Chapter 1
**
Serafine had always thought of Hero as her rock, her best friend—the one person who could make her laugh when everything else felt heavy. Their bond was unbreakable, or so she thought. But somewhere along the way, Hero’s affection for her had shifted from innocent admiration to something more intense.
At first, it was subtle. Little things—lingering glances, the way his hands would brush against hers, the way his voice would catch when he spoke her name. It should have been flattering, but instead, it made her uneasy. Serafine, for all her confidence, had always been a bit of a skeptic when it came to love. And Hero's obsession? It was suffocating.
Serafine could see the signs before they became unbearable. He started showing up unannounced, reading too much into her words, and making her feel like she was the center of his world in a way that no one should ever have to feel.
One evening, as they sat under the old Narra tree where they'd shared countless conversations, Serafine made a decision. She couldn’t let it go any further—not when it felt like the very thing she loved about their friendship was slipping through her fingers.
"Hero," she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside, "I think we need to stop."
He stared at her, confusion clouding his eyes. "What do you mean? We're fine, Aleyah. We're meant to be together. You know that."
Serafine swallowed hard, her heart heavy but resolute. "I love you Hero pero nakakasakal na..i thought nung sinagot kita it was the best decision i have made pero mali pala ako...I'm sorry pero we better off as friends""
The silence between them stretched on forever.
And with that, Serafine ended it—before it could destroy everything they once had.
Serafine stared blankly at her phone, her heart still raw from the decision she had made just hours ago. Breaking up with Hero—the childhood best friend who had loved her for as long as she could remember—felt like a knife to her chest. But it was the right thing to do, she kept telling herself. He deserved someone who could give him everything she couldn’t.
Pucha bakit ba humantong sa ganito - ni hindi niya magawang umiyak sa ngayon. Hindi pa nagsisink in sa buong sistema niya. 12 years ng pagkakaibigan nasira lang ng 8 buwan na relasyon.
Paano ko sasabihin sa mga kaibigan ko na hiwalay na kami?
Paano ko haharapin si Tita Lilian at sasabihin na sinaktan ko ang anak niya?
She's hurt pero mas nananaig sakanya ang takot na may gawin si Hero na masama sarili niya and she can not forgive herself pag nangyari yun.
The morning light filtered through the curtains, but Serafine barely noticed. Her body felt heavy, her head clouded with the remnants of yesterday's heartbreak. The pain in her chest hadn't faded overnight, and today, it felt worse. Every inch of her wanted to stay curled up under the blankets, hidden from the world.
But she had no choice.
With a sigh, Serafine swung her legs off the bed, the cold floor sending a shiver through her. She stared at the clock on her nightstand—it was almost time to get ready for school.
Namamaga ang mata niya pero kelangan niya pumasok. Broken hearted siya pero yung quizzes sa isang major subject niya ay hindi pwedeng ipagpaliban.
She arrived 10 mins early at their classroom. Her classmates were already there scanning their notes, sa sobrang tutok ng mga ito ay hindi nila napansin ang pagdating niya.
Hindi na siya nag abala pa na buksan ang notes niya, kahit hindi siya mag-aral ay alam niyang may isasagot siya.
"Sera gisingggg andito na si Prof. Emilio" nakaramdam siya ng mahinang tapik, shoot nakatulog pala siya.
"Okay ka lang ba Serababes?" may pag-aalalang tanong sakanya ni Margaret. Sa group of friends niya, tanging si Marga lang ang kaklase niya sa major subject na ito.
"Masama lang gising ko" pag sisinungaling niya. Tinaasan siya nito ng kilay, alam niyang hindi naniniwala ang kaibigan niya sa palusot niya. Well totoo naman talaga na masama pakiramdam niya pero mas may malalim na rason pa ito. Tinanguan lang siya ni Marga pero may pagbabanta pa rin ang tingin na sinasabi na hindi ito naniniwala sa rason niya.
Out of 30 questions sa quiz, dalawa ang mali niya. Not bad. Mabuti nalang nakapag-aral siya bago niya pa mapag desisyonan na makipag hiwalay sa boyfriend niya. If this is a normal day malamang ipagyayabang niya kay Margaret na dalawa lang ang mali niya.
"Nasa cafeteria daw sila Sage, tara" tahimik niyang iniligpit ang gamit niya at lumabas ng classroom kasama ang kaibigan niya.
Maybe 5 steps before they reached the cafeteria, Margaret stopped her "Hep waiiiiit okay ka lang ba talaga? Ako naninibago sayo eh hindi ikaw si Serafine Aleyah na nakilala ko"
She rolled her eyes napaka OA talaga ng babae na 'to. "I'm not okay pero mamaya ko na sasabihin sa caf para isang kwentuhan nalang. Nakakapagod magsalita eh"
As we walked into the cafeteria, we spotted Amara, Sage and Jill sitting together at our usual table, and their eyes immediately locked onto me as I approached.
"Serafine... you okay?" Amara asked, her voice filled with concern. She studied me carefully, her gaze soft but knowing.
I wanted to shrug it off, tell them everything was fine, but the words caught in my throat. Hindi ko ako titigilan ng mga to hanggat hindi ako magshare sakanila and what's the point na itatago ko na break na kami ni Hero?
I avoided looking directly at them for a moment, my fingers running along the edge of table. "I broke up with Hero," I finally said, my voice quieter than I intended. The words hung in the air, almost surreal. The four of them froze for a second. Lahat sila nagulat sa sinabi ko, Close din naman sila kay Hero kahit papaano lalo na si Sage because they were cousins.
"Wait—what?" Jill’s voice dropped an octave, her eyes wide. "But... you two were, like, inseparable. You’ve known each other since forever!"
"Omg kaya pala kagabi nagyaya ng inuman si Kuya Hero, I told him na hindi ako pwede. Shocks naguilty ako bigla" napakamot nalang sa ulo si Sage at agad kinuha ang phone nito para imessage ang pinsan
"If it's okay to ask, what happened? I mean we thought okay kayo kasi hindi ka naman nagshishare saamin" tanong ni Marga, yeah it's true hindi siya nagshishare sa mga kabigan niya kasi akala niya kaya pang masolusyunan.
Kwinento niya lahat maski yung time na muntik pa siya mapagbuhatan ng kamay ni Hero sa kadahilanang nagseselos ito sa kaklase niya na inabutan lang naman siya ng tubig sa P.E class nila. Dati kinikilig pa siya kapag nagseselos ang boyfriend niya pero nung tumagal masyado na siyang nasasakal kasi ultimo schoolmate na makasalubong niya sa hallway na ngingitian siya ay pagseselosan nito at mauuwi sa away.
I let out a slow breath, trying to steady my voice. "It’s been building up for a while. I couldn’t keep pretending, and I couldn’t keep hurting him. He deserves someone who can actually love him the way he loves me. Natatakot din ako na kung patatagalin pa namin ay baka masaktan niya na talaga ako physically"
”Ako na ang hihingi ng pasensya in behalf of my cousin. Wala akong kinakampihan ha. Pero alam ko na tama ang ginawa mong desisyon” ani ni Sage
Amara reached out and placed a hand on mine, squeezing it gently. "We get it, Serafine," she said quietly. "That’s a lot. But if you need anything, we’re here for you, okay?"
I looked up at them, all of them offering me small, but genuine smiles. I hadn’t realized how much I needed their support until this moment.
I nodded, managing a small, shaky smile. "Thanks, guys. I don’t know what I’d do without you."