After her heated speech at our room, Athena dropped her friendly act with me altogether. We were civil during the practice though and unlike before, she wasn't the first one to approach me.
"Have you already apologized to Athena? I heard she moved out of the dorms," Gella, our Captain Ball asked when we were on water break.
"Yeah, I did," I said.
"So you're both okay? I noticed she isn't talking to you so much anymore."
I shrugged. Though my ex-roommate's words still had lingering pain, I wasn't going to sell her out. "Maybe she just wanted to focus for the competition." Or maybe she was still pissed afterall.
We both glanced at our subject who was still doing the drills. "Yeah, maybe she is. I'm glad nothing serious happened after that incident. We need her speed and agility the most for the games," she mused, her voice holding great expectations for Athena. Then, she faced me. "As for you, I might be crazy for saying this, but take it easy. The Amazons will need you at your best in the succeeding years."
I gave her a smile and a curt nod. So they were really not expecting me to do anything remarkable for this year's Sports Fest. I didn't know if that was meant to make me feel better or not.
The practice for the whole day was productive. At least for me. I managed to improve my shooting average. Dribbling hadn't been a problem ever since so it wasn't hard for me to keep up. What proved to be challenging were the leg drills. I was almost always the last to finish a lap.
Contrary to what I was expecting, that I was going to disappoint the team, it was surprisingly... okay. For a change, I faded in the background, not catching their attention for every mistake I made. I had to track the errors by myself. I guess it wasn't so bad to be a second stringer.
"Are you going to Echo's?" Darla asked me when we had packed up.
My canned response was to turn down the invite and weave a lie. Maybe everyone was expecting that too. So I went for the unusual. "Yeah, sure. What's up?"
"Cool. It's where the new recruits will gather before going to the BRATs initiation party tonight at the Berkeley Rooftop," she whispered, her eyes gleaming in excitement.
I would never get used to that collective name. How could they agree to that? "Wait, that's tonight?" I asked instead.
Darla bobbed her head. "Only the new members will be at Echo's condo with some sophomores. The Seniors will use the time to prep the Berkeley rooftop for the initiation. They'll just come and get us. I wonder what the test would be," she went on.
Like me, Darla was unable to attend last year's initiation party for the new members of the BRIS Athletics Team. She had a family reunion while I was excused because I was in crutches then. But that didn't keep us from hearing stuff that they did at the gathering.
If I remembered correctly, last year they had asked everyone to suck on a candy that 'had been on another's mouth'. It sounded disgusting, but Geo spilled the beans to me. The new members had to be blindfolded the entire time and it was the Seniors 'feeding' them the slimy candies that had been placed in a glass of egg whites so that the candies would 'feel' like it's been in someone else's mouth. They just used a separate container whenever they asked the new member to spit the candy so 'the others could taste it'. I didn't bother asking if the recruits had been eventually told that what they 'shared' among each other were actually saliva-free candies.
I went back to the dorm to shower. As soon as I got dressed, I decided to drop by Zoey's dorm. Darla was in the same building and we ought to leave together so visiting my best friend was like shooting two birds with one stone.
From what I knew, Zoey was given a herculean task that will be showcased at the Sports Fest as her punishment. I might be useless when it came to anything media, but cheering her up might be helpful. She seemed to be in control of everything though and my presence was a welcomed distraction for a few minutes. So I decided to tell her about the pre-initiation party that I had to attend prior to the actual event. That's when she confirmed about 'kind of' dating Matt again, whatever the hell that meant. I was actually hoping she'd date Geo instead. He didn't have it in his system to hurt a girl, especially the one he'd been secretly liking. I knew this yet it was not for me to tell but for Geo to confess, and Zoey to know.
After bidding my best friend goodbye, Darla, I and two other freshman girls rode the taxi to the venue. True to what she mentioned, I found new faces the moment we got to the pool area of One Regency Tower, one of the highest condominium buildings in the area. Zach was of course, keeping everyone's energy up. Unlike most of the new members who looked like they were going to shit themselves even before the 'ritual' began, he looked confident as always. His face lit up when he saw me.
"You came!" He surprised me with a bear hug. That's when I got a whiff of liquor from him.
"Are you drunk?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him, suspicious.
He threw his head backwards and laughed. "Of course not. We're not allowed to get drunk two weeks before the Sports Fest."
"Riiiggght," I sarcastically agreed knowing how mischievous he could be. "Make sure you drink some coffee later to help you sober up."
He pinched my nose and I swatted his hand away. "You're such a goody-two-shoes, Jazz. Loosen up a bit, will ya?"
"If Zoey knew you're violating the rules, she's gonna be really mad at you."
I might have stepped on a sensitive topic then because his disposition changed from happy to plainly annoyed. "She's been breaking the rules ever since, why can't I?" he scoffed before leaving me so he could attend to the other newbies who had just arrived.
For a while now, I've been noticing the rift between the twins. It was probably their usual fight: Zach being over protective of Zoey who wanted to be independent. I wasn't the type to meddle in their arguments because I was sure they'd eventually make-up.
