Times Three

Chapter 4

He walks me to my club’s headquarters without saying anything. I look at him and says ‘thank you’ but he left again. He still not gives response on his club but that does not matter, I can find ways for him to say. I smile for one last time and enter my club, greeted by my seniors and junior members. I also see new faces from the club and greeted them bubbly.

The meeting went smooth and this event will be a week long and open for all who wanted to experience life in Saint Louis Academy, so there will not only booths but also a concert that thousands of people will attend.

I take charge in the concert which safe to say that I am one of the performers and we need to submit our chosen song three days from now. Since the theme is about ‘First Meeting’, we are thinking on how to convey it through music.

One of the members suggested that we should put bistro where people can enjoy their leisure time and us, singing live. I think it is not a bad idea since some of the members owns restaurants so they can contribute to it. If we can make it happen, we can set it up in one classroom and use food trucks for the food to be cook. Another where we can showcase our skills like some musicians in other country and instead for asking which we all know we all have; they can jam with people but this is only limited at night so we need a few more ideas.

I bit my lower lip when a suggestion came in to my mind. Annika keeps bugging me to accompany her in karaoke but I am too lazy to join her. Why not do it now and that saves me from energy?

So, I suggest it to them but they tell me they will consider my suggestion so the meeting ended quickly. I fish out my phone in my bag and search for Annika’s name on my phone book, I press the call button and waited for her to answer. After a while she asks me that she is still in the meeting and they will be done in twenty or thirty minutes so she will phone me where she will be waiting. By the way, she is that courageous about answering my call since she is the president of her club while I am the club’s member.

Since Annika’s still on her meeting, I start walking towards the cafeteria to buy myself a grape juice and ham sandwich because its only ten in the morning, and all of us are excuse in the class to prepare for the event. I search for a vacant seat since not all of us have a bigger role in each club so students roam the campus to kill time.

Luckily, I found a seat but I saw KID on the garden just a meter away from the entrance of cafeteria. I went back to the cashier and brought another set of what I ordered and walk towards the garden. KID is silently sitting on the tree with his Airpods on and his eyes close. He looks peaceful than our first meeting.

I smile and sit on my knees carefully to avoid waking him up. This is my first time looking at his face this long to study his features. His lashes were quite long ang without his dead eyes he will definitely become a heartthrob that everyone fancies, minus the attitude. His nose was not that pointy not flat like when I first so him. I fix his bangs that covers his face when his hand caught mine.

I mild heart attack when a pair of dead eyes stares at me. He tightens his grip and pain consumes me but I did not let him see that I am hurting. When he let go of my hand, I massage it and gave him the grape juice and ham sandwich that I bought a while ago. Explaining that I did not eat breakfast and Annika is still on her meeting.

He did not say anything but take the food I offer him and move a little to the left, leaving a space for me on his right. I did not say anything and just sit and opens my sandwich. How I love school! Away from my mother's rule and I can eat whatever I want, but of course with limits.

We do not talk and eat in silent, until my phone beep indicating a text message sent by someone. I pull it out and Annika's name flash on the screen. She says that she is at the classroom right now and we have to go to the mall to buy things needed for their club. I reply ‘okay’ and look at KID who still has his eyes close and Airpods still on.

I snap my fingers in front of his face and he immediately open his eyes. Gesturing to remove one of his Airpods and so he did, I smile at him and told him that we should go back to our classroom. He nods a little and stands up from sitting and we walk together to find Annika.

Annika seems to be puzzle why I am with KID but she chooses not to say anything. She runs to my side and tell me that they are planning on making clothes for everyone in the concert. I smile at her and asks her if she wanted to eat before going to the mall but she insists that we should go now, looking at KID whose still beside with awkwardness in her eyes.

She asks him if she wanted to come since we will shop and it may take a day to finish. Instead of answering Annika, he turns his head to me and asks if we have a car and I answered none. He nods at my response and starts to walk away. Annika who is confuse of what is happening, I smile at her and pull her to follow KID.

She starts interviewing me about KID but I give no response. I told her to just be thankful that KID offers a ride and look at me like she sees an alien that I do not see.

           “Since when did you and KID become acquaintance?”

           “Are you familiar with him?”

           “I know him since I study in Saint Louis Academy. He always sits at the back so you better say sorry from your words a while ago.”

She told me while tapping my shoulder with my eyes wide open. That sounds like KID heard what I said to Annika about the ‘strange boy’. I look at them, KID is now talking to a middle age man who seems to be their family driver and Annika busy tapping her phone. Did I judge him too quickly? He does seem nice and right, but how I described him is like he is a mystery.

Annika snaps her finger in front of my face that makes me comeback from the real world, she holds my right hand and pull me towards the backseat of KID’s car. We sit there quietly, me being the center and KID is on my left, only the noise from Annika’s phone can be heard as she types the materials, she will use on the concert. That is a quiet a long list.

After a while, we reach the nearest mall and Annika told us that some of her club members are inside. I ask her if she still wanted us to accompany her but she declines saying that it is too much to send her to the mall. I am about to stop her from leaving me when she runs to Bea, one of the officers of her club and turns a little to wave goodbyes to us.

           “School.”

He simply said to the driver and he starts the engine. The ride is somewhat awkward that, I keep stealing glances from him but he still has his Airpods on. Biting my lower from the idea forming in my mind and execute it, getting the Airpods in his right ear so that he will look at me and I succeeded. This is the first time to see his knitted eyebrows, I swallow my lump in my throat and gave it back to him unconsciously.

When he is about to put it back to his ears, I stop his hand, “I am sorry.”

I slowly lift my head to see his reaction but I see nothing in his eyes. Still dead but I could feel that he froze upon hearing my apology. I let go of this hand and cough to easy the embarrassment, am I being to forward? Mother says that girls are suppose to be Queen but I look like some desperate girl a while ago. Chasing a man that won’t even respond to me.

           “Why are you being sorry? It’s a true anyway.”

I turn my face on his side when I heard him speaks. I do not know where did the frustration come up but I get offended to what he said.

           “No, its not!”