6 BFFs
The day wound up fast, but it just seemed to progress slowly, at least for Nicky. The whole morning she had nothing to do but just watched all other students scurried to and from the four booths each year level had put up since Monday. The box office hit was the Facebook Booth the juniors had came up with. Annie, Josh's ex, was all up inviting every students who'd pass by to get inside their both. It was basically a photo booth with some props students can try on as they pose behind a backdrop. Nicky went in with June a while ago. Students would also register by writing their Facebook account. The juniors would then tagged students on the photos taken. If they'd want, they'd also be given a maximum of ten minutes (the juniors had only three laptops with unlimited mobile internet) to log into their Facebook account and add all those other accounts registered. They can choose among the list of almost all students in the school. Nicky decided not to log in. She was somehow tempted to add Iggy, though.
The fourth year's booth was still a hit. Again, John Michael took over with their booth's set up. Their booth was veiled with white floral curtains and pinned with white plastic flowers. It was a Marriage Booth in which anyone can anonymously get any pair of students to get married for a day. Students can write the name of the couple they would want to get hitched and handed it to the seniors. For every thirty minutes, the senior would take turns in acting as the priest on giving the couple a blessing. The other seniors are tasked to go look for the would-be grooms and brides. They couples would be tied together on their hands and would have to spend the rest of the day together. Nicky would have her turn to be a priest at 2:00PM.
To cater to some shout-outs and dedications, there was freedom wall, too. Nicky thought of writing something on it, but she couldn't really think of anything quirky to say as of the moment. June always seemed to have something funny to write. She was at the freedom wall, replying on the comments of her earlier post. Nicky waited for her.
"Hello, Nicky," she heard a voice above her. She was slumped on a cemented bench beside a young Molave tree, poring over one of John Grisham's classic, The Firm, a book she borrowed from June. She liked it that June let her borrow many books. It was June that actually influenced her into reading fiction.
She looked up and saw a familiar face beaming at her. It was Lois. She stood just about five feet, a couple of inches shorter than Nicky. Her hair was wavy and light, cascading down her slender shoulders. She looked like an angel glowing as the sun gleamed behind her, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes peering at Nicky.
"Hi, Lois," Nicky replied casually.
"You seem pretty busy. Are you studying?"
"What? No! I was just reading. This is not a schoolbook. It's a novel."
"Oh, okay, but you look rather bored," Lois said. Her voice, just like her features, was also soft, sweet and sounding almost child-like.
"Do I?"
Lois nodded curtly as she sat down beside Nicky. "You don't mind if I sit here with you, right?"
"What? No," Nicky hurriedly replied. She thought of the last time she had sat beside Lois. They used to sit beside each other every start of the school year when they were in elementary, but in each year, their teacher would eventually transfer them to other seats. The only year they had finally sat next to each other was on the sixth grade.
"Are you okay?" Lois then asked.
Nicky shot Lois a sideway glance. "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I thought you're still upset after what Josh did."
"Oh, that."
"Are you?"
"Well, yeah, I guess I'm a bit upset but not because he dumped me or at least that's what he said, but maybe because I had not yet fully recovered from the humiliation," Nicky replied. Then, she suddenly laughed. "I'm actually glad we're over, though. He's a jerk. And a big liar. Props to him for being such a good storyteller."
Lois was silent.
"Actually, it was I who broke up with him," Nicky went on. She took Lois' silence as a cue that Lois wanted to hear her side. Nicky wanted to be heard. She wanted someone to talk to about it. She wanted a friend. "He wasn't all that I thought he is. And I just said we're over while we we're out on a date that Friday. I had not thought he'd get really mad and turn the story around. But well, I'm a fool for even dating him."
"Why? What really happened?"
Nicky was smiling wide as she turned to Lois.
"You know, for having just been dumped, you looked rather happy now."
"Really?" Nicky smiled even wider. "First of all, I wasn't dumped and second, I think I'm really happy, now." She then talked on everything that had happened, even word for word and with matching gestures and actions, what she said and did on that Friday that she dumped Josh. She felt good as she talked it out, especially to Lois. She didn't care if she looked like an animated lunatic to a passer-by.
