by Yuriko Hime
Back in the car, Dulce asked, “Where are we going Glace?” At least she was talking to me again. I didn’t answer her and continued driving to the next location. Maybe this time we could have some fun. Real fun.
Thirty minutes later, the four of us glanced around the amusement park, debating what to try first. “Which one would you like to ride?” I said to Dulce.
“I’m not really into rides,” she confessed. She licked her lips nervously. “I hate heights remember?” The conversation we had when she was sick went to mind. How could I forget about that detail?
“There are a lot of things we can do here besides riding the rollercoaster or Ferris wheel.” I wanted to get Eris’ opinion. “How about you? What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know,” she replied dejectedly. Her shoulders were hunched. What happened in the arena left her embarrassed and pessimistic. The only thing missing was a cloud raining over her head.
“How about we have our face painted?” suggested Patty, coming from behind Dulce. “It will look great in pictures. Besides,” she said, glancing to me. “With your face painted, no one will recognize you. You can enjoy more without that cap and sunglasses on.” After a collective agreement, our small group made our way to the face painting booth.
“You look really cool,” Dulce said to me when the painting was done.
I checked myself on the mirror provided by the booth and grinned widely. A skeleton face smiled back. “You look great yourself,” I said, staring at Dulce’s face in the reflection behind me. A blue butterfly was artistically painted around her eyes.
Eris handed the payment to the artist. Her face now resembled a lion. It fits her personality. In the meantime, Patty had flowers all over her cheeks and forehead. I slipped an additional hundred dollar bill to the artist’s hand. “Here’s the tip. For not telling everyone that Frio is here.” I winked at her. The girl’s mouth opened. From beside me, I caught Dulce hiding her frown. Making her jealous was not my intention, but I secretly felt thrilled because of it. A jealous Dulce was always better than a crying one.
We decided to eat next. We found this nice place where we could all sit together as we shared a box of pizza. Eris continued to look down while munching on her food. Meanwhile, our two companions discussed something in a low voice. I ignored them and faced Eris. “I thought you only eat salad?”
“More like I’m forced to eat salad,” she grumbled. “You know as well as I do that we need to maintain our body. That includes you. So just shut up and let me enjoy this pizza. I can only eat this once every six months.”
I stifled a smile. “You’re not disappointed anymore?”
Eris chewed slowly. “I still am. Didn’t you see what happened in the arena? I made a fool of myself. She hates me now.” Her eyes darted to Patty, then back to me. “I haven’t even kissed her yet. You see how messed up that is? I can get whoever I want. I used to anyway.” She bit a huge chunk of pizza.
“At least she’s yours.” I patted her hand. “You can touch her and say what you feel. I don’t think I’m allowed to do that with Dulce. Not anymore.”
“Let’s drown our sorrows with soda.” She took a long swig of her fizzy drink. Eris looked like she was about to choke but continued drinking anyway.
When she was done, I took the can and threw it in the nearby trash bin. “Don’t drink that again. It’s bad for your abs.”
“I know.”
With full stomachs our group walked around the amusement park, looking for something to do. “What about that?” Patty pointed to the haunted house. “I haven’t seen one in a while.”
“Is that a good idea?” Eris glanced at the haunted house worriedly. Her eyes shifted from mine to the house. She was sending a secret message that I currently had no patience to decipher.
“Why not?” I said, shrugging. “Come on.” I pulled Eris back so we could talk in private. “This is the perfect opportunity to impress Patty. She’ll hold on to you when she gets scared inside. Grab that chance to comfort her. I promise you this will work.”
“B-but,” Eris babbled.
I warned her with a look. “No buts.” At the entrance of the haunted house attraction, no one wanted to move from their spot. “Who wants to go first?” I asked. They kept mum as they stared at the ground, an uncomfortable silence passing between them. It was going to be so interesting. “Okay, I’ll go in.”
We formed a single line, me being the first one, Dulce right behind me, and Patty after her. Eris made up the rear. Creepy music and darkness welcomed us inside. My eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. There were coffins and a graveyard all around us. I wasn’t scared at all. Having starred in a lot of Hollywood movies, I was able to work with some of the best people in horror films. This was child’s play compared to what people in that industry could do.
