"I will never use it, Ella. Never."
I hardly kept up the pace of Liam. "Don't think I am intruding but it's my business too. I am your best friend okay? I hope you remember that."
"It's not that easy. He left us years ago. Now he will show up – oh wait, he didn't show up, more likely fled – that thing as if he cares." He stopped but still did not look at me. "If he truly cares, he should have done it years ago, he shouldn't have left the first place!" The rage flared on his face. For a moment, I was scared of him, he never got angry like this.
"Well, maybe he did it because he just realized it. That he loves you." My hand found his shoulder and let him look at me. I hesitated then eventually say, "This might sound a little hard, but can't you please give him another chance? You haven't even tried."
"Not now maybe someday." His anger was replaced by something else... pain?
"Okay. Someday." I smiled, hoping he would too. "But promise me you'll be grateful. And..."
"And?"
"And promise me I'll be the first one you'll ride the thing with."
He shook his head of disbelief, but he smiled. See? My smile was kinda contagious. At least for him. "Whatever." We walked in silence.
Liam received his pre-birthday gift from his father who was abroad. He did not want to talk about him and I understood that. He left them just before he and his mother moved-in the house next to us. But he still refused to drive and even open the thing that was delivered to their house yesterday, no more additional charges or paperwork, all set and ready to go. He was older by a year so he already had a student's licence which meant he could drive with a supervision of someone with full-licence in National roads or alone in villages and along small places.
"There you are!" Aly rushed to us once we stepped into the main gate of our school.
"What's going on?" I asked. There was a commotion in front of the school's bulletin board.
She excitedly held my forearms and said, "We made it to the first audition!"
I looked at Liam beside me who could not hide his happiness. "Congrats to the both of you!"
She stepped back. "Both of us? You're included too, Ella."
Did I just hear her right? "What do you mean? I'm not part of the audition." The hell I sang there!, I reminded my sane mind.
Aly blushed a little and looked at the ground. "Sorry I forgot to tell you. The drama committee asked your name after you left. They were disappointed you left so soon without even signing up in a hurry. One of our batch mates knew that I am friends with you so I told them I guess it will be fine with you if they'll include you in the aspirants." She shrugged, "Guess they like you that much."
"Wow, Ella, I know drama isn't your thing but don't waste it." Liam encouraged me, forgetting our recent conversation.
"There must be any typo." We walked to the list which was pinned on the cork board. There were columns for each roles that needed performers. The first three were for Marius, Cosette, and Eponine. Liam's name under Marius, Aly's name under Eponine, and my name under Cosette. Seems like Aly's partner did not make it.
"Nice audition," Marc, one of Liam's friends, patted him and noddedtowards me. I smiled back politely.
"Geez, this was not for me, I'm sorry." I sighed and turned back.
"Aren't you happy? A lot wished to be in the list but wasn't there." Aly followed, telling us a story about his partner who almost cried after knowing his name wasn't there.
"No, really, I can't. I'll just promise to watch you in your practices if ever you really got the role; help if needed." I smiled. "Oh, and I don't really like the role of Cosette, I prefer Eponine."
"If you say so, I'd be happy to practice with you, Liam." Aly squeezed my shoulder and left.
"I told you: you should have joined me." Liam folded his sleeves.
I shrugged and wanted to dismiss the topic. "Congrats, by the way."
"We have to save up the congratulations first until I really have it. Expectation is the root of all heartaches.*" He quoted one of my favorite quotes that I reminded him and myself most of the time.
"Yeah, we have to know the worst but aim for the best. Keep that in mind: Aim for the bestest."
"Bestest, huh? You're incredible Miss Gomez." He shook his head.
Before I sat in my desk, Aly asked for my phone because she had to text someone. I lend it to her. "Thanks," she said and went back to sit with my phone beside Beth.
There was still no teacher, so the class was a little rowdy with students who have their own businesses. Liam went over to Marc and some other guys in our school to have their usual guy talk. I took my Chemistry book out and tried to study for my next class.
"Ella, someone's calling you." Aly handed the phone back to me. The caller ID read James M. Why would Jamie Mendoza call me now?
"I sent my message. I won't need it anymore. Thanks." Aly walked away. I saw Beth and she waved at me. The awkwardness between me and her felt like fading. I knew she might be recovering from the thing between her and Liam.
My ringtone, Kiss the rain by Yiruma, was still ringing. I answered it. "Hello?"
