**SURPRISE SURPRISE**
"You taught me how to love, but how do I stop loving you...?"
– Nautica
❀❀❀
~ D O R O T H Y ~
January 1998
"And why should I apologise?!" Rachel snaps.
It's lunchtime. Jenny, Rachel and I are in the classroom where we used to have our club meetings.
My tutee called in sick, so Jenny and I decided to meet with Rachel to clear up the hostility between her and Nolan. The two of them are not on speaking terms, and Nolan has not been taking the rehearsals seriously to get back at Rachel. We need to make sure that they reconcile as soon as possible or else all our efforts will be for nothing.
"He called me ugly and boring. He should apologise to me," Rachel continues, crossing her arms.
"Well, you did call his party an STD exchange first," Jenny reminds her.
"I was stating a fact," she grumbles.
"Look, Rachel," I say. "Nolan is not taking his role as a pianist seriously. When Jenny gave him his music sheet, he told her to leave it in the trash. He wants to ruin our play."
"We can kick him out," she suggests.
Jenny shakes her head, sighing.
"We only have one pianist, Rachel, and that's Nolan," Jenny says.
Rachel taps her feet, pursing her lips in ponder.
"So, what you are saying is..." she begins slowly. "I should apologise to that thing first because I need him and if I do not apologise, he will obliterate my hard work?"
Our hard work.
But oh well.
"Exactly," Jenny says, nodding.
Rachel takes off her black-rimmed glasses and rubs her temples.
"Fine. I will apologise to that wretched excuse of a man."
Jenny and I sigh in relief.
On cue, Nolan enters the classroom, just when Rachel puts her glasses back on.
Perfect timing!
"Yo girls! I'm here. What do you wanna talk to me about?" he greets.
When his hazel eyes land on Rachel, his mood sullens.
"What is she doing here?" he hisses.
"Rachel is here to apologise," Jenny says, nudging Rachel to move forward.
Sighing, Rachel nears Nolan. The two stare at each other, with Nolan having his arms crossed and Rachel narrowing her eyes.
"I am... sorry," she mumbles lowly.
"What's that? I didn't hear you," he says.
"Oh, I did not know that you are deaf!" she snaps.
Nolan clenches his jaw, not happy with her outburst. Rachel, realising what she has just said, clears her throat.
"I mean," she continues, loud and clear. "I am... Oh gosh, I think I am going to be sick..."
I facepalm.
"I... am... sorry," she finally says, heaving at every syllable.
"For?" Nolan says, gaining pleasure from her visible annoyance.
"For calling you dumb..."
"And?"
Rachel's eye twitches.
"And an STD..."
"And?"
"...And for calling your party an STD exchange."
A corner of Nolan's lips tugs upwards.
"Not forgiven," he says, making her eyes widen.
"What?" she snaps, her face turning red. "I apologised!"
"You did, yes."
"Then why am I not forgiven?"
He eyes her up and down, before he grins.
"Come to my party tonight," he says.
"What? I told you, I will not go. You also took back my invitation!"
"And I'm inviting you again. If you don't come, you won't be forgiven, and I will quit your play."
"That is very much unfair!"
"Just come to my party. Stay for a while, and then go back home. Simple. Unless you're scared of not being boring."
"YOU–"
"She will come!" Jenny says, jumping in between the two to intervene.
I quickly grab onto Rachel's arms to restrain her from strangling Nolan and cover her mouth to prevent her from spouting profanities.
"I'll see you there, Barns," he says with a mischievous grin before he leaves the classroom.
When I let go of Rachel, she is furious, panting.
"Oh, how I wish I can just murder him with my own bare hands!" she says, stomping her feet.
"You can do that after the play is officially over," Jenny says, patting her back.
After a short while, the bell rings, signalling the end of lunchtime. When Jenny and I enter the corridor, a lot of the students have already dispersed to their classes. As we walk along the corridor, my blood runs cold at the sight of a blonde-haired girl a dangerously low neckline and a very short skirt.
Monica.
She pushes an annoyed Reece against the lockers and leans her face close to his. Before her hot pink lips have a chance at making contact with Reece's lips, Reece pushes her away from him. Adamant, she tries to pin him again, and even slides one of her legs between his legs.
Normally, I'd feel nauseous at such a sight. But for some reason that I cannot understand, there is a dull ache in my chest.
Jenny notices my slow pace and follows my line of sight to find the object of my distraction.
"I guess Satan has returned," she says, snapping me back into reality. "It's disgusting to see her so desperate for Reece's attention."
"Yes," I say, picking up my walking pace. "I'm sorry for slowing us down. Let's go quickly–UFF."
I bump onto a wall.
Apparently, a wall with arms, which shoot out to stabilise me from the collision.
"You ok, Dorothy?" the wall asks.
I look up, my eyes meeting a pair of bright blue ones.
"I'm fine, Damien," I say, distracted, until realisation hits me.
I blink a couple of times before beaming.
"You're back!" I say.
"Yes," he chuckles, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"You feeling all better now?" Jenny asks.
"Yes," he replies, facing her.
As they continue to talk for a bit, I glance behind me quickly.
