Eulalia

Chapter 22: Mine

Chapter 22: Mine

“So noisy...”
I stretched my arms behind my neck and laughed out loud. “Of course.
Football games should always be loud and noisy.”
That Sunday, I asked Eulalia to go to the football game with me and there
was nothing Etchi could do about it. When Xara confronted him that Friday, Etchi
quickly told her that Eulalia was my girlfriend and that he was helping me carry
her back to her room. It would have failed if I denied it, but I went along with his
story therefore he owed me one. Besides, it wasn't a lie I was ashamed of.
“What did you think of the game?” I asked as we walked toward the subway.
“It was confusing,” Eulalia said.
“I thought so.”
Maybe I should have given her a rough summary of the rules to football. Too
late for that. The game was over and Eulalia was simply confused the entire time.
However, she seemed to enjoy it nevertheless because I bought her food. She
liked eating. Moreover, there was also a couple of boys she found attractive in the
audience, which she had no problems pointing them out to me. Sometimes, I
forgot she was just a girl like any other except stranger than most.
“Ken-Ken is probably with one of his customers,” said Eulalia out loud.
“That's a safe guess,” I said.
“He likes American football.”
“I know.”
“You didn't ask him because he's too busy, right?”
“Yeah, that's it.”
Eulalia stopped and waited for the crosslights. “He would have canceled his
plans for you.”
I lifted a brow at her. “Eh.”
“He likes you very much,” Eulalia said, watching the light carefully.
“I don't know about that,” I said honestly. “He was supposed to help me with
Casey this one time, but at the sight of you, he completely ditched me and went
somewhere else.”
“Huh.”
“So there is no way he would have ditched his job for me.”
“I see.”
I was suspicious now. “Why would you even think that in the first place?”
“Who knows.”
The light changed to green so Eulalia went on ahead. I stumbled after her
and demanded she answered my question. However, she stubbornly refused to
answer me. I sensed some jealousy from her toward me. Last time, she told me
she was envious of me. I had no idea why though. I had nothing she should be
jealous about. Still, I was somewhat flattered?
“Is this what they call a 'date'?” Eulalia asked without stopping.
I thought about it. “Yeah, and you don't believe in it.”
“Where else do couples go for dates?”
 “Why?” I asked, feeling sensitive all of a sudden. “Are you interested in
dating now?”
“I've thought about it before,” Eulalia admitted. “I see no point to it.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“But,” Eulalia said. “Maybe I see it that way because I don't know enough
about it.”
“The Eulalia I met two months ago wouldn't say the same thing.”
“You're probably right,” she said simply.
“Couples also go to concerts, movies, restaurants, plays, museums, zoos,” I
stopped my list and noticed that she appeared bored now. “None of those things
interest you at all, Eulalia?”
“No,” she said bluntly.
“Would Etchi know?”
“He should if he's really my twin.”
“You want to test him for fun?” I asked.
Eulalia's eyes widened. “Test him?”
“Yeah!” I smiled at her. We stopped next to a fountain and sat down. “You
want to try?”
“Okay!” Eulalia said, excited.
The reason why I suggested it was simple. I wanted to see how well Etchi
actually knew Eulalia. Sure, both of them claimed they were twins and could read
minds. I admitted before that they had a lot in common, but was that enough for
Etchi to be able to guess what Eulalia would like? Could he live up to Eulalia's high
expectations of him?
Luckily for both of us, Etchi picked up his phone. Then again, it was pretty
obvious he would respond eventually. If I was sent to voicemail, I would simply tell
him that it had something to do with Eulalia and he would respond immediately.
But I knew that wouldn't happen because Etchi was fully aware Eulalia and I were
going to a football game together so he would pick up the phone if he saw my
caller ID.
“Is Layla all right?” he asked immediately.
“She's perfectly fine,” I sighed. “Right Eulalia?”
“I know how to take care of myself,” said Eulalia.
“Anyways,” I said. “Eulalia's asking me about dates.”
“She doesn't like dating.”
“I know,” I groaned. No one gave me any credit around here. “We were
wondering.” I glanced at Eulalia who had wide, curious eyes. “If you were to take
Eulalia on a date, where would you go? Where would be a place she'd be
interested in?”
“Are you asking me this so you can take her there?” Etchi asked defensively.
“No,” I said. “She can hear me right now.”
“Really. Put her on.”
“He wants to say hi,” I said, handing her my cell phone.
“How does this work?” asked Eulalia, unsure. “Do I just talk into it?”
