CHAPTER THREE
Maybe question are relevant to answer my problems. It doesn’t just bring me the information I need but it would also kill time. I need opinions from anyone. It may still be possible to change my life. I’m not sure if it will work but I have to try at least.
That is what was on my mind when I woke up. Bacon and eggs were served on the table. I talked to mom about what could get me excited. She answered me with a question. “Why?” She asked.
“I dunno. Just asking.” I said, playing with the yellow part of the egg.
“It’s you who knows the answer most.” She replied. I didn’t get much from asking her. I asked myself the same question… And guess what! I didn’t get anything too. Bacon and eggs were the first few things that entered my mind, and I’m certain that it won’t get me anywhere near excited.
Afterward, I walked to school and stared at strangers, just like yesterday. I tried to communicate with them by telepathic means, trying to question them. That was the weirdest thing I did. I felt nuts for doing that. Of course, I didn’t get an answer because I was talking to my own odd brain. I was walking on the sidewalk, not minding anything that was on my way when somebody, from inside the parked car beside me, suddenly opened the door. I didn’t crash into it since my reflexes were awesome. The girl I met behind the school yesterday went out of the door. She kinda reminded me of the girl in my rabbit dream.
“How unbelievable. It’s her again.” I muttered.
She came out with a beautiful smile on her face but her hair blocked most of the view. She glanced at me for a moment, took her bag from the car, and closed the door before she looked at me completely. I stared at her blankly, waiting for her to say sorry. Instead, she greeted me with her gentle voice, “Hey! It’s you again.”
I really thought she sounded cute but that didn’t mean that she was already excused from saying sorry. Well, everything about her was cute but I wasn’t the type of guy who would immediately fall in love at first sight. I never believed in that term. I may have adored many girls but it was just the liking the appearance sort of thing. It didn’t change the way I treated them. “I almost got hit by the door.” I implied.
“Sorry about that. I’ll be careful from now on.” She replied. I expected her to say something like, but you didn’t. Most girls responded to me like that but I guess she was different.
“Good. I’ll get going now.” I said and made my way.
“Wait! Don’t you want to meet my dad?” She asked. I Glanced inside the car. Her father was there and he looked rather angry. I turned away immediately. I wasn’t sure if I was only shy or scared. “Greet him.”
I leaned to the car and said, “Goodmorning sir!” Why did I greet him anyway? As if I was a close friend of his daughter.
He nodded as a greeting, but he was still looking at me intensely.
“We’ll be off now dad. Take care!” She told her father, waving her hand.
“You too! Goodluck with school.” He replied. Before I moved, her dad looked at me. “I’ll keep an eye on you. You’re dead if anything happens to my daughter.” He said, trying to threaten me. She didn’t hear what her father said.
What the heck...? I wanted to stay away from this girl, but now I have to guard her. It wasn’t my duty. I didn’t find it exciting, guarding someone I didn’t even know, and I wouldn’t even get paid for it. This person talked a lot too. She told me many things that were likewise random.
“Why aren’t you smiling?” She asked.
“Do I have to answer?” I replied without looking.
“Of course you do.”
“Because I’m not… It’s not required to be happy, right? You, why are you smiling?” I asked, sounding a little annoyed.
“I’m happy. I search for happiness in every moment. You should too, don’t you think?” She recommended. I didn’t take note of what she said at first so I added another question.
“What’s the reason to be happy?” I asked, still not facing her.
“When you’re not happy, you’ll lose your interest in life.” She went on. That was my problem. I lost interest in life. We walked to the high school building while we continued to talk.
“I already did.”
“What do you mean?” She seemed confuse.
“I already lost my interest. I’m happy in some points in my life but it just wasn’t enough. The joy I felt was the joy I’ve been living my whole life with.” I made it clear this time.
“You only think it’s not enough but it is. If you want something new then you should try something new. You can’t obtain anything if you don’t struggle in life. Do I make sense?”
