Times Three

Chapter 5

I accidentally raise my voice at him, even the driver seems to be surprise on my sudden burst and slows down for a bit. I move all the way too the car window opposite to KID and ignore his presence, trying my best not to cry. I never met someone as pessimistic as him. I glance a him to see his reaction but he only looks at the window beside him, not minding about me raising my voice at him.

We are near the school and still, none of us speaks about what happen a while ago. Before I leave the car, I still voice out my gratitude about the ride, but avoiding his eyes. I do not want to talk to him right now, maybe later when I calm my mind. Lately, I am trying to build my composure since mother came home with his business partner and talked to him for hours in the living room. I thought it was purely business but my father started to raised its voice and mother also. Possibly about our business again.

Enough with the sentiments and focus for today!

Since Annika is still busy with her club and KID pissed me off, I head to our practice room. Not only I know how to play piano but I learn how to play various instruments, I can also sing like Adele. Thinking about my performance this coming concert, I do not think it is appropriate to compose a song since not all people will get the feeling of it so just stick to covering original song. The theme has a broad perspective, it does not say anything other than ‘First Meeting’.

I sit at the corner and pull out my iPad and starts searching for songs that fits to the theme. However, internet’s suggestion is not my cup of tea, some of them are too cheesy or ancient for the audience. Searching for “First Meeting” is cheesier, does the theme only calls for romance? Or romance is something that we cannot remove from our lives?

Productivity should be ignited that is why I change into more comfortable clothes and heads to the dance club. Their practice room is the typical dance room that is surrounded by mirrors, other than music I also find dancing to unwind from stressors. Luckily, no one from the club is present and the whole practice room is mine.

I lock the door and connects my iPad to the Bluetooth speaker located at the south-west part of the room. With a deep breath I dance to the beat of it, letting my body move to the rhythm without minding everyone. Step and turn like a ballerina and let my hair follows my movements.

The three minutes music comes to an end, sweats flows to my face and my breathings are heavy. I smile and put both hands on my waist and start some breathing exercise as new music surrounds the whole practice room. Feeling the music while coming closer to the Bluetooth speaker to fetch my iPad and a towel. Silence surrounds the practice room now and it’s kind of creepy, with a pouting lips I arrange my things and panicky left the room.

Carefully closing the door, tip toeing like a sneaky cat so that her prey won’t be surprise from her ambush. It is already past five in the afternoon and students are most likely on their homes since the class are suspended. Mr. Santy must be on his way to fetch me and am about to run when someone speaks behind me that made me die from heart attack.

           “You sure are talented Gomez.”

I look behind and see a man who is slightly taller than KID, just to simplify his looks he is a typical tall, dark and handsome but I am not so sure about the ‘handsome’ part.

           “Not comparable to you Levefre.”

There is a thunder between our words, like the old times. Aspire Levefre being an asshole and a bully for the hell’s sake, even Satan would bow down to him. That how evil he is, he can really make someone suffer with just being his side.

He smirks and walk closer to me; he steps forward and I step back. Seriously why do I even forget that he is a member of dance club? And in all occasions that I can see him, why now?

A sudden memory flash my mind when we were still ordinary citizens without the riches we have now. That was in elementary grade, Aspire is naturally born with a silver spoon in his mouth and they are the archenemy of the Robles. I think it was dated way back to their ancestor, I do not know and care but mother always tells me to stay away from family feud between them. Thinking of the situation it is comparable to dramatic scenes in television.

Back to the situation, Aspire keeps on cornering me and it is making me angry. KID pissed me off for his pessimistic attitude and this douchebag is getting on my nerves just by existing that made me resorted to violence. Yes! I just slap Aspire with full range and I can still see the palm of my hand imprinted on his cheeks. He smirks at what happen and grips my wrist tightly and pins me to the wall. His eyes scream danger, making me swallow hard.

           “Of all the girls I met, you are only capable of doing that. Do you really hate me that much?”

He says dramatically and his eyes flashes something but he manages to hide it by looking away.

           “Be my partner at the concert.”

I look at him with my eyes and mouth wide open, and push him a little out of disbelief. Is he high? But its tempting since I have not decided on what to perform and approximately one week from now is the concert. Why did I volunteer to be in the performance team on the first day of class?

Walking like a zombie towards my locker to get my things and checks my phone if Mr. Santy sends a message if he is already here. He is already here, but I do not want to go home because its more stressful than school. I press my forehead to my locker and suppress the tears forming from my eyes.

What a fool, Celestine! Crying for such petty things.

I bitterly smile at what I thought when someone tackles me to the ground making me shout like a pig being s*******r. It is Aspire Levefre again! He carries me not in a bridal carry, Aspire is not that kind a person but he puts me on one of his shoulder like a towel he use after dancing, with me facing his butt. I hereby declare that this day is officially my lucky day.

No wonder why no one is inside the campus, they are on the grandstand arranging the backdrop for the concert. Annika is already in Saint Louis Academy and she saw me in this embarrassing situation. I call for her help that made Aspire stops from walking, he looks at Annika making her run like she was chasing by a cheetah. I already loose hope when I saw KID watching us on the other side of the grandstand, a spark of hope came through me but I also thought that he is KID and this freak is Aspire. But never lose hope! I wriggle like a worm until Aspire throws me in the hot surface of the grass at the back of our school.

           “Why did you bring me here?”

He did not reply but snatch my phone from my hand and type something before giving it back. After that, he gently carries me in a bridal way this time making me uncomfortable. Is he trying to flirt with me? He then looks at me and smiles sweetly, this is the first time he did that and he looks cute. He looks at the wall in front of him and throws at me like a cheerleader landing on the other side of the wall.

A soft mattress welcomes my back and my soul just left my body, minutes later a smirking Aspire comes down the tree beside this soft mattress that I am currently lying at.

           “How is the experience?”

           “Horrible!”

Like a gentleman should do, he helps me get down with him suppressing his laugh because he knows what a Gomez can do. He let me sit for a while to calm myself down, he went to buy water on the convenience store beside the tree. My mistake, it is not water but an ice cream, a rocky road flavor ice cream that is my favorite since elementary. I won’t let my Id take control me not until he takes out a spicy corndog with lots of catsup and mustard.

I am salivating but I am also hungry. I do not have a proper meal since morning but the calories of those two are no joke, mother will get mad if she knows that I ate those. But I am really hungry, the ham sandwich and the grape juice cannot satisfy my hunger. Aspire extends his hand with corndog to me and without hesitation I accepts it. I almost breaks into tear he extends the ice cream into my mouth and sit beside me, it been four months since I last ate it. I know I am making a big deal out of it but mother really wanted me to eat those trees and grass that tastes bland and watery.