Chapter Three: Mayday

"You're done already? You barely touched anything on your plate."

"Don't worry, Ma. I think I just ate too much earlier..." I said as I stood up from the dining table and took my plate to the kitchen. I find myself having no appetite at all when I think about the bet Amy made with that Anthony person. I mean, not only did she make that bet without my consent, but she made the stakes far too great.

"…if you beat her… She'll be your girlfriend!" Her words echoed at the back of my head. Now, it's not like I don't like Anthony and all, but we don't know anything about each other yet. And being couples with a complete stranger is not the way I want things to go. Mikki didn't even show as much as a hint of concern when I told her what happened. She just stared at thin air with that blank expression of hers.

I joined the twins at the living room, where they were playing with their PlayStation 2. Now I don't count myself as a gamer since I only play to pass the time by and have some fun. My brothers, however, take their games seriously and treat them like some 'life and death' matter. That's probably why I got tired of playing quickly and contented myself on just sitting at the couch behind them and watch. Besides, I'm still being bothered by the deal Amy made with Anthony that I can't even concentrate on playing.

It wasn't long before my mom appeared from the kitchen and began ushering the two to turn off the console. I took a glimpse at the clock. Quarter to ten. Maybe she's online now. I thought as I ran up the stairs and entered my room. The things I bought at Landmark are neatly placed at the side of my bed, still untouched. I have more important things to worry about at the moment. I thought as I placed my laptop on my study table and turned it on.

Please be online, please be online, please be online… I pleaded as I waited for it to start up. She's always online at times like this, and I do not know why she prefers it like that. Probably because she has work at day and can't find time to log in. Anyway, it's been a while since we heard from each other, so she'd probably be willing to hear me out in my dilemma. I seriously need to hear her say in my situation. I clicked on the YM icon and typed in my username and password.

The instant I logged in, someone already sent me a message. You can guess who it is…

Kitsune_amy: Paaatt! Finally!!! Ive bin w8ng 4 u!!
DiZzy: Sorry, Amy. I just went on to check something. Won't have time to talk much.
Kitsune_amy: Waaa, dats 2 bad! :(( well, talk 2 u nxt tym! Dnt forget about nxt Saturday! Cnt w8! XD

I highlighted Amy's username and changed my appearance to her as 'Permanently Offline'. Sorry, Amy, but I can't talk right now. I thought as I began scrolling down the list of my messenger contacts. I never before noticed that I have a lot of contacts in my messenger, and I don't even talk to most of them anymore. Maybe I should consider cleaning my list every once in a while.

Hm, she's still offline. Maybe I'll wait for her to log in then. I thought as disappointment sank within me. I don't mind waiting myself, but I really need her help in this. And making me wait is just adding the suspense.

So I started looking for something to pass the time by. First, I took out the stuff I bought at the mall and began sorting them at my closet. Then I went back to my laptop and did some surfing. It wasn't long before I got tired of that too, so I just contented myself by fiddling my PSP.

I could feel my eyes beginning to tire as I switched off my PSP. It's already midnight, and she's still not online. I decided to just leave her an offline message, since I probably won't be able to stay awake enough if I do manage to talk with her now.

DiZzy: Hey, Maya. I kinda got myself in a situation here, and I would really like to hear some advice from you.
DiZzy: Oh, and just in case you don't remember who this is, it's Pat, okay?

As I finished typing those words, I gave out a yawn. I'm not much of a nocturnal person and I've spent most of the day outside so I'm feeling tired already. I gave the laptop one last look before turning around to collapse on my bed.

Then something caught my eye, so I took another look at the laptop screen.

... At times like this, I couldn't help but hate the ones who made that 'Invisible' function.

Mistressmaya: Aha, so it is you! How're you doing, Pat, old buddy?
DiZzy: Since when did you get online?!
Mistressmaya: I was on earlier than you were. I was just waiting for someone to talk to. :D
DiZzy: Well, how would I know if you were on! You were invisible!!! x-(
Mistressmaya: Oh yeah. Sorry. :P
Mistressmaya: Anyway, you said something about asking for advice?
DiZzy: Yeah. Maybe you could help me.
DiZzy: Do you still play DDR?
Mistressmaya: Hah, you getting interested again?
DiZzy: … Kinda.

