....and chatting...

"Hey Chris, if Jennifer wasn't your cousin, would you ask her out?"

"Nah. She's two years older than me and she treats me like a little brother. We got close 'cause you guys ditched our group out of nowhere just 'cause there weren't any more group activities... You, Romalyn, and Geraldine," I recalled.

"Romalyn and Geraldine already had guys chasing after them, and those guys were jealous of you. I thought you were hitting on Jennifer too, so I felt out of place and drifted away."

"Then why does it seem like you and Jennifer have this cold war going on? Like you're always dissing each other?"

"Nothing like that. I was just jealous of you guys. Plus, I'm a bit insecure around Jennifer 'cause she's so pretty and has all these guys after her."

"You don't have to be insecure. Jennifer's already 15 and practically a young woman now, with older, bolder guys chasing her. Us, her classmates, we're still just kids. How could we compete?" Mags stayed quiet, sitting at the end of the couch with her legs tucked in. I was on the other end, sitting normally, trying not to look too much at Mags 'cause my eyes kept wandering to her shorts, which were bunched up in a way that made me uncomfortable. I didn't want to let any bad thoughts take over.

"Kid, huh? You did kiss me earlier," she said, dropping a bombshell. I had totally forgotten about that, and my heart started racing.

"Whhhhooooooossssss..."

The rain started pouring again, really coming down hard. No way I was getting home now, and Mags' dad wasn't back yet. I was stuck in a tricky situation again.

Zoned out...

When I got back to Kate's, Mang Cris said Kate had gone upstairs because she was really sick. He wanted to give me the egg pie I'd bought, but I refused, saying Kate could have it all since I sometimes get allergies. That's true; I found out in first year.

He lent me an umbrella to get back to my place, reminding me to come by tomorrow to meet Kuya Balong, who would take Kate. When the rain let up a bit, I started walking back.