by Segunda L.
Come to think of it, I pissed off two of the most popular girls in our school in just a matter of one week. That really made me something.
And let’s not forget about Samara Reyn. Yes, that was fatty’s complete name. I found out about her name when the emo girl in our class who goes by the name Trix by the way talked to her on the way out when the class was dismissed. I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything, I just happened to hear their conversation which was focused on anime.
Anime? Seriously? How old were they? Twelve?
After that last “chat” we had, fatty did everything to avoid me. I’ve been scheming situations in my head to get back at her for thinking so lowly of me but I never got the chance to do it. It was like I was all theory but no hands-on practice. How was I supposed to have my revenge if she turned the other direction every time I was within a six mile radius? I tried going to Bio class early knowing full well that she was an early bird but to no success. It turned out that she’d changed her old habits and went to class just minutes before it starts and made sure that she sat as far away from me as possible.
Did I just sound like I was chasing after her?
Nah. The world has to turn upside down first for that to happen.
The only place that I had the chance to catch her was in the dining hall but that would be too risky because everyone, and I mean everyone gathers in the dining hall during lunch. My crowd was very exclusive and approaching a loser’s table would cause quite a stir. Jared Kippling talking to fatty in front of the whole student body would probably be seen as a scandal and I’m not exaggerating here.
~*~*~
It was a lazy Sunday so I was just in my room playing Final Fantasy when Kiana knocked on my door. I ignored her of course. But she wouldn’t stop knocking and it was getting really annoying so I hit pause on the game control.
“What?” I obviously sounded displeased for getting interrupted with my game.
“Jared I need you to be on your perfect behaviour tonight, your father is going to bring his potential business partner for dinner.” Kiana said, making sure that I understood how important this dinner will be.
“Yeah, yeah. I got it.” I agreed. But on second thought, I can just skip this boring dinner and go crash TJ’s place. “Hey, can I just―.”
“No, you have to be there. Mr. Reyn is going to bring his daughter and I heard that you two go to the same school. You’re even in the same year, isn’t that lovely?” Typical of Kiana to get excited for nothing. I didn’t answer her question. My mind was occupied with something else.
Daughter? Same school?
No shit.
“What’s her daughter’s name?” I asked, just for confirmation.
Kiana tried recalling her memory and answered, “I think it was Samara. You know her?”
Once again, I didn’t answer. This was going to be one hell of a dinner.
~*~*~
After checking myself in the mirror for the tenth time, I was finally satisfied with my look. I wore a pink long sleeves polo (hey, who said pink was just for girls?), not tucked in of course and folded the sleeves just rightly to make me look cool. I matched it with black pants and viola! I look like a superstar. I was still wearing my trademark sneakers and it just added a more laid back effect on my over-all appearance. Formal but not too formal, just the right mix. For some absurd reason, I went out of my way to look good tonight.
Trying to impress fatty?
Yeah right. Fat chance.
~*~*~
After making sure that everything was ready, Kiana the hostess of the night, settled down on the living room and watched TV while waiting for my father and his guests. She was so calm about this whole thing while I was pacing back and forth on the veranda, eagerly waiting for that familiar sound of my father’s Mercedes-Benz.
“Jared, are you okay?” Kiana asked while looking at me on the other side of the glass walls that separated the veranda. “You’re acting weird today, did something happen?”
Something is about to happen.
“I’m fine.” I snapped with anxiousness on my tone. Yes, I was anxious. For meeting fatty? No. It was more on the fact that Samara might tattle of my, well, “bullying” on her. Her dad will be there too and I was sure my dad will not take my side if it came down to it. My dad would probably hand out the knife happily to Mr. Reyn if it meant getting on his good side.
Ah. Too much thinking hurts my brain. What happens, happens. Like I said, worrying cramped my style, it just wasn’t me.
From the veranda, I saw my father’s Mercedes-Benz followed by a Lamborghini I’d never seen before in front of our gate. My father honked his horn and Kiana stood up from the couch to meet my father and his guest downstairs but not after giving last reminders.
“Jared, remember what I told you. This is very impor―.”
I cut her off. “I know already. Just get down and meet them. I’ll follow right away.”
She smiled and said, “I know I can count on you Jared.” She fixed the hem of her dress in a lady like manner and went down to do her job as a hostess.
For the last time, I checked my reflection on the glass walls to make sure I looked great. If this was going to be a disaster for me, I might as well be a beautiful disaster.
~*~*~
The guests including Dad and Kiana were on the front door, exchanging names and introductions. I was hidden from their view for the moment but my spot allowed me to have a good look at them. Mr. Reyn was probably in his forties and very well built. Not exactly the obese father I pictured fatty to have. Everything about him screamed rich, from his Armani clothes to his Rolex watch. His hair was thinning on the middle part but nonetheless, he gave this youthful aura. I turned my attention to fatty who was wearing a black dress (definitely an improvement from her oversized shirts) and had her hair tied up in a bun. Bleh. She was still as fat as ever and wearing black didn’t really do much.
