章 11: Playmate (3)
"Accounting & business strand, Randell Lobo, with high honor."
Toto impatiently looked around the stage grounds since his friend hadn't come up the stage yet, despite his name being called out twice.
"Didn't he attend?"
He took out his phone and tried to contact Randell, but it was unattended. Then he dialed Nida's number next.
Her phone was ringing, but she wasn't answering it either.
He decided to leave his job as usher.
He ran towards the school gate and looked for a taxi. He would go to Randell's house to find out where he was.
His graduation is something the three looked forward to together, and he feels strange with the sudden absence of his friend.
"Toto!" Nida calls him, who is already talking to the taxi driver. "Where are you going?" she asked.
Toto hurriedly told the taxi driver that he wouldn't be riding and then looked frustratedly at his friend who was leisurely walking while holding hands.
"Hey! Your name has already been called! You're late!" he yelled.
"See, I told you, we need to run." Nida also looked frustrated.
Randell just looked at them with a bright smile.
"It doesn't matter. Do I look like someone who will look good going up on stage?" he asked while showing off his indoor clothes: t-shirt, shorts and slippers.
"Opps, we runaway without thinking of your appearance!" Nida laughed and thought that their situation was funny.
"Runaway?" Toto feels like he is left out of the conversation.
"My mom locked me up, this kid forced me out of my room." he casually explained.
"Your room? That was not your room. Look toto he was locked up in a room with only a bed inside. I think my future in-laws are weird."
"You're weird too." Toto shoves her out of his way and looks closely at Randell. "You're not hurt any where? Why are you locked up?"
"Haha, I'm fine."
"Hey, Randell is mine. Back off toto!"
Nida hugged Randell and shooed Toto away.
Randell just happily watched her girlfriend and his friend bickering.
The three of them are very close.
He and Toto treat each other as brothers. And he met Nida because of Toto.
"Ah! I have an idea!" his eccentric girlfriend randomly shouted.
"No." he jokingly said, without hearing her idea.
"I haven't said anything yet!" she pouted. "Anyway! Since Ranz was late, let's have our own graduation ceremony!"
Upon hearing Nida's idea, Toto's eyes sparkled and became excited at Nida's idea.
"I am an Usher! I can steal some food and materials. Wait for me! Let's have our ceremony!" he exclaimed.
"W-wait no stealing." Randell wanted to calm down the two eccentric people in front of him, but they were already smoothly plotting.
"I have kept some costumes in the club room. We can use them!" Nida added while jumping up and down due to excitement.
"Then bring it up to the rooftop! That is the best place to have a party for us three!" suggested by toto
"Nice! Nice! We can watch the fireworks display there!"
"W-wait, Hey guys!" He really wanted to stop them, but their energy was hurting him.
"Go up the rooftop first!" Toto shouted as the two ran in different directions to gather items for their mini rooftop graduation ceremony.
"My gosh, at least listen to me." He was left behind, making a long sigh.
He walked up to the rooftop alone, where he would wait for them with their never-dying energy.
As soon as he opened the rooftop door, a strong wind brushed through his body and he was welcomed by countless stars due to the clear night sky.
He looked up at the early night sky. The moon was not visible yet since the sun had just set a while ago, but weirdly, the stars shone brightly today even though the night was still young.
He walked out the door and admired the night sky more.
"Why do I feel like the sky is pulling me." He holds onto his chest because of the stifling emotion he is strangely sensing.
Bam!
He was startled by the sudden slamming of the door, but he immediately smiled after seeing the person who slammed it open.
"Tada!"
Nida shows off all the things he looted.
One of these is a complete set of formal attire, and the other is a graduation gown.
Soon after, Toto came with food and drinks, and a tarpaulin saying 'Commencement Exercise Year 2010'
"Hey! Where did you steal that?" Randell panics, as he fears that they will get in trouble for the things they have stolen.
"I didn't steal it! The principal doesn't like the layout of this tarpaulin, so he throws it away! I just happened to know where he threw it! I promised I wouldn't steal this!"
"Then what about those foods?" he pointed at the foods and drinks Toto is holding. He is sure that Toto doesn't have money
"I stole it, of course!" he proudly stated, and that made Randell dumbfounded, putting his palm to his face.
"HHAHAHA Nice! Let's arrange everything! I borrowed Maam Hill's Polaroid. Let's make this ceremony grander than the actual graduation ceremony!"
