last saturday started out great.

9 P.M.-1 A.M. dyewel's wildly successful event at global cafe.
great music, sosy food, standing room only. bongga.

Waya, Joelle, Jacqui (Joelle's formidable little sister), and I were having a lovely time. By turns, twittering like silly schoolgirls and clucking like the aging biddy's we really are (ok, not Jackie) (and not Jo).

It was really nice to watch Jewel take charge. She would appear and disappear at regular intervals but you always had the sense that Madam was taking care of business.

Lovely Elaine arrived at around midnight. I haven't seen her in ages. She's foxier everytime I see her. Is that possible? Is that FAIR???

1A.M. -2 A.M. mag:net cafe, drip

At JP's urging, we moved on to mag:net cafe because drip was playing (and jp has a schoolboy crush on beng calma, I suspect). I was still really chipper from being with the girls, so Atchie Fran bounds up the steps of mag:net with Little Bro and his Little Friends.

Then Oh My God.

In full force, the Poveda Mean Team was there. And for a brief moment, I was back in middle school, my hair a mess, my glasses forever slipping to the tip of my nose, in a uniform that looked like a Goldilocks box. I'm trying to eat my lunch, my back is against a wall, and the Mean Team has decided to keep me company.

Chockwit once said: “The cruel politics of high school” are awful for boys because of the physical trauma, but girls… girls can get into your head, and that takes a really long time to heal.

I really thought I was over it. But the overwhelming dismay I felt at seeing the Mean Team tells me otherwise. I moved over to my brother and hissed, "The bullies from high school are here. Sssshhhitcanwegoplease?"

And JP gives me a look that says: Girl, you are twenty-friggin-eight and you ought to be over this.
But also: My-sister-kicks-ass-and-they're-not-that-hot-naman ah... [bless his little heart]

So I tried to stay hidden in the back, but it's hard to stay hidden when you're wearing a red corset top. And eventually, from the corner of my eye, I saw someone looking away from me. Then two out of seven were talking. Then three out of seven were talking. Then suddenly in unison, the Hive turns toward me, with big smiles hurriedly plastered on their faces. "Frances!" Like we're long lost friends. And with practiced grace they raise their hands in the old beauty queen wave.

So I gave a really sheepish smile and twiddled my fingers in response. One Mississipi...Two Mississipi...Jesus can I look away now? I'm turning into stone.

For the rest of the evening I was staring fiercely at my feet, at the floor, the wall, the fixtures. I was figdeting, didn't know whether to sit or stand, or cover myself with my arms. But Beng was really nice (has always been really nice). She came over to me and we talked for a bit. She offered us cake and told my brother he was guapo. 'Fran, would you like to sit with us? Ah, you're shy?' That was a graceful way of putting it...

It's been a long time and no one is the same person she was in high school (thank god).

***

When it was time to leave, and I was taking the first step down the stairs I heard someone say, Hey, I know you! Then a hand shoots out of nowhere and lightly touches me on the arm.

"Hi! I'm Mikah's office mate. You're Joelle's girlfriend, I mean friend. Joelle the girlfriend of Mikah?" And all the while I'm mortified because I can't remember his name.

"Oh hi! Um...ehehe we're leaving na eh. Sorry. It's really nice to see you agian! *give firm handshake*"

[JO what'sthe name of Mikah's officemate? I think you introduced us the night of Waya's gig??? If you see him tell him so sorry if I was rude, ha?]