Jamie's voice startled me. "Ella! Glad you answered."
I wondered if these people in my classroom, especially those who idolized him so much, would know I was just talking to a superstar right now. "What's up?" I did not know what else to say.
"I'm going to your city later. If you're free after school, we can meet up." I imagined his famous face in front of me.
"I'll try. I have to ask my parents first." I looked around. My classmates did not mind, only Liam looked at me with suspicion.
"I hope you can. It's been a long time since we talked. It's Friday anyway. you deserve a Happy Friday. Mommy Klar will let you for sure." He still called my mother Mommy Klar. I wondered why most of Mom's co-workers called her that.
I laughed. "Sure. I promise I will try. Will text you soon."
"Okay, see you, bye." He hung up.
"Who's that?" Marvin sat beside me. He looked suspicious.
"Jamie Mendoza," I simply said because I knew he will get a little jealous. I hold his hands. "He is asking me if I can meet him after school."
His face set lighter. "Do you want to come?"
"I have to ask Mommy Klar first." I imitated them.
Marvin laughed. "I'll be with you."
"I'll want you to." I brushed my thumb on his hand.
"Gracella, who's that?" Liam sat on my other side.
I made sure no one could hear and told him, "Jamie."
"Oh my God, Ella!" He shouted. Half of the class looked our way. I simply raised my brows at them and waved a little. "Sorry," Liam whispered.
I scolded him. "Better be quiet, noisy mouth."
"The name-callings now? Just because you got a phone call from a hot star."
I glared at him.
"Haist, what did he say?"
I reconsidered telling it to him. "He will be near the city this afternoon. He wanted a meet up."
"A date?" He asked, shocked.
I cleared the idea. "No! No! Not even close to that."
"Then why did he want to see you?"
I had no idea. "I don't really know. Maybe he just want to take the opportunity because he'll be near here."
Liam shook his head, clearly not pleased. "I'll join you."
I looked at him to check if he was serious, he was not even smiling.
"I'm serious," he answered my question even before I asked it.
"I'm not even sure if Mom will let me," I admitted. "It feels weird too because... shocks, I will be with Jamie Mendoza, later!" Not to mention, in a small city where he is well-known.
"I feel something weird about him. I want to meet him, yes, but there's something else. First, he let you call him his real name; second, he calls your mother Mommy; third, this. What's next? Honestly, I don't trust the guy fully."
"You know a lot, huh? Well, first of all, his friends call him James. I don't even call him that even now, still weird. Second, my mother's co-workers call her that, almost everyone in the studio. Lastly, how many times do I have to tell you that won't be a date or whatever you want to call it. Just a simple..." What do I call it? "Hello-ing."
"Another word from Ellactionary." He sighed.
"It's what you want to call to a sort-of date but not date, okay? Just accept it." It felt happy to add up another word in my vocabulary. "By the way, when's the next audition?" I tried to change the topic.
"Hmm, according to Aly it will be on Monday."
"Godbless! He have to prepare for it." I gave thumbs up.
"So... you'll let me come with you?" He brought the question up again.
I thought of it then made a quick decision. "Alright!"
He chuckled. "Thanks. I'll prepare my souvenir items and autograph."
"Wait," I cut his joy. "I have one condition before you can come."
"What now?" he asked, frustrated.
"I will tell you later."
~
Liam forced me to tell him what my condition was. I did not tell him until we got home. I did not want to push him hard.
We reached my house. "The condition?"
The pavement was wet from rain. "I will ask permission. Then I will tell you before we leave."
"You'll let me prepare without saying it? What if I don't accept the condition?"
"You have to accept it then."
He wiped his face. I probably annoyed him hundred and thousand times, but he was still there. I was happy he could not resist me most of the time. Hope that would not change.
"I'll call you right after I verify my parents and Jamie Mendoza."
"James, you mean?"
"Yeah, him." I regretted that I kept on forgetting to call him James. It was like betraying him in some sort. "Bye."
I entered and called if anyone's home. Unexpectedly, Dad answered, "Princess?"
"Where are you?" I shouted back.
"Office," he replied.
I went to him and entered the unlocked door of his office. "Hi."
"Hi," he smiled behind the stacks of papers on his desk.
"Can I go somewhere?"
"Depends on where somewhere is." He removed his blue glasses.
"Jamie Mendoza, I mean James, will be here. He said he wanted to see me."