“Yeah, just keep going.” I replied. I felt a strange feeling that I had to listen to her.
“Be content with your life, dude.” There was a bit pause. I was surprised when I heard the word ‘dude’ with her voice. “Believe me, you don’t always need that excitement you are looking for. You’ll realize that you need the old joy back once you lost it, so don’t ever let it go.” She explained. I didn’t know if what she is trying to imply was certain. Usually, I don’t listen to people and their advice but her lips spoke the words my heart wanted to hear for a long time. I knew I was learning from her.
“I’ll try to bear that it mind, but life goes differently for everyone. You won’t exactly know my situation unless you’re me.”
“Maybe I don’t, but I think it’s your own fault why you’re like that. God may have given you a harder situation than others, but it doesn’t mean that you have to give up. God gave it to you as a trial, not as a punishment.
It was doubtless from the way she spoke about God that she was religious. Normally, people wouldn’t mention religion in their conversations unless they have assured that the person they’re talking to wants to talk about it. I didn’t want to hear her preaching, and I didn’t want to talk about it so I changed the subject. “Um… Anyways, what do you think should I do to have excitement?”
She looked at me as she swayed gracefully, but I still did not look back. “You don’t have to do much. Unexpected things happen and that’s what gives you excitement.”
“But everything that happens are so predictable.”
“Not always. Don’t think about what could happen next because the more you do, the more it becomes lame, so I suggest… Just go with the flow.”
“Anything else?”
“Uh… Excitement…” She paused to gather information. “Your dreams.” She added.
“What about it?”
“When you’re closer to reaching a dream, it gets thrilling.”
“Sucks. I don’t have a dream.”
“Impossible. Everyone has to have at least one simple dream.”
She was paying attention to me the whole time. I wondered why she answered every question I asked when we didn’t even know each other. She seemed so interested with the way she looked at me. It might be because she didn’t have any friends, but she was happy. I turned to her and saw her displaying a smile. I wasn’t able to reply since I was examining her face.
We both didn’t say anything for an instant. “What?” She asked.
I still did not find any words to speak. I noticed that it was becoming awkward so I closed my eyes for a while and looked in a different direction. We were already ascending the stairs yet she was still walking beside me.
She took my turn, knowing that I didn’t have any words to speak. “If you don’t have a dream, then what’s the use? People who doesn’t dream are spiritually dead. Maybe you can see them, walk with them, talk to them, but the words they speak are pretty much plain and doesn’t give much expression. Generally, they are considered as zombies in the community. Search where your heart truly belongs while it’s not yet too late.” She explained. With the way she talked to me, I figured that she might become a teacher. I could also imagine her as a nun, but I wouldn’t dare to.
The bell started ringing. I knew she still wasn’t done delivering a speech but she was stopped. I heard better than what I anticipated so that was more than enough.
“Shucks! We have to hurry!” She shouted as she ran up the stairs. I felt an urge to stop her. I wanted to talk to her more and I wanted to hear more.
“Wait!” I called. She immediately stopped taking steps and turned. I really had no idea why I stopped her when I didn’t have a valid reason.
“Yup?”
“It was…” I dragged the words out of my mouth. She waited for me to say it. “I must admit that it was… nice meeting you.”
“You too.” She replied. We both paused for a bit and gazed at each other’s eyes. There was a brief moment of silence. I didn’t know what to say next. I knew that she was waiting for me to tell her more, probably waiting for me to ask her name but I denied her yesterday so it was embarrassing if I did that, yet still decided to ask her name.
“May I know your name now?”
She smiled and said, “Nah. Next time.”
That is what I told her before so we were even. She ran off and headed left to the hallway. “What a weird girl.” I murmured, but I really thought I learned a lot from her. I went up another floor and headed to my room.
We were having our English class. The teacher was discussing lessons that I’ve already heard last year. There was no point in listening so I started a conversation with Zein.
“Zein, can you tell me something exciting?” I asked.
