A Trip to Pico de Loro

2 months had passed and there’s nothing new about my life. The routine was still the same, I will go to school, go home, talk to Travis. My parents and I were on good terms but the closure was fading. We tried to talk about this one time, but they just ended up fighting.

They weren’t fighting but they weren’t talking. I just felt kinda sad, because I found myself not wanting to be with them anymore. All I hear in this house were screams. Every time I hear screams, fights, arguments, it triggers me. I don’t know, but those fights make me upset, annoyed, to the point where I just cover my ears with my palms just to not hear their fights.

“Have you reviewed?” Sab asked me when I sat behind her, she turned around to face me. It was our first day of the Exam. We have 2 subjects to take on 1st Day, 3 subjects on 2nd Day and 3 subjects on the Last Day. We have to take English and Math Today.

“In English, no. I just practice solving in Math. How about you?” She grimaced and slowly shook her head.

“I’m not a grade conscious like you, though…” We both chuckled at what she had said. Yeah, she doesn’t care if she got a low grade, she wouldn’t cry like me. I would literally cry if I get a line of 8. No one’s pressuring me but I like to maintain my grades because it satisfies me in the end.

Well, she is indeed smart. She never fails, and I admire her for that.

Minutes had passed, the Examination started. When I got the test paper, my mouth was about to tear because of the extent of the smile. I know all of these! I finished English within 15 minutes.

“Everyone who’s finished with English can now proceed to Math, so you can have a lot of time to answer and solve the problems.”

So then I proceed to Math. I didn't have a hard time answering because I knew all the questions, so I finished quickly.

I examined the whole room, as usual, it’s too quiet when it’s Examination Day. I guess we’re around 26, all girls. One seat apart. The boys are separated, they are in the other room.

“That was easy!” Travis said when we’re eating. We’re at the Coffee Shop right now, planning where should we go after the Exam. We agreed with him because it was really easy.

We took the test on the second day, it’s quite hard because most of the tests are identical. After the test, we reviewed the subjects we are taking on the last day at the Coffee Shop. And after that, we already got home. We planned that after the Examination, we would go to Pico de Loro. We planned to go at night so it would be more fun. So we can watch the stars, and wait until the sun rises. As well as the sunset. We want to see every single detail of that while talking about our lives, dreams, and love life. Some people might laugh at us, we’re too young for this, we’re too young for love. Who would believe that young people fall in love?

They need to realize that maturity does not come at what age you are, people become mature because of the experience, trauma, pain, and some people at a young age grew up young without even realizing it. And some people who are mature choose to open their eyes to what reality looks like, we can’t be a kid forever, even if we wish to.

I went to school earlier in the morning, They aren’t here yet, that’s why I went to the library to review my notes. This is the last day, finally. I reviewed for almost 30 minutes, after fixing my things, I went straight to our room. In a few minutes, the Examination will start. Sab was already there and I sat behind her.

“You arrived just now?”

“I was at the library.” She nodded. Exactly as I sat down, the teacher assigned to watch over us arrived. Time passed quickly until we finished taking the exam.

“Finally!” We said in chorus. I let out a deep sigh. Yes, we can finally enjoy the weekend. We just talked a bit and we already said goodbyes, so we can prepare. We would go around 12 midnight.

When I stepped into the house, I immediately felt a familiar feeling, heavy.

It’s been months, the house is still quiet. I felt sad but I immediately ignored it as well.

It’s just 2:00 in the afternoon, I decided to take a nap so I can have energy later. I don't have to worry about the things and clothes to wear because I fixed them last night. I already told my parents about this, and they agreed easily. I was wondering because they are really strict when it comes to having a trip. But I just ignored the thought and be happy instead, even if something still bothers me.

I woke up to the sound of the alarm, I was a bit shocked when I saw the time. It already 7:00 in the evening and I alarmed around 5:00 pm. I’ve checked some messages and replied.

I’ve read in our Group Chat that Marcus’ Dad will be with us since one of us doesn’t have a license.

The plan was I would go to Sabrina’s house, so it would be easy for them to fetch us. It wasn’t a problem because it’s just walking distance to Sabrina’s house. I decided to go to my parent’s room, I want to tell them about the trip. Every step I take I feel nervous, I am nervous and scared that I might hear things I don’t need to hear.

I tried to knock thrice but no one answered.

“Mom… Dad…” I tried to raise my voice a bit, so they can hear me.

I was about to knock again, but Mommy appeared in front of me. She was smiling at me but her eyes were swollen. She greeted me with a hug, which I quickly accepted. This, I miss this. I miss her warm hugs. “I miss you, Briana… Mommy missed you so much,” She whispered as we were in the middle of a hug.

“I miss you, too. Mom.”

Dad was already asleep, that’s why I only said goodbye to Mom. I started eating downstairs, then washed the plate as well. I also cleaned up a bit, so that there was no housework left for them. I know they are already tired.

I rested for a while before finally getting ready.

“They’re here!” Sabrina said with excitement in her voice. I’ve waited at her house for almost 30 minutes. I can feel my excitement when I hear the horn of their car. We already said goodbye to Sab’s Mom before going out. She also told us to stay safe and gave us advice. She also reminded us about so many things, and we just agreed and listened to her.

When we saw Marcus’ Daddy, we immediately waved and greeted him. It wouldn't happen if he's not with us.

“We’re thankful you that you’re with us, thank you, Sir. We appreciate you.”I said politely while there was a smile on my lips.

“There’s no problem with that, I want you all to enjoy your teenage years. If you become an adult, you can barely do that with your friends. Because, you know, if you’re already an adult, you might have kids, you have a lot of things to do, like work. And you’re schedule might not be the same with them, you may not be free when they’re free.” We agreed while nodding our heads. My smile widened, even more, when I saw the two men, they were walking towards us.

“Let’s go?” We all nodded. Travis and Marcus took our bags, that full of clothes, and put them in the car.

I was about to get in, but I felt an arm snaked around my waist. I was a bit shocked when I looked at him.

“I missed you,” He whispered in my ears. He pulled me closer and sniffed the top of my hair.

“You smell good…” I couldn’t help but smile, it was one of the compliments I’ve ever heard.

I also wrapped my hand around him, pulling him into a tight hug. “I missed you,” I pressed my face to his neck.

I slipped out of the hug and looked at him. He's still looking at me intently.

“This would be a great weekend…” Because I am with you. I can finally feel at home.