Chapter 7

"HEEEEEEEYYY!!!" Jacob comes running to the girls standing near the entrance of Greenbelt.

The day of the much-awaited road trip slash reunion finally arrives.

Their big group of friends is divided into two teams: team north and team south. As the name of both teams lead, those who are in team north live in or near northern Luzon and vice versa with team south. Team north is usually composed of the Ocampo brothers, Danica, Zoe, and Naia. While team south has Megan, Felicity, Logan, and Odell. And since Batangas is in the south, the two groups decided it would be better for them to go to the resort on separate rides and just meet there.

After Jacob, and Jared (from inside the car, since he's the designated driver), exchange greetings with Danica and Naia, Danica immediately inquires, "Where's Zoe?" She assumed the older girl would already be with the two brothers since they live really close to each other.

"Couldn't make it, unfortunately. Has some kind of modeling gig." Jacob shrugs.

"She'll follow in a couple of days." Jared shares a dismissive wave.

"Is she?" Jacob says, surprised by the newfound information. "She never said anything about following."

"She said she MIGHT," the older brother clarifies.

"Oh, right." Jacob nods in agreement. "Well, there's a huge difference between MIGHT and WILL, you know."

"Whatever. Just get in the car. It's fucking sizzling out there," Jared calmly chides. Not to mention that there was a long line developing behind them since they're temporarily parked in the mall drop-off.

"Crap! Right." Jacob slightly jumps at the realization and helps the girls put their luggage in the trunk.

They quickly hop into the car and as soon as they're settled in, Jacob chirps, "Great news by the way! Megan's coming!"

"What?" Naia blurts out, taken aback by the news.

"I know! She told me last night." Danica grins, excited that almost everyone is going to present at their mini-reunion.

"Awesome, right? We met up not too long ago by accident and did a bit of convincing. I think that did the trick," Jacob happily recalls before directing a brief glance at his brother. "Especially with this one backing me up. He and Megs go WAAAY back."

"You can say they have history, you know." Danica wiggles her eyebrows and shares a playful smirk.

"It's not going to be history if the narrative continues during our getaway." Jacob returns an eyebrow wiggle, as well as a Cheshire cat grin.

"Sly! I like the way you think!" Danica half shouts and half squeals with a wink.

"Some things never change." Naia lets out a sarcastic chuckle and shakes her head.

"Hey, cheer up, Airps," Jared says, "Vacation's all about having fun and relaxing."

"I know that. What makes you say I'm not having fun?" Naia cocks an eyebrow at him.

Jared's eyes quickly scan her face through the rearview mirror. "Your clenched jaw."

She suddenly catches herself doing just that and immediately feels embarrassed. As she unclenches her jaw, she also decides to look out the window and act like that didn't just happen.

Jacob and Danica almost instantly exchange looks and snicker at the sight.

"You're actually lucky that you're in team north," Danica states in an as-a-matter-of-fact sort of tone.

"Wha—? Oh, right." Naia slowly starts to put the pieces together and grows more nervous about the trip they're making. Naturally, she isn't expecting for her and Megan to become great friends again all of a sudden. But the mere thought of Megan's rage that particular day all those years ago ignites this huge bonfire of fear in her.

In the midst of Naia's quiet contemplation, Jacob could only laugh at the awkward situation team south is about to get themselves into. "God, they're in for one tense ride. I mean, Dell, Logan, Megs, and—"

"FAE!!" Megan yells at the top of her lungs as she faces her younger friend.

Felicity scowls and hollers from her car, "WHAT?!?!?!?!?!"

"Popcorn," Megan simply reminds with a small yet giddy smile.

"Right." Felicity nods and takes their snack inside the vehicle before closing the door behind her. "Thanks, my sweet."

The two have just arrived at the designated rest stop for team south. After refilling the car with gas, it was now time for them to wait for Odell and Logan in their favorite fast-food chain, Jollibee. Or wait, scratch that, every Filipino's favorite fast-food chain.

"Be nice," Felicity warns her friend lightly as soon as they sat down after ordering some food.

Megan instantly knows what Felicity is talking about. All she could do is share a sarcastic smile and reply in the fakest sweet tone possible, "What EVER makes you say I'll be anything but that?"

"My instincts. Your body language." Felicity eyes her up and down and makes a face.

Megan merely cocks an eyebrow in response.

"God," Felicity finally adds, trying not to break her serious expression.

Megan immediately bursts into laughter and Felicity couldn't help but follow right after.

The flow of their conversation continues on as lighthearted and random. As it always is. Both share the same shallow and (some would call it) crazy sense of humor. The weirdest things make them laugh like there's no tomorrow. And nobody else, not even their own friends, are able to understand the joke. Well, except Danica. Once you have the three girls together, it'll probably be laughter apocalypse.

