First Day of On-the-Job Training.
It was Monday—our first day of On-the-Job Training—so Mitch and I arrived early at the TV station where we were assigned. That's also where we were supposed to meet Zette.
"Where's the record you need to submit to the Manager?" I asked Mitch, noticing she wasn't carrying a folder like I was.
"I put it in Zette's folder last Friday. I was worried it might get folded or that I'd forget where I left it. I figured it was safer with her since I didn't see you carrying a folder that day."
"I had mine; it was just inside my backpack. There's a folder compartment, so I didn't need to carry it separately. I'm holding it now just to remind myself that I still need to sign it," I explained.
I had already filled out the form—only my signature was missing.
"Zette is taking so long. She probably overslept again!"
"She's on her way. She's too excited about the first day to be late. This is Zette we're talking about!"
When Zette arrived, we all went upstairs and looked for the person in charge of the interns. We also met some students from other schools.
For our first day, we were asked to observe how things worked inside and outside the studio—from live news coverage to editing news footage.
"This is exhausting, even though we're not really doing anything," I muttered.
"I know, right? I feel the same way," Zette added.
"It's tiring because we're just standing around, and on top of that, we're bored since we can't do anything. You just want to jump in and help the production staff, but you're not allowed to. So frustrating!" Mitch groaned.
We talked about our day while riding the jeepney home. Since we were assigned to the night shift for news gathering, we were sent home early to rest.
When we arrived at Mitch's house, we cooked and ate together. We hadn't had a proper lunch—only sandwiches—because the production staff was too busy. We couldn't excuse ourselves to eat while they were rushing around, so we ended up eating the same sandwiches they gave us.
"So, what do we do now? Our first night shift isn't until tomorrow, and the station manager already counted our attendance for today," Zette asked while picking apart the chicken wings we were having for dinner.
I had cooked chicken adobo—it was the quickest dish to make.
"I'm up for whatever you guys want to do," I replied.
"I don't have any ideas; that's why I'm asking," Zette said.
"What about you, Mitch?" I turned to her.
"Laze around?" she suggested, making all three of us burst into laughter.
We took our time eating, chatting while eating with our hands.
"Oh, wait! We still have dessert in the fridge!" Mitch suddenly remembered while grabbing a pitcher of water.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Chocolate jelly roll!" she said as she pulled it out.
We devoured the dessert, then cleaned up the table before going our separate ways.
Mitch ended up falling asleep, Zette stayed in the living room watching TV, and I decided to call Georje.
Me: Hello. Good afternoon. May I speak with Georje?
Woman's voice: Hold on, I'll call him.
Me: Thank you.
Woman's voice: Who should I say is calling?
Me: Lui.
Georje: Hello?
Me: Hey! How are you? Did I disturb you?
Georje: I'm okay. Not at all. Don't you have work?
Me: I do, but we already went to the station, and they sent us home early since our shift isn't until tomorrow night.
Georje: Huh? Why night shift? Where were you assigned?
Me: News gathering for Ang Balita Ngayon News.
Georje: That's going to be a lot of late nights. Where are you now?
Me: At Mitch's house.
Georje: Oh, okay. I'll come over.
Me: Are you sure? You're not busy?
Georje: Nope. I'll just take a shower, then I'll head over.
Me: Okay, see you.
Georje: See you.
Three hours later, Georje arrived and found Mitch and Kim flirting in the living room while watching TV. Zette had already left a few minutes before Kim arrived.
"Lui! Georje is here! Go see him—he might have fallen asleep waiting for you," Mitch teased, pointing toward the room.
"Alright, thanks."
Knock, knock, knock.
Georje slowly turned the doorknob and peeked inside. He saw me lying down with my eyes closed, but he wasn't sure if I was asleep because I had my earphones on.
"Lui? Hey! Are you awake?" I sensed someone speaking, so I opened my eyes.
"Hey! Have you been here long? I thought you weren't coming anymore."
"I just got here. Didn't I say I'd come see you?"
"You took so long! How was I supposed to know if you'd still come or not?"
"I got delayed, but I'm here now. You're going to bed early, huh?"
"I really admire how graceful you are. Look, I even fell asleep waiting for you," I teased him.
"I'm sorry," he said sweetly.
"Oh wow! Is that really you? Are you okay?" He furrowed his brows, clearly confused.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because this is the first time, I've seen you being affectionate!" I said, just as he kissed me after apologizing.
