Smash to the Heart

Aerin's POV

I had just finished my practice and was heading to the usual spot where I meet my friends. As I turned the corner, I could already hear Soleil’s laugh ringing through the air.

“Babe, di ko na kaya!” Soleil dramatically wailed, and I could just imagine her throwing herself at Galey, who was probably rolling her eyes by now.

“Huh? You don't have any energy?” Galey’s calm voice cut through the noise. “Soleil, ‘di ba’t ikaw yung laging ‘I got this’?”

Jex, who was leaning against a tree and looking like she’d rather be anywhere else, sighed. “Ganyan na naman sila. Parang nasa movie, pero hindi cute.”

Soleil smirked, pulling away from Galey. “Jealous?”

“Pffft, please. Hindi ako jealous,” Jex shot back. “Mas gusto ko na lang ng peace.”

I rolled my eyes and walked over to them. “Really? Parang may ongoing teleserye na ‘to.”

“’Yun nga eh,” Soleil said, grinning as she sat on the bench beside Galey. “Minsan lang kasi magpakatotoo ‘yung bestfriend ko, kailangan i-appreciate!”

Galey just gave her a long, amused look. “Minsan lang, ‘no.”

I sat down beside them, leaning back on the bench. “Alright, but kung magka-crush na kayo, ‘wag naman yung magpapublic display of affection, ‘no?”

Soleil put her arm around Galey’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Oh my god, ‘di na ba ‘to public enough?” she teased.

“Ano ba yan! Please lang,” Jex groaned, rubbing her temples. “Ayoko na, baka magka-ulcer ako kakapanood ng ganyan.”

“Pero seryoso, Aerin,” Soleil started, her tone turning a little more serious but still playful. “Kailan ba tayo magkakaroon ng love life?”

I shot her a deadpan stare. “Love life? Really? Sino ba ang may time magka-love life?”

“Dude, ikaw? Wala ka bang crush?” Soleil asked, raising an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes again. “Masyado na kayong interestes sa love life ko. Tapos 'di ba ako ‘yung laging inaasar?”

“Eh, kasi ikaw lang ‘yung wala,” Jex said, looking at me from over her crossed arms.

“I don’t need a love life to be happy, okay? Kahit ikaw naman, Jex! Wala ka rin naman.” I shot back.

"Eh kasi, wala naman akong pake sa mga ganyan. You do you." Jex replied.

“Baka kailangan mo lang ng ‘di malupit na buhay,” Soleil teased.

“Psh, hindi ko na kailangan ng ‘di malupit na buhay, okay lang ako,” I replied, not really caring if they kept teasing me about that.

Soleil snickered. “Sabagay. Pero serious, we’re all waiting for your big love story.”

“Huh? Big love story?” I laughed bitterly. “You guys are weird.”

“Pero we love you,” Galey said with a grin, giving me a nudge.

“Yeah, yeah. You guys are the weirdest family,” I said with a smile. I really meant it, though. 

They were all so different, but in a way, they balanced each other out.

“Okay, okay, enough of that,” Jex interrupted, her tone more serious now. “Let’s just go eat. I’m starving.”

I stood up, brushing off the dust from my shorts. “Sure, I’m in. But no more talk about crushes or love lives, okay?”

Soleil grinned and hooked her arm with mine. “You’re not getting away that easily, Aerin. May pag-uusapan pa tayo.”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll just listen to your nonsense,” I sighed dramatically.

“Yasss!” Soleil cheered.

We walked toward the cafeteria together, the sound of our laughter and teasing filling the air. 

Honestly, even though I wasn’t exactly in the mood for drama, being with these three felt like home. 

They were my best friends, and no matter how much they annoyed me or made me question my life, I couldn’t imagine my days without them.

I gave a half-smile, glancing at the three of them. If anything, they made me feel like I wasn’t alone, even when the world was chaotic.

Soleil, still grinning, turned to me. “Don’t worry, Aerin. We’ll always be here for your ‘big love story’ whenever it happens.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please, no more ‘big love stories,’ alright?”

But even though I said that, part of me couldn’t help but wonder. Maybe someday, somewhere, I’d be a part of one of those stories they kept talking about.

—

After we finished goofing off at the cafeteria, we all decided to hit the gym for some post-training cool down. 

The gym was buzzing with energy, as usual, but not the kind of energy that made you excited—it was the kind that made you just want to curl up in a corner and sleep for a week.

Galey, always serious about her workouts, was already stretching by the corner of the court. 

She was known for her discipline, and her basketball drills were almost as meticulous as her study habits. 

Her long limbs seemed to stretch forever as she reached for her toes, and I couldn’t help but admire how focused she was, even when we were just chilling after practice.

