Not a Best Friend Thing

Chapter 10: Hatred and Interest

There are two opposing forces in Klay's life right now. They were like both sides of a battery and she lies in between them. One makes her excited and the other, annoys her downright.

Let's start with the negative one. This is a force associated by a person that Taylor Swift would describe as "tall and handsome as hell". Yep, and it only adds up to her irritation. Klay finds him annoyingly good-looking and it makes her hate herself. He is a person that doesn't seem to give a damn to the world--or give a damn to her. He is a person that is VERY VERY HARD to impress. It's like having strict parents that pressured you beyond your boiling point. This man gives off an atmosphere that feels as if he is superior among all living creatures. And he does that without saying a damn word.

The first day of joining The Iridescence did not end like how Klay imagined it to be. There wasn't anyone who approached her and confessed that he was ECward. Nobody in the room has a crush on her. Nobody in the room had written a book about her as if she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

And instead, someone threw doubts about her.

"Did we just change the rules for her?"

Ed repeats his statement to Tara but he is looking at Klay. Klay's mood suddenly dropped to zero. The room is no longer a warm place. She felt a sudden wave of heat from her stomach spreading through his body and she felt a knot on her stomach slowly replacing the heat.

She looked straight back to Ed. "I-" she muttered sharply. "I will do it now."

Ed's face curves into a smile. Klay watches it to reach his eyes but it doesn't. Then he turns and starts walking back to his office. How much could a person be so rude? After a minute, he returned with a paper in his hand. When they are only a few inches apart from each other, he raises it to her face.

"You have thirty minutes."

Klay raised a hand to get it. Then she returned to her desk without taking another glance to him. She sits on the swivel chair and put the paper on the desktop. She picked a pen from its box and scanned through the paper. Her mind has only one thought and that is to ace this test and show Ed McMillan what she's made of.

"I'm sorry Klay, he's probably having a bad day." Tara says in a whisper when she passes by her. Klay nodded and received an understanding smile from the others.

He thinks he's so smart huh? Klay's blood is curdling for the initial minutes of taking the test. And it made her even more irritated when she found out that the test was so simple. It comprises mostly grammar and a few questions about 5W's and a few subjective ones

like, "What are the best qualities of your writing style?"

It was too easy she doesn't have any doubts that she'll pass. And he had the gut to doubt her with this kind of test?!

She waited five minutes after finishing the test to see how much she got. And in that length of time, other members of the club arrived. And not one of them acted the way the Editor-In-Chielf acted. They were all welcoming and friendly except for the certain girl that doesn't want to be disturbed. But at least she wasn't rude. She feels that this organization will make her life more interactive. She just needs to avoid the EIC, though.

"Jules," comes his cold voice. Klay stood.

"Yes?" she said and turned to him.

"Congratulations, you passed." He said without the lively tone the words are supposed to go with. Even then he offered his hand. Klay's face lit with pride. She lifted her chin and took it. "Thank you." She said in the same exact tone as his, lacking gratitude.

Ed was already on his back when Tara squealed cheerfully, "how much did she get?" Ed didn't turn to her when he answered, "full marks."

The room exploded with applause but Klay's eyes remain at Ed's back who's now disappearing toward his office.

---

I swear Jace, he's like this evil villain you see in movies. He was like...like snape! If he's a true villain."

Klay and Jacey are walking side by side to the school's parking lot. The school is packed with students who are making their way out for home. They were bustling through them but Klay doesn't seem bothered at all. Jacey watched her as she stamped her feet to the ground with each step she makes. She looks as if she wants to murder the ground. He shoves his hand to the pocket of his jeans and fishes out the key to his motor bike. He is going home with her.

"You're scary right now, you know?" He said. Something happens in Klay's face that only appears when she's angry. Her hair was put up in a bun on the top of her head making the redness around the side of her face visible. She's breathing fast. "...and he's so damn arrogant!" she looks at him. "I mean how smart does he thinks he is?!"

Jacey turns on the ignition switch of his key and immediately hears a sound a few yards away. "He must be smart enough, he's EIC right?"

Klay glared at him, "I know but...but does that give you permission to be rude to people? Huh! He was supposed to make me feel at least welcome. But all he did was show off as if he's so superior whatever. He's so entitled...and..." she searches for a word that could satisfy her feelings, "he doesn't even speak that much!"

"Shows off but doesn't speak much?" Jacey wondered.

"Yes," says Klay. "And I hate him Jace. I hate him!"

Jace is now hoisting himself on top of the bike. "What made you join that club, anyway?"

"I was hoping for a break," she answered copying him. She tiptoes and swings her right leg over the bike's seat with significant difficulty.

"This gets higher." She comments and settles herself.

"From the constant repeats of life, I guess?" she said answering Jace's question. Then they starts moving.

They are already in her front yard when she realizes she hasn't seen Sloane today. Wasn't he suppose to take her home? Its supposed to be four days now since the day she couldn't get to ride with him because there is a more important person thay he was taking home to. But today he texted her that he would take her home. What happened?

She walked to their porch and toward the door. When she turned the knob the first thing she saw was her brother. He is seated on the couch, his eyes on the screen and a bowl of popcorn on his lap. He looked at her as she plopped herself down beside him.

"Where's mom?" She asked picking a few popcorn and toss them over her mouth.

"I don't know, she wasn't here when I came."

She stood, "you should go to your room and change." She said and makes her way to the kitchen. She decided she'd eat something before going upstairs. She drained her appetite with the encounter with Ed so she didn't have a good lunch. She opens the fridge and scanned through its contents. Her eyes land on the bag of potato chips. She pauses and thinks then she sees a bottle of yogurt drink beside a left-over soda. That would do it. She snatches them and heads back to the living room toward the staircase. She was already on the second landing when Sonny spoke.

"My friends are coming over."

She turns to him with a lazy face. He is already changed. He's wearing faded jeans and a white Tee. He is only twelve but his height is unbelievable.

"Dad's coming home tonight Sonny." She said it as if her statement would explain why he can't have his friends tonight. Their father is a man of rules and his rules include weekends as family time.

"They'll be out before seven, Klay." He says and winks.

Klay shrugs her shoulders and continues climbing upstairs. Their father arrives at eight. Once she enters her room, she places her food on top of the desk beside her computer and went to the closet to get changed. And wearing her blue satin pajamas, she settles on the swivel by the computer. She yawns before taking a pen and slamming it down the bag of chips. It deflates. Then she picked the drink and squeezed it open. She chugs a little of its content. It felt refreshing.

Humans must be able to feel both interest and hatred toward the same person. Otherwise she isn't a human. This is what Klay felt right now as she brings the mouse cursor on the search icon of i********:. It's amazing isn't it? How the brain can stimulate two opposing emotions at the same exact time. And it feels stupid. Mystery alleviates curiosity. We would itch to know about something that is forbidden or dangerous because it's mysterious. We like to give ourselves a hard time. And that is what Ed McMillan is doing to her. She types his name and clicks the enter key. She narrows her eyes on the first profile that appears on the list.

Ed McMillan

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Iridescence//DSU

@theiridescence.dsu.com

There isn't a profile picture but the details tell her it's him. She clicks his name and scrolls through the profile trying to find a picture or personal details like an address or some posts, but there are none.

He's probably living with Hades on the underworld.

Ting.

A notification box prompted on the bottom right part of screen.

This the force other than Ed McMillan. The one that almost makes her feel alive and excited. And this time--nervous.

He is calling her!