Raine says it's alright

"Honestly, I'm cool with being your side piece. Seriously, I'm just happy someone treats me this well. Beats dealing with Jeric. That dude thinks he's my boyfriend... Plus, I know he's been blabbing about how he got lucky with me. Probably even adding some extra spice to the story. Might be telling people he totally scored."

"So, how'd y'all even meet him? Jessica said he just rolled up to your crew 'cause he saw my bro with you guys," I continue the convo.

"Yeah, we actually became tight with Arcy first 'cause he's a guitarist. Pretty boy. Me, Jessica, and Kate were just drooling over him; we all had a crush on him! But he's super quiet, like he doesn't even speak. But man, he can shred on that guitar. Then one day, Jeric comes up to Arcy while we're all hanging out by the H.E building, trying to join our group with his rapping. And that's how it started... Every day, we'd chill there, and he'd show up too. He even brought some of his annoying friends from different sections. So, the three of us dragged Arcy away to avoid them. But Jeric got all pissed... He goes, 'Dude, you got three girls with you, man? Watch out, you might not make it out of Laurel, bro.' He started making threats. His buddies surrounded us and were about to go after Arcy. One of them even punched him," Lorraine says, making my blood boil.

"Wait, who hit my bro?" I cut her off, and she notices the change in my voice.

"My bro didn't tell me anything... You gotta tell me who did it. Point them out on Monday," I add.

"It was Brian... I think he's in the morning class."

"Was he your classmate last year?"

"No, he just enrolled this year. He wasn't even attending classes yet. They just barely passed the gate. Jeric's minions. The same guys who drank with me and Jessica at Jeric's house when he... you know. Those are the ones who surrounded us at H.E."

"How many were there?" I interrupt Lorraine again.

"Maybe six. I only remember Brian, then the guy they call Roxas, Jackson, William... I don't know the other two. But I'll recognize them in person."

"Alright, thanks... for telling me. I might not be tight with my bro, but I won't let this slide. We've grown apart 'cause I was in Pangasinan for two years. But when we were kids, we were inseparable. We'd go around playing games, and when he'd piss off someone and they'd come after him, I'd have his back. He's probably just too shy to tell me now. But I'll remind him I'm still his big bro. Tell me where Brian is on Monday."

"I think he's in the morning class too."

"Are you still classmates with Jessica?"

"Yeah, with Kate and Arcy in section 1. Jeric's in the afternoon class. And be careful, those guys are a bunch."

"Don't worry, I know them. I already scared them at Pritil earlier when I was with Kate heading to Divi. Jeric freaked out when I confronted them, his little buddies ran off... I can handle those chumps. One punch, and they'll be shaking."

"Hey, just be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, I got this. Just help me out on Monday. I'm gonna teach Brian a lesson."

I walked Lorraine home. She lives in the same apartment compound as Jessica. We chatted, joked around, and talked about the plan for Monday almost all night. We were in front of Jessica's place, and she even bought soft drinks, Pop Mega, and snacks, making it feel like a mini party. We packed up some snacks for Lorraine, but we ended up eating them ourselves. Lorraine has a lot of people living with her, extended family, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Lorraine's grandma, her mom's mom, lives with them too. They introduced me around, and I shook hands with everyone.

I barely slept when I got home. But I must've been exhausted because I eventually knocked out. The smell of coffee from the kitchen woke me up the next day.