Darla introduced me to the new Berkeley and Reagan athletes and we exchanged polite greetings. I could see how anxious they were as most of them were silent and stiff, apart from Zach, Athena and our fellow incoming sophomores who were killing the karaoke machine.
Somehow, I could understand their mixed emotions. It was how I felt back when I was applying to be part of the SJHS Sparrows. It was indeed an honor to belong to a group especially for us who were mostly away from home. The BRIS Athletics Club would be like a family away from family. Moreover, it was treated as an elite club strictly for players of both schools. Even the party was purely invitational especially for non-players. Unless you were invited by a member, you couldn't attend the party. No wonder these newbies were so nervous.
Socializing with people my age wasn't a big deal for me unlike Zoey who preferred to keep to herself. But it wasn't my strong suit either. More so when I couldn't relate to what they were all talking about. Today, the topics revolved around new movies, new gimmick spots and gaming consoles. I wasn't a gamer. And I hid in a hole for a year which technically made this my first out-of-the-campus experience. So while they were bonding, loosening up, I grabbed myself some chips and a can of soda.
I sat on a stone bench and munched thoughtfully on Lays, observing my clubmates. Zach had announced that they should play Suck and Blow and everyone agreed. I was grateful to have slipped out of the circle because I didn't want to suck on a card and blow it so I could pass it to a boy's lips and subject myself to an accidental kiss. I've witnessed a lot of that in high school. It's a ploy of those who are going to participate to score with the opposite sex. Since it was 'just' a game, everyone was told to be a sport if anything 'unplanned' happens.
Dusk had just begun when the first victim, a Berkeley boy, was kissed by a sophomore girl. I shook my head and drank from my can of Pepsi.
"Having a great time?"
I spluttered all over, spitting the thing out and staining my shirt which was thankfully black. "What the fuck?!" I turned to the person sitting close to me.
And saw Jarlin laughing.
There was no time to be surprised. I immediately glared at him. "Are you planning on giving me a heart attack or have me killed by choking on Pepsi?!"
He chuckled again. "No. You've just been watching them intensely for you to hear me greet you."
I wasn't watching them intensely. There just weren't anything more interesting to pay my attention to because they were all in the Suck and Blow game. But I didn't have to explain myself to him. "What are you even doing here?"
Jarlin rested his back against the plant box and visibly relaxed. "Oh, you didn't know? Zach lives here in this building, too."
My eyebrows crashed. "No, I didn't." I used to think he lived in the Berkeley dorms since his twin was staying at the Reagan dorms. Now that I thought about it, he didn't try chasing me after classes which could be explained if he lived out of the campus. Also, Zoey once told me that Zach wanted a car. It was unnecessary if he lived in the school premises.
"Hmm...weird. He had been living here since they enrolled in BRIS last year. I thought you would know." There was a slight accusation in his voice and I knew what he was referring to.
"Yeah, I was busy last year," was my inadequate answer.
"Busy what? Hiding from," he coughed and I could swear he said something else, "him?"
I let out an exasperated sigh. "Trance, I don't know if you get it but I don't have to explain myself to you about anything," I told him calmly just so he wouldn't bring up anything unnecessary every now and then.
"Yeah, I guess not. Sorry if you think I'm stepping over the line. And about yesterday too," he said in a quiet voice.
"Sure. Don't worry about it. But you didn't answer my question: why are you here?"
Jarlin shook his head with a small smile. "I can't ask you things but you can ask me whatever you want, whenever you want? You gotta give me something too, Justine."
That got me to shut up. I was being a brat again. So I just remained silent wondering how to move the conversation forward.
He sighed again. "I'm crashing with Zach while I'm here...doing stuff."
But his answer just made more questions in my head. Until when would he stay? What 'stuff' was he doing? Shouldn't he be back in America now since school will start soon? We were both going to be in second year college. Wouldn't his prolonged vacation affect his standing in the National Team? Didn't they have summer camps or practices? I bit my tongue and resorted to a single word in response. "Okay."
"I wonder why on two occasions we keep starting on the wrong foot, start talking again, then screw up again," he asked with amusement, giving me a sideway glance and a smile. "Is it because you hate me?"
"What? No," I blurted out. How could he say that? I might have hated him on our very first meeting. But everything's different now. It was far from hate. "No, I don't hate you," I clarified, loud enough for him to hear.
"Thanks. That's a relief," he sighed, as if he'd been holding his breath for my response.
We fell silent again as the open place erupted with laughter because a freshman Berkeley accidentally kissed his classmate.
Despite my refusal to hear anything about Wonder Boy from the Anderson twins, a small part of me still wanted to know what had been happening to Jarlin, what great things he had done at the university he's attending. But I wouldn't be able to know those things if I didn't share. "Okay," I said, accepting defeat once again to this guy. "You can ask me stuff, I'll say if I couldn't answer."
"Fair enough," he said, before squaring his shoulders. "Why did you leave so soon? I mean that was a day after the championship game. What's with the hurry?"
"Woah, woah, woah, Trance," I stopped him with both palms up. "You're really aggressive, aren't you?"