After that, I began to recount the happenings that took place at the arcades, from the ones at SM North up to Timezone TriNoma. I'm telling her this because she's much older than me, so she probably has some ideas on what to do when in situations like mine. And her advices are usually good at times. Besides, Maya is like an older sister to me. That's why I don't mind telling her all of this.

Maya remained silent for a while after I finished my explanation. It took her quite a while to understand the situation, even after I did my best to explain it in chat. I stared at the screen expectantly, waiting for Maya's response on the matter.

… Okay, I've been waiting for a few minutes now. It shouldn't take her that long to react. And since she is in invisible mode, I have no way of telling whether she's still logged in.

DiZzy: Hey, you still there?

I had to wait a little more before she finally replied.

Mistressmaya: Haha, sorry. I was AFK. :P

Some older sister you are.

DiZzy: HAH?!
DiZzy: You could've told me, you know?!
DiZzy: Or at least change your status while you're at it.
DiZzy: So I wouldn't have to wait around like a moron.
Mistressmaya: Chill. I didn't mean it.
DiZzy: So what can you say?
Mistressmaya: About what?
DiZzy: About what I just told you, duh.
Mistressmaya: Am I the one who's supposed to be answering that?
Mistressmaya: It's your decision if you want to show up and play or not.

I know that. I'm not a grade-schooler, you know…

DiZzy: I'm just asking what you would do if you were in my position.
Mistressmaya: If you don't want to, then don't show up.
Mistressmaya: It's not like you two are guaranteed to meet again.
Mistressmaya: But if you want to show up, then just show up.
Mistressmaya: Although I wouldn't get my hopes up on winning if I were you.

I felt a twinge of anger pass over me after reading her last message. You didn't need to point that out.

DiZzy: It's like you don't think that I can actually beat him.
Mistressmaya: Nothing like that at all.
Mistressmaya: But, think about it. He's been playing recently, and you're just starting again.
Mistressmaya: It's kind of easy to predict what kind of outcome could happen, huh?
DiZzy: Whatever. It's just the same.
Mistressmaya: You noticed, huh? :P
DiZzy: Well, I'm getting sleepy, so I think I'm gonna log out now.
Mistressmaya: Oh, all right. Later.

I changed my status to 'Sleeping' and went to my bed, feeling both unsatisfied and tired. Now because of Maya, I began to question myself on what I should really do. True, I have a choice on whether I should show up or not, but still, I'm having a hard time to decide.

I looked at the digital alarm clock beside my bed. It's already 12:27AM. I wonder what he thinks of all of this…

* * *

Sheesh, what a ridiculous day. I thought as I lied on my bed, staring at the ceiling with clothes still on. I just got home because my family and I went out for dinner after I came home from TriNoma. It's been a busy day with so many things happening all at once. I closed my eyes and tried to reminisce on today's happenings.

"Dude! Who were those girls you were with? Are they cosplayers?"

Teku, I swear I will hand you over to the terrorists if you don't lower your voice. I thought as people began to look at our direction. He, however, seems to be oblivious to the eyes of the strangers as he approached me with a big grin across his face. "They look kinda familiar though. Where did I see them before?"

After a minute of head scratching and deep thinking, he finally found his answer. "They were the ones that were hanging around outside the arcades at the other mall, huh? Dude, you didn't even bother to introduce them to us?! You trying to hit on them yourself?"

"It's actually my first time meeting them too." I answered honestly. "And why would you even think that I'm trying to hit on them by myself?" I added rather heatedly.

"That girl in the costume, she acts like she knows you a heck lot! Did you get her number or something? What's her name anyway?" Looks like Teku won't stop bombarding me with his seemingly endless questions. I looked over at Miguel, who is standing behind Teku, and asked for help wordlessly.

He grinned and tapped Teku's shoulder. "Dude, did you see that?! Krispy Kreme's giving away free doughnuts!" Miguel began, pointing at the direction of the store. Teku, who is always a sucker for doughnuts, quickly turned around at the mention of the name.

"Run, Teku, run!" Miguel and I cheered as Teku ran at top speed towards the store. After he vanished amidst the crowd, Miguel and I looked at each other and began laughing. We were laughing so hard that we plopped down at the side of the walkway and leaned our back against the wall to catch our breath.

