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"Rhian!"
I gulped.
"I know what you're about to say, and there's a completely logical explanation," I began. He didn't look impressed, and that made me even more nervous. "You see I-".
"I don't want to hear it," he said cutting me off.
"But we do," Tyrone said from behind me, a hint of mischief in his voice.
"You guys are just everywhere, huh?"
"Yeah, and you're nowhere to be found when we you're needed," Jason cut in, appearing out of thin air as usual.
"Listen I can explain, but not here."
The grounds keeper, who had allowed the boys to interrupt our conversation and having heard what I had just said, rolled his eyes, an act that looked unnatural on his face as the only expression we were used to seeing on him was one of either tiredness or annoyance.
"Looks like he's in a bad mood," Tyrone whispered to me underneath his breath.
"I'm always in a bad mood, except for Sundays."
"Why, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I do mind, but if you must know, I play golf on Sundays, and I'm quite good at it," he said, his face beginning to light up as he continued. Unfortunately for him, we did not have the time, or rather we were not willing to spend time, listening to him talk about golf. With a flimsy excuse as per usual, we maneuvered our way out. I thought I was finally safe from the probing and questioning, but the guys apparently hadn't forgotten about what I did to them.
The second we were out of earshot, the questions began pouring in, and honestly, my memory of the events that led up to Monique finding me on the street were so blurred I did not know what to tell them. What I knew would only raise questions I did not have answers to myself, so I resorted the very foundation I had built this friendship on over the years: lies.
"Here's the whole story," I began, "feel free to ask any questions when I'm done. The thing is, I was out partying on Friday night. I met this chick and one thing led to another and I woke up on Saturday morning in her bed with a hangover. When I realized what time it was, it was too late to come help you guys. " I looked into their faces, hoping they had believed me. I had no such luck.
"You lost me at party," Tyrone confessed.
"Me too. You wouldn't be caught dead at a party for any reason, and even if you were, didn't you tell us you didn't drink for spiritual reasons? How'd you get hung over?"
I did tell them I didn't drink, and it was true, just not for the reasons I had given them. I knew what it was like to be addicted to alcohol, to have no control over yourself when you're intoxicated, and I wanted no part in that. In fact, I feared it. I did not want my pleasure to be the source of anyone's suffering, ever.
"Lastly, there's about as much chance of you getting laid as there is for the next person who passes by us to win the lottery," Jason finished.
"Hey guys, I won the lottery."
"Well there's that. In your face, Jason. In your face," I sneered.
"Wait, did you really win the lottery?" Tyrone asked Taylor. I thought about their names for a second, and realized if I wrote them together, it would be TyTay. The thought had me laughing hysterically, and my friends, as was to be expected, looked confused for a second. Then they looked worried. When I finally regained control of myself, I contemplated telling them my brilliant deduction, but decided against it. Instead, I asked Taylor whether she had actually won the the lottery.
"No, I'm not even old enough to enter, but it was fun ruining Jason's point."
Jason looked slightly unsettled, but he hid it well. Taylor was the only person who could truly get on his nerves, and I loved it every time she did.
"Besides," she continued, "I got Rhian's text, and it's gonna be just as good as winning the lottery."
"What text?" I asked, confusion written all over my face.
"Haha you're so funny. I'll pick you up at 11. I need to go meet someone now. See y'all later." With that, she continued to wherever she was going before she had interrupted us. I stood there, trying to make sense of what she had just said, and wondering when she added sarcasm to her repertoire. That's when I noticed the smirk plastered across Tyrone's face.
"Ty?"
"Yeah?"
"What did you do?"
"I got you a date. You're welcome."
"How did you even get into my phone?"
"It was pretty easy," Jason cut in, wanting me to know he was involved. "It also helped that your password to all your social media is rhian's super cool password12345."
"How did you figure that out? They said it was a strong password in green letters!"
"You really need a new password."
"You also need some new shoes," Tyrone said, looking at my feet in disgust.
"What's wrong with my kicks?" I asked, exasperated.
"They don't even deserve to be called that. Also you need a haircut, maybe a little dye with that. You definitely need a shave as well."
"What's wrong with my hair and my stubble?"
"Stubble? They're pubic hairs at best. You should probably keep the hair though. New haircuts can make you look a little different, not in a good way, and we can't have that on the first date, can we?"
"I guess not," I said, being carried away for a quick second and then coming back to reality," what is this date anyway?"
"It's literally right in front of you. Move out of the way, Ty, he can't see the wall." Tyrone stepped a little to the side at Jason's command, and revealed the poster that had been plastered on the wall.
"Sportfest? Sportfest! What makes you think I would go to Sportfest?"
"For starters, you'd have a date this time."
