by Segunda L.
"That's stupid. I'm not a kid who thinks by chopping off the crayons, I get more of them." Samara countered.
"Your stupidity amazes me sometimes, Kippling," Trix shook her head, "Sam, I'll eat just one slice too, we'll go through this together."
These two girls were the definition of BFF's. "Oh well, more for me then." I shrugged. We each took a slice, TJ munched on his pizza very slowly, as if by doing that, he will forget what I just told him. He was no longer on guard even if I was sitting closely to Samara, if anything, he was acting cool about it. The two girls might not notice the change, but he couldn’t fool me, I knew what he was doing. Hell, I did that a lot. We were the type of guys who preferred to put on an uncaring attitude when something was bothering us.
"Ahw," Samara winced beside me. We all turned to her as she said, "oh darn, I bit my tongue."
Just how much of a klutz can she be? "Let me see." I placed my hand on her chin and tilted her head.
"Ith ith blithing?" She tried to talk while her tongue was out.
Shaking the thought of how smooth her skin was on my calloused thumb, I answered, "Yeah, it is. Oh, man. It's bleeding a lot." The small spot of blood was spreading fast. “Damn, you bite hard, I can attest to that," I said, remembering the time she bit my hand "You were probably a shark in your past life."
The sound of glass hitting the table made me removed my hand from Samara's chin. TJ had dropped his glass on the mahogany table, creating a thud and almost caused the glass to break. Without looking on our direction and with a pizza on his other hand, he said in a low tone, "Water." He looked bored and just wanted to get back to eating his pizza in peace, "Wash the blood with water."
Samara and I exchanged glances, we quickly put some distance between ourselves. She rose from her chair and poured water on her glass. "I'll thi thack." She said, still speaking with her foreign tongue language and headed for the nearest comfort room leaving me with TJ and Trix. The three of us were in complete silence. Trix was pretending to be busy with her phone and TJ was taking the last bite of his pizza.
When the pizza disappeared from his hand, he stood up and said, "I'm going home. Tell Sammy I had stuff to do." With that, he left and I knew that the match I lighted in him was starting to burn through his thick headedness.
Chapter Twenty-four
Samara
Every student would probably agree with me that Mondays were the worst day of the week. But to be honest, I was never a fan of school days in general. Not that I hated learning, but the sight of students swarming, clustering into groups and catching up with their weekends made me jittery and sick in the stomach.
Pushing the sick feeling, I let my eyes rove for Trix's familiar face. She should be here by now. Sure enough, I saw her waiting for me on one of the benches, the farthest one from our school building. It was easy to spot her. In a place of branded jeans and shirts, she stood out. Trix had an affinity for dark clothes and tight skirts. I honest to god thought it was cool. She rocked that look.
"Hey, Sam." She greeted me with a wave when I reached her. "How was your weekend?" Trix sat cross-legged, she picked up her backpack and placed it on the other side of the bench giving me space to sit in.
Taking a seat beside her, I answered. "Like you have to ask. You were there the whole time." I was about to pull a Cadbury chocolate from my bag, only to be reminded that I got rid of all my sweets last night. I gave it to our maid who had five kids. It was my early Christmas gift for them. Sighing, I slumped back on the bench.
"Was I?" Trix feigned a surprise expression, pointing a hand to herself. "I certainly didn't know you got lost in the jungle because you were running from that awful man named Kippling. And I have absolutely no idea at all that your dad was trying to flirt with Miss Santos which ended up badly."
"Eew, don't remind me of that." I scrunched my nose, flinching from the sudden recollection.
Tapping her chin, she said. "Which one? Getting lost in the jungle or your dad's flirting?"
Getting lost in the jungle wasn't that bad as people were making it. Jared was with me who proved himself to be reliable. He was the kind of guy whom you could trust your life with and know for sure he was going to do whatever it took to keep you safe. "You already know my answer to that." It would be embarrassing to tell Trix of what I was just thinking when I once told her how much I despised the man. So I kept the thought to myself.