Soleil, on the other hand, was doing her usual routine—flipping her hair, cracking jokes, and pretending like she didn’t care about the fact that she was a freaking track star. 

She was a sprinter, always fast, always on the move. You’d never guess she could run that fast by the way she acted, but trust me, her speed in the 100-meter dash was no joke.

I walked over to the mat, dropping my bag, and started stretching. My sport? Tennis, obviously. 

And although I never liked to show off, there was a certain joy I found in every swing of my racket, every perfect serve. 

Today’s training had been brutal, with Coach always pushing me to work on my endurance. 

He’s been drilling me on keeping my focus longer, making me run drills I wasn’t even sure were necessary. 

But I guess that’s what it took if I wanted to make it to the top.

“Hoy, Aerin, mag warm-up ka na,” Jex called from the other end of the gym, her voice cutting through the noise of the room.

I glanced at her and saw her setting up her badminton net. 

Jex was always super serious about her training, just like Galey. 

She’s one of the best in her sport—badminton, which took a lot of agility and quick reflexes. 

It wasn’t a sport you could just show up to and hope to win. 

Every shuttlecock had to be perfectly placed, and she never missed a shot, or at least, she never showed it when she did.

“Hindi ko pa tapos eh,” I said, still stretching my hamstrings.

“Eh ano? Kailangan mo mag practice,” she teased, her smirk growing as she lightly tossed a shuttlecock in the air and effortlessly sent it flying across the net. 

It was almost like she wasn’t even trying.

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help but smile. “Baka nga.”

I finished my stretch, then made my way over to the practice area. Soleil was now pretending to race, her arms flailing dramatically as she jogged in place. "Look, Aerin! I’m training for the Olympics!"

“Pati ikaw, ha?” I couldn’t help but laugh. 

She always found a way to make fun of everything, even her own training.

I picked up my racket and casually practiced some serves, but I couldn’t help but glance back at Jex.

 She was so focused, so controlled, her movements clean and precise. 

There was something about the way she trained that made it look effortless—though I knew it wasn’t. 

Badminton required lightning-fast reflexes and incredible speed, just like track, but in a smaller space.

Soleil nudged me. “O, di ba, one day magka-team tayo sa mga tournaments, track at tennis. Pag nagtulungan tayo, we’ll be unstoppable.”

I just shot her a look. “Ang lakas naman ng loob mo magsalita ng ganun, eh parang na-aano na ako sa sarili ko.”

“Pfft, hindi nga,” she laughed, waving me off. “Ang galing mo kaya! You know what you’re doing.”

“Nambola pa,” I said chuckling.

“Pero sa’yo, Aerin, perfect na perfect ‘yung swing mo,” Galey suddenly said from across the gym. “Ang galing mong mag-serve.”

I smiled at her compliment, though I didn’t let it get to my head. “You’re just saying that ‘cause we’re friends.”

“Basta,” she said, “I mean it.”

We continued our practice, switching to a different set of drills. 

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy being around these girls. 

Whether we were training or just messing around, there was always this sense of comfort with them, like I didn’t have to put up walls. 
They were my people, my team.

After about an hour, we all took a break, leaning against the wall and sipping water.

“I swear, Aerin,” Soleil said between gulps, “ang sarap mag-train kapag kasama ‘yung mga people na chill lang. Alam mo yun?”

I nodded. “Oo, I get it. Training’s harder when you’re alone. You can’t push yourself the same way.”

“Yeah,” Galey added, “but it’s different when we’re all here. There’s a balance. We all push each other, but in our own ways.”

“Like how you push us to be better in basketball,” Jex said, winking at Galey. “Or how Soleil pushes us to laugh even when we’re dead tired.”

Soleil flashed a grin. “I have my talents.”

I looked at the three of them. “Well, I’m just happy I don’t have to deal with all that solo training anymore. I’ve got my squad.”

“Squad goals,” Soleil said with a dramatic wink, raising her water bottle in the air like she was toasting us.

“Dahil d’yan, ikaw ang magtutulungan sa pag-order ng pagkain mamaya,” Galey said with a smirk. “Kailangan ko ng something cheesy after all this running.”

“I’m in!” Soleil grinned back at her. “Lalaban na naman tayo sa food delivery!”

We spent the rest of the evening together, cracking jokes, talking about our practices, and planning the next hangout. I couldn’t help but feel grateful for these girls. 

They were more than just teammates—they were my family, the ones who knew exactly how to keep me grounded when the world felt a little too heavy. 

And even if they teased me about my love life (or lack thereof), I knew I could count on them for everything else.