I had no response because he was right. Sportfest was a huge sporting event where almost every school in the metro area would bring their best athletes for for a three-day tournament that was the colossus of high school sports in this city. That was the idea, but it was really just a sports fair of sorts, and no one really cared about the matches unless it was a final. The only people who cared apart from the athletes, were people popular enough to have a mini party of their own within the festival, or young couples searching for an "adventure" in the Stadium of Wonder, our city's only public owned sports stadium.
I had never fit any of those categories, though, and usually spent the three-day event sleeping or wondering through the half empty city, my only companion being either my dreams or my thoughts, which I have now concluded are one and the same. The guys, on the other hand, were not only sports fanatics, but Tyrone was the captain of our football team, and a record-holding hundred meter sprinter for us. Jason was apparently a tactical genius, and had gotten himself a job as assistant manager of the football team. For them, Sportfest was an opportunity to write their names down in the history books. It was an honour to compete for the school, but I did not share their sentiments. Whiles I thought football was a pretty interesting game from an analytical standpoint, and I didn't mind playing every once in a while, I did not understand their passion for the "beautiful game" as they called it.
"So, are you going?"
"Huh?" I asked, having been pulled out of my thoughts by the question. It took a second, but I processed what his question, and proceeded to think about it. I had absolutely nothing to lose, and Taylor would be there to keep me company, since I would rarely see the guys. "Yeah, I'm going. When is it?"
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Why are you telling me only now?"
"You were avoiding us yesterday, remember?"
Oh. I had been avoiding them and pretty much everyone else, because I did not want to them to ask me questions I could not answer. Realizing they really didn't care about what I did as much why I didn't make it, I felt pretty stupid.
The rest of the school day was pretty much just teachers giving out assignments and instructions to keep us busy for the rest of the week. Although Sportfest didn't quite last an entire school day, school was put on hold for the three days during which the event would take place. It was the only good thing about the tournament as far as I was concerned.
The second the bell rang to signify the end of the school day, the boys were hovering around my desk. They had clearly meant what they said about getting me prepped up for my date, and they fully intended to start tonight. Normally I wouldn't mind a little selfcare, but "waxing and plucking and tweezing" is where I drew the line. Tyrone was having none of it though.
"Rhian you'll look great!"
"Ty, it will be painful! I've laughed at videos of people getting waxed, and it's funny because they're in pain!"
"You're just being a big baby!"
"Boys!"
Silence.
"My class may be over, but you do not have the right to disturb me in my own classroom."
"Sorry sir," we chorused.
"I do agree that Rhian's being a puss, though."
"Sir!"
Needless to say, my opinion did not matter. At the end of the day, the boys got what they wanted, but I made sure they did not see the marks scattered across my back and my stomach. The indescribable pain I felt from the entire "beauty treatment" shall not be described herein partly because it would defeat the purpose of being indescribable, and partly because I am too ashamed to ever share that story with anyone.
On the morning of the event, I had jitters I would dare to compare to that of a man getting married. Whiles I was not making an everlasting commitment, this was definitely a first for me, and waiting for Taylor to come pick me up was torture. The anxiety got worse when I looked at the clock and it was one minute past eleven o'clock. Had she forgotten about me? Had she been involved in a terrible accident? Even worse, did she have another date?
Anne, who had been alcohol free for quite some time now, kept telling me to relax, but I was not having any of it.
"It's four minutes past eleven, Anne, don't tell me to calm down!"
She let out a sigh and shook her heard, just in time for Taylor to walk in on us. She didn't even bother to knock, who does that? Judging from how she embraced Anne, they had built a friendship of some sort behind my back, and apparently, Anne was fine with Taylor just walking in unannounced. That sucked, considering she once put me in the hospital for walking in on her and her boyfriend. No, they were not doing anything intimate.
Then came the instructions.
"Now Taylor, I know the event ends around six, so bring him home by ten. Take care of him, and make sure he doesn't do anything silly. If things get a little hot, remember a rubber can save you a whole lot stress in the future. Even if you decide to do it ra-"
" Anne! That's enough. You're embarrassing me! "
"One last thing-"
"No time."
I grabbed Taylor's hand and practically darted out of the apartment. Having finally gotten away from Anne, I took a second to admire Taylor. She was wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, but I have never seen anyone, ever, look so effortlessly flawless in a plaid shirt and and jeans. Her hair was different though. She had taken out her braids in favor of an afro, and I did not mind. In fact, I had a half mind to randomly grab at her fuzzy hair, but ultimately decided that was the worst idea I'd had in a while.
"Rhian?"
"Yes?"
"Stop staring."
"Sorry, Mr. Blackmore," I apologized, and if I was several shades lighter, he may have seen my cheeks become a shade of crimson.
"You know, there's something different about you," he began, walking towards me and slinging his arm around my shoulder," did you get your eyebrows shaped?"
Yes.
"No. It's the shoes. I got new sneakers."
