Honey, why?

16. Dangerous Liaisons

The waiter places the last of our order on the table and by then most of the food is gone.

"Best guacamole I have ever had the fortune to eat," Lucy says as she rubs her still flat stomach. I wish I could have the appetite of this girl. Three slices of pizza, two quesadillas, and a plate of nachos and I'm already bloated.

Fonzie takes a napkin and wipes Lucy's chin. "Thanks, love," Lucy tells him as she swallows another huge bite of her taco.

"You should try this." Luke pushes his bowl in front of me and I pick up his spoon to take a scoop of the dip inside.

I place a small piece of bread from my chalupa (I know, I know it seems like I could never get enough no matter how much I eat but come on, this is a celebration!) and pop it into my mouth. "Ish eh ah eh ood," I tell Luke as I put the spoon in my mouth next. The moment the dip hit my tongue, a rich flavor erodes followed shortly by a very spicy tang.

"Mmmm." I make an okay sign, forming a circle with my index finger and thumb, kinda like holding up number three. It takes the whole chewing for the spicy flavor to start hurting and I swallow as I reach for my lemonade. I feel my eyes tearing up.

"It's good, right?" Luke asks me but I am still chewing that I can only nod my head.

There is a loud slap on my left followed by Luke hissing, "Ow!" I begin slurping my drink quickly when I turn to see Teddy pinching Luke's hard bicep.

"That's too hot for her!" She lands another smack on Luke's forearm.

I raise my hand to order for another drink and the waiter who comes nods his head in understanding. "Another lemonade, coming right up." My tongue burns so much I could barely speak but it's not like I hate it. The guacamole and salsa combination was exceptional.

"She liked it," Luke says to Teddy before turning to me. "Right, sweetheart?"

My drink arrives and I immediately latch my mouth onto the poor straw. I nod my head at Luke and hold out an okay sign again. He beams at me widely, bearing his dimples. "That's my girl."

"Can we get a glass of water here, please?" Charles calls the waiter who just served me. "You alright, babe?" He is sitting on the other side of me, one of his arms rests on the back of my chair. I can feel him brushing his fingers on my ponytail.

I put my glass down, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I take a huge breath and when I exhale, I feel like I am breathing fire. "Yeah." I can feel my mouth is swollen. I lick it before facing Luke and smiling. "That was awesome!"

"Alright!" Luke shouts as we high five each other. "Wanna try this dynamite?" Before he could raise the chili pepper rolled in a thin wrapper with added ground beef and cheese inside, Teddy has already given him another pinch but this time, it's on his ear. "Theodora Cheng!" He turns his head towards her, one of his ears the same color of the chili pepper of his dynamite. "Cut it out!"

"Then stop feeding Ace your kinky foods!"

The two of them are beginning cause commotion and I shake my head, suffering from a secondhand embarrassment. The glass of water Charles had asked for comes and I take it from the waiter, thanking him.

Across the table, I notice Fonzie trying to hide his laughter. It's very rare to see my lonesome classmate explode and just when he is about to open his mouth, somebody else erupts with a huge chortle. And it's the person beside him, his girlfriend.

Lucy taps her hand repeatedly on the dark mahogany table, eyes closed tightly. "What the f**k is a kinky food, Teddy?" Her whole body is vibrating and Fonzie lays a hand on her shoulder, patting lightly as if to calm her down but I can see that he can barely control his own laughter and he is soon vibrating as well.

"Teddy must have a lot of experiences with those kinky foods to recognize them," Ash says from the end of the table. He nods his head at Luke. "Takes one to know one, right Luke?" And Em joins him in laughter before he lets out a silent scream and reaches under the table.

"Why would you do that?" Em says breathlessly, looking horrified at Teddy. She just crosses her arms on her chest, chin tilting up.

"Never wake a sleeping dragon." She stands up looking around the table eyeing Em, who sits across her, Ash at the end of the table, then finally Luke who is sitting beside her clutching his ear. It sure does hurt a lot when someone twists the small bones of your ear. Poor Luke.

"I'm going to the ladies room," Teddy announces, taking her purple backpack with her.

"That is no lady," I hear Luke mumble to me but I refuse to react. My stupid friends always get themselves into trouble and I'm not playing mommy to them when we are all supposed to celebrate the victory of our class in the race.

It's half past five and my classmates and I decided to have dinner here at La Castilla five miles from our school. I suggested that we just eat within the school grounds but I was immediately stoned for being such a manic worrywart. They're all fed up with the same old restaurants and food stalls and wanted something new for a change. It's twenty-one to one, even my best friends didn't take my side, so what can I do? Off I jump on Luke's car with Charles, Jordá, Ash, and Em while I noticed Chadi takes Teddy, Nona, Fonzie, and Lucy. Some of my classmates also have cars and for those who don't have a ride, well, they came by bus. And here we are, in our celebratory dinner.

