Chapter 1: Sa Unang Pagkikita
"Pinky Promise"
I never thought a boy with a mamon and broken shoelaces would be the one I'd hold on to the longest.
Minsan, kahit gaano ka pa katapang, may mga taong darating sa buhay mo na kayang tunawin lahat ng pader na itinayo mo. And for me, that person came with a quiet smile, a crumpled lunchbox, and a santan flower behind his ear.
That memory always hits me the hardest—yung unang beses na may nag-alok sa'kin ng mamon habang nagtatago ako sa santan bush.
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Nagsimula ang lahat sa isang santan bush sa tabi ng lumang gate ng elementary school. Seven years old pa lang si Leigh noon—maikli ang buhok, may sugat sa tuhod, at laging galit kapag hindi siya nauuna sa pila sa recess. Isa rin sa mga dahilan kung bakit wala siyang kaibigan. Shawn, on the other hand, was the quiet, transfer student who always brought an extra baon.
Isang araw, pumunta si Leigh sa lumang gate at nagtago sa mga santan bush, may pagka-madamot siya kaya hindi niya gustong mag-share ng pagkain sa iba. Hindi niya akalain na may mag-ooffer sa kanya.
"Gusto mo?" tanong ni Shawn, ang mamon ay abot sa kanya.
Leigh narrowed her eyes, shocked, nang makita niyang kanina pa pala siya tinitignan ni Shawn habang nakatago siya sa mga bushes.
"Hindi ako basta kumukuha sa hindi ko kilala."
Leigh replied, but she couldn't help but notice the way Shawn smiled gently at her.
"Eh 'di kilalanin mo muna ako. Shawn. Ikaw?"
Shawn said with a shrug, his eyes sincere.
"...Leigh."
Leigh's voice softened, a small crack in her usual tough persona.
From that day on, inseparable na sila. Laging magkasama sa recess, hindi na kailangang magsalita para magkaintindihan. Sa Tumbang Preso, siya ang leader, siya ang bossy, pero si Shawn, walang reklamo—lagi lang siyang sumusunod. Shawn would help her climb the monkey bars faster, and when she scraped her knee, palagi nalang syang nasusugatan dulot ng pagiging clumsy, and shawn be the one to check if she was okay before running back to play again.
They spent their time together, lalo na kapag recess. Magkakasama sa canteen, binibili ang paborito ni Leigh na lumpiang shanghai, tapos diretsong pupunta sa lumang gate para mag-kwentuhan.
One afternoon, after they both finished their snacks, Leigh laughed, her voice loud as she took the last sip of her juice.
"Kapag lumaki tayo, ikaw pa rin best friend ko ah."
Shawn smiled, nodding as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
"Siyempre. Kahit tumanda pa tayo."
He said simply, his smile never leaving his face, as if they both knew this promise was real.
They sealed that deal with a pinky promise beneath the same santan bush where they first met. A promise that felt unbreakable, innocent, and full of endless possibilities.
Years would pass, and they'd forget the exact date, the weather, or what they wore that day. But they never forgot the feeling—na kahit anong mangyari, meron silang isa't isa. Magkaibigan. Magkakampi. Magka pinkypromise.