injuries was a scratch near his elbow) and get to Kathy despite being arm's length from most of the punches being thrown. He was surprised how she didn't hesitate when she saw him, jumping right into his arms, landing with a little bounce with both feet on the floor.
And it was clear to Kathy, right then, that he did indeed care, and Jake realized that he shouldn 't have been so afraid of letting her know.
I heard Diego's voice. He liked to start with some stupid, juvenile thing like "What the fuck was that about?" and throw a punch that would take three people down all at once, and when I heard that again, my heart sank. I had put Kathy in his care, damn it! He couldn't have restrained himself for just one stupid night?
I was right in the middle of what passed for the dance floor at Basement right then, halfway to the rest room until I saw that it was out of order. When I heard Diego, I wasn 't even scared. I was just annoyed. But then I got elbowed just above my left boob by one of my literature classmates -- running right at me -- and realized that this was not the time for goddess of love stuff.
It was time for getting the hell out of there.
The jab had me reeling back in pain, and I thought I was going to fall until another running person jolted me back upright. My eyes immediately searched for Quin, and I knew where to look because I just saw him by the door, fighting with Vida. I yelled, lifting an arm to grab his attention, but he was already halfway to the center of the fight. Because he was always babysitting Diego.
I did think about heading for the closest exit but needed to steady my feet before I got hit again. I yelled his name even though he probably couldn't hear me, and then I felt someone lift me by the waist. It was like I was flown out of there.
Saved by Robbie.
Chapter 23
Basement was trashed. Shards of glass, broken chairs, and trampled nachos added to the layer of litter. As things began to settle down, Robbie and I were adopted temporarily by one of the wet market's poultry vendors (no joke) who wiped her plastic chair with an oily rag before offering it to me. He didn't want to leave me, but he wanted to make sure his friends at the fight were okay too, so waiting it out with Aling Idang at stall #54 was a suitable compromise.
Local cops were swarming around but none of the perpetrators got hauled away in handcuffs. I didn't see any ambulances either, and it looked like the hurt and injured were being driven off in various RK private vehicles.
" It's always like this, every week," Aling Idang was saying. "The police just have coffee down the corner and wait now. Drunk rich kids always getting into a brawl. No offense -- you two look like you're rich."
" I'm not," we both said, and I must have done a bad job at hiding my surprise.
" Half scholarship," Robbie explained, as he probably did more than once already. "And it's not for basketball."
I had to laugh at that, despite everything. Of course our school didn 't offer basketball scholarships. If they did, they'd have to ask for their money back from the spectacularly lousy team. "I'm on full scholarship for psychology," I shared.
" Yeah I know," he said.
We watched from our poultry station as Quin spoke to everyone who claimed to take charge of the situation -- from Basement 's manager to barangay officials to local cops. Each time, a short talk and a handshake seemed to suffice, and they would be on their way. Eventually only Quin, Diego, and a few other guys who took their own cars to the Bash remained.
" I think the worst is over," Robbie said. "Can I just go check? Wait for me here."
" It's not safe out for a girl this hour," Aling Idang, my self-appointed new guardian, said. "I'll make sure she stays here. With me."
She was checking out my rescuer as he left her stall, though. "Is he your boyfriend?"
" No," I said. "He's just a friend."
" How old are you, dear?"
" Eighteen."
" You're very young. Boys who take care
And it was clear to Kathy, right then, that he did indeed care, and Jake realized that he shouldn 't have been so afraid of letting her know.
I heard Diego's voice. He liked to start with some stupid, juvenile thing like "What the fuck was that about?" and throw a punch that would take three people down all at once, and when I heard that again, my heart sank. I had put Kathy in his care, damn it! He couldn't have restrained himself for just one stupid night?
I was right in the middle of what passed for the dance floor at Basement right then, halfway to the rest room until I saw that it was out of order. When I heard Diego, I wasn 't even scared. I was just annoyed. But then I got elbowed just above my left boob by one of my literature classmates -- running right at me -- and realized that this was not the time for goddess of love stuff.
It was time for getting the hell out of there.
The jab had me reeling back in pain, and I thought I was going to fall until another running person jolted me back upright. My eyes immediately searched for Quin, and I knew where to look because I just saw him by the door, fighting with Vida. I yelled, lifting an arm to grab his attention, but he was already halfway to the center of the fight. Because he was always babysitting Diego.
I did think about heading for the closest exit but needed to steady my feet before I got hit again. I yelled his name even though he probably couldn't hear me, and then I felt someone lift me by the waist. It was like I was flown out of there.
Saved by Robbie.
Chapter 23
Basement was trashed. Shards of glass, broken chairs, and trampled nachos added to the layer of litter. As things began to settle down, Robbie and I were adopted temporarily by one of the wet market's poultry vendors (no joke) who wiped her plastic chair with an oily rag before offering it to me. He didn't want to leave me, but he wanted to make sure his friends at the fight were okay too, so waiting it out with Aling Idang at stall #54 was a suitable compromise.
Local cops were swarming around but none of the perpetrators got hauled away in handcuffs. I didn't see any ambulances either, and it looked like the hurt and injured were being driven off in various RK private vehicles.
" It's always like this, every week," Aling Idang was saying. "The police just have coffee down the corner and wait now. Drunk rich kids always getting into a brawl. No offense -- you two look like you're rich."
" I'm not," we both said, and I must have done a bad job at hiding my surprise.
" Half scholarship," Robbie explained, as he probably did more than once already. "And it's not for basketball."
I had to laugh at that, despite everything. Of course our school didn 't offer basketball scholarships. If they did, they'd have to ask for their money back from the spectacularly lousy team. "I'm on full scholarship for psychology," I shared.
" Yeah I know," he said.
We watched from our poultry station as Quin spoke to everyone who claimed to take charge of the situation -- from Basement 's manager to barangay officials to local cops. Each time, a short talk and a handshake seemed to suffice, and they would be on their way. Eventually only Quin, Diego, and a few other guys who took their own cars to the Bash remained.
" I think the worst is over," Robbie said. "Can I just go check? Wait for me here."
" It's not safe out for a girl this hour," Aling Idang, my self-appointed new guardian, said. "I'll make sure she stays here. With me."
She was checking out my rescuer as he left her stall, though. "Is he your boyfriend?"
" No," I said. "He's just a friend."
" How old are you, dear?"
" Eighteen."
" You're very young. Boys who take care
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