"Hey guys!" a familiar smoky voice greets.

As expected of Logan, he never fails to ooze with appeal and flash a charming grin to match. Odell, who has yet to say a word, tags along his best friend's side. Obviously, trying not to show how much dread is currently circulating throughout his nervous system.

"Hello!" Felicity greets back with a small wave as their two guy friends near their table.

Megan, on the other hand, only directs a dead ass stare at both of them, completely devoid of any other emotion. Then, proceeds to check some of the unread messages on her phone.

"Well, she's lovely," Odell comments in an ironic tone.

"A lot has changed in the past six years," Felicity replies with a shrug as if to say 'it is what it is'.

When she's done fiddling with her phone, Megan wears the same expression on her face and questions, "Are you scared?" Her fiery eyes land on Logan first.

"Uuuuhhh...." His voice quivers a bit at her intimidating gaze as he glances at Odell.

"No. Not really," Odell answers with ease.

It is then that Megan shoots an even more unimpressed look at Odell. "Okay, maybe a little," he concedes as he throws both his hands up in defeat.

Her face softens a bit, but she casts a knowing glare at both of them this time. "Good."

Felicity, who has bared witness to all of this, couldn't help but let out an amused snort. "You guys are fuuuuucked," she teases with a mocking grin.

"I actually can't feel my butt anymore," Naia grunts the minute her brain is able to process her surroundings properly. "Are we there yet??"

Thanks to Jared and Jacob's smooth driving (they would exchange duties every now and then), she was able to have a long nap. She couldn't say the same for Danica though. Because every time Naia would slip in and out of her sleep, she would hear her and Jacob laughing about some joke she couldn't even begin to understand. And as expected, Jared took no part in it. Remained quiet for most of the ride, unless he had something remotely teasing or witty to contribute to any conversation.

Naia can only imagine what it's like in team south's car. She's a hundred percent sure that she wouldn't be able to nap so easily if Megan was literally inches away from her. Much like Logan and Odell, she is willing to talk things out with Megan and somehow make amends. Personally, she thinks that Megan overreacted a little bit. But then again, they were young. She can see why their friend blew up like that on them and ended their friendship so abruptly. Although for the most part, she still thinks that the whole feud is unreasonable.

"Indeed-e-oh!" Jacob bubbles, interrupting Naia's thoughts, "Welcome to paradise, my friend!"

What each one of them sees right in front of their eyes is unimaginable, something beyond anyone's comprehension. Though they can only see it from a distance, the beach's radiating beauty seems to be calling out to them. Crystal clear blue waters and endless white sand, matched with the most joyful and welcoming sunshine. It truly can't get any better than that.

And that's just Nasugbu, Batangas. Wait until you get to feast your eyes on the natural wonders of Palawan. Boracay may be the more popular choice, but admittedly, it has become a little bit commercialized in the past few years.

"Oh… wow…" Danica's jaw drops in awe. She can't remember the last time she's been to a beach in the Philippines. How dare she deprive her own self of such a tantalizing experience?!

The rest are also engulfed in stunned silence. Even as they get off the vehicle, they're as quiet as mice. Needless to say, it doesn't take long before they meet their friends by the lobby of the high-class resort. Everyone exchanges greetings like they normally would, except Naia and Megan.

When their eyes finally meet, Naia gathers all of her courage to say, "Hey."

After all these years of not seeing or talking to each other, Megan is surprised that she's actually feeling calm and collected. Although she's shorter than Naia, she manages to stare her down before looking away without a word.

"Well… that could've been worse," Odell murmurs.

Having heard his comment, the Ocampo brothers direct brief knowing looks at each other, while the others merely stare at the ground (or anywhere far from Naia and Megan really) and stay silent.

"She literally asked us if we were scared of her, with this stare of both death and hell," Logan finally adds, with a hint of humor in his voice.

Jacob suddenly bursts into laughter, visualizing how horrifying yet comedic the scene was.

Meanwhile, Jared only widens his eyes in shock. Never in a million years would he have imagined Megan being the quiet, intimidating type. But thinking back to their last meeting, he did actually notice the subtle yet drastic shift in her attitude. Drastic, because it's the complete opposite of her usual disposition. But subtle, because it suits her well.

"Don't even get us started on the car ride here," Logan continues with a dramatic sigh.

"You know that annoying noise your nails make when you scratch a chalkboard?" Odell says.

Everyone nods.

"Yeah, it was like that but worse and in crippling silence," Odell concludes in a half-serious, half-humorous tone.