"Sit," he gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. "Be honest with me, El. There's nothing going on between you two?"
"Dad!" I was not expecting the accusation. "No, of course not."
He studied me. "I just wanna say it's hard to understand celebrity world, I want you to be aware of that."
"I know that, Dad."
He stood, moved to sit right in front of me on the other guess chair, and held my hands. "I don't dictate who you should love or not. As your father I don't want to limit your freedom in some things I know you can handle, but just so you know, the pain any daughter felt was twice as much as her father's. I don't want to see you cry or let anyone hurt you." He was looking at me all the time. He might have said this because of the thing with Daniel. I did not want to say aloud that the Daniel thing would not happen again, but just like what I always said, they knew me so well that words weren't needed for them to know.
I pushed the tears back and hugged him. "I love you Dad." I kissed his cheek. When I was younger, I loved the way his newly-shaved beard tickled me. "I love you effing much!"
"No bad words!" He scolded and I hugged him tighter.
"Effing is different from the real word." I laughed.
He laughed too, no wonder why Mom loved him. "Go, you might be late to... what do you want to call it a – "
I cut him. "Hello-ing. It's just a hello-ing."
"You say hello from me. Really looking forward to meet him someday."
"Will do." I smiled. "There's nothing going on really. And Liam will come with me."
"Have fun. Do you need me to come with you at least have a ride?" He ignored his ringing phone.
I stood and got my shoulder bag lying on the floor. "No, Liam will drive us." He nodded and I started to close the door when I said, "Dad?"
He looked up and raised his brow.
"I'm really really thankful you're my father. And also to Mom."
That probably surprised him because it took a moment before he reacted. "Same here."
I closed the door and went up. Marvin was on my bed reading a book. Wait... he can do that?!
"How...?" I asked.
He shrugged and placed the book down to stand. "Anything wrong?" He felt this twinge of emotion running in me.
I shook my head. He wrapped me in his warm and welcoming arms. "I just realized how grateful I should be for all these things I have. From little things to big ones."
"I am thankful I have you." He said it right on my ears.
"I should be the one to say that." I checked his smile and his eyes overwhelmed me.
"Are we going?"
I giggled. "Yep, just let me change."
"I'll be waiting here." He let go and I changed to a simple shorts and shirt.
"How do I look?" I flattened the yellow long sleeves.
"As always, perfect." He kissed me.
"You're flattering me again!" I slapped his chest.
"Not at all." He tucked the loose hair in my ears.
"I have to call Liam and James." I suddenly laughed because I finally remembered to call him James.
I called James and said I was coming with a friend. He said I could bring as much as I want as long as they weren't pyscho-killer or paparazzi. Then, Liam called just after I ended the call with Jamie. "All ready?"
"Yep, just a little..." He sounded like struggling to lift something super heavy.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing, just give me a... minute." I heard a toilet flush.
"Ow, gross! Are you fudging serious?!"
He laughed. "Can't blame me. I'm excited as hell."
"Then why did you call me while you're pooping?"
"Pooping? Just want to make sure you won't leave me."
"I won't," I said. "Gah, just finish your dirty work and come pick me up."
"Comin'! I'm already done... just... let me hang up first, I don't want to get my phone wet. You know, water and cellphone aren't a good combination."
I rolled my eyes even though he could not see. "You say a lot, bye."
The phone call was about to end when he asked, "Will your driver drive us or you want to take the bus?"
I paused. "Faster, I will drive us."
"Whatever. You can't even start the engine."
"Bye, bye! We'll be late!!!" I ended the call. He might not want my plan.
Arms wrapped around me. "Don't frown, very not like the Ella I know."
I tried to smile. "I don't know if I should push Liam into this."
He held me arms-length to look into my eyes. Brown to green. "The choice is still in him." He wiggled his thumbs, his soft skin against mine. The contact eased me.
"I simply want to let him know. To let him forgive. It's hard for me as his best friend to see him like that."
Marvin hugged me once more. "Don't be anxious about things, it will be anxious for itself." He stated one of my favorite bible verses.
I took a deep breath. "Thank you for being here always."
He smiled. "For as long as I can be here, I will be here."
"I need to get down," I said, hearing noises downstairs.
"Enjoy!" He kissed my cheeks all of a sudden. I blushed. "You're turning red." He chuckled.
"I'm not!" I denied which made me redder.
