QED CLUB: the go-to place of students and teachers in Clark High whenever they have mind-boggling mysteries they want solved. For months, club president Loki Mendez has been managing it alone, but circumstances will force him to open its doors to ne...
A/N: Will Lorelei do Loki a favor? Or will she "ghost" him instead?
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LOKI
I SPENT my lunchtime and my vacant period in the clubroom, waiting for Lorelei to convey her decision. All I needed for her to do was fill out the membership application form. I could then shove it in the face of my brother to prove him wrong. Imagine the surprise on his frozen face once he found out that I did it.
The school bell rang as the clock struck four, but I neither saw Lorelei nor her shadow. If she's really interested in the idea of joining, she would have come here. Therefore, I took her non-appearance as an answer. She didn't have to say the word no.
Most of the time, I stayed way past four in the clubroom, hoping that a client would drop by and entertain me. But this time, I chose to pack some of my stuff and go home early. Lorelei would probably do the same.
Was I giving up on her? Not really. For those who didn't know me very well, I wasn't the type to wave the white flag just because the situation wasn't going to my favor. The truth was, I came up with a plan.
Lorelei wasn't home yet when I got to the apartment. Perfect. I took out some pieces of paper that I brought from the clubroom and scattered them on the table and plastered them on the flatscreen TV in the living room. I wanted to make her feel guilty. I wanted to make her think that I was about to lose the club because of her refusal to join. It's not her fault though. It's my brother's.
While waiting for her, I decided to pass the time by playing darts. My brother's photo had been on the dartboard for weeks. Whenever I hit a dead-end in a mystery or I needed to vent out my frustrations, I threw darts at it. But most of the time, I was just pissed off at seeing his face. That's why it's full of holes.
After a while, the door behind me creaked open slowly. I sensed hesitation from the person coming in, followed by surprise when her gaze landed on me.
"As expected, you'll come home early and not meet me in the clubroom," I greeted her before throwing another dart. That one hit my brother's nose.
Look around you, Lorelei. Look at what you've done.
She approached me carefully as if she's afraid that a dart might be flying her way.
"In case you're wondering, I've decided to transfer my workload here." I glanced at her over my right shoulder. I sent another dart flying. This time, it hit my brother's left eye. "Since I'll be evicted from the clubroom very soon, I need to find another place where I can continue my work. Thanks to you, by the way."
"Galit ka ba?" she asked. "Kaya ba 'yang retrato ng inosenteng lalaki ang pinagti-trip-an mo?"
Was I angry? No. Was I upset? A bit. Was I disappointed? Kinda. But I believed that there's still chance to turn things around. All she needed was a little nudge.
