The dismissal bell rang exactly at three-thirty in the afternoon, signaling for the end of classes. I sighed in relief. I was the next one who will read my homework in front of class. Saved by the bell.
“Ms. Strauss, tomorrow, you are going to read your homework in front of the class,” Mr. Park said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Class dismissed.”
The other students cheered and were already grabbing their bags to get out of this hell. I grabbed my bag and my books and left the classroom in a flash. I walked to my locker and stuffed all my books inside.
“Hey yo!”
I rolled my eyes, expecting to see Vince. He always says those things. But when I turned my head, I was shocked to see Suzanne, grinning at me. I frowned and gaped at her. “What did you say?”
“Uh, ‘hey yo’?” Suzanne said, her brows knitting up together in confusion. “What’s the problem?”
“Well, Vince always says that! Are you copying him?”
Suzanne gasped. “Me? Copy that creep? No way! I’m too civilized to copy his moves and whatnots.”
“What did I miss?”
I turned and saw Miranda, beaming at us. “You wouldn’t believe what Suzanne said!” I informed her.
“Okay, what did she say?”
“She greeted me with a ‘hey yo’!” I said, throwing my hands for emphasis. “Vince usually says those things! Suzanne is clearly copying him!”
“Ooh, somebody is in love!” Miranda said, laughing her head off.
“I’m not in love!” Suzanne said, blushing. “Maybe I am! But not with Vince! I’m with Denim, remember?”
Miranda rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me of him.” She opened her locker which was beside mine and stuffed her things inside. “He was always pestering me during Algebra class. Ms. Gregg was about to explode because of us.”
Suzanne giggled. “Aww, he just wants to make friends!”
“Don’t make him sound like a puppy.”
“He’s not a puppy!”
“I didn’t say that.”
Suzanne rolled her eyes. “Whatever, you guys!” She sighed and looked at me. “Aren’t you going to the football field after classes? Isn’t that what Vince told you this morning?”
I frowned. “How did you know?”
“He told me.”
Miranda suddenly laughed. “So he’s saying stuff like that to you now? You are so going to make a good couple!”
“Guys, I am in a relationship,” Suzanne said, sounding dead serious. “You don’t want Denim hearing about this stuff. He gets jealous easily.”
“What about me?”
We snapped our heads to the direction of the voice revealing a brown-haired six-foot guy. He’s quite handsome, if you ask me. But his brown eyes were saying, Annoy me or die. I seriously don’t know what Suzanne sees in him. I know I’ve always hated Suzanne’s boyfriends—don’t tell her I said that—but Denim is by far, the worst.
“Oh, baby!” Suzanne said and tiptoed to kiss Denim’s lips.
Denim kissed her back and after a few minutes, their kiss was turning into a serious one. Miranda cleared her throat loudly and they unglued their lips. Suzanne’s face was pink while Denim smiled apologetically at us. “Sorry about that. Got carried away.”
Miranda raised her eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to football practice?”
“I am.”
“Why don’t you go now?”
“Well, Suzanne told me that she’ll accompany me during football practice,” Denim explained. “She said that she never saw me play football before so… she’s going to accompany me.”
Suzanne giggled and held Denim’s hands. “So… we better get going, guys! I’ll see you tomorrow morning!”
“Wait,” Miranda said, shouldering her bag and grabbed my arm. “We are going to.”
“What? We are?” I frowned.
“Yeah,” Miranda said, smiling. I know that smile. It’s like she’s planning on something. “Can we join you, guys?”
Denim grinned. “Sure! Suzanne will be alone at the bleachers if you’re not coming. Besides, I know Coach Vince will be happy to see you there.” He smiled at me.
I rolled my eyes. “I doubt that.”
“So let’s get going,” Suzanne said and led the way with Denim, holding her hands.
Miranda and I were at the back, walking as slowly as we can. “What are you planning?” I asked.
“Sometimes, I have a feeling Suzanne is too ignorant,” Miranda said, shaking her head. “When we talk about love, she fell for every handsome guy she can see. She’s beautiful, no wonder those guys she fell for fell for her, too. But sometimes, guys want to play with Suzanne.”
“What?! Are you kidding me?! How did you know that?”
“Remember what I said earlier about Denim pestering me during Algebra class? Well, he told me about it. He says that he’s not really serious with their relationship. He says he’s playing with her. I don’t know if he’s joking or not—he was smiling the whole time! I want to kick his ass that time.”
“So why didn’t you?”
“Because I don’t want to make a bad impression on Ms. Gregg. She knows were close and she knows that you’re the younger sister of Vince. Maybe she’ll think badly about me if I kick Denim’s ass. And if she thinks badly about me, your reputation on her point of view would be ruined, too. And she’ll think badly about Vince, too, because you’re his sister. You get it?”
“No.”
Miranda grinned. “Yeah, me too. Let’s just stop talking about Denim and check out hot guys in the football field.”
I rolled my eyes. “You seriously need a boyfriend.”
“I don’t want to. And besides, I’m not like Bella Swan who can’t live without a boyfriend.”
