Spreading Rumors About Mr. CEO (LGBT)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Prince Ezerette Mclane

The streets were once again crowded as I took a left turn. The wind was kind of strong so I had to cover my eyes from the dust. I could have sore eyes in a minute. Not wasting any time, I entered the busy public library because on the door, stapled, was a sign that said URGENT HIRING. Even if it's a public library, I knew that this would help. I was not fond of books, but sure I could hold and read. But not much. To be honest, I didn't really hold a book. Never in my life. Except for the textbooks that I had to carry when I was in High School. It was mandatory so I did not have a choice at all. When I entered the library, the librarian pierced her grey eyes at me I shivered. She was one of those typical librarian. Her hair was turning white and she's wearing a glasses. Round one. She had this strict look at her face. I strode with confidence over the desk and mustered a courage to talk to her.

"Um," I said awkwardly. Real smooth, Ezerette. Real smooth. "I saw the sign outside. Um, still available?"

She raised her brow at me and it took me the guts to not fumble with my fingers. She looked like one of those grannies who would beat the s**t out of you using a baton. She scribbled something on her paper and looked at me again over the rim of her glasses. I was getting nervous. And her eyes! Her eyes traveled from my face to my feet, studying me as she wrote something.

This was a bad idea. I mean, I shouldn't have gone here. I was not a book person for God's sake and yet I came to apply here! Muttering on why I was so stupid, the granny tear the paper and place it on the side of the computer. On the edge. Sticky note.

"Boy, are you fond of books?" She asked me as she clasped her hands, looking at me. I shook my head hesitantly. It's better yo tell the truth than to lie. "Then why apply here? From the looks of you, reading is the least you would do. Or holding a book would be the last thing you would do on this planet. So why apply?"

I nodded. She was right. Why did I even come in this place in the first place? I sighed in frustration, running a hand through my hair, making it messy as I looked at her. I decided to tell the truth. 

"Because I need to," I said, averting my eyes. It hurt me to say that I couldn't go to school because my family had a financial problem. Dad didn't make a huge money as well as Mom. But it was enough to save our stomachs and give us a home and save Eclair's future. "I wanted to earn money because I wanted to continue studying in College and have a real job that fits that course I took. I want to help my family."

She broke a smile. Brief. But she changed it into a thin line. "Okay. Let's talk about the salary."

"I'm hired?" I said, getting excited. She nodded and smiled again. A genuine one. I smiled back at her.

"You don't have the aura of being a book nerd or something," she admitted. "But I did not judge you. Well, I assumed. And I was right. You're one of the few people who would like to help families instead of being a lazy, useless human." She chuckled and rolled her eyes at me. "By the way, I'm Kourtney Spenfield."

"Ezerette Mclane," I said, offering my hand. She took and we shook hands.

"Okay, the salary." She said, going back to business. "Per hour, you'll earn $16. So in total of four hours, you'll earn $64. I also sense that you're one of the very few people who would like to have another job instead of having one. So I'm giving you four hours to work. But before you start, I need A valid ID and resume so just to make sure you're not a criminal."

I laughed but then stopped. I realize I would earn $64 in just four hours. I mean, it was kind of big. For a public library, she sure had a lot of money. Well, this library was the famous library in town. Not because it's public but because it had an awesome interior design. I overheard that the owner of this public library was very rich and loved to read books. And her goal was to have a library and share it to people who also loved to read. I didn't know who the owner of this library was. But maybe I could meet her soon.

I knew she was right. And I was glad. I was the type of guy who would need another job just to earn more.

I nodded, smiling genuinely at her. She and I could get along if we wanted to. I mean, she seemed cruel and all but I guessed I judged her too early.

"Okay, Ms. Spenfield,"

"Oh please," she said, rolling her eyes at me. "Just call me Kourtney. I sound so old when you call me Ms. Spenfield."

I chuckled, nodding at her. "If you say so, Ms. Spenfield. I mean, Kourtney." She shooed me and that was my queue to get out and prepare the things she needed me to hand her. I still had an interview later. Two hours prior to now. I needed to get there. It's an hour away from here. With a car. But I didn't have one. So it would take me, like, forever just to get there.

I needed a ride. A cab would be fine, but that would be so expensive considering it's far away from here. Cheena, my best friend since eight and my partner-in-crime, set up the meeting. She was obsessed with reading. Not the typical stories. But the unique ones. Mostly man on man stories. She said it amazed her to know that a straight guy could go gay for another man. I mean, that was pretty interesting. But I didn't bat for my team. Cheena had a short hair with a full bangs. She was tall but I was taller than her. She had this baby blue eyes that made her more beautiful that she was. She was good at making come back and she had a lot of sense of humor. She had a crazy thought once. She said that I was gay, trying to squeeze the truth out of me. I said I was not. It was the truth. But she didn't believe me. Instead, she said, one of these days, I would be gay for someone. For a man. And I would be deeply, madly in love with him. Being me, I just snorted.

My phone rang.

I groaned when Mom's name flashed on the screen, blinking. I answered.

"Hey, Penny's waiting for you." Mom said casually as if it was a normal thing to say. I groaned.

"Mom!" I whined, rolling my eyes. 

"Young man, you ditched us last time." She said sternly. I could almost imagine shaking her head and making face. A disappointed one. Well, she could be disappointed at me for as long as she wanted. But there's no way I was going on a date with Penny the Not-So-Great. "Penny's a great woman, Ezerette."

"I know she's great, Mom." I said, totally admitting it. But she was not right for me. Cheesy as it sounded, God had planned someone for me and I was not going to move fast. Penny wasn't right for me. I just knew it. She could be my friend. But that's as far as we could go. Just friends. "But she's not right for me."