“Yeah.”
Eulalia held the phone strangely against her ear and said loudly, “Can you
hear me?” Etchi must have told her she was speaking too loud so Eulalia returned
to her regular voice. “Brice and I want to know your answer to Brice's question.” I
watched in silent as Eulalia's lips curled to a smile. “Yes. I would like to go there.”
I held my hand out to her so she quickly said she was returning it to me. Too
curious for my own good, I asked Etchi where he would take her on a date and he
said he would take her to a Farmer's Market. I should have known. There was no
denying now that Etchi really had grasped Eulalia's character better than I. Then
again, he had the luxury of knowing her longer. Also, I pretty much had little
interest in her character until quite recently. I could still catch up if I tried harder
during his long absences.
“He knows you well,” I muttered, pocketing my phone. “I underestimated
him.”
“From his tone,” Eulalia said, frowning. “He sounds like he likes dates.”
“It's only natural,” I said. “You get to spend some time outdoor with the
person you like most.”
Eulalia released a heavy sigh. “It's such a waste of time...”
“How so?”
“You can do that indoors.”
“That makes sense for you,” I said. “You're an indoor type of person.”
“You are, too,” Eulalia said.
I got off my ass and glanced at her. “Etchi's more outdoors, isn't he?”
“It appears that way from his job, but that's not necessarily the case.”
“True. We don't know how he's like before he became a prostitute.”
“That girl...” Eulalia said absentmindedly.
“Which one?”
“Master Xara.”
“What about her?”
Eulalia stared at the water in the fountain. “She is able to control Ken-Ken's
life because she has money, right?”
“Is that your principle way of thinking again?”
“In the end,” Eulalia said. “Ken-Ken denied me in front of her because of
money.”
“That's one way to look at it.”
“If he loses his job, he can't be a USC student anymore.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I mean, he can try to get a decent job elsewhere but I
doubt the pay is as high.”
“In other words,” said Eulalia. “He has to listen to Master Xara.”
“Eulalia, are you jealous?” I asked in a teasing voice.
“Jealousy...” she said absentmindedly.
“It must hurt that your perfect Etchi has to lie and hand you over to his best
friend to protect his job,” I said coldly. Eulalia jolted up and started walking away.
However, I followed her and continued, “It's understandable. His job is most
important to him and he can't let his clients know he has a girlfriend already. No
woman would want to pay for a taken gigolo.”
“Even Master Xara?” asked Eulalia breathlessly.
“Especially Xara!” I said. “She likes him after all.”
Eulalia gave me her full attention now. “She has feelings for Ken-Ken?”
“Why else would a girl that young pay that much for him?”
“Most of his clients are middle-aged women...”
“Yeah. Exactly. You get it now?”
 However, Eulalia chose not to say anything the rest of the way to the
subway. Once we were on board, Eulalia sat there in a daze. I couldn't tell whether
she was daydreaming or thinking. Even though I let that information about Xara
slipped by accident, I thought I could make use of it somehow. It all depended on
how she was going to approach this topic. It could either help or break their
relationship. I was so curious about it, but I knew that she would speak up on her
own if she wanted to tell me. Why? Because we were finally solid friends now.
God, that made me happy.
“She knew his real name was Kenny,” Eulalia said five minutes after the
subway moved. She was on about Xara, I assumed. “I saw her facial expression
yesterday.”
“She told me she knew before.”
Eulalia lowered her eyes. “Ken-Ken said that only important people to him
know his name.”
I patted her on the shoulder. “It's okay. Don't worry.”
“You're his best friend and even you don't know his name...”
“It's probably nothing.”
“I wonder if she calls him 'Ken-Ken', too,” Eulalia whispered.
“You're thinking too much on it.”
“I suppose.”
I learned from my past experience in high school that if I kept siding with
Etchi and telling Eulalia not to concern herself with it, she would do the complete
opposite. Like I thought, Eulalia was thinking about Etchi's relationship with Xara
more than she should. I was sort of proud of myself of my slip now.
Once we were back on campus, Eulalia followed me mindlessly to my room.
For once, I didn't bother correcting her and telling her that she should be in her
room instead. When I opened the door to my room, Eulalia went straight to my
bed after slipping out of her shoes. They were so tiny. I watched as she curled into
a tiny ball. The news affected her more than I imagined it to. I took advantage of
this and crouched next to her. Too tempted to resist, I rubbed the back of her
head. She stayed immobile as I kept this up.
