Chapter Text
Sheena,
Deadline ng renta mo sa susunod na Biyernes. ₱12,000 ha. Paalala lang. Biyernes na.
Twelve thousand pesos.
Tangina. Wala na akong extra.
Sheena had totally forgotten that her rent was due next Friday. Sure, she works at the nearby retail store just down by their university, but for some reason, her last paycheck was not sufficient enough to pay for everything that needs to get paid. Not to mention she just spent a good amount of money on a project for one of her major subjects.
She really wanted to go on a trip, or heck, a Carribean cruise. Or begin searching for an apartment of her own for convenience when she starts her internship in senior year.
But right now she really just needs the extra money to pay her university dormitory rent.
₱15,000
Sheena stares at the big, bold text on one of the bulletin boards along the hallways of the psychology department building.
She has done some crazy things for money before. She had sold blood (yes, not donated), which left her so weak for a few days that she concluded it was not worth it.
She had worked under the sun for ten hours in a chicken costume during a festival. Again, which almost killed her from heat stroke.
In short, she has never earned money this easily and quickly before… she thought as she once again stares at the paper on the bulletin board in front of her.
But of course, there was a catch.
PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT EXPERIMENT
In big, bold letters.
That could mean anything.
What crazy experiment did the psychology students come up with this time that they were willing to pay willing participants?
Sheena had participated in an experiment organized by psychology students before where she was hooked up to a lie detector machine while watching porn and forced to answer yes or no questions such as whether or not she was turned on after watching.
They only paid her two thousand pesos for that.
Another time she had agreed to be a part of a control group for a new anti-allergy medication that ended up giving her hives. She had to go to emergency.
They paid her five thousand pesos for that but she had been itchy even a week later.
Overall, Sheena has earned a few paychecks from the psychology department over the last three years. She never truly had any real bad experience.
On the other hand, they have never paid anymore more than five thousand pesos.
Now, they are offering fifteen thousand.
The number, in big bold letters, was speaking to her. She really needed the money. And one more minute she spends staring at the flyer she will be late to one of her major classes.
Sheena sighed. She wrote down the number of the psychology department hastily on her left hand.
She would do anything for fifteen thousand pesos.
Anything at all.
But what could it possibly be?
-
Gwen Apuli stared at the open application on her phone. It’s her online banking account.
Shit, wala na pala akong extra na pang-bayad sa trip.
She had insufficient funds. The bank just took money from her chequing account to pay for her car. That was the last of it.
She had not even spent that much over the last week, or two weeks, for that matter.
Gwen was broke. Well, at least for now.
She was planning to withdraw money from her chequing account to be able to pay for an upcoming trip with friends, her last one before she graduates.
But said money was nowhere to be found.
“Shit,” She muttered under her breath.
“Uy, Gwen, ano? Sama ka ba?” Jhoanna, one of her friends, came up to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Saan?”
“Wing night daw after dismissal. Tapos na classes mo diba?”
Gwen sighed once again. She did not even have enough money for wing night tonight.
“Pass ako today, daming need i-submit eh. Alam mo na, graduating.” Gwen forced a smile. Jhoanna wouldn’t know or relate, she was a junior.
“Ano ba yan, sayang naman! But, next time okay?” Jhoanna shook her lightly and turned to go the other way, “Pero bro don’t forget to send me money to pay for our trip ha. Next Friday na deadline n’on!” She reminded before fully turning on her heels to leave and walk the opposite direction, leaving Gwen still standing in front of her locker.
“Yeah, sige.” Gwen said to no one in particular.
She has never actually gone on any trips with her friends since she started university. Gwen is a working student as well, and she works as a barista at a local cafe near her neighbourhood. And of course, she always worked during their Spring break, since that was the only time she would get enough time off of her studies to actually work and earn money.
This was the first and only time she was finally planning on going to a trip with her friends to enjoy herself, but how can she?
Gwen looked at Jhoanna’s text.
Ang ganda ng nakuha at na-book na hotel, bro! All inclusive ‘to, ₱15,000 lang hatian nating lima. Ako, si Staku, Mikha, Aiah at ikaw. Kaya wag kang mawawala ha! See you, Gwen!
Yeah, she has told her friends she would be going. But that was before she checked her bank account.
She really, truly wanted to go on the trip to treat herself after always working so hard both as a student and as an employee.
She deserves this, right?
Gwen needs to make it work one way or another. And she was determined.
Oo, bro. I will make it work. See you sa trip!