Wednesday, 13th February 2019
Christine jolted awake and looked at the time from the clock on her bedside cupboard. 4:47. Oh no! She was late again. Her boss had already given her several warnings and she didn't need another one.
Hurriedly, she got down from her bed and reached for her bag which she had hung on the chair by her reading table. Her purse containing her ID was already in it, so she just added her sketch pad and pencil in it. Next, she hurried into her adjoining bathroom to wash the sleep from her face. After that, she changed into a pair of black shorts, a white tank top and black boots. She then tied up her braided hair using a black ribbon. Deciding against makeup since time was against her, she took her phone from its charging spot along with her bag, and rushed out of her room.
"Hi dad," she casually greeted her father as she passed the kitchen. He was seated at the kitchen table, trying to tune the radio to a good station.
"Another evening shift?" he asked as she zoomed passed.
"Sadly," she had to shout her reply since she was already out the door by then.
As she unchained her bicycle from its usual spot, her phone rang. Cursing whoever was calling her at the moment, she took out her phone from her pocket. She was greeted by the sight of Ruby's freckled face as her name flashed on the screen. With a sigh, she picked up the call.
"Ruby, could you please call later? I'm kind of in a hurry. I'm late for work. Again." She hurriedly spoke so Ruby wouldn't interrupt her. Not that she hadn't tried.
"But you promised me we'd go to the Valentine festival tonight together. Don't tell me you forgot again." Christine could imagine the pout on her best friend's face on the other line.
"I didn't forget." Lie. "I'm the one taking the evening shift today at the restaurant and there's no way I could get out of it. It's a wonder I'm still under Sam's employment with how late I have been turning up for the past week."
"But Christine-" Ruby continued to complain like a petulant child. "I can't miss this. My favourite band will be performing."
By favourite band, she meant a group of four not so talented rock artists whose leader happened to be Ruby's crush. They went to the same school as them, and Tye (the said crush) had happened to notice Ruby a few weeks ago and had invited she and Christine to this festival he said he and his band had been invited to perform at. Rock music wasn't Christine's type of thing, and neither was festivals or gatherings of any sort.
"Then you can go alone," Christine curtly said to her. "Bye, gotta go." She ended the call just as Ruby was about to begin speaking again, threw her phone into her bag, and mounted her bike.
This was one of the things that always brightened her mood. Riding through the city always made her feel at ease. There was just something relieving about it. She didn't know if it was the hustle and bustle of passerbys trying to get through their day, or the various colours that passed through her vision as she rode by, but she always looked forward to it. Now though, she was in a hurry and concentrated more on pedaling as fast as she could than on the beauty of her surroundings. It was moments like this that made her wish she could afford a car. Her father supported them off odd jobs, and she didn't want to stress him up with such a trivial desire.
Avoiding potential accidents more than once, Christine made it to the back of Sam's Kitchen, the restaurant she worked for, a little after 5:30. Thank God she had applied deodorant, else she would have been sweaty by now, she thought. She chained her bike and hurried in through the back door, hoping that she wouldn't rush into her boss.
Sam wasn't a bad boss. He wasn't even as strict as one would expect him to be. All he wanted was for things to be kept clean, organized and for his workers to always be in order. In order, included them showing up for work on time, which Christine had blatantly failed at this week. It's not that she was someone who was always late, she was actually the reverse. She had just been caught up with the number of things she had on her plate at the moment.
Luckily for her, she made it to the changing room without bumping into him. While she was replacing her tank top with one of the white shirts hung on the racks, one of her colleagues, a girl whom she knew just as Naomi, opened the door.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be sick?" Naomi asked.
Peplexed, Christine asked, "What do you mean?"
"I knew it! You're not sick. Your friend was lying. I tried telling Sam, but he won't believe me. Well, it's good you're here now. You can take over the shift. I have somewhere to be, anyways." Naomi walked into the room and started to get out of her uniform.