"So you really are feeling okay, now?" Lois asked after Nicky had told her the full story.
"I feel a whole lot better." She let out a breath. "I'm glad you're here. I never told anyone else what really happened."
"You don't feel bad at all?"
Nicky looked at Lois. She met her eyes. It was then she realized the glum look on her childhood bestfriend's face. She had not noticed it right then because it was masked with her usual big bright smile. But Lois' eyes looked strained, and they weren't smiling at all.
"I do feel bad," Nicky replied. "I was so mad and angry at Josh. And then, I was angry at myself. But I know I'll recover from this."
"Of course you will," Lois smiled, self-consciously. Her voice suddenly sounding hoarse.
"Is everything okay?" Nicky finally asked.
Lois immediately looked away. She didn't reply. She had a far-off gaze in her eyes. Nicky followed her gaze.
"You can talk to me about it, you know," Nicky said slowly as she watched a few senior guys, headed by the biggest of them all, Robert, tugging a gangly sophomore boy towards the marriage booth. The sophie seemed to be acting like he didn't want to get inside the booth. Nicky wondered if the sophie had his friend put his name to be the groom or if he wrote it himself. She remembered when she was in her freshman year, she was tempted to write her name and Iggy's for the Marriage Booth. She realized it was stupid but then maybe that would be the only time she could finally get near to him. That Foundation Day, even if she would have wanted, she could still not do it. Early that day, Iggy and Camille were already married then.
"You wouldn't tell anyone?" Lois finally spoke, her voice small.
"No. I won't. I promise." Nicky turned back to Lois.
"I got dumped," Lois muttered quietly, after a moment.
"Okay."
"It's not really okay, Nicky. I hadn't been dumped before. I usually did the dumping."
Nicky actually didn't mean okay—okay—she actually meant it to be "and then". But nonetheless, she said, "It's alright."
"You don't understand."
"You're right. I don't understand, Lois. But I know you'll get over it. Whoever that guy is, he's a jerk. You deserve better."
"But I really like him so much. I think I'm even in love with him."
"I'm sorry it had to happen. But you're still young, you know. You'll find other guys and, later, hopefully, better guys that will help you realize you can move on from this guy now. You'll move on. It will all be okay." She put an arm on Lois' shoulder. "Hey," she said. "You're too pretty and smart to be worrying over some boy."
Lois smiled, this time, with her eyes. "Thanks, Nic," she said.
Nicky smiled back. "You're welcome. I wish I could tell you some nice wisdom words, but I'm not really an expert with all this heartaches and breakups. I don't know anything about this at all. There's no textbook on this that we have to study. But for now, I'd rather discourage you of having another boyfriend. We're too young to be all about boys, anyway."
Lois drew a small laughter. Nicky missed that laughter.
"Anyway, you mind if I ask who's the guy?"
Lois hesitated for a bit. She shrugged her shoulders and whispered, "It's Red."
Taken aback, Nicky shot Lois a hard look. "Red? Our classmate?"
"Ssshh!" Lois brought her forefinger to her lips. "We kept it as a secret. No one else knew but my BFFs. And now, you. Please don't tell anyone."
Nicky nearly winced at the mention of BFFs. She really didn't like the sound of the acronym. Weren't we before? Aren't we now? "I won't," she replied. "Since when?"
"Since prom last year."
"Wow."
"I know," Lois muttered.
"I had no idea. Who else knew? Eddie Boy knows, too, right? He's like Red's sidekick."
Lois nodded and laughed. "Of course, EB knows, too. They're bestfriends."
"How did you even manage to keep it a secret? Did anyone else suspect?"
"Some of our classmates did. But they still believed I'm with Kyle then. "
"When did you break up?"
"With Kyle?"
"No, I mean, Red." Nicky didn't even know who Kyle was. She even hadn't suspected anything. How could I be so oblivious?
"Almost a month ago. We went out for seven months.""
"Really?"