It should be this weekend after we've also won the Math Academic Contest tomorrow but I thought that if by any chance that we didn't win it, we'd already be not in the mood to celebrate and Luke and Teddy's conquest will not be given the attention it deserves.

They are the clear winner, what with Luke finishing ahead of the other contestants three minutes early. Senior Class-B finished second place with Vinz smarting the other contestants and figuring out the problem first. I wonder what Karelle did to that meanie after he left her in the Food Park. That was low, even for some heartless snob like him. I wish I had seen all of it, Luke and Teddy winning, Vinz getting lashed out by Karelle. I would have been present in our victory if not for that irritatingly small hold back that I had.

I want so bad to glance behind me, at the table on my right side where some of my other classmates are sitting, but I refuse to do so. I'm not giving Ruslan the satisfaction. Not after he landed a huge bomb on me, expecting me to diffuse it. I shouldn't have been such a mellow heart and took pity on him. I guess he'd never change.

Lucy stands up from her place between Em and Fonzie. "I'm coming with you."

It's evident that my classmates are the ones talking so loudly. I hear them talking about the race and how awesome it was. I can pretty much hear the voices of those who are normally loud except for one girl. She has been quiet since I came back from the Concert Hall. I suppose she's still mad at me. It doesn't seem like she is still angry with Teddy since she let her go with her in her car but she sat on a different table than ours.

"So, sweetheart. Am I still going to be the one competing for the Yuletide pageant? Cuz I was thinking that maybe Luce and I could do like a magic show for our talent segment."

That's right. Just another extravagant extracurricular activity our school holds, the Yuletide pageant is the most anticipated event every year. And this time around, we all agreed upon Luke and Lucy representing our class for the said event.

Fonzie mockingly slams his fork on his plate. "You mean cut my girlfriend in half, that sort of s**t?"

"Hey now," Luke backpedals as he raises his palms up. "It's just a suggestion. I just think it's something new and fun."

"Fun for you, you mean." Brent throws a suggestive look at Luke which gets him a jab on his side from Jude. "Dude!" Jude shrugs, going back to his bowl of soup. Brent's nostrils flare, then he shakes his head and goes back to his meal as well.

"Or if Fonzie is against Lucy doing the magic show with me, then maybe..." his eyelids droop down as he looks at everyone on our table. "Ace should replace her and totally do the competition with me! Right? Right?" His perfect straight white teeth on full display as he looks from one person to the other, searching for approval.

Charles chokes from beside me, grabbing a napkin to wipe his nose and mouth. I put an arm around him to gently pat his back. "Are you alright?" I ask as I hand him another piece of napkin.

He nods his head, his eyes are watery. "Yeah," he manages to squeak as another round of coughing erupts from his chest. I can't miss the way his muscles strain from his shirt or the drops of sweat that slides from the roots of his head down to his sculpted jaw... I yank my arm from his back and lay it on my lap, giving him time to compose himself.

Luke keeps on talking while Charles's face continue to go two shades of red deeper, pushing his propaganda that I be his partner for the pageant.

"I mean, you've never joined any contests since freshmen year. Would really want to graduate high school without feeling that thrill of being on the stage, surrounded by bright lights and all eyes looking at you?" Luke coaxes me, bumping his shoulder to mine.

In some way, the thought of being on the stage with everyone's eyes on me don't dwell well on the pits of my stomach.

"And you'll look so bomb in that skimpy assistant outfit..." His eyes fixes on the empty air and his jaw slowly drops. This guy.

Lips pursed, I look sideways at him before I take his face on my hands and pinch the living poop out of his cheeks. He shrieks like a girl and I can't help the smirk tugging at my lips.

"You. Naughty. Boy." I emphasize with each pull. "Just what were you thinking just now, huh? Your mind is always full of dirty thoughts. Keep me off of it."

Luke is trying to jerk his head away from me but I hold him in a tight grip. His hands encircle my wrists as he try to tug them away, too, only to no avail. I laugh internally.

"Lemme go, sweetheart," he says between his teeth and this time I can't help but giggle. Him thinking of me in a magician's outfit needs to be jutted away from his mind. He should know better than to mess around with me.

"Let go, Ace." Luke pleads again. I'm enjoying this more and more.

"No." I say firmly, faking a serious face and pressing my thumb and index finger deeper into Luke's soft skin.