"You do realize being alone with Kippling would be most girls' wet dreams?" Undisturbed by the choice of words she was using, she asked.
"Including you?"
"I'd rather much hump a lamp post. Thank you very much." Annoyed, she stressed each word as if she was talking to a toddler.
"Such imagery." I was sure the picture will haunt me forever.
"Nice shirt by the way." She eyed my newly printed shirt.
"Thanks." I wore a large black shirt with the words I'M FAT AND ADORABLE. People can go fall into a manhole if they got a problem with it. "I was feeling extra bold today."
Trix laughed, "Yeah, go show them."
"Nice leggings. Is it new?" I noticed for the first time that her leggings had a unique style. The part covering her thighs were ripped in a rocker fashion. Our morning ritual involved talking about our fashion sense. To most people, we were outcasts not only emotionally but also physically. We were used to the weird stares people gave us as they passed along our spot.
Trix talked about a new boutique she found which sold accessories and undergarments that suited her taste. I promised to go with her there next time. "How's your healthy lifestyle coming along?" She then asked after we exhausted the topic of fashion.
"I might actually die because of it. My body is craving for bacon." This was true. It had been two days without bacon and it was a great deal of struggle. For as long as I can remember, bacon had been a part of my diet. Not a week went by without having bacon for breakfast or dinner. And sometimes as a snack.
Patting my back, she said encouraging words to me, "It's gonna be all worth it, hang in there."
"Jogging is the worst part." I whined to my friend.
"I can imagine." She agreed right away. "Jogging with Kippling won't be the highlight of my day either."
"Nah, Jared sent me a text. He couldn't go this morning. TJ jogged with me instead." Remembering this morning's events put me in a sour mood. TJ had been acting cold towards me, we exchanged only a few words and he wouldn't even meet my eyes. Yesterday, he left without saying goodbye. That wasn't like him at all. It was like a male version of PMS.
Whatever it was, I planned on confronting him about it today.
~*~*~
Only half of the day passed but I was already exhausted. Not because of the classes, but because of the constant questions of my classmates who heard about what happened during the trip. All of a sudden, everyone was asking about my weekend. Weird, I know. After what seemed like forever, lunch time finally came.
Trix and I sat beside each other on our usual table. Everson High was a big school but only had one place where people could buy food.
"Whatcha got for lunch?" Trix asked as she pulled her lunchbox out of her bag.
"Vegetable salad."
"Wow, you're really going all out with it." Trix eyed my plate, laughing a little with my forlorn expression as I stuck my fork in those greens.
"Not funny."
This only made her laugh harder. "Sorry, Sam." Trix knew how much I hated vegetables. I once told her vegetables weren't real food. "Salad is good. Very healthy and appetizing."
"Right." I scoffed.
Dieting was really hard. It was a constant struggle. Food was one of the best things in the world. I did admit to being an overeater. I ate when I was hungry. I ate when I was not hungry. I ate when I was happy. I ate when I was depressed. Not only that, but I was a picky eater. Turn the recommended food pyramid by a dietician upside down and that would be my version of food pyramid. I knew this whole diet thing was for my own good but...that didn't ma
ke things any easier!
“Oh, look. Isn’t that Jared Kippling?” One of the girls from across our table asked in a hushed whisper but still loud enough for me to hear.
Trix groaned beside me from the mention of Jared's name. I turned around to see Jared walking forward. He was wearing a white V-neck T-shirt showing off his tanned neck and well-toned arms. The same name tag necklace was still draped on his neck. Designer jeans hang low on his waist. The only thing that ruined the whole get up was his face filled with bruises and cuts.
His friends walked beside him. If they were trying to make a grand entrance, then they succeeded. People stopped eating, set aside their meals just to stare at them. These boys were people from the popular group. Most of them were varsity players. I recognized some of them who laughed like hyenas when they saw me biting Jared's hand. I suddenly had a strong urge to hide under the table.
"What are we doing here, Jared?" The cute redhead asked, he was walking casually with his hands on his back pockets. His name was Lennon. He hanged around Jared a lot and he too was in the basketball team.
