It has been a month and a half now, and things are pretty different with Doug and Cathy (but at the same time it's so... similar)
How?
Cathy has been distracting herself with everything she can do, but mostly cheerleading. Malapit na kasi ang laban ng school nila with some other university from Universe B kaya nagpreprepare sila, ganoon din ang basketball varsity.
Minsan, nakikita ni Cathy si Doug pero hindi niya maintindihan bakit nakaupo lang siya sa bench. Napapaisip naman si Cathy kung nainjure niya ba si Doug pero hindi naman, kasi nagiging sobrang maingat siya at madadaling routine lang ang nirequest niyang ipagawa sa kanya dahil nga clumsy siya at kung mainjure man si Doug siya ang makakaramdam.
Pero ano bang pakialam niya hindi ba? Wala na dapat. Huwag mo na siya isipin Cathy.
Kaya nagpapakapagod si Cathy sa pagiging cheerleader para paguwi niya kakain na lang siya at tutulog. Pagpasok sa school, aral kain with Sofi, tapos cheerleading ulit. Nadidistract naman si Cathy, pero hindi natutuwa si Sofi.
Sofi knows that Cathy is trying her best to be okay, but she's losing herself in the process.
Kilala niya si Cathy at hindi ganito si Cathy. She's full of life, and she sees the wonder in everything pero dahil sa nangyari, her soul is slowly... dying. At pinagtatakpan ni Cathy lahat 'to para hindi niya maisip at harapin lahat ng mga problema niya.
Naiintindihan naman ni Sofi kung bakit, baka naman kasi everything is too much for Cathy at ito ang defense mechanism niya to cope sa lahat nang pagbabago na nangyayari sa buhay niya, pero... this can't keep happening, Cathy has to fight this or she'll get trapped in this sad bubble.
Doug on the other hand... is not handling everything well. Really not.
Malapit na ang game nila with Universe B, it's an important game kasi sa mga ganitong bagay lang nagiinteract yung dalawang universe, pero he's so distracted and he can't focus na nagdecide na ang coach nila na ibench na muna siya. Dahil dito lalo lang nagalit si Doug, lalo lang siyang naging miserable. Basketball was the only thing that was keeping his mind sane tapos nawala pa, inalis pa siya.
He's gets easily irritable and mad at every little thing, and this is affecting his relationship with Bella. Kaya minsan, iniiwasan na rin niya si Bella.
Paano bang hindi, kapag magkasama sila minsan pipitik siya tapos makikita niya yung disappointment sa mata ni Bella and it hurts him. Hurts him that he cannot control his soul and what it's doing to him and Bella.
Minsan magagalit si Bella sa kanya kasi 'you're pushing me away, Doug. How can we resolve this if you're pushing me away?' and Doug just wants to say na he can't fix this with Bella if hindi siya okay.
Kahit magusap sila paulit ulit, kung hindi okay si Doug, hindi sila magiging okay. And Doug wants to fix himself on his own. Ayaw na niya iburden si Bella about it.
May isang beses nagusap na sila Elix, Sofi at Bella. Napansin nila paano nagiiba si Cathy and Doug and they're all concerned kasi kaibigan pa rin nila yung dalawa. Nagiingat si Sofi sa mga sinasabi niya kasi baka masaktan si Bella dahil involved siya sa 'paghihiwalay' nila Cathy and Doug, pero si Bella din naman yung nagopen na nahihirapan din siya sa sitwasyon dahil ayaw niyang nakikita si Doug na ganoon.
"I don't know what to do. Sobrang nagiiba sila, and I understand... I understand na dahil 'to sa fact na hindi nila sinusunod yung dapat, na yung souls nila yung dapat magkasama after meeting each other, pero... nahihirapan akong makita sila na ganyan." daing ni Sofi sa grupo.
"I know. Nakabangko si Doug... and he's been working so hard for this game against Universe B. Araw araw siyang nagprapractice noon, at halos nakainitan niya pa nga yung co-captain kasi ayaw niyang isali si Doug sa game. Tapos ngayon... inalis siya ni coach. It must be so tough on him. You know? Parang lahat ng gusto niya hindi niya makuha, dahil sa nagrerevolt ang soul niya."
Lahat naman sila napatahimik. Totoo naman. Lahat sila nagaalala pero hindi nila alam ang gagawin at hindi rin nila masyadong maintindihan yung depth nung 'revolt' ng souls at kung gaano naapektuhan yung katawan at isip ni Cathy and Doug.
"I'm so sad that I can't do anything to help them." Bigla na lang sinabi ni Sofi, Elix was about to agree nang biglang tumayo si Bella at sinabing:
"Well, I do."
And Bella knows what she's SUPPOSED to do.
Ang tanong, kaya niya ba? Magpaparaya ba siya?
O magiging selfish siya at ipaglalaban niya si Doug at ang relationship nila?
