Went back to writing, because I couldn't contain all the emotions WWIW gave me.
Words Written in Water is the 3rd installation of Inksteady's The Losers' Club Series.
A brief background of the series:
The series is about the tale of four (4) friends who were left to grow in the orphanage. Their friendship blossomed, through the harshness and hardships of life inside. Despite life's questionable turn, they all grew up strong, well, and beautifully. Once they were old enough, they went out of the orphanage to tend to themselves, together. Their individual adventures and self-discovery is what we're going to witness as their own stories unfold. Books 1-3 were already completed. We are now awaiting the last instalment's completion.
Words Written in Water - and how it was etched into my system, leaving me wrecked, yet whole.
WWIW is the third instalment from the Loser's Club Series. Here we witnessed how Millicent Rae E. Velasco, a graduating 4th year Journalism Student, no-nonsense, carefree, strong-willed, smart, strong, and very beautiful - navigate the last of her class's requirement given by her favorite professor, Gng. Capuso. (LOL!). The task? Create an online publication with the subject, no other than the Highest Supreme Student Body's President, the son of the governor, the untouchable Juancho Alas Montero, 2nd year pre-law student.
How they met and how their worlds came fumbling down, and intertwined:
The president and the SSG- in a surprise school grounds inspection, Juancho Alas came to meet the notorious Millicent Rae - hiding in the tall grasses behind the school building- known to be a lurking spot of the students seeking for thrill, or just a simple hiding spot, away from the main grounds. Spotting her unkempt hair, Juancho called out Millicent Rae out of the bushes, that startled her a bit. Mill did not even flinch, though! It was Juancho's first time seeing her this close- and lo and behold, those beautiful green eyes of Milli caught him captive - Yes, a captive he was through and through. That was just their first close meeting, though! After that once incident, came in the barrage of moments which compelled them to get to know each other, and eventually - fall in love with each other.
Meet Millicent Rae Velasco:
Our Millicent or Mill, was the toughest one among the losers. She loves her friends more than anything or anyone in this world - that she's ready to make her body a shield, just so she can convey her love for them- or for anyone that matters to her. She isn't a woman of flowery words; if there's a need for her to speak, expect that she's going to throw everything in your way, no holds-barred. She's an athlete, a smart-mouth, a beauty queen, and a future journalist who speaks her mind when there's a need be. She knows hard-work, she is out spoken, she's sexy as hell, she loves fiercely - and wouldn't mind if the world burns for her and her love - as long as they're together in it. She is the very definition of BRAVE.
Millicent, a very beautiful green-eyed, half-Irish girl - not much known for feminine softness. The actual "A fighter, not a lover" saying- personified. Her courage to be disliked, just to be her authentic self is astounding.
Meet Juancho Alas Montero:
He is the usual 6 foot something-tall, handsome, smart, and very mysterious student. Known for being social yet with a strict demeanor, and a hazel-brown eyes that could see through your soul, he is one of the most respected and most loved student in their campus. He doesn't let just anyone in in his private life- not until Millicent. The kryptonite to his being. He is a man of his words, of honor, and he is made of dignity and hard-work. He is such a dream - but not to a fault. Bounded with a veil of mystery a very private life, his once quietly lived life, was threatened to be shaken at its core by the green-eyed angsty journalism student that he fondly calls Mirae.
The tale of how their love made me laugh, worried, and cry a bucket:
I found their story trending on twitter during its run, until its hiatus. I was curious, as I already read the first 2 installment of the Losers' Club Series, and it was as captivating as it was heavy on the themes - I didn't dive in just yet, not until I was done with 2nd book just recently. When I started off with WWIW, I thought - this is just another Inksteady's masterpiece; A bit of romance here and there, characters with the perfect comedic timing, and a story of friendship, and how it protected them - BUT HOLD IT- it catapulted me into the world not familiar to mine. It gave me something to think about, things to cry about, and things to be thankful about. I'll try to navigate this review without the giving out too much spoiler.. try..not promise..
They started out as two individuals wary of each other's presence. Like, they were holding up just because! But then, we saw how life's circumstances brought them closer, revealing more intimate and more personal detail about each other. We also saw how in a short span of time, they both grew and brought the best out of each other. Few of the lucky ones who seemed to found their better half, who makes them whole.
Now, let us talk about how things went downhill from there.
(SPOILER ALERT: THERE WOULD BE A LOT IN HERE. So if you are not a fan of spoilers, kindly exit my from here. Thank You!)
So, life came a whole lot messy from the time Juancho saw Mirae with a familiar face he just wasn't expecting to see. I am not blaming Juancho, and I never will blame Juancho for acting that way- he is just human, bound to get hurt, bound to loose it; what I wished he did better was to communicate it with Mirae. Mirae being Mirae, went on with her life, thinking it would get better- being her first time experiencing this kind of frustration, she lost her self in the process of figuring things out with Juancho, that she made a crucial mistake during her work, which caused her her enrollment, her OJT, her savings, and even her body. I lost it when she had to work as a human punching bag- paid only a few thousand pesos, and yet, every time she gets paid, she still have that smile on her face, with the thought of seeing Juancho, and maybe getting him a small gift after being able to pay coach- disregarding the fact that her small body has been so spent, she was a thread shy from breaking.