He shuffled my hair and fixed it. "There, nice and neat. I bet James will notice you belong to the shades and high heels world." He cupped my head.
"I never wish." Yes, I dreamt to be famous someday, but not the super famous one. Just a successful writer who could inspire people and whose words would be remembered. I was glad that Jamie Mendoza was still James. I just knew him recently but I knew he still kept his feet on the ground even though fame could change people.
"Can't tell future."
We walked downstairs while he was holding my hands. Liam held an ecobag. "Hi."
"Are you going to picnic?"
"No, but I will meet a legend today. Better bring some posters for the autograph."
Liam, Marvin and I went out. Marvin's hand was still entwined with mine. As we passed the garage, Liam spoke, "Where's the car?"
I did not look at him. "You'll drive us, Liam."
"Mom went out. Can we use your dad's?" His excitement seemed to fade.
"I am talking about your car." I looked at Marvin and he squeezed my hand.
He stopped walking. "Why are you doing this to me?!"
"I am not doing anything." I said, but clearly, I was. I was invading his personal life. "Sorry, just want to see you happy. Carrying that crap all along you clearly can't make you happy." I finally looked at him. It was like our conversation this morning came again. "Forgiving can set, not just the one you will forgive, but yourself too, free. Freedom is happiness."
"Don't start with this talk, you're being unfair. You can grab my mind and squeeze it to the limit! I know you want to help me, I appreciate that so much." He was the one to look away this time. "Sorry, but not now."
I knew it was unfair, but I started to walk back to my house.
"Where are you going?" he asked immediately.
"Sorry, but it's my condition. That means you can't come. Anyway, don't worry. I can go there by myself." I glanced at Marvin. "And Marvin."
He was about to say something but closed his mouth. He stomped his feet and shook his hands like throwing something. His little tantrum. "Okay! Okay! I will use it."
I waited if he would take it back; he did not. "Really?"
He nodded. "Because I want to meet my idol and..."
"And...?" I looked deeper in his eyes, same color as mine.
"And," he paused again, getting courage to say what he was about to say. "And I want to try to forgive my father."
I smiled sympathetically. "I believe you can do it."
"Be thankful you're my bestfriend!" He ran his fingers in his hair, like what Marvin did."It can be good thing sometimes, sometimes not."
I shrugged and walked back to him. I clung my arms in Marvin, the other in him. "Shall we? My friend must be waiting."
He went back in his house to get the key, a ribbon was still tied around the keychain. "Here," he led me at their backyard garage. His mind seemed away, reminding old lost memories stuck in the past.
Marvin said goodbye. "See you later." He kissed my cheeks again and walked away. I did not wait to see him fade, let me just think he walked off, went home. That's it. Like a normal boyfriend going home after a walk with his girlfriend.
"Hey," I placed a hand on Liam's shoulder. What a selfish way I acted earlier. "Dad or a bus can take us there instead. Or we can use Dad's car."
He smirked and shook his head. "After all that scene, you'll back-out now?"
"If you're not ready..." I looked at the ground.
"No. This is the time, been a while since I called someone dad." He smiled at me. "I know it's also time to forgive. Once again, Gracella scores!" He opened the passenger seat for me. Smelled like new leather and fabric.
"Wow, when will I have something like this?" Mom and Dad promised me to have a driver's licence right after I turned sixteen, but a car of my own... wow.
He climbed on the driver's. I connected my phone to the GPS and searched the small café James texted me.
"I've been there with my mother." Liam said.
"Good, it's embarrassing to be late." I patted his back, opened the high class audio player and the radio boomed.kp
"I love this song! It's from Lexie Nagisa."
It was almost five o'clock. The name rang a bell. "Sounds familiar."
Liam smiled and gripped the steeringwheel, caressing it. "Probably because he is James's love interest."
"You know a lot, huh?" I felt a little shy not knowing these things.
"Well, if you idolize someone, you'll stalk their profile."
I love you
as long as you're here
beside me...
as long as there are sunrises,
oceanwaves, and heartbeats....
The song filled our atmosphere. "Crush-thing," I teased him. In our free time, he would come in my house and we would check his crushes' profiles in Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, stalking.
"I stopped that privacy bribery!"
I laughed. "Yeah, right. Just celebs?"
"Yep, celebs." He shrugged. "And some times, whoever I feel worth stalking."
I sneered at him. "Am I worth stalking?"