"Good thing you were here, Miguel, or else, Teku would never stop asking me." I mumbled as I took my glasses off and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"It's nothing. But if I were you, I wouldn't be resting easy yet. I'm sure he'll continue asking you once he gets back." He said, grinning. "Anyway, who were those ladies you were with? Do you know them?"

"Look, I just met them today! I swear!"

"Is that really true?" I noticed sarcasm in his tone and gave him a dirty look.

"You don't have to believe me if you don't want to..." I retorted.

"It's not like that. It's just that... they seem act much closer to you to be just 'strangers'..." He explained, fiddling with his DS. I opened my mouth to argue some more, but then closed it. He does have a good point…

"So, tell me about what you discussed with them earlier. Judging by the way one of them smiled at you, you were talking about something intimate." He continues as he folds his DS and puts it in his messenger bag.

"Why don't we talk it over some drinks? Tell Teku too, or he might run around the whole mall, looking for us... again." I grumbled as I stood up and brushed myself.

"Sure, let's go on over at Starbucks. My treat." Miguel said as he took out his cellphone to send Teku a text message. I went ahead to the coffee shop to find ourselves a good seat. I prefer the ones with those comfy armchairs…

Luckily, there weren't much people in there, and I slunk on one of the vacant armchairs. "Wait here, I'll order for us. It's been a while since I'm treating someone and not the one being treated." Miguel was saying as he put his messenger bag to a chair next to mine and retrieved his wallet in it.

"That's why you're always short on money; you spend it way too fast." I mumbled as I slouched on my seat. Luckily, Miguel didn't hear my comment.

"Oh yeah, could you manage my DS for a while. I'm gonna get tons of points just because of the Wi-Fi here!" He said excitedly before heading for the counter. I had no idea what he is talking about, but since he practically gave me permission to touch his DS, I took it from his bag and played with it for a while. A few minutes later, Teku appeared and sat down on the chair in front of me. He placed a box of doughnuts at the table between us and placed his new Krispy Kreme hat at his head like it was a crown. Teku, take that thing off. You're embarrassing me. I thought, as I looked around for anyone staring at us.

"Where the heck did Miguel run off?" He asked, as he opened the box and grabbed a doughnut.

"Miguel? I think he's by the counter, ordering us some coffee." I said, returning my attention to the borrowed DS on my hands.

"All right, free coffee!" He snickered. It didn't take that long before Miguel came back with the receipt at his hand. After a few words with Teku, he then turned at me expectantly. I ignored him for a while, but it seems that the both of them are keen enough to know what in the world my relation with Pat and Amy is. No choice but to explain to them…

As soon as I finished telling my story, Teku started laughing. Miguel tried to contain his laughter at first, but then joined Teku in his laughter soon enough.

"Y-you expect us to believe... that if you beat her, she'll start going out with you?!" He said between the wheezes of laughter. "Are you sure you're not dreaming?"

"I'm telling the truth! You could go ask them yourselves." I mumbled, but it didn't do anything to stop the two from laughing like morons. Now everyone in the store is staring at us.

"Haha, good luck to you, man! Here's wishing you luck!" Teku jeered, spraying bits of doughnut everywhere. I won't blame them, though. The deal itself seems so far-fetched, even to me. However, I still feel a bit annoyed at their reactions. I didn't find my situation 'that' funny. Teku must've caught a glimpse at my scowl because he stopped laughing to catch his breath. Finally he opens his mouth to give his say.

"But, dude, that's impossible! First of all, you're just a stranger to them. Second, it's not exactly her that you made the deal with. Third, you can't just have an instant relationship like that. It'll never last"

"I know that. I'm pretty reluctant on the matter too, you know." I said angrily as the girl behind the counter called out Miguel's name.

"Well, if you did lose, where do you plan to take them?" He asked. "I'm sure they won't just settle for some burgers. They might even demand something fancy!"

I gave it some thought. Sure enough, they will ask for places like Teku mentioned, I know I would if I were given a chance. I watched as Miguel came back from the counter and placed the three coffees at the table.

Then I thought of something.

"If I lose, why don't we all treat them?" I said slowly, still thinking it through. "That is, if it's okay with you guys."

Teku was surprised. I knew they didn't expect that to come. "Eh? Why are you asking us for help? That's your problem, man!" He began defensively.