He was surprised with the way I put it and he definitely got the wrong idea. “That sounded so gay.”
“I mean, what do you think excitement means?” I rephrased.
“Search the dictionary.” He said, trying to piss me off.
“No seriously. I want your opinion.”
“Fine. For me, um… New challenges. Why?”
“Nothing. You’re gay.” I insulted, saying something so random.
“Idiot.”
I didn’t answer him. I remained quiet on my seat and thought of a cool thing to do. The teacher was still discussing his nonsense. “As we have tackled last year, do you know who the twelve Olympian gods are?”
I raised my hand but I didn’t intend to answer. The teacher called me.
“Whoa, okay let’s give Mr. Nathaniel a try.”
“Um… What’s your name again, sir?” I asked. I was serious about my question I truly forgot who he was or maybe I didn’t even know his name before. Mostly everyone laughed and they might have thought I was trying to mess with the person.
“Are you kidding me?” He looked disappointed.
“Oh wait. I remember now.” I pretended to not get into trouble. “Sir, can you tell me what excitement is?”
“Does your question have anything to do with my subject, Mr. Nathaniel? He said as he approached me, staring at my eyes so intensely. He still thought that I was making fun of him.
“If you answer me, maybe we’ll find out.”
“That is when something you desire happens.”
“Oh. Okay then, thank you for your brilliant answer, Mr… Um… Sir! Thank you!” I sat down immediately.
“Wait a second. We’re not done yet. What was that question for?”
I stood up again and slowly said, “Um… So you get excited at teaching?” The crowd chuckled. Zein was tapping his desk so hard as he laughed. I bet he also wanted to insult a teacher.
“Forget about that excitement. Can you tell me who the twelve Olympian gods are?”
I used my stock knowledge to answer his question. “As far as I remember, Adam is the king, the ruler and the boss. His wife, Eve is the queen of Olympus. Moses had the staff that-“
“Next next!” Everyone was laughing but I didn’t know why. I believed that my answer was correct but the teacher interrupted me. I guess he didn’t want me to take the spotlight. I sat down.
My classmates raised their hands. The teacher pointed at someone and said, “Yes, Mr. Riley Beasley.”
I turned to the student he pointed and I was surprised that it really was Riley, the most perfect kid in town. I wasn’t aware that he was in my class. This is certainly the first time I became classmates with him and I hoped everything gets better. I was not sure if he knew who I was but I knew him. Riley was a very neat man. His skin is very white, as if he was a vampire. The color of his eyes was similar to the water in the deep blue sea. His nose is pointed and his lips had a small line underneath. He has a wide jaw and he had the cleft chin. Aside from his looks, he was very smart and talented, that’s why he was given the title of Perfect boy.
Riley stood up and answered. “Zeus, being the god of lightning and being able to defeat his father, Kronos, who was one of the titans, became the king of mount Olympus. Hera is his wife and the queen of Olympus. She is the goddess of marriage and birth. Poseidon is the god of the sea. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. Athena; the goddess of wisdom, Apollo; the god of sunlight, music and prophecy, Artemis; the moon goddess and portrayed as the virgin huntress, Hephaestus; the god of fire and forgery, Ares is the god of war and bloodshed, Hermes; the god of travel and theft, and served as the messenger of the other gods, Demeter; the goddess of harvest, and the last one is Dionysus who is the god of wine and feast.”
The whole class paid attention to him. He really was smart. Even the teacher was surprised with him. He was only asked to mention the names, but he included who they were. I looked around and saw that my classmates had different impressions. I felt that some of them envied Riley.
“Ah… As expected from Mr. Beasley. Excellent. Let’s give him a hand.”
People began clapping their hands but most of them were girls.
“Wait! Can I add something?” Zein yelled, extending his arm above him. He stood up.
“Okay then Mr. Valentine. Don’t you try to be like Nathaniel and ruin the mood.” The teacher insulted.
