Our Cornelia Street

I was sitting by the window, smoking, when Rindy entered our apartment. "Have you read my message?" She asked, crunching her nose as the smoke from cigarette stick go to her direction.

"What message?" I shoot the cigarette on the bird's nest on the tree outside.

"I need a favor." She put her bag down. "Mali, make it two favors."

"I'm listening." I said as I was ready to light another stick of cigarette, which she immediately grabbed from my hand.

"I need you to stop smoking inside. Ate Nala gets mad at me every time you smoke here. Sabi nya pasaway daw tayo."

Ate Nala would get more mad if she realizes that I buy my sticks from her 17 year old son. Rindy put both my cigarette and the lighter in pocket. My heart broke for that now-useless stick of cigarette.

"Fine. What's the other one?" I looked outside and saw Robi, Ate Nala's only son. "PUBG na, Robi!" He mouthed tangina ka, andyan si mama.

Rindy let out a deep sigh, "Please don't be mad at me." There, she got my attention.

"Rindy ano'ng ginawa mo?" I stood up, ready to pinch her.

She covered her face with her arms, "I might have lost another bet with Russel and this time he wants to have dinner with you."

"Puta naman, Rindy. Hindi ka pa ba tumigil dyan sa bet-bet na yan kay Russel? Sa susunod anong hihingiin ng Russel na yan, makipagsex ako sa kanya, worse makipagsex ka sa kanya?"

"Whoooo! Sex pa more!" Robi shouted from the next room. I slammed the door.

Russel, that asshole. He and Rindy plays this stupid game. They bet on who's going to have higher sales at the end of the month. Whoever lose, needs to do what the winner asks. If the loser failed to do the task, they need to do the monthly report of the winner. They've been on it for three semesters now.

"Dinner lang, I promise." Rindy removed her arms from covering her face. "Please... Mabigat yung report that I need to do kung hindi ka makikipagdinner kay Russel." She sobs.

"Please din, Rindy. Wag mo akong daanin sa iyak." I walked to my cabinet and opened it. "Bakit kasi ako pa? Ang dami mo namang kaibigan."

"I don't know. You're the most elusive among my friends. He told me he wants to meet you." Rindy said. Suddenly her tone changed to a livelier one, "So, are you looking for clothes na? Go shower na. I'll look for you, and text Russel."

"You will pay for our Netflix subscription for the next three months. Seryoso ako." I said as I walked towards the shower.

"Love?" A guy in plain navy blue shirt approached me while I was smoking outside the diner. He smells nice.

I threw the stick on the nearest trashbin, "Loveia," I shook his hand. "Russel."

"Shall we go inside?" We started to walk towards the door of the diner.

"Of course. Let's get this over with."

He stopped walking. "Really, Love?" He stepped back. "You're still mad about what happened in college?" He said in a mocking voice, almost frustrated.

Calmly, I stepped closer to Russel. "Anong sinasabi mo? Nothing happened in college."

"Talaga? Nothing? But why are you acting cold towards me?"

"Ano'ng gusto mong gawin ko? Maging masaya ngayong kasama kita? Maging malambing sayo?" I tried to be calm. Mind you, this confrontation is three years in the making. "Look, Russ. I'm not your girl. I was never your girl. Don't expect me to be happy around you."

Rindy got out of her car, confused. "You guys knew each other? Russ? Love?"

•••

It was raining that afternoon, and I forgot to bring my umbrella.

I was trying my luck to catch a tricycle outside the library, good thing, I was the only person waiting for one to pass by. Although, I know there's only a 15% chance that I'll be able to ride one because it's already past 6pm. The rain continued to pour harder.

I live inside the campus, therefore my only choice then was to run under the rain. If I do that, my books and laptop would be soaked. Technically, I don't have a choice but to wait.

Then, the light went out. Blackout.

"Great, just great." I mumbled under my breathe. "I guess I have no choice."

I was ready to run for my life and risk it all when someone spoke. "Miss, do you need a lift?"

I immediately turned on my phone. My other hand slowly searched for the pepperspray I've always kept. Through the light from my phone, I looked at him. I knew I've seen that face somewhere. It took me some seconds before I recalled where did I see him. Ahhh, yes. This guy is the university president's grandson. The annoying prick on the diner that my classmates were talking about. Russel Alexie De Luna.

Kids, don't do what I did because I have no choice back then. If only I knew what would have happened a year and a half later, I would run for my life, even if it would cost me my books and my laptop, besides I have all of files uploaded to the cloud backup.

And so, I got into his car.

"Thank you, kuya." My right hand was still inside my bag, holding the pepperspray. "You can drop me off at Cornelia Street. I can run from there. Salamat po ulit."

Without looking at me, he said, "Alright."

Awkward silence. So I tried to engage in smalltalk, "Do you think there's a storm?"

"Uhh," his eyes still on the road. "I've seen the news last night and there is, actually." Then he looked at me for a second, "Don't you have a television in your apartment?"

"Wala, sir. Hindi naman kami RK." I jokingly said.

He didn't retort and focused on the dark road instead. As he should.

When we stopped at my street, the rain was still pouring hard.

"Ang lakas pa din ng ulan." He looked at me. "May payong ka bang dala? Kung wala, I can lend you mine."

"I'm alright. I can run from here. About 50 meters lang naman po kuya."

"Are you sure? You have a laptop and books with you right?" He was already handing me the umbrella. "I insist. Isoli mo na lang sa guard, sabihin mo na lang sa akin yung payong."

"Sige po." I grabbed the umbrella with both hands. "Thank you po ulit. Ingat kayo."

Then, I got out of his car then walked towards my apartment. The lights were back. "Thank you, Mama Mary. You kept me safe."

"Oh, ginabi ka yata?" Dionne said as she put candles and lighter in her cabinet. "Buti hindi ka nabasa."

I run towards her. Held both arms. "You wouldn't believe what just happened." I could almost feel that my eyeballs were about to drop. My nails pressed deeper on her skin.

"Aray naman!" She pulled away from my grasp. "Mapanakit much? Ano ba nangyari?"

"Nakasakay ako sa car sa pag-uwi ko."

"And what about it?" Dionne snorted.

I grinned. "The important thing is, who. Go, ask me who drove me home."

Then I knew, I got her attention. "Fuck you, who is it?"

"Russel De L—",

"Oh my god, bitch!!! What?!" She screamed. No, we're both screaming. "The Russel De Luna drove you home?!" She continued screaming. "Oh, my god, Jesus. Nakakakilig! Ugh!"

When she calmed down, she sat down, still grinning, and grabbed her phone.

"Oh, god. No. Oh, my god." She mumbled.

"Hindi ka pa din maka-get over, sis?" I giggled, still giddy that a super-rich-super-famous-guy drove me home and I have his umbrella.

"Fuckkkkkk."

"Huy, bakit? Ano ba yan? Florentino Files ba yan?" I asked her. She looked at me with dead eyes. Worried sick, I grabbed her phone. And read what was on the screen.

I thought she received a bad news from her family. But no, it was from Florentino Files, the screen showed a blurry photo of a girl in our uniform, coming out of a black Mercedes-Benz. Her face was covered with a red umbrella. In Cornelia Street.

Before my legs softened, I looked at the umbrella by the door, still dripping wet. Color red, like blood.

"I'm a dead meat."

FLORENTINO FILES

11/28/20XX • 7:35 PM

LOOK: A girl wearing our university school uniform was photographed getting out of RADeL's Benz. Who could it be? What is her relationship with HIM? And the audacity! 🤬

613 Likes • 52 Comments • 34 Shares