Chapter Five:
That Was Really Rude
"Should I just break up with him?" Asked Natasha.
We're now in my house, in my room, on my bed, and watching Frozen on Netflix. Two bowls, and a tub of mint chocolate ice cream beside us, a bag of original Ms. Vickie's potato chips, and wearing comfy sweatpants (Nat borrowed some of mine). I was singing along to Do You Want to Build a Snowman song, when Natasha asked me again,
"Should I, Mave?"
I turned my head to give her a grimace, then took a spoonful of the green ice cream, shrugging my shoulders at her.
"Which one? Dennis or Thomas?" I asked innocently, chewing the chocolate chunks and wiggling my eyebrows.
Natasha didn't think I was funny. She just shook her head at me and give out an exasperated sigh.
"I really think I should be single for a while. I deserve some alone time." She said, clicking her spoon with mine as we both took some ice cream.
"That sounds great." I said nonchalantly, watching the TV screen.
"You think so?"
"Duh. All this drama is tiring." I told her, rolling my eyes and made a disgusted sound. "It's almost gross."
"It's gonna be heart breaking, but... I think it'll be fun." She said, nodding to herself, and grinning like she's thinking of something creepy.
I gave Nat an odd look.
"What do you mean fun...?" I asked, feeling suspicious.
"Parties." She replied happily.
"Oh no, woman." I said, snapping my fingers at her sassily. "Don't even involve me with this-"
"Geez, I'm just thinking out loud." Natasha cut me off, and scooping ice cream again. But I was still giving her a suspicious look, not getting over what she just said.
I have to focus on my studies. She knows that. Damn it, I don't have time for parties. I mean, I guess I could go to a couple, but that doesn't mean that I'll let myself get distracted. I don't party. I don't even know how.
After a while, it was just me and my thoughts on Natasha's decisions. And I rolled my eyes when I caught myself getting mad at her again, because it means that whatever she does now, I have to balance it out by my blunt reasoning.
"What do you think about what Dani said at lunch today?" I asked, suddenly remembering the attractive blondie.
"When she said that maybe Dennis and Thomas are gay?" Nat asked, frowning at the idea.
I nodded my head, curious at what she thinks.
"I mean, I'm not really sure if Dani is kidding, or not... But did you see how she mentioned it? She looked so certain." I told her.
"I don't really know..." Natasha said, frowning at the ice cream. "But if they are gay, I'd feel really stupid for not knowing... I dated both of them, for Christ's sakes!"
"Nat, what if they really are gay?" I asked, staring at her now. "What if they're just hiding it?"
"I don't know." She said. "I don't know what I would do. I don't think I want to know."
"Dennis would tell me... " I said. "Of course he'd tell me. I'm his best bud, aside from you, of course... But then, what if it's a secret, like Dani said."
"My mom would freak out, and probably call your mom about it." She said, laughing at the idea. "Our church committee would know about it in no time."
"They'll be the talk of the town." I said. "Everyone would gossip about it..."
"True." Nat said, nodding.
"I mean, I personally don't care if they are a homosexual couple. I just care about Dennis not telling me in the first place." I said.
"Maverick, you're over thinking this." Natasha said, taking the tub of ice cream and eating by herself. "We don't know anything."
"But Dani does!" I protested.
"We just met her earlier today!" She replied, "We don't know her."
"But, something about her seems very familiar." I muttered to myself, spacing out as I watched the movie.
Natasha was giving me an odd look.
"I mean, she seemed really nice." I told her quickly. "She seems cool."
"Are you replacing me as your best friend?"
"Of course not!" I protested, patting her cheek. "Don't be too jealous."
"I'm not!" She said. "Dani seems... weird. Ugh. You know how your Grandpa introduced her to us, right?"
"Yeah." I replied, nodding my head. "I'm still confused about the whole she's important idea."
"A celebrity?" Dani asked. "Nah. We would've known." She answered her own question.
"A daughter of a celebrity?" I suggested.
"Possibly." Nat said, nodding her head.
"She's definitely pretty enough to be considered important." I blurted out.
Natasha gave me an odd look again.
"What?"
"Why are you so obsessed all of a sudden?" She asked, handing me a napkin to wipe my mouth from the ice cream.
"I am not." I protested. "I'm just really curious. Don't look at me like that! Don't you think it's interesting?"
"You are so nosey." Nat said, scoffing. "Just leave it alone. We can always ask Dani."
"Oh. Yeah. That's could work too."
"But I bet she's just another one of those rich people." She said. "You know, like your family."
"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. "And we are not rich!"
"Oh pfft! Don't be so modest, your mother's side of the family practically runs the whole Catholic School system around town, and your dad is a top-notch businessman. Overall, you're pretty well known."
I hit her arm.
"Hey! We're not rich!" I said again. suddenly feeling insecure. "It doesn't mean anything, and my parents are well known, not me."
"I proved my point though." Nat said, wagging a spoon at my face. "You're still considered important."
I stared at her with a deep frown.