"I know. It's hard when you see him everyday. I don't talk to him anymore. He tried to keep it casual and cool. He wanted us to be friends again, but I just couldn't stand it. "
Nicky was having a hard time digesting it all. She really didn't find Red appealing. He smokes for crying out loud! She wanted to tell this to Lois, but she probably already knew.
"Yeah, you should keep your distance," Nicky finally said. "But not too distant. Just keep it cool, I guess. Show it to him that you're fine and doing great."
Lois nodded. Nicky stared back at the Marriage Booth. The sophie guy is already married and tied on the hand to a good-looking sophie girl. He had a big smile on his face. The girl look rather scared.
"I thought you were going out with that college guy?" asked Nicky, sounding tentative.
"You mean Kyle?"
Oh, so that was Kyle. Nicky really didn't know.
"Yeah, but I broke up with him last Christmas. He's over-possessive, I couldn't breathe around him. He still kept texting me, though. He still wanted to get back with me."
After a moment, when the newly-wed sophies finally left the booth, and another couple were pulled inside, Nicky asked the question that really bugged her. "Lois, why was it a secret?"
Lois smiled sadly. "My dad doesn't approve of Red's family, mostly his father. They had this feud."
"What's with Red's father?"
Lois threw Nicky a sidelong glance. Her brows were raised. "You know."
"I don't. What?"
Lois was looking at Nicky in disbelief, heaving a sigh as a look of impatience strained her eyes. "Red's father is a drunkard and a big shot gambler. My dad once accused him of being involved in a jeuteng payola of which he vehemently denies. He got really angry at my dad," she whispered swiftly, almost chewing her words. "I can't be sure of the jueteng. But I know he's into sabong. Have you seen how many roosters he owns?"
"No," was all Nicky could reply. Nicky knew Lois' father is a good lawyer, one of the best in their island. He tried to prod her brain for the image of Red's father. She couldn't really remember him. He's probably not a member of the PTA officers. She maybe hadn't seen him yet, let alone knew his name. He probably doesn't attend PTA meetings because of the many "sabong" matches that were more important to him, she figured.
"There were like hundreds of them," Lois replied, her gaze was shifted back to the booths teemed with students.
"Oh," Nicky blurted. "Imagine all the noises those roosters make every morning. But at least, they'd get to wake up early with all that free alarm clock."
Lois laughed curtly.
"I'm not really surprised at all if Red got someone like that as a father," said Nicky.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lois voice was firm as she shot Nicky a hard glare.
"No-nothing," Nicky stammered, ducking from Lois steaming eyes. "Well, you know Red and how he is. So, you know. Maybe, he may turn out just like his father," she said as she immediately rose up from her seat.
"You're right, I know Red Nicky, but I don't think you know him as much as I do, so don't make presumptions about him and how he may turn out to be. And you don't even know his father personally."
"I don't mean it that way. That didn't come out right. I was trying to see if from your father's side."
Lois was shaking her head. She looked like she wanted to say something, but then she kept silent.
"You know, I'm hungry, would you like something to eat, Lois?"
"We both know what you mean, Nicky," replied Lois quietly. "Anyway, go ahead. I don't really feel like eating."
"I'm sorry. I sometimes just don't know what I'm saying. I'm really sorry."
"It's cool, Nicky." Lois drew a weak smile. "It just feels like you're judging Red."
"I just don't see him your way. And I'm maybe wrong." In the back of Nicky's head, it is still hard to imagine Red as of anything more than a slacker or a looker. She didn't want to linger on the idea that maybe Lois merely liked him for his looks. She wanted to think maybe her former bestfriend really saw something beneath the surface and the bravado, something good, of which she still highly doubted. Just then it dawned on her how different they've become. Before, they used to idolize and gush over the same actors for the same reasons. One time, on fourth grade, they even had the same crush, a shy boy in glasses who talk with faint lisp. The boy moved abroad with his family eventually, to both of their relief (they didn't have to compete for his attention) and sadness (they are never going to see him again). Now, she realized she didn't know Lois anymore.
"I'm sorry, Lois." Nicky knew this is not just about Red. She was sorry for all the gaps, the differences and the time lost--for not knowing who her former bestfriend is anymore.
Lois nodded. A sad look dawned on her face.