"Maybe. I just don't want to beat around the bush anymore when I know what I want," he said as he stared at me so intensely, my insides did a somersault.
I broke the eye contact and drank from the can I had been cradling since he made his presence known. "My parents' relationship wasn't exactly peachy. Dad's been going on about business proposals all of a sudden. The partnership with your parents was the last straw, no offense meant, and my Mom got tired of it. All it took was my decision on who I wanted to have my custody. I chose my Mom." Even I was surprised at the abrupt decision. I didn't get to pack all my stuff back then.
"Hmm...but they're together now. I see them together, together in Sandstone," he commented, confused.
"Yeah, grown-ups," I muttered sarcastically. "How about your parents? How's the business doing?"
"Funny story," he chuckled. "I never really meddled with what they were up to because they were mostly away. All I knew was that they kept shelling out money than generating income. For the longest time, I thought they got scammed and that my college funds was in danger, too."
"Huh. My Dad kept telling me what your folks had was very promising that was why he wanted to work with them."
"It is, actually. I learned later on that it takes time before the ROI kicks in. And when it did, it just took off and until now, it's still gaining momentum."
Being a Business Management major, I understood that ROI meant return of investment used in setting up a commercial enterprise. It usually took 10-15 years for small entrepreneurs before the owner got his capital back and started earning pure income. So if what Jarlin was saying was true, that meant the Trance family's business was indeed doing well.
"What is your family business anyway?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.
He snorted. "Skin products. Your parents are regular customers," he told me, matter-of-factly.
On impulse, I leaned closer to him to see his face. If they were into skin products, he should be using those too, right?
That move was a mistake. Because I didn't really get to inspect his skin. I was mesmerized by his features-his strong jaw dusted by a five o'clock shadow that hadn't been there in high school, his cleft chin, perfect nose, full lips.
"You're staring again," he whispered.
I blinked back to reality only to see him looking at me in the eyes, almost peering into my soul. Immediately, I sat straight, feeling my cheeks burn. Thank God it was almost dark. If it were an hour earlier, I wouldn't be able to explain why I was blushing.
I cleared my throat in hopes that it would drive away the fluttering butterflies in my stomach. "You do have good skin...for a guy. Poreless and all." I was blabbing. I never cared about any guy's skin or pores. The way he looked at me was just discomfiting.
We let the seconds tick by, the lilting voice of Athena singing the female version of David Archulleta's "Crush" filling the space between us. Somehow, I missed listening to her humming in the room. I used to fall asleep whenever she was vocalizing.
"I just love listening to her sing," I mumbled out of nowhere, appreciating my ex-roommate's talent. Or just to divert the topic.
"Hmm...I like the song more than who is singing," he countered with a shrug and I gave him a questioning look. "Story of my life," he sighed before looking at me with a mild smile.
The chorus had just finished when it sank in.
"Wait, you mean..." I watched him scratch his nape uncomfortably. "You still haven't confessed to the girl you like?" I asked incredulously.
I didn't know where the disconnect was. But Jarlin gave me a blank stare. "I was about to," he slowly said. "But the day I was planning to tell her, she left."
My jaw dropped, finding his statement strangely familiar. "W-Where did she go?" I didn't know if I asked him that or it just remained in my thoughts because all I could suddenly hear was the crazy beating of my heart.
Jarlin shrugged his shoulders. "You tell me," he murmured. And here I thought I couldn't hear anything else but my thundering chest. Yet he sounded like he was speaking through a boom mic.
It also felt like he was sending me some sort of signal that I couldn't decode. It might be because I was really bad at guessing or that I couldn't think straight right next to him. Maybe it did happen when you're so close to someone you...really look up to. You try to be calm and collected so he wouldn't think he affected you so much and that was at the expense of being rational.
So I tried to pretend it was Zach sitting next to me so I could gather my thoughts. "People say that if things do not work out the way you want them to, it means you're meant for something different, something better." It was a general statement that applied to almost everything.
I risked a glance at him and he was on pensive mood. "Better like who exactly, Justine?" he challenged.
Why he wanted my opinion, I didn't know. But to humor him, I made a passing glance at the seven other girls in the pool area determining who would be a good match for him indeed. I wasn't going to volunteer myself! He had once admitted to my face that he liked somebody else. I didn't want a repeat. Also, I wasn't a narcissist and I was injured! How could an injured person be better than a much more capable one? "Like...maybe...Athena?"
He shook his head before raking his unruly hair with a hand. "Jude Kristine Marthens...you shock me exponentially, you know that?"
No, I didn't know that. But the way he said my complete name unnerved me and I had the urge to go away. "Do you happen to know where the bathroom is?"
"First door to the left."
They say be careful what you wish for 'coz you might just get it.
Maybe suggesting it was the same thing as wishing.
Because after I took my sweet time in the bathroom to keep myself in check, I came back to the pool area where Jarlin was heartily laughing with Athena.
In my head, I saw something wave at me. Well hello there, jealousy.
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Posted on 3 April 2015, Friday