IMMORTAL (IMMORTAL BOOK 1)

10

Ricky

From the time after Noel had left him in the lecture hall, Ricky was left in a disheveled state. He was now alone in a bookstore, seeking for a reference book for Adam who suddenly have to manage the basketball team's evening practice and asked Ricky to buy him books.

"I told you, book A is better than book B. It contains better explanation and easy to remember short notes for an educationally dumb person like you." Ricky told Adam as they talked by phone.

Ricky flipped the pages of reference book B before his face twitched in disagreement. Then he put down the book on the display table before picking up reference book A that was just beside each other and was now reading reference book A about mechanical engineering. His eyebrows raised in agreement and satisfaction towards the contents.

"Okay, okay. I know I'm dumb, but don't you think that book C is better with me?"

Ricky's face contorted into a look of dismay.

"Book C is for the second year."

"Yeah I know."

Ricky fluttered his eyes, confused by himself and by what Adam was talking about.

"But Adam, you're a senior."

The two of them suddenly fell quiet. Only the bleeping sound of the bookstore glass door sliding open was heard.

"...Anyway, I leave it to you to buy me books, Mister Genius! See you again!"

Ricky was about to retort, but Adam cleverly dodged the bullet and ended the phone call. Ricky heaved a deep sigh while staring begrudgingly at the screen phone.

"Each and every one of them is trying to piss me off. Those ass..."

He sighed again before slipping his phone into the pocket of his leather jacket, before picking other reference books including reference book A for Adam.

Suddenly he felt a presence nearby him. A familiar presence that jolted his whole being. He glanced to the side where the children books section was located, and saw a familiar figure of Noel focusing his reading on a hardcover book. His eyes were intent on reading the content that he didn't even notice Ricky staring at him, before he immediately went to the counter to ring the exact same book he took with him.

Ricky gazed at him in disbelief.

"Oh great, now he's reading a children book. That nerd..."

He shook his head and continued his search. Just a few moments after that, Noel's focusing face resurfaced inside his mind. He turned back to the children book section while wondering about what book made him look like that.

So excited and so...

Ricky snapped when his mind constructed the word dazzling. He must've been out of his mind to think about that. He then walked past the children books section to pay for the picked reference books, ridiculing Noel, yet his mind felt unease. Only a couple of books away from when the cashier finished ringing all the books, Ricky darted to the children books section and picked the same story book that Noel had formerly read before dashing back to the counter with the book in his hands. His actions surprised the cashier and the other employer that was near him at the time.

"What?" He said, almost nonchalantly, placing the book on the counter to be rang.

"Taylor. Bastard. Remind me again why I need to help you buy your groceries?"

Ricky was scowling at the phone as he conversed with Taylor, while at the same time bulldozing through the discount section of the fresh ingredients, exchanging battle glares with the aunties that were also shopping there.