We're living in a world full of cliché

But for some reason, you make it seem so different.

Chapter 7: 1/2

For How Long

I have learned at a young age that no matter how you plan things, there will always be a setback. No matter how good it looks on the surface, there's always a defect, and sometimes when it happens, we just want to blame it on someone. Because if you did your best to prevent it, and it fails, is it too much if you take the responsibility?

I knew life as much as it's full of problems, it's also full of responsibilities. But if you look at it from a different perspective, you might call it, opportunity.

On the last day of the orientation, we practically had no classes all day and other members of Team Xhiro, Arvin, Van, and Blinkey, were practicing for the Battle of the bands, while Mix and I went on an escapade. He was always unpredictable, but this was predictable enough, that he only wanted to be alone with me.

We were making rounds in the Annex Campus to check some places where we would be placing clues for the Amazing Race of Space Camp. I was drinking a palamig, a type of local beverage, and Mix was eating a baked empanada. We shared our food.

In Santa Villeta, there's only one tourist destination: The Trinittian Falls. I've never been there but Mix said there's one at the back of the science high classrooms.

"There's a waterfall in school?" I asked Mix, my eyes bulging while sipping the palamig.

"Yeah, I'll take you there."

We ran off immediately after class to the back of the science high classrooms. Over a wall where there were shards of broken glass at the top, I imagined a high waterfall and a flourish of white froth cascading to the bottom.

But there's only a stream rather than raging water, a drying pond below, and a path green with algae. It's the water coming from the creek. Yet, the endless array of rice fields and the setting sky beyond the creek looked so surreal.

"Let's cross over," Mix said, "The air smells nicer there."

I hesitated because the path to cross was too narrow and it was caked with algae but it seemed passable enough. There were trees on both sides and below the cemented rocks, there was a lower ledge and a dried path to cross over another rock armor. It reminded me of the movie Bridge to Terabithia, where beyond it, it feels magical. So eventually, I agreed.

He offered me a hand and I thought I could take care of myself, but I took it anyway. I became aware that he's becoming more and more comfortable with me. And I'm becoming really comfortable with him too. What if this was his safe place and he was letting me enter it?

We used to play this game where we think of a superpower but there's a counterpart so it would be just a half-ass superpower. "For example, you can fly but only one foot above the ground."

"You just float? That sucks," Mix winced as he reached the ledge on the other side. "How about you can turn invisible but everyone would also be invisible."

"What? " I asked, jumping through the stream, "every time you activate your power you get blind?"

"Hindi ah, yung tao lang," he chuckled, "No, just the people," and we laughed as I climbed down from the rip-rap.

"Here's one," I said when we're halfway through the path, "you can read minds but only know what they want to eat."

He scratched his head and laughed.

When we reached the other side, I looked around and I thought nothing would be more peaceful than the quiet stillness after school. In this countryside, with no movies, no malls, no beaches, as if we're in our own little world, there we were toiling in obscurity.

I turned around to the creek below and it was higher than it looked. I glanced at the flowing dirty water while Mix was still at the rice fields. It's those times that I had the chance to cherish the moments while it lasted.

Mix started talking about the story of the waterfall. When they say life is an ocean, we don't realize that it's actually an enormous waterfall. It keeps pulling us down and we desperately try to climb up.

Some people have yachts, some have small boats, and some only swim to barely keep up. But there are those who've given up and they just lived at the bottom.

"Like those fish," he said.

I just noticed that there were actually fish at the bottom where a pond was drying. I felt bad for them.

Before our conversation became too deep again, we resumed our game. "How about you can have someone fall in love with you but he would be possessive of you until you die."

"That's scary, I think I'd stick with the mind-reading power."

"What about you can heal others but their disease will be passed to you?"

"Does that include diseases?" Mix sounded interested.

"Maybe," I peered at him, smiling.

"Hmmm, I'd trade that," he said, pinching his chin.

"Who do you want to heal?"

"My mom." Mix's expression hardened. I was going to ask him about it but he started walking away. The twilight deepened across the rolling hills, he waved his hand and said, "Let's go home"

I shrugged and said, "If you say so," as we walked through the grass path.

________

It's the first day of Space Camp and we had until the afternoon to bring our bags in and register at the Main Campus. First, we stacked our bags full of clothes inside our classroom in Annex and helped to complete some finishing touches at the Science faculty. Then, at lunch we went to the back of the science high class rooms again to see if the "waterfall" got stronger.

It was drier that day and so we crossed the creek and ate our lunch on the same spot as yesterday. The grass swayed with the blow of the wind and the clouds covered the sun, so we stayed there longer, watching the birds fly by and sing to us.

When we're going back, a senior startled us - the president of the science club, Ate Nicole.

"Hey you two," she said, "No goofing around this time," and winked an eye at us as if she found out what we'd been doing. Worrying at most, if she knew what we did under my jacket. I hoped not.

By dusk, the number of campers doubled, and unfamiliar faces were all over the place. Trolleys, camping bags, and parents saying goodbye to their children like they're going on a voyage were at every corner of the school.

At the Main Campus, a multicolored tent that was ten times larger than a deflated parachute covered the quadrangle like one giant marquee supported by a pole in the center and ropes knotted to the balconies of the buildings. My mother finally let me bring my cellphone to school so I could contact her every minute even though our house was nearby.

We changed into our camp shirts, white with a galaxy design in the middle and the words: Space Camp. Then we wore our facilitator IDs, mine's written: "KUYA ULY" under it was the word PLANETARIAN. It's cringeworthy. Also, I was assigned with Ate Sara, a Grade 10 science class student who seemed to be always in distress. Not a good sign.

We checked the rooms we'd be staying in before the sun went down. It was on the first floor, from the first building to the stage and directly above us was our previous room where the girls from our section were staying.

I hoped there's a tad more smugness in my voice when I smothered the same gutsy phrase he said before.

Tabi tayo mamaya, I said to him but I meant it as sleep next to me later. He just nodded but his smile was over his ears as we carried our camping bags to transfer it to our room.