"Told you you're lucky that you're with team north," Danica whispers to Naia.

She doesn't respond, still dumbfounded by how cold Megan has become. Instead, she forces a smile.

Although the group is off to a rough start, the tension is not as bad as they imagined. In Odell's words, it definitely could've been a lot worse.

After they check-in and settle everything in the main lobby, they move to the lush villa they will be residing in for the week. With five double bedrooms, a comfy living room, a functional kitchen, plus a soothing front porch, their accommodation definitely isn't too shabby. Room assignments are quickly given, which resulted in Megan and Naia going solo in their own bedrooms. If Zoe does eventually show up, she would have to choose who to room with. Naturally, everyone knew who the obvious choice was.

A bit of banter and catching up ensues for those who are hopped up with excitement for this trip (mostly Jacob, Logan, and Odell). And eventually, each person does their own thing. Whether it was going out straight to the beach and taking pictures, or hitting the sack immediately to get some well-deserved rest, the summer trip of a lifetime came to an official start.

When Megan finally finished packing, she decides to chill out on the porch. She saw a comfy hanging egg chair there a while ago, and it seemed to be beckoning her. She feels like she needs peace and quiet, without completely giving into slumber. What she doesn't expect though, is a familiar looming figure standing by the rails of the deck.

"Heeeey!" She greets in a surprisingly bubbly manner. She doesn't even realize that she's grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey," Jared greets back, turning to her.

"Is it just me or is it really awkward? Again," she asks, off the top of her head. God, it feels like an idiotic move. But Jared just had a way of making her act like an utter fool.

He chuckles at how true her statement was. He isn't going to deny the fact that there's this uncomfortable atmosphere around them, neither good nor bad. "It's been a while."

"I know." She starts feeling shy and ends up babbling, "So.... how's work? Or school? Do you? …work, I mean. Not school. I mean, you can't school unless you're a teacher. Ah, fuck me."

He lets out an amused laugh this time. "So, it's come to that huh?"

She sends him a questioning look, confused about what he's pertaining to with 'that'.

"Small talk," He replies simply.

Megan makes a face and teases him a bit, "Well we gotta start somewhere, Sir Ocampo. Can't be picky!"

He laughs, as the awkward atmosphere around them slowly disappears. He manages to give her a proper answer after a bout of banter and he also asks her about work.

The longer they chatted, the more they started to feel like their old selves. Or at least what they were like when they were with each other in the past. It seemed like second nature. Like an old habit that re-emerged after being buried deep within their souls after so long.

And all of Megan's worries and fears from before about this particular trip vanishes. She no longer cares about Logan, Odell, and Naia being there. All she has to do is stay out of their way and she'll get out of this trip in one piece. Truly, the only person that could make her realize that is someone like Jared.

There are friends like Jacob and Felicity who keep bugging her about going, and their reasoning is always the same. That the people she likes and are in good terms with outweigh those she dislikes and can't stand to be in the same room with. And she understands their concern, she really does. But in the back of her mind, she somehow already knows that. Since they repeated it over and over like some broken record, it further pushed her to not want to go.

She would say she has a cat-like personality. She only needs the right amount of persuasion in order to do something. Go a little overboard, she'll end up doing the opposite. Guess Jared never disappoints after all. Even if he isn't doing it on purpose, he has managed to bring her here.

"I've been meaning to ask you about something actually," she nervously states. Dear Lord, being with him is just bringing back all sorts of old memories. Some she remembers clearly, while others turn into these huge clouds of fog.

"Yeah?" he says, paying close attention to her. He hasn't held eye contact for more than three seconds since they talked. Now that they've been here for some time, it only feels right to look at her. Really look at her.

Plus, he needs to check whether or not she still has the same adorable flustered expression she used to have when they were younger.

"Yeah. About way back when we were kids." She bites her bottom lip and avoids his eyes.

He nods, trying to stop a smile from emerging on his face. If he recalls her old habit correctly, she's going to start doing the most random things with her lips. It's a sign that she's reached the peak of her nervousness.

"We were really close," her voice softens.

He hums in agreement. Any second now.

She bites her bottom lip yet again and then her upper lip, which quickly turns to fishy lips, and ends with her bottom lips sucking on her upper.

There it is. He grins without knowing.

"Do you remember what happened between us? Why we grew apart?" The question running through her mind finally releases itself out in the open.

Jared is taken aback for a moment. He was so focused on her old mannerisms that he didn't even expect a question so rousing to come from her. As his brain quickly flashes back to 2006, a nostalgic and sad smile appears on his face. "How could I possibly forget? You were the one who called it quits."