by Yuriko Hime
Tim adjusted his eyeglasses. He wasn't paying attention to the conversation even though he started it. “Guys, school is a week from now. Is everyone as excited as I am?” he asked.
“Yes,” Patty said enthusiastically, while I groaned loudly beside them. Who got excited with school? Weirdos.
They both turned to me. Tim looked especially concerned. “I don’t get why you hate our school Dulce.” He crossed his arms. “Sure, nobody knows that you’re lesbian, but you’re popular. Everyone loves you. They always swarm around you like flies. You should be thankful for that.”
“But I can’t be myself there Tim. I can’t even ask a girl out.” I stood up and went to the window where the sun’s rays penetrated the curtains. I parted it widely before turning back to them. The room looked brighter, which I liked. “I’m a teenager. I should be dating someone by now or at least making out passionately at the back of my car.”
“Technically, you did ask that bitch Denise,” Tim said. He pretended to poke his tonsils and gag. “I don’t get why she turned you down though. She’s crazy for you. Maybe she's playing a game. Most women do.” He scrunched his nose. "That's why I'm so gay. No offense girls."
I rolled my eyes. “None taken. And Denise didn't want me because she thinks I'm not good enough for her. Simple as that." I leaned on the wall next to the window. Since we were talking about girls, perhaps it was the perfect opportunity to tell them. “Speaking of women, I met someone today.”
Patty cocked an eyebrow. It was not every day that I talked about these things. “Who’s the lucky one who caught your eyes?” she said.
I went down to the story and told them about Glace. The two oohed and aahed, especially when they heard about how beautiful she was. “So did you ask her out?” they said simultaneously.
The smile vanished from my face. “I didn’t.”
“Ahh. . . Miss Shyness struck again,” Tim said. In a few steps, he was beside me, patting my shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry dude. Just wait for her to call you and problem solved.”
“She’s probably not lesbian. I shouldn’t get my hopes up.” My shoulders sagged. Oh to be a lesbian in a world full of straight people. Dramatic? Yes. Pure and nothing but the truth? Heck yeah.
“You can always make her switch," Tim suggested. He raised his hand quickly in surrender after seeing my expression. “I know, I know,” he said defensively. “That was a totally wrong thing to say. And for the record, I just said that as a form of encouragement. Look at you. You’re beautiful.” He scanned my body. “Your gorgeous figure and that to-die for smile can even rival Frio. You should have more confidence in yourself Dulce.”
Frio. That name again. Ugh. I was tired of hearing my friends mention her. Here was the thing with me. Unlike other people my age, I didn’t like to watch too much TV. I’d rather sleep, read my book, or cook all day long, than to follow a Hollywood celebrity like everyone did. Why were they so caught up with this Frio person? I bet she was a snob like most celebrities were and wouldn’t even give us a single glance.
“Oh Frio.” Tim sighed. “If I wasn’t gay and totally boy-crazy, I’d marry you in an instant.”
“What’s so great about this Frio chick?” I found myself asking.
Tim rolled his eyes at me. He was used to me by now, but we didn’t agree on that topic. “I swear Dulce. You’re so out of it. Don’t you know that Frio is one of the top stars in our generation? She’s been modeling and acting since the age of 7. She’s our age too. There are even hearsays that she might be lesbian," he explained dreamily.
I raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”
He giggled, looking like the fanboy that he was. If there was a cult where Frio was God, he would probably be president. “She’s never had a boyfriend before. People in Hollywood call her the ice princess." From the bed, Patty clapped her hands agreeably. Tim continued. “No one as in NO ONE can penetrate that wall that she put around her. But she’s beautiful and great at acting, so the whole iciness adds to the charm.”
I shrugged, uninterested. “She’s probably a total snob.” Patty and Tim frowned. “Anyway, let’s talk about something else,” I said, before another argument broke out, as it always happened whenever Frio was mentioned. “What did you guys do this summer?”
