Lucid Vows

CHAPTER 2: Drama and Play

"Another girl whom you didn't pursue perhaps" a matured voice echoed throughout this empty room.

A lady, in her late 20s sits atop a table, with one of her legs up where her elbow rests. She has short trimmed hair, wears reading glasses, chubby cheeks, and a roundish face. She gives off cool vibes like she's a leader of a gang.

I cannot see the details of her face aside from the shape of her face. I've seen this lady numerous times already, but until now I still can't seem to see her face fully.

"Yeaaah, I don't know jel, I just can't see myself together with her. There's just... something." Darien exasperatedly said as he fidgeted his fingers.

He calls this lady jel, short for jellybean, for it is what she was eating when they first met.

"It's kinda unfair, you know, we just talk whenever this kind of situation arises" jel said, with a hint of disappointment in her tone.

"Maybe you're my copium? Or a therapist?" Darien jokingly said. "Or maybe I'm just i--" his sentence cut off due to a familiar ring.

He stopped mid-sentence as the scene began to melt and slowly turned to black. When his vision returned, it was a scene on his ceiling, in which he momentarily held his breath and exhaled a sigh of longing.

'Maybe because they aren't you' he mumbled these words in which he knew that these words would never escape his lips if he is in another place aside from the four corners of his room.

He stood up and went to his study table, grabbed a pen and his sketchbook. He tried to remember the lady's figure from his dream and drew it.

It is noticeable that most of the scribbles and sketches are all similar. From side profile, back, and front, it is a girl with no face, except for a roundish face with glasses and short trimmed hair.

This time he drew her into a posture wherein one of her legs is propped up on a table and her elbow rests on it.

"Something like this..." He said as he finished the sketch. He proceeded to close the book and exit the room.

Darien's preparation went on as usual, cooking breakfast, brushing his teeth, taking a bath, preparing his things for school and went to go to school.

Upon his arrival at the university gate, his close friend Iverson greeted him with an anxious face.

"Yooo bro, what happened?! I saw Jane and her friends waiting at the office, and they looked angry!" Iverson said with panic in his tone, anxious about what might happen next.

"Nothing much. I told her that I would stop making moves on her. Anyway, are they still there? Let's go then." Darien told Iverson calmly, it seemed like he already knows how this will turn out, as if this has already happened a lot of times.

As they neared their college's student council office, a small commotion could be observed outside. A small group of five girls, with looks of agitation in their faces stands just outside the office.

"Jane" Darien softly mouthed a girl's name, in which one of the girls turned around. He was met with slightly bulging eyes. It might be from crying herself last night.

Before Jane could even speak, another girl walked her way towards Darien and suddenly - SLAP! -the sound reverberated through Darien's ears, a familiar sound, a sound of relief that made him think of being free from yet another failed search.

"You piece of unrecyclable garbage!" The girl exclaimed and pulled Jane, together with the others, and stormed out of the place.

Darien and the anxious Iverson were left in silence outside their office. With few out looking students around the college grounds.

However, despite the occurrence, Darien just brushed it off and went to go inside the office with a bright red mark on his left cheek.

Upon entering, he was bombarded with questions from his co-officers who were intrigued about why it played that way.

"Weren't you two like, dating?"

"Who's next on your list?"

"Dudeee, you're such a red flag, why'd you do that?"

"How many girls is it this year?"

Iverson, being the Iverson that he is, acted like Darien was a star and he was his manager.

"One question at a time, guys. Yes you, the man with glasses" Iverson said as he pointed at Barry, a co-officer, while simultaneously leading Darien to a chair in a form of press conference.

"What happened this time with Jane?" Barry asked with a grin a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

Darien just shrugged, stood up, went to the computer, and started doing his own stuff.

"I guess no questions to be entertained today folks, maybe on another day" Iverson disappointingly said to the people inside the room and also started doing his own stuff.

'There are still plenty of fishes out there, I just hope that I can find my octopus.' He thought to himself as he caressed the crochet he hung on his ID, a light green octopus crochet that he found last night outside the bar.

The day went on as Darien strode through the hallway for his classes and office work. He then got reminded to go to a theatrical play since they were invited to watch.

As he and Iverson walked through the campus towards the theater hall, an unseeming girl bumped into him.

She was short, about 5 foot-flat, had her hair tied up in a bun. A broad white eyeglass that almost covers her entire upper face. She looks so timid, however, there is something in her eyes, a wild persona hidden beneath.

The girl stopped in her tracks even if she seemed to be in a hurry while carrying what seemed to be props for a play.

She stood there staring at Darien, then glanced at the ID. She might be trying to look at Darien's name.

She then stared back at Darien with contempt in her eyes. She might be angry for blocking her way, especially when she was in a hurry.

She just then rolled her eyes and went back to running in the same way that Darien and Iverson were going.

"She might be part of the play. You should've apologized dude". Iverson tapped Darien's shoulder. However, he was smirking at the fading figure of the girl. "Plus, she was kinda cute, you know" he added.

As Darien made his way through the bustling lobby of the theater hall, he could hear the faint sounds of the play already starting. He cursed under his breath, knowing he was running late. As a student council member, it was his responsibility to support the school's drama club, and he didn't want to miss a minute of the performance.

Pushing his way through the crowd along with Iverson, Darien finally made it to his seat reserved for them, just as the lights dimmed and the curtains opened. His eyes immediately went to the stage, where he was captivated by the stunning lead actress. Her grace and beauty were undeniable, and Darien found himself completely drawn to her.

As the play progressed, Darien couldn't take his eyes off of her. He was mesmerized by her talent and couldn't help but feel a slight flutter in his heart every time she was on stage. He made a mental note to congratulate her and the rest of the cast after the play.

Finally, when the curtains closed, the audience erupted into applause. Darien quickly made his way backstage, where he found the actors and crew celebrating the success of the play. This play’s profit will go to a charity that they fundraised through this show.

When he saw that Claire was already available and with only one companion, he immediately made his way towards her, eager to introduce himself and praise her performance.

"Hi, I'm Darien, congratulations to the team" he said with a warm smile as he extended his hand towards her.

The actress’ eyes widened in recognition as she shook his hand. “Oh my, Hi, I’m Claire” She responded with a follow-up question. "Darien? You’re a student council member, right? Thank you so much for coming to our play. It means a lot to us."

Darien's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice. "It was my pleasure. You were amazing up there," he replied, trying to keep his composure after hearing such a sweet voice.

Just then, Claire turned to introduce him to her friend, whom he recognizes. Darien's eyes widened as he looked at the lady. She was the girl that he bumped into earlier. He immediately felt a pang of guilt for not apologizing earlier.

"Hi, I'm Marian" she said with a bitter smile, extending her hand towards him.

Darien shook her hand, and he couldn't help but notice the slight contempt in her smile. He smiled warmly at her, but something in the back of his mind told him that there was something about Marian, he just couldn’t quite put it in place.

“Anyway, I need to head back now, it was a great play, not gonna lie, hoping to see you again Claire” Darien hesitantly bid his farewell, for he still wanted to take this time to talk with Claire, but it seemed like more people wanted to congratulate her too.

Darien pulled Iverson away, who was eyeing every lady backstage. “Come on dude, let’s go back” Darien prompted, which made Iverson grunt.

Darien walked out with Iverson with a sense of new-found potential love. He has just got out of a situationship, but he is ready for another one. However, there was another girl that piqued his interest, Marian. There is something about her that still makes him feel uneasy.