Monday Morning.
Early in the morning, Aling Samantha knocked on Tracy's room to wake her up.
"Tracy, dear, wake up. You might be late for class," called Aling Samantha as she gently opened the door.
There was no response.
She walked over and gently shook her daughter's shoulder. "Sweetheart?"
Tracy was still sound asleep, not hearing her mother's repeated calls. She had been exhausted from helping in the fields the day before and hadn't noticed her mother come in.
Moments later, she finally opened her eyes and slowly turned.
"Ma... I'm not going to school today. My whole body hurts. It feels like I've been beaten up," she said weakly.
Aling Samantha grew concerned. She came closer and touched her daughter's forehead. "You have a fever, dear. Get up and eat something first so you can take some medicine, then you can rest again."
Tracy followed, even though her body felt heavy. At the dining table, her father, Mang Romeo, was already there, along with her younger siblings, Cathy and Chris.
"Good morning, Pa," Tracy greeted as she slowly sat down.
"Good morning, Ate!" Cathy and Chris chimed in.
"Good morning too, dear. How are you feeling?" Mang Romeo asked.
"Still not feeling well," Tracy replied with a yawn.
"Sorry, anak, if you're also struggling because of our hard life," Mang Romeo said sadly.
"Oh, Pa, it's okay. What matters is that we're all helping each other and making it through," Tracy said with a gentle smile.
"Maybe you just miss someone from school, Ate. That's why you're sick," Cathy joked.
"Hey, Ate!" teased her youngest sibling.
"You, Cathy, you're still so young but already saying stuff like that, huh?" Tracy replied, and everyone laughed.
---
Meanwhile, at school
"Sarah, why isn't Tracy here yet? She's not replying to my messages either," Julius asked her.
"She's not online, and she hasn't replied to me either," Sarah answered.
"Are you missing her already, bro?" Erick teased.
"Ah, no, I'm just worried. She should've been here by now."
"Let's just wait for her to reply, okay?" said Sarah.
---
At home, while lying in bed again, Tracy picked up her phone and opened Messenger. There were many messages, mostly from Sarah and Julius. She read Sarah's first:
"Friend, aren't you going to school today? Someone here is really worried about you. He says you're not replying."
Tracy smiled. "Someone." Obviously, she knew who that was. She replied:
> Sorry, friend. I suddenly got a fever. Mama just woke me up to eat. I feel a bit better now.
Then she opened Julius's messages.
> Hi Tracy, how are you? Are you coming to school today?
> Best, what's up? Why didn't you come? I'm starting to worry 😔
She couldn't help but smile. This guy is so concerned...
She replied:
> Don't worry, I'm okay. Just had a slight fever, but I'm resting now. Why, are you really that concerned about me?
She laughed at herself as she hit send.
Julius was checking his phone during class when he saw Tracy had replied. He smiled.
A moment later, Julius replied:
> Finally, you replied. You were making me worry.
> "Psh, maybe you're just bored and needed someone to tease, huh?" Tracy replied.
Julius smiled again at her message.
> "Alright, just rest for now so you can go back to school tomorrow," Julius responded.
> "Okay, okay, now focus on your class so you won't get a zero on your exam," Tracy replied with a smile.
After their class, Julius invited Sarah and Erick to visit Tracy at home. But Julius didn't want to tell Tracy ahead of time—he wanted it to be a surprise.
Julius brought some fruits like apples, oranges, and grapes for her. Sarah and Erick bought snacks and food to bring to Tracy's house.
"Hello, good afternoon, we're Tracy's classmates," they greeted Aling Samantha. "She didn't go to school today. She said she's sick, so we wanted to visit."
"Good afternoon, come in. I'll call her from her room," said Aling Samantha.
"Tracy, dear, you have visitors," she said.
"Who is it, Ma?" Tracy asked.
"Your classmates," her mother replied.
"Okay, Ma, I'm coming out."
What are these people thinking, visiting me out of the blue? she thought to herself.
Tracy came out of her room while her friends waited in the living room.
"Hey, guys! How are you? What brings you here? I'm not dying yet, you know?" she joked with a smile.