Christine however, stopped and asked, "Which friend?"
Naomi rolled her eyes as she replied, "Who else? The one with the freckles and red hair."
Why had she even asked? Ruby was the most obvious answer. Her parents were pharmacists and she could have them write up a fake prognosis in no time.
"Oh God!" Christine wore her tank top back and left the changing room.
As she walked away, she could hear Naomi ask after her, "Hey! Where are you going?"
Christine didn't reply as she headed for the room in between the kitchen and the serving area, Sam's office. She was just about to knock when Sam opened his door.
"Oh, there you are." Sam said in a lighter tone than she had expected him to address her with. "Your friend was just explaining your predicament to me. She did say you would show up yourself to formally gain permission. There's no need my dear, take off as much time as you need. Not too much time though," he said this last part with a chuckle.
Christine looked over his shoulder, and saw Ruby doing her best to avoid her eyes, with a pharmacy paper in her hand. Christine could bet she knew what was in there.
"Thank you, sir. That's very -"
Christine was interrupted by Naomi storming upon them, already changed from her uniform.
"There she is, I told you she wasn't sick." Naomi said smugly, pointing at Christine.
Christine tried to put on the most innocent look she could as she looked at Sam, hoping confusion was registered on her face.
"She has the drugs and hospital book to prove it. You'll just have to cover for her, Naomi." Sam said pleadingly.
"I can't tonight," Naomi nearly shouted. "I have somewhere very important to be."
Sam continued to beg her, "You have to understand. We're short of staff at the moment. I'll find a temporary replacement for her tomorrow. If there was anyone else I could give the shift to, I would have, but my hands are tied at the moment."
"This is so unfair," Naomi said before walking away, but not before she shot Christine daggers with her eyes.
"Sorry about that," Sam said. "Off you go now, ladies."
Ruby walked out timidly, joined Christine, and they headed out through the back door. Once outside, Christine turned on her friend.
"How could you do that?" She asked Ruby. "All for what? A festival?"
With an apologetic look on her face, Ruby said, "I'm really sorry. I just really need the company. And Tye said you could come too."
"Still, that act you pulled was a little too drastic and desperate. I appreciate how much you want me around but you know I need to work. I need the money, and you know that. Now I'm on a leave I don't even want."
With her hands now in front of her as though in prayer, Ruby continued to apologise, "Christine, it won't happen again. I just really need you right now. Please."
No matter how hard Christine tried to remain mad at her friend, she just couldn't. Ruby was the most likable person on Earth.
With a huff, Christine resigned. "Okay, I forgive you. But you owe me cotton candy for this."
"No problem," Ruby said in giggles. "I brought my car." She dangled the keys in her friend's face.
"It's not like I was planning on riding all the way to the school campus anyway," Christine chuckled. "I'll come for my bike in the morning."
As they walked to the front heading for Ruby's car, Christine asked, "What did you tell Sam I had anyway? He seemed so willing to let me go."
"You don't want to know." Ruby simply replied, and truly, Christine didn't want to.
The moment they got out of her car, Ruby made a beeline for the crowd formed before the stage, dragging Christine along with her. It was a sign of Christine's love for her friend that she didn't get mad at her. She was already too used to Ruby by now. She was persistent when she wanted to be. They managed to get to the front, and Ruby stopped.
"They're not on yet," she shouted over the music, so Christine could hear her. "We're not late after all."
Sure enough, Christine looked up and didn't see Tye nor his members. Instead, it was a group of girls singing a slow pop song. Christine was just about to ask Ruby if she had considered the possibility of them already having performed but stopped short when the girls stopped singing and a man got on stage and announced that Turnip (Tye's band) was on next.
Ruby shouted upon the announcement so much that Christine was sure her voice would be hoarse the next day. It got even worse when Turnip got on stage. At this point, Ruby was jumping and clapping, all the while screaming her crush's name at the top of her voice. When Tye waved at her, Ruby nearly melted.
