FALSE GOD Series: Phillip Warren (COMPLETE) Series #1

"Alam mo? Everytime na nakikita kita lagi kang busy. Girl, it's sunday. Day-off mo ngayon. Kahit isang araw lang, take your eyes off the screen and have fun. Hindi yung puro trabaho lang inaatupag mo. Makakapaghintay naman siguro yan, diba?" Pailing-iling na wika ni Joey. Huminga akong malalim. "I have to finish this. Kailangan ko na tong ipasa tomorrow. My manager's been asking me for this the whole week. Konti na lang naman toh. Maybe 30 minutes?" Hindi sugurado kong sambit. He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You better finish that before I come back. Lalabas muna ako. I need to buy something in the convenience store." Ngumiti lang ako. Matapos yun ay lumabas na siya. Joey's my bestfriend. We've been friend since highschool. When we graduated, we decided to live together with our other friends para maka-mura kami ng renta. We're really comfortable with each other kaya kahit ngayon na may trabaho na ang bawat isa sa amin and kaya na naming lumipat sa mas maganda at malaking apartment kung saan di namin kailangang mag-share ng kwarto, we still stayed with each other. Instead, we decided to look for a bigger place that could commodate us. It isn't really that big but at least here, may sarili na kaming mga kwarto at may sarili na kaming privacy. We used to stay in a dorm-like apartment but now, we are renting this house. Actually, it's own to rent. Nag-cheap in kami para bayaran yung down payment and every month nagbibigay din kami ng pera para sa monthly rent and of course, para na rin sa mga daily needs namin o mga supply na kailangan namin. Joey's our collector and ako and si Torre ang responsable sa paggo-grocery. Rina, Tifanny and Lana are the ones responsible for cleaning the house. I like our set up. This is better than living alone. Everyone's responsible and supportive as well. Minsan nga lang ay ang gulo nila. Tuwing may inasikaso ako, panay ang punta nila dito sa kwarto ko para kulitan akong sumama sa mga trip nila. I want to have fun with them too but I can't just leave my work. I have to finish it lalo na't napaka-strikto pa naman ng manager namin. Anyway, I don't think I told you what my job is. I don't think it's necessary to tell you but... I am a journalist. I write reports. I am barely home dahil lagi akong nasa labas para mag-research ng magandang storya. Pag nasa bahay naman ako, lagi akong busy sa pagsusulat o page-edit ng mga ni-research ko. I work in an online news and entertainment company. I don't know how to explain it but it's like buzzfeed. We work on articles, vlogs etc. People don't know this, but this job is really exhausting and sobrang nakaka-pressure. I write good stuff worthy to be on the news but I haven't really shined yet. I've never wrote anything that get people's attention, they said. So I'm really desperate on finding a good story. We have a competition in the office next month and I really want to win it. Our manager told us to research about what's trending and what could possibly trend or just any story people are curious about. Whoever gets the most viewed video or article will have a chance to start their own online series and will have a full control on who they want in their team. That's an opportunity I will never let pass me. I might be an underdog now but I'm confident I will win this contest. I want a promotion too, you know? I want to write and direct my own online show too. It's like my dream right now. "Hey." Natigil ako sa pag-iisip nang marinig kong bumukas ang pinto ng kwarto ko. It's Tifanny. "It's lunch. Iwan mo muna yang trabaho mo and samahan mo kaming kumain." I looked at my laptop first. Malapit na akong matapos sa ine-edit ko. I'll just leave it for now and tatapusin ko na lang toh mamaya. To be honest, gutom na rin ako. I only ate vegetable salad this morning dahil si Rina ang nagluto at tanging gulay lang alam niyang lutuin. I can't continue my day with just vegetable. I have to eat "real" food for my brain to work. "When are you having your own show?" Tanong ni Tifanny habang naglalakad kami papunta. Rinig ko ang ingay ng iba naming mga kaibigan. I'm sure nagsimula na silang kumain. Everyone in this house is a glutton. We all love eating. Kung late ka, di ka namin hihintayin. But they always make sure to invite you though. So I guess that's... Nice? "Before the year ends." Confident kong sagot kay Tiff. "I have a feeling I'm having it big this year." She chuckled. "Of course, you will. We are all waiting for you to have your own show. Once that happens, I promise, wala akong ibang panunuorin online kundi ang shows mo lang." Natawa na rin ako. "You better not forget that promise." Pagdating namin sa baba, naabutan namin sina Rina at Lana na nagtatalo sa pagkain. Napailing ako. They're really childish. Rina and Lana are twins. They look a lot like each other. Sometimes, they talk and act a lot like each other pero wala yatang araw na hindi sila nagtatalo. I guess it's coz they're too similar yet too different. Kaya nga sabi nila, "opposite attracts" diba? If two people like Rina and Lana are in the same room, it's just pure chaos. But they do love each other. Especially, Lana. She's so obsessive when it comes to her sister Rina. "Can you guys please shut up? I just want to eat peacefully, for god's sake." Inis na wik ni Joey. "Ako ang unang nakahawak sa part na toh. That means it's mine. Kung sana ibigay niya na lang toh eh di sana walang gulo!!" Matigas na wika ni Lana. Rina laughed sarcastically. "You touched it first but you left it and I took it and now it's in my plate which means it's mine. Plus, it's my favorite dish!! I can't even eat any of the food on the table except this!!!! So just give it to me!!!!" Napakamot si Joey sa sarili niyang ulo. Mukhang naiinis na siya sa pagtatalo ng dalawa. Rina is allergic to chicken so we always make sure to buy a vegan version of whatever we're eating but I think Lana loves annoying her sister kaya inaagawan niya ito lagi. Ngumisi ako bago ako naglakad palapit sa dalawa at walang sabi sabing inagaw mula kay Rina ang pinag-aagawan nilang vegan chicken wings saka ko kinain iyun habang nakatitig ako sa