"Somehow, but not really."
"Is that so?"
"Kiddin' of course you are. Many must be visiting your profile everyday, who knows? But I don't, no need." He turned to look at me. "I know you well enough personally, I don't need your social networking sites for me to know happenings in your life. And, you do the talking a lot."
"Thanks for that." I rolled my eyes.
We rode in silence listening to the radio. After half an hour, he parked in front of a Café right outside our village. "Here we are! Where is he?"
I dialed his number. "James! Where at you?"
"In my car, Ella. What about you?"
"We're already here. You should go inside." I knew it was a risk to stay there long, people might have suspicions.
"Sure, you too."
A guard in uniform approached Liam's car and knocked on the tinted window.
Liam rolled it down. "Any problem, sir?"
"Oh, teenagers, give me a break." The guard muttered, but not directly to us. This time, he spoke, "Okay, no parking here. Can't you read? For employees only. Unless you want to apply inside."
In front of us was a sign Employee Parking. "Sorry, missed it." Liam made a face.
The guard sighed. "Go park at the back."
"Yeah," Liam rolled the windows up and the guard steps away. "Gross, the man's breath is worse than seamonsters."
"Hope the parking is not crowded at the back."
"Hope so," he said, but the Café was a little packed. "Go inside already. I will follow you after."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," he gave me a weird look. "It's not thousand miles away. I can walk a few meters."
I went in the Café alone and looked for my celebrity friend. No familiar faces in the crowd. It was full with family, couples, or individuals who are reading and writing with their books of laptops.
I finally gave up finding and got my phone from my bag.
"Ella Gomez!" A guy's voice called me, when I turned, no one was there but two girls a little older than my age sitting on a bunk couch.
"Hey, been a long time." The girl with curly blonde and sunglasses said. It took me a moment to realize she was Jamie Mendoza.
"Jam--Jamie?"
The girl – James – nodded while grinning. "How are you? How's our disguise?"
I sat on the other couch parallel to them. "I'm fine. Wow, you look... different." The word lingered, remembering my past conversation with him.
His mood did not change. "By the way, this is my friend, Alexa."
I shook Alexa's soft hands. She was really a girl. Her black hair, like mine, seems real with full bangs. Beneath her glasses are slanted eyes that shifted into a fine line as she smiled. "Nice to meet you, Alexa."
"You too, Ella, right?" Her accent was cute.
It processed in my mind who this girl really was. "You're Lexie! Lexie Nagisa?" I said a little louder than I expected.
She giggled softly. "Yeah, that's what people know me as."
"Ella," Liam walked to us nervously.
"James, Alexa, this is my friend." I reached for his wrists and asked him to sit beside me, in front of Alexa.
"Sorry I did not inform that I will have company too." James smiled.
"This is my friend, Liam Venida. Liam, these are Alexa and James."
"Am I in heaven?" Liam asked with neutral voice. Like the question was so natural like asking if he had eaten.
Alexa answered for him. "Heaven is for real, but not yet, you're not. Still a long way ahead." She smiled again and tilted his head a little.
"Oh my Gus! Lexie Nagisa?"
"I'm kinda sad that you noticed me immediately." She offered her hand.
"Can I shake hands with you?" I almost saw Liam blush but it faded. "It's hard not to notice someone you always hear or see everynight."
"Excuse me?" Alexa said, almost laughing.
"I mean, I listed to your radioshow online. Your picture is there." They shook hands. Liam divert his attention to James. "James?"
James perked up in the mention of his real name. "Present!" He kinda lost his girlish disguise.
I could see happiness in Liam's eyes. "I do adore you."
James laughed. "I don't have a lot of fanboys. Always glad to know one."
"Yeah," he still have that barrier between him and James, wonder if it was my imagination only.
"I told this to Ella before in our first meeting, I will now tell you." He looked serious. He glanced at Alexa beside him. It was awkward to think this was Jamie Mendoza in a girly look. More like a beauty queen with strange voice. "While we're out of the studio, I am James, and Alexa for her. They're different from Jamie Mendoza and Lexie Nagisa. We've been like you before we're here, maybe it's time to experience that again."
"Sure thing, James." Liam smiled. I forgot to tell him about that earlier.
They talked about more guy stuff before I suggested to take our orders, me avoiding chocolates. In a short time, our number was called and our order was served.
"You hate sweets?" Alexa asked.