Eventually, I stopped and Eulalia rolled over on her other side so that we
were face to face. She looked both sleepy and tired. Since I had no idea what to
say to her, I smiled at her. Eulalia tried to smile, but failed. Instead, Eulalia went
to sleep. Within minutes, Eulalia was deep asleep.
At first, I took this opportunity to study for my quiz on Monday. Ultimately, I
gave up after ten minutes of just staring at the same page. Instead, I gave my full
attention to Mexican girl. I was happy we were friends now and I was happy that
we went on a short date together. Still, I was not content. I wanted to do
something.
So, I found myself by her side again. I thought about Etchi and Eulalia again.
Those two were made for each other and it pissed me off. Anyways, I decided I
was tired too and laid down next to Eulalia. It took some effort to fit myself there
on that tiny bed without waking her up. I stared at the ceiling and wondered why I
decided this in the first place. What exactly did I want? Was this wishful thinking
on my part?
Since Jordan wasn't coming back any time soon, it was safe to touch
Eulalia's hair. I wanted to so I did that. Her twintails were surprisingly thin and
soft. It was sort of addicting to stroke. Eventually, I noticed that she had nice skin
tone. They were darker than Sandara's but I liked it better that way. I observed,
torn between whether I should risk touching her or not.
At last, after I checked the room several times, I reached and tested
Eulalia's skin. I only tapped her left hand. She was warmer than I imagined her to
be. Then again, it was only her attitude that was cold. Anyways, since I succeeded
the first time, I gathered enough courage to try again. I moved up her arm and
then, stopped right before I caressed her cheek. After a short hestitation, I felt her
right cheek. Eulalia had no reaction thankfully. I could tell she had been
malnurished for the majority of her life. Poor Eulalia...
Somehow, I must have fallen asleep along the way beceause I stirred awake
when I heard knocking. I checked the time through one eye. It was already six in
the evening. How did I manage to nap with Eulalia right next to me this entire
time? I checked on her to find her still sleeping soundly with her head barely
touching my arm. I flushed and moved away.
Whoever was knocking on the door was getting impatient. I yawned and got
up from my bed. I had to carefully go around eulalia as to not disturb her. If I had
known that it was Etchi at the door, I would have woken Eulalia up. Etchi looked
like he was ready to murder me. I could tell because he had those scary, narrow
eyes at the moment.
“She was tired from walking around all day,” I explained calmly. “So she
slept... a lot.”
“And what were you doing?”
“Studying,” I indicated at my still open book.
Etchi was not fooled. “Why did it take you so long to open the door?”
“Er,” I stopped and pretended to think about it. “I didn't hear it at first.”
“You learned how to focus?”
“Yeah. From you.”
“Is it the loud, rap music?”
I nodded firmly. “Best idea ever.”
Even though Etchi seemed to not believe me still, he let it go and said, “How
was your trip?”
“I liked it,” I said. “She was confused.”
“She doesn't know anything about football.”
“I should have seen that coming.”
Etchi sighed. “You don't know enough about her.”
“Well,” I glared. “I'm trying here.” I paused and frowned. “Why didn't you
tell me ahead of time?”
“About?”
“How she knows nothing about football?”
Etchi smirked and patted my arm. “I like to see you fail and burn, Brice.”
“Fuck you.”
“Kidding,” Etchi laughed at how serious I took him. “I thought it was
obvious.”
“Whatever,” I said, annoyed at him now.
“Anyways,” said Etchi, entering the room. “I'll go see my Layla.”
I was not fooled by his laugh and good-natured exterior. He was definitely
annoyed at me for allowing Eulalia to sleep on my bed when I was fully aware that
Eulalia and he just got back together. It was an unwritten rule with men that he
shouldn't be hanging out too much with best friend's girlfriend. Of course, I knew
all this but I didn't fucking care. Once upon a time, I might have respected his
wishes and stayed away from Eulalia. But at the moment, I was too bitter over the
fact that I wasn't in a relationship and Etchi had both Xara and Eulalia to himself.
How was that fair?
“Your Layla,” I muttered and closed the door.
“Mine,” he repeated.
Etchi crouched next to her side and watched her for a few seconds before
he reached out and pinched her nose. The reaction was immediate. Eulalia bolted
up and fought off the hand that was holding her nose hostage. However, when
she noticed that it was Etchi doing it, her face brightened up immensely and she
tackled him into a hug.
“Ken-Ken!”
“Look up this way,” he said.
Curiously, Eulalia picked up her head and Etchi kissed her on the forehead.