kanilang dalawa. Ni di ko alam kung anong difference. They all taste the same!! It's vegetable! They only made it taste like chicken. Both their mouth dropped. I heard Tiffany, Joey and Torre laugh. "Whoever eats it first owns it." Wika ko saka umupo na sa sarili kong upuan. Nag-appear kami ni Joey. Habang nakatayo pa rin ang dalawa at ngayon ay masama na ang titig sa akin. "You--" "Can we please eat now?" Putol ni Torre. Tumango lang sina Joey at Tiff at nagsimula na kaming kumain. Hindi namin pinansin ang pagdadabog ng dalawang kambal. In the end, wala rin silang nagawa at umupo na lamang. Before they argue again for the last piece of that part na parang chicken wings pero di naman, inunahan ko ulit sila. "Are you serious??" Inis na wika ni Lana. I just continued smiling at her. Dahil wala ng ibang choice, kumuha na lamang sila ng random part nung vegan chicken at inis na kumain. Finally, tahimik na ang lahat. None of them dared to talk again though I can see them trying to hit each other under the table. They're so childish. None of us really changed after highschool. Minsan nakakainis ang laging pagtatalo nila pero minsan naman, pag bored kami, ginagawa namin silang entertainment. We're used to each other now. So kahit na panay ang asaran namin, we never really had real fights. Tampuhan, Oo. Pero agad din namang nagkakabati. "Anyway guys, my parents are inviting us this weekend." Wika ni Tiffany. Tumingin kaming lahat sa kanya. "Is it their anniversary?" Umiling si Tiffany. "No. But they're having a house blessing doon sa bagong vacation house na binili nila. You know. The one I showed you? Yung may private beach area?" Everyone's face light up. "Really? So they really bought that place?" Excited na tanong ni Joey. "I told them not to dahil sayang lang ang pera. We already have a vacation house in Cebu and Palawan and dalawang beses lang yata kaming nakabisita doon. But they are really in love with the place kaya wala na akong nagawa. They bought it last week and until now, hindi pa rin sila umaalis mula doon. I think they have officially decided to stay in that vacation house.... For now. I'm sure magsasawa din ang mga yun after a month." "I'm excited to go! When is it?" Asked Torre. "Next weekend. But I vote for us not to go." Walang ganang sambit ni Tiffany. Tiffany's like the richest out of all of us. Her mother is a doctor while her father's a hospital director. Two of her siblings took the same path as their parents. One is a lawyer and Tiffany is a business woman. After graduating college, she borrowed money from her brother and started her own clothing store. She studied fashion designing so it makes sense. Her parents are very supportive on her choice too. They never really stopped her. They said, as long as she's happy, they are happy. Joey, Torre, Rina and Lana are pretty well-off too. Their parents are either in business industry or are working in high professions. I think I'm the only different one out of all of us. Hindi naman kami mahirap pero hindi rin naman kami mayaman. They're like high class while I'm only in middle class. Sa totoo lang, hindi koalam kung paano kami naging magkaibigan na lima. I guess it just happened. Maybe we just vibed and after that we started hanging. That's the reason why I'm working harder than anyone in this house as well. I don't want to be seen as a free loader. There were a lot of rumors circling around town when we decided to leave together. Iniisip ng iba na ginagamit ko lang sila for my own gain but that is never the case. Kahit kailan hindi ko naisip na gamitin ang mga kaibigan ko sa kahit anong paraan. Like I said, we all pay equally for our rent and our daily needs. No one ever asked one of us to pay everything. And kung saan man ako ngayon, andito ako dahil nagsipag akong makarating dito. I never used them as my stepping stone. They know that and their parents know that. So kahit na iba ako sa kanila, their parents never really pushed me away from my friends. My parents might not be as successful as their parents but they raised me decently. I will never do anything na makakasira sa reputasyon ng mga magulang ko. Nagtatrabaho si mama bilang secretary sa isang lawfirm and si papa naman ay nagtatrabaho as a gym instructor. Kilala sila sa bayan namin dahil nagvo-volunteer sila sa charity and community service. Everyone who knows my parents know how great they are as a person. They are kind and honest people. They had me early but they did the best they could to raise me and to give me my needs and wants. "Anyway, I vote yes to going to your parents house party. How about you, Shantal?" Joey snapped me out of my thoughts again. I blinked twice. "Huh?" I asked though I heard his question just fine the first time. "Are you coming? Everyone already voted yes." I rolled my eyes. "Of course, I'm coming. Who says no to the beach?" "Yes!!" Tuwa nilang sigaw "We're all coming!" Tiffany groaned like she's so against our decision. Ayaw na ayaw niya kaming dalhin sa bahay ng parents niya dahil pinapahiya lang daw nila siya a harap namin. Her parents are really lively and you know... Aggressively jolly people. They have too much energy and positivity. And Tiff is embarassed coz she's like their total opposite. But she doesn't have much of a choice. Her parents will call us one by one if none of us comes and they'll bug us until we tell them an acceptable excuse. After that, they'll surprise visit us every weekend and they will follow us around and tell us stories we never really asked them. So yeah, kahit against si Tiff sa vote namin, she knows coming to their house party is the lesser evil. Don't get me wrong. I looooove her parents. They're really funny and I don't mind them telling me stories about their love adventures and all that. But that annoys Tiff so much. Minsan pinagtatawanan na lang namin siya. Oo nga pala, hindi ko masyadong pinag-isipan ang sagot ko. I forgot I have work goals to achieve and some articles to write and edit. But I already said yes. I have no choice but to free my schedule next weekend. Just please pray nothing big happens this week or else, I won't be able to make it to their house party. Please, pray for me.