Not like Us

Chapter 17

It had been one week since Bella stayed on her grandmother's house. She would be having only a month left and she needed to go back to the city two weeks before June even if she did not want to. She needed to process her enrollment. Just like what she told her mother on the phone, she did not come after her. Her father sent her a message, too, that she was always welcome to got back to his house if she ever wants to. She was glad they respected her decision to stay here. She was at peace here. The people were not toxic. She also got to hear stories that she was not aware of. Her grandmother understands her, too. She always gave Bella a lot of things to do to kept her mind occupied. That was what all she did for the past seven days was to help her grandmother with the chores, the farm, and the groceries. Her grandmother always made sure to bring her out of the house to be expose with physical activities and to the sun so she would not be as grumpy as she was the day she set her foot back to the province. She had noticed that her fair skin was becoming a little bit of tan. The solar dependent bulbs were already attached to the storage room on her grandmother’s farm. It really helped in illuminating the area. She never forgot to enhance her drawing skills as well and tried to program projects once in a while.

She was now waiting for Lucas. Her grandmother was not around because she was in the church despite of the cold weather. She brought her car with her. They would be having a procession in the town. She heard the sound of drums from the town and to where she was standing. It was already the last day of the novena for the feast of their patron. Her grandmother tried to bring but she declined with her plead for the very first time. She really did not have any knowledge on what and not to do during a procession. She was not exposed with the traditions since she was young and she did not want to make her grandmother looked like a fool for bringing someone who did not have any knowledge of what they were doing. She would still try to enjoy the after party though. She heard from Lucas that the town looked like a carnival now since they often message each other on social media.

She looked around the environment. The sun was now setting. There was a tint of yellow and orange color on the clouds. Bella could see the sun as it sets because the house of her grandmother was in an uphill. It was secluded from the houses in the town. Bella opened her purse and saw a pack of cigarette. There was a metal lighter beside it as well. She lit her cigarette and puffed it. She missed the feeling of how it made her feel.  It had been two weeks since she last puffed her cigarette and it was in the forest.

She finished a stick of cigarette before she heard a revving motorcycle coming up on the hill. Lucas stopped in front of her.  “Hi,” he greeted as soon as he removed his helmet. He was just wearing a long jeans that incorporates his long legs and a plain maroon fitted shirt.

“Hey,” Bella replied.

“Did you wait long?” Lucas handed her a spare helmet. It was pink in color.

Bella mounted to the motorcycle and wore her helmet. “Not long enough.”

He looked back on her. “I am really sorry for disrupting your rest.”

She released a soft chuckle. “Nah, I disturb you last week. This is only fair.”

He just shook his head in awe. He did not really need to be paid back. He was glad he could help but she insisted. He would make sure that she would enjoy especially that she had a rough experience last week. This would make her breath from all her troubles.

“Hold on,” Lucas said while he was starting his motor. The sound of the revving motor echoed through out the surroundings.  The birds flew and squawking due to the sound.

Bella did not know where to hold so she opted to hold to the back of his motorcycle. Lucas just laughed in his mind since he thought Bella would grip his shirt like the last time but she really was cleaver to hold on to the back since they would go down on a steep hill.

Lucas started to drove off.

When they arrived at the town they were already a lot of people. They were many kids running around. They were people who were carrying big bags like they just got to the town. They were also many stalls in line selling variants things like food, toys, and sweets. The town was very noisy. Some were laughing. Some kids were crying.

Bella and Lucas stopped in front of the church. “Do you want to meet your grandmother first?”

As they looked at the church, people were already exiting. The novena was already finished.  “It looks like it.” They both looked at the church’s door. They both saw her with Lucas’ mother. Lucas sighed what was his mother up to this time. She never really approaches Bella’s grandmother not until Bella appeared.

Lucas’ mother saw them. Bella unmounted herself from the motorcycle and removed the helmet to hand it to Lucas. Lucas followed.

“Bella!” She said in an enthusiastic voice with her wide smile that almost reached to her ears. She hugged Bella tightly. “How are you?! It has been a week since I last saw you!”

“I am fine,” Bella replied, laughing awkwardly, as soon as Lucas’ mother let go of her. She was slowly catching her breath.

“Take her home before ten,” Bella’s grandmother interrupted.

Lucas nodded. “I will, ma’am,” he said smiling, “maybe we should head now?”

“Go on, go on, go on,” Lucas’ mother excitedly said as she kept tapping Lucas’ back.

“I am sorry for my mother,” Lucas apologize.

Bella raised her hands and shook it. “It was nothing. You must not have a sister. I guess she just wants to have a daughter.”

Lucas’ face fell and Bella noticed it. “Did I say something wrong?”

He shook his head and smiled, “No, I just remembered how my mom cried nonstop when she had her miscarriage,” Lucas’ smile fell short and looked at her, “it was a girl.”

“I am sorry,” Bella sympathized. He laughed and flashed a bright smile on his face, “It happened long ago. We have moved on.” He placed his hands in his pocket and tiptoed to assess the area. Bella could not deny that Lucas had a looks. He has this dark long lashes that curls towards his brows. “Hmm…where should we go first?Hmm…”

Bella looked around as well. She saw a stall full of kids. They were pushing one another as a competition to grab the attention of the vendor.  “Do you want that?” she asked pertaining to the colorful cottony candy the vendor sells to kids. “And, shove away the children? That is cruel.”

