5 Bestfriend Benefit

"You need to get off that now Rhirhi, or you'll get yourself into trouble." Bianca playfully scolded her long time bestfriend who was bent down on her laptop with her chin on her right knee, wearing Harry Potter dark-rimmed, rounded glasses, a black tank top and shorts, hair in a simple ponytail and far from looking like one of the goddesses in the Philippine entertainment industry.

They were hanging out in Rhian's house and Rhian was using one of her secret Twitter and IG accounts again to defend Glaiza and Team Galura (Glaiza's management team mainly composed of immediate members of her family) from the many detractors they seem to be getting after that unfortunate article in one of the country's top online gossip magazine, PEP.ph. Glaiza was interviewed a few days before her concert and somehow there seemed to be two versions coming out in different news media outlets, one where Glaiza was quoted as thanking the LGBT fans they have amassed after TRMD for their support, and another where G was said to have described those same fans as "pushy gays" for pressuring her to be someone she's not, a le.sbian. And it was made as a freaking headline, bloody bast-erds, misquoting and over interpreting her girl. She bet Glaiza just meant that their fans were thirsty AF and wanted to RPS (Real People Shipping) them even if their show was over and she was having trouble keeping up to their demands without hom.ophobic tongues wagging in disapproval like the cavalry. Those naughty little rebels were indeed thirsty, taking after Rhian herself, the self-serving Captain. Rhian was proud of them, she thought. But she tried to re-route the raging and indignant gay's attention to her by being more active online and making funny jokes and even flirting with them so they will get their claws off Glaiza but to no avail. So on to plan B, the resurrection of her many saved and mostly anonymous accounts. It was fun really, defending G here and there, IG, Twitter, Facebook, she was getting the hang of it, just like playing her other favorite game, Clash of Clans, but in this game, it was G and Clan Galura versus the fandom and Rhian as the secret knight. Huh, whether in real life or in online games, I'm still cool and bad-ess ASF, Rhian contemplated.

RR: "I know, Biancs, but I just can't help but feel that I need to defend her because, we are a team in TRMD after all."

BK: "Right... Right, my friend, you are a team but if you ask me, some of these haters are kinda on point. I mean TG (Team Galura) seem to be newbies in this showbiz selling game or maybe they are trying to cover too much a.ss, Glaiza's perfect cute lil' a.ss, haha! And her mom seems to be following her around, right? Does she ever go anywhere without her mom? I don't think that's normal for a self-earning woman in her 20's, even under conservative Philippine standards, I mean how in the world will you ever get her alone and get your freak on now?"

She rolled her cute, rounded, model eyes and stuck her tongue out at her BFF. Bianca King was one of the hosts of a gossip show in another network and she was the long term bestfriend of Rhian. Rastro rebels even call her FGB or Fairy God Bestfriend for notoriously teasing the Rastro loveteam during interviews. Despite the fact that rivalry was strong among the country's major TV stations and ho.mophobia was predominant, she still managed to get interviews from the two girls, one each and then both, after the rebels requested and successfully trended the hashtags she put out. Cute little slaves, she thought. And she had not wasted time in teasing the heck out of the two during their interview at the last taping day of TRMD.

RR: "You got no chill sometimes, you know that?!"

BK: "I know, my dear and I am proud of it! FGB at your service!" She stood up and spilled some of the popcorn from her plastic bowl as she gave a mocking salute to Rhian.

RR: "Haha, and that is why we're bestfriends. We both know how great we are, yeah! But seriously, some people need to lay off on Glaiza and Team Galura. Responding with hate on their timelines and tweets, that's just so twisted. When G tries to be quiet, they keep accusing her of turning a blind eye and ordering her to explain, but when she addresses their demands to explain herself, they will just misinterpret her anyway. She should just close her beautiful mouth coz she really has no way of winning people who are already determined to hate her. As if these detractors never made mistakes in their lives and are just so fu.ckin perfect. I hate negativity. I mean, I get what they're fighting for. You know I'm all for equality and I would probably fight for it my whole life but bullying others for it is just plain wrong. You can't end bullying with more bullying!"

BK: "I know where you're coming from but don't you also agree that there are just some beliefs and religions that defy the laws of science and make you wonder how ignorant and politically incorrect people can be just to defend the ideas made by strangers who have been dead for centuries? Gays are in and should be widely accepted in these modern times. Heck, even iOS and apps have updates, why can't religious leaders upgrade their interpretation of their bibles and other holy books? I hate ignorance, it's the worst enemy."

