I was completely exhausted as I walked uphill to the house. The entire place was quiet—no more classroom noise, teasing, or Zayden's smart remarks. Finally, peace.
When I entered the boarding house, the place was silent. The doors were old, and most of the hallway lights were still off. I climbed the stairs, carrying my small bag and the weight of the entire day.
I frowned. "It's only six, why does it feel like a horror movie scene already?"
Click.
I started turning on the lights one by one as I walked toward the room Lola Nena assigned to me.
But before I reached it, I noticed a light on at the end of the hallway.
"Wait… that room's supposed to be mine."
My heart started to pound faster. I stopped in my tracks. Fear thumped in my chest.
"A burglar?"
I looked around and grabbed an umbrella leaning against the wall—my weapon of choice, just in case.
I crept toward the lit room, moving slowly. As I got closer, I heard soft sobs from inside. A girl's voice, crying.
"A ghost?!"
I swallowed hard. I wanted to back away, but curiosity got the better of me.
I reached for the doorknob, but before I could turn it—
Tok!
The door suddenly opened and hit me slightly, making me stumble forward. I nearly fell at the feet of the girl inside.
She was startled.
"Oh! Sorry! I thought you were Lola—"
I looked at her. Eyes red, clearly just finished crying. Gentle face, soft voice.
"You… who are you?" I asked. "Why are you here? And why are you crying?"
Lola Nena arrived just then, holding a glass of water.
"Oh, there you are. Shakira, this is Aira. She'll be your roommate starting today."
"Roommate?" I asked, unable to hide the surprise in my voice.
Lola nodded. "She just arrived earlier. Her aunt brought her here. She's going through something heavy. But she's kind."
Aira turned away shyly to wipe her tears, then faced me again.
"Hi," she said softly. "Sorry if I scared you…"
I shook my head. "I actually thought there was a ghost."
She chuckled a little, calming down slightly.
I smiled at her. "So… friends?"
She hesitated, then slowly nodded. "Friends."
After Lola left, it was just the two of us in the room. Quiet, but not awkward.
"Have you eaten?" I asked.
She shook her head. "Not yet. I don't feel like eating."
"That's not allowed. Roommate rule #1: No one goes hungry with me around," I said, grabbing some bread from my bag. "It's old, but not expired."
She smiled, more genuine now. "Thank you."
We sat on the edge of the bed, listening to the rain outside, each holding a piece of bread.
In the quiet of that room, with her tears still fresh and bread in my hand, one thing was clear:
This was a new beginning.
And in this room, a story was waiting to unfold.
We stayed silent. Just bread between us, a cold room, and soft rain outside. With every bite I took, it felt like I was also swallowing the weight in the air. Aira—she wasn't crying anymore, but her eyes were so red. Like she was holding back another wave.
"Do you want to talk?" I asked gently, not wanting to push, but wanting to be there.
Silence. Then she nodded slowly.
"My family's broken," she started. No drama, no buildup. Just raw. Her voice was flat, but you could tell she wasn't okay. "I don't know what it's like to feel whole. Something's always missing. I'm used to being without. Used to hoping for nothing."
I stayed quiet. No questions. I let her lead me through her story.
"In my old school... there was a guy. He approached me. He was nice. Sweet. Good-looking too. The kind you wouldn't expect to notice you… but he did. And he made me believe I mattered."
I waited. I knew the pain hadn't come yet.
"We got close. We talked every day. I'd wake up to good morning texts, sleep to good night messages. I spent hours thinking of ways to make him smile."
She took a deep breath. Her chest trembled, but she pushed on.
"Then… one day, he asked me out. Said he wanted to surprise me. Told me I was the one he wanted to bring to his favorite place. I was thrilled, of course. I fixed my hair, saved up just to buy a new outfit. I waited at the place we agreed on. Eight o'clock. I got there at seven."
She closed her eyes. I could feel the weight of the moment flooding back.
"Time passed. Eight… nine… ten.
No one came. No replies. No calls. I didn't know whether to leave or wait. But you know that feeling when you don't want to give up because maybe—just maybe—there's a reason?"
Then she smiled. But it was broken.
"Then… my phone rang. A video call. From my friend. The first one I made at that school. The one who always ate with me, listened to my stories. She was the one who called."
She paused. Like she was counting her breaths before she said what came next.
"I answered. And that's when I saw him. The guy I'd been waiting for. Next to him… my friend. His arm around her. Both smiling. And they said in unison: 'Thanks for waiting, loser.'"
Silence crashed down. The room felt smaller. I swallowed hard. I couldn't speak.
"They planned it, Kiera," she said, her voice now breaking. "Everything. Every effort, every story, every smile—it was all a script. I was their game. A bet."
I closed my eyes, fists clenched. "Fucking hell."
She shook her head, trying not to cry again. "It hurts, you know? Because it wasn't just him. It was her. The first one I trusted. The one I thought was my safe space. And she was the one who shoved me into the pain."
"It wasn't your fault, Aira," I said softly. "No one has the right to do that."
She smiled, still shaking. "It's just hard… because since the beginning, no one ever chose me. I thought he did. I thought they did. But even the little trust I built… they took it too."
She smiled weakly and said, "I was so stupid, wasn't I? I believed them."
"You weren't stupid, Aira," I said gently. "Some people are just cruel. You got hurt not because you were weak—but because they chose to hurt you."
She slowly placed the bread beside her. Looked at me—not crying now, but her eyes… they were tired. Still full of pain that wouldn't easily fade.
"Thank you," she said quietly, but clearly. "No one's ever talked to me like that. Not called me stupid. Or desperate. Or… some pathetic girl."
I shook my head. "You don't deserve that, Aira."
She gave a slight smile. "Crazy, right? I thought it was a love story… turns out it was a prank show. Where's the camera? Hi, Kuya Wil?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "If that were me, I'd have thrown soda in their faces."
"Not soda! It's expensive now!" she raised a brow. "Let's use bathroom water. Make it count."
I burst out laughing. "Aira, gross!"
She laughed too, though a tear still clung to her eye. The kind of laugh that still carried pain. But somehow, the air between us felt a little lighter.