"Just like Dani, she's probably important too, I mean, rich." Natasha added, smirking at me.
"What the hell are we even talking about now?" I asked, suddenly feeling confused.
"We were talking about Dani, and the possibility of Dennis and Thomas as a gay couple." She answered, sounding like she's talking to a toddler.
I gave her an offended look, and shook my head at her.
"Should we call Dani and ask if she's serious about... Uh, her assumptions about Dennis and Thomas?" I asked, eyeing the purple phone number on my arm.
"We don't have her number-"
I showed her my arm, and Nat gave me an odd look again.
"What?" I asked, pulling my arm back, my face hot with embarassment. "I asked for it..."
"Okay." She said, rolling her eyes. "Call her then."
"But-" I started, then freaked out. "Can you maybe, uh, call her?"
"Maverick, you have her number. Dani gave it to you. If you're so curious about Dennis and Thomas, then you do it yourself." She said, frowning. "Why are you obsessed over the idea of them being gay?" She asked again.
"I'm not!" Was my reply again.
"You are!"
"Fine!" I exclaimed, giving her my bowl of ice cream and held up my phone.
Natasha stared at me for a while and shrugged her shoulders. She continued to eat the ice cream, and occupied herself by watching the movie.
When I dialed Dani's number, I hesitated about pressing the call button. I felt anxious all of a sudden.
"Should I call her? What do you think?"
Natasha groaned in complaint while her mouth was full of ice cream, which sounded weird so I stared at her for a while, my phone in hand, confused to what she's trying to say.
Then, she suddenly snatched my phone and pressed the call button. She boredly handed the phone back to me.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" I exclaimed, suddenly panicking and hitting Natasha's arm.
"It's not a big deal, Mave. Gawd."
"It's freakin' Dani Dubois, Nat!" I pointed out.
"Exactly, it's freakin' Dani Dubois. We don't know her." She said. "Isn't that why you're calling her?"
"I'M NOT SURE!" I yelled. "WHICH IS WHY I HESITAT-"
"Hello...?"
My phone was on speaker.
"Oh." I said, my face turning red as I realized that the other person on the line probably heard me and Natasha yelling.
Natasha took my phone.
"Hello Dani? Mave wants to talk to you." She said, then handed me my phone back.
I glared at her and gave her a slap on the cheek. Not a hard slap, just a light slap to mean that I hated her at the moment. Of course she'd overreact and grip her cheek dearly.
I flipped her off.
"Maverick?" Dani called out from my phone.
I nervously held the phone on my ear and exited the living room.
"Hey." I breathed out, biting my lip and leaning on the wall of the hallway. I felt that my hands are suddenly sweaty, and I started to bite on my nails, a bad habit that I do when I'm nervous. I forced myself to stop the biting and took a deep breath instead.
"Hi." She said. "I thought someone got the wrong number."
"No, no, uh, it's me." I said.
"And Natasha." She said.
"Yeah... and her." I replied, blushing because I know that she heard me yelling earlier. I glared at the back of Natasha's head from the hallway, and like she sensed me doing so, Natasha turned her head and narrowed her eyes at me, then waved me off.
I shook my head in disbelief and walked further into the hallway.
"So." She started, unsure of what to say. "Hi."
"Hey. Did you want something....?" She asked, her voice sounding awkward. I actually laughed at that because I'm glad that it wasn't just me who felt that way. "What's funny?" She asked, chuckling at my contagious laughter.
"Actually..." I trailed off, digging my toes on the fluffy carpet floor. "I couldn't stop thinking about what you said earier today..."
"Oh." She said, sounding amused. "What did I say to make it unforgettable?" Her tone was teasing.
"I mean-" I said quickly. "About Dennis and Thomas..."
"Oh." She said again, but more in realization this time.
"Yeah." I said. "About them being... you know... Being..., uh."
"Gay?" She suggested.
"Yeah." I said again. "Yeah. That. Gay."
I heard her laugh from the other line.
"You can't stop thinking about that?" She asked in disbelief.
"Well, I'm curious."
"Curious, huh?" She said. I paused for a moment, taking in to how she sounded. I really hated it when she talks like she knows something about me that I don't.
I sighed.
"You know what, nevermind." I told her. "It's not a big deal."
"You're right, it's not." She said, more sternly this time.
I frowned.
"Yeah... it's not." I replied. "It's really not."
"And it doesn't matter." She said.
"It... what? Of course it matters!" I answered. "They're my friends!"
"Exactly. So it shouldn't matter because they're your friends."
"Are you implying that they are gay?" I asked, a hand on my hip.
Dani paused.
"That's what I think." She said.
"How can you be so sure?" I asked.
"I'm sure." She said. "Believe me or not, but that's what I think. I mean, I'm not labeling people randomly or something. I just had this... Nevermind. Let's just say that I'm good at reading people."
I frowned deeper.
"You are so weird." I told her.
"I don't care." She replied.
"Tell me something about yourself, and don't say that you're a vampire, I already know that's true."