RR: "Yeah, but you know what's worse than ignorant people? People who attack them. Whether or not we agree with the religious beliefs of others, that does not justify bullying and sending hate to them. Twitter calls that as targeted harassment. We can't possibly change people and their life-long ideas overnight, I mean, we can try, but not in a negative light, what works better is giving them understanding and patience, since we claim to be the more enlightened ones."

"Alright, Miss Chief Justice. Go ahead keep defending your in-laws and try to get on their good side, that way maybe you'll get to sleep with their princess someday. Just don't forget that you still have a boyfriend!" Bianca giggled and clapped her hands mockingly at her red-haired friend.

"Lunatic!" Rhian threw a pillow at Bianca. It had a pillowcase which had a Rastro and half a heart design. Glaiza had the other half, as given by their very cunning fans. "Seriously B, I really just wanna know her better. There's something about Glaiza's mysterious air that makes me curious and want to know more. She's also crazy, just like you and me. I promise she won't replace you as my bestfriend but I need you to evaporate during the sleepover, make some important excuse why you have to be out of town at the last minute, like your dog dying or something, so I can get her solo."

"Hey! Leave my pooches out of this, they're innocent, unlike you, you filthy lu.st-bian!" Bianca smacked R's butt with the Speed magazine which had the racer on the cover. "Admit it! You wanna sleep with her!"

"Geez! Am I that obvious?" Rhian smirked. "I don't wanna scare her away. I mean, I wanna befriend her deeper first..." She unconsciously li.cked the tip of her finger as her thoughts associated Glaiza with the word deeper. "That's why I told her it would be the three of us, so she would get the idea that it was a friendly sleepover and loose her guard and really show up."

"Oh please! Since the first time we met I knew you were queer after seeing you eyeing certain areas of my body like a hawk. Good thing I was quick to emphasize it to you that I'm straight. You ain't foolin me Ramos! I grew up in Germany and I also know you like the back of my hand. But you might wanna hold your horses when it comes to Glaiza, she seems reserved and who knows what's cooking on that weird mind, you might freak her out and loose her for good." Bianca surprisingly gave sound advice. "And I don't think you can get her drunk either, the only drink I ever saw her with is Yakult (a sort of Asian yogurt)."

"Don't be getting any crazy ideas that I'm still after your body parts, Bianca Charlotte King! That ship has sailed, you have lost your chance to tap this 8th wonder of the world (Points at her own body) and besides, I know you have stinky feet!" Rhian laughed.

"I most certainly don't! My feet smells heavenly and will soon find their way to your face if you don't shut up about it!" Bianca playfully complained. "I'm tired of having to haul your ess off whenever you get into one of your girl troubles, you female version of Casanova. Nadine and I are more stressed with your womanizing than with our own partners." Nadine Howell was Rhian's older sister who was married to a perfect husband but used to lie to their grandma and parents that the bras and other strange lady undergarments found in Rhian's bedroom were hers instead of owned by the girls that the racer sneaked into her room. That was before she went out of the closet, of course. Now, almost everyone in her family covers for her as she entered the celebrity world.

"Chill! I'm not gonna do anything crazy, I just wanna befriend Glaiza because it seems like the natural thing to do after we just had a soap together. After all, it's not every day that I get a loveteam where we both belong to the same s.ex. Gotta take care of the fans and nurture this opportunity to form a good friendship." Rhian tried to convince Bianca and herself.

"You sure? Because Glaiza is my business partner and you're my bestfriend. It will be very counterproductive for me if both of you get into trouble. Hey, do you even have any idea why I jumped into the opportunity of co-owning Runner's Kitchen when my 360 running buddies told me about it?" Bianca asked Rhian seriously now.

"Because you're greedy and want more money?" Rhian joked.

"Rude." Bianca gave out her famous pout.

"Because you're a natural born business tycoon?" Rhian tried to make amends.

"That's better." The older model and actress smiled and gave her younger bestfriend a short hug and a pat on her newly-dyed red hair. "But the other reason was because I was curious and wanted to protect you from your own feelings. After your soap Stairway to Heaven I noticed that you kept talking and praising all things Glaiza. You never talked like that about all your other girlfriends, or any other girl or boy or person for that matter. I knew you were developing a crush on her which I thought was dangerous coz you were both very much in the limelight with your budding careers, and I heard about how strictly religious her family was, even to the point of requesting the FHM magazine people to take her out of the hot 100 list when most of us are even baring our souls trying to get in on that list. I thought it was my chance to get to know what her deal was and why you were so smitten with her and of course my innate love for gossip and controversy also played a big role, I must admit."

