Unofficial First Girlfriend

CHAPTER 5

I woke up to the indistinct sound of a radio DJ's voice. I twisted my body and found the other side of the bed unoccupied. I got out of bed lazily and reached for my bathrobe from behind the door. The living room was empty, so I walked down the stairs to the kitchen and found Clark, who was already in his uniform, preparing breakfast. I walked over to the fridge to get myself a glass of water. I hovered by the kitchen counter, but he still didn't acknowledge my presence.

"Morning," I murmured.

No response.

"Okay, tell me what's on your mind."

"I think you know what's on my mind. 'Don't worry about me. Sab is with me'. Does that sound familiar to you?"

I rolled my eyes. I should've known he was going to make a fit about what happened last night. I thought he would let it go, but he just didn't say anything when Nick left because Naiah woke up when she had heard my voice.

"Nick thought it would be nice to set Sabrina and Bryce last night, so we switched rides. That's why he drove me home."

"Oh, so you're doing your friends a favor? I find that hard to believe."

I placed my glass of water on the table and walked towards him. He had just poured the corned beef on the pan.

"So, what do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. The truth?"

I sighed. "I just did."

"Maybe if someone else drove you home, I would believe that you just want to set up Sabrina with some guy. But no. You had to ride with Nick. Of all people." His tone was louder at the last sentence.

"No one else could give me a ride last night. What do you want me to do? Hitch a ride from the bridal's car?"

"I don't know! Anyone but Nick, alright?"

He stepped out of the kitchen leaving the stove on. I knew this argument wouldn't end so soon so I decided to turn off the stove and followed him up the stairs to the living room.

I noticed Naiah's room was open so I pulled the door shut.

"I don't like that guy and you know that."

"Well, I'm sorry because he's my friend and I'm not going to ditch him just because you don't like him."

Clark sneered. I crossed my arms in front of my chest as I waited for his retort.

He crouched down to wear his shoes. When he got up, he said, "I guess I won't get rid of him from our lives, huh?"

"He was already here before you came along."

"Fine. Then maybe you should marry him," he snapped and picked up his bag from the couch and stormed down the stairs.

"What the heck are you talking about?" I asked as I followed him down the stairs.

But he hurried and didn't bother to answer me. I watched as the saloon door leading to the diner swing shut. I listened to his footsteps against the tiled floor and the soft thud from the diner's glass door as it closed.

Wow. What a great morning.

***

"I'll get a tapsilog, a glass of iced tea, and an explanation of what happened last night," Sabrina quickly enumerated as she handed me a two-hundred-peso bill.

I chuckled as I reached for her money. I pushed her change across the counter and gave orders in the kitchen. I prepared her glass of iced tea as she sat on the high stool by the counter.

"Here's your drink, and I'll give what you're asking for later. But first, how was Bryce?" I asked.

It was a good thing that Sabrina arrived at an off-peak hour, so we had time to chat. It would also help take my mind off my fight with Clark.

"Well, he made it clear that he has a girlfriend, and she's studying to be a lawyer."

"So, you did catch up with each other?" I asked, leaning on the counter.

"Hmm...not so much." She shook her head. "We mostly talked about Lucio and Ana, you, and Nick. Basically, we just talked about other people. I guess it was more interesting talking about the lives of other people instead of our own."

I clicked my tongue. "That wasn't what I had in mind, but okay. At least you got some time alone together."

Phoebe, my kitchen helper, emerged from the kitchen and handed me Sabrina's order. I placed the white plate in front of her. "Enjoy your meal."

She picked up a strip of beef with her fork and stuffed it in her mouth. A middle-aged man entered the door, so I went near the cash register and greeted him. After giving Phoebe the list of orders, I went back to Sabrina who was now halfway through her meal.

"You sure eat fast today."

"I'm famished from writing three articles," she replied. "You have no idea how much time and energy I spend on writing a single article."

I smiled a little. It was one of the things I admire about Sabrina, her dedication to doing the things she was passionate about.

"Does Bryce know you're a blogger now?"

"We never got to talk about my so-called job. Besides, I'm not yet making so much of a living out of my writing. And when a guy is dating a soon-to-be lawyer, he won't be impressed with a small-time blogger."

I smirked. "So, you wanted to impress him, huh?"

Sabrina coughed. "That came out wrong."

"Did it?"

"It's just that...he's already successful, and I still don't know what I'm doing. It's embarrassing."

"You're following your passion, the thing that you like the most. It may be different from what other people think of success. You may not be a lawyer or a doctor, but you're making your dream happen. And nothing is embarrassing about that."

She stopped her spoon mid-air. "Thanks...for believing in my potential."

"So, did you get any throwback feels last night?" I asked, trying to bring back Bryce into the conversation.

She chuckled. "Seriously, why are you pushing me and Bryce?"

"Because of your history."

Phoebe emerged from the kitchen and gave me a plate, interrupting my conversation with Sabrina. I took it and walked over to the booth where the man was seated. "Enjoy your meal, sir."

The man curtly nodded at me, and I walked back to the counter. Sabrina's plate was already empty.

"What we had in high school seems irrelevant now. We're living two different lives, and he's taken, so there."

She pushed the empty plate and glass towards me.

"You're saying people should just throw away their feelings?" I asked.

"Not necessarily throw away. It's just... I just feel like the moment has passed."