PROLOGUE

"Hey, who's that?," I asked because he was still focused on his cellphone while I was talking to it. He suddenly jumped and shouted for joy. "Why are yo—"

"We're official. She answered me just now. I'm happy Mn," he said and fixed himself. That means the person he texted with a while ago is Zenith. It looks like my heart broke into pieces because of that news.

He is happy while I am...

..hurting. Merda! Why not me?

"Hey, aren't you happy for me?"

"No—I mean yes, I'm happy for you. Congrats!" I tried my best to stimulate my voice and I forced myself to smiled at him. He stared at me and his eyes were diminished. His eyebrows also converge as if he was checking if I am saying the truth. The bell rang and it meant the recess had ended.

Save by the bell.

"Let's go," I said and first walked.

⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳

11 months later...

"Manang Eve, where's Ni?"

"He's outside of the village. He was talking to his girlfriend," she answered.

"Ok. Thank you. I gotta go, manang."

"Ok. Take care."

I and Ni live in the same village. Our house is proportional to each other. I used my bike instead of calling manong Jerry to drive me.

"Are you going out, Nese?" Kuya Ed asked me. He is the security guard of the village. "Yes, kuya Ed. Did you see Ni?"

"Yes, I saw him. He is outside," he answered and he opened the gate. I went out and saw Ni in the distance. The woman's face is familiar to me. Oh, it's Zenith. What are they talking about?

I parked my bike and slowly walked towards them. I was one meter away from them.

"Zen, do we have to do this? We don't need to end our relationship just because you're going to New York," Ni said with an angry face.

"We're both suffering in a long distance relationship. We don't know the circumstances when day, month, or year passed," Zenith said and began to cry.

"You who have said, we don't know the circumstances. Please, don't break up with me. I love you, Zen. I don't want to lose you. Please, don't end our relationship," Ni said while sobbing.

I touched my chest where my heart was. It was heavy. I am hurt by what I see. I saw Zenith shake her head at what she heard as she wiped away her tears. "I love you Nick. But we need to end this. I don't know how long we are there or maybe we we're no longer back."

*Beep*Beep*

Zenith removed Nick's hand that was holding her left hand.

"Please, don't do this to me Zen," Ni begged Zenith. "I'm sorry." Before she entered the car she mouthed 'take care of him' to me. I just nodded to her.

"Zen! Zen!," Ni shouted as he chased the car away.

My tears fell. "N-Ni."

He sat on the side of the road and ruffled his own hair. I ran towards him. "Ni," I mumbled his name. He looked at me. He stood up and embraced me. "She leaves me, Mn," he said while crying.

"Shh..I'm here. I will never leave you."

Why not me?

Why not me, Ni?