind Kailey. I didn't know why, but even in the darkness of the hallway we were walking in, there may be some eyes like Lyka's or Theodore's—judgmental.

While we were walking silently, within split-seconds, I thought about what I hadn't thought for a while: Who would you rather be friends with? Lyka or Theodore?

Preppy mindlessly whispered, Theodore.

"Glenn," Kailey whispered while opening the door of her office. "I filed your leave for today. We will go to my uncle. He is a fashion designer. Get your belongings from your—"

"H-ha? You filed my leave?"

"Yes," she said, pulling me inside her office before closing the door behind me. "Don't make noise, please, babe."

"A-ano? B-ba't ba tayo nandito?"

"Shh!" Frustrated, Kailey slammed the wall behind me, cool enough. Biglang namatay ang ilaw sa office ni Kailey. I tried searching for any source of light—any, and I realized that the lights were off only inside, in Kailey's office. Pinatay lang pala niya 'yong ilaw.

"K-Kailey. . ." I uttered, terrified.

"Please don't make noise, babe," she chuckled lowly. "Listen. Naka-leave tayong dalawa ngayon."

"B-bakit? P-paano mo nagawang mag-file ng l-leave k-ko?"

"Don't ask much, babe. Just listen to me," she replied. "I filed your leave for today. Basta."

Wala akong ibang makita kundi ang ilaw na nanggagaling sa gap sa pinto. Hindi ko alam kung saan ako titingin dahil kahit nararamdaman ko si Kailey na nasa harapan ko, wala pa rin akong makita. I had to admit. . . I was scared.

"Now, nakapag-check in ka ba?" Kailey asked, her face lit up by the screen of her phone.

"N-nakalimutan ko," I said, quite nervous.

"Good," Kailey whispered then giggled.

For a moment, in the darkness, I appreciated Kailey's giggle. It was childlike and adorable. It was stress-free and non-Monday. It was a weekend, if it would be a day.

"Akala ko, nag-check in ka na," she giggled again. "Phew."

"Bakit?" I asked, my lips forming a smile I did not completely wish to make.

"Kasi nga 'di ba, I filed your leave," she giggled again. "Dapat 'di nila tayo makita sa office. Baka ipa-cancel ang leave natin. I don't know. I'm not that sure."

"Ah," I nodded.

It was heartwarming to see how comfortable Kailey was with me. She was giggling in front of me, her strong personality fading into someone with light vibes. I didn't know that she had this kind of side, her business about everything slightly falling off.

"Now, get your belongings from your desk and whisper to Jasmine that she must not tell anyone that she had seen us. Baka ma-cancel ang leave natin or pag-stay-in tayo. Ugh, I don't know. Not sure at all."

"O-okay," I nodded slowly as I saw Kailey's face even more when she turned the brightness of her phone higher. "You're crazy!" And I giggled.

"You're wicked," she fired back, smiling as I remembered why.

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Okay, don't make noise, ha," she said and moved closer, opening the door for me. "Go na." The door, I thought would make a small sound, but it never made any—even a small sound. Perhaps the door and the hinges are new, I thought to myself, probably dumbly.

Slowly but not sluggishly, cautiously but not scaredly, I walked down the hallway, not looking back at Kailey in the darkness of her office. Then, I started speeding my pace up before I could be caught. Right after I reached our department's unlit area, I ran to Jasmine's desk and gently poked her shoulder so she wouldn't be startled. Mahirap na at baka makita ako ng ibang tao rito. And she wasn't. Peacefully, she pulled her headphones off of her ears, smiling at me.

Nakakaloka naman kasi 'tong si Kailey. Pabigla-bigla, Preppy laughed. She was right.

"Po?"

"Mauna na ako, ha," I whispered, somehow doing a squat. "Shh ka lang na nakita mo kami ni Kailey, ha?"

"Ayie!"

"H-ha?" I asked, my face heating up suddenly.

"W-wala po," she giggled awkwardly, shaking her head. "Bakit nga po pala shh lang po ako?"

"Kasi. . ." I said, "naka-leave kami. Basta, secret lang, ah. Nagulat lang din ako, e."

"Okay po, Miss Glenn," she smiled. "Secret lang po."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, my voice still whisperlike while pulling my shoulder bag from its tranquil sit on my desk. "Bye-bye!"

Jasmine waved at me and said, "Ingat po." Then, she turned to her phone and unplugged her headphones from it. I hurriedly yet silently ran to Kailey's dimmed office and knocked slowly, my feet and knees feeling cold. Upon reaching my not-so-far destination, I knocked gently on the door of Kailey's office. Immediately, I saw Kailey opening the door and getting out of her office like we were doing something illegal.

"Para tayong tanga rito," I giggled. "Kaloka."

"Shut up, babe," she said, smiling at the door she just locked. "We're just taking some precautionary measures. Baka mapagalitan tayo."

"Ako lang," I whispered before Kailey took my hand and led our way out of the building.

"Nope, babe," Kailey said. "May boss din ako, syempre. I am not the president of the company, okay? I can still get my violations caught and taken action upon."

"Whatever," I giggled, rolling my eyes as she continued on leading the way. "Kaloka ka kasi, e. Ang biglaan mo."

"Yeah," she replied, smiling. "Sorry for that."

When Kailey had dropped the last word of her sentence (or phrase, if it's in an identification setting in elementary's English class), she stopped walking, and I did, too. From looking down on my small shoes and small feet, I looked up to see why she stopped. But before I could find out and understand it myself, Kailey was looking at me, smiling.

"Tulog si Manong Guard," she giggled. " 'Di niya tayo mahahalata."

I leaned sideways para makita si Manong Gerard (it is his name), and I saw him, exactly the way I was picturing it in my head when Kailey told me about it. His head hung forward, his feet relaxed on the cold, hard floor, he was snoring softly. Napakabait ng guard na ito, pero napakaantukin din, I thought after Kailey pulled me to follow her to the elevator while giggling like a fun high school student she was back then. She was full of wonders.

"Buti na lang he's asleep," Kailey whispered. " 'Di na natin siya papakiusapan na 'wag sabihin sa iba na he saw us."

The elevator's familiar sleek doors closed as soon as Kailey pressed a button. And one thing hit me when it was already late to even tell Kailey. But I said it anyway.

"Kailey," I said.

"Hmm?"

"What if i-check nila 'yong CCTV camera?" I worriedly asked, leaning on one wall of the elevator while hugging the shoulder bag Mama bought me for my birthday last year.

"Ah," Kailey chuckled like she was regretting everything. I didn't know how that made me think of her chuckle that way. It just felt. . . like that.

"Hayaan mo na 'yon," she added, laughing. "Ako ang bahala sa'yo if ever we were called to explain."

"Edi wow," I said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, babe."

"Edi wow ulit." I rolled my eyes.

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