Much to both Etchi and my surprise, Eulalia was not content with just that so she
grabbed a huge chunk of his collar and pulled him down for a kiss on the lips. The
sudden move caused Etchi's glasses to slip down and land on Eulalia's nose. She
took advantage of this and stole his glasses. Eulalia stood on my bed and peered
into his eyeglasses with one eye until she shook off her dizziness and kept her
eyes away.
“Layla,” said Etchi, frowning. “Give them back to me.”
“I always assumed you wore glasses because they looked cool,” Eulalia said
in awe. “Dude, you're actually nearsighted...”
“I am a blind man right now,” said Etchi, reaching out for her and missing by
a long shot.
Eulalia tilted her head. “Do you pollinate girls with glasses on?”
“Layla-”
“Or do you take them off?”
“I know what you're doing,” Etchi said through gritted teeth. “You're making
me feel guilty.”
At his words, Eulalia placed his glasses on top of her head and said, “Read
my mind better.”
“You're acting like a girl,” Etchi called up to her.
“Because Eulalia is a girl.”
Suddenly upset, Etchi gave up on chasing after her blindly and knelt on the
ground instead.
“Well, fuck that,” he said under his breath.
There was something off about the way he said those words. I went over to
him and checked on him but he refused to be touched. Eulalia also noticed that he
was acting weird so she jumped off the bed and tugged onto his sleeve. She kept
calling his name over and over, but the talkative boy refused to respond. I joined
in chanting his name as well before he pulled away from both of us abruptly.
Without saying anything, he just sat there and hid his face against his arm.
“You should give him back his glasses,” I said to Eulalia.
Listening to me, Eulalia poked Etchi and held the glasses under his arms
where his eyes could see. Unfortunately, Etchi had no response at all. Worried for
Etchi, I crouched next to him and tried to talk about the football game. He liked
football after all. No reaction either. What happened? I glanced at Eulalia to see if
she could figure something out. Like I expected, Eulalia was deep in thought as if
she was searching through her mind to figure what was going on.
“I'm a woman,” Eulalia said softly. “I think and act like one.”
I lifted a brow at Eulalia. “A bit on the weird side, but yeah, I agree.”
Eulalia ignored me and continued, “I am Eulalia. I'll always be Eulalia.”
Eulalia touched his arm. “But I am unfortunately not a separate species. I am a
human girl.”
At last, Etchi lifted his head and accepted the glasses from Eulalia. He wore
them and tugged his long strands of golden hair behind his ear.
“I'm sorry for overreacting,” he muttered. “Layla and Brice.”
“What's with you?” I demanded.
“I'm just being a fucking moron.”
“No, you can't get away with that this time,” I said sternly. “Explain
yourself.”
Etchi released a heavy sigh. “I thought that after today I could look forward
to spending more time with Layla, but,” Etchi gave Eulalia an apologetic look.
“Master Xara had other plans.”
“What other plans?” I asked.
“She's becoming more obsessed lately,” Etchi said. I knew why. “She's
booking all my jogging hours. I doubt she'll jog with me, but she'll probably be
there for her money's worth. What a bother.”
“Ah,” I said, understanding. “Eulalia can't be there, then.”
“Nope,” he said instantly.
“Hey! Wait a second!” I cried. “How can you do this to Eulalia? After all the
trouble she went through to find more time to spend with you!”
No, I wasn't on Eulalia's side to help her. I just wanted to add some oil to this
fire. Besides, I enjoyed fighting with Etchi more than Eulalia.
“How do you think I fucking feel?” He shouted back defensively. He was on
his feet now. “I've been stressing about how to tell Layla the news all day! Then,
you have to shit my pants by stressing me out even more by letting her in your
room!”
“If you feel bad,” I argued. “Don't do it.”
“I can't just not do it. It's my damn job.”
“Jesus Christ, Etchi. How important is money to you?”
“It's not the damn money!”
“What other reasons are there, then?” I challenged.
He leaned toward me. “Well, for one-”
“So, this is jealousy.”
Both Etchi and I turned to Eulalia, who was in her thoughtful period. She was
mumbling 'hn' to herself this entire time. Lowering herself to her height, Etchi
grabbed her tiny hands and rubbed them in between his. He smiled sweetly at her
and asked her to explain her jealousy line. With round eyes, Eulalia gazed into
Etchi's eyes before she glanced away, as if embarassed.
“Layla,” said Etchi, placing his hands on her shoulder instead. “What
jealousy are you talking about? I really want to know.”