Bella looked at him and did not say any word.  Her arms crossed in front and her body leaning on her left foot. They just looked at each other for a few minutes. Lucas felt the awkward silence between the two of them.

He raised both of his harms that was initially in his pocket into the air to accept defeat. “I was just kidding,” Lucas broke the silence.

He went towards the stall. The vendor immediately noticed him because he was taller than all of the children customer. He got some coin from his pocket and he reached his hands to the vendor and because of his long arms the vendor was able to received the and handed him a two plastic of blue and pink cotton candy.

“That is not fair!” One of the little children complained. She was pouting her lips and was looking at him with a deathly stare. Lucas just clasped both of his hands to apologize and ran towards Bella and handed her the fluffy cotton candy.

Bella laughed as soon as Lucas got near her. “I saw what happened there,” she said as she continued laughing.

Lucas stared at her. He always noticed her sitting on a bench on the engineering’s corridor. He rarely see her smile and never saw her laugh. She was still beautiful then but she was more beautiful now. Her faced bright up when she laugh.

Bella looked at him weirdly. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“It is the first time I see you laugh. You never laughed at the university,” he admitted.

This time, it was Bella who stared at him. “You saw me in the university?!” she shockingly asked. She knew they were schoolmates but she did not thought that he saw her. Their were thousands of engineering students in their campus he could not possibly noticed her right? She remembered the comment that she read back when she was still at her father’s house. She face palmed herself in her imagination. How could she not realize it?

‘I saw them on the same corridor once but it seems they do not know each other.’

Lucas nodded. It was impossible not to notice her since the boys from his course always looked at her as she passed by.

He remembered the last day of class. To celebrate their hard earned passing grades his course mates invited him to have a drink and he agreed because he was confident of his alcohol tolerance since her mother always prepare a coconut wine that they called ‘tuba’. it has a 40% alcohol volume.

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It was already dawn and most of the people were already drunk. Some of them were already down and some of them still continued drinking while swaying themselves from side to side.

“Hey, Look at that. It is Bella.” One of his friends drunkenly said. They were on a distant table.

The group looked towards her direction. He already noticed that the girl was already there since they entered the bar, her back facing them. She was just sitting there for the whole time. She never moved an inch and she only drank one to two shot of a drink. Some of her friend joined her and would eventually enjoy themselves with another company.

One of her guy friend who was already drunk went near her with a company of a man who was possibly in the age of mid 20 to 30. Her friend leave the two of them alone. The man sat beside her. The two started talking. There was smiling and laughing between the two of them. The man started rubbing his knees to Bella’s knees. She was just wearing a denim skirt.

“They are flirting with each other,” Lucas’ friends commented. “Wooh,” they secretly cheered. Lucas just looked at his friends. “I did not know Bella had it in her. She never entertained guys at our school.” A friend of Lucas said.  “Maybe she prefers older boys,” they said laughing.

Lucas noticed that Bella’s face always turned sour whenever the man looked away and smiled back when he faced her. The guy leaned on Bella by placing his hand on her knees and he moved his chair closer to her.  Bella did not show a hint of discomfort but she always moves her knees to slip off the man’s hand but he always placed it back. He even placed both of her knees between his to avoid it from moving. Bella moved her chair to create a distance between the two of them. She stood up and excuse herself and pretended that she was receiving a call from her mom. She had not walked that far when the man pulled her back to him and let her sat on his lap. He wrapped his right arm to Bella’s waist and his left hand moving up from her knees to her thigh.

Bella immediately removed herself from him and slapped him with a purse. “What are you doing?!” she shouted . Some of the attention went towards them.

“Calm down, baby,” the man said to behave Bella.

She raised her eyebrows. “What are you saying? I am not your baby,” she said in disgust.

Lucas was about to stand up to get her away from the man when her guy friend, Marcus, went towards her. “What is wrong Bella?”

“I need to get out,” she said and adjust her purse but the man pulled her again. “Do not go. I know you like it and will be.”

Marcus ears turned red when he heard what Bella said. He had known Bella since they were high school and he had a high respect to her. He could not believe how this man took advantage of her that easily. Marcus charge the man with a punch. He punched him hard on the face to the point that they fell on the ground.  Bella tried to stop him but he was too strong for her. The man returned his punches as well.  Marcus was already under him. “Stop!” Bella shouted. Both of them had already blood on their faces but the he shove her away that cause Bella to fell of the ground. The man’s group already joined the riot and Bella’s other male friends were already helping Marcus.

The bar was already a mess and they heard they were police siren from outside. The police went in and interrupted the fight. The police brought all of those who were involved in the fight to the station.

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“Thank you. I had fun,” Bella said as they walked towards the church where Lucas’ motorcycle was found. They joined every game that they could find and even rode a ferris wheel. It was already dark and the area was already illuminated with colorful light. The music from the speakers where blasting.

They noticed that the people were gathering to the center. “What is happening?” Lucas asked.

They followed everyone and saw a man at the center. Curled like a baby on the ground and shouting.

“I know him,” Bella said while looking at the man.

“I know him,” she repeated and immediately went to the man. The crowd were talking as they saw Bella helping him.

Bella looked at Lucas. “Help me,” she mouthed.