"What, no. You're so overestimating this whole situation, it's just a crush.." Rhian defended herself. "You people are so extra, heck, I wouldn't be surprised if the reason why my cousin Matt (Chef Henares) works in Runner's Kitchen is because Uncle Ronnie planted him there!"

"Don't be so selfish Rhian. If you can't think about yourself, think about Glaiza. It hasn't been easy for her jumping from network to network just to get to where she is now. I don't mean to imply that you didn't work hard yourself to get this famous but let's face it, you're one of the princesses of GMA, if not for your latest movie (Silong), you wouldn't even get caught stepping into the floors of ABSCBN. Or think about the lengths your aunt and uncle had to go through to protect the Rhian Ramos brand!" Bianca ranted.

Rhian gaped at her blabbering bestfriend as muddy memories of the past frolicked through her mind.

-----

"Stop seeing that guy!" Ida Ramos Henares, then Assistant Vice President of GMA and present time head of GMA Artist Center, scolded her niece. Her sister and Rhian's mom, Clara Ramos Howell was also there at her office.

It was a stressful day. Her attention had just been called out by some members of the press who claimed to be on "their side" about some news about "kissing pictures" of Rhian with a certain guy named PJ.

"I'm sorry, tita (Filipino term for aunt). I wanted to, really, but I can't." A then teenage Rhian whined nervously while biting her nails. "He might destroy me. He knows something."

Ida could feel fumes rising and trying to come out her ears and other holes in her head, but she had to compose herself. She had a very big and responsible position and members of the media were there with them, so she called on her assistant, "Jenny could you please escort our very sweet gentlemen and ladies to our VIP room and treat them to a snack of imported cookies and wine that Ronnie and I just bought from Australia? Thank you."

After Jenny efficiently hustled the very curious press to the other room, the GMA VP finally let her top explode and yelled at Rhian, "What do you mean destroy you? What secret? My goodness, Rhian Denise! Do you know how hard your uncle and I have worked for you and what careers we have sacrificed? Clara, is this about her problem again, that tomboy thing, Jesus Christ!" She turned her wrath on her sister who looked as uncomfortable and red as a grilled tomato.

It wasn't the first time that Ida was faced with the dilemma of having to use her expertise in press relations and industry manipulation in order to save her niece whom, if not for her sexuality confusion, had a very promising career. Ida was very cutthroat when it comes to handling these sort of things. She was known and respected as the big shark by her contemporaries. Well, she did not become VP of the biggest network in the country by just baking cookies and sending out holiday greeting cards. She was fierce and when it comes to family, she was unstoppable.

Previously, Rhian had broken up with her secret fling who was a female DJ and she showed her immaturity by drinking herself insane and going wild inside the radio station where her ex-gf worked. So to cover the issue, Ida had to order some people to send emails to some media outlets and pretend to be concerned fans of Rhian who saw and can "verify" her dating a popular guy named Jeremy who was also linked to another guy and using his boyfriend's funds to date Rhian. Indeed the made up issue proved to be more controversial and was successful in swerving the gossip from the real story of Rhian the lesb.ian gone wild.

Now here they were again in another unfortunate family reunion to solve the unconventional problems of the most precious troublemaker in the tribe. She was sure there was another girl behind this debacle again, knowing her niece.

"Tita, please don't blame my mom. It's not her fault that I feel like this. I just can't help it... I wrote a letter to someone... a girl... a love letter, actually... and PJ saw it... he got angry and threatened to tell everyone on me if I stop seeing him..." Rhian pleaded and looked down shamefacedly.

"And who is this lucky girl, may I ask darling Whiwhi?" Ida asked sarcastically but in a mockingly sweet way while trying to keep from getting cross-eyed with rage.

Rhian hesitated for a moment until finally looking up timidly and saying in the tiniest voice," Glaiza..."

