"I'm sorry, sir. We don't have any replacement screens for older models anymore."
"C-Can't you search the stocks? Maybe there—" Juno's words began to falter in desperation, but the impolite shopkeeper calmly dismisses him mid-sentence.
"As I said, sir—models older than four years ago are highly unlikely to still have stocks. It's better to buy a new phone."
Juno watches helplessly—clutching his broken phone in his hand as the shopkeeper goes over to assist other customers.
"That's terrible..." Jian says, still accompanying Juno at the mall. "What are you going to do now?"
"Huh? There's nothing to be done. I'm going home now." Juno's annoyance was evident as he looks at the rude shopkeeper.
"Ah, this is the worst. I can't even see the time. I'll be relying on my watch for a while."
"W-Well, Juno... I'll be headed this way now. I'm taking the jeep home."
Jian excuses himself to go home now—but Juno just keeps walking—still troubled by his old broken phone as he scrolls through the delayed motions of his screen.
On the train ride home—Juno's fortune never fails to disappoint him at all. It just so happens to be in the middle of rush hour. Trains were jam-packed with different kinds of people—including the ones he hated the most—those who know nothing about public transportation etiquette.
"Even the swiping the screen is f*cking delayed..."
His thumb keeps sliding across the broken screen—trying to still make the phone functionable. And soon, he gives up on contacting his grandparents and angrily slams his phone against his thigh accompanied by a heavy sigh—one full of exhaustion.
"Look at my Facebook. It's all girls wearing bikini—absolute fap material." Two oblivious men began blabbering in the train carriages—joking around about their sexual fantasies.
It was making the women in the train carriage were feeling disturbed by their topics—but no one dares to speak up. Just by a glance of their appearance—anyone can already tell these are people who doesn't give a damn about social norms.
It only got worse when one of them starts eyeing at the timid-looking female student with short hair seated next to Juno. She noticed this and glared at them, making one of them look away nervously for a moment before his eyes start climbing up her legs.
"You're... from Bosque University, too... aren't you?" The soft spoken voice next to Juno catches his attention, and he notices the girl passing him a wrinkled two hundred peso bill, "Are you getting off at Dr. Santos Station? Could you walk me to the condominium behind the mall?"
Juno doesn't accept it instantly, but upon gazing at the men across them at the carriage—he knew this was not going to end wall for him if he interferes with them.
*Arriving at Dr. Santos Station... You have now arrived at Dr. Santos Station.*
Juno follows closely behind the girl as he notices the same men from the train follows them.
"I've come across them twice this week already."
"Huh? But classes just started yesterday."
"Exactly." She glanced up at Juno. "I can't tell if it's a mere coincidence, but I'm being cautious lately. So far, I haven't been able to go straight home. I always have to go through crowds in the mall to make sure they lose track of me. I can't even tell if they're aware that I already know about them."
"Oh..." Juno listens despite still having one earphone plugged into his ear.
Soon, the two of them gets on a jeepney and so did the creepy men. On first sight, Juno wouldn't suspect he was being followed if he was her. After all, the jeepney was full of the same passengers on the train earlier, but for it to happen twice this week? Yeah, right.
But the jeepney ride didn't last long as the two of them got out into a more crowded street where street vendors were still active at night.
"This..." Juno seems familiar with the street.
"You've been here before? This leads to Las Piñas City."
The two of them continue to walk, and they still feel an eerie presence following closely behind them. Amongst the crowd behind them—the two creepy men sticks to them like annoying flies.
"This is the street." she grabs his arm and pulls him into a dark and tight alley.
"Your condominium is here?"
"No, idiot."
In a place with no lights, nor windows for people to glance down on—this made Juno's hands tremble in fear and grip his tumbler tighter—which now had a noticeable dent after swinging it across Miguel's face.
Once they turned to a dead end—the girl takes off her pink jacket and backpack before handing it over for Juno to hold as she puts up a fighting stance at the corner.
"What's that abo—"
Juno's mouth immediately stops talking when the girl throws a swift and powerful kick straight to one of the unsuspecting pervert's face as soon as he made a turn.
"W-What the helly-burton?"
"Hey... You think I didn't notice your eyes earlier, you low class perverts?!"
Beneath the girl's small appearance and timid personality, hides an insatiable rage brought upon her by the perverts. Contrast to her soft spoken voice earlier—her voice now carries a fiery fury.
"Take this, you cancers of society!" she thrusts her leg down to the second man's stomach, making him curl up on the ground in pain.
For a moment, Juno's hold on the silver diver's watch on his fists which he had prepared for self defense in advance falters.
Seeing her release all of her pent-up rage felt like ignited something inside of him.
With the pool of emotions which he had to quietly endure throughout today finally reach its maximum volume—he balls his fist and charges straight at the men. One of them about to sit up, was instantly met with the cold metal of Juno's watch striking his face.
The defeated perverts pleads for the two furious students to stop as they continue with the relentless and overwhelming disciplined kicks of the girl—and the mess of swinging fists from Juno.
.
.
.
"You're a bastard child. If you have anyone to blame—blame your mother for bringing you into this world."
.
.
.
Hearing those exact words that haunted him for his entire life—Juno's pent up rage seems to reach even higher limits he never even knew about.
The man he was beating can't even open his mouth to beg for mercy—as Juno's fists keep making contact before he can recover.
Eventually, the two left the perverts groaning in pain—all bloodied. They walk out of the suspicious alley together as if nothing happened.
"I'm Amara." The girl introduced herself as she looks up to Juno. "What about you?"
"Juno."
"Like the song?"
"No, not like the song."