Chapter 7

KAT’s POV:

The strange thing about missing someone is…

The world keeps moving.

Even when the person you’re waiting for is no longer beside you.

The sun still rises.

Classes still happen.

People still laugh.

Life continues.

But somehow…

Everything feels a little different.

Ever since Patricia Dela Cruz left for Raven University, San Juan felt quieter.

Not because the place changed.

But because one person was no longer there.

—

I used to know exactly where Pat was.

Walking home?

She was beside me.

Lunch break?

She was sitting across from me.

A difficult day?

She was the first person I looked for.

It was always easy.

Pat was just there.

Like breathing.

Like something that didn’t need effort.

Until suddenly…

I had to get used to not having her.

And I hated how hard that was.

—

“ Student Nurse, Reyes.”

I looked up from my notes.

My classmate waved a hand in front of my face.

“Are you alive?”

I blinked.

“Yes.”

She looked at me suspiciously.

“You’ve been staring at the same page for ten minutes.”

I looked down.

She was right.

I hadn’t even read a single word.

I sighed.

“I’m tired.”

She smiled.

“You’re always tired.”

I ignored her.

Because telling the truth was embarrassing.

I wasn’t just tired.

I was missing someone.

—

My phone was beside my notes.

I didn’t need to check it.

I already knew.

No message.

Not yet.

I hated that I noticed.

I hated that a simple notification from Pat could change my entire day.

Before, she didn’t even have to try.

She would just send something random.

A picture of her food.

A complaint about training.

A simple:

**Kat, I’m hungry.**

And somehow…

That was enough.

—

When she first left, we talked every day.

Every morning.

Every night.

Like distance was nothing.

Like being apart didn’t matter.

But slowly…

Schedules became heavier.

Her basketball practices.

My hospital duties.

Our responsibilities.

The conversations became shorter.

Not because we wanted them to.

But because life got louder.

And I was scared.

Because I knew how easily people changed.

How easily people found new places.

New friends.

New people.

What if Raven University became her new home?

What if one day…

She stopped needing me?

—

“Kat.”

I looked up.

My friend was smiling.

“Who are you waiting for?”

I immediately looked away.

“No one.”

She laughed.

“Sure.”

I frowned.

“What?”

She shrugged.

“You only look at your phone like that when it’s Pat.”

I froze.

Because she was right.

Too right.

“I just miss my best friend.”

The words came out automatically.

My friend nodded.

“That’s understandable.”

Best friend.

There it was again.

The word I used whenever I was afraid.

The word that kept me safe.

The word that also kept me trapped.

—

That night, Pat called.

I answered immediately.

Too quickly.

“Hi.”

Her voice was familiar.

Comforting.

Home.

“Hey.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

We didn’t need to.

That was always our thing.

Silence never felt awkward with Pat.

It felt like we understood each other without trying.

“How was your day?”

She asked.

I smiled.

“Tiring.”

“Did you eat?”

I laughed softly.

“You sound like me.”

“Someone has to remind you.”

My heart did something stupid.

Because she remembered.

She still remembered.

“You?”

I asked.

“Did you eat?”

A small pause.

“Yeah.”

“Promise?”

Another silence.

Then she laughed.

“Promise.”

And there it was.

That word again.

The one that connected us since we were kids.

The one that made me wonder…

Did she know?

Did she ever feel the same?

—

“Pat?”

“Yeah?”

I almost said it.

I almost asked.

Do you miss me?

Not as your best friend.

But as someone more.

I wanted to know.

I needed to know.

But fear stopped me.

Because what if the answer hurt?

What if she said no?

What if I destroyed the only thing I had?

So instead, I said:

“Take care of yourself.”

I heard her smile.

“You too, Kat.”

—

After the call ended, I stayed staring at my phone.

A thousand words in my head.

None of them brave enough to leave.

I wondered if Pat ever felt the same.

If she ever looked at our pictures and wondered what we could be.

If she ever wanted to say something but stopped.

Maybe she didn’t.

Maybe I was just hoping.

But hope was dangerous.

Especially when it involved the person you loved most.

—

Years ago, we promised we would always find our way back to each other.

I still believed that.

But I was starting to realize something.

Sometimes distance isn’t what separates people.

Sometimes it’s the things they are too afraid to say.

And maybe…

The scariest thing wasn’t losing Pat because she was far away.

It was losing her while she was still the closest person to my heart.