Episode 6
989 Words
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
"Hey there, gorgeous Mia," Manny shouted as he walked over with Milan to greet me at our usual table.
"Hey, what's up, you guys? You're always late," I smiled and greeted my two friends like always.
"Traffic was a nightmare. I should have stayed in a dorm near the university like you," Milan sat down and complained as usual.
"Yeah, yeah, stop complaining. It's almost over. Here, eat up. I bought it for you," I handed them our favorite grilled pork with sticky rice. Since I live in a dorm near the university, I can prepare breakfast for my friends every morning; otherwise, these two wouldn't have breakfast at all.
"Perfect, my friend," Manny looked at the grilled pork with sticky rice, his favorite, with satisfaction and quickly ate it before we headed to class.
After class, we sat at our usual table to chat and hang out like always.
"Hey, hey, the semester break is coming up. How about we go to the beach?" Manny suggested since the break was approaching, and next semester we'd be in our fourth year, likely going our separate ways for internships. Our student life was getting shorter by the day.
"Sounds good! But which beach should we go to? How about Krabi? My relatives have a house right by the beach there," Milan eagerly suggested. When it comes to trips, especially beach trips, Milan is always up for it.
"Really? Let's go, let's go! I'm in. That's two votes, so Mia, you don't need to vote. It's unanimous," Manny quickly concluded. I was really at my wit's end with them. Then the two of them started searching for places to visit and outfits to wear, while I occasionally nodded along.
"Mia, Mia! Hey, Mia!"
"Huh? What is it?" I jumped when Manny suddenly shouted my name loudly.
"What's wrong, Mia? You've been daydreaming all day," Milan said, and the two of them stared at me, making me feel really awkward.
"Nothing, really. Just stressed about next semester's internship."
"Ugh! How many years have we been friends, Mia? Do you think I would believe that someone as capable as you would be stressed about an internship?" Milan said.
"Yeah, what's been bothering you since this morning, Mia? Can you tell us?" Manny added. It seemed they had been watching me since the morning, hadn't they? I looked up and met their eyes, seeing only the concern of my two dear friends, which made the tears I'd been holding back all day finally flow uncontrollably.
"Hey! Mia, calm down first," Milan quickly got up to sit next to me, and Manny reached out to hold my hand too.
They comforted me and let me cry for a while without me saying a word, until I managed to control my emotions and decided to tell them about that night.
"What a jerk!"
"Yeah, what a jerk. Where is he? I'll go punch him and embarrass him in front of a gay guy like me! Damn it!" Manny said, looking for Austin until I had to stop him because both of my friends seemed so angry on my behalf. I was afraid they would cause a scene with that scumbag and let others know about those disgusting things.
"Just let it go, think of it as my karma," I said.
"Being used and dumped is karma? Are you nuts, Mia? If you had consented, that would be one thing, but he raped you, Mia," Manny snapped at me, but not loudly enough for anyone else to hear.
"Yeah, Mia, I really hate him for using my friend and then dumping her, that bastard."
"Just tell me what I should do. I want to forget. I'm hurt," I asked them. I really wanted to forget, to forget everything about Austin completely.
"Wait! I'm really angry right now. Let me take a moment to calm down," Manny raised his hand to stop me from saying anything and then sat there, taking slow, deep breaths for a while.
"Alright, I've got my composure back. Listen to me, you don't need to forget anything. Why let it win by forgetting? From now on, you need to make him regret it, make him love you, be infatuated with you, desire you, and want you as a real wife, not just a casual partner."
"Why would you want Mia to do that? To get a lousy guy like that as a husband and then get hurt again?" Milan objected, not understanding, and I didn't understand either.
"A tiger can become tame like a cat. Austin has never asked for more after being with someone, but you're the first woman he's asked for more from, which means he's captivated by you. You have something different from other women. And you've always told us that a woman should have only one husband and not act promiscuously. So now, consider that you have a husband, okay? Go and keep your husband in check. I'll help you." Manny spoke confidently, leaving me utterly confused, especially since just a moment ago, he wanted to punch Austin.
Even though he's gay, he really cares for his female friends. He always advises us not to act promiscuously, to cherish our dignity. We can party and have fun, but we must preserve our virginity. That's why we believe in having only one husband. Just between us, Manny's still a virgin, haha.
"Are you sure about this advice, Manny?" Milan asked again.
"Of course. Mia loves that jerk, and you want to have only one husband in your life, right? He messed up once, so just let it go. You can make him love you, trust me."
"So, what should I do?" I asked him, already swayed by his suggestion and not rejecting it at all.
"Just be your fabulous self, darling. Don't even glance at him, that's all you need to do," Manny said with a confident smile.
- Writer