The three of us switched the topic and tried catching up. There were many stories to exchange after being unable to see each other for weeks. Soon after, we realized that it was time to go home. As I lay on my bed that night, a pillow clutched to my chest, the image of Glace’s face flashed in my mind before I fell asleep.
Chapter 2. Famous
Everything was a blur as the week passed by. Today was a start of a new school year. Only one year left until graduation, then I was off to college to pursue my culinary dreams. I checked myself in the mirror before leaving my room. Mom was in the kitchen, busy reading the morning paper. It was spread on the table next to her cup of coffee. All part of her everyday routine.
She glanced up when she saw me enter. “Senior year,” she mused, following me with her eyes as I walked to the table. “It seems like yesterday when you were just a baby. Now you’re all grown up and ready to leave me behind.” She pretended to wipe her imaginary tears.
I stole a sip of her coffee. The first taste burned my tongue. Ow! “Seriously mom.” I placed the cup down carefully. “There’s one whole year left. Besides, I’m not going anywhere. Lots of colleges here offer my dream course. Chill okay?”
There was humor in her gaze. “I’m just kidding." She opened her arms wide. "Now give your old lady a hug before going to school.”
“How can I resist this woman?” I met her embrace. Why would she even think that I’d live her behind? It was just the two of us. Always has been. “Enough with the drama mom,” I murmured over her shoulder. “I need to go now or I’ll be late. I don’t want to break my all-time record of arriving to school on time.”
We broke apart. “Remember what I told you about meeting a girl,” she reminded.
“Yeah, yeah. When I meet a girl I really like, I should introduce her to you first,” I recited.
“Good. Now get your butt to school.” She turned her attention to the newspaper. “Oh, and say hi to Tim and Patty for me.”
“Will do.” I grabbed my bag before dashing out the door. Sorry you had to see all that. My mom and I were super close. When my dad died years ago, she did everything to raise me. She worked hard, kept us afloat, and taught me a lot of things in life. She was pretty open about my sexuality too. When she told me that she wanted to switch jobs, I supported her just as she did when she found out I was gay. Now that she was successful, I was very happy for her. She deserved it.
I pulled over the school parking lot after a couple of minutes. My first agenda was the bulletin board to see if there were any announcements. Apart from the Welcome Back Students designed on the board in colorful letters, there weren’t any important reminders. I headed for my assigned locker next, feeling pumped. Tim and Patty were in most of my classes. I expected the year to be a breeze.
“Hey Dulce,” two girls greeted when I passed.
“Hi guys.” I smiled awkwardly and continued walking.
“What’s up Dulce?” four guys called from my left.
“Doing great guys. Thanks,” I replied, nodding my head to them.
Mr. Cooper from Chemistry class popped out of nowhere. “Dulce.” His booming voice echoed through the hall. “My favorite student. How was summer?” I cringed to myself. Was he purposely doing this to make the student body hate me? Nevertheless, I had no choice but to return the greeting.
“Great Mr. Coop. Can’t wait for chemistry.” I quickly excused myself to avoid further embarrassment.
As soon as I reached my locker, I went into manic mode and hurriedly stuffed some of my things inside. If more disruptions happened, I would really be late. Someone tapped me on the shoulder, halting my progress. I turned around to see Denise grinning at me. Nothing new there.
>
“Hi hot stuff.”
“Denise.” My voice was clipped.
“What are you doing?”
“Uhhh. Placing things inside my locker?” I fought the urge to roll my eyes. She wasn’t worth the stress. After refusing me last year rudely, I didn’t want to do anything with her. Apparently, she had other things in mind. She still gave me mixed signals.
Denise flipped her long blonde hair away from her face, raising her perfectly trimmed eyebrows at me. Yeah, I knew she was beautiful. That was why I fell for her in the first place. It was clearly a bad move. I should have judged the inside more than the looks. “Well duh,” she said. “I can see that. Why are you so uptight around me Dulce?”
I stared at her in disbelief. “Denise, you turned me down remember? And if I remember correctly, you did it in a rather rude and embarrassing way. Why are you acting like nothing happened?”
