Times Three

Chapter 12

We are at the dining table but no one dares to speak, Annika and Aspire is looking at me like they are asking for competition. She looks at me with her smug look like she can conquer everything and he is confident that we cannot defeat him and bored about this silent war between us. They are really asking for it, well I will give it to them. I, Celestine Adrianna Gomez, will not give up.

I tap my nails on the table to ease my nervousness and pressure, finding the right opportunity to grab a piece of roasted chicken that Nana cook. Of course, it is a fight of two chicken legs when there is a three of us here in the dinning. We need to exercise how fast is our reaction time which is I am confident about. I heard a bone cracking from Aspire and Annika warms up her hands, our senses heighten when a familiar smell lingers.

Everyone is on there attacking position, Nana is approaching us with a freshly bake roasted chicken. When she places it in the middle of us, the fastest hand reach for one leg of the chicken so I waste no time and grab the other one. I told you, I will not give up especially when it comes to my favorites. The looser always cries which is what this lady doing right now.

“How come that the chicken leg is missing in span of 10 seconds?”

Aspire and I continue eating without minding her rants about how slow she is, cause girl you cannot attain anything if you keep on thinking about others. For once, think about how will you survive from me especially when it is my cheat day. A person who is agile will achieve anything sooner.

Another hour has past and we just waste it in the garden until the sun sets down, looking at each other as his memorizing every detail of our faces. The news is like a burning coal, both companies still would not release statement and its affecting all of us here.

Annika stands up and say that she will rest in her room and leave Aspire here with me. We are going to school tomorrow to continue our life, and the concert is approaching we have not practice for real for our performance. I am not in the mood to be productive right now, just wanting to sleep all day and waste my time doing unnecessary things here in our house. The problems keep arising as hour goes by.

I stand up and walks like a zombie towards my room without minding anyone here in these house, Nana and Mr. Santy are probably in their own room, resting from this long day of work. I open my door and closes it when a hand suddenly appears in between, almost pressed by the door and fortunately I prevented it from closing.

Is he crazy? I almost injure his hand?

He pushes the door and closes it, activate the double lock and walk to my wardrobe and after a few minutes he got out with a simple jersey short and a white V-neck shirt. How did he know that I still have his clothes here?

“Are you really going to sleep here? With me?” I ask him while pointing at myself and my bed, that smirk appears again like he just witnesses something interesting.

“I am going to sleep on the floor inside your room, not on your bed and definitely not beside you.”

I tightly close my eyes and dive on my bed. As they say, a fish is caught by his mouth. My thoughts should be in my mind and should not broadcast it in my mouth. While this man is laughing his a*s out and fainting like he lacks oxygen, he should be deprived of oxygen so he could die right now to save me from this humiliation.

The other side of the bed suddenly feel heavy and it was Aspire who is preparing to sleep, when I stop him asks him what he is doing and I though he will sleep on the floor, why in my bed now?

He faces me and boasting his flirtation skills, he touches my cheek with a back of his hand and looks at me like he has fallen in love with me. His touch sends shivers towards my body, not because of something but what he just did scares me. I do not know he have this personality when meeting a girl, that made me question his relationship status now. How many girls already broken their hearts because of this asshole?

Why do I even care if he has girls? Despite his tan skin color, he can still get any woman he wants, his personality is not that bad but he is definitely an asshole for me, teasing and playing with me every time. Maybe he really looks for me as a friend and nothing else, so the illusion that morning cannot be considered as liking or loving someone. KID is definitely the one I like, and I am just seeing what I want to see in Aspire. That is the reason, yeah that is.

“Seems like you want me to sleep with you.”

My eyes become wide when I heard what he said. That did not come out right, right?

I slap his arms and turns my back on him, at such a young age and thinking of that things and that should be say when we are old enough. What nonsense am I saying? I cover the quilt to my head and an arm suddenly cage me for a hug.

“What the hell are you doing Judith? This is harassment you damn asshole!”

He let go of me when he heard I call him Judith. Ha! I know how he dislikes his second name because it sounds like a girl. This time I smirk at him but he knows me very well and starts tickling me on my waist. The sound of our laughter echoed in four areas of my room, this feels like we are happily married and currently in honeymoon. But that is impossible! Aspire Judith that I know is not that romantic at all!

“Oh? How can you say that I am harassing you? By the looks of it you are enjoying every bit of it.”

“Who is enjoying and what is enjoying? Do not be so proud of yourself! Let go of me at this moment!”

“I will never let you go, Tine! You and I will sleep this way or you want it my way?”

“In your dreams asshole!”

From there, we ended the night fighting before we sleep. How did we sleep? I push him out of my bed so he does not have a choice but to sleep at the living room, bringing my pillow and quilt.

Breakfast came but I do not feel good, Annika sits at the center while Aspire sits on the right side facing my direction. Both of us have a circle under our eyes and fatigue is still visible, I thought I will have a good night sleep but with this man I never attain that. I pick up my fork and angrily stab the oatmeal pancake that Annika cook. Annika seems surprise at my attitude but choose to stay silent, but one thing for sure, I will never let Aspire come to my room again.

Aspire is a total asshole! After our fight he went to the living room and I decided to sleep since it is already eleven in the evening, but thirty minutes after he came back banging the door like a fire occur in the house. Who would do that? Only Aspire Judith will.

Next is when he plays a prank on me at three in the morning, he puts a cut out photo of a white lady and paste it on my door. He imitates its laugh and calls my name like a madman in a girly manner. Of course, ghosts are my weakness and a taboo for me but he just, just a mere asshole who I grew up with. Who can do that? Only Aspire ‘damn’ Judith will.

“What is the matter with you two?”

“Nothing.”

In chorus, Aspire and I say to Annika who still do not believe us. Who would be? Our fight can be heard in all parts of the house. When I notice that he will speak again, I look at him with daggers in my eyes, dare to say one word or you will go to school by taking bus.

I did not finish my breakfast and went to the kitchen to tell Nana to make some vegetable since I crave for bitter gourd juice and told her to give them too. Even it tastes horrible, it is good for your health but I have to say sorry to Annika. My poor friend, if only Aspire did not unleash the demon in me you will be exclude in my mini revenge to him. Aspire does not like those bitter vegetable, he would rather not eat but since Nana is the one serving him, he will probably drink it without complaining.

That is so evil of me!

I went back and Nana bought it to Aspire, his eyes widen when he sees it while I hide my grin by drinking it. This is nothing to me anymore, since mother always serves this to me to purify my blood.