HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT (ENGLISH)

Katrina and Eunice approached her with smiles, seemingly giddy on her behalf.

"Your 'my loves' is on the way," Eunice whispered, because Brent was nearby, engrossed in his comics.

The four of them were gathered under a large tree in the vacant lot, their usual meeting spot as a group of friends. The six of them were childhood friends who lived close to each other. They were just waiting for the last two, Nick and Joe.

Three of them were girls and two were boys—yes, only two boys, because Joe was gay and the loudest among them.

She quickly grabbed her comb and mirror, fixing her hair, which wasn't even messy to begin with. They were all high school students attending the same school. Only she and Brent were classmates; the others were in different sections.

She placed the comb and mirror back into her small shoulder bag and waited for Joe and Nick to arrive. The girls were seated on a large fallen tree trunk while Brent was perched up in the tree, still absorbed in his comics.

They soon spotted their two friends approaching on bicycles. The three girls exchanged glances and smiles, but hers faded as the bikes drew nearer—Nick had a girl riding with him.

Nick and Joe quickly reached them, parking their bikes. Nick put his arm around the girl who had been with him.

"Have you been here long, girls?" Joe teased loudly, looking up at Brent in the tree.

Brent jumped down to join them. Nobody spoke as they all stared at the girl Nick had his arm around.

"Oh, this is Fay, my girlfriend," Nick said with a smile, introducing the girl.

Her young heart suddenly ached. She wanted to cry but held it in. She observed the girl Nick introduced. She was pretty, but just from her looks, she could tell she was flirtatious.

"Hi!" the girl greeted cheerfully.

"Hi, I'm Brent," Brent introduced himself when none of the girls responded.

Brent extended his hand toward Nick's girlfriend. Fay gazed at him with dreamy eyes. She didn't know why, but she felt the girl's smile was flirtatious.

Actually, Brent was more handsome than Nick, but Nick had a way with words that won him girlfriends. Brent, on the other hand, could be moody and reserved, and she was the only one who understood his quirks because they were the closest in the group.

Her brows furrowed as she noticed Fay trying to act cute around Brent, even with her boyfriend beside her. She also saw the disapproval on her other friends Katrina and Eunice's faces.

"Ola! These are our lovely besties—Katrina, Eunice, and, of course, the most beautiful of them all, Zyline!" Their gay friend Joe's loud voice startled them all.

They reluctantly shook hands with Nick's new girlfriend. She was probably the fifth girlfriend Nick had introduced to them.

"Oh, girls, help me spread out this mat over there so we can have a picnic vibe. We brought food too," Joe said suddenly, heading toward the tree.

Eunice and Katrina immediately followed. She, however, remained rooted in place. She was about to excuse herself and claim a headache—especially seeing how sweet Nick and his girlfriend were being—but Brent spoke first.

"Joe, can I borrow your bike? Zy and I are just going for a ride," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her toward Joe's bike.

She couldn't say a word and simply followed.

"Hey, you two! Is there something going on that you're not telling us?" Joe teased, pausing in his task.

Nick and his girlfriend looked in their direction.

"Yeah, come on, spill it! Let's all be happy-happy!" Nick chimed in.

Her face twisted at their teasing remarks.

"You guys are nuts!" Brent laughed, motioning for her to get on the bike.

Their two female friends didn't say a word because they already knew who she truly liked.

She got on the bike, sitting in front of Brent. Still, she remained silent. Brent started pedaling. She didn't know where they were going, but she didn't care. She'd go anywhere as long as she wasn't there, risking an emotional breakdown.

"You okay?" Brent asked suddenly.

"Yep," she replied briefly.

She closed her eyes, feeling the wind on her face as they rode around the subdivision.

Even without her saying it, she knew Brent understood her deep feelings for Nick. She suspected he had taken her on this bike ride because he saw she was on the verge of tears earlier.

Though she hadn't told him, Brent knew everything she felt.

She looked up at her friend's face, focused on the road ahead.

Why couldn't she just like Brent instead? He was so handsome. Sure, Nick was fair-skinned, but he wasn't that good-looking. Brent, on the other hand, had mestizo features, thanks to his foreign father, who now lived abroad with his new family.

Brent's parents had never married and had separated long ago. His father married someone, while his mother worked overseas. Brent had been left in the care of his aunt, who had her own family.

"Done yet?" he asked, still looking at the road.

"Huh?" she asked, confused, still gazing up at his face.

"Done admiring my good looks?" he teased, lowering his gaze toward her with playful eyes.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Conceited," she muttered softly.

He just laughed, turning his focus back to the road. Soon, he started singing softly—Bituin Escalante's Kung Ako Na Lang Sana.

She smiled and joined in. They sang other songs too, laughing because both were out of tune.

By the time they returned to their hangout, she was smiling again. They approached their friends hand in hand, drawing everyone's attention. Fay raised an eyebrow at them.

"Well, well! I've long suspected these two!" Joe clapped enthusiastically.

She noticed Nick staring intently at their joined hands. She and Brent glanced at each other before bursting into laughter. They sat down together, sharing the food Brent had gotten for them.

Everyone else just watched as Brent fed her a bite of food. Smiling, she opened her mouth and ate it, and they laughed together once more.