Eulalia indicated at me. “You feel stressed because I was sleeping in Brice's
room.” Suddenly, Eulalia smiled sweetly. She had a small yet sincere smile. “This
is the tiny bit of jealousy Brice told me about. It's not as bad as I imagined it to
be.”
“What have you been telling her?” he glared at me.
“Nothing,” I lied, glaring back at him.
“I understand now,” said Eulalia, nodding. “This is what it means to be
jealous.”
Etchi sighed. “I'm not jealous.”
“And this is what denial is like.”
I accidentally laughed at Etchi, who threw me a nasty look before he
returned his attention to Eulalia and said, “Listen, Layla. Men don't like to admit
that-”
“They're jealous?”
“Okay, you're not getting it.”
“I get it,” Eulalia insisted. “I am the same way.”
Etchi was as dumbfounded as I. “...How?”
“I don't want to admit it before because it might have inconvenienced
you...”
“Now, you have to explain it because I'm too damn curious.”
“But,” Eulalia continued. “I feel this emotion call jealousy, too.”
“Well, that's a relief,” said Etchi, laughing.
When Etchi said that, I remembered how Eulalia once told me about him
having problems with her passiveness. Her inability to express herself had
stressed him in the past before. Was that the reason why they broke up in the
past? Or was it something else?
“You're right again, Brice,” Eulalia said. I snapped out of the trance of
hearing them back and forth. She was looking at me now. “Ken-Ken is fine with me
being jealous-.”
“Told you,” I said. I felt my stomach churn though.
“-of you,” she finished. I stared at her blankly. Etchi did too. “What a
coincidence, Brice. You are the reason behind both of our jealousy.”
“Wait,” Etchi grasped. “What the fuck?”
“I knew it,” Eulalia brightened up. She hugged Etchi without warning. “We
are twins, Ken-Ken. We feel jealousy because of the same person too.”
“I don't like this one bit,” Etchi grumbled.
I sighed. “Well, this is awkward... mostly for me.” Etchi agreed by staring at
me with a murderous look on his face. Somehow, I got involved in the middle of
this mess again. “Anyways, it's pretty much a done deal between you and Xara
right?”
At me mentioning Xara, Eulalia pulled away from Etchi sand said, “No
jogging, Ken-Ken?”
“Yeah...” said Etchi, sighing. “I'm sorry, Layla...”
“There is nothing to be sorry about,” said Eulalia with wide eyes. “It's a
matter of principle. She hires you for more hours and you comply because she's
an important client.” Eulalia lowered her eyes though. “That's all there is to it,
right?”
“Correct,” Etchi said. “I cannot afford to piss her off right now.”
Eulalia stood up and sat on my bed. “It happens because it happens.”
 Obviously, Eulalia was sad about this, but refused to say it. Etchi wasn't
stupid. If I could tell from her tone alone, he could as well. Etchi got up and
reached for the back of her head. Staring at her intently, he rubbed the back of
her head in comfort.
“Hey,” Etchi said with a forced smile. “At this rate, maybe I can afford that
plane ticket.”
Eulalia blinked. “The one to Oregon?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “With this unexpected pay raise, it's possible.”
“What plane ticket?” I asked, too curious for my own good.
“I was planning on spending Thanksgiving here with Layla,” Etchi said.
“Because I couldn't afford to pay for her plane ticket for a round trip to Oregon.” I
nodded. Etchi continued, “But if I am able to, it'll be better to take her with me
back home for Thanksgiving and Winter Break.”
I frowned. “Eulalia, don't you want to see your family at all?”
“No,” Eulalia said without hesitation. “I don't want to see my old man.”
“I see.”
“Anyways,” Etchi said, walking toward the door. “Let's go, Layla.”
“Okay,” she followed.
I followed Eulalia there and said to Etchi, “You don't have to be so protective
of her, Etchi. I mean, you didn't think twice before making up that lie with Xara.”
Etchi chuckled darkly at my reminder. “How can a fake boyfriend be a threat to
you?”
“For the last time, you're not a threat,” Etchi said.
“Sure.”
“Just don't even think about screwing around with my precious Layla,” Etchi
said in a threatening manner. Eulalia simply passed by us and out the door. Etchi
narrowed his eyes at me. “Literally.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” I said.
Etchi rolled his eyes and walked Eulalia down the hallway. As I stood there
and watched them, I wondered what Etchi meant by that last line. He was as
confusing as ever. On one hand, he kept repeating to me that I wasn't a threat to
him. On the other hand, he was being overprotective over Eulalia around me.