"Glaiza? You mean Glaiza de Castro your co-star in Stairway? Great. Of all girls you could have picked, you get a crush on one of our own talents and very much in the eye of the public. Do you wanna destroy her career that she worked hard for unlike you, privileged princess? If you care for her, keep your tongue in your mouth and never tell her how you feel." Ida threw her hand in the air in despair as she saw that the young girl was now hunched up on her table crying. "Well, hush now, little one. We will fix this, as I always do. I will cook up something really big that will confirm to the world how much of a heterosexual you are that we never have to worry of anyone even suspecting that you play for the same team. Just you wait and see. Give me time... and you also do your job, okay? Keep dating boys, my girl."

Clara choked on the tea she was drinking as she looked up in mild disgust at her very brilliant sister who was maneuvering her baby's life as if it was some chess game. Well, that was awkward. But she will support everything for Rhian's career and dreams as long as it doesn't damage her daughter, well, not that much anyway.

"Hey, hey, hey, fam! Who's hungry? I brought waffles!" Ronnie Henares, Ida's jolly husband and Rhian's talent manager, barged in on the door and saved the day.

A few months after that, Rhian got a call from her aunt.

"Hey, darling, I just want to tell you good job. The issue about you and that DJ, Mo Twister is everywhere on the news. They now see you as straight as a ruler. Nevermind that I had to pay that closeted f.ag.got to pretend as your player boyfriend and then he spread the rumor that you had an abo.rtion when I wouldn't pay him anymore, but nobody would believe him anyway. What would retain in people's minds is that you are straight. Don't worry your uncle and I have already lined up some endorsements and other major projects for you for damage control. We got this. Oh and that YouTube video of you kissing him on the bed was golden. But really, can't you control your boyish nature for a bit, it looked like you were the guy when you attacked and kissed him. " Her aunt chirped like an excited vulture on the other end of the line.

Rhian was just starring at the ceiling and never heard a word her aunt said on the phone. Was all the effort even worth it? She doesn't even care anymore. She had forgotten all about Glaiza. She had to after hearing the news that her former crush had finally confirmed that she was dating Patrick Garcia.

-------

Rhian's thoughts were brought back to the present when Bianca smacked her arm and told her that Jason was calling on the phone. It was probably to confirm their lunch date.

"Answer him for me, will you? Tell him that I'm already in the shower." The red-haired racer sighed in exasperation as her friend gave her a scolding look but still took her phone to answer her boyfriend.

Jason was the son of a rich Chinese family whom she met through one of her racing friends. He was also a racer, a car aficionado and was really a very nice guy who would readily go out of his way for her. They had started out as friends but finally they agreed to give their relationship a try since they couldn't help it anymore. It was already necessary for him coz the poor guy was smitten and necessary for her coz she wanted to give her being straight a try as well. Bise.xual, panse.xual, ho.mo, whatever she was, it's not like there's some crash course about it or a book titled "Le.sbi.anism for Dummies" but she still hold some hope that maybe, just maybe she can turn the way she cares for boys into the same intensity that she feels for girls. Jason probably didn't know about Rhian's stronger preference but knew that what she felt for him was less than what he felt for her but was gallant enough to be patient and determined to try and make her really love him in the long run.

"Hey Romeo, I asked when are you planning to have that sleepover with your Juliet so I can schedule my vacation that time. There you go, I'm agreeing to this stupid game. Don't say I never care for you." Bianca snapped her fingers in front of Rhian's face.

"Thanks, Biancs! I was thinking, this weekend, I am free that time and Glaiza texted that she didn't have a gig until Sunday afternoon. Plus, my mom have some deliveries to do out of town for her dried fish business that time and my dad is in the UK so it will just be me, Glaiza, and my very deaf Grandma who sleeps early, in the house." Rhian jumped up with delight.

"Oh my God, Rhian don't ra.pe Glaiza okay?!" Bianca pretended to cover her mouth scandalously.

"Of course not, silly! And don't talk about it like that. Ra.pe is not a joke. It is a very serious crime. You can be assured that I will treat G with the utmost respect. Whatever she decides to do will be based on her own freewill and my very powerful sense of persuasion." Rhian laughed and bowed mockingly at the TV host.

"Why, of course, it will just be a friendly slumber party right, among friends, like you and Glaiza." Bianca winked.

"Actually, I don't wanna be her friend; I wanna kiss her neck. But yeah." Rhian gave it a very serious thought.

"Oh my! You are worse than I thought! Go take a shower!" Bianca snickered and whipped Rhian's butt with the Rastro pillow all the way to the bathroom door.