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A two-hour ride till we reach Taytay... Depending on the traffic, it could be increased to another couple of minutes.

Imagine...

The long drive...

The fatigue from having to walk and keeping up with their energy...

It was an absolutely draining experience.

Yet, with a glimpse of her face leaning on my shoulders, sleeping like a baby. I can't seem to find myself tired from all these troubles. Suddenly, I heard my phone ring while it was inside my bag. I found myself dealing with such hardship because I might wake her up. Gently, I stretched out my hand inside my bag and grabbed my phone.

When I checked who it was, it was my mom. She also left some messages just in case I couldn't reply to her messages.

"Where are you?"

"Are you going to be late?"

"Should I lock the door? Do you have your keys?"

"Just call me later if you have already read my messages."

"Take care, my precious baby."

Many will agree, especially my age, which is 17 years old. We find ourselves embarrassed to show our affection towards our parents. Obviously, it's because we want to preserve our image of being someone we want others to see. Because what we want others to think is different from how we act.

And I must agree... I am one of those people who find myself embarrassed when I receive treatments like this. Specifically, when my friends are around, and as I said, I have an image to preserve and have them know a side where this is present. It would affect how others would see me. It is possible that being affectionate with your parents would be a subject of bullying.

Trust me... No one wants to be bullied because not only will it slowly deteriorate your confidence. But it would also be a subject for losing some of your friends.

Yet, with all this male bravado, I still manage to keep showering my parents with attention. Letting them know about the events in my life. Even when it comes to who I have my eyes on. They're updated about everything, although when it comes to partying. I must scratch that one out.

As funny as it may, being a minor who likes to party is a subject of much societal bashing. I've heard of many name-callings when I started to drink alcohol and smoke at such a young age. Yes, I had already seen it coming, especially when you live in a country where crab mentality exists.

An addict...

Society's scum...

Trash...

Piece of crap...

It was a common point of view for people my age to be called this. However, ladies have it more troublesome because not only are they degraded for it, they are tarnishing their entire humanity. Still, with all these vices, we manage to focus on our studies and not let them ruin our future. This is the sole reason why my parents don't find my doings as a means to destroy my life.

However, they still remind me from time to time how it could damage my health. And believe me, I still give it that much thought. But I still don't find myself stopping shortly.

I texted back and updated my mom about my whereabouts. I also told her that I had something that I wanted to talk to her about later. After a few stops, Augustine and the two had already reached their destination. What could I do? When I was left to take care of the four...

Considering that only a few kilometers left before the bus arrive at Sunville in Taytay. My phoned notif suddenly was filled, and it rang nonstop. When I checked, it was the three bastards who left me with these four ladies.

"Good luck, Leo!!!" Augustine sent paired with a crying emoji and a heart.

"Take care of them for us, baby!" Chance chipped in by sending a kiss emoji.

Calliber sent a photo, but because I didn't have internet. I couldn't see what it was. However, Augustine and Chance reacted with a heart, so I felt that there was something behind the picture. So I asked Zachairy if she had a hotspot I could connect to for a few seconds just to check. As she opened her hotspot and told me the password, I immediately checked what they sent.

Just as I thought!

It was the picture of Serene and me.

"DELETE THE PHOTO!" I responded to our group chat. "I swear to whoever that bastard is if I see this photo again. You know what will happen," Enraged, they had the comply. Because I never made a joke about my threats once. They knew how serious I could be when there was something I thought would affect me.

Although it was clear to Serene that she seemed to mind, that was not enough reason for them to snap pictures of us. Especially while we're on a public bus.

"Yeah, we already deleted the photo. Don't worry! We just wanted to show it to you first. But... there might have been a problem..." Calliber responded to my message. "Remember how our phone has airdrop? It turned out that Zachairy was also using one. So the photos were accidentally sent to her," I wanted to erupt because this was why I told them not to take pictures of us.

Other people seeing it would probably create issues, and her school life could be ruined by rumors spreading. They knew how tainted with many my name has, and having a new student involved with me would only bring her trouble. Yes, I ain't that popular. But I somehow became famous overnight as a cheating bastard because of one girl who spread lies about us.

Keep in mind, I didn't know who the hell was that girl in the first place. Yet, rumors spread like wildfire during my junior year. They knew that, but they still didn't listen. So I had no choice but to ask Zachairy to delete the photos before anyone could see them.

"Zachairy... Could I ask you to see your airdrop photos?" Confused, she asked why. "Well, the three idiots accidentally sent you a picture of Serene and me," She already understood what I meant, so she checked to see it. "Oh, how cute!" I don't know what to feel...

Should I feel flustered or mad? Mixed emotions flowed through my mind because of what a single photo could bring.

"Why would you want to delete such a cute photo tho? I mean, there's nothing wrong with this. You actually looked like a good guy here for letting someone rest on your shoulders for hours without flinching," She reassured me and asked why I wanted it deleted. "It's actually quite romantic, to be honest. It wasn't even an entire day when you knew each other, but she found you comfortable enough to rest her head on your shoulder," She added.

"She could lose her peaceful school life if that picture ever spreads," I knew from her eyes that she wanted to ask me about it. And why I am so terrified of others seeing a picture that doesn't seem to have any underlying meaning. " I am still not comfortable talking about it, but maybe in the future. I'll tell you the reason personally," I responded, and Zachairy agreed without asking further questions.

"Thank you..." She went back to sleep while the other girls were also resting. Serene is still lying on my shoulder, resting as if a little baby. Without any worries, I suddenly had this temptation to squeeze her plump cheeks. She looked like a hamster with her chubby cheeks.

Two more stops and I'll be reaching my destination. Yet, Serene hasn't woken up. So I gently squeezed her cheeks and whispered to her ears that I was getting off at the next stop. She just gave me a hint of a smile, then went back to sleep.

Finally, my mother called me again, and the ringing woke her up.

"Where are we?" She asked as her eyes were swollen from resting. "Taytay. I'm almost near my stop. Would you be alright if I left?" I responded, worried about her. "OH! I'M SO SORRY! I TOOK TOO MUCH OF YOUR TIME! YES, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ME!" She was flustered and embarrassed for sleeping too long.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Then, it's my stop. Take care and see you tomorrow," I went off and watched the bus take off. Serene peeked out the window and waved goodbye to me.

Her lips said...

"Thank you, Leon."

What a tiring day it is today. Yet, it was also an enjoyable experience. My mother would be glad to hear about the events for today. Although, panic attacks began to resurface earlier. I was able to hold out and prevent it from happening. As I arrived at the terminal for the shuttle leading to our house, I waited for five minutes more.

-AT MY HOUSE-

Before I could even enter the gate, my mother was already outside waiting for me to arrive. She was smiling at me, and I somehow found myself questioning.

"So... Who is this wonderful lady?" She knew...