"What did I do?"
"I don't know. Come on, let's go out and find something to eat." I got up first, walked out, and opened the door.
"You haven't eaten yet?" he asked, following me.
"I ate earlier when I called you, but now I'm hungry again."
"Did you guys eat already?" I asked the lovebirds in the living room.
"Yup! There's food over there—I cooked. You were asleep when I checked on you, so I didn't want to wake you," Mitch said.
"I waited so long for someone who took forever to arrive. I even thought they weren't coming anymore," I said, throwing a glance at Georje.
"Oh no, you're in trouble now!" Mitch teased, while Kim laughed beside him. We all ended up laughing at Mitch's antics.
"Have you seen Ali again?" Georje asked as I grabbed some utensils.
"No. How about you?"
"Yeah, yesterday. He asked about you. I thought he'd call or meet you."
"Why?"
"You know how he is with you—he still worries."
"Speaking of Ali, there's something you never told me. I just remembered it now. I finally figured out why your lip got busted," I said, smiling at him. He just nodded.
"Okay, let's not talk about that anymore. He was right anyway—just let it go."
"Yeah, right."
"Aren't you jealous of him? I mean, with how Ali treats me?" I finally asked the question I had been meaning to ask.
"No."
"Seriously?" I asked, surprised.
"Yeah. I know how close you two are, even way back then. I see how Ali treats you, just like he does his sister and cousins. So, I don't mind him being a clingy friend to you anymore."
"Well, that explains a lot! I'm just glad that never became an issue between us—it would've been such a hassle," I said as we continued eating. Then, we cleaned up and washed the dishes.
Out on the terrace, I told him everything that had happened to me over the past few weeks. He stayed silent as I spoke. I told him not to go home and to leave with me the next day instead.
"Sorry, I was speechless while listening to your story. My mind just went haywire for a moment," he admitted while we were lying down.
"It's okay. Everyone I told had the same reaction—VM, Nika, Mitch, Ali. I haven't told Zette yet since she wasn't around when Mitch and I talked."
"How are you feeling now?"
"I don't know. I mean, I'm still struggling to understand and accept it all."
"I get it, Lui. It's not easy. But you have your trusted friends, and you have me too. We're all here for you if you need us."
"Really? Thanks, if that's true!"
"Uh-huh."
We stared at each other until, before I knew it, our lips met. We ended up in another intimate moment together.
The next day, I woke up late because we stayed up until dawn. It wasn't a big deal anyway since our shift wouldn't start until six in the evening.
During lunch, Mitch and I ate together, minus Kim, who had already left for work in the morning.
Georje and I acted normally—we were used to being around each other, even after our intimate moments.
After cleaning the kitchen, I went back to bed, wanting to enjoy the rest while I could. I knew that from today onward, my days and nights would be flipped.
Mitch did the same, so the whole house was quiet. Meanwhile, Georje followed me.
"What time does your shift end?"
"They said it depends, especially if the news coverage is out of town. But if it's within the city, it's usually around six or seven a.m. the next day."
"Can you handle that?"
"I have to—otherwise, I won't graduate. And anyway, our schedule won't stay like this once we're assigned to radio or print. It all depends on where we get placed next."
"Oh, I can already see it—you're going to smoke even more."
"Oh, come on! You met me as a smoker. I never hid that from you. There's nothing you can do about it—it's part of my life."
"I know, but you do realize that smoking is bad for your health, right?" he said gently.
"Yeah, right. And so is alcohol," I shot back.
"You know that, yet you still drink often too."
"Shut up!"
"Fine."
"See? That's better—you're easy to talk to!"
By 4 p.m., we all left the house. Mitch and I headed to the station, while Georje went home.
Time went by quickly as we enjoyed our first night of news gathering. We covered plenty of police reports, including car accidents, minor crimes, and other incidents that happened overnight.
There was never a dull moment—we were wide awake the entire time because, for us, it was an adventure, and we were thrilled to learn new things. It was so different from the theories we studied in class compared to the actual experience of gathering news.
We didn't mind the exhaustion or the sleepless night because we were all genuinely enjoying what we were doing. Days and weeks passed by quickly, and since I started my internship, I had been spending more time with Georje. That's when I found out the truth—he had stopped studying due to financial problems.
