Chapter Text
Jo loved going with the flow and letting experiences show her what parts of her personality she could work on more, on the other hand, Raissa's always been the kind of child to strive for overachievement. An insane person who loved to play metaphorical chess against herself, and win.
It's the one reason why the former never ever gets bored of forcing her own eyes to stay open despite the tiredness seeping through her bones.
Lola doesn't have curfews on the first day of weekends, and Jo would love to spend these nights telling her original ghost stories and basking in the grand reactions of her best friend.
Except there's a hitch in that specific plan every week: Raissa prefers to study in advance for all of next week's classes on Saturday nights.
"Raissa, it's midnight! How much longer will you be staring at those pages?"
"Hanggang lumitaw ang araw."
Until sunrise?! Jo's eyes all but pop out of her head as the bestest best friend she's ever had- and ever will have- barely spares her a glace. The tip of her tongue poking out from the corner of her mouth being the only thing that allows Jo to turn her groan to a small sigh- It's Raissa's cutest quirk and all the people in her baranggay from her Lola down to the tindera at the talipapa knows about it. Courtesy of Jo's blabbermouth tendencies when talking about the girl sharing her bed.
Cute or not, Jo has never been one to be stopped by anything once she's set her mind to things she wants, and right now? She wants Raissa's attention on her instead of on that stupid book.
"C'monnnn, wouldn't you rather look at me? For sure I'm much more Pogi- Maganda?- Poganda! Thank that boring page. Right?? Right, Raissa?"
She had stuttered in the middle of her demands. Lola always said she could be anything she wanted, but neither pretty nor handsome felt right in a way that clicked so Pretty-Handsome it is!
The long haired girl finally looks up from her books and pages, a small smile on her lips instead of the usual light hearted eyeroll she'd give Jo whenever she started letting her boredom do the talking. Using the butt of her pencil, the eraser makes contact with the shorter girl's forehead. Tilting her head back for a moment and succeeding in stunning her into silence.
"The best poganda across the world. Just one more chapter, Jo. Then I promise we can go back to our stories, deal?"
Raissa's smile is so so soft, no similarities at all to that of the placating smiles other kids would give her whenever she'd bring up the idea of brainstorming stories together.
She looks down at the pinky finger extended her way, waiting patiently for her agreement. Jo takes it with her own and nods in Raissa's direction, content to sit still and wait for her friend to finish the self imposed homework of the night.
Raissa's smart, a go-getter that no one would be able to sway into staying quiet when she decides that she has a point that must be heard. Cool, she thinks. Matapang her Lola calls her.
Admirable. Jo decides to crown her friend at this very moment, in her silence as she sits still wondering why her cheeks won't stop feeling hot as her mind is stuck remembering that smile that Raissa gave her a few moments ago.
She waits and waits and waits, a pinky promise is sacred after all. Then Raissa's completion of her studies is marked by the sound of the textbook snapping shut.
"Alright! Tayo na?"
The smile she gives Jo this time is brighter compared to that soft one she couldn't stop thinking about. But it's still a good smile because this one makes her grin and makes her energy levels go into overdrive. Not wasting a second, Jo places her hand in Raissa's outstretched one, pulling both of them off the bed to go grab the flashlight and shut off the overhead lights.
"Tayo na!"
"Wala lang to." She tells herself.
It's nothing, she just so happens to be best friends with the coolest person in the world. Who wouldn't smile about knowing that?