“Zeus is also called Jupiter, Hera is Juno, Poseidon is Neptune, Aphrodite is Venus, Athena is Minerva, Artemis is Diana, Hephaestus the Vulcan, Ares is Mars, Hermes is Mercury, Demeter is Ceres, Dionysus is Bacchus. I’m not sure with Apollo but I think they don’t have another name for him.
The class was even more astounded with Zein. Nobody expected an answer from him. I was amazed too and wondered how he knew all those. Might be because he likes to read. The teacher was speechless and stared at him with his wide mouth opened.
“Were you saying something Mr. Robinson?” Zein said. He sat down, then ranted, “You heard that Dale?” He looked at me. “Can you do that? As I said, I’ll be better than Riley. He’s just another competition.”
“I could say that I’m impressed, but I don’t have to prove anything to you. You’re still worse than me.” I replied.
The teacher finally recovered from his astonishment. “Splendid Mr. Valentine. Thank you for that wonderful addition.”
I glanced at Zein, he was overwhelmed with joy since he didn’t just struck the class, he even humiliated the teacher. “The heck…? Did he flatter you too much, Zein?” I said. He ignored me and kept smiling like a little maniac.
And so, it was recess. Like yesterday, I took out my lunch then peeps came, barging in the room one by one. The first one was Miguel, the love loser. Zein was fast asleep as usual.
“Nathaniel!” He called, entering with a big smile on his face.
“Yo? You seem to be in a good mood today.” I remarked.
“I was headed downstairs and guess what!”
“What?”
“I saw a very beautiful girl.” He said, dropping his hands on both sides of my table. “I was in love at first sight. So I’m here to tell you.”
Oh great, another heartbreak. Love at first sight, huh? That might be the reason why you’re hurting. I thought. “Did you talk to her?” I asked, pressing my back against the chair.
“No, I had no courage to. I need your help on this one. Please Nathaniel! I’m begging you.”
I’d basically agree to help him but I wanted to test how much he’d dedicate himself to this girl he was referring to. “Not unless you kneel and beg.” I was only making fun of him.
Without any hesitation, he did as I told him. He took what I said seriously. “Please, lord Nathaniel. I’ll repay your kindness… Just please.” He crawled beside me and lowered his head towards my feet. I was sure that he was about to kiss my shoe, so before that happened, I made him stand up.
“Hey, hey! I was kidding. Don’t worry, I’ll help you.” I said. Poor guy. He was this desperate to have a girlfriend. He even embarrassed himself in front of me and everyone else.
He immediately stood up and grabbed my hand. “Thank you Nathaniel! You are certainly the best. I’ll depend on you on this one.” I wished to try my very best to grant Miguel’s desire. I didn’t want to let him down.
“Yah, sure. We’ll start looking for her tomorrow. I’ll tell you what to do.” I replied to make him stop.
“Thank you Nathaniel! Goodbye! I’ll come back tomorrow.” He said as he was about to leave.
He took step and I remembered to ask him about his opinion. “Oh, wait. Miguel. What do you think excitement is?” I asked, I totally was aware that he would tell me that girls were excitement for him but I still asked to make sure.
“Uh? Love, why?”
Whoa, so I was wrong, but in a way, I was correct I guess. Doesn’t make sense. Love included both gender so yeah. “Oh, nothing.”
“Okay.” He marched away. “Thanks again.”
Nikki stepped in the room and I sensed dread within me. “Hi baby!” She yelled across the room. That was too sudden. The men glanced at us out of curiosity.
“What the heck, Nikki. Don’t use random words to call me. It’s embarrassing.”
“So… When’s the date?
I knew I shouldn’t have agreed about this. “What date?” I pretended that I did not know.
“Don’t tell me you don’t remember. You can’t forget!” She said with a loud voice, making people hear our conversation. This girl was torture to me.
“Oh… Yeah. I checked my schedule and I found out that I have no agenda next year!”
“Seriously.” She was annoyed.
“How about this Saturday?”