I smirked. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
By that time, we already arrived at the football field. Suzanne gave a goodbye kiss on Denim’s lips. When she turned to be with us, Denim gave Miranda a wink. She just rolled her eyes.
“Isn’t he the cutest?” Suzanne sighed as we sat on the bleachers together with the girls who was checking out the football players. “He’s soo great. By the way, he’s parents are out tonight! I am so going to stay on his place tonight.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked.
“Duh. I’m his girlfriend!”
Even Miranda looked at me, raising her eyebrow. “I think you’re the only virgin of the three of us, Victoria,” she said. “I am clearly not anymore. And Suzanne isn’t, too.”
I blushed. “You got a problem with that?”
“Well, you’re hot and pretty,” Suzanne said. “You should really look for a boyfriend now. See, there are eleven boys out there on the field. As far as I know, only one is taken—and that is Denim. The others are hopefully single.”
Miranda rolled her eyes. “They are popular football guys, Suzanne. Of course they have a girlfriend! They wouldn’t be popular if they don’t have one.”
“Some of them are single. Denim told me.”
“Oh really? Give me the names.”
“Well, there are Keith Smith, Peter Vang, Ian Jones, Ryan West, Nathaniel Brown,” Suzanne answered promptly. “There are a lot more—I just can’t remember.”
Miranda smiled. “Well, there are a lot of guys. Maybe I should talk to one of them.” Then she suddenly frowned. “Wait. Isn’t James David single, too?”
Suzanne shook her head. “Not anymore. When you refused him, he looked for another girl.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Hazelle Weston.”
I gaped at Suzanne. “Are you kidding me?! James dating that bitch?” I nearly screamed.
“You pipe down!” Miranda scolded, as she gave a sweet smile on the people who looked down at us with annoyance. “You just don’t scream that Hazelle is a bitch! I know she is, but she’s still a popular girl. If you don’t want your life hell in high school, you better keep to yourself that Hazelle is a bitch.”
I was breathing heavily. I can’t believe James is that low to have Hazelle has a girlfriend! He should have proved himself more to Miranda. Miranda would like that—maybe.
Suzanne clapped her hands in excitement. “Oh, oh! The practice is starting!”
Sure enough, the football practice is starting. I saw Vince on his white pants and white top. He has a whistle hanging on his neck and he waved at the girls who were waving their hands to him. I frowned at them. Seriously, get a life, girls.
Suzanne inhaled sharply beside me. “Those girls are so hopeless! Why are they trying their best to flirt on Vince? They already knew he’s taken by Ms. Gregg! It’s all over the school. Bitches.”
I gaped at her in shock. I glanced at Miranda and was having the same expression like me. Suzanne rarely says bad words—and now, she’s using it to a bunch of girls who did nothing to her but just flirted on Vince. I suppressed a smile. Maybe she really does like him.
I know nothing about football so I’m sorry to say that I can’t describe what the players were doing. They were running around, shouting orders to each other and, of course, waving to the girls on the bleachers. Vince caught my eye and gave me a grin. He mouthed, “I know you would come.”
I mouthed back, “Whatever. Shut up.”
He just laughed and continued watching the players.
After an hour and a half, the players stopped playing and were slapping each other’s backs. They were laughing and fooling around now. They turned to the direction of their football room—which is to say, the room where they stay before and after practices to fix their self up.
“Let’s go,” Suzanne said, standing up.
“Aren’t we going to wait for Denim?” Miranda asked, her eyes twinkling. “Wait! Are we ditching him?”
Suzanne looked aghast. “No! Of course not! What made you think I’ll do that?” Miranda shrugged while Suzanne rolled her eyes. “I’m going to their football room.
I frowned. “Hey, you can’t do that. Football room is out of bounds, remember? And… besides, have you seen those guys when they got in? They were so sweaty! You seriously want to go in a room full of sweaty boys?”
Suzanne folded her arms, looking disappointed. “But I want to see Denim now! And I have something to give to him.”
“What?” Miranda asked, looking away, her voice uninterested.
“This!” Suzanne beamed and brought a locket inside her pockets. “Isn’t it cute? A locket?”
I grabbed the locket from her hands and opened it. Inside was a small picture of Denim and Miranda, smiling. I suddenly laughed out loud. Then Miranda made a grab on the locket. When she glanced at the picture, she also laughed. “What made you think Denim is going to wear that?”
“He’s going to wear this!” Suzanne said angrily, grabbing the locket from Miranda’s hands. “If he loves me, he will!”
“But he’s a guy, Suze,” I said, still laughing. “Guys doesn’t wear lockets—especially with a picture like that. Only girls does that.”
Suzanne frowned. “Whatever! I’m still going to make him wear that!”
“Suze, he’s a popular guy,” Miranda said. “He’s not going to wear that, I assure you.”
“You—you guys! You are supposed to be on my side!”
Miranda and I continued laughing. Suzanne just slipped the locket on her neck. “Fine! I’m the one who’s going to wear this! Happy?”
I wiped my eyes. “I still can’t imagine seeing Denim wearing a locket,” I said and Miranda and I laughed.
