"Hey, dogs! Why don't we take a vacation? After all, we deserve a break." Lovie said as the nine of us had a video call.
I missed these people.
"I agree." I second the motion. "We can make things possible now because we have our own money. Are you guys all in?"
Sheena sighed. "Axel is our problem again."
"Since college, he doesn't come with us. So, we were not always complete." Haye added.
"You should tag yourself along," Junior uttered, referring to Haye.
"The three of you aren't always present when we have a trip, so stop fighting," Lovie said.
"That was before, but I can come with you all this time," Axel chirped.
"So where are we going?" Junior asked.
"Just anywhere. I wanna take a break." Coleen said while leaning on her chair.
"Me too. I go with the flow." Laura said as well.
Silence prevailed in the nine of us. Everyone is thinking about where to go on vacation.
"Can we go to the beach? Because we haven't been able to vacation at a resort yet. Isn't it?" I hesitated to ask them.
"Yeah. This time, let's move away from our place. We will no longer be a burden to our parents, and we will use our own money." Lovie said calmly.
The atmosphere became a bit light as Marie laughed and joked around.
"When are we leaving?" I asked suddenly as we were in the middle of laughing and teasing.
"Next week!" Marie said excitedly.
"How many days are we staying there?" Haye asked.
"One week," Axel replied.
"Are you serious about that?" Coleen asked as her narrowed eyes widened.
"Of course not! I was kidding." Axel said while laughing.
"Hey! I'm in on a one-week beach vacation." Laura said excitedly.
"Me too. I want to unwind. Too much stress at work, guys." I said while staring at them on the screen.
My friends didn't do anything and just agreed to a one-week vacation. I felt happy and excited when they decided on my suggestion. We had already planned everything, including what activities we could do at the resort. We all planned so that there would be no problem. But we forgot an essential part of our vacation: the resort.
"But guys, what resort are we going to stay in?" I suddenly asked.
"I found the resort where to go," Lovie said, her eyes sticking on her phone.
"Where is it?" We asked her.
"The resort's name is Resonance Resort. Located in La Union." She uttered.
*********
Today, we're leaving, so we're in front of Laura's house, waiting for Junior and the two vans we rented.
"Junior is always late," Haye complained.
"You should've reminded us to bring our partners." I joke with my friends.
I thought we would go to the resort with nine people, but I was shocked when they arrived with their partners. The world is so unfair. The universe deprives us of it.
Where are ours? Hays!
"Even if we tell you, you won't have someone coming with you. Don't fool us," Marie said, laughing at me.
He would have come with me if he didn't leave me.
"Excuse you?" I pointed at her. "I have my mom. She's willing to come with me."
They just laughed at me. In just a few minutes, the two vans we rented arrived. Junior also came with his boyfriend.
Axel scanned Rayner (Junior's boyfriend) from head to toe and looked at Junior again.
"Your boyfriend is chapsouey," Axel uttered.
We were shocked and burst out laughing at what he said. That's foul. Chapsouey means not beautiful or handsome; in short, ugly.
Junior glared at him. "You bitch! Let's see if your soon-to-be boyfriend will be hot and handsome like a bench model."
Axel just rolled his eyes and clung to my right arm. "Okay. I'll get a hot as hell and handsome boyfriend like an angel."
They were trading barbs again when, in fact, they were just both ugly. Just kidding.
"If you two don't stop fighting, we'll leave you here," Lovie said dryly.
"We will stop now." They said, making a zipping gesture before their mouth.
I pulled Axel to ride in the first van. I sat next to the window, and Sheena followed and sat next to me. Arthur sat on the passenger's seat, so Coleen sat beside Axel. Then the couple sat behind Axel and Coleen. The rest of the squad rode in the second van.
"LET'S GOOOOOO!!" I shouted inside the van.
"YES!! THIS VACATION WILL BE MEMORABLE!" Coleen also shouted.
I opened the window and pulled out half of my body to say goodbye to the other group.
"TAKE CARE! ENJOY, LOVEBIRDS!" I shouted, even though I wasn't sure if they heard me.
The van we were riding in was up and running, so we were even more excited. I got back into the van and closed the window. Before we left, we said goodbye to Aunt Cecile, Laura's mother.
"What clothes did you bring for this trip?" Laura asked.
"Probably a swimsuit and some beach dresses," Coleen replied.
"Wow! You will wear a swimsuit." Axel teased Coleen.
We laughed because of Axel's reaction.
"You Axel?" I teased Axel. "You also have a swimsuit, right? We know that you and Junior will also wear that. You won't let us win."
"Yes, of course! What? Only you have the right to take out your black crotch and groin?" Axel answered.
"Hey! It's just you and Junior. You still sympathize with us in your dark past," Coleen said, laughing.
"Are you going to wear a swimsuit, sis?" Sheena asked me while looking ahead.
"Of course not. But we bought a swimsuit yesterday." I replied.
"Louise, when we're on the beach, wearing long pants is forbidden. You should wear summer dresses and a swimsuit," Laura told me.