I couldn’t say the same for my companions. Dulce gasped behind me as a coffin suddenly opened, revealing a vampire that resembled the Nosferatu. The vampire, or rather the guy in the vampire get-up didn’t so much as glance at us. He merely raised himself from the coffin and walked to and fro in his station.
Rounding a corner, I saw a sarcophagus placed next to the wall. This one looked realistic enough. I halted to admire the design. “Why are we stopping?” Eris hissed at the back.
“I’m trying to appreciate the sarcophagus. Look at it. The design is amazing.”
“I don’t care about the freaking sarcophagus,” she said in a high-pitched voice. “If you want to see one, go to the museum. Now walk.” Eris was way too nervous. I clicked my tongue as I followed her suggestion. What a sissy. How could she impress Patty when she was more scared than her girlfriend?
Patty was the next one to gasp as we walked along a dark hallway, and a shrunken head came tumbling down from the ceiling. It was held by a string, causing it to dangle up and down right above us. I snickered low until Dulce poked my side. “Don’t be mean,” she said.
We continued along the path. In the near distance, there was a zombie dude pretend-eating his victim. I absolutely loved zombie movies and series. Seeing a zombie in the haunted house delighted me. Admittedly, the prosthetics were realistic. Flesh and blood oozed from his face. “Hey dude,” I said to him. “Want to eat my brains?” He ignored me as we passed him, going to another path.
The next hallway was darker than the other areas. I could barely make out where we were going. A light suddenly flickered on and off, making me a little nauseous. All of a sudden, the hunted house was filled with Eris' piercing shriek. She then ran forward and latched to Patty. It caused the other girls to run to me, dragging me with them. I tried to hold my ground while they pushed.
“Stop scratching me,” Patty complained in the darkness.
“I wasn’t!” Eris said. Realizing that someone might be there with us, even though we were the only customers, she shot ahead in panic. Eris ran past me and continued screaming all the way to God knows where. Patty trailed quickly after her. They left Dulce huddled beside me in the dark.
Dulce wouldn't like it if I laughed at how foolish our friends were. “Are you scared?” I whispered instead as I circled my arms around her.
“Maybe," she hinted. "Okay, I totally am.” She hugged me sideways as we walked forward. I took a deep sniff. Her fragrance was so good. Glace two, Dulce nada, I thought again.
Outside, Patty reasoned with Eris in a soft tone. It was meant to calm my best friend while she sat on the ground, hugging her knees. I let go of Dulce and walked to Eris. “Get up,” I hissed. “This is not the way to impress her. You look like a fool.” Completely self-aware, Eris stood up and dusted herself, acting like nothing happened.
“I wasn’t scared,” she announced in a loud clear voice, making the bystanders look. It was comical. She has forgotten that her face had a lion paint on it. I really loved her as a sister. A funny one at that.
“Of course you weren’t,” Patty supported.
I hid my smirk. “Let’s go to the tunnel of love next.�
�
“Okay!” Patty said with false enthusiasm. She hooked her arm to Eris so she could drag her girlfriend to the ride.
I turned to Dulce when the two were far enough from us. “We’re not going to ride it with them. We'll leave once they're on the boat. Sounds good?” A knowing smile spread on her face. She nodded her consent. Everything went according to plan. The two stared at us in confusion while I waved to them as their canoe began to drift away. “Patty,” I said while we were still within earshot. “Eris is dying to kiss you. But she’s feeling shy, so she can’t. Do my friend a favor and take the first step.”
Their canoe glided softly on the man-made river, but Dulce and I saw it clearly when Patty turned to Eris, cupped the girls chin in her hands, and leaned in for a kiss. Eris turned still as a statue when their lips touched. After her initial shock, she responded by kissing her girlfriend back passionately. Their heads move in unison, completely consumed with the kiss.
I turned to my own ex. Scratch that. In my heart she’d always be mine. “That’s a happy ending to their date. What do you want to do now?”