"He saw me! He saw me!" She literally screamed in her friend's ear.
When Tye and his band settled, he walked to the microphone. "Thank you all for showing up tonight, especially those who came here to see us perform. This song is about a girl I met not too long ago." He locked eyes with Ruby and winked at her. "I hope you enjoy it."
"Did you see that? He was totally talking about me." Ruby feigned a faint as she fanned herself with her hand.
When the song started, Christine couldn't get what was making Ruby so excited. The song sounded just like any other rock song she had heard; full of mostly noise and undecipherable words. At this point, Ruby was so absorbed that Christine was sure she could disappear and her companion wouldn't notice. What had she needed her for anyway? To completely ignore her while she drooled at her idea of a perfect man?
To get away from all the noise and Ruby constantly bumping into her, Christine made her way out of the crowd. There were so many exciting booths around, but her main attraction was the one that sold cotton candy. When she had gotten a cotton candy for herself, she began to look for a quiet place to seat at.
She didn't search for long before she saw a corner where stacks of hay seemed to have been stored. Relieved, she made her way over and sat herself on one of the stacks.
With the cotton candy in her left hand, she set her bag by her feet and removed her sketch pad and pencil. She put the pad on her knees, nibbed on the candy in her hand, while waiting for inspiration. She had always been capable of coming up with creative designs as far as she could remember. But now that it was required of her as an assignment, she seemed to have designer's block. If that was even a word. Tapping her pencil on her pad, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the person walking up behind her.
"Lacking inspiration?" he asked over her shoulder as he stared at the blank page on display.
Startled, she shook so much that her cotton candy fell to the ground. Annoyed, she turned around, ready to pour her frustration on whoever it was.
"Do you always sneak up on strangers like that?" She asked him as she stared into his light brown eyes. That was her mistake. The more she stared into his eyes, she began to notice how attractive he really was. He had pale white skin, brown curly hair, and the pinkest lips she had ever seen on a boy. She could even dare to describe him as cute.
She wasn't alone in her thoughts, because the boy said to her in a husky voice, "You're beautiful."
It seemed like he had cast a spell with those words because as soon they were out his lips, Christine was stunned, as though her voice had been taken away from her. When she managed to drag herself out of her reverie, she immediately reached for her bag and put her sketchpad and pencil into it.
"Thank you," she said as she stood up and dusted the back of her trousers, in an attempt to get off the hay.
He tried to stop her as she walked away. "Don't leave on my account. I didn't mean to scare you. I'll replace your cotton candy if you want. I'll leave if you want me to. Though, I hope you wouldn't want that." She continued to stare at him with doubt in her eyes, and he extended his hand to her. "I'm Scott, by the way."
Cautiously, Christine accepted his hand and shook it. "I'm Christine."
"Christine." He repeated her name as though enjoying the sound of it. When she continued to give him a weird look, he said, "Should we sit or do you want to do this while standing?"
With another weird look in his direction, Christine sat back on the stack of hay she had previously occupied. Scott took the one beside her.
"I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?" He asked, trying to initiate conversation.
"I'm actually a freshman," Christine replied. "You?"
"I'm in my third year, actually. I would normally offer to show you around, but I'm sure you are already acquainted with the campus by now. Still, I'd be willing to be of assistance anytime." Stop it, Scott. You're rambling. He thought to himself. He just didn't know what to say, but didn't want her to walk away just yet.
"I'm sure I can manage," Christine said.
He gulped. Fidgeting with the leg of his trouser, he brought up the next topic he could think of. "What brings you here anyway? Most people who come to the festival have a companion to celebrate the occasion with." When she have him a pointed stare, he added, "You don't have to reply to that. Forget I asked it."
"You're alone," Christine pointed out.
"Actually, I was supposed to be with someone. It was supposed to be a date. But, she stood me up. So, here I am. Talking to you." He shrugged.