Denise glanced around nervously. She made sure that no one was within earshot before leaning close to me. “Shhh. Don’t let anyone hear that. You know what will happen if people find out that you’re gay. You’ll lose your popularity status. Forget that we ever had this conversation,” she whispered. “Besides, I want to be friends with you. I care for you a lot.”
“I don’t care about popularity Denise. And if you really think of me as a friend, you’ll leave me alone instead of being hot and cold all the time.” I shut my locker and left her standing there. Who was she kidding? Things were too awkward between us. We could never go back to the way we were. I reached my classroom in the nick of time. Tim and Patty were at the back, waving to call my attention. They saved a seat for me in the corner of the room, next to an empty chair. I walked quickly to them and placed my bag on the floor.
“Oh my God Dulce. What took you so long?” Tim asked, looking frazzled for some reason. He was usually cool and collected when at school. Now his hair wasn’t even combed properly. It was sticking in all directions.
“Denise,” was my frustrated reply. The two glanced at each other before turning back to me. They understood what I meant when I said her name. Just as I’ve explained, Denise has been giving me mixed signals since forever, and my friends knew all about it.
“Forget about her. We have news for you.” Tim could barely stay in his seat because of excitement.
“Is this about a cooking contest? I’m so in. When is it?”
“You and your food.” Tim groaned. “As much as we love your cooking, no it’s not about that. It’s regarding Frio!” he squealed, forgetting where he was. Even Tim was surprised by his outburst. He had to glance around to check if anyone heard it. The class was talking in small groups like ours, so he was pretty much clear.
“Frio? That Hollywood celebrity? What does she have to do with anything?”
“Remember last week when we saw each other?” I nodded. How could I forget? It was also the day I met Glace, though she didn’t contact me after that. I knew I should have asked for her number. “Well,” he said. “Frio announced that she’s taking a break from the whole celebrity life after 10 years of being in the limelight. According to an interview she did for a magazine that day, Frio wants to experience a normal high school life. She enrolled for this school year.” He gave another excited squeal. Patty looked equally psyched beside him, while I was there like, sure.
“So?” I asked.
“What do you mean so? That is a big deal because Frio enrolled here in our school. I don’t know why she chose ours,” he clarified. “I mean we’re one of the top schools in the district, but she could have gone to a private one. Maybe she really wants to experience a normal high school. Cross your fingers guys. By some stroke of luck, she’ll be our classmate.”
“Good luck with that.” I placed a notebook and pen on my desk. “Even if she did become our classmate, I doubt that she’d want anything to do with mere mortals like us.” Tim shook his head disapprovingly.
On cue, the bell rang loudly, signaling the start of a new school year. It halted every conversation. A few seconds later, our homeroom teacher entered. I stared at my notebook and doodled Glace’s name with a question mark beside it. I didn’t even know her last name. If I did, I would have searched for her Twitter or Instagram already, not that I had one of my own. Cave girl much?
“Listen up,” the teacher said to call our attention. “Someone new will be joining our class. Now I know that she has special circumstances, but I still want all of you to treat her normally. After all, she did enroll here for a normal high school experience. Frio, if you please.” Someone entered the classroom. I didn’t look up from my notebook, busy doodling. The whole class went silent for a few seconds, and then erupted in cheers, scaring the hell out of me. Even Patty and Tim were giggling excitedly. The teacher tried to quiet the class down, but that didn’t stop them from speaking in hushed tones.
“It’s her! I can’t believe this! I’m going to die,” someone said in front. I ignored them and shaded Glace’s name with my red marker. It was too early for this kind of madness. And for the life of me, I wasn’t interested at all. On my right, Tim elbowed me hard. I glared at him before concentrating back to my notebook.
“This is my first time to attend a normal school,” the new girl began. “I’ve been home schooled and had private tutors all my life, so everything is new to me. I experienced a teensy bit of high school on set for movies, but other than that, I guess you can call me a newbie.” I blocked out the noise, thinking hard about Glace’s face. Now that was a real beauty. If only I had the guts to ask her that one time, I wouldn’t feel this regret and longing. You could call me hopeless when it came to love. No wonder I was single.