Dulce grabbed my right hand and intertwined it with hers. A jolt of electricity travelled down my spine. “Want to eat cotton candy?” she asked, oblivious of the effect she had on me.
“Sure.” Both of us noticed the husky tone of my voice.
We sat on a bench overlooking the Ferris wheel and the other rides. “Enjoying yourself Glace?” She ripped a portion of the cotton candy that we bought from one of the food stalls.
“Very much. I’ll continue to be happy as long as I'm with you.” I sipped from the water bottle. My answer wasn't meant to come off as cheesy. I was being honest with her.
Dulce stared at the distance, eating her candy silently while I had my eyes fixed on her. She looked like a beautiful fairy with the butterfly paint on her face. She bent the stick that formerly held her sweet treat when it was all gone. “I decided,” she said without blinking.
“What?”
She met my eyes and gave a heartbreaking smile that would have brought me to my knees if I wasn’t sitting on the bench. “I’m going to tell my mom everything." I took a big gulp. Glace two, Dulce perfect.
Chapter 24. Revelation
Glace
“You’re such a crybaby,” I teased as the movie came to a close. The credits rolled on the screen. Dulce sniffled in response. She grabbed a tissue from the box placed on my bedside table.
“But Jack died in the end.” She dabbed her eyes with tissue. I embraced her with one arm and stroked her hair with the other to soothe her.
“That’s because Rose is a selfish girl. If she really wanted Jack to survive, she should have asked the boy to find another floating thingy in the water. Heck, she could have shared the door.”
Dulce laughed. “Now that you said that, I can see where it went wrong.” She blew her nose on the tissue while I shut the laptop off and placed it on the table. It was a Friday evening. Dulce and I were watching the movie Titanic inside my room. I was happy that we could do this again. Even seeing her sitting beside me thrilled me to no end. I could stare at her all night.
“So,” I said. “Have you told your mom yet?”
“No I haven’t. Mom has been gone for work ever since we got back from the amusement park. She’s in New York again for a client.” Seeing my frown, she added, “Don’t worry, she’ll be back tomorrow so I can definitely talk to her.”
“Okay baby.” I pecked her cheek. “I just want to get this over with so we can be officially together again.”
“Me too.” She pulled the comforter over us. “Come here Glace, I’ve missed you.” I scooted closer and savored her embrace. Dulce never failed to give me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
“Maybe I should take my clothes off,” I joked.
“Maybe I’ll pounce on you if you do.” I sensed that she was rolling her eyes even though I was snuggled on her chest. “You know how easily you make me horny,” she said after a while.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I feel the same way.”
“Is someone talking about sex?”
Eris and Patty walked in. I forgot that we invited them too. They were late. My girlfriend and I watched the movie without them. “Where’s Tim?” Dulce asked. We invited him too.
Patty shrugged and pulled a chair next to the bed. “He couldn’t come. His boyfriend took him to their cabin for the weekend. You know how Tim gets excited when it comes to Fabio. He ditched us.”
Dulce snickered. “Yeah, that sounds like Tim alright.”
“How are you two lovebirds?” Eris asked, removing her stiletto’s one by one. When she was done, she shamelessly went to the bed, forcing me and Dulce apart as she wedged herself between us. “Oooh threesome!” she said playfully. Remembering that Patty was also in the room, her eyes darted to her girlfriend. She shrank on the bed, almost as if she wanted the pillows to swallow her.
Patty’s smile froze on her face. “If you say that again, I will spank you.” Her tone was sweet, but her eyes gleamed at Eris. My friend gulped loudly beside us, making me laugh. Patty was clearly the top in the relationship.
Dulce got up from the bed. “Okay I can’t handle this.”
“Where are you going?” I asked as she moved towards the door.
“I’m going to get ice cream from the fridge.” She turned to our two companions. “Want some?”
“What’s wrong with you people?” Eris muttered under her breath. “Can’t you see I’m on a diet? Whatever, go and get me one darling. Oh, and don’t take too long.” Eris put her arms around me. Her stare was naughty. “I’ll steal your girlfriend if you do.”
