Page 1 of The Fallacy of True Love
Chapter One
July—the summer before law school
Alonzo
If there was one place where I should have been happiest, it was Santa Juanita. Affectionately called Juana, it was the smallest coastal town in La Union, Philippines, and it boasted of the best waves in the region. Throw in its delicious food spots and chill vibe, and it had all the ingredients for the ideal summer getaway.
I had my crew, a huge spread of dishes, and a prime view of the sea. Perfect, right?
So why did the act of smiling feel like I was trying to lift weights with the corners of my mouth?
“I booked massages for tonight,” my girlfriend Dani announced to our table, snapping me out of my thoughts. “They’re coming over so we won’t have to leave the villa.”
“Hell, yeah. I love the way you think.” Miggy grinned at her.
Beside him, his girlfriend Shar said, “I’m still not over the fact that we have our own villa. Have we thanked you enough, Dani?”
“It’s my pleasure,” Dani replied. “You guys are starting law school next week—you bet I’m going all out for this trip.”
I almost winced at the reminder of what was coming. I’d known what becoming a lawyer entailed—years of studying, memorizing, and preparing for the bar exams. I’d known I had to patient; that I would fall behind my peers who’d start building their careers and living their own lives straight out of college.
It just hadn’t sunk in how much it would suck to feel left behind. Or maybe it simply felt worse since Dani had changed her mind about our plan to pursue law together.
More accurately, her parents had changed it for her.
Dani perched her chin on my shoulder and smiled up at me. “Happy?”
I nodded, answering, “Of course.” And I tried my best to make sure I looked like it.
She’d put in the effort and the money to make our vacation memorable. The least I could do was to be grateful and enjoy myself, especially since I couldn’t be sure when we’d all come here again.
“You know what we’re missing right now?” Without waiting for a response, Miggy continued. “Alcohol.”
I snorted. “We’ve only been here for two hours. Besides, this shake is awesome,” I said, lifting my glass.
“C’mon, bro. We’re not toasting to us going to law school with buko shakes.” Miggy shook his head and gave Dani an incredulous look. “Isn’t your guy supposed to be a genius? Maybe they picked the wrong person for valedictorian!”
Laughing, she told him, “Let Z enjoy his shake.” Her hand settled on my thigh. “We’ll have time for alcohol later.”
Miggy whooped and the girls laughed, so what else could I do but join right along?
Cam
Of all the days my internet had to conk out on me, it had to be one when the tourists were in town.
My first two years in Juana had been peaceful, with only the most die-hard surfers coming for the waves. But after one viral video last year, visitors from Manila descended on us in droves. Holidays saw them crowding our streets with their mosquito-splattered SUVs. They wore trendy swimsuits and branded sunglasses and bombarded our town with their obvious city-ness.
A particularly loud group was taking up the best table in Cuppa Jo. Even with my headphones on, I could make out their talks about partying. I tried to focus on the line of code on my screen, telling myself that they were “on vacay” and were here to have fun, but their boisterous laughter and grating voices kept killing my flow. Since my project was due tomorrow, I couldn’t afford any interruptions.
And then my music stopped.
The battery in my headphones had run out.
“—that bird tatt looks sick,” I heard a guy say. “Why don’t you ask her where she got it? You always said you wanted one.”
The collective weight of multiple eyes on me had my skin prickling. My instinct told me to meet their stares with my own, but I kept my eyes on my screen. There was nothing wrong with them checking out my tatt. It was beautiful, and my tank top left it on full display.
Nothing to get worked up about.