"Hey, isn’t that girl from the locker room?" It was Frank. I remembered him from last time. He pointed to me and the rest of the boys with Jared looked to my direction.
I immediately glanced down at my food and hoped they wouldn’t say anything weird. Pretending not to notice them, I lifted my fork and poked another lettuce out of my salad, shoving it inside my mouth.
“Yeah, it is her.” Another boy from their group confirmed Frank’s observation.
At the corner of my eye, I saw Frank bit his fingers and squeaked. His friends understood the joke and they all laughed. Thankfully, other from the basketball players, the students present in the dining hall had no idea what Frank just did. They probably thought he was just being an idiot. Good. Let them think that.
Jared stopped walking. “Joke’s a bit old, Frank.” Sounding annoyed, he asked, “Don’t you think?”
Frank didn’t bother answering, he only laughed and casually slung his arm on Jared’s shoulders as he said, “Nope. It never gets old.”
Jared rolled his eyes as he untangled himself out of Frank’s hold then he turned to me, dropping the topic. "Anyway, Samara, I came here to tell you to go straighten out TJ. He’s being a grumpy pants. It’s affecting our game."
"Huh? What do you mean? And where is he?" I asked, my strong concern for TJ gripping my heart.
Jared couldn’t give me his answer because his phone rang. It had the song “Accidentally in Love” for a ringtone. He pulled his iphone from his pocket and motioned for me to wait.
"Your music sucks, dude." Lennon shook his head in disapproval.
"Your mom sucks." Jared countered for taking a shot with his taste of music. He peeked at his screen, the smile on his face quickly disappeared. Standing up, he told everyone on the table. "I'll be outside for a bit."
~*~*~
Jared had been gone for ten minutes. His gang were still in our side of the cafeteria, sitting in our table without bothering to ask us. They were talking about the coming basketball finals, and from what I gathered, TJ had been playing poorly in their practice games.
"Jared thinks we can win the championship this year." Lennon, one of the starting players, said after drinking from his can of soda and swiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
Frank joined their conversation. "Yeah, I think so too. He's our ace. If the coach lets him and TJ join last year during the first half, we would have won first place."
Snapping his attention to his friends' discussion, Harvy, the small forward of the team, added, "Coach wanted the seniors to have a moment of fame during their last year, that's why all the lower years were benched for the first half."
Lennon scoffed, "Old man is getting soft. Getting sentimental and stuff." He burped loudly, forgetting that he was with girls.
"Last year we were crushed by those Biebers. It’s time for revenge." Frank bit a big chunk of his burger, I imagined if it was the Beavers, then they’d be eaten whole.
The Beavers otherwise known as “Biebers” to everyone in Everson High was the basketball team of the rival school.
It was a common knowledge in Everson High School that all students of Montesque High School were vile, lecherous and malicious. We were sworn to an unwritten law to hate everyone from that school. And of course, it was vice versa to them. I, of course, thought it was a complete bullshit.
I excused myself from the table, not wanting to waste more time in finding TJ. I was sure they could all handle themselves. Passing through the lines of table and people eating their lunch, I headed outside to search for Jared. If there was anyone who’d know where TJ would be, it’d be him.
Exactly at the entrance of the dining hall, I saw him talking with a girl. I didn't want to interrupt their conversation but it was an emergency. The girl saw me first, I didn't know why but she seemed to be expecting me. She whispered something to Jared, he immediately snapped his head to my direction. The closer I got, the more tense his shoulders became.
Finally reaching him, I said, "Hey, Jared. Can I talk to you for a minute? I'll make it short, I promise." Not intending to be rude, I smiled at the girl. Now that I was seeing her up-close, she was quite a looker. Redhead and tanned skin. A Latina beauty. With a body that I wished I had.
"S-Samara." Jared breathed out.
"If you're not going to introduce me to your friends, I'll do it myself." The girl put herself in front of Jared, and returned my smile with one of her own that would give Katherine Zeta-Jones a run for her money. "I'm Jared's friend Carrie. Nice to meet you." Instead of a handshake, she gave me a tight hug.