He groans, pulling my hands down but it only makes my fingers dig in to him more. "Argh!" I laugh once more, but Luke's next words stop me. "If you don't release me, I'll kiss you." He quickly moves in to peck my lips but I am faster, taking my hands back like a lightning and leaning back as far as I could until my back bumps into Charles.

"Don't challenge me, sweetheart," he says, freeing my wrists and rubbing at his red cheeks. "I always win." He winks at me and I want to rub that teasing smirk off his face so bad.

"It's because you were thinking of me in an unpleasant way." I counter, taking a drink from my water.

Luke stretches his arms upwards and I get a whiff of his cologne. "I'm not thinking indecent thoughts about you, Ace. I respect you. I'm just enjoying the idea of seeing you wearing something you wouldn't have worn in a million years."

Now, I kinda feel bad for calling him out and suspecting him of thinking nasty things about me but the guy has a reputation, okay? I mean, I love him and he is one of my best friends but I also know him. He'd talk about numbers and sizes with our male classmates and they even score girls whenever they pass by. Remind me why I'm still friends with him again?

"Hey guys." We look up to see Vivienne standing over our table, twisting the end of  her chestnut fishtail between French tip manicured fingers.

"Hey, Viv. You're leaving?" Ash asks, noting that she is carrying her red satchel and a brown paper bag that has La Catilla's logo in it.

Vivienne tucks a loose lock of her hair behind her ear shyly. "Yeah, well, my mom called and we have a surprise visitor at home. She needs my help."

"Are you going to commute?" Charles's tone is full of worry and Vivienne blushed at the show of concern.

She gestures behind her with her head and says that Nessie will be taking her home. "I think everyone on our table is leaving except Ali. Rose lives a few blocks from my house so she'll be coming with us. And Chad offered to drive Nona and Jin, so we're all set."

"Is Chadi leaving, too?" I don't want to end this day without speaking to her. I can't take it if my best friend is mad at me by the time the day ends. I know I won't be able to sleep later.

Vivienne looks at me sadly. "I honestly don't know, Ace. Do you want me to ask her?"

This is silly. Why can't I just talk to her myself? "It's okay, Viv. Take care on your way home."

She says her goodbye to us and goes to the waiting Nessie and Rose at the entrance. The three of them wave at us and they're out of the restaurant. My eyes go to where Chadi sits at the end of the table beside Tati and Sienna. She's talking to everyone at their table and the only person who is not taking part in the conversation is Ruslan who is at the other end across Chadi.

After a few seconds, she stands up and goes to the almost empty table where only Nona, Jin, and Ali are left after Vivienne left with Nessie and Rose. Ali stands up, making his way towards our table. He takes an empty chair and squeezes himself between Charles and Brent. We all look as Nona and Jin waves goodbye at us, heading for the door. Chadi tells them something before heading to the lavatory.

"It's too early," Brent comments, blowing his straw and his drink begins to bubble. Jude snatches his glass from him and the straw stayed stuck between his teeth. I almost forgot that he's there. He's even more silent than Fonzie though more approachable. "Hey!" Brent exclaims.

"You act like a kid." And no one ever heard Jude speak again for the rest of the evening.

I push my chair and stand up. "Excuse me."

"Where are you off to, sweetheart?" Luke calls to me but I hastily make my way to the bathroom lest I miss Chadi. I bump into Teddy and Lucy just coming out of it. It took them long enough.

Teddy grabs my arm gently. "Ace. Don't. Leave the backstabbing b***h alone."

I purse my lips. "Teddy, she's our friend. And what do you mean by backstabbing?"

She and Lucy exchange looks with each other and I don't like being left in the dark so I brush them off and heads to the bathroom despite Teddy's protest.

Inside, I notice two stalls occupied and I face the mirror to evaluate myself. Loose strands of my hair fall around my head but at least, my ponytail seems to be holding up well. I took off my contact lenses earlier before we headed here putting on my glasses which are now a little skewed so I adjust them.

Turning the faucet on, I push some green soap from the brown glass bottle on the taupe counter and begin washing my hands under the lukewarm water. While drying my hands with a paper towel, a stall opens and out comes Chadi. Her eyes go wide when she sees me but they quickly turn into slits as she heads for the sink.

"Chadi," I call to her as she's lathering her hands. "Chad..."

Her head snaps up, dark hair bouncing. "What?" Her voice sounds irritated and I feel like there's a rope wrapping around my heart. "Are you still upset with me?" I ask in a small voice.

My best friend faces me with hard eyes. I can feel the tears forming on my own and I curse inwardly at my weakness. Chadi always scolded me for being such a crybaby, always crying at the most simple things. I'm trying so hard, I really am. That is why I am so frustrated right now forcing my tears not to fall in front of her.