I purposely showed up after they finished introducing themselves just because I wanted the extra attention. I walked out of my hidden spot and walked towards them with my hands on my pocket.
As soon as fatty saw me, her eyes opened wide and I thought they were about to fall out. It must be because I was so good looking tonight. That was what I wanted to think but her eyes were not showing the usual admiration that I was used to. Instead, she looked surprised to see me and was that disgust that I just saw now.
Hold up. Did she not know that she was going to my house?
My thoughts were momentarily disrupted by my father’s voice.
“Jared, this is Mr. Thomas Reyn. And this is his daughter whom I assumed you’ve already met in school.” Dad introduced.
Thomas held out his hand for a handshake. I stretched mine and gave him a firm grip which he returned with an equally firm one.
“Nice grip, son. A handshake tells a lot about a man. And I can tell that you’re one tough boy.” Mr. Reyn remarked while grinning and tapped me not too lightly on my shoulders.
Wow. He’s a piece of work.
I looked at fatty who was still surprised with the turn of events. She was looking back and forth at me and her dad.
“Samara, say hi to your schoolmate. Go on.” Thomas encouraged.
She quickly hid her look of surprise. “Hello, Jared. Thank you for inviting us over for dinner tonight.” Each word was said with tremendous effort from her that it was impossible for anyone to miss.
Talk about awkward.
Kiana was good in reading the atmosphere. She clapped her hands and all our attention was on her. “Let’s all come inside now, the food is ready. I hope you like to eat seafood paella and Stir Fried Boneless Chicken with Capsicums in Teriyaki Sauce, Samara.” Kiana said like they were two old friends. She placed her hand on Samara and led her to our state of the art dining room. Dad guided Thomas while they talked about something I was definitely not interested in.
And just like that, I was left alone in the front door. Fun huh?
~*~*~
Except what happened earlier during the introductions, everything was going smooth. The food was great (as expected from Kiana), the wine was nice too and the conversation was (surprisingly) entertaining. What came out more of a surprise was that fatty was the star of the night. She told jokes that had everyone in the table laughing and I actually found myself laughing (another surprise) along with them. Kiana was in hysterics as fatty told her story about her vacation in Hawaii where she was forced―to her horror―to wear a bikini. Fatty in a bikini? A bit disturbing but still kind of funny.
She was glowing as she spoke. Her cheeks were slightly blushed and she had a really nice smile that I hadn’t noticed before. She never really smiled when I was with her.
Perfect set of teeth and pouty lips. Her hairstyle tonight actually suited her. It was one sided and tied up in a bun with a few lose hair which she tucked in her ear. Her skin was really flawless and I wondered how it would feel against the rough skin of my thumb. Her eyes were a light shade of brown and in my head I wished that she would glance in my way and focus those brown eyes on me. She had a tiny mole slightly above her mouth which drew my attention on to her lips.
I was so caught up with these thoughts that I didn’t notice that she stopped talking. Her face was set in a scowl.
Damn. She caught me looking at her with that stupid dreamy look. Was I really getting turned on just a few seconds ago? I want to slap myself right now. I cleared my throat and announced, “Excuse me.” Everyone in the table turned their attention on me. “Uhmm, bathroom.” I explained.
I rose from my chair and went upstairs to my room to calm myself down. What the hell just happened back there? I must have had too much to drink. Yes, of course it was the effect of the wine, a very potent liquid. I actually imagined of doing things to fatty which I never would have thought of if I wasn’t high in alcohol right now. I decided to stay holed up in my room until the party was over. I couldn’t go through another hallucination with fatty as my―I couldn’t even say the word.
Kiana knocked on my door but I told her I wasn’t feeling well and I was having a headache (and seeing things). She didn’t force me anymore and told me to get a rest instead and even thanked me for behaving well tonight.
The night progressed and I heard the Reyn’s bidding good night. I didn’t dare step out of my room until I heard their Lamborghini speeding away out of our front gate. Just when I was about to open my door, Dad knocked and I let him inside. For a moment, I thought fatty told him about my bullying and he was here to do something about it. Stupid me. Leaving them alone with fatty gave her the chance to dish the dirt.
He had his back on me and he seemed much stressed. “Jared, I need you to do a favor for me.” My father said in his usual no-beating-around- the-bush manner.
My father needed me? Now that was unexpected.
“What is it dad?” I tried to imitate his no-beating-around- the-bush tone.
He let out an exasperated sigh before he started to speak. “I need you to, hmm, how do I put this, get closer to Samara. Close enough that she’ll put in good words about us to her father. And hopefully that will hasten up the business deal.”
I could hear the wheels of my mind turning. And my answer was NO, with a capital N and O.
“Dad, you’re basically selling me just to have this deal of yours. It’s like a modern day version of prostitution.”
“What? Son, I don’t know what’s going on inside that head of yours but that’s definitely not what I’m suggesting.” Dad said with hurt in his voice. “Look, I’m not asking you to marry the girl for Christ’s sake, just befriend her. And she’s a nice kid, it’s not going to be that hard. In fact I’d prefer you hanging around with her kind than those good for nothing jock friend of yours.”
