The grass is greener on the other side.
So the day everyone’s been waiting for arrived.
February 6th, year of 2oo9.
Biak na Bato field trip.
*insert cheers here*
I arrived at exactly 5:40 AM and met up with Shanica and Abby outside school; originally planning to eat at McDo. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open yet. So, we were forced to enter the eerie school shortly after Nikkie’s arrival. Soon enough, my classmates arrived. We were so bored that we greeted everyone who arrived. :))
But then, nature called.
So we had to go to the very DARK comfort room. :))
At first, Char and I had the courage. But once we sat foot on the second floor, we screamed.
And we got back to the lobby for more people to accompany us. :))
So like, after that, we were asked to line up and when the other sections slowly went to their buses, apparently, the news broke that our section was going to be split. AGAIN. We were like pinpointing at random 2D people and shouted that, “Sir! Ano ba naman to lagi nalang tayo sineseparate!”
And most of the girls ended up in bus 2 together with section C. :|
OF COURSE we complained. Some of us were almost crying actually. :)) Kasi naman eh, the most united class just HAD to be separated. Don’t you think it’s unfair? :(
The first half of our ride was a mix of green minded-ness, anger, laughter, eating, playing Tekken, texting, sound tripping and sleeping. The boys of section C got under my nerve. Dominic was the nosiest of them all and THEY DIDN’T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO BE RESPECTFUL WHEN WE PRAYED. God, I miss our boys. Anyway, once we started eating, inevitably the section E people were in our own bubble. We didn’t care that we were in another bus and became our usual noisy selves. :) Weeee.
Okay, then the bus stopped and like, we lined up to use the comfort room with a price. I am sure you don’t wanna hear about that so I’ll skip that. :)
We were asked to form a really big circle, much like when we had our recollection, only the sections A and B were not there. While we had our warm ups, we saw the other branches arrived. Gosh, I thought, can’t these people just mind their own freaking business! I hate other branches. Period.
Anyway, as we passed, the girl we saw with TOTALLY OBVIOUS DYED BROWN HAIR, with a brown jacket UNDER THE HUMID SUN, who looked like a rip-off of Blair Waldorf gave us a taray look. Grrrrr.
Hmm, and then we had our hiking. Or… the part where we had to walk until our knees gave up, avoid the fecal matter of the animals, get mud in our shoes and pretty much every part of our clothed body.
And the part where we find out just who are the gentlemen and who had faces saying I-Don’t-Care.
When we arrived in the first cave, I think it was where we saw the place where the pact happened, there were already a lot of guys helping us. I think it was Andreuw who helped us girls when we were going down a slippery part.
Then the second, which was the ambush cave, it was where a lot of hurting and dirtying happened. :))
The place was really creepy, dark and small. So we had to be careful. Thank goodness Kim and Raniel were there; else, I would’ve fallen flat on my face. :)) Kim also assisted me when we had to crouch in order to avoid hitting our heads. He was always the guy I knew was a gentleman. :)
And when we had to exit the cave, James and Julius helped us get up safely.
Hmm. The last one I think was the place where that big shiny rock was. I think it was where they healed their injured men. Same people helped us get down safely but when the guide started telling the tale behind that cave, I almost got teary eyed. Why? Because someone had given me such a bad look. No, it’s not someone from another branch. Not from my class and not from section C (I don’t even think they were with us, were they?). So what section does that leave? Do the math.
So I tried my best to avoid that person all through out. I didn’t glance at him or even paid attention. But then, as we lined up to go out the narrow cave, he poked at my side and said “Wala lang.” I just smiled and waved at him. So when we started to go through the cave, god did it have a tiny way. So tiny that Jervis had to go back. :))
Oh wait, that wasn’t the last cave. :))
There was another cave that we went through; I think it was the one where they stocked their belongings? Anyway, it was another cave that had a slippery and dangerous entrance so if you had missed a step, you would’ve tumbled down. Thank goodness, again, that Jason and Kim were there. So yeah, we took a few pictures and Vergil and Allen helped me get up. Aren’t they nice? I hoped that all of the boys were like that. :)
So we left that place and we had lunch.
But lunch took longer than expected because rain decided to fall.
After it ceased to mere raindrops, we walked and walked until we reached a hanging bridge.
That’s when I screamed.
Have I ever told you my near-death experience with heights?
