The Beautiful Struggle
The furor over the news was necessary. There were tears, literal ones and in emoji. There were cries of unbelief, rumors of cheating and hashtagsmany, many hashtags. Memes culled from movie stills and GIFS of JaDine’s beloved teleserye, which united a nation at primetime, animated our timelines.
“ I’M JUST REALLY LUCKY THAT I HAVE A GOOD SUPPORT SYSTEM AND I THINK THAT’S WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS. THEY NEED SOMEONE WHO WILL JUST LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE GOING THROUGH.IT HELPS A LOT. IT HELPED ME SO MUCH ”
The duo, Nadine Lustre and James Reid, sent out a joint statement late in the night and by breakfast people were hashing out their theories. The collective mourning was modern grief spilled all over the internet. Their message was clear, succinct, but the fandoms believe that there’s more to the news than the text or even the subtext. They search for clues in Instagram posts, in follows and likes, in videos, song lyrics. It’s all there, scattered in plain sight, so the simple, straightforward words from their idols will never be enough. They need answers to a multitude of questions. And they need it now.
In front of us, Nadine Lustre is curled up into herself. Her slender, taut frame seems even more delicate clad in a button down and cut-offs. Her hair is pulled back smooth, her makeup light, and beneath the winged liner, visibly red-rimmed eyes. We don’t need to ask her what happened, what was said behind closed doors the day before. It’s only 7 AM but Nadine, as beautiful as she is, already looks like she’s lived through
