*Who's My Eternal*
*The Field Yard — Night*
Stones. _Thud._ _Thud._ _Thud._
Cherry sat in the dirt, same spot as always. The moon was high, bugs buzzing around the single streetlight at the edge of the field. She wasn't even aiming anymore. Just picking up stones and tossing them. Empty.
Footsteps behind her.
She didn't turn. Didn't need to. She knew it was him.
Elian sat down beside her. Not too close. Left a gap between them. Like he was scared to cross it.
For a while, neither of them talked. Just stones and breathing.
Elian reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a lollipop. Strawberry. Her favorite since they were kids. He held it out to her.
"Bought this for you," he said. Quiet. "From the sari-sari store on the way here."
Cherry glanced at it. Then looked away. Back to the stones. "I'm not interested."
Her voice was flat. No anger. No teasing. Just… nothing.
Elian's hand stayed out for a second before he dropped it to his lap. He stared at the lollipop, then at her.
Her face was turned away, but he could see the line of her jaw. Tight. Her eyes fixed on the ground like if she looked at him, something would break.
"Cherry," Elian said. Softer now. "What's wrong with you?"
She picked up another stone. _Thud._
"You've been off since the game," he pushed. "You barely talked today. You left early. Now this." He gestured to her with the lollipop. "You never say no to strawberry."
Cherry's fingers dug into the dirt.
Elian studied her. The way her shoulders were up. The way she wouldn't meet his eyes. This wasn't her normal mood. This was different. Heavier.
His mind went to the obvious answer. The one that always made her like this.
"Did something happen?" he asked. "With your stepmom again?"
Mrs. Eva. Cherry's dad's second wife. The woman who treated Cherry like free labor and punched down. The reason Cherry showed up in this field at midnight with bruises half the time as a kid.
Cherry's hand stopped mid-throw. She didn't drop the stone. Just held it.
Elian's stomach sank. "Did she hit you?" His voice went low. Dangerous. "Cherry, if she touched you—"
"No," Cherry cut in. Finally looked at him. Eyes sharp, but tired. "She didn't."
"Then what?" Elian leaned forward. "Talk to me. You always talk to me. Since we were 7. Don't stop now."
Cherry stared at him. Really stared. Like she was looking for the boy who used to patch her knees and say _pretty girls don't cry_.
"I'm talking," she said.
"No, you're throwing stones," Elian said. "That's different. That's you when you're mad and don't wanna say why."
He held the lollipop out again. "Please. Take it. Then tell me what's actually wrong. If it's not your stepmom, then what?"
Cherry looked at the lollipop. Strawberry. Plastic wrapper crinkling in his fingers. Same brand from when they were kids.
She didn't take it.
Because the problem _was_ him.
And how do you tell your _Best_ that he's the one hurting you?
So she picked up another stone instead. _Thud._
Elian watched it land. Watched her.
And for the first time, he realized _Best_ didn't mean he could fix everything.
Time skip on Saturday
*Saturday — Kael's Small Farm, Outside Manila*
No classes today. Just work.
Kael let them use his small lot of land on weekends to grow vegetables. Extra income. Cherry, Cindy, and Elian were there. Noa had a shift at the shipping company.
The sun was brutal. 9 AM and already burning.
Elian was doing all the work for Cindy. Carrying her crates of seedlings. Digging her rows. Showing her how to plant pechay without breaking the roots. "Like this," he said, hands over hers. "Gentle."
Cindy laughed. "I'm trying. You're just faster."
"I've been doing this since I was 7," Elian said, grinning. "You're catching up."
Cherry was three rows over. Alone. Her back was already sweating through her shirt. She'd finished her own rows and moved to Elian's when she saw he hadn't touched them. He was too busy with Cindy's.
So she did his too. Pulled weeds. Watered. No one asked. She just did it.
Elian didn't notice. He was too busy handing Cindy his water bottle. "Drink. You'll get heat stroke."
"Thanks," Cindy said, soft.
*Lunch — 12 PM, Under the Mango Tree*
They sat on a sack under the only shade. Cindy opened her lunchbox. It was a nice one. Pink, two compartments. Rice, adobo, sliced mangoes.
Enough for two. Not three.
Cherry saw it immediately. Her stomach growled. She'd skipped breakfast to come early and prep the tools.
Cindy hesitated for half a second, then smiled. "Let's eat." She handed Elian a spoon.
Cherry signed. Quiet. She stood up. "You guys eat. I'm not hungry."
She was. Starving. But the lunchbox was obvious. Two sets of utensils. Two portions. One for Cindy. One for Elian.
Elian frowned. He looked at the food, then at Cherry. "That's dumb. You've been working since 7. Eat. I don't mind sharing mine."
He started scooping rice from his side, ready to give her half.
Cindy's hand touched his arm. Light. She smiled, but her eyes flicked to Cherry. "It's okay, Elian." Then she turned to Cherry and lowered her voice. Just for her.
"I'll give you money after we finish working, okay?" Cindy whispered. "Just this once. I don't mean to be greedy, but I only made this for me and Elian."
Her tone wasn't mean. It was honest. Like she felt bad but not bad enough to split the food.
Cherry's throat closed up.
She looked at Elian. He hadn't heard Cindy. He was still holding out the spoon, waiting for her to take it.
She looked at Cindy. Cindy's eyes were apologetic. But firm. _This is for us._
Cherry nodded. She forced her smile. Friendly. Empty. "It's fine. Really. I'm not hungry anyway."
She stepped back from the shade. "I'll go check the irrigation line. You guys eat."
She walked off before Elian could argue. Before her stomach growled again. Before Cindy could see her face drop.
Elian watched her go, spoon still in his hand. "Cherry—"
"She said she's not hungry," Cindy said, pulling his attention back. She pushed the rice toward him. "Come on. Eat before it gets cold."
Elian hesitated. He looked at Cherry's back, disappearing past the corn stalks. Then he looked at Cindy, waiting.
He sat down. He ate.
Cherry didn't come back until the food was gone.
And Noa wasn't there to see it.
But if he was, someone would've bled.