Guess not.
I was young then, about four. I stayed with my cousins in Bulacan for the week along with my mother and father; my brother wasn’t born yet. We played at the hill; there was a river there too. The place was nice but it was also a bit rocky. I didn’t know things yet, so when my cousins decided to play hide and seek, I strayed away from the group and went to somewhere farther than I expected. I walked and walked until I saw the other side of the hill. Or something. What I didn’t know was that the river we saw from the way there continued to that place.
The next thing I remember I was crying with Achi Karen telling me not to do that again.
Apparently I attempted to go to the other side.
But there was no bridge that connected the two sides from where we stood.
So, when I saw the bridge that we had to cross, I was on the verge of crying and shouting till my lungs hurt.
It reminded me of that day.
Finally, after Abby calmed me down, I had the courage to cross it.
But a certain guy from section D was in our batch of people to cross the bridge.
I was afraid.
Because I saw a lot of people jumping around the bridge and as I expected, that person whose buddy was Jervis jumped around as well along with our other companions. I was so thankful Jervis was there. I was like, panicking beside him but thank goodness he wasn’t teasing me about it.
When we crossed the bridge, I almost cried. :))
So we had a really long walk with me avoiding looking down as much as possible. My trauma was getting to me. We walked to the last cave, but unfortunately, the raindrops grew bigger when they dropped on the ground so we had to go back…
And cross another bridge.
Thankfully, Vada, who was also scared, held my hand and we journeyed through the bridge together. :))
We arrived to the place where we would cross the water and Allen, Vergil, Ric and Francis were playing with the stones. :))
In which Ric marks his territory. :D
In which Caveman Allen discovers driftwood.
In which Caveman Allen and Francis fight for territory. :))
I loved that last one. :))
Nothing much really happened next except we went to that humungous tree that was said to be a watch tower and if you stood there at the very top, you would be able to see all the caves that we went through earlier. We went back and we, the other people who didn’t want to go through the river and get their shoes wet, crossed the bridge. Again.
But when Abby and I were there halfway, Francis came out from nowhere and started jumping. Abby asked him to stop because she knew I was scared but he boldly said. “Deni ano ba, conquer your fears!” But it didn’t help one bit. As we walked to where we came from earlier, I noticed that the one who gave me that bad look, the one who was jumping on the first bridge we crossed was behind me. And I kept quiet because I know I shouldn’t be there, wondering if I should talk to him. So I just kept quiet and listened to Anna’s PSP. Then I heard Avril Lavigne’s, When You’re Gone playing. And gosh, I am telling you I almost broke down there. :))
So I was very thankful said person decided to go through another way when we were about to cross.
We went to our busses after that to change clothes and then left Biak na Bato.
Our ride home, surprisingly, was more enjoyable than what my classmates in the other bus told me. Sure Dominic and Gino had mouths that couldn’t be stopped, but I guess we can’t do anything about it. I fell asleep for a little while but we had a stop over at a gas station to use the CR.
Abby and I went to the store to buy food and I saw him for the last time. I wondered if that mean look was just coincidental but I couldn’t help it that I wanted to know what made him like that. I care, but he doesn’t notice. But it bothered me a bit seeing him with his special someone side by side earlier. If they’re on better terms, I’m happy for him. But will I wait for another Seven Years for him? I don’t know.
So I never got to sleep the rest of the way and just texted with random people.
But my favorite part of the day started there.
I sent a GM to my usual people.
Or that’s what I thought until Jurie sent me a text at exactly 6:28 PM that contained a Question Mark.
Apparently, according to my outbox, I had sent a text to him by accident. :))
So when I got the courage to reply, I was so happy when he did too. And with that, we texted until I bought starbucks, got fetched by my dad and fell asleep on the way home.
He has a sense of humor that I really liked. And even though we only exchanged a few texts concerning what my name was, him guessing, asking about his sim network, him telling me he was sick for 2 days straight, it was fun. :)
But it was only until this morning that I told him my name.
It was after my GM actually. He didn’t reply. So I decided to say:
Ay ganun. Di nagreply. Cge pagaling ka ha. Denise nga pala pangalan ko. :)
And…
Ok, nice to meet you.
So, there’s a saying that the grass is greener on the other side.
So who’s worth it?
The one who’s favorite color is green or the one who wore green? :))
I don’t know. All I know is I care.