There was no way he caught on to my intentions since he had always been like
this around me. Should I be flatttered to be treated like a rival then?
***
Wednesday came fast. After class, I went straight to my room to dump my
books and get ready for Sandara's tryout. Much to my surprise, Vivien was waiting
outside my room. I greeted her casually. She returned the gesture. She watched in
silence as I unlocked my door. At her questioning look, I automatically assumed
she was looking for Jordan so I told her he would come back soon.
“Oh, it's not that,” Vivien said. “I'm supporting Sandara, too.”
“Jordan told you?”
“Lally did.”
“Ah,” I nodded. “Makes sense. You guys are roommates.”
“Lally mentioned that Etchi joined her for lunch the other day.”
“Yeah, he did,” I said and opened the door. “He'll be part of our group from
now on.”
“That's good,” Vivien said with a sweet smile.
 “You want to come in?” I offered just in case.
“Sure,” she said surprisingly.
I gaped as she entered before me. I was expecting her to say no. Oh well.
Whatever. It wasn't like there was anything between Vivien and I. I had resolved to
pursue Eulalia. I shouldn't have an eye out for any other girl, especially Eulalia's
roommate. Still, I hadn't talked or seen her in a while. She seemed to have grown
thinner than before, but otherwise, she seemed the same as ever. Perhaps less
shy than before? Vivien looked around my room as if she hadn't been there for a
while. Wait.
“You should join us, too,” I said, dropping off my books on the desk.
“I never left,” Vivien said.
“But you're never there.”
Vivien lowered her eyes. “I've been busy with work and,” she paused and
glanced at me. “I've been partying quite a bit.”
I sighed. “How are your grades?”
“Decent.”
“That's good.”
“I know you're curious,” she sat down in a chair.
I grabbed a jacket. “Er?”
“I still like Jordan,” Vivien said, frowning. “But I'm not chasing him right
now.”
“Why?”
“Jordan told me that he wasn't ready to start a new relationship,” Vivien
answered, looking down. “He said that he had used women on the rebound many
times back in high school and he had no intention of doing the same with me.”
“Considerate Jordan like always,” I said.
“Besides,” Vivien said, lowering her voice. “I'm the reason why he broke up
with his ex.”
My eyes widened at the news. “What did you do?”
“I'm not sure either... but...” Vivien's eyes started to water. “It's probably my
fault.”
“Stop speculating. Let's all be friends again.”
Vivien wiped the loose tears. “That's why I'm here. I miss you and Sandara.”
“We miss you, too,” I said, more for myself than Sandara.
“I will wait until the day Jordan is ready to move on.” How unexpected of
her. I gawked at her and she must have noticed because she added, “One day,
he'll understand my feelings. I have to be patient and wait until he's ready.”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling awkward.
“How about you?” asked Vivien, trying to smile. “How are things going with
you and Lally?”
“Not so great,” I admitted. “Eulalia likes Etchi.”
“And you invite Etchi to our group?”
“Er, yes?”
Vivien smiled sweetly. “You're so strong, Brice.”
“Strong?”
She nodded. “If it were me, I would never be able to be friends with Jordan's
ex-girlfriend.” I thought about how Etchi and I were supposedly best friends.
“Every time I look at her, I would feel guilty and terrible because I want her
boyfriend for myself.” Vivien sighed. “If they were to kiss in front of me, I would
hurt so much that I'd cry for the whole night.”
“Ah,” I said, speechless.
“I envy your strength and determination,” said Vivien. “After all, Etchi is
quite an opponent.”
“He is,” I admitted for the first time out loud. “He's everything I'm not.”
“Yeah,” said Vivien with wide eyes. “He's cute, talented, social, smart-”
“I know,” I interrupted. I didn't want to hear it right now. “Eulalia knows,
too.” I paused and tried to calm my rapid beating heart down. “Any sane girl
would pick him over me. I know fully well.” I thought about Eulalia again and how
far I had come to become friends with her. “But I also have something Etchi
doesn't have.”
Vivien stared at me in awe. “What is it? I can't think of anything...”
“Time,” I said. Vivien was listening for sure now. “Every time she needs Etchi
and he's not there for her, I'll be there for her. I'll,” I curled my right hand into a
fist, “always be there for her. I will never leave her alone. I will never allow her to
be lonely.”
“You... should tell her that.”
I shook my head immediately. “No, that's too risky.”
“Believe me, Brice,” said Vivien. “Lally doesn't like the sneaky types.”