Chadi sighs, hands settling on her waist. One of her eyebrows are arched so high up I'm afraid it'll get stuck on her forehead. "I'm not upset, Ace. Oh, no. I'm actually confused."

"Confused? About what?" My head tilts to the side as I think of something I've done that might have sprouted that emotion from her. None comes to mind.

The corner of her lips twitches up and she regards me with a sharp look as if she were a lion that is just about to prowl its prey. "I'm wondering why you haven't told me anything about how you decided to be a snake and steal my man away from me."

Hold the phone. Steal her man? Did she mean Kenneth? But we're not even together and didn't she say they only dated in the summer?

Then it dawns on me.

I don't know how it's possible to sweat this much and still feel cold at the same time. I don't know how she found out or what she found out. Did she manage to get her hands on our text messages? How? Oh no. I refuse to let the thought of Charles confiding in her all the stuff we talked about over the summer.

My head is spinning and I am gripping the sink hard as I try to do the breathing exercises that Aunt Emmy uses for warm up but it's not working. I'm not working that well at the moment. Brain function = dead.

I look up to see Chadi scrolling through her phone, then she holds out her hand, showing me the screen. A video is playing. It's kinda blurry but I can still make out the two people sitting side by side together on a wooden table. The guy has his arm around the girl who has her head leaned on the guy's shoulder. The girl has a petite figure with wavy dark blonde hair up to the middle of her back and a fair complexion while the guy has a taller and bigger built although lean and taut. He has messy dark brown hair and slightly tanned skin. I stop breathing.

"Just the reaction I expected from someone guilty of man-stealing."

I couldn't pry my eyes away as the video continues. I watch how Charles constantly kisses my temple and rubs my arm up and down. Who could've taken this video? It was certainly not Chad because instead of recording Charles and me, she would've just stormed her way to us upon seeing what we're doing. Not that we were doing anything illegal or out of the context. He was just comforting me after I got a little breakdown.

My voice is rough when I try to speak to her. "Ch-Chad..."

"Don't even bother explaining, Ace. This," she shakes her phone in front of my face. "Is all the explaining I need." Tucking her phone back to her purse, she looks at me with such hatred I flinch. "I just don't understand why would you hide something like this from me. I'm your best friend and you know I like him then you come in sweeping him off his feet and you even don't have the decency to tell me about it. I bet you were lying about you being text mates, too. That explains the sudden closeness and being all chummy and the 'babe' thing."

Now, I might not be good with confrontations but I'm also not a push over. I don't know how I got the strength to defend myself but I talk back to her. "Okay, well I just want you to know that in the video, Charles was just comforting me because I was too stressed from the Math Week."

I thought she'll walk out since she said she doesn't want to hear my explanation but she just says, "If I was being comforted like that with all my problems at hand, I'd be pregnant already."

A woman comes in with her little daughter and Chadi scoots over closer to me to let them pass, her slitted eyes never leaving my face. I hold my breath the whole time until she speaks so low I am still wondering how I am able to understand the words she's saying.

"If you're just gonna lie about that thing you have with Charles, then forget we're even friends." Her words strike my chest so hard that I stay there gaping at the closed door long after she left me. I feel the tears prickling my eyes and I take my handkerchief from my skirt pocket and wipe at my lacrimal fossa. I also sniff twice before washing my hands once again and finally heading out of the lavatory.

On our way out of the restaurant, I lag behind the others pretending to search something in my purse. My head is bent a little too low that I am not able to see the figure in front of me.

"Hey," Fonzie turns around to face me.

I keep my head bowed down, looking at his black Converse high top shoes. "Sorry," I mumble. For a moment, he just stands there blocking my way out of the door that he holds open with one arm. Then he leans forward, hands in his pockets, steady breath on the top of my head.

"Are you okay, princess? You're acting weird."

I almost bump his chin with my head when I look up but he quickly moves a step back. My eyes are indignant. I am not in the mood for any snoops right now.

This mess with Chadi is all my fault and I wasn't able to fix it. Why do I have to be such a mean friend? She did tell me about Charles and it's been going on for almost four years, for Pete's sake! She's told me all her hopes and dreams regarding that boy and what do I do? I lie on her back and kept my secret crush from her. This is really stupid. I'm stupid. It is just that - a stupid crush. I don't know why I am afraid of anyone knowing. I don't know why I didn't tell my best friends.

Okay, well maybe I did know why I didn't tell Chad. Scratch that. I know exactly why I didn't tell her. That's right. I do.