"Aling Bea! Aling Bea! All hell broke loose! We ran into Jeric's gang. Kate got in but Jeric was waiting for her, so me and Kuya Balong had to step in. I bolted 'cause it looked like they were calling reinforcements…" I huff and puff, spilling the beans to Aling Bea who didn't get it right away and made me repeat it once I'd caught my breath.
Then here comes Kuya Balong. Dude looks like no one dared to mess with him.
"They're coming here!", Kuya Balong yells as he hops out of his ride.
"Jeez, what's going on?", says a now freaked-out Aling Bea.
"They're right behind me. Bet they're at Hermosa corner by now.", says Kuya Balong. So we all head out to the corner just as a train is passing by. Once it's gone, it's showdown time. Aling Bea, looking sneaky, seems to be tattling to the local street toughs about the kids coming to stir up trouble.
"Who are these punks, kid?", asks Mang Boy, who's tagging along with a hefty 2x4. He's tatted up and an ex-con from Bilibid. Even the cockfighters and gamblers join in with Mang Boy. All inked up and ready for action. One dude, Mang Nestor, grabs a machete from Aling Bea's stall, while Baldo wraps a towel around his fist, and Mang Ben's got a straight razor.
The train passes, and it's face-off time. Me, Kuya Balong, and the Bilibid Boys. Aling Bea's there too, and the crowd's growing like it's a movie shoot.
"Holy crap, just a bunch of kids...
HEY! YOU LITTLE SHITS BETTER GO HOME! YOUR PARENTS DIDN'T SEND YOU TO SCHOOL TO PULL THIS CRAP!", yells Mang Ben, waving his razor at Jeric's gang.
"COME ON, IF YOU'RE SO TOUGH! YOU WANNA DIE HERE? WE'LL SAY THE TRAIN RAN YOU OVER! YOU FUCKERS... COME ON!", Mang Boy roars.
But they don't budge, so Mang Ben gets pissed and steps up, making a few of them back off. There's like two school sections worth of kids there, all from Laurel and Osmena. Some girls too.
"OH GREAT, GIRLS TOO! YOU WANNA GET GANGED UP ON HERE? GO HOME!", screams Mang Nestor.
"Boss, if we have to fight, let's make it a one-on-one with Jeric. He's their leader… or their big guy. If I knock him out, you guys leave.", I challenge, itching for a fight I know I can win. The crowd's growing, even kids who skipped school and loafers our age. Pretty much everyone's armed with something. Tops, slingshots, broken glass. The sun's blazing, our skin burning. Another train passes from Jeric's side.
"Boy, you up for this?", Mang Ben asks, barely audible over the train.
"…Sure, I got this! We'll handle the rest of them."
The train's gone and they're still there. So we all advance on Jeric's crew, making them back off.
"Why're you backing off?", says Mang Ben.
"What, you scared? He's calling you out for a fight!!", Mang Ben continues.
"What's it gonna be, Jeric? If I knock you out, you leave Kate alone. Tell your pals to back off from Kate!"
"OH HELL NO, YOU'RE MESSING WITH KATE!!! HEY!!!, SURROUND THESE PUNKS!!", Mang Ben orders, and the onlookers circle Jeric's gang. Some of them, especially the girls, start crying. Even Jeric's big guys look nervous. Me and Kuya Balong end up in the circle with Jeric's crew but there's space.
"NO ONE ESCAPES!", Mang Ben yells, pumping up the local kids. A girl from the crowd suddenly slaps one of Jeric's girls, making her cry and clutch her cheek.
"These the girls messing with my Kate?", Aling Bea's now in the circle too. As the circle tightens, we move to a dusty, flat spot near the tricycle stand, away from the tracks.
"Heard these girls planned to strip Kate. And this damn Jeric ordered it. You all wanna mess with Kate so bad, you'd have your girls do that to her, just to grope her.", I rage.
"What if we strip you here, huh, girls? WHAT? ANSWER ME, YOU LITTLE SHITS!!!", Aling Bea explodes in anger.