"That's sad. Sorry about that," Christine said with sincerity. "I'm actually here with a friend. She convinced me to come along so she could see her crush perform. I'm not sure she's even noticed my absence yet."
"I see. So I guess we both got stood up in some way."
With a smile, Christine said, "You can say so."
"On the bright side, we got to meet each other. I don't know about you, but I don't think anything happens by coincidence."
"Too bad. I actually believe in coincidences. This might just be one of them."
"In that case, it's a sweet coincidence." Scott had on a wide grin as he said this. Christine rolled her eyes.
They returned to silence, one which Scott wasn't comfortable with. He stood up and extended his arm to her. "Let's go replace your cotton candy."
She smiled at him and took the arm he offered as he helped her stand up. True to his word, he got her the cotton candy. But he didn't end there. He took her to nearly every booth, and Christine actually started enjoying herself. He even won a pink doll for her. He was fun and easy to be around. She noticed that he tried a little too hard to please her, but she thought it was cute.
They were now seated on a stone bench, observing passerbys and making a descriptive comment every now and then.
"That girl there reminds me of that princess in Brave. Though I can't seem to remember her name right now. She's got her fire too." Christine looked up and saw he was describing Ruby, who was speed walking in their direction.
Christine laughed at his description and said, "That's the friend who stood me up."
"Oh!" He looked guilty. "I didn't realize that."
"Don't worry. I'm sure she won't mind your description of her. She'll rather enjoy it."
Christine stood up as Ruby approached them, wondering what was making her so worked up. To Christine's surprise, Ruby stopped when she was before them, with her eyes on Scott.
"Scott? Scott Cage?" Ruby threw her hands around his neck in a hug. "I'm a great fan."
Scott didn't look as confused as Christine when he patted her on the back and said, "I'm glad to hear that. Thank you."
"I hope Christine here hasn't been too much trouble."
Scott looked at Christine with a smile before turning back to her friend. "Quite the contrary, actually. She's been such good company."
Ruby literally beamed. "I'm glad to hear that. I'm sorry, but I'll have to interrupt you guys." She directed her attention to Christine. "Tye and his friends want us to hang out at a bar nearby. You know I can't go without you."
Christine looked at Scott apologetically. "I've had a great night, Scott. I'm sorry it had to end so soon."
He looked disappointed as he replied, "Likewise."
"Well, then. I guess I'll be seeing you around. Bye." She gave him a little wave as Ruby dragged her along. He waved back.
When they were out of earshot of Scott, Ruby nearly squealed as she said, "You didn't tell me you know Scott Cage."
"That's because I don't know him. I just met him. What's the deal about the guy anyway?"
Ruby facepalmed herself. "You should try to keep up more often. He's the star player of the school football team. He's literally the school's golden boy."
"Really?" I asked in shock. I had literally been in contact with college royalty. "I hadn't known that."
"Of course you hadn't. Brad Pitt could look you in the face and you wouldn't know it was him."
"I'm not that bad," Christine complained.
"Hey! Christine!"
Christine turned around and saw Scott running towards them. Ruby smirked at her, before walking away so she and Scott could have some privacy.
"Hey." Christine said when Scott was before her.
He took some time to recover his breath, then said, "Let's do this again."
Confused, Christine asked, "Do what again?"
"This." He pointed at the two of them. "How's tomorrow for you?"
"Ummm..." Christine looked up and saw Ruby nodding at her with 2 thumb ups. "Yeah, tomorrow will be great."
"I'm so happy to hear you say that." He took out his phone and gave her. "Your number." Christine put in her number and returned his phone to him. "I'll text you later. Good night, Christine."
"Good night," she awkwardly replied.
He started to walk away, but came back and sang to her in a low tune, "All I can say is I was, enchanted to meet you."
Christine chuckled. "I know that song."
He smiled. "Good, then. I communicate better through songs. Final good night."
As he walked away, he could hear Ruby's squeal of delight for her friend.