Just to be polite, I hugged her back. I caught a whiff of expensive perfume coming from her. She released me soon and it was my turn to introduce myself. "I'm Samara. Jared's classmate." Today was a day I get to meet a lot of people. Wew. "Sorry for interrupting, I just really need to ask Jared something."
“All good. We're actually done here." Turning her attention back to Jared, she said to him. "I'm going now. See you soon."
Jared’s shoulders relaxed. He surprised me by giving Carrie an affectionate quick peck on the cheek. “Alright. Take care.”
She hugged him close, burying her face on his chest. "You too. Don't do anything stupid now." I suspected her words carried a meaning only the two of them could understand.
"I won't. Don't worry." Jared was a good few inches taller than her, he rested his chin on Carrie's head.
They separated seconds after, Carrie waved and sweetly smiled at me. "Bye, Samara."
"Bye." I waved back.
She turned around and walked away from us with the poise of a supermodel, heading for the exit. We watched her go. Then Jared rammed his hands into his pockets. Turning to me, he asked when his friend was already out of sight, "Soooo, what is it that you want to ask me?"
Wasting no time, I inquired. "Do you know where TJ is?"
"Hmm. I do but... "He paused, keeping me in suspense.
"But what?" My brow furrowed, I was not in the mood for games right now.
"But don't tell him I told you."
Running an imaginary zipper on my mouth, I answered, "My lips are sealed."
"Third floor of Home Ed building, emergency exit. He goes there when he needs to think."
"Thanks." I was about to jog to the place when Jared grabbed my arm. My gaze dropped to where he touched me then lifted to his face. He was looking at me with so much intensity it burned. His eyes were filled with conflicting emotions buried deep inside of him that needed to come out to the surface. "W-what?"
His grip on me became tighter like a chain. With a low voice, he said, "Don't go there."
"What are you talking about? I have to go. TJ is there, right? I'm going."
He quickly let go of my hand and jumped back. He laughed a nervous laugh. "Right, I was just," he laughed again, but it came out more like guttural sounds, "yeah, okay. He's there alright. Well, go get him."
"O-okay." I continued jogging to the Home Ed building, feeling like I was missing something important.
I reached the third floor. I was in so much hurry, I almost missed the emergency exit. Back stepping, I saw TJ sitting on the staircase, his one leg folded where his arm rested. On his hand was a cigarette nearly out. His dark hair resembled a bird’s nest and his eyes were shut. On his other hand was a bottle of beer.
He deeply sighed and without opening his eyes, he said, "Jared, I told you to go away. Give me some space, dude. Bromance needs some cool off." Then he lifted the cigarette to his mouth and took a long drag from it.
"When did you start smoking?" My voice echoed through the little space that we were in, I walked closer to him with slow step as if I was a predator and he was my prey.
Startled, he whipped his head to me, opened his eyes and mouth, but nothing came out from it for a while. So I talked first to fill the silence. "And you're drinking alcohol in school campus. Tsk, tsk. Bad TJ. Very bad TJ." I plopped down on the floor, sitting inches across him. I bent my knees and leaned my back against the wall.
Finally recovering from the shock, he swallowed a lump in his throat, he was still staring at me like I just magically appeared in front of him. "How did you fin―." Groaning, he said, "Jared that ass, I'll ―."
"Don't go blaming Jared. You should know by now I'd get worried with the way you're acting." I cut him off.
Taking the bottle beside him, he averted his eyes away from me and drunk from the beer. His Adam's apple moved up and down as he took his time gulping the alcohol. When he had his fill, he said with his eyes focused on his cigarette, "I didn't mean to make you worry."
"Well, you still did." I eyed the cigarette, "So... you smoke."
He flicked the cigarette, the loose ashes dropped on the floor. "Not in front of you. You have weak lungs."
"I'm in front of you right now, and you're still smoking."
He sighed again, even more deeply than before, "I already quit. I only smoke when I have a problem." This time, he let his dark eyes hidden behind long lashes land on my face. "And the problem is right in front of me."