The desperate Monica is still trying to catch Reece's attention. In an attempt to avoid her, Reece looks away and his eyes land on me. Immediately, they widen while I, startled that I got caught watching them, hold onto Jenny and Damien's hands and pull them with me as we walk along the corridor together, away from Reece and Monica.
"We'll be late," I excuse, to which the two of them accept without a second thought.
"So are the two of you going to Nolan's tonight?" Damien asks.
"Yup," Jenny replies.
Jenny faces me.
"I'm coming over to your place at 5," she reminds me.
"Of course," I say.
She actually enjoys coming over to my house, especially since mother bakes cookies for her.
"I can pick you two up," Damien offers.
We look at him. I don't want Damien to drive an extra mile or two just to pick us up. I can just ask Reece to take us since he is going to the party anyway. But then, realisation that Luna will be at the party hits me; she will most probably spot me coming out of Reece's car.
I can't afford the risk.
"That'll be nice," I say, making him smile. "Thank you."
"Cool. 7 good?" he asks.
"Yes."
"Don't keep me waiting," he says, referring to our date night.
Jenny and I laugh.
"We'll try," I say.
He continues to look at me. The look of longing. I feel a bit guilty, but it's for the best. He understands it too, and I appreciate that we have not once talked about the prospect of us since our date.
A while of banter later, the three of us separate. I go to my locker and unlock it, allowing some vicious notes to fall to the floor. Scattered across the bottom of my locker are more notes, waiting to be read by me so that my feelings get hurt. I bend down to scoop up the notes from the floor first, before I pile them up with the ones inside the locker, trying not to read the offensive words.
"Dorothy."
Startled, I jump, dropping the notes. Lying on the floor, the dozens of notes are glaring at me. I see the black words on the notes, each roaring its degrading message.
BITCH.
GO BACK TO THE BROTHEL YOU CAME FROM, YOU CUNT.
THE BOREHOLE IS NOTHING COMPARED TO YOUR HOLE.
Yeah, I should really stop reading the notes for my own good.
When I realise that Reece is here too, I suddenly snap my head to look at him, who is looking at the notes on the floor in curiosity.
He bends down.
And so do I, to prevent him from going through them.
"Reece, don't pick them up."
But alas, my attempt is futile, as he picks a couple of them up and resists my efforts of snatching them from his grasp.
"What is this, Dorothy?" he says, skimming through the horrendous words.
He stands up, crumpling the notes in his clenched hands as he does so, and looks at me. His once warm brown eyes are now appearing darker and colder, his nostrils flaring in fury.
"Who the hell is sending you these?" he says, pursing his lips.
Biting my lower lip, I stand straight, silent.
"Tell me," he pushes, grabbing my left arm in a firm grip.
"I-I don't know," I reply with my heart pounding. "But I know they're from more than one person."
I hate seeing him like this, as if he is ready to murder someone.
"How long have you been receiving these?" he asks.
"A while," I whisper, not wanting the few passersby to hear us.
I know they are eyeing us, but I can't do anything about it.
I can only hope that whatever rumours that will come out from this situation do not reach Luna's ears.
"When?"
"Two months..."
His eyes widen.
"Why didn't you tell me about this?"
The second bell rings, signalling that the next class has officially begun.
"I'm late to class," I say, shaking my arm away from his grip.
I turn around to face my locker and pick up my books for my next class. When I lock the door, I notice that Reece just watches me in silence with no hints of emotion.
"Is this the reason why you've been avoiding me here?" he asks.
"I got these notes because I was with Damien. This has got nothing to do with you."
He purses his lips.
"Then why do you avoid me here?"
"Look, I'm late for class. Just chuck the notes in a bin."
He holds onto my arm, stopping me.
"Is it because of Damien? Did he tell you to stay away from me? Do you have feelings for him?"
Annoyed and shocked that he is accusing Damien again, I turn around and pull my arm away from him.
Damien is a good friend of mine. He has done so, so much for me. Naturally, I care about him a lot. So the fact that Reece is always making him out to be a bad guy who is controlling or possessive irks me.
"I told you before," I snap, my cold tone shocking him. "Damien has nothing to do with this – or anything! Now instead of wasting my time, go find your beloved Monica and waste her time!"
With those words said, I do not spare a glance at Reece to see how he reacts. Instead, I turn around and quickly make my way to my next class.
Throughout the journey, I inwardly curse at myself for spouting out the last sentence. I have no idea where that even came from! As I slowly regain my cool, when I'm sitting in a class during a lecture, I realise how utterly horrible and petty that sounded.
I inwardly cringe as my mind replays those words.
***
College finally ends for today and the after-college clubs begin their activities.
Mother is picking me up twenty minutes late today. Since she is flying to Paris with Linda tonight, she has some last-minute shopping to do, which sort of clashed with home time.
After saying farewell to my friend, I stroll across the college grounds alone. I see students playing different sports; basketball, baseball, football and... volleyball.
I smile sadly as I watch the girls hit the volleyball competitively.
Never again...
"Dorothy," I hear a familiar voice.
