Full Moon Howls

CHAPTER TWO

"We're here Willie." her Dad said.

They were in the car two days after her birthday.

Wilhelmina felt shaky. True, Nick will be gone but how about her roommates? She gulped while her father and a man carried her luggage to a dormitory room. There is already one girl in it. And Wilhelmina's greatest fear was confirmed. This girl looks just so much like a bully.

"I'll leave you now Willie." her father waved and left.

Wilhelmina immediately busied herself in fixing her luggage and ignored her roommate.

"Willie. Am I right?" the girl asked, brandishing a hair spray at her.

Wilhelmina nodded.

"I'm Loveta. And as your roommate, I have to set rules. Touch nothing of mine, and I to you. No boys allowed, and fix your own things." Loveta told her.

Wilhelmina nodded again.

"Good."

Loveta continued spraying her head while Wilhelmina fixed her belongings. She pulled out a satchel and filled it with her everyday school supplies. Then she piled her books beside her.

"Ever thought of entering a club?" Loveta asked.

Wilhelmina shook her head.

"Of course not. Girls like you … I really don't understand." Loveta put her face closer to her own mirror. "Your timetable is on your bed by the way. A couple of recruitment wavers, and of course, the school map."

Wilhelmina picked them up and sat on her bed, reading. The map have a few notices on the back. The recruitment wavers went straight to the bin. And her timetable is named and rewritten. There is also a key of the dormitory room.

"What did you do to your hair by the way?"

Wilhelmina shrugged.

"Tie it messily on top of your head and leave a few hairs falling on your face."

"It doesn't really matter." Wilhelmina said in a small voice.

"Self-care is important." Loveta said. "And if you're not courageous, the best way to protect yourself is to be beautiful."

Wilhelmina hesitantly took her kinky hair on top of her head and tied it. Some hair fell in front of her. Oh, what would people say if they see her with such a messy hair?

"What degree are you taking?"

"BFA." Wilhelmina muttered.

"I'm BA. I'll take major of Fashion Design. You?"

"Classical Arts."

"What do you want to be? A journalist?"

"Mainly, er … an author. But – but I'll apply as a journalist."

"We're getting along well, see?" Loveta smiled.

Wilhelmina smiled forcedly.

"So, what's your love life?" Loveta asked.

"I – none."

"Oh of course. I've had twenty-one boyfriends already." Loveta muttered. "Want to go out? Roam around?"

"No." Wilhelmina said immediately.

Loveta shrugged and went out anyway. Which left Wilhelmina alone. She read a couple of books for a while before she felt hungry. She roamed a couple of times in the room, arguing wether to go out or not. In the end, her mouth was turning dry and she had to take her pouch.

She walked away from the girl's dormitories, ignoring the people around her. But they didn't smirk at her nor laugh. As a matter of fact, they ignored her. Must it be the effect of the hair?

Wilhelmina walked to the university canteen which according to the map, is just beside the gate. It is partly empty. Littered with few, nervous students. Wilhelmina took a taco which is the only one with a vegetable, and a bottle of water. She payed for it and left immediately.

The door opened and a boy entered. He saw Wilhelmina and smirked. Wilhelmina knew at once she was going to be teased. But come what may.

When she passed the boy, he looked at her. "Bushy." he whispered.

Wilhelmina sighed and run back to the girl's dormitories. She collapsed in her bed and opened the taco, starting to eat. Yep, whatever she does to herself, she's still that bushy nerd. She took out her laptop.

* * *

The first of January came and Wilhelmina entered her classroom with her hair tied neatly behind her.

But before she entered the room, an obstacle challenged her mood. The boy on the canteen, which was the same boy on the shop, met her in a hallway.

She almost walked straight to him because she was busy carrying five, thick textbooks.

"Watch out!" he called out and she stopped, startled. Then he walked pass her and examined her hair, knowing she will not drop the books. "Bushy." he repeated, tugging it a bit.

She shouldered him away but he followed, asking her numerous questions.

"When did you learn tying your hair?" he asked.

She blushed a bit.

"How many books like this can you carry?" he asked again, taking a book on top and opening it. "If you can carry five of these, you probably have muscles."

"Everyone has muscles." she thought.

"Are you just shy, or do you have autism?" he asked.

And then he asked the most dreadful question.

"What's your name?"

She stood there, in front of her classroom. She must be the first to be entering.

"Give me my book back please." she said in a small voice.

The boy put back her book and it became heavy again. "See you around Bushy."

But Wilhelmina will never want to see him around. He looked scary to her. Dark haired, brown skin, dark brown eyes, this features are common in the country and it didn't make him scary. But his smile was like her brother's. Something played around them like he's planning something. And his eyes have a playful and excited glint on them. She shuddered at the very though of it.

