“… Do you need a ride?”
“Oh, no. My family’s actually waiting downstairs,” I explain, my free hand continuing to flail.
Seph is about to go back inside when I blurt out, “Did you wanna go?
“To graduation,” I clarify. “You’ve done a lot for the Saint Agnes community with all your performances. Didn’t you volunteer for one of the game booths at the fair too?”
His face looks so lost right now. “I’m not a student at Saint Agnes…”
“I want you there,” I say more clearly, and offer him the plastic egg. “I didn’t know what was inside, so I had no idea you asked me to your prom.”
Seph just stares at my hand.
“You have the right to say no, Nika,” he says with a shrug.
It’s like a punch to the gut every time he doesn’t call me Ilagan.
“Like, you don’t owe me anything, really,” he adds. “You don’t have to feel sorry for me anymore.”
He averts his eyes from me then, blinking hard.
I keep turning the plastic egg in my hands. “I didn’t think I was going to make it to graduation,” I admit, then take a deep breath. “When I lost my dad, I thought that was it, you know? That it was all downhill from there.
“I—I thought I could never be happy anymore. How could I when I lost my favorite person?”
Seph’s face softens at that.
“Then when I spent more time with you, it got scary because there were times that I forgot I was sad or angry,” I say, trying to make sense of what I want to tell Seph.
“You remind me of what being happy feels like.”
His gaze still lingers on the floor, leaving what I just said hanging in the air.
“And I’m trying out this new thing now, where I don’t give up on all the good things going on for me… So I’d rather not give up on you.” I pause and sigh. “And I really hope you haven’t given up on me… yet.”
A beat passes and I consider aborting my mission, giving up and doing the walk of shame to graduation from the sting of Seph’s rejection.
Until the sides of his eyes crinkle when the smile I’ve missed so much appears.
“Wow.” He puffs out the air in his cheeks. “So youreallyliked my promposal, huh?”
I groan and shake my head, trying to play it cool and hold in how relieved I am. “I give it an F-minus.”
“Please. Easy A-plus. The way I reused the ‘My heart is yours’ catchphrase? Kahit ako kinilig eh.”
My voice remains cool and unbothered when I ask, “The Saint Francis prom is next week, right?”
He nods.
“… Maybe you can find a date at the Saint Agnes graduation?”
Still totally being cool and unbothered.
Seph juts out his lip. “Well, the girl I wanted to go with never got back to me…,” he says. “Not sure how she feels since she ran off after we were supposed to dance too…”
“Sorry we didn’t get to dance.”
I hope Seph can hear all the other sorrys that are laced in that apology.
