Me and Kate missed four jeeps because we were waiting for one where we could sit in the front. Finally, we found one and hopped in. I handed over our four-peso fare. The jeepney was pretty empty, so it kept stopping at every corner to pick up passengers. As we got closer to Pritil, the jeepney filled up, and the driver started speeding up.
"Hey, isn't that Jeric?" Kate recognized him from across the street when the jeepney stopped at a traffic light. He had a bunch of kids with him, probably around 8 to 10 years old, and he looked like their leader. He didn't notice us up front, though.
"I've got a bad feeling, babe. Move inside," I told Kate, and she managed to get inside even though it was a bit tricky. Luckily, she found a seat.
"Stay there," I said, and just as the jeepney started moving again, Jeric saw me. I pretended not to notice him. The jeepney was crawling because it was dropping off passengers near a gas station. I could see them through the side mirror, and I knew they were up to something.
"Kate! Whatever happens, don't get off the jeepney!"
"Why? What's going on?" Kate asked, worried.
"Jeric saw me. I think they're gonna jump me."
"What's your problem, kid?" the driver asked me.
"I'm in trouble, boss." The driver saw the group approaching and sped up, leaving them behind.
"Kid, they're gonna catch up to us eventually. I can't get involved in your fight. It's kid stuff. Can you handle them?" the driver warned.
"I can handle it. Boss, please take care of my girl."
"Can't we just avoid them?" Kate pleaded.
"Here, kid..." The driver handed me a metal pipe. The group was still following us on foot, confident they could catch up.
"Drop me off at the 7-11, boss. Kate, stay put! Boss, take her past the church!" I jumped off the moving jeepney, tucking the pipe into my shorts. I had to play it cool to catch them off guard.
I walked quickly toward them. There were about a dozen of them, and I saw they had a baseball bat. Who knows what else they had. I told myself I could scare them off with a sudden move.
When Jeric saw me, I sprinted toward them. My plan worked; Jeric backed off, and so did the kids with him. I chased them, yelling, "SNATCHER, SNATCHER! HE STOLE MY GIRL'S EARRINGS!!!"
My shouting caught the attention of some bystanders, who started chasing them too. I hopped on another jeepney to get back to Kate quickly. When I paid the fare at the next stoplight, I saw Kate on the other side of the street. I yelled her name, and we met up again. I crossed the street when the light turned green, and she was waiting for me.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go, hurry up before they catch up!"
"What did you do, babe? How did you stop them?"
"Let's just go!"
We looked for the jeepney that dropped Kate off. She said it turned left and parked somewhere. When we found the driver, I returned the pipe and thanked him. I told them how I scared off the group, and both the driver and Kate burst out laughing.
We took a tricycle to make sure those idiots couldn't follow us easily.