"Let's give Anthony some slack. I mean, he's usually the one doing the helping for us, right? I wouldn't mind helping him once in a while." Miguel said. I can't help but feel a bit embarrassed about hearing that. He makes it look like I'm a deity of generosity or something.

Looks like those words are enough to convince Teku. A few moments later, he raised his index finger. Either he made an important decision or he just likes to make a complete idiot of himself.

"Oh, all right, I'll help. But in one condition!" He declared. "If you did lose, you'll have to take us with you to wherever you're gonna take 'em!"

"Obviously. How can I expect any help from you guys if I don't bring you along?" I said, taking a sip at the coffee. Both of them grinned and started talking about plans for next Saturday and some other stuff I can't remember.

12:31AM, it says on my clock. I pushed myself up and yawned. Damn, I nearly fell asleep there…

Ridiculous. I thought as I opened my closet and started searching around for lighter clothing so that I can finally crash in the night. How do I always manage to get myself into things like this?

* * *

"… Pat."

"Pat."

"Pat!" Then I felt someone nudge my shoulder. "Wake up already, will you?"

Guess I can't pretend to be sleeping anymore. I opened one bleary eye and turned to my mother. "What?" I mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Your dad and I have to go to the grocery. We need you to watch the house while we're gone."

"Can't Ric and Harv do it? I'm still sleepy…"

"Come on, don't be such a lazy bum, Pat." She insisted, giving my shoulder another nudge. We spent a couple of minutes arguing before I finally got tired and agreed.

"I'll just come on down..." I grumbled as I closed my eyes again. I heard her footsteps leave the room. She must've known that I can't go back to sleep. I spent a few more minutes lying motionless when I decided to give up and pushed myself off the bed. Disgruntled, I checked what time it is.

7:28?! What in the world am I supposed to do at this kind of hour? I thought as I walked over at my study table and checked my laptop. Nothing new, so I left it untouched. I counted being 'half-asleep' as sleeping so I didn't bother to change my messenger status.

There's nobody around when I went down the stairs. Mom and Dad are out, and my siblings are still asleep, so I'm left to guard the house from the possible 'early-morning' thieves and answer phone calls from someone with enough willpower to make a call at this hour.

I always hate waking up early to guard the house. It's because my mom is afraid of what might happen if no one is around to keep things in check. I keep telling her that she's just being paranoid, that nothing will happen, but she still wakes me up every other Sunday to man the house while they go shopping at the market. She tells me that it is my responsibility as the eldest child and third adult in the family. More like the disadvantages of being the only mature child in the family to me…

I poured myself a glass of orange juice and slumped down at the living room to watch television, since it's the only thing I can think of doing. I skimmed through the channels, trying to find something interesting to watch. It didn't take me long though, since I got bored almost immediately and turned it off. I let out a huge sigh and stared at thin air. There's probably something I could do to kill this boredom. I thought as I began to think of other alternatives.

I could go net surfing again, but the internet cable can't go all the way down here. I could play with my PSP, but I drained the battery last night and forgot to charge it. I sipped my glass and rested my head on the back of the couch.

Or I could start getting my game back at DDR…

I gave the drawer under the television a glance. Placed in there was the console that I last touched seven years ago, along with the dance mats that Dad bought for us. I wondered whether they would still be working after all this time. Seven years is a pretty long time, after all.

Do I really want to play against him? I thought. Maya is right, after all. I have every right to back out from the bet that Amy issued on Anthony, I did not agree to take part of her scheme in the first place. I'm sure Anthony will understand my decision. But then, he's the only other person I know that can play a decent game of DDR with me. I can't invite Maya since she has work and teaching Amy and Mikki how to play will be a pain.

I've decided. I jumped off the couch and raced towards the drawer. I'm going to play against Anthony, all right, but it doesn't mean that I'm taking the bet seriously. I'll just find a way to avoid the matter. After all, it's not like Amy can force us into commitment if I lose…

I took out the PlayStation and placed it on the floor. It accumulated a large amount of dust all this time that I had to go get a rag and wipe it clean. I began to doubt the chances of it working but I still proceeded on setting it up.

There, all set. The dance mat is now placed in the middle of the room, and my copy of DDR is now inserted inside the PlayStation. The only thing left to do is to press the power button. Praying that it still works, I pressed the button.