Promise

10:19 A.M.

Gustin University.

July 7th, the year 2009. Tuesday.

***

"What if we make a promise?" Matthew suggested it to his best friends.

They were sitting in the school park at Gustin University. The park's filled with bushy trees and sturdy benches. The warm breeze of early July whistled across the surface.

The friends were still in their sophomore year in junior high school. The university they're admitted to was the largest in Manila.

"Promise of what?" Carmela asked while still reading the book that was sitting on her lap. She was a certified bookworm. If you asked her about any fictional characters, she knew it since she can finish a series in 2 weeks.

"Promise of friendship, you know, to make us stick together until the end?" Marcus disclosed, agreeing with Matthew's idea of promise.

"I agreed with what Matthew said," Marcus added. Zoey left her notes open while still looking at Marcus as he talked. She had a huge crush on him, but Marcus never even treated her as special to the others.

"Yes, I agree!" Mina hollered while playing some application on his laptop called Left 4 Dead. Zoey got confused about why Mina, a gay for starters, played some kind of manly games like Left 4 Dead. She's irritated whenever Mina would scream his throat out while playing.

"Mina, don't be so noisy this time," Katrina reminded him while writing some notes. She was also careful in her notes. Jotting down every important lecture her professor gave.

"Yes, madame!" Mina assured them and continued playing. A few moments later, Mina shrieked.

"Oh My God! The Zombies are multiplying! They're conquering me!" Mina yelled while rapidly clicking his mouse.

"Mina! You're so noisy!" Abbey shouted to Mina, then slapped him on his back.

"I reminded him not to be noisy," Katrina said, finally glancing at Mina, and glared.

"Yeah! We are thinking about a pledge here! There is a gay who is so noisy over that bench!" Matthew called out, annoyed.

"I'm sorry guys," Mina apologized as he closed his laptop.

"So, did you form something?" Zoey asked. Marcus looked at her, and for that split second their eyes met, Zoey got butterflies in her stomach.

"Nothing, I ran out of brain cells," Marcus said while shaking his head. Carmela sighed, then closed her book.

"The Promise that will never break. The promise that will stick us together until the end. A promise that lasts for a lifetime of friendship." Carmela went on in a monotonous tone. That surprised Zoey. Carmela was a quick and witty thinker, for starters.

"That's beautiful," Abbey agreed.

"Wish I were Carmela. She has more brain cells than me!" Mina exclaimed. They all laughed.

"That's it, that's our pledge," Matthew agreed.

"The pledge is nothing if we cannot do it. We need to keep it. Why not add some additional rules?" Marcus queried.

"Besides what Carmela said, let us all promise that we will not fight each other. Simple arguments will not ensue to each one of us, all right? Is it okay if we add this to the pledge?" Marcus asked everybody. They all nodded.

"Make sure that everyone here will not break that pledge," Matthew sought.

"You have your own decisions. But can we all promise that we're never going to break it?" Carmela fretted to her friends. She placed her hand on the center of the table, waiting for them to overlap her hand.

"We will not break it, I promise!" Abbey exclaimed, then placed her hand above Carmela.

"Me too!" Katrina giggled, then placed her two hands above Abbey.

"Let's all keep that promise!" Zoey chortled, then placed her hand above Katrina.

"Yeah!" Mina shouted and placed his hand above Zoey. Marcus and Matthew were laughing while placing their hands. They all shot their hands above the air and cried out. That's the promise that will never break.

* * *

Zoey got puzzled by Katrina's unkind actions towards Carmela. She got hired by Margo Monteverde as her personal assistant, what's so wrong with it? 

'She has so much ego in her heart. Katrina wants to prove that she is now an official actress of ASN Studios, so what? She doesn't even have lead roles yet.' Zoey thought, fuming over her best friend, Katrina.

The entire group's stunned. They couldn't believe that Katrina would do such a thing. They let the people gossip about the scene for a moment. Until Mina spoke up.

"Hey, you people! Stop taking videos! You don't know what happened! Go mind your own businesses!" Mina hollered over the people who circled their table. The people took their cellphones out, and they came back to their own seats. Marcus arrived, perplexed about what has happened.

He didn't witness the scene. Kingston Restaurant's comfort room was on the back. Marcus observed every one of his best friends. He's baffled about why Katrina departed without saying goodbye.

Carmela slumped back in her seat, placed her hand on her forehead, and took some time to cool off.

"Does anyone want to answer my question?" Marcus stammered, still confused. Zoey sighed, then answered her boyfriend.

"Katrina and Carmela got into a fight," Zoey revealed. She put her hands on her hips.

"What?!" Marcus burst.

"They got into a misunderstanding. It was an unexpected quarrel." Zoey mumbled, then looked at Carmela. She had seen that Carmela was crying. Zoey approached her for the meantime.

"Carmela?" Zoey called to her. Carmela continued her weeping. Zoey took a glimpse at everybody. She saw that her best friends' concerned with Carmela.

"Carmela, don't cry, please. It's not your fault that it happened," Zoey consoled her. She knew Carmela didn't have the intention to argue with Katrina. Carmela hastily wiped her tears and turned to everybody.

"We have a pledge, right? That everybody in this group will never fight, will never quarrel, or misunderstanding? What happened? Did Katrina not remember the pledge?" Carmela muttered, disappointment crossing over her face.

