Manila, 2009.
The sun was barely awake, but the barkada already had plans. Vine, still reeling from Ruby's midnight punchline, tried to act normal. But his heart? Tangled. Parang LAN cable na twisted pair — connected pero chaotic.
"Tol, DOTA tayo mamaya?" Rannie asked, slapping Vine's back like a reset button.
"Syempre. Pero after ng dance practice," Vine replied, forcing a grin.
The barkada was complete:
- Rannie — the loudmouth with a heart of gold and a crush on every girl in school.
- Dhen — the strategist, always calculating cooldowns and crush probabilities.
- Renz — the quiet sniper, both in-game and in real life.
- Vine — the reluctant leader, carrying secrets heavier than his backpack.
They called themselves "LAN Lords", not because they ruled the internet café, but because they ruled each other's lives — one game, one heartbreak, one kalokohan at a time.
The café was dim, humid, and smelled like sweat, pancit canton, and broken dreams. Vine logged in, chose Vengeful Spirit, and tried to ignore the fact that Ruby hadn't replied to his text.
"Tol, bakit Venge?" Dhen asked.
"Para makabawi," Vine muttered.
"Sa game o sa puso?" Rannie teased.
Everyone laughed. Except Vine.
The match started. Vine was focused — denying creeps, warding, supporting. But his mind kept flashing back to Ruby's voice: "Kung tayo, tayo. Pero hindi pa ngayon."
Boom. First blood.
Boom. Vine's heart, second blood.
Later that afternoon, the barkada switched from keyboards to choreography. The school's dance team was prepping for the inter-school showdown, and Vine was the lead.
"Vine, masyado kang stiff," Coach Myra barked.
"Sorry po," he replied, adjusting his posture.
Ruby was there too, dancing like she owned gravity. Her moves were fluid, hypnotic. Vine tried not to stare, but failed miserably.
"Focus, Vine," she whispered during a break.
"Trying," he said.
"Try harder. Hindi lang ako ang nasasaktan."
That hit harder than any DOTA gank.
That night, the barkada gathered at Renz's place. His parents were out, and the fridge was full of Red Horse.
"Sa mga hindi marunong magmahal!" Rannie toasted.
"Sa mga marunong pero iniwan!" Vine added.
They drank. They laughed. They cried.
And then Vine, tipsy and tired, opened up.
"Alam niyo ba, si Ruby… sinabi niyang hindi pa kami. Pero parang kami. Pero hindi."
"Tol, ang tawag d'yan: situationship," Dhen said.
"Ang tawag d'yan: sakit," Renz corrected.
They all nodded. The LAN Lords weren't just gamers. They were survivors of emotional lag.
The next few days were a blur of classes, dance rehearsals, and DOTA matches. Vine kept texting Ruby. Sometimes she replied. Sometimes she didn't.
Sample thread:
Vine: "Ingat ka pauwi."
Ruby: "Thanks."
Vine: "Kumain ka na?"
Ruby: "Yup."
Vine: "Miss kita."
Ruby: Seen.
That "Seen" was louder than any shoutcast.
One afternoon, Vine was approached by a senior named Kuya Joms.
"Tol, gusto mo bang sumali sa Delta Sigma?"
"Para saan?"
"Para sa respeto. Para sa pamilya."
Vine hesitated. He had barkada. He had Ruby. He had enough chaos.
But Kuya Joms was persuasive.
"Pag sumali ka, hindi ka na mag-isa."
That night, Vine attended his first frat meeting. The rituals were strange. The loyalty? Questionable. But the brotherhood? Addictive.
He didn't tell the barkada. He didn't tell Ruby.
He just dove deeper into a world of secrets.
One day, Vine stumbled upon a Wi-Fi diagnostic app. He scanned the school's network and found something strange — an access point named "Ruby_Secret".
He clicked.
MAC Address: Matches Ruby's phone.
Signal Strength: Strong.
Security: WPA2-PSK.
He laughed.
"Even her Wi-Fi has better security than her heart."
He saved the scan.
The inter-school dance showdown arrived. The barkada cheered. Vine danced like his life depended on it. Ruby was radiant. The crowd roared.
After the performance, Vine approached her.
"Ruby, pwede ba tayong mag-usap?"
"Ngayon?"
"Ngayon na."
They walked to the rooftop. The city lights flickered like dying hope.
"Ruby, mahal kita. Alam mo 'yan."
"Alam ko."
"Pero hindi ko na kayang maghintay."
"Vine…"
Silence.
Then she said it.
"Kung pipilitin natin, masisira tayo. Hindi pa ako buo."
Vine nodded.
"Okay. Pero tandaan mo, kahit hindi tayo ngayon… ako pa rin ang LAN mo. Lagi kang connected sa'kin."
She smiled.
"Ang corny mo."
"Pero totoo."
Vine returned to the barkada. They were waiting, pancit canton in hand.
"Kamusta?" Rannie asked.
"Disconnected," Vine replied.
"Tol, reconnect ka lang. May barkada ka."
They raised their forks.
"To broken promises and barkada broadcasts."