That's why he and Kim often hung out at Mitch's place. Amal, on the other hand, rarely showed up, but I knew she still kept tabs on my life because she found out that I had a boyfriend. That made things even harder for me because I was forbidden from continuing my relationship with Georje.
I couldn't understand why they were trying to dictate my life. They didn't even have a say in how my family was set up, yet they wanted to control my personal life. Worse, my siblings were also mad at me for not telling them about what was happening with our parents.
Unable to endure their hurtful words any longer, I formally said goodbye to VM, Nika, and my grandmother, then moved to an apartment where my older siblings wouldn't be able to contact me. I decided to move in with Mitch since my family didn't know who he was or where he lived.
"Thank you for understanding me. It's just too hard when they suddenly call just to lash out at me," I told VM and Nika before carrying the last box filled with my books. The three of us hugged before I finally left.
"All set?" Ali asked as he looked at me.
"Yeah. Let's go!" I asked him to help me move my things since he had a car.
Roy had volunteered, but it was different when Ali helped. Georje was with us as well. I didn't have too much stuff, so we managed to fit everything in one trip, though the trunk was crammed, and I even had some of my things beside me in the backseat.
"Let's stop somewhere to grab lunch. I'm too lazy to cook today," I told them.
"Where do you want to eat?" Ali asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.
"You guys? What do you feel like eating? My treat."
"Oh yeah! Pasta and pizza," he answered without hesitation.
"Alright, let's go!"
"Yes!" he cheered like a kid being promised a new toy.
"It's a shame Jed isn't here. I miss that guy."
"Don't worry, he'll make it up to us. He just can't leave his mom right now. His sister had to go somewhere, so he's the only one who can stay with Auntie," Ali explained.
"Ali, come with me so we can order faster," I said, grabbing my sling bag from Georje.
"You're good here, right?" I asked him as he sat in the passenger seat.
"Yeah."
"Okay. Ali is quicker at ordering food than you. You barely even talk," I teased before giving him a gentle pinch on the arm.
"Are we getting drinks here too" Ali asked when we entered the mall.
"Yeah, let's order food first, then we'll get drinks after."
"Good. But if you're thinking about getting something with alcohol, please don't get that deadly vodka paired with beer, okay? I'm begging you, Lui," he pleaded, making me laugh.
"Why are you laughing? I'm serious."
"Alright, alright! I wasn't even planning on that. Just something to relax after all the moving."
"Wow, nice excuse!" he said, shaking me by the shoulders as he laughed.
We didn't have to wait long for our food since it was still early and the restaurants weren't crowded. Our orders were prepared quickly.
"Mitch! We're here!" I called out as we walked in, carrying our takeout. Georje followed behind me, holding my backpack and the drinks we bought earlier.
"Nice! You even brought takeout!" Mitch greeted, taking the bags from me.
"Of course! This way, we don't have to bother cooking. We still have to unload my things from the car."
"Good point," Mitch agreed.
Mitch and Georje exchanged greetings when Mitch noticed him behind me. We unloaded my belongings from the car, piling some in my room and leaving others in the living room for now. Then, we all ate together.
"I kinda miss the apartment," I blurted out after taking a swig of beer.
"You lived there for a long time, so you've made a lot of memories," Mitch said from across the table.
"If it weren't for my chaotic family, I wouldn't have left. But it just became too suffocating," I admitted, my eyes welling up as I stared off into the distance.
"You can always visit. I know it's not just the place you miss, but also the people who live there," Georje said as he gently rubbed my back to comfort me.
"But I'm happy here too. That's why I'm really grateful you took me in," I said, looking at Mitch.
"Of course, I wanted you here. I got used to always having you around. Enough drama, Lui," he said before we high-fived and laughed together. Georje and Ali just shook their heads at our antics. We only had a little to drink since we still needed to organize my stuff, and Ali had to drive.
"Alright, I'll head out now. Thanks for the full tank, the food, and the drinks," Ali said as we hugged goodbye.
"Take care. Mitch, thanks. Call me anytime, okay?" Mitch just gave him a thumbs-up and smiled.
"I should be the one thanking you. Drive safe. Let me know when you get home, okay?" I reminded him as we walked outside, his arm draped over my shoulder.
"Bro, take care of her," he told Georje before letting go of me, giving Mitch a quick nod, and patting him on the shoulder.
Georje and I continued organizing my things in my room while Mitch took care of the dishes and the glasses we used.