"Tita, has Mariely come home already?" Nadia asked as soon as she arrived at Nathan's house.
"Oh, Nadia, you're here. Yes, she just got home a while ago—but she was crying," his mother replied, visibly worried.
"We couldn't get her to talk. She won't say a word," she added.
Nadia was stunned by what she had just heard. "Alright, maybe she's calmed down by now. I'll try talking to her," she said to Mariely's concerned mother.
"What happened?" asked Nathan, who had just walked into the house.
"Your youngest came home crying, went straight to her room, and won't speak to anyone," his father replied with a heavy sigh.
"What?" Nathan frowned and turned to Nadia.
"I'll try talking to Ely," she said softly.
He nodded, clearly concerned.
Nadia gently knocked on Mariely's door. "Ely, it's Nadia."
There was no response. Silence filled the space between them. Nadia grew more anxious.
"El, I'm coming in, okay?" She turned the doorknob. It wasn't locked.
She found Mariely wiping away tears, clearly trying to hide the fact that she had been crying.
"What's wrong, Faith?" she asked gently. "Tita told us you were crying. Why, Ely?"
Mariely stepped down from her bed and approached her. "Nadia," she whispered, her tears falling again as she hugged her tightly.
"What happened?" Nadia asked, hugging her back. Mariely just cried in her arms, like a child—unable to speak, unable to explain.
"Shh… Calm down. It's okay. Just calm down," Nadia whispered, doing her best to comfort her.
Eventually, Mariely wore herself out and fell asleep. They didn't pressure her to talk. Nadia could only sigh, watching her sleep.
Suddenly, Mariely's phone vibrated—a call.
She and Nathan exchanged glances.
She didn't want to invade her privacy, but when she saw the number flashing on the screen—an unsaved number—her brow furrowed.
She ignored the call but took out her own phone.
"Hon, can you type this number in for me?" She asked Nathan, who was fixing Mariely's blanket.
He didn't ask questions, just complied.
"Your phone's almost dead," Nathan remarked.
"Try yours, hon. The number looks familiar somehow," she said.
Nathan nodded. Nadia dictated the number, and when the contact name popped up on his screen, both of them stared in disbelief.
"The son of a—" Nathan muttered, cutting himself off before cursing, mindful that his sister was asleep.
Nadia placed Mariely's phone back in the drawer and quietly locked her door.
Nadia already knew what was going through his mind.
"We need to talk to that bastard," he muttered.
Nadia nodded, heart pounding with nerves. Is Mariely going to cry again? she wondered anxiously. Please, no more tears. Not after what she went through at that time.
Are we even making the right decision anymore? she silently asked herself.
****
Nathan didn't fail to catch Frank that day.
Frank saw him immediately but said nothing—just smirked.
"What did you do to my sister? Why was she crying yesterday?" Nathan demanded.
"My bad, my bad," Frank said casually.
"Why are you doing this again? What do you even want from my sister?" Nathan growled.
Frank merely smirked in response and stayed silent.
"Didn't your sister tell you what happened? Maybe I won't tell you either," Frank said smugly.
Nathan struggled to contain his rage. "I don't know what twisted thoughts are in your head, but stop messing with my sister."
"I have to go, Nathan," Frank said nonchalantly, patting him on the shoulder before walking away.
Nathan stood frozen, fists clenched, sighing deeply. He had to get going, too. His shift at work was about to start.
Why does it always have to be my sister? He thought bitterly as he entered his office building. He forced himself to calm down. Control your temper, Nathan.
****
Veron nudged Mariely, who had been zoning out while working on the students' grades.
"Are you really okay?" Veron asked her.
Mariely only sighed and kept staring at the papers on her desk.
Veron scratched her head. When Mariely was like this, it was best to wait until she was ready to talk.
She gently patted her friend on the back. "Whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here, okay?" she said softly.
Just then, another teacher walked into the faculty room.
He's here again, Veron thought the moment she saw Mr. Natividad. He was holding some printed sheets, likely the grades for Mariely's advisory class.
He slammed the papers down on Mariely's desk, startling her.
No manners, Veron scoffed silently, shooting a glare at the rude teacher.
Maybe he was just in a bad mood because Section D didn't cheat—and still earned high grades.
"You're the worst teacher," he spat before storming off.
Veron glared after him. Jerk, she muttered inwardly.
Mariely could only sigh, staring at the printed sheets.
Veron leaned over. "Let me see that."
Mariely nodded and handed her the papers. Veron quickly scanned the grades and raised her eyebrow.
"Well, at least he came to his senses and didn't fail your students," she remarked.
Mariely nodded, clearly still out of it.
Veron scratched her head, concerned. "Hey, you need to tell me what happened soon. This is getting bad. I don't like what I'm seeing."
"And you still have class. You can't go in there like this," she added, nudging her.
"Sorry, Veron," Mariely said with a weak smile.
Veron gently tapped her head. "If I catch you spacing out again, I'm leaving you here."
That earned a soft laugh from Mariely. She stood up and grabbed her materials for class.
Veron slung an arm over her shoulder as they walked out of the faculty room together.