charmed | kivi (eng)

3

"I cannot believe you poured coffee over her head."

"She deserved it," Violeta said in an apathetic voice. She was trying to finish up some homework before her next class and quite frankly was getting sick of everyone talking about her little stunt.

Juanjo searched for Chiara across the quad and laughed when she saw her in some Eastside High gym clothes. "I'm not saying she didn't deserve it, but it must've been embarrassing for her."

Violeta looked up and quirked her eyebrow.

"You want to talk about embarrassing? Do you remember what she did last year?"

Even at the mere thought of it, Juanjo had to stifle his laughter. Last year during Valentine's Day, Chiara had paid some members from the glee club to serenade Violeta during lunch. Juanjo had never seen Violeta so red both from embarrassment and anger.

"Maybe now she'll leave me alone," Violeta said hopefully.

"Um, no such luck," Juanjo said and pointed behind Violeta. Chiara was making her way over to their table with a smile on her face. She looked quite ridiculous in the gym clothes but she plopped herself down right next to Violeta anyways.

"Hey," she said cheerfully but Violeta had resumed her usually ignoring. "Just want to tell you that there's no hard feelings about this morning." Chiara smiled at her even though Violeta wasn't even looking. She just continued to write in her notebook as if Chiara had never even sat down. "Well, I'll see you around." Chiara waved to Juanjo before leaving their table.

"Well, that was strange," Juanjo said as he watched Chiara sit back down at hers and Martin's table.

"What?" Violeta said acting like she didn't hear anything that just transpired.

Juanjo studied Violeta's attitude and thought it best not to mention Chiara. "Nothing."

---

"So you're not mad at her?"

"Why would I be mad?"

Martin scoffed. "Maybe because she spilled coffee on your head and embarrassed you in front of everyone? Not to mention you have to wear that for the rest of the day."

Chiara shrugged. "Well, it could've been worse."

"How?"

"She could've not cared," she said quietly.

"Chiara, don't you think this has gone on long enough?" Martin asked exasperated. "I mean you're losing your dignity and making a very nice girl's life a living hell."

Chiara ran her hand through her hair. She had managed to get all the coffee out by running it under the sink but it still smelled like hazelnut.

"I just thought she'd give in by now."

"Why are you even bothering? It's not like you're doing bad in the dating department. Do you really need to date Violeta? Is it that important to you to uphold your reputation?"

Chiara looked at her friend totally offended.

"You think I'm doing all this just for my reputation?" Martin took a step back a little confused.

"Well, aren't you? I mean you don't really like Violeta, right?"

Looking down, Chiara tried to avoid her friend's eyes. "I admit at first it was just a game. She was the only girl who didn't fall all over me and I thought of it as a challenge. But overtime, I started to realize that Violeta isn't just some girl I wanted win."

Martin didn't know how to react to her friend's confession. "Then why are you still doing all this? Why don't you just drop the act and ask her out like a normal human being?"