The two loudly laugh at each other.
Randell just awkwardly smiled and let them do whatever they wanted.
That early night, when the full moon was not yet fully showing, the three teenagers had the best time reenacting the graduation ceremony that they missed.
The gloomy and dark rooftop became warm and full of joy and showered with genuine laughter from the three of them.
It should be the best night, they thought.
"I think I can't watch the fireworks." toto sadly said while looking at his phone. "Sister is looking for me."
"Aw, Nooo staaaaaay." Nida whine like a child. "Just took a picture, I really need to leave." he hurriedly picked up the things he stole and rushed to the door.
"Hey, let's go home together. Come on Nida, your parents might be looking for you too." Randell stood up and also picked up the things Nida randomly stole.
Nida reluctantly stood up and followed.
"Aw, I wanna see the fireworks."
"That's fine, but it's more dangerous to stay out here at night."
"Don't go home yet!" Toto said, "Randell, Why can't you get that I am going first so you can have lovely dovey moments." He mischievously poked at the sides of Randell. "Oooow, I like your sincerity, my friend." The two energetic friends salute each other.
"Are we staying?" Nida looked up at Randell with puppy eyes, then Randell just nodded to her.
"Make sure you go home safely," he said to Toto.
"Don't worry much!" he said as he stepped out of the rooftop door.
"Send us a text once you go home!" Nida added.
He turned around then happily said goodbye to them. "Enjoy the fireworks, Lovers!" He winked at them before finally leaving.
But that was the last time he saw the two.
By the morning when he woke up, he rushed back to school wearing only his undershirt and boxers.
He doesn't care about his appearance, he doesn't care about the cold, He only cared about his friends who were still there that night when he heard the news of a wolf attack.
Police authorities didn't allow anyone inside the school that morning. All the people who come to know their family's whereabouts are kept outside the gate.
He squeezed himself between the people also wishing to see their loved ones.
His eyes widened and his knees trembled once he saw the school gate entrance.
Blood and corpses.
There's too much blood and corpses at the gate entrance. What's more on the inside?
What happened to his friends?
He was so afraid that he wouldn't be able to see them again that he loudly called out their names while the authorities pushed him back to the crowd since he had pushed himself to enter.
"NIDA!! RANDELL!!"
He kept repeating their names, but his friends never showed up in front of him ever again.
"NIDA! RANDELL!!!"
Toto shouted while raising his hands while lying.
"Huh?"
He touched his cheeks that were soaked in tears.
"Why am I dreaming of that day?" He sat up and wiped his face with his arms.
He looked at his hands, which were still slightly shaking. "Did I dream about Randell and Nida because I met Nida just a while ago?"
He thought while analyzing his own dream, but he flinched the moment he realized something.
"Randell?" He got confused and held his head with both of his shaky hands.
"Is my friend's name Randell?"
Feeling strange and confused, he picked up his phone to take a look at the time.
"It's still 10 o'clock at midnight."
He only took a nap in their nap room since he would be on patrol later.
"Why do I recall his name so weirdly? Why is my friend's name turned Randell?"
He scratched his head, then he gripped his phone tighter.
"Why am I suddenly so sure that his name is Randell?" he frowned, then decided to call Nida to confirm.
The two exchanged their numbers this morning and he thought that Nida had finally let go of her fears since she was not acting timid and unfocused like she did after the wolf attack.
"Hello? This toto, sorry to call you this late." he said when the line was connected.
huff huff huff huff
He frowned when he only heard heavy breathing.
"What's wrong nida?"
"H-Help me, Help me!" Nida is whispering over her phone.
"Where are you?" He hurriedly picked up his gun and car key. "I'll rush over"
"I'm inside our wing van" still whispering and sounding very scared.
"wing van? at the site? why?"
Though he doesn't get why Nida is being frightened and in a strange location. He drove his car in a rush. "I get it, stay calm and I'll be there."
"Please hurry, he is comi— aaaaaah!"
"Nida! What happened? Hey!"He shouted over his phone because he could only hear Nida's scream and the sound of crashing.
His car flew into speed. Sweat ran down his back as he made his car fly into speed.
The morning after the wolf attack suddenly flashed on his head as he grip tighter on his steering wheel.
"I won't be late this time!"
he shouted.
"Nida!"
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