I HEAR YOU

XVII: CALVIN

"Please don't play dumb.," he says and his look was not of arrogance but of annoyance, "However much it irritates me, I'll make a point here."

He walked towards my desk, still not breaking the eye contact. His stance is of that one who protects someone dear to him. Why would he protect her? Who could he be in her life? I'm slowly losing my cool. The pencil I was holding is almost seconds away from breaking in my hands.

"What she did in there was close to perfection. When you discredit something like that, the ones who couldn't even get past her abilities question the kind of standards you set and the quality of the team you're offering us to join in. In short, we need to hear that explanation," he didn't even realize he was only inches away from my face and he's blowing on it already. His words are reasonable but his actions we're too questionable. At least for me. I'm also a few seconds away from spouting the question.

I mean....What's it for you asshole?

"What did you say?," I didn't quite realize that I had mumbled the question and now he has face intently looking and searching for a confirmation of what I said. No one ever dared speak a word. I think we're both close to our limits. I really feel like I'm going to lose it and lunge at him for a fist fight.

I stood up abruptly causing the table to move. I can hear the chairs scraping the floor and I assumed that other students must have stood up but I can't look at them. My entire body is raging with hate towards the person in front of me now. I'm starting to hate that he cares too much about this. I'm starting to think he cares too much about her.

"You heard me," I taunted him but a hand squeezed hard on my shoulders. I don't even have to turn around to decide that the hand belongs to Dan.

"Maybe I did or maybe I didn't," he retorted.
"Why do you care so much?," I cursed myself for letting my anger get the best of me.

"I gave you three reasons already," he is obviously gritting his teeth in annoyance now.

"No," I scoffed, "you care too much about this. Is this about her? Is this something personal?"

"Yeah sure," as he was shrugging his shoulders and laughed bitterly.

I am really thinking of punching the lights out of him.

"How about you?," he continued. "Is this something personal," he added.

My mind completely went blank. I lost my grip on the pencil. I felt my shoulders sag in realization of the accusation but I don't feel like admitting it yet.

I won't.

Never.

BAM!

A slamming of the door melted the tension in the room. We all looked at the intruders who just entered the office and I was met with the fuming eyes of Gabby and the reluctant chocolate brown eyes.

"YOU!," Gabby's index finger was pointing right at me no one had the strength to stop her.

Not even Dan.

Well.

Especially Dan.

Because an angry Rhea may not be a good Rhea but a furious Gabby is whole different story. Let's just say....

She can be a bit. Just a bit. Aggressive.

"Gabby," I started to coax her while trying not to meet the other girl's eyes.

"No!," Gabby had shouted furiously. "Don't Gabby me you butthole!," she had added and in a fit of anger accidentally swatted too hard Dan's stomach as he tried to get a hold of his girlfriend.

She didn't apologize. Well she doesn't really apologize in the fit of anger.

"You trashed my best friend's painting!," she loudly exclaimed and every one flinched both of her voice and of her behavior.

"Baby," Dan tried to hold her and coax her but she swung her arms.

"He trashed my best friend's painting!," she looked at Dan and all he could give her was an awkward laugh. "He didn't even just put a little x mark at the bottom right. Or the bottom left. Or the top left. Or the top right corner. I mean CORNERS! Just a little. A LITTLE MARK! Or he could have just given her the notice that she didn't pass and not put even one pinch of dot on the painting. JUST A NOTICE! For Pete's sake! Well not Peter Anderson but who cares! For Pete's sake! He chose to paint the entire mural red like a broken hearted man. Really? Really!

"I mean I'm not saying my best friend's not good, okay? She's good at it. She's really good at what she's doing. She even painted me once and my mom put it on our wall for other guests to see! If she only paints for money she could even be a billionaire! And your butthole of a best friend decided that she shouldn't pass so he painted the entire mural red. RED! Like he's some kind of broken psycho killer on Fear Street!"

Gabby took a deep breath, "Yup, he did just that," before concluding her rant.

The office went radio silent. Rhea's shoulders shook furiously in an attempt to stifle her laughter. The boy who I had an argument with looked stunned and the rest were shell shocked.

Especially Dan.

This is not the first time she went wolf on anyone but this is the first time she went feral for someone.

For her.

Just for her.

And I saw it right there and then how much this girl must have meant for Gabby. A feeling of jealousy tugged at my chest. Jealous of who? I wouldn't know. At least not now. All I know is that maybe. Just maybe. I crossed a line.

"I'm sorry," a soft voice piped in. "Well uh," she had cleared her throat, "Gabby doesn't mean harm actually."

"I didn't say that," Gabby turned her gaze on her frowning.

She smiled warmly at her that even her eyes lit up. I know that look. She admires her. She admires Gabby. And she's thanking her in her own little ways.

Why do I still know you?

I wish I didn't.

The grip I had on my pencil tightens again.
"She doesn't," she chuckled and even that still doesn't fail to make me enchanted. In this case, everyone's eyes is aimed at her and realizing this, she blushed. "I just came here ----"

"We," Gabby cut her off and continued, "came here to ask for that explanation."

"Yes," she added but almost too scared to finish her sentence.

Too careful.

Too polite.

This isn't her.

She's not too careful.

She's not too polite.

She's playful.

She blurts things out every time.

She's not good at being careful with her words.

What changed? Is it because of me? Is it because she's looking at me and she feels guilty? Guilty? I scoffed in my mind, because the only thing that narrows it down is indifference. She's being indifferent with me. And I can only grip the pencil harder.

"I just really need that explanation," she continued and her eyes pleaded with mine. I almost gave in.

I didn't.

Because two can play in this game.