“Victoria!” Suzanne scolded. “Why are you such a Miranda-ish today?”
“What? Isn’t that a good thing?” Miranda asked, wiping her eyes, too.
Suzanne opened her mouth to shout at us. But closed it again and smirked. “Because I love you both, I’m going to make you give him this,” she said and grabbed something that looks like a bubblegum inside her bag. “You two will go inside the room and give him this.”
Miranda glanced at the thing and stopped laughing. She suddenly looked dead serious and glared at Suzanne. “What made you think I’m going to do that?” she said, folding her arms. “I am so not going to do that!”
“Come on, guys!” Suzanne urged. “I can’t do it!”
“You’re the girlfriend! You should!”
“But this is going to be our first time!”
Miranda shook her head firmly. “I am not going to do that! Never in a million years.”
I decided to speak up—I feel so awkward just sitting here quietly. “I… uh, Miranda, if you think it’s so embarrassing, I could go with you.”
Miranda gaped at me. “Are you kidding me? Maybe the others will think we’re going to have a threesome or something!”
“What?”
Suzanne narrowed her eyes. “You don’t know what this is?” She gestured on the bubblegum-ish thing on her hand.
I frowned. Somehow, I know that I know this thing. But I can’t seem to give a name to the thing. So I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”
The reactions of Miranda and Suzanne were weird. Miranda’s jaw dropped while Suzanne’s eyes were so wide I’m afraid they’re going to pop out of their sockets. Then Miranda whispered something to Suzanne that I didn’t hear. Suzanne laughed at that and handed me the bubblegum-ish thing. “You give that to Denim.”
“What? Why me?”
“So he would explain what that is.”
“But you guys know what this is!” I said, pointing at the thing. “Could you just explain what this is?”
Miranda chuckled. “But where’s the fun in that?”
I glared at them both and grabbed the thing from Suzanne’s hand. I glanced at it one last time and narrowed my eyes. This thing does look familiar. I think I’ve already seen this inside Vince’s drawer or something. “Fine. I’m going to the room. Just to prove to you both I can do this!”
I shouldered my bag and stood up to leave. Before I walk inside the room, Suzanne grabbed my shoulder. “Don’t be angry with us if you learn what the thing is, okay?”
I frowned. “Could you just explain what this thing is?”
“But…”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”
I continued walking to the room. Good thing, it’s not that far. Halfway on my trip to the room, a dark-haired guy was running on my direction. He’s wearing a football player shorts but he wasn’t wearing a shirt or a top. He wasn’t also wearing shoes. Without realizing I was in front of him, he literally ran over me.
“Hey!” I screamed.
“Whoa!” the guy yelled.
After a second, I was on the ground and on top of me was the dark-haired guy. When we looked at each other… I can’t describe what I seriously felt.
First, my heart did a little tap dance. Then my head was spinning so fast I thought I’m going to have a headache and vomit. No, I am not going to vomit in front of this mysterious guy. That will just ruin my odds.
Anyway, the guy looked at me. He got amazing gray eyes and with a jolt, I realized he got six-pack abs. I must have blushed because the guy laughed on my reaction. He slowly got up and handed his hand. I grabbed it and used it as a leverage to stand up.
“What’s that in your hands?” he asked.
“What?”
Before I know it, his hands were on mine. At first, he looked shocked when he saw the thing then slowly smiled. “You are going to have fun with your boyfriend, eh?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t play dumb,” the guy said, laughing.
“I seriously don’t know what you mean!” I said, frowning. “I don’t have any boyfriend. And this is for the boyfriend of my best friend. I don’t know what this thing is. Can you tell me what it is?”
The guy frowned. “You don’t know what this is?”
I wildly shook my head. “My friends were making fun of me because of it.”
The guy suppressed a smile and leaned forwards. He whispered to me, “It’s a condom.”
My eyes widened and I took a step backwards. “Are you kidding me?! This is a condom?!”
“I take it you’re a virgin?” the guy asked, laughing his head off. Then he walked away, smiling to himself.
I am so going to kill Suzanne and Miranda for this! But before I could turn and leave, Denim appeared and smiling on my direction. “Hey, Victoria!”
I sighed with relief. “Good thing you’re here!” I said and gave him the condom. “Suzanne told me to give this to you.”
Denim frowned at it and then slowly blushed. “You… I…” He apparently has a hard time saying some words.
I raised a hand dismissively. “Say no more. I’m going to beat up Suzanne and Miranda for setting me up.”
Denim laughed. “Yeah, yeah, you better.”
I walked together with Denim to the bleachers. When Miranda saw me, she beamed. “So you know what it is?”
“A condom.”
“Good!” Suzanne said, laughing. “Did you got in the football room?”
I shook my head. “No.” Then I glared at them both. “I am so going to kill you tomorrow!”
Miranda chuckled. “Yeah, well, I can’t lose to a virgin.”
I rolled my eyes. Yes, I am so blessed with such nice friends.
The song of this chapter is You're Not Sorry by: Taylor Swift! :)