Dulce glanced from Eris to Patty and smiled. “I doubt that.” She left the door open when she got out.
“No fair.” Eris pouted, releasing me from her grip. “She’s not threatened by me anymore.”
“Can you please teach your girlfriend a lesson?” I said to Patty.
Patty titled her head to the side. “I’m going to place her on my lap one of these days for a thorough spanking,” she said. Eris made a choking noise beside me. Served her right for teasing Dulce. We were playing with her of course. Life would be dull without all her teasing.
Dulce came back with a pint of Greek frozen yogurt for Eris and Patty to share, and a pint of crème brulee for both of us. While eating, Eris decided to start another topic. “There’s four months left till your graduation guys. What do you plan to do after that?”
“I want to be an editor,” Patty mumbled, licking her spoon for leftover yogurt. “I’m going to study and get my experience on that field.”
Eris smiled endearingly. “Yes of course. That will be perfect for you.” She shifted her attention to Dulce. “How about you?”
“I’m aiming for culinary school. I haven’t joined any competition for cooking this year, which I’ve done in the past.”
“Did you win?” Eris asked.
Patty answered for her friend. “Yeah, she won every single competition she entered. Tim and I even convinced her to enter contests on TV, but she refused to do it.”
Eris pointed a spoon at Dulce. “You should consider that. Your girlfriend is a Hollywood actress. At least your career path will cross at one point if you go on TV, even for a cooking show.”
“Don’t go pointing spoons at people Eris,” I scolded. She lowered her hand. “Besides, Dulce can do what she wants to do. She doesn’t even have to work. I’ll support her.”
Eris scooped a large portion of yogurt with her spoon. For a girl who was on a strict diet, she surely loved to eat. “How about you Frio? You’re planning on coming back for the big screen right?”
Dulce and Patty glanced at me with interest. I haven’t even thought about it yet. Getting Dulce was the highest priority. Acting was far from my mind. “Maybe,” I said coyly. “But I’ll miss the hot girls if I don’t come back.”
Dulce angrily snatched the pint from my hand. “That’s it,” she said, scowling
. “No more ice cream for you.”
“You know I’m kidding right baby?” I asked sweetly.
She ignored my puppy eyes and said, “And we’re not having sex until we’re forty.” I groaned loudly and covered my face with the comforter. My plan to tease her backfired on me. Patty and Eris snickered on her behalf. Good for nothing friends, I thought bitterly.
The night continued like that. The four of us talked about different things. It centered on the career we wanted to have, the songs we enjoyed, and other topics. We slept at around midnight, with Dulce cuddled right beside me and the other couple inside the guest room. When they left early in the morning to go about their business, I was surprised to receive a call from my dad.
“Hello?” I answered with a frown. I couldn’t believe that he would call me out of the blue. It wasn’t his style.
“Go to Andrea’s place around noon.” That was all he said before he hung up. I placed the phone on my desktop and forgot about it till it was around 11 am. My mobile was dead when I returned to the room. My preparation for the day didn't take much time. Before long, I was in front of the Dulce's house, ringing the doorbell.
“Hey,” Andrea said when she saw it was me. “Go to the kitchen. There’s food there.” There were a lot of people inside the house. And when I said a lot, I meant twenty or more people. What was going on? Before I could ask Andrea what the occasion was, someone called her attention, making her turn to the person immediately, forgetting about me. I was left to my own devices.
I felt everyone’s eyes on me as I walked around the house. Who were they and what were they doing here? Was someone having a birthday party? I went up the stairs and bumped with Dulce who stared at me with wide eyes. She dragged me to her bedroom. Her face was panicked.
“What’s going on?” I asked. I remained calm, at least on the surface. Years of acting allowed me to sound as relaxed as possible, but the inner chaos bubbling inside me was threatening to burst out at any minute.
“I don’t know,” Dulce said. She tucked her hands in her jeans pocket and paced the room back and forth. “I was about to talk to my mom about us this morning when my relatives arrived.”