“But-”
“If you say it straight out to her, she'll give you an honest response,” said
Vivien, laughing. “Actually, knowing Lally, she'll probably have no problem telling
you anything you desire to know. If you ask her what type of boy she likes, she'll
probably say it. If you ask her how you can win her over, she'll probably tell you
too.” I blinked. I never thought of it that way. “That's the type of person she is.”
“Yeah, well,” I said, feeling shy all of a sudden. “I don't know. What if she
keeps her distance from me after that? I've worked so hard...”
“I'll help you.”
“You will?”
Vivien nodded. “I understand what you're going through.”
“That's right,” I said. “You have unrequited feelings for Jordan.”
“Yeah and besides,” Vivien smiled. “I've been cheering for you and Lally
from the beginning.”
“Thanks.”
Not long after our discussion, Jordan returned with a couple of unfamiliar
faces. He claimed they were Sandara's high school friends. The first one he
introduced to us was a relatively tall guy with spiky black hair and slightly tanned
skin color. He looked a mix of Asian and something else but I couldn't tell at all.
According to Jordan, his name was Faith Santana. Since this Faith fellow was
decent-looking, Vivien couldn't contain herself.
“So cool,” Vivien muttered.
“Mine,” said a shorter girl proudly, latching herself to his arm.
Her name was Cerina Celestine and even though Jordan hadn't said
anything, Vivien and I assumed she was Faith's girlfriend. She was quite a clingy
one at that. Anyways, Faith paid her no special attention as he shook hands with
both Vivien and I. Cerina also greeted us but in a less polite manner. Neither
Vivien nor I had a chance to talk to them before they excused themselves. They
knew that Sandara was meeting the rest of us here so they went ahead to the
theatre to surprise Sandara there.
“I apologize on Robbie and Jojo's behalf,” Faith said at the door.
Jordan grinned. “It's cool. They're busy.”
“I'm sure Sandara is better off not seeing them,” Cerina said.
“Don't say that,” Jordan said, but laughed at her comment nevertheless.
“But yeah, thanks for coming guys, especially Faith.”
“Sure, no problem,” said Faith.
“You drove such a long way to get here.”
“It's not that big of a deal,” Faith said with his hand against the edge of the
door. “Besides, it's good to see the old gang again.”
“True,” Jordan agreed.
Cerina glared at Faith. “Let's go! Or else Sandara might see us!”
“Jordan,” said Faith, slightly hesitant. Cerina fumed and left ahead.
“Someone else also came with us.”
“Who is it?” asked Jordan curiously. “Is it one of the other Playmakers?”
“Er,” Faith muttered and noticed Cerina way ahead. “You'll see. See you
there.”
Right before Faith left, I heard Etchi asking him to hold the door for him.
Faith and Etchi greeted each other quickly. Once Etchi was safely inside, I noticed
that he was wearing regular clothes. Usually, he was dressed in black leather.
That was probably not a good idea for an audition so he decided to be more
casual. He wore a zipped up jacket and black sweatpants. He was wearing black
designer glasses today. He had a playful expression on his face though.
“Was that your boyfriend, Jordan?” Etchi teased.
Jordan shook his head. “No, he's Sandara's friend back in high school.”
“Jordan's not gay,” Vivien said, blinking in confusion.
“Are you sure about that?” Etchi challenged her.
“Yes,” Vivien blushed.
“I'm just fucking around,” Etchi laughed. “That friend was a girl anyways.”
“Who was?” I asked.
“The one I just greeted.”
“Faith?” Vivien asked with wide eyes.
“Yeah,” said Etchi. “It's hard to tell though.”
I sighed since I felt lied to. “Is that true, Jordan?”
“Yes,” Jordan confirmed. Turning to Etchi, Jordan lifted a brow, “You're good,
Etchi.”
“Personal experience,” Etchi shrugged. “Like how you're actually gay right?”
Vivien and I turned to Jordan at the same time. Jordan paled considerably at
Etchi's words. I loved how Etchi walked in and messed everything up in a matter
of minutes. Judging from his expression, he had no remorse for what he had just
done and casually sat down at my chair to check his cell phone. I was willing to let
this go, but not Vivien who kept gaping at him.
“I like men,” Jordan said at last after an awkward silence. Vivien looked like
she was going to faint until Jordan added, “And women.”
“I see,” I muttered.
“That's good,” Vivien said quickly.
“If I like someone,” Jordan said, lowering his voice. “It doesn't matter what
gender they are.”