I cried a lot during the scene where Mill was supposed to end her contract with the company, but somebody booked her for 4 thousand pesos, and we all knew who that person was.. I initially thought it was coach, but then, of course, it was Juancho Alas.. WHO WOULDN'T CRY?! WHO?! How she was so happy somebody booked her service for that amount, that she was whistling the whole time she was supposed to meet the person who booked her service. It was so heartbreaking that I had to stop reading for a bit - and when Juancho brought her to the hospital, he lost it. How could his angsty little girl take all those jabs and hits? How there is no more space for bruises to be placed, because her entirety was full of it- even having cuts, here and there. How is she still standing up despite the fact that she looks so frail, so bruised, so hurt?!
That was the part when I felt like part of me understood what Millicent was made of: Pure love and devotion. Millicent Rae, for me, was strength, bravery, and love personified. She wasn't just an angry soul, she is a soul who loves deep, and feels deeply, to the point that she wouldn't let nobody hurt you- and if you get hurt, those who did it should expect that she would return the hurt 10x what they did, that's for sure. She isn't fond of words, but when she do, expect that it would either make you or break you- There is no in between when it comes to her words. When she went down on her knees breaking down, hugging the knees of Alas, I knew then that when she stands up, there is no turning back. Just like in the prologue, what she said, she stood for "I had always believed that second chances were a load of bullshit. A waste of time. A rock you picked up again to hit yourself in the head with".
That was the part when I felt like part of me understood what Millicent was made of: Pure love and devotion. Millicent Rae, for me, was strength, bravery, and love personified. She wasn't just an angry soul, she is a soul who loves deep, and feels deeply, to the point that she wouldn't let nobody hurt you- and if you get hurt, those who did it should expect that she would return the hurt 10x what they did, that's for sure. She isn't fond of words, but when she do, expect that it would either make you or break you- There is no in between when it comes to her words. When she went down on her knees breaking down, hugging the knees of Alas, I knew then that when she stands up, there is no turning back. Just like in the prologue, what she said, she stood for "I had always believed that second chances were a load of bullshit. A waste of time. A rock you picked up again to hit yourself in the head with".
I thought after that, it would be Mirae's turn to have a sunny disposition in life, but no- there she was, with the most quarterlife-crisis looking situation. Surviving mediocre career in her mid 20's, stuck in rut, while her friends and cohorts are going their way. Her experience mirrors what most of us is going through, that's what made this book partly realistic, aside from the social issues being tackled. Mirae's journey is sentimental, as well as personal, as we are all in the pursuit of self-actualization, and finding what could make us whole, what could make us achieve our best self. Mirae is us.
Moving forward the exciting parts, The best one was when they meet again after a long time, during Juancho's press conference in their province. How he was lost in Mirae's eyes, how Mirae was so eager to shoot all the questions for Juancho Alas, how she was eager to get out of that hall, how she saw firsthand how Juancho lead, how he was so eager to keep Mirae on his line of sight- and how panicky he was when he knew that Mirae saw Psyche went up to him- making him explain his side of the situation as soon as he could. Aminin nyo, kinilig rin kayo, diba?
Another favorite of mine is the scene when the typhoon coverage would be up: how manly Juancho was leading his province throughout the disaster- and how he was so intact and square, not until he heard Mirae calling for him on the radio - That was when he went all ballistic and so unlike his usual self- rushing back to the place where he left Mirae, and how he hugged her, ushered her to safety, and made her stay in his office- where Mirae found traces of her. Her favorite things were all there, like she had been staying there for the longest time..
Another favorite of mine is the scene when the typhoon coverage would be up: how manly Juancho was leading his province throughout the disaster- and how he was so intact and square, not until he heard Mirae calling for him on the radio - That was when he went all ballistic and so unlike his usual self- rushing back to the place where he left Mirae, and how he hugged her, ushered her to safety, and made her stay in his office- where Mirae found traces of her. Her favorite things were all there, like she had been staying there for the longest time..
Of course, Inksteady wouldn't let us go off-the hook as easy as that, the biggest plot twist upon plot twists of the story was then revealed towards the end, wouldn't kwento it na, but I am gonna share one more favorite scene - The part where Juancho brought Millicent home- and Millicent found the room that was almost a shrine for her, her favorite things, of gifts that were bought for her, the just because things that was bought by Juancho, even though he wasn't even sure he is ever going to be able to give it to her personally.
So, to end this awfully long review, I just want to say that - I could only retell some of my favorite scenes, but I couldn't make you all feel how it made me feel. I suggest you take 1 day off just for this book, and you'll understand where I am coming from.
Millicent Rae, is just one of the reminders that anger is not all hate, but rather deep rooted love, hope springing out of uncharted places is scary, that the fear of being left alone is draining, and the longing to be held by the arms of those we do not even know if they would want to touch us, more so, hold us after a long hard day is possible. Like Milli, we also believed that once we are all spent, and couldn't offer anything more, those people who we love will just leave us - empty; but once we realized that we were okay surviving and thriving alone, we learned to let people go without grudge. We may not be a exactly like her, but a part of her definitely is in us.
I will not write about Juancho anymore, as I wrote this with Millicent in my head- Juancho's POV is available on Inksteady's Wattpad account, towards the end if Words Written In Water. Meet him there, and see for your self.
Mahal Kita, Mirae.
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