“TJ is not that bad that Dad.” I said in defense of TJ.
“Yeah, he used to be a good kid until you came along and influenced him.”
Ouch.
“Here’s the deal, you do what I want and I’ll buy you that black Mercedes-Benz that you’ve been bugging me about.” That was my father for you, he knew the right button to push. As of the moment, Kiana lets me borrow her Porsche Boxster, a slick red car, befitting my social status. Problem was that sometimes she had to use it in a moment’s notice and I’d end up having to ride a cab. Or if I got lucky, hitch a ride with my friends. Contrary to what people thought, I was not a spoiled rich kid who got what he wanted just by asking daddy. Yes, I lived in a big house, attended a good school, ate good food and had a nice house but that was pretty much all of it. I had a monthly allowance which compared to other kids in our school was just a measly portion of theirs. All my gadgets were bought by saving up my allowance or doing chores for my dad. Throwing in the black Mercedes-Benz that I thought was only a dream was tempting. Very tempting.
I weighed the offer and the task at hand. Befriending (as my father puts it) fatty? Could I do that? That was like a total social suicide. But who cares? I was Jared Kippling, I say who’s in and who’s out. The memory of what happened earlier crossed my mind. If I did this, I had to make sure I avoided alcohol when I was with her.
“When do I get my Mercedes-Benz?” I asked and my father knew I was in.
“The minute Thomas signs the paper. It’ll be delivered to you right away.” Dad said, too business like.
“Okay. I’m in. It’s a deal, Dad. I start tomorrow.” I said as I tried to find ways to get closer to fatty.
Chapter Six
Jared
I, Jared Kippling, was about to do the most shameful thing in my life. If you asked me a three weeks ago if I would ever do something as what I was about to do now, I would have told you, “Fuck you”. Not in a million years had I imagined that I would be put into this kind of situation.
Okay, enough drama. Once I got my Mercedes-Benz, I’d look back into this time and just laugh it off. There were some occasions in life which you see as the most embarrassing event that happened to you but as years passed, you’d remember it as a funny moment and share it with your friends to laugh at your stupidity. This would be one of those moments. Once I got older, I’d share this story to my children as a joke.
But as of the moment, I don’t really feel like laughing.
I could have avoided this situation if fatty didn’t hide from me. Four days had passed since the deal with dad and I hadn’t gotten any developments. She disappeared right away once I see her. With her size, she should be easy to spot but that was not the case with her. She was like a ninja, a fat ninja. One moment she was there, and then she was gone. I didn’t even know how she did it. Did she run? She had long legs but they were so chubby I doubt if they were any use for running. She did the same thing in our Bio class. As soon as Ms. Santos let us out, fatty dashed out of the room right away while I was still arranging my stuff.
So now here I was, left without a choice but to approach her during lunch time. A guy gotta do what he gotta do. I kept reminding myself this was all for my beloved black Mercedes-Benz. I had complete confidence that I could easily charm fatty. Piece of cake actually. Last week, all my plans were about breaking fatty, but now all my energy were focused on getting on good terms with her. Life really is unpredictable. Who knows maybe next week I’m already trading anime stories with her?
I was standing in the dining hall entrance, waiting for fatty to arrive. My bag was a bit heavier than it used to because it carried two lunch boxes. One for me and one for fatty.
Genius, right? Yeah, I know, we’re not kids in kindergarten but this was the only idea I had on mind.
What better way to get closer to her than to share food which is probably one of her favorite thing in the world?
I knew she liked anime but it was just for backup plan. For now, food was the short cut to making friends with her. Telling Kiana that the other lunchbox was for Samara was downright embarrassing so I told her I was a growing boy and needed more food. Kiana seemed suspicious especially since I asked her to cook paella,
fatty’s favourite dish ever since she had a taste of Kiana’s cooking.
My back was leaning on the wall, my one hand was on my side and the other was on my pocket. I chose this pose because I knew I looked cool this way, I was like a model posing for a photo shoot. Girls smiled at me as they passed through and I bet my Xbox they were probably wondering who I was waiting for and wishing it was them.
Sorry girls but I was on a mission.
Wearing a plain black shirt and tattered jeans didn’t really help much with trying to be unnoticeable. I didn’t want to stand out for today but I guess it was impossible with my looks. With my dark brown hair, muscular body, and killer smile, I could wear rags and still pull it off as a fashion statement. One of the perks of being a hot guy like me. But not really a handy thing right now when all I wanted was to be invisible as I approach fatty. Checking my watch to look at the time, I figured fatty should be here by now. What was taking her so long? The possibility of her skipping a meal was next to zero so there was no way she was not coming this way.
Maybe she started to go on a diet and decided to skip lunch.
Ah. Girls, they were all the same. Didn’t they know it was unhealthy to skip meals? I shook my head in disappointment and turned to go inside the dining hall.