“Dulce,” the teacher called. I barely heard him, continuing to focus on my work. “Dulce,” he said again. The name didn’t register in my mind. I drew hearts all over the notebook. “Dulce Gavin!” he bellowed.
The name finally connected to my brain. I stood up without thinking. “Yes Mr. Harris? I’m so sorry I didn’t hear you,” I said in a rush. My face reddened.
“If I have your undivided attention now,” he snapped, irritated. “Frio will be sitting next to you. I want you to show her around the school when you have the chance. If she has difficulties with anything, you have to help her. You’re a straight-A student, and from what I gathered, don’t have difficulty making friends. You won’t have problems with my request right?”
“Yes Mr. Harris. I meant no. No Mr. Harris. No problems at all.” I turned to the girl named Frio. My jaw dropped when I saw who he was referring to. It felt like someone threw a bucket of ice water on my head. “Glace?” I asked out loud, sounding like I saw a ghost.
“Hey stranger,” she murmured under her breath. Though she was across the room, I completely understood the movement of her lips. Inevitably, my eyes connected to her coffee colored ones, and like before, I got lost in the depth of them. My heart pounded hard. The feeling of familiarity was still there.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted, uncaring for who might hear. She didn’t answer and maintained a poker face.
“What the fudge Dulce. Do you know her?” Tim murmured beside me. I ignored him, focusing on Glace.
“Okay Frio, you can sit beside her on that empty chair. Make yourself comfortable,” the teacher instructed.
Without any questions, Glace went beside me and sat gracefully. Everyone whispered to each other. I couldn’t pry my eyes away from her face. “What are you doing here?” I asked. She acted like she didn’t hear a word I said and continued staring in front. Convinced that she wouldn’t answer me, I leaned back on my chair and turned away from her. What was going on? It was getting way too confusing. Everyone called her Frio. Frio? As in the celebrity Frio, or another one? Wait. I thought her name was Glace. It felt like I entered the Twilight zone all of a sudden.
The homeroom teacher said a couple more things in front, but I didn’t pay attention. I was too dizzy thinking about Glace and the whole Frio thing to listen. When break time came after
a few hours, everyone stood up, including Tim and Patty. I remained rooted to my seat. Glace quickly walked out of the classroom, a couple of my classmates already trailing behind her.
Tim’s eyes darted to the door. “Let’s go Dulce. She’s getting away. I really want to meet her.”
“Go ahead guys. I’m not really hungry.”
Patty touched my arm. “Are you okay? Why did you mention Glace’s name when you saw Frio?”
They probably wouldn’t believe me if I say that they were the same person. Heck, I wouldn’t believe me either. How could I not have known who she was? How? “Nothing,” I lied. “I’m just out of it guys, sorry. You can go to the cafeteria now before all the best food is taken. I’ll stay here and catch some sleep. I didn’t get enough of it last night.”
Sure that they couldn’t convince me, the two nodded and got out of the room, in search of their precious celebrity idol. When I was sure that they were gone, I sagged on the chair, allowing the confusion to wash over me. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I met the girl of my dreams again, but she turned out to be this super famous person. To make it worse, she didn’t even acknowledge me.
How could I live with this embarrassment? First there was Denise, and now Glace pretended not to know me. I was having such a bad luck. Maybe I should give up with the whole lesbian thing and just get a boyfriend. Ha! As if that would work. I wasn’t interested in guys. Never had, and never would be. I’d probably be a loser lesbian who didn’t have anyone. I’d just adopt a cat and name her Grumpy. At least someone would stay with me while I grow old.
“Why the long face stranger?” someone spoke beside me. I almost jumped in surprise.
As I looked up, familiar coffee colored eyes stared back at me. “Glace? I thought you went out?”
“Nah. I just dispersed the crowd a little. Back to my question. Why are you sad?”
“Nothing really.” There was no way in hell I was going to admit that she was the reason. “Hey.” I realized something. “You remembered me?”