After a few lessons, she was last to leave the class because of her heavy books. She stacked two inside her satchel and carried the three under her arms. Then she looked from left to right to check if the boy isn't around. She immediately walked towards the girl's dormitories.

Why did she even expect her way to be clear? After a couple of steps from the classroom, the boy stopped her in the middle of the corridor.

"Taco?" the boy asked.

"I do not eat tacos." she have great suspicion he did something to that taco.

"I saw you bought it in the last day of December. Along with a bottle of water."

"My roommate told me to buy it for her." she reasoned, starting to blush again.

"Loveta bought a hot-dog and soda. She doesn't want vegetables." the boy informed her. "I didn't poison it you know. I just want to be your friend."

Wilhelmina didn't answer.

"May I take your books?" he asked.

"No."

"Okay. Maybe you have to know me first. I'm Lupe Gumaveur." he held out his hand. His voice is sincere. And his eyes lessened it's glint. She shook his hand.

"Willie." she said slowly.

He smiled and gave her the taco.

Lupe asked more questions as he followed her to the girl's dormitories.

"Why don't you ask me a question?"

"No." Wilhelmina said.

"Go on. Ask me one."

It took a few seconds before she did. "Why are you called Loopy?"

Suddenly, Lupe bursted into fits of laughter. Wilhelmina suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Sorry. I'm not laughing at you. But my name isn't Loopy. It's Loo-peh. Can't you say it?"

"Lupe." she said. As she walked to the building, she stopped him. "I think –" she gulped. "I think it's better if you don't enter." she advised as though there was a lump in her throat.

"Right."

Wilhelmina was feeling shaky when she entered the room. It was empty. She put back three of her books, leaving two with her. When she walked down the dormitory building, she expected Lupe to be back on his classroom.

But he didn't. He followed her to her classroom, making her feel weird again.

Wilhelmina's second day was somehow easy. She was getting used of Lupe and pretending he was not there. The first time she tried making a long conversation, after three questions, she suddenly felt nauseous.

"Homework, each of you will write about your favorite Titian paintings. It's history, and what it means. Will be passed next Friday. You will read your opinion essay in front of the class. Class dismissed."

Wilhelmina felt really, really, nervous. An opinion essay, read in front of the class? She'd rather drown herself than go in front of the class. But this is one of the inescapable moments.

She run to the face of the forest. She started puking on a nearby tree.

And then she heard it.

A low, gasping noise. Getting louder and louder. She looked up and around. Whatever it was, she knew she heard it before. A wolf probably.

She turned about and left. Instead, she tripped. Wilhelmina have accidentally stuck her foot on a root. She tugged it.

She could hear the sound getting nearer.

"What are you doing?" Lupe asked.

"Huh?" Wilhelmina asked, looking back to the school where Lupe stared anxiously at her. "Nothing. I – please leave me alone."

"I can help you there." Lupe advanced towards her and unstuck her foot. "There."

"Er – thanks."

She covered her mouth and repressed the vomit.

"Nervous fit?" Lupe asked as she hid herself in the trunk again.

After a number of puking, Wilhelmina sat on a bench near the forest. Lupe came back from the canteen and gave her a lunch box of rabbit pie.

"Here. It's almost nine." Lupe said, handing her the lunch-box.

Wilhelmina shyly took the lunchbox and ate what she could. She was undeniably hungry, but she also was uncomfortable with Lupe watching her eat.

"What happened?"

Wilhelmina sighed. She knew Lupe is taking Bachelor of Science in Psychology. And who knows? She might need a psychiatrist. And so she told him cautiously of her fear of being judged, embarrassed, and humiliated.

"You know, the more you avoid your fear, the more it'll … expand. Or become more scary. Did you ever try exposing yourself?"

"And then puke? No way." Wilhelmina murmured. Lupe smiled.

"Okay … well, why don't you make your opinion essay, and I'm gonna make your exposure ladder."

"What's an exposure ladder?"

"You'll see." he said, taking the empty box from her. "Anyway, can I have your number?"

"What?"

"Is it too early?" Lupe asked happily. Wilhelmina looked away, feeling stupid.

"O–okay. Here,"

He copied her number and accompanied her to the dormitory building.

She sighed and changed her clothes. Loveta was sleeping on her bed, probably free of problems.

Just as she was about to sleep, her phone rang suddenly on her bedside table. Loveta groaned and Wilhelmina answered the unknown number.

"Wilhelmina?" whispered Lupe.

"I'm sleeping." Wilhelmina said and then ended the call.

There came a message.

"Goodnight."

She gave a like and slept.