Times Three

Chapter 9

It is time for dinner but Aspire does not seem to mind, he only stares at Lady Ottenbourg who is sleeping because of fatigue. He did not think of getting his phone back and only holds his mother’s hand, I stand up and approach him but change my mind later on. Without speaking I choose to leave the room and sit on the bench beside the room, Annika who is still confine in the same hospital sits beside me. I look at her and she hold my hand tightly, then narrates how Nana reacts knowing that we are both in the hospital.

Annika asks me if I already ate but I told her not since I am waiting for Aspire. She smiles and asks me to go for fresh air since the hospital is suffocating her, KID is a little paranoid of what happen that he demands to admit her. A taste of bitterness takes over my body as her words pierce through my stomach. I am dying to ask what happen after they left the school and the scene a while ago but exhaustion is starting to spread on my body.

“Do you remember during elementary when you pass out because of hunger deprivation?”

Yes, I do. Mother’s obsession about me pursuing her dream suddenly decide to change my diet into a more conservative. Chocolates, oily snacks, fast foods are f*******n in my menu to the extent that she enrolled me to ballet school without my consent. I am diagnosed by child depression that time but everybody thought it was a child tantrum. Mother did not listen to the doctor and continue to with the diet she wants. I did not eat nor drink water as a rebellion to her until I passed out.

“It was Aspire who brought to the hospital and caused ruckus to the hospital staffs.” She laughs and continue.

“He called out the principal using the intercom and the whole Saint Louis Academy knows that you passed out, then he called the infirmary and our class adviser to phone his driver and everyone was in panic. When the doctor gave his assessment, Aspire threatened the principal if you did not woke up before five, he will asked his parents to pull out there shares. Geez that was hilarious and immature!”

I smile when I remembered a fragment of memory during that time, the relieved look of the principal and our class adviser when I asked them where I was, is caused by him. His surname can shiver a person down to his spine. Now that we are about to graduate from middle school, is like taking out the biggest cat bone in their throat.

“Nana said she will deliver some clothes and foods for us. She must be here or in Lady Ottenbourg’s room.”

“Then we must hurry to fill out the tiger in our stomach.”

With our hand’s rests on each other, we go back and Nana is about to leave but stops when she sees me. Mr. Santy is also present with a bag in his hands, he hands it to me and jokingly says that I should take a bath because I stink. I pout like a child but get back to my composure when I see Mister Levefre looking at us with a disapproving look in his face.

I face him and explain that I am not staying with them but with Annika, I am just here to visit them and see if everything is alright, besides as a friend to Aspire and take care of my best friend Annika. I am kindly offering them a meal but he refuses it saying that I could help by leaving and not coming back to visit them again, Aspire is about to complain about his father’s attitude towards me but his father look at him and his sharp words made me stun out of shock.

“Did you know that her mother snatches one of our biggest client and him invest to the Robles?” Annika put me in her back like a mother protecting her child.

I do not know if that is a big deal but judging by the angry look on his face.  We did extremely unforgivable to this family. Is that client really important to them? I do not know anything about business so I cannot say anything to defend my family, I think it will cause them to be madder.

Aspire come closer to us and take us out of the room, he asks where his phone and I give it to him. He told me to charge it up and will see each other tomorrow for practice, I nodded as a response and he ruffles my hair. Annika asks lead us to her room which is three rooms away from the Levefre’s.

I took a bath while Nana, together with Annika’s helper arrange our food. After a nice bath in a hospital, since it is a VIP room and owned by Annika’s parents. I wonder what would her parents think when they found out she was hospitalized. For sure, she will be grounded for a month again but this girl is genius, she will probably live by my cards.

After I blow dry my hair we started to eat and joke about how serious is her illness that she was hospitalized for a day. “You know it is just an acting to save you from the clashing heirs. If you can see KID’s face is like seeing another Aspire but a silent version.”

A harmonious dinner ends and Nana, Mr. Santy and Annika’s helper bid their Goodbye’s. Annika already lies in the bed and I did too, my phone vibrated and Aspire’s name pops on the screen. He is asking if I am sleeping, I replied that I am about too then no message after that. I turn to Annika who is pampering her face like we are in her room.

“For someone who is hospitalized for acting, you have the nerve to put a mask like we are having overnight in your room.”

“What do you think?”

We both laugh and suddenly an awkward silent took us for some minute.

“Do you like KID?”

I gasp when she straightforwardly asks that. In a short period of time, do I already like him? Or am I just being excited of meeting someone new. KID is not new since we were classmate since then but I do not know him until today.

“That is so philosophical. Why you ask?”

She did not answer and remove her mask, and turns to my side emotionally telling me that no matter what happen she will never betray me in any form. I smile at her and just say sleep, because I knew her since elevating my status to ‘Elite’, once she said something, she means it no matter what.

Annika has a unique way of falling asleep real fast. Her steady breathing while her she hugs me, suddenly my phone vibrating. I reach for it beside Annika, good thing she did not wake up and Aspire is calling me in ten in the evening.

I unplug it from charging and walks out the room to answer his call. To my surprise, Aspire is already at the door with his phone place on his right ear.

“A strawberry pajama in the hospital, are you not afraid being seen by others?”

I only gave him a smug look and he leads the way to the parking lot which is at the basement, we ride elevator when a couple enters and look at me like I am an alien. I should have listened to him, but why is he bringing me to the parking lot at this hour?

When we reach the parking lot, he opens the lock of his father’s car and let us sit at the backseat, but he suddenly locks both sides and slowly leaning to my side. I try to lean backwards when my back touches the window, I protected my body my covering with my arms and suddenly blurted out that made my ears red.

“It is not the time for it!”

Aspire burst from laughing that he is having acute stomachache, and I am here looking at him and wishing him to die, let the car seat eat my soul so I can escape from this embarrassing situation. After a few more minutes he stops laughing and pulls me to his side and use my legs as a pillow. The asshole is back, for the sake of sleeping comfortably he starts by disturbing other from their sleep.

This is not the first time he did this, and like Annika he has a sleeping habit that by massaging his head and he will only sleep peacefully. The car is narrow but he looks not bothered by it, I started singing ‘Bubbly’, a smile appeared in his lips and covers his eyes with his right arm. We were in third grade when he first sang it to me. This man sometimes is getting to my nerves but he takes care of me like an older brother. When I get into trouble, he also gets into trouble. I cannot hate nor love this man; he is like my boy best friend, enemy and best team.