The Pact of the Single Blessedness

...🔥🌳🔥...

Hot.

That is the first word that always comes to mind whenever the month of April arrives on our campus.

In college, the heat isn't just about the stickiness of the weather; it is a symbol of "hell week," of sleepless nights in the library, and of the rush to finish every lecture just to take shelter in the air-conditioned study halls.

I am 18 now, a Nursing student in the middle of a struggle with anatomy and physiology.

It’s a stage of life where everyone seems to be in a hurry—hurrying to become a professional, hurrying to leave their hometown, and hurrying to find someone to accompany them during long hours of hospital duty.

But amidst the collective rush of the world, I remained tied to a promise. A promise made with the only person who has known me since the days when we didn't care about GPA or the future.

Bailey Zuva-Mendez.

"Suanne, look at the Caballeros. They're beautiful again, aren't they? It’s like they never get tired of blooming even though the sun's rays are so harsh," Bailey said while we were walking across our university's quadrangle.

I looked out toward our college building.

Visible was the road lined with Fire Trees that looked like blazing torches under the blue sky.

To other students, those trees are a symbol of the upcoming vacation or a background for their graduation photos. But for me, every red petal carries a weight.

I gripped my wrist tightly. Beneath my white Nursing uniform, the bracelet given by that woman ten years ago was still there.

I never take it off.

It has become a silent habit, a part of my skin. Every jingle of its charms is like a whisper from the past—a reminder that amidst the beauty of the Fire Trees, a hidden danger lurks.

"Suanne? Are you listening? I said, it would be great to take photos there later before we go home," Bailey said again, tugging slightly at the sleeve of my uniform.

I smiled faintly. "Of course. As long as you’re the one taking them; you know my shots are always blurred because of my coffee jitters."

Bailey is my "safe haven." Since birth, we’ve been inseparable.

We grew up together, dreamed together, and most importantly—we swore an oath together.

When we were kids, while playing under one of the Fire Trees, we made a pact. The Pact of the Single Blessedness.

“No one gets left behind, Suanne. The two of us will grow old together in a mansion full of cats. No men, no headaches, no crying,” she declared back then while raising a glass of palamig.

I believed in that promise. I defended that promise all the way to college.

For me, my friendship with Bailey was enough to fill any space that a romantic relationship might leave behind. Who needs a boyfriend when you have a best friend who can finish your sentences and cry with you whenever you fail an exam?

But this afternoon, as we walked toward our favorite spot on the field, there was something different about Bailey.

Her steps were restless. Her eyes kept darting to her phone as if she were waiting for a message that would change her world.

"Bailey, are you okay? You've been acting like a fidgety cricket for a while now," I noted as we sat down under a tree.

She took a deep breath. The heat of the air seemed to grow even heavier.

"Suanne... I have something to tell you. But promise me, you won't get mad? Promise me, you won't disown me?"

I furrowed my brows.

The anxiety in my chest was like a small drumming that was gradually speeding up.

"What is it? Don't tell me you shifted courses without me knowing?"

"No, it's not that," she whispered.

She showed me her phone. There, on the screen, was a photo. A photo of Bailey leaning on a man's shoulder.

I knew that man. Kendric. A quiet IT student who was always in the corner of the student lounge. The kind of guy you'd barely notice because he was always hunched over his laptop with headsets on.

"Suanne... Kendric and I are together. It's been almost a month."

It felt like I had been doused with freezing water in the middle of the scorching heat. The surroundings seemed to stop spinning. The noise of the org meetings nearby, the sound of the cicadas—all of it vanished. The only thing I could hear were the repeated words: We’re together.

"A month?" My voice trembled slightly. "You hid it from me for a month, Bailey? After everything? After our pact?"

"Suanne, please understand. I didn't mean to fall for him. It just happened! When he helped me with my coding project for my GE elective, suddenly... my heart just started beating fast," she explained, her eyes starting to well up with tears. "I was afraid to tell you because I know how strict you are about our pact. But Suanne, I love him."

Love. A simple word with the power to tear down walls that we had built for ten years.

"So, what happens to us now? To our plan for the mansion and the cats? Is all of that worthless just because of some Kendric?" My disappointment began to turn into anger.

Not because I didn't want her to be happy, but because I felt like I was left behind in the middle of the campus while she had boarded another path.

"It’s not like that, Suanne! You're still my best friend! Nothing will change between us," she insisted, holding my hand.

"Everything will change, Bailey. Don't lie to me. The time that was supposed to be for the two of us to study, he’ll take it. The secrets that only I knew, you’ll share them with him," I stood up, unable to endure the tension any longer. "Single Blessedness has become Single Loneliness for me."

We had a heated argument under the red trees. Many words were thrown that felt like sharp petals cutting into the skin.

I reproached her for her promise, while she defended her right to love. But in the end, as I looked at my crying best friend, my anger melted and was replaced by a bitter acceptance.

"Fine," I said, taking a deep breath to calm myself. "I'll support you. But Bailey, I only ask one thing. Make sure he doesn't fool you. Because if he dumps you, I'll be the first one to say 'I told you so' before I hug you."

Bailey hugged me tightly. "Thank you, Suanne! I promise, you'll never be a third wheel."

But I knew the truth. Every relationship has a price to pay. And that price was my security.

When our last period ended that afternoon, that was when I felt the true impact of Bailey's revelation.

Usually, we would walk out of the gate together, complaining about quizzes or planning which canteen to eat at. But now, I was standing in front of the university, alone.

"Suanne, I'm really sorry! I promised Kendric I'd help him check the equipment for their lab today. It's our anniversary—monthsary, I mean," Bailey said, her face full of guilt but her excitement evident in her eyes.

"It's fine. Go ahead. Don't keep him waiting," I replied, forcing my voice to sound firm.

I watched her run toward the parking lot where the man who changed our world was waiting. She waved at me before they left. And there, amidst the surge of students, I felt a kind of silence that was deafening.

I started walking.

My route home passes through the road lined with Fire Trees outside the campus.

When I was a child, I was afraid of this road because of what happened eight years ago.

But as I grew up, I learned to consider it part of my routine.

Now, the trees are at the peak of their bloom. The asphalt is almost invisible because of the thickness of the fallen red flowers.

The sun was starting to set, casting long, orange shadows across the road. The air was still hot, but a slight breeze began to pick up, making the fire trees sway like silent giants. It was a beautiful sight, almost surreal. But in my mind, Bailey’s face kept playing over and over as she said she loved Kendric.

A heavy sense of isolation enveloped me. I felt like a background character in a romance film who was left behind while the protagonist had found her match. My steps were heavy, every jingle of the bracelet on my wrist feeling like a taunt.

Protect you? I whispered to myself, looking at the bracelet. With everything happening, who is really protecting me?

I reached the densest part of the Fire Trees. The road here is somewhat secluded and few people pass by because most use the main highway. Here, the scent of the flowers is more intense—a fragrance that is sweet, mixed with the smell of dry earth and the approaching night.

I stopped for a moment to adjust the strap of my nursing bag. The silence in this part of the road was different. No horns, no voices. The only thing I could hear was the rustling of leaves and my own breathing.

Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. It was that same "wrong" feeling I had eight years ago. A feeling that I was not alone.

I was about to quicken my pace when I suddenly heard a sound behind me. A rustle of dry leaves and petals, as if something had been stepped on. The sound was enough to make my heart stop beating.

I was just about to turn around when a voice broke the silence. A voice that was unfamiliar, yet carried a strange authority and urgency.

"Hey!"

Before I could answer, or even see the face of whoever called out to me, a shadow quickly approached...

...🔥🌳🔥...

...AerixielDaiminse...

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