Miss Make-Believe

Chapter 6

I like you, Whitney Forbes.

Had I heard him wrong?

I like you, Whitney Forbes.

Nope, I don’t think so, my conscience whispered conspicuously and I had to swallow a ball of nerves stuck in my throat to differentiate between trance and reality.

Ever since the freshmen year, I had always wanted Noel to confess his inner feelings for me face to face. I had always fantasized him proposing to me. Maybe the proposal had initially constituted a bouquet of red roses, some red vine, candle light dinner and slow dancing but as time passed by slowly and agonizingly, the urge to hear those same words from his mouth grew to an exceptionally high notch while my list of extravagant demands shortened eventually. Then, a time came when all I willed was for him to be near me.

The moment I registered May’s frequent, grimy presence near Noel, all my hopes of being with him shattered like glass in an instant. The pain was excruciating, mostly because of my theatrical talent.  But I lived through it due to Manuel. He was certainly a God sent angel for me.

The very first reaction Noel got from me was that of happiness. I was ecstatic, hearing him say that he liked me in actuality. It was like I’d won the lottery. But right at the bothering second when I recalled about the stupid bet, I knew I had to deny his sweet offer.

Yes, I had feelings for him deeper than anything but I wasn’t ready to give up Prom night for my high school crush on him. Also, losing the bet was never in the cards for me. Although I wanted May and him to be a thousand miles apart earlier, suddenly for some peculiar reason, I wanted them close like two bread loaves in a sandwich so as to succeed in the said mission. Optimism withered and just when I was going to decline his surreal proposal generously, another thought ticked in my head.

Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone?

The inspiration was incomparably appealing when it churned in my mind incessantly. The conniving plan of winning both the bet and Noel over simply dictated my brilliance and I wanted to applaud myself for the scheme but refrained.  Taking that notion in mind, I morphed my face into that of an apology and claimed. “I like you too, Noel!” His charming face lightened up like a Christmas tree and I cursed myself for giving the boy false hope. All I had to was wince for my spontaneous arrangement to explode, but I didn’t do so and declared my decision with a straight face. “You’re a great guy and a good friend. But…” Why did I freaking stop? Why did it feel like I was going to choke? Why did I want May to sprint right toward us and push me away from her lover boy?

Wait, speaking of May…

“Aren’t you dating May?” I posed a genuine question, my thoughts jumbled.

He looked disappointed, like I had pricked a needle and burst his balloon of electrification. But I couldn’t help it. By the time he thought he could answer me viably, I had crossed the line of insanity, several ideas hopping in my brain from one nerve to another. “Why would you think so absurdly?” I mentally groaned as his smooth baritone met my ears again. Frowning, I placed my hands on my hips and commanded, “Get to the point!” I slid my hands from my hips and started medalling with the belt hoops of my shorts, my foot tapping anxiously.

He sighed and looked down at the sand. “I’m not dating May!”

“But you are!” I contradicted.

He eyed me as if I had lost my mind. “I think I’d know if I were dating someone. Don’t you think?”

I fixed my eyes on his dubious features and kept gazing till what felt like infinity. He was lying; I was definite about it. Evoking all those grisly memories of May and Noel having a great time together, snuggling into each other’s warm bodies, smiling and looking at each other like poor mimics of Shakespeare’s characters and spending the nights at Noel’s place, I wondered if I could trust him at all. Suddenly, I was starting to consider him insipid like all the jocks at our school. I started doubting his feelings for me. “You’re lying.” I stated in a self-assured voice.