“That's admirable,” said Vivien, forcing a smile.
I realized that since Vivien liked Jordan already, it wouldn't take much to
convince her to change her mind. Honestly, I was slightly relieved at Jordan's
words. For the past few days, I avoided him a lot. Chances were he noticed but
said nothing. That would be a very Jordan-like thing to do. Now, I felt guilty for
dodging him over something so stupid. Unlike Etchi who could just casually say it,
I was unnerved immediately by the news. I had nothing against homosexuals. I
just couldn't stand the thought of being touched by another male in that way and
the chances of that happening went way up with a roommate.
“Anyways,” said Jordan after another awkward silence. “How long have you
noticed, Etchi?”
“Hm,” Etchi thought about it. “This one time, I was hiding in Brice's room.”
Both Jordan and Vivien tossed me weird looks. “And I found out. It was over a
month ago, I suppose.”
“That long ago...” Jordan mumbled.
“I just thought I ask you to make sure,” Etchi said. “Since Brice is
uncomfortable and all.”
“Not really,” I said quickly.
I glared at Etchi. This guy really couldn't keep his mouth shut about
anything. I bet that if Eulalia was here, she would blurt these things out too. These
two need to learn how to be considerate of others. I had managed to avoid this
topic with Jordan for a few days now, only to be screwed over by Etchi. Then
again, I should have expected that from him by now.
“Are you sure?” asked Jordan, worried.
“Yeah,” I said immediately. “You date mostly girls anyways.”
“None of the guys here are my type,” Jordan said frankly.
I tried to smile. “G-Great to hear!”
“I know,” Etchi joined in. “Men here have such shitty personalities
anyways.”
I noticed that Vivien was not joining in this conversation before I muttered
angrily, “Etchi...”
“Except you, Jordan,” Etchi said quickly. Jordan flushed. “You're totally my
type... if I was gay.”
Before Vivien and I had to deal more of this ridiculous conversation,
someone knocked. I rushed to the door and opened it to find Eulalia. I was so
thankful she was here. With her around, Etchi would think twice about flirting with
anyone else in the room. Like I expected, Etchi stood up straight and acted like he
was innocent this entire time. After saying a quick “hi”, Eulalia went straight to
Etchi.
“How's jogging?” she asked.
Etchi forced a smile. “Good.”
Eulalia acted so strong a few days ago when she mentioned her principle
mumble jumble. I thought Eulalia got over the jogging business. Guess not.
Women were scary creatures. Etchi was right about that. Furthermore, Eulalia
recently learned how to act according to her jealousy. Knowing Eulalia, she was
going to fully take advantage of that. She seemed like the type to forgive one day,
but then, remind you about all the crap you'd done for the rest of your life.
 “I'm glad at least one of us is happy.”
“Aw,” said Etchi, acting touched. “At least you're happy for poor me.”
“Poor you and your higher pay check.”
“I know. I am so horrible for trying to please my favorite girl by taking her to
Oregon over break.”
“You mean the same girl you spend so much time with?”
“You're still coping with jealous. I get it.”
Since none of us were willing to say anything, Vivien interrupted, “Are... you
two dating?”
“What do you think, beautiful?” Etchi asked Vivien in a flirtatious voice on
purpose.
“It looks like it,” Vivien admitted.
“No,” Eulalia stated, turning to Vivien. “I am Brice's girlfriend.”
Everyone stared at me now. I had no idea how to react. I knew for Eulalia,
she was saying this to protect Etchi from being found out by Xara or anything who
could potentially tell Xara such information. There was also a hint of her saying
this on purpose because she still hadn't forgiven him completely for ditching her
for Xara at the last minute. But... what the hell was I supposed to do? Should I
play it cool and agree to this? Should I try to explain the complicated situation to
my friends? More importantly, am I going to live after Etchi was done with me?
Thankfully, someone else knocked on the door in time to save my ass. I
volunteered immediately to open the door. As expected, the last member of our
group of friends had arrived. However, she wasn't alone. Sandara was with
another girl who I had never seen before. This girl was quite short and was
definitely Asian for sure.
Without prior warning, I was pushed out of the way by the others so they
could gather around and give Sandara words of encouragement. That was the
plan at least until Jordan noticed the other person who arrived with Sandara.
Honestly, I had never seen such a mixed reaction from Jordan before. He was
stunned, horrified, and concerned at the same time. Anyways, it took the others a
few minutes to realize what was happening. It took another minute for Jordan to
speak up.
“R-Ri-chan?”