“Really! Oh wow. I’m getting excited.” She said. The word excited caught my attention. I have to ask her about it too.
“So, yeah. Uh... Nikki! I agreed to have a date. Can you not disturb me until then?” I said to be away from her.
“Why? That’s sad, but I’ll try.”
“Duties.” I lied. “And… Uh, can you tell me what excitement is?”
She suddenly smiled and said with a seductive voice, “Come with me. I’ll get you excited.”
I got her point and it almost scared my gut to death. “Darn Nikki! Get out oh here.” I exclaimed.
“Heehee. Just kidding. Okay, bye. Just tell me when and where our date will be.” She replied, then turned. I did not respond. After that, she was at last out of my sight. I continued eating my food. Zein was still asleep.
The CB’s entered and disturbed me. I wasn’t really giving much attention to them but they still talked in front of me. They talked about chicks, cars, sports, and more topics of their interest, until they mentioned about hanging out on the weekend.
“This upcoming Saturday, I’ve got something planned for us. We’ll go to the arcade.” James said. I did want to come with them but I can’t cancel my date with Nikki all of a sudden because that would surely hurt her feelings. That sounded like a good idea but I still cared for her… A bit.
“Sounds great.” Anthony agreed.
“Um…” I interrupted, making all of them except Avraham, look at me. “I have a date this Saturday.”
At first they didn’t get what I said but after an instant, they were surprised. Avraham faced at me too. They all stared at me with an odd look.
“What did you say?” James asked.
“I have a date, so I can’t come.”
“You agreed with Nikki?” Anthony assured.
“Oh crap. Our Nathaniel is not gay!” Mike insulted, well I took it as one.
“Yeah, thanks about that.” I said, scratching my head.
“That’s good to hear, dude. Our wish for you will finally come true.” Daniel said.
“Uhuh… Good.” I confirmed. I didn’t know what I had to respond to these people.
“This is it! Nathaniel’s gonna become a man!” James made fun of me. The conversation got even longer and I had no skills to stop it. We talked about it for a while. I answered every question from them with a single-word sentence to finish it quicker
“Are you gonna pursue her?” Anthony asked.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Dunno.”
“You’re still gay Nathaniel.” Mike affronted.
“Yah.”
It became more awkward each passing moment, so they had to talk about a different topic. I started one for them.
“What are the things that excite each one of you guys?”
“What’s with the sudden change of subject?” Daniel noticed.
“I want to know stuff.”
“For me, excitement are the fun moments. Having fun means a lot to me.” Daniel answered.
“Hm… Mine are the people who couldn’t be insulted easily.” Mike declared.
“Flinging and football championships.” James said.
“When I try to be someone I’m not. In that way, I could try various kinds of excitements.” Said Anthony.
I was about to speak when… “When you keep secrets from people and when they keep things from you. You’ll be wanting to find out” Avraham spoke.
That crept me out a little… No! A lot! Avraham paid attention to someone for the very first time. This was the first time for me to see him like this, so it was really weird. I wasn’t sure about the other CB’s because they weren’t bothered by it much.
“Oh…” I was speaking when the bell rang. Zein suddenly woke up. “It’s time.” I continued. Again, I was happy that I’ll have my freedom once more.
Zein looked at me and that was when I noticed that he was already awake. “Will you make that ruckus stop Dale?” He requested. I was sure that he was talking about the alarm. Hiis request was nonsense. There was no way I could stop the bell.
Daniel laughed at Zein. “See ya’ Nathaniel.” He said as he walked away. The other CB’s also left with a word before heading out but not Avraham. He just shuffled out the door.
A few seconds later, there was an announcement.
“To all Highschool teachers and students, please proceed to the gymnasium immediately. Each class, form two lines and no running. Advisers, please assist your class. “Said a voice in the speakers. “I repeat, no running.”
Keep repeating. No one gives a damn about what you say. Nobody cares about the rules. They’ll just mind their own business for sure and form groups instead. I thought. That was the truth.