Chapter 6

PAT’s POV:

The first thing I noticed when I arrived at Raven University was the silence.

Not the kind of silence that meant peace.

The kind that reminded me something was missing.

Everything around me was new.

The buildings were bigger than any place I had been before.

The streets were unfamiliar.

The faces were strangers.

Everyone seemed like they already knew where they belonged.

Everyone except me.

I stood there with my bags beside me, staring at the university entrance.

Raven University.

The place I worked so hard to reach.

The place I dreamed about.

The place that was supposed to feel like a new beginning.

But all I could think about was one person.

Katherine Reyes.

—

“Patricia Dela Cruz?”

I turned around.

A staff member was calling my name.

“Yes.”

“Your dorm room is on the second floor. Here is your key.”

I thanked her and carried my things upstairs.

My new room was small.

A bed.

A desk.

A closet.

Everything I needed.

Everything was complete.

So why did it feel empty?

I placed my bag down and sat on the bed.

For the first time in years…

There was no Kat.

No one reminding me to eat.

No one asking if I got home safely.

No one sending random messages about things that didn’t even matter.

And somehow…

Those small things were the things I missed the most.

—

My phone vibrated.

I looked immediately.

A message.

From her.

**Kat: Did you arrive safely?**

I stared at the screen.

A small smile appeared on my face before I could stop it.

She was always like that.

Even when I was the one leaving…

She was still worrying about me.

I typed back.

**Pat: Yes. I’m here.**

A few seconds later:

**Kat: Did you eat?**

I laughed quietly.

Of course.

The first thing she asked was that.

**Pat: Yes, Kat.**

**Kat: Promise?**

I froze.

That word.

Promise.

It always felt different when it came from her.

**Pat: Promise.**

I looked at the message for a long time.

Because even through a screen…

She still felt like home.

—

The next few weeks were harder than I expected.

Everyone told me college would be different.

They were right.

There were new people.

New responsibilities.

New expectations.

Basketball became more serious.

Training was harder.

Games were bigger.

Everyone wanted to prove themselves.

And I wanted to prove myself too.

But between practices and classes…

There was always a moment when I reached for my phone.

Looking for her name.

Wanting to tell her something.

Anything.

A good game.

A bad day.

A funny thing that happened.

Because for years, Kat was the first person I told everything.

I never realized how much space she took in my life.

Until she wasn’t there.

—

“You’re distracted.”

I looked up from my phone.

My teammate raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

She pointed at my phone.

“Whoever you’re texting has your full attention.”

I locked my phone.

“It’s nothing.”

She laughed.

“You’re really bad at lying.”

I ignored her.

Because explaining Kat was impossible.

How do you explain someone who had been there since the beginning?

How do you explain someone who wasn’t just a person in your life…

But part of your life?

—

That night, after practice, I called her.

Not because I had something important to say.

I just wanted to hear her voice.

She answered after a few rings.

“Pat?”

Her voice immediately made the exhaustion disappear.

“Hey.”

“Are you okay?”

I smiled.

“Why do you always ask that?”

“Because you always pretend you’re okay.”

I looked down.

She knew me too well.

“I miss San Juan.”

A small silence followed.

Then she asked softly.

“Just San Juan?”

I stopped.

My heart skipped.

Because I knew what she meant.

And maybe she knew what I meant too.

“Yeah.”

I lied.

A small one.

The kind that hurt.

Because the truth was…

I didn’t just miss San Juan.

I missed her.

—

“Pat?”

“Yeah?”

“I saw your game pictures.”

I smiled.

“You did?”

“Of course.”

“You always watch?”

She became quiet.

“Always.”

My chest felt tight.

Because sometimes Kat said things that sounded like more.

Sometimes she made me believe I wasn’t imagining everything.

But then fear would return.

What if I was wrong?

What if she only cared because I was her best friend?

What if I confessed and lost everything?

So I stayed quiet.

Like always.

—

Months passed.

Raven University slowly became familiar.

I learned the roads.

I learned the schedule.

I learned the faces.

I became someone people recognized.

A basketball player.

A student.

Someone with a future.

But there was still one thing that never changed.

Every time something happened…

I wanted Kat to know.

Every achievement felt incomplete without hearing her say she was proud of me.

Every difficult day felt heavier without her.

And I hated admitting it.

Because I thought leaving would make me stronger.

I thought distance would make it easier.

But it only proved one thing.

No matter how far I went…

My heart stayed in San Juan.

With the girl I promised I would always come back to.

—

Late one night, I stared at our old picture.

Two kids.

Two smiles.

Two people who had no idea what the future would bring.

I remembered the promise we made.

*”We’ll always find our way back to each other.”*

I believed it.

I still did.

But I was starting to understand something.

Finding your way back was easy.

Admitting why you wanted to come back…

That was the hard part.

Because I wasn’t just missing my best friend.

I was missing the girl I loved.

The girl I left behind.

And the girl I was still too afraid to lose.