I snap back into reality and turn around. Reece is standing just a few feet away from me, dressed in his football attire; a short sleeved shirt and a pair of short that reach just around his knees. He has a gold band around his arm, flaunting that he is the captain of the football team. He looks fit, with his well-sculpted arms and legs.
"Reece," I say with wide eyes.
My harsh words from earlier play on repeat in my head and I visibly cringe.
"Just tell me, please," he demands with a pained expression, nearing me. "When we're at your place, you... Why do you behave so differently towards me here?"
"Leave me be, Reece," I say, turning around to walk away.
But, he grabs onto my arm, stopping me, and turns me around to face him.
"Dorothy, please," he pleads, his eyes desperately searching my own as if they hold answers to his questions. "Please."
"Look, we are friends–"
"No," he says firmly, his eyes growing dark. "We are more than that and you know it."
"Friends," I state. "Only friends."
"Monica never meant anything to me–"
"If this is because of what I said to you... I apologise. I don't know what came over me. It was a spur of the moment. I was just annoyed at you trying to accuse Damien again."
"You saw me with her earlier," he says. "She made the move. I was trying to get her off me–"
"Look," I begin. "Whatever happens between you two is your business. You don't owe me an explanation."
He narrows his eyes, pursing his lips, annoyed.
"So it won't bother you if I want to kiss her?" he says, crossing his arms.
I am shocked, but I can't tell whether I am shocked by his words or by the very thought of Reece kissing Monica actually distressing me. I maintain my guard, not allowing a hint of my true feelings to seep through to his notice.
He steps closer to me.
"It won't bother you if I want to be with her? To want her? To love her?"
Another step closer...
"What are you trying to do?" I retort.
Another step.
"I want to know if you..."
His face then nears my neck and his lips graze it teasingly. My eyes widen at his close proximity to me and at the effect he has on me and my body. I am not familiar with anything that I am experiencing right now, but I know that I do not dislike this effect, much to my astonishment.
"...feel this attraction," he whispers.
I have always been attracted to him, but I don't understand why.
"If you think about me just as much as I think about you," he breathes.
He lives in my thoughts every day.
"Because I do," he continues. "Every day..."
Then, to my utter shock, he plants a deep kiss on the left side of my neck, sending delicious shivers down my spine. Immediately, as a reflex, I place my two hands on his chest and push him away, hating that I am craving more from him.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snap, my heart now pounding so hard that I wouldn't be surprised if there's a crack in my ribcage.
My inquisitive eyes search my surroundings hastily to see if anyone has spotted us.
Thank god, no one has; there are not many students around, and the ones that are here are too engrossed in their sports.
"Dorothy," he says, catching my attention.
I look at him, glaring at him.
"Don't you dare touch me like that again!" I yell. "Especially here!"
"Then don't stay away from me! You already have for seven years," he retorts, his voice breaking. "Isn't that more than enough?"
It breaks me.
To see him like this.
Hurt, confused and desperate.
My eyes immediately become watery, and I don't understand why.
I am a tough girl, I shouldn't cry.
"I didn't have a choice, remember?" I croak. "You know I would never have left you unless I had no choice."
I wipe the pouring tears from my face.
Oh curse you, tears.
"Then please tell me what's keeping you away from me," he breathes, holding onto my shoulders and pressing his forehead against mine, his eyes closed. "If you tell me, I'll make sure that you do have a choice this time. I promise."
I shake my head, sniffing.
"I don't want you hurt, Reece," I say.
He slowly pulls his face away from mine, his eyes opening to reveal his confusion.
"What do you mean? Dorothy–"
"I have to go," I say, pulling myself away from him. "Don't follow me, please. I need some space. I need to think... To breathe!"
I then walk away as quickly as possible.
With each step I take, a crack forms in my wailing heart.
"Dorothy!" he yells, but I choose to ignore him.
Thankfully, he does not pursue me.
My chest feels so heavy. God, it feels as if...
As if I've lost him.
Oh my gosh...
I can't believe it.
All this time...
I have wanted him.
I want Reece Walker for myself.
Every time I'm with him, I'd always want to stay with him longer. When I'm around him, I feel happy, comfortable and at home. The very home that he and I created out of our love when we were kids. With him, the world is brighter, more colourful and so much warmer.
And now, I'm walking away from him because I'm scared. Scared that he and I would get hurt if we get together, if we both accept our ardent feelings for each other.
I spot mother's car from a distance, so I make my way to her, wiping away any traces of my sorrow so as to not worry her. During my journey to the car, I notice a black car not too far away, hidden behind a tree. Frowning, I narrow my eyes and immediately feel as if someone from the Tennis Club knocked air out of my lungs with their racket.
Sitting in the black car is a short-haired blonde girl with a pair of binoculars.
Of course, she would stay behind; her obsession with Reece compels her to spy on him during his football practice. When she puts down her binoculars, Luna glares at me before her window goes up and her car is driven away.
*~*~*~*~*
WHAT DO YOU THINK??
I personally think that this chapter is a bit emotional (I may have shed a tear or two as I typed towards the end). Do you agree or disagree? Please share your thoughts!
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