"How can you tell she's not right for you?"

"How can you tell she's right for me?" I backfired, getting frustrated every second as the conversation went on and on.

"Because I chose her," she said smugly. She was proud of it. Well, I hated to break it to her. Because she chose the wrong one.

"Mom, I gotta go." I said, getting tired all of a sudden. Arguing with your Mom would do you no good and would not make your life easier. Mom sometimes would make her's son live a living Hell. Like in my situation right now. "I have an interview." I didn't wait for her reply. I hang up immediately.

Sighing, I just wasted a time and now I needed to get there as soon as possible. I didn't want to waste this opportunity. Now, the streets were not pretty crowded as it used to earlier. Well, there were some people that jog. But the rush hour was now done.

When I turned to my right, shoving my hands in my pockets, I saw a man, in his forties, grumbling and looking frustrated. His car was in front of him and the old man tried to kick it with his foot out of frustration. He groaned as he realized he had been so dumb to kick the car and now, his foot hurt his hell.

"Sir, is something wrong?" I said to him. He jumped out of nervousness and slightly glared at me. But his face softened as he realized it was just a kid. Me, a kid? 

He nodded. "Yes. My car decided to be an asshole and now, it's not working. I think it has something to do with the engine."

"Maybe, I can help." I offered. I knew something about fixing some cars. But that didn't mean my skill was better. I could try, though. Plus, I could make a bargain. He looked at me, debating if he should accept the offer or not, if I could be trusted or not. I mean, it was not everyday when a stranger offered a help to some stranger who really needed one.

"Okay, what's the catch? Money?" He said, arching a brow. It hurt me to hear that I just wanted a money. Although it sounded appealing to me and in my ears, I shook my head. I just wanted a ride. "Then what?"

"I'm going to fix the car, and in return, I need a ride because I'll be late for my interview." I said truthfully. He looked at me again, studying if I was lying or not. Then he nodded his head and mumbled an okay. I grinned at him and began to work.

"By the way, my name's Ezerette." I introduced myself.

"Philip," he said.

I began to fix the car.

+++

It took me half an hour to fix the car. Philip just sighed in relief as he heard the soft hum of his car, roaring back to life. He kept thanking me and I just brushed him off, said that no need to thank me because he was going to return the favor. He obliged, seeming happy as he told me to hop in the passenger seat and he'd drive me to the company. He was pretty laid back and all. Philip just drove me to the place where the interview would be held. We talked casually. Though in the eyes of others, letting a stranger climb in your car would be a dumb move. You never knew what the stranger was up to. If he's a criminal or not. But I was not. I was a good kid with a pure heart that wanted to help people first before myself.

An hour later and Philip was parking the car in front of the building. He thanked me over and over again and I said that I was the one thankful to him. Because if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be standing in front of this building. We shook hands, thanking each other and then he sped off. I forgot to get his number or even his last name. We just talked and talked about life and all. I found out that he had a son, but his son wasn't so fond of him. They barely talked and he was glad that a stranger like me had made him lift the burden he was feeling on his shoulder. The ride wasn't awkward. In fact, it was cool and fun. Smiling and praying, I entered the building with my chin up.

+++

"I think I failed the interview, Chichi." I said to my best friend, sprawling on her mattress as she looked at me hopelessly.

"Don't think negative, Ezerette." Cheena said as she took a seat on the edge of her bed. "It's fine."

"They said they would contact me," I whined, looking up at her and running my hand through my hair in frustration. "You know what that meant. Plus, can you believe it? In the middle of the interview, my mom called!" I threw my hands up in the air. "Probably setting up another date."

"Everything's going to be okay," she assured me, patting my chest as she smiled at me. I didn't believe her though. Everything was becoming a blur to me. I didn't know if I would be able to pay my tuition this year.

"I hope so," I mumbled, shutting my eyes. I felt the bed moved, indicating that Cheena lied down beside me. She was my best friend and more like a sister to me. A sister that I never had. Or a sister from another mother. So she and I sharing a bed was fine. She told me again that everything was going to be fine and I nodded.

"You know, we need to do something to make your mom stop on setting up a date for you," she said and I opened my eyes to look at her. She's right. She was completely right. Mom couldn't keep interfering with my life. I knew I was 20 years old, but she didn't need to mess my life. Not really mess it but she would do it unintentionally. I sighed, agreeing with her.

"You have no idea how many times I have talked to her," I said, sighing again. I was doing that a lot lately.

"Then choose the hard way," she said and I raised my brow at her, telling her to go on. She pursed her lips. "I have an idea. But you won't like it. You know me, I'm full of shits, Eze. But this is the best method to keep your mom interfering with your life."

"And that's...?" I asked, urging her to go on.

"Pretend to be gay and secretly married to a man," she said meekly. I stared at her and didn't say anything. "That's it. Ignore what I said. Too much boy on boy stories. You won't even take it. It's okay. I know I'm dumb."

"No you're not," I said. Basically there's a light bulb above my head, shining brightly. "You're right! In that way, Mom will stop interfering! Oh Gosh, finally!"

Cheena looked up at me, not believing that her suggestion worked. I threw my hands around her, hugging her tight and she chuckled.

"Now, now," she said, smiling deviously at me. "Since you accepted it, let's go beyond the limit. You know me, I'm such a paparazzi. I'm a graphic artist student. I can edit photos. And I took a bunch of photos... of hot men. And then I'll take some pictures of you. And I'll edit it. In that way, you have a proof that you got married. Secretly. And I was there to witness it. You'll come out of the closet just for a show when your mom set another date for you. Okay?"

I nodded. I knew this was a bad idea. But it was the only way to make Mom stop.

"Okay. Then let the shooting start." I grinned up at her.