Liam replied for me, "Yeah. She isn't a fan of sugar and chocolates."
She nodded. "What about you? What do you like?"
"Me?!" Liam blushed again. "Well, most of the things. Any, really."
"Even shit?" James asked him. The mention of the word grossed me. Alexa somewhat scolded him. They looked so cute together. The article Liam had read might be right.
"No!" Liam defensed. I remembered the moment before we left.
"What are your hobbies then?"
"I play some instruments. Used to be in a band, but I left. I also read books."
"Books? What kind?" Alexa countered.
"Most things Ella read. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, even classics."
"I read too! I'm Potterhead and Demigod."
"I'm surprised you can manage time."
James fixed his wig. "You sing?"
"Yes! He sang in our school programs." I proudly announced.
"You two are very close to each other." Alexa said, kinda sad.
"We know each other since we were young."
"But you aren't going out?
"Us? No!" We said at the same time. We all laughed. "Seriously, no." I clarified
"I used to have a crush on her." The topic became so distant that talking about it became a little funny instead of awkward. "What about you two? Are you really dating?"
"Dating? No!" They said in chorus, just like Liam and I. We laughed again. "Don't believe paparazzi lies." Alexa rolled her eyes.
"People are exaggerating things a bit. I don't know, but people really would do anything for money." James explained.
"It's not bad to aim for the best and have you want as long as you do the right thing. You can't remove the way people want to have riches... but using other people as your subjects?" She shook her head in disbelief. "The worst."
"Why don't you just leave?" Liam asked.
"Dreams. We have dreams." James looked away to the glass window beside our table. The view was a little garden with tables and the back parking lot. "I'm afraid it is part of the package."
We had a little more chitchats. They were here because Alexa and James would record a song together in a studio here. We also talked about the play Liam auditioned for.
"Be the character you are portraying. That's the key." James advised, he removed his sunglasses.
"For an hour or day, just remember you can be whoever you wanna be. Theater can make people think of impossibility." Alexa said.
James smirked. "How can you know that? You're a DJ, not actress."
Alexa ignored him, I could say that she was used to James contradicting her. "I didn't include it in my BioData but I was in drama club during the first years of my highschool."
"Wow, pretty cool." Liam said, glad to know more of his idols.
"Thanks. And I moved to the Music Club, where I belong more, the rest of my highschool."
"Thanks for the advice both of you."
"We would love to watch that." Lexie said.
"Oh no! Some of the guys in my school totally adores you. It will be a mess for you." Liam waved his hands awkwardly.
"Well if disguising is the case, leave it to the expert." She glanced at James' direction.
"Do us a favor and buy two more tickets." He winked.
~
"I'm not expecting to see James with Lexie. She was so beautiful and smart and amazing!" Liam tapped the steeringwheel as we drove in the newly dusk sky.
"Surprises are best without expectations." I recalled Marvin's quote. Thinking of him made me miss him.
Liam slapped his face. "I hate myself for not brave enough to ask for her number."
I smirked. "It is clearly you, Liam, to be weak in front of girls."
"Me? Weak?" he disagreed. "They are the one who should swoon over me."
"Stop being so boastful." I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, I can ask James for her number."
"No, no, no. A real man does the job by himself."
"Oh, really?"
"I will ask the next time I see her." He was very determined.
"Next time?"
"Yeah, there'll be more next times."
"If you say so."
"I am serious!" He looked at my direction and returned in front. "I forgot to ask James but he will have a concert next month. I heard the tix were sold-out. No point of asking for it."
"You know a lot, huh?"
"As I said..."
"I'll ask my mom about it." I was still awed with his car so I started to wander at the drawers and compartments. There are brochures and papers.
"What are those?" he asked.
"Hotels, airlines... Did you check this before?"
"Nope," he paused. "I told you. This was the first time I opened this thing."
I read the brochures until I found a white envelope. "Have you seen this?"
"How many times do I have to tell you –" His complaint was cut once he saw what I was talking about. He shook his head.
His name was written on one side. "I guess it is for you." I did not wait for his reply instead I just placed it on the holder between us.
He stopped in front of our house. "Thanks."
I smiled. "I had fun too. I will try my best to have a contact with Alexa."
"Not just that. I am talking about everything. Thank you for being my bestest friend."
"Same here. Read this," I gave him the envelope and hugged him before going out.
~~~
Footnotes:
*William Shakespeare