The Nerd in the Corner

Chapter 14: A Date With Molly

Someone has to admit it. And that someone has to be me.

I fell too easily into Molly's trap. As a result, I'm now forced to sit down and burn my eyes by watching a 2-hour movie full of cringy bad boys. Though her promises were not just mere words, nothing changes the fact that the movie reeked of unbearable men who mistook viciousness for manliness. Yet, the directors had the audacity to use horror as their cheap mask.

The longer this went, the more my frustrations grew. On the other hand, there's my partner who's trembling — clearly no match for the power of makeup and 3D effects. Entertainment was supposed to be the goal of this venture, but it only fed me dissatisfaction. Oh well, I can only hope it gets a redemption arc.

By the end of the movie, Molly wasn't pleased either, and her reasons greatly contradicted the way she chose to live her life.

"Ugh, why did they have to end up together?!" she asks no one in particular, hoping to quell her rage.

"Well, he's the male lead, and she's the female lead," I said. "It's only natural that they end up together."

No, that doesn't sound right. Let's take this one more time. "Scratch that. It is a law that they must marry and have a child at the end. Otherwise, climate change will be solved, and we don't have to worry about children starving all over the world."

"That's not the point!" It seems my answer was unsatisfactory and therefore denied.

"Nathan was toxic, okay?" Alright, I see where this is going. "And then there's Pete, who obviously has to be uglier than him, BUT," she pauses before saying, "BUT, he treats her like a queen."

"I wouldn't choose someone who treats me like a queen too. Imagine all the political responsibilities he's gonna force down your throat."

Molly's expression becomes flat, and I can tell by the way her mouth twitches that she is now suffering a teensy tiny bit of my frustrations from earlier. In the first place, why would anyone use such a term associated with great responsibility as a substitute for endearing words? Have they never watched anything beyond cartoons?

Are the allos okay?

Instead of entertaining the awkward silence between us, Molly chose to disperse it by pretending I never mentioned that. She figured that there was no point in debating at the movie theater's exit, and has thus continued where she left off. "Wasn't Amy supposed to be the class valedictorian? Why then did she choose someone who ruined her life over the ever-loving, ever-gentle, and ever-perfect Pete?!"

"Come on, all Nathan has is his looks!" Seems like she's really trying to get it all out of her system.

"Don't forget his blue orbs," I added, which earned an eye roll. "Molly, there's a simple solution to this."

She gives me an insincere laugh, the one she often uses when she believes my next few words are going to be absurd. "What, blackmail the author?"

"No." Goodness, if anyone's words were to be absurd, it would be hers. "Just leave the movie theater."

Her forehead creased, and she shakes her head with so much disapproval. "That'd be embarrassing and a waste of money."

"But wasting time is far more inefficient."

***

I knew I was a soccer fan, but I didn't know this girl was too. So it came as a surprise when our next itinerary was the soccer stadium.

The crowd bustled in excitement, and each side chanted the name of their team. It was the one place that I liked despite my immense dislike of loud noises. Maybe because most of the time, I'm busy enjoying the game enough to care. Well, who wouldn't be if they always get the best seat? You know, the ones closest to the midfield.