I heard her laugh.
"What makes you think I'm a vampire?"
"Your overwhelming beauty-" I stopped myself wondering if I sounded like a creep. "Nevermind."
Dani laughed harder. My face turned so red.
"What do you want to know?" She asked, and I'm glad we're moving on.
"You came out of nowhere-"
Dani snorted a laugh.
"What's so funny?" I asked in confusion.
"Oh nothing. Go on." She said. The way I heard her breathe, it sounded like she's trying hard not to laugh.
"I can literally hear you still laughing!"
"I can't help it!"
"Which exactly proves why you're so weird. You don't give a straight answer." I told her. Then Dani started to laugh again, making me more confused.
"Oh my god, Dani, what the hell is so funny?" I asked again, laughing with her.
"You." She said. "You're funny."
"How the hell-" I started but cut myself off and shook my head. "Nevermind."
"Maverick." She called out. I gulped at the sound of my name. "Why are you so curious about me anyways? I'm not interesting."
I smiled. I'm not that interesting either.
"Well. Everyone knows everyone in this town..." I said slowly.
"So?"
"So... You're new."
"No shit." She said. "But not really. I'm not new. My family originally came from this small town."
My eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Really?" I asked. "You came from here? Here in Prince Albein?"
Like I said, Prince Albein, the town that we're in, is quite small. Everyone knows everybody. Family to family, especially the last names. If you say your last name, it can make people recognize who your parents are.
People in Prince Albein know each other so well that they can even recognize other people's relatives just by looking at their facial features.
"Yes." She said.
"And?" I asked, wanting more of her story.
"And?" She repeated.
"Is there more to the story?" I asked.
"Nah. I don't feel like it." Dani replied, the grin in her voice was recognizable.
"Awe come on, Dani!" I begged.
"Has anyone ever told you that curiosity killed the cat?" She asked.
"But I'm not a cat." I told her, rolling my eyes at the common sayings.
"But you're curious." She said, matter-of-factly.
"Duh." I said. "I'm curious about a lot of things."
"Hm." She said. The same tone that she used earlier, as if she's thinking of something she doesn't want me to know.
"Dani." I called, my voice begging for information.
"Yes?"
"Ugh." I complained, because it feels like that she won't really say anymore. "Come on, I really want to know!"
"Too bad." She said, chuckling.
"I'll see you in church on Sunday anyways." I said.
"What makes you think that I'm going to church this weekend?" She asked.
"What are you talking about? Everyone goes to church on Sundays." I told her.
"Well, I'm not."
"Yes you are." I argued.
"No, I'm pretty sure I'm not going." She clarified.
"But, why not?" I said feeling utterly confused.
"Um. I'm not really that religious."
I paused.
"Why not?" I asked.
"I'm just not."
"That's too bad." I told her. "Churches can be fun... Sometimes."
"Sure." She said blankly, not sounding sure at all.
"Oh." I said awkwardly. "Well tomorrow is Saturday, and usually the my uncle opens a morning mass, but I remember him telling me that he's cancelling that... uh. Nevermind." I said, suddenly feeling anxious because it felt like I'm talking way too much.
"I didn't know that you're such a church girl."
"Um. My family is really involve." I replied. "What are you doing tomorrow? I'm thinking that maybe we can meet up or something." I added quickly, biting my nails, which I forced myself to stop again, but made me bite my lip instead.
"Meet up? What do you mean, like a date or something?" She asked.
My breath hitched.
"Uh..."
"Maverick, are you asking me out?" She asked her tone serious.
I flinched. Her words are suddenly straightforward.
"I'm just kidding." Dani said from the other line, laughing like a maniac.
"I - I'm- as friends!" I stuttered, feeling red on the face.
"You sure you want to be friends with me?" She asked.
"Of course!" I said. "You seem nice."
"But I'm not." Dani said. "I'm warning you. I can be mean."
"I can be mean too... Sometimes. Well most of the time." I told her. "I don't think you have to worry about being mean around me. I'm probably worse that you."
She scoffed.
"You're obviously a Catholic girl." She said. "You're supposed to be good... and innocent."
"Yep." I told her. "I'm that too."
I heard Dani laugh again.
"Sure." She said nonchalantly, which makes me pissed off again because I don't know what she means by plainly saying sure.
"I'll text you." I told her.
"Okay." She said.
"Okay. See you in church." I said.
"You mean tomorrow." She said.
"Yeah, tomorrow and church." I said.
"I'm not going to church, Mave." She said, sighing.
"You're just saying that now." I replied. "If you live in Prince Albein, then you gotta go to church every Sundays."
"Ugh. I told you I'm not going!" She exclaimed. "I hate churches."
"Nah, no you don't." I replied. "Trust me."
"I happen to have trust issues." Dani said, scoffing. "I'll just text you later, or call you whenever. I gotta go. Bye."
"Wait-"
But Dani already ended the call. That was rude.
That was really rude.
Last Updated: Dec. 19, 2015