"Blame this guy—he's been so persistent, like he was the one dying when he heard you were sick," Sarah teased.
Tracy smiled and looked at Julius.
"Why, is it wrong to worry about a friend?" Julius defended.
"Hmm... just a friend?" Erick teased.
"Hmm... best friend," Julius replied, then handed her the fruits he brought.
"By the way, bestie, we brought food and fruits for you. You need to regain your strength so you can come back to school. I miss teasing you," Julius said with a grin.
"Aww, he misses her!" everyone teased and laughed loudly.
"How are you feeling now, friend? Are you okay?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, friend, I'm okay. I might be able to go back to school tomorrow," said Tracy.
Sarah looked at Julius and said, "Oh, did you hear that, Julius? She said she's okay and might be back tomorrow." Everyone smiled.
Aling Samantha served snacks. "Here, have some snacks while you're chatting," she offered.
"No wonder you're so pretty, bestie—you got it from your mom," Julius flattered Aling Samantha.
"Bro, nice move," Erick teased Julius.
"You kids are so cheeky—but you're right about that, son," Tracy's mom replied jokingly. Everyone laughed, and Julius and Tracy exchanged smiles.
This Julius is such a smooth-talker, Tracy thought to herself, feeling butterflies inside.
"By the way, friend, where's your dad?" Sarah asked.
"He's in the fields right now. He won't be home until later."
"Is your farmland big?" Erick asked.
"Not really. Life as a farmer is hard—we're always under the sun, sometimes caught in the rain, that's why we often get sick," Tracy answered.
"That's why Tracy got sick. Her dad and I told them to stay home, but she still came and helped us in the fields," said Aling Samantha.
"You're so hardworking, bestie. Don't worry, I'll help out in the fields someday too," Julius said with a smile.
"Psh! Your onion-skin-like complexion will probably burn under the sun," Tracy joked.
They all laughed again. The friends chatted happily, teased each other, and even Aling Samantha enjoyed their company.
Tracy's siblings, Cathy and Chris, arrived home from school.
"Hello, good afternoon," the two greeted.
"These are my classmates and friends—Ate Sarah, Kuya Erick, and Kuya Julius," Tracy introduced them.
"Guys, these are my siblings, Cathy and Chris."
"Hello, kids!" they greeted.
"You're Kuya Julius, right? Ate always talks about you," said Chris with a smile.
"Yeah, Kuya!" added Cathy.
"Hey, you two stop that already! Let's just sing. Come on, have some snacks first," Tracy said with a grin.
---
They brought out the karaoke and started singing. They urged Julius to sing.
"Hey Julius, sing for Tracy—I mean, for us!" Sarah teased.
"You won't hear anything but off-key singing from me!" Julius joked.
He picked up the mic and started singing Remember Me This Way by Jed Madela—on purpose, he sang off-key. Everyone laughed.
"Julius, come on, sing properly!" Sarah said, nearly in tears from laughing.
On the second try, Julius got serious.
"This one's for you, bestie."
As soon as he sang the first line, everyone turned to look. His voice was calm and clear. They were impressed.
Everyone applauded, but Tracy was speechless. Each line made her heart flutter.
"You're actually a great singer, bestie..." she whispered to herself.
With each note, Tracy felt the message of the song deeply. She remembered how Julius worried and visited her. In those moments, "Mr. Late Boy" began to hold a special place in her heart.
---
The fun lasted long. They had dinner together, and by nighttime, Sarah and Erick said goodbye. Julius stayed a little longer while waiting for his cousin to pick him up.
"Julius," Tracy called.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you. I'm really happy today."
"It's nothing. We're best friends, right?" Julius replied with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah... best friends!" Tracy replied.
---
After Julius left, Tracy looked up at the sky. The stars twinkled above. She noticed three stars lined up together.
"This is the first time I've noticed these stars... they really look like they belong together," she whispered.
She didn't know yet—in the future, those three stars would hold meaning.
But that night, one thing was clear:
Her heart was slowly beginning to change.
Would Tracy eventually fall for Julius?
And what else would Julius be willing to do...
for the girl who now brought color to his life?