My friends laughed at me because they knew me well. They know I'll not wear revealing clothes that show too much skin, and I'm not comfortable wearing them.
"Typical Louise, who doesn't wear shorts and skirts." Arthur fires at what Laura said.
"Hey! The clothes I bought for the beach are appropriate. They're just not as revealing as their clothes," I said.
"Louise, wear the white swimsuit we bought. We want to see you in it," Coleen said excitedly.
"Okay. That's all I'll wear, and then I'll put on a thin white shirt and see-through. Then I can also wear a rashguard." I smiled at Coleen first before I looked out the window.
I'm already 27 years old, but I still look like a child when I act.
"You, Sheena? What clothes did your bring?" I heard Axel's question, so I faced them again.
"Our house." Sheena's response made us laugh.
"Hey, woman! Do you have a house? I thought you were homeless." Axel mocked Sheena.
Our van filled with laughter and teasing. We have been traveling for some time but still have not reached our destination.
"Arthur? Aren't we lost?" I asked Arthur in a lower voice because those with us were already asleep.
"Of course not. We are on the right path, and Waze told us we are near." Arthur replied.
I peeked outside again. I could see no buildings but only trees and lush grass. What do I keep thinking? I don't want to be killed like in a wrong-turn movie. Those people are just going on vacation and can't go home because the ugly ones in the film in the wrong turn killed them.
"Hey, guys, wake up! We are near." Arthur's announcement made them open their eyes.
They got up and stretched. We stopped in front of a nippa hut, so we exited the van and carried our belongings.
"My back hurts, damn!" Marie shouted as she got out of the van.
We were just at the resort's entrance, but I could see the beauty of the surroundings. I looked around and savored the breeze. The view is so beautiful. The refreshing air and the peaceful surroundings made my heart happy. Sometimes the people who live near the sea are also lucky because if they have a problem, they can sit on the sand and look at the sea. It is calming and helps my mind and heart to ease the pain of the past.
"LOUISE!" Arthur shouted.
I looked at them and saw they were far from where I stood. I was only called after they left.
Worthless friends.
"FOOLS! YOU JUST LEFT ME HERE ALONE!" I shouted back as I ran towards them despite the weight of what I was carrying.
I chased Sheena and Axel because, for sure, they were the ones I could be in the room with. I don't want to be with couples, maybe when I'm asleep, someone suddenly moans next to me.
"Welcome to Resonance Resort!" The staff greeted us as we entered the resort hotel.
"Good morning." We greeted them as well with a smile on our faces.
I noticed that there was no one there, only us. So, as we headed to our rooms, I immediately faced the staff.
"Hmmm. Miss?" I called Rebecca because it was on her nameplate.
"Yes?" She smiled in response.
"Why do we seem to be the only people here? Is this a secluded resort? Or is it a haunted resort? Do you have any bad plans for us?" I asked one question after another.
Rebecca laughed at me, as well as my friends.
"I don't have. As you said, this is a secluded resort. Very few people get here. You are lucky because you got here and saw the hidden beauty of this resort." Rebecca replied while smiling.
She has a point. This resort is nice, and it is not a typical resort that tourists visit often. It is not crowded like the beaches in other countries, and they preserve the cleanliness and beauty of this resort.
"Are you going to kill us and sell our internal organs?" Out of nowhere, Axel suddenly asked as we headed to our rooms.
We burst out laughing, so our laughter echoed throughout the hallway.
"Oh! The true killer asked that question, huh?" Junior said, referring to Axel.
"Fuck you, Junior!" Axel cursed him to death.
Rebecca took us one by one to our rooms. We were assigned to a room with a king-size bed, a single bed, and a veranda. From where we stood, we saw the beautiful and calming sea. We went out on the veranda and immediately blew my untied hair. We looked to the right and saw Marie and Jake looking at the ocean before us.
"Is this real? This is a paradise. It's beautiful." I said while smiling.
I wanted to escape the life I had in Manila. My heart and mind need calmness. I want to live alone, near the sea, and free from chaos.
"Hey, Louise! Let's go out. Let's take pictures." I heard Axel say, so I went back to myself.
The three of us went out of our room. The hallway was so quiet, so Axel thought something silly.
"HEY! PLEASE! KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT WHILE HAVING SOME THINGS IN YOUR ROOM!" Axel shouted.
We saw their door open, so we ran away quickly.
"You bastards! You don't have a boyfriend! Get one so you don't get envious!" We heard Junior shout.
When we arrived at the hotel lounge, we burst out laughing. There are only a few staff members, so making noise is okay. We were about to leave the hotel when Axel pulled our arms, and he noticed seven "handsome" men sitting on sofas. Axel's eyesight is sharp when it comes to handsome men.
"I thought this was secluded, but why are other people here?" I asked them.
"I don't know. We're just lucky because we'll stay here with those men. I'm sure they are handsome." Axel smiled widely as he looked at them.
Are they handsome? It looks like they are older men.