He took one good look at me, his brows furrowed in concentration. "Yeah, I guess. Anyways, I'll be driving you guys to the Stadium of Wonder." He made sure to mention the stadium as dramatically as he could.
"Why?" I asked, thinking the whole idea of this date was for me to get more time alone with Taylor.
"Because, yours truly is MCing the halftime show for all three days. That why! Now on to the wagon!"
"You finally got the G-Wagon?" I asked hopefully. Ever since I met Mr. Blackmore, the only thing he'd ever talked about passionately was owning one of those cars.
"No, the city council isn't paying me that much, but it never hurts to dream. I'll get it someday. For now, on to the sedan! You know, I've been meaning to continue that story about how Taylor was conceived."
That was exactly what he did. Two hours later, we had found ourselves stuck in traffic. Everyone on the road was heading towards the stadium, and thousands more swarmed the sidewalks, deciding that was the quickest route. At a point in time, Taylor and I considered joining them. Anything seemed better than hearing the story of how Mr. Blackmore had forgotten protection and how she had convinced him to do without it. When he began to describe her underwear, we knew it was time to go.
Bidding him farewell, we quickly stepped out of his car before he had a chance to even process what had happened. After about five minutes walking in the terrible heat of the sun, we decided ditching Taylor's father was not our brightest idea. Through the heat we persevered, and half an hour later, we stood in front of the giant that was the Stadium of Wonder. Adorned in glass from head to toe, this beauty shimmered in the sun. A hundred thousand capacity arena, this mammoth structure stood as our city's greatest architectural accomplishment.
An even greater accomplishment in my eyes, were the restaurants and other food vendors that were built into this stadium.
Taylor, thought so too.
"Rhian?"
"Yeah?"
"Instead of getting sweaty in the stands for games we couldn't care less about, how about we spend the time trying out desserts?" she asked hopefully, then added as an afterthought, "Or breakfast muffins or pizza toppings or ice cream flavors?"
"Who says we can't do all of those things?"
"My doctor, and probably yours too."
No, mine primarily cares about me not being dead.
"Yeah, you pick one thing and we'll do that."
"How about desserts?"
"That's fine with me, but we can't expect to taste everything without buying everything, and I'm not sure either of us have the budgets for that."
Seh smiled a little and said, "Follow my lead." That's exactly what I did.
We walked into a bakery, one of the more homely looking ones that made you feel cozy the second you stepped inside, and were met with several different aromas. I was greeted first by a faint waft of cinnamon air, then a pinch of vanilla with a sprinkling of lime and banana. It was an explosion of flavor, just that I tasted them with my nostrils instead of my tongue,but that was soon about to change.
Walking up to the first person she saw, Taylor demanded that we be allowed to taste every cake and cupcake they had available. Apparently, our wedding was approaching, and we needed a cake. Watching the poor man try to explain to Taylor that he did not even work there was entertaining, to say the least. A little while later, an older woman came to the poor guy's rescue, and Taylor stated her demands again.
"Miss, you do understand you can't taste everything for free just because you're getting married, don't you?"
"It was worth a shot, but it's your loss. I'm very popular, y'know, and a good word from me could really get you in business, but I guess we'll be on our way now. Come on, honey."
"Wait. I'll let you try out two cakes for free, but you pay for the third one,"
"No, three for free, I pay half price for the fourth one or we walk. Remember, bad news spreads like wildfire."
"Fine. Make yourselves comfortable, I'll be right back," and with that she hurried away.
A couple of hours later, one thing had lead to another, and we were on our seventh tasting, cookies and cream, when I heard the unfamiliar sound of my phone ringing. I picked it up with my mouth still full, hoping to have swallowed by the time I had to say anything.
"Rhian?"
"Mhm?"
"Where the hell are you? It's halftime and Tyrone sent me to check in on you guys. Why are your seats empty? Did you chicken out last minute?"
"Of course not. I'm here with Taylor, we're just exploring the cuisine. See there's this bakery -"
"I don't believe you. Give the phone to Taylor."
"Taylor, Jason wants to talk to you," I said I slid the phone across the table. Once he had satisfied himself, Taylor passed the phone back.
"So, have you told her?"
"Told her what?"
"That you like her? That you're smitten? Head over heels? Infatuated? Beso-"
"That's enough. I get it, and no I haven't told her anything, not yet."
"Well that's the whole reason we set you two up, so grow a pair."
Then he hung up on me, leaving me to think.
I looked at the girl in front of me. Did I really want to ruin the friendship we already had by asking for more? What if I wanted more though? What if she wanted more? Once again, she caught me staring, and shot me a smile, a smile that went straight to my heart. I couldn't ignore this anymore.
"Taylor, I have something to tell you."
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Slightly longer chapter than what you're probably used to, but this is chapter 10, a whole milestone in the development of this story so bear with me.