She's The Boss

by M.G. Marquez

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  GUJI

  “What do you mean you’re having LBM?”

  It’s November 24 and it’s the opening ceremony of KFC Cup. It’s already 8 am and Janella’s still not here. What the hell did she eat to have LBM like that?

  “LBM your face!” I put down my phone in utter annoyance. My Dad isn’t here to witness my first game as Team Captain, now she’s not coming too? This can’t be really happening to me.

  I jogged to my team mates and they formed a circle around me.

  “Listen up!” I started. “I don’t need fucking slugs today. If any of your asses bowed down to them, I’ll make your life like hell, do you understand me?”

  “Aye!”

  “Show no mercy on your faces on that ceremony so they’ll be afraid of us for the rest of the season. YOU HEAR ME?”

  “Aye!”

  “Now get your asses on that field!” I watched them jogged one after another toward the center. I took out my phone and dialed Hana’s number.

  “Hey. Janella’s having LBM. Give her the medicine she needs. Thank you.” I slid my phone back to my jacket’s pocket and ran toward the field.

  Our game started at around 12 and not even a shadow of my Dad did I see. Not even Janella’s. I am so pissed off that the game is starting to get affected. The Chivalries were on the lead and I know we’re on trouble.

  “You’re not focusing, Guji. Get a grip!” Yvan snapped at me. “This isn’t about her or your Dad. This is about you. So snap out of it.”

  I exhaled to keep my head on the game but someone’s voice caught me off-guard. I turned to look at where it came from.

  Then I saw them. Janella’s holding a megaphone and she looked stupid.

  “HEY SWEETIE!” Sweetie? Where did that come from? Oh. Dad’s here. She’s acting to be my girlfriend. “We made it here so stop being such a loser! You’re the best team captain in the whole wide world!”

  Best Team Captain? I laughed.

  Yvan tapped my shoulder and said, “Got your spirit back, now?”

  I nodded.

  MAGGIE

  Hana and I would’ve been out of this stadium if these girls hadn’t blocked our way. What now?

  “Hi Ponce,” said one.

  “Hello. Can I pass now?”

  “No.” They encircled around me and they’re closing so much space I could hardly breathe clean air.

  “Hey little misses, stay away from my darling,” Hana blurted out but the bitches just pushed her away. My patience snapped.

  “Hey! You don’t have the right to push people like that. FYI she’s a lot older than you are,”

  “YOU. You don’t have the right to act like Guji’s girlfriend!” They even pointed their fingers at me. “And why are you with Guji’s dad, huh? Why are you so close?!”

  “Why do you care?”

  “What happened to the most insulting words you said to him, huh? You ate them all!”

  Past is past, get a move on guys.

  “Yeah. I ate them all. They taste great actually.”

  And that’s when they started attacking me. One of them slapped me in the face, while the others grabbed my hair and started pulling them out. I kept on pushing them away but they’re so much bigger in size and in number so I just retreated. I pressed myself against the wall and wished that there’s more space than there really was.

  Why are these girls acting like they’re Guji’s girlfriends? Desperate Not Going To Be Housewives.

  “Won’t you cry?” One of them asked me as I dropped to the floor and covered my head with my hand. I left my injured hand on the floor and lucky me, someone stepped on it on purpose.

  Shit as hell, I wanna die right now.

  “Stop it.”

  I heard him.

  “I said stop it!” I felt a pair of warm arms around me and a sweet breath in front of me.

  I know him.

  “On a count of five and you’re still here, YOU’RE DEAD. One. Two. Five.”

  When I had the courage to open my eyes, I saw his dark brown eyes staring back at me. His eyes were a different shade of brown that I love them.

  Then I cried.

  All of them were staring at me in the locker room. Every one of them wants to punch somebody. Even Nikki. Such a Girl.

  Guji sat beside me and I just stared at the comb he’s holding.

  He’s got a comb.

  This guy, who doesn’t care about how messy his hair looked, holds a comb.

  “What kind of look is that? I just borrowed this!” He snapped when he noticed that I’m actually judging him in my mind. “I’ll do your hair.”

  “What? NO WAY.” I tried to snatch the comb from him but he’s just so tall I can’t reach it. Damn that stupid puberty. “It’s my hair so I’ll be the one to comb it!”

  “Your hand’s injured, remember? The last time I checked, you’re a right-handed girl, and not a left-handed one like me. So let me do your hair.”

  I felt his hand ran through my hair, which was by the way, so light. He combed my hair silently until he said, “Your hair’s getting long. Have it cut, will you?”

  “Rapunzel’s my idol. Got a problem with that?”

  “Well I do have a problem with you. You’re always putting yourself in danger and I am so tired of worrying about you. Take care of yourself, please!”

  Way to go, Guji. You have just won The Most Concerned Person on Earth Award.

  “Hey hey, don’t fight.” Yvan snapped at us but Nikki bribed the others to go outside because she said, “That is their thing. Not ours.”

  When they left, both of us went mute. All I heard was the comb’s constant going up and down my hair, and the clock’s ticking on the wall.

  “I’m sorry you have to cut your game for me.” I said, fumbling with my fingers. “I’m sorry that your Dad didn’t get to see you play longer than he should have. I’m sorry –”

  “Shut up.” I did. He didn’t. “You could’ve run fast. You’re a fast runner so escaping isn’t a problem. Why didn’t you do that?”

  “Maybe I thought that facing them and defending my self was much better than escaping.”

  “But you ended up getting hurt! It hurts me to see you experiencing that kind of pain, you hear that? I can’t even get my hand on the thought that we’re playing there and you’re being wrestled by some bitches to death –”

  I covered his mouth to shut him up. “BD, take it easy! I’m okay,”

  “But I’m not okay!”

  “Shh stop it.”

  I brushed his hair and massaged it, too. Yvan told me that that made him calmed down. And it did.

  It’s our Happy Saturday today and they plan on baking cupcakes. They left us at the house because they said, “Since you’re dirty from planting some trees, you can’t go with us.”

  Yeah. We’re dirty from planting outside because Grandma thought that it’s a great idea. Grandma knows best. Grandma’s whip knows best.

  We’re throwing pillows at each other when he suddenly asked me, “What if Yvan likes you?”

  “So?” I asked, still throwing pillows at him.

  “Nothing… didn’t you have a crush on him? What if he likes you back?”

  “You know, you’re a little bit out-of-date. Yvan’s my best friend now, and I do have a principle that I abide with all my life,”

  “That is?”

  “That I won’t ever ever fall for a friend. EVER.”

  I saw his face dropped by that. “What a freak.”

  “Wait. Did I hear that right? You called me a freak?!”

  “Why not? What kind of principle is that? Just because you’re friends you’re prohibiting yourself to fall for him? That’s just so unfair,”

  “Unfair? I don’t see anything wrong with that! Don’t you think it is better that way? No friendzoned. No exes-can’t-be-friends-again. No best friends-turned-lovers-turned-nothing-but-strangers,”

  “Don’t you know how to take risks?”

 
; “You lost me there. Where are all these coming from?”

  “BECAUSE I LIKE YOU.” My mouth gaped at what he said. There came this screeching sound of silence in my ear and I wanted to scream but no voice ever came out of my stupid vocal chords.

  “I’m sorry but I’m going to bed.”

  I watched him turn his back on me and ran upstairs with his head bowed down.

  I can’t believe what I just heard.