Among all of 9-Golf's students, one person saw past Bobby's rage and saw the person suffering underneath: Lawrence Allan Solinap. He was quiet, observant, and possessed a rare quality that few teenagers had–genuine empathy.
Lawrence wasn't part of Bobby's original friend circle, but he had developed a quiet understanding of what was happening. He noticed how isolated Bobby had become, how every interaction seemed to deepen his pain, how he was slowly being consumed by bitterness and rage. Where others saw a threat, Lawrence saw a person drowning.
One day, Lawrence gathered the courage to sit next to Bobby at lunch. It took courage because by then, most students avoided him. Bobby was dangerous. Bobby was unpredictable.
"Hey Bobby," Lawrence said gently, setting down his tray. "Mind if I sit here?"
Bobby's initial reaction was suspicion. His eyes narrowed. "Why? You gonna make fun of me too?"
Lawrence shook his head calmly. "Nah man. Just looking for somewhere to eat. Kaya lang, your company's cool with me. If you don't want me here, I can go, no problem."
Bobby stared at him for a long moment, his paranoia at war with the relief of not being alone. Finally, he shrugged. "Stay. I don't care."
Lawrence persisted with quiet determination. He sat with Bobby during lunch. He talked with him in class about classes and other neutral topics. He treated him like a human being, not a threat, not a project to fix, just... a person. "Yung assignment ni sir, medyo malaki nag-ulo ko dito," he'd say, breaking the ice. Or "Kain tayo, nakakupo ko ng extra rice from the cafeteria."
Over time, something shifted in Bobby. Not dramatically, not completely, but noticeably. The anger didn't disappear, but it was balanced, however temporarily, by the presence of someone who genuinely saw him. Lawrence became a tether–a reminder that connection was still possible, that not everyone had decided he was a monster.
In the months that followed, Lawrence would be the only person in 9-Golf who remained consistently kind to Bobby, the only one who didn't flinch when he got angry, the only one who tried to reach through the darkness. He would later become the one to wonder: Could I have done more? Should I have known what was coming? Could I have saved someone?
That question would haunt him for the rest of his life.