'The Promise that will never break. The promise that will stick us together until the end. A promise that lasts for a lifetime of our friendship.'

The pledge that they created when they were in their sophomore year in junior high school. 9 years for them to overcome any debacles about their friendship because of that pledge. But yet, this fight between Carmela and Katrina was the first one to occur.

Carmela scrutinized each of her best friends, reading their minds.

Marcus tried to understand what misunderstanding took place between Katrina and Carmela. But he was silent, still listening to the situation.

"Carmela, we are keeping the pledge close to our hearts. Maybe Katrina forgot it for a moment because anger is surging through her," Abbey chimed in.

"Yes, we will never break it," Matthew assured.

"Hey, I don't want to break a promise!" Mina declared. Zoey saw Carmela was holding back her tears.

"Carmela, I will never break that promise. I am nasty, yes, but I am not like this when I hang out with you guys, right?" Zoey beckoned, comforting Carmela. Silence followed for a moment, but Mina moved toward Carmela, shoving Abbey away.

He hugged her and whispered, "Yes, Carmela. Don't be too much of a drama, huh? Your beauty will wear off, eventually."

They all laughed as soon as Mina said that.

"Good vibes again, huh?" Mina reckoned, then hugged Carmela tightly on her waist.

"Sure! You all make me laugh so hard, especially you, Mina," Carmela whined, wiping her tears away.

"Wait, can anyone tell what happened here?" Marcus stuttered, still not getting a clue on what had happened.

"Hmph! Zoey, tell your boyfriend now," Mina replied, irritated by Marcus' questions.

"Later, when he approached me," Zoey blubbered while sulking, her shoulders down. She knew Marcus can't contain his anger towards her.

"Hey, bro! Approach your girlfriend now!" Matthew called out.

"Yeah, sure, let us reconcile," Marcus answered and Zoey suppressed a smile.

"I thought you two would break up after that brief argument. Hmph. My beauty faded this morning," Mina continued while fixing his hair. They all laughed again. The argument subsided right away.

"Enough of that nonsense. I'm puking," Abbey choked.

"Hey, the silent but terrible girl spoke up!" Matthew yelled.

"Hey, Abbey, you got back from the U.S., and you treat me like that?" Mina retorted, sad about Abbey's insult.

"Don't be so nonsensical! Carmela's exhausted, we need to go home!" Abbey breathed, then looked at Carmela. She was sulking, and her face looked exhausted.

"Let's go?" Zoey said to everybody.

"But before we left this restaurant, what was our pledge? Everybody must have forgotten that, like Katrina." Carmela huffed, then placed her hand on the center table.

"The Promise that will never break," Matthew muttered as she placed his hand above Carmela's.

"The Promise that will stick us together until the end." Abbey emitted as she placed her hand above Matthew's.

"The promise that lasts together for a lifetime of our friendship." Zoey trilled as she placed her hand above Abbey's.

"Yeah!" Marcus and Mina cried out as they placed their hands above Zoey at the same time. Their hands shot up into the air as the people around the restaurant watched what they were doing. They all stood up, and as promised, Abbey paid the bill over the counter.

They left the restaurant, but Zoey suddenly remembered that...

"I don't have a car," Zoey burst out.

"Zoey, we are together at Margo's place, right?, I insisted we don't bring our own cars," Mina explained. Marcus held Zoey's hand and said that he can ride her home.

"Who's going to be with me?" Matthew asked everybody.

"Me, Matthew. Katrina's not around, so it's my turn. Marcus's in a relationship, so I'm gonna go to the single ones," Mina yapped.

"Mina?" Zoey asked while fuming.

"Yeah, Zoey. I'm not gonna steal your ba--" Mina's interrupted by Zoey's glare.

"I'm not gonna steal Marcus, okay? DON'T WORRY," Mina emphasized.

"Enough of that, gonna go home, Hannah is waiting for me," Carmela said.

"I'll give you a ride, Carmela," Abbey muttered. 

"Mina and I are going, okay?" Matthew expressed with a goodbye.

Mina pecked everybody before leaving with Matthew. He waved while riding through the passenger seat of Matthew's car. Abbey and Carmela waved their goodbyes, and they left.

Zoey looked at Marcus and saw that he was looking somewhere. Zoey looked over, but she saw nothing important for Marcus to be observing it for a while. The sun had risen from the east, and the people were rushing to get to their own jobs. Zoey glanced at the time on her wristwatch.

08:45 A.M.

"Babe," Zoey called Marcus, but she didn't get his attention.

"Babe, babe," Zoey shook Marcus to get his attention from looking somewhere odd.

"Yeah?"

"What are you looking for? Is there something odd?" Zoey asked.

"It's nothing," Marcus said while swallowing. Zoey got puzzled by Marcus' face because he looked like he saw something frightening.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, don't worry, babe,"

"Let's go?"

Marcus nodded. He guided Zoey through the passenger seat of his car. Before Zoey could ride on, he gave a quick peck on Zoey's forehead. Marcus started the car and drove towards Bella's Main Highway.

Zoey observed his face for a moment. As she knew Marcus would hide nothing from her, she looked outside of the car windows. She watched as the cars zoomed in and out of her sight.