CHAPTER 2
Ice cream is one of the most delectable food slash course that people crave to eat. It can be on various flavours: chocolate, vanilla, rocky road, strawberry, etc. and etc.
“From the looks of their ice creams,” I said looking through the transparent glass that held the ice creams. “Cookies 'n Cream are the most appealing...”
“So...” he trailed off. He already ordered the chocolate flavoured ice cream, which he always did when we were younger, I guess. Through my peripheral vision, the lady on the counter looks world-weary as usual and a little impatient as well. Hehe.
“One cookies 'n cream, please.” At least I tried to be courteous. And for the record, the lady on the counter gave me a half-hearted smile! It rarely happens.
I scoop the remaining of my delightful dessert when I caught him looking at me. “What?” do I have dirt on my face? I hope not.
“I just missed you,” he looks cute when he shrugs like what he's doing right now. “Especially the way you eat like a pig. It's amusing.”
“I'm glad that I'm an entertainment for you.” I said sarcastically. Am I that funny to him? “By the way, what makes you to take a 5 hour trip just to visit me... erm... us here?”
Yup, the one that visited me in school is none other than my childhood best friend, Chad Henri Watson, the boy next door. It's still early when he came in my school so I decided to skip my classes, which I am zealous by the way, and join him here in our favourite parlour shop.
“I am going to transfer in your school starting tomorrow.”
I cannot conceive what I was hearing. He's going to my school? Oh my god! I can't imagine that my knight in shining armour is going to return and to make my pathetic life gratifying.
“Really? That's awesome!” I cannot hide my excitement, so I jumped off my seat and hugged him tightly that will surely made him gasp for air. “Thank God you're here. Again.”
At first he was laughing his butt off, but of course living things need air. “*cough* *cough*”, is he choking already? “Jeez, I can't breathe Regina.”
I reluctantly get out of hid hold, not that I can help it, he's just so freakishly hot that made my body wanted to clung on him more. He smells good, too.
“So what are you doing in my school earlier this afternoon?” I asked him trying to hide the embarrassment out of myself.
“I got my schedule.” I instantly get a hold of his schedule. The good news is that we have a class in common; the worst part is that it's music. It's just; the boys were seated separately to girls so I have no chance of sitting beside him.
“Why do you look so disappointed? Don't we have any classes in common?”
“Class,” I corrected him. “We only have music in common and I am sure that you will also hate Mr Bald Man because he is a very bad teacher.”
I then remember the time that I knew that Gilbert and I were going to share the same classes. I even went to the classroom early just to have a chance of Gilbert and I seated next to each other. Here's the reason that I'm positively sure that he will sit next to me: 1. no one wants to sit beside me. 2. He's the last person who came inside the classroom.
When I saw Gilbert came and begun searching for an available seat in the room and I swear that he glanced up in my direction, then Mr Bald Man said the words that almost break my fragile heart:
“ALL young ladies here please seat to the left corner of the room,” he pointed to the chairs near the huge musical instruments. “And boys, you will seat to the right opposite to the girls.”
To let out all the misery that I had that day, I cried.
“Well, that's bad.” he said while shrugging again and looking me straight into the eyes. I sighed exasperatedly.
“Really bad.”
Instead of me returning to school since it’s still early, I chose to have a quality time with Chad that includes watching our favourite movies together and eating his home made sandwiches.
“I thought nerds hate to skip classes.” he said out loud either teasing me or insulting me. I will not consider myself a nerd as well as being the goodie-goodie in school. I'm just the silent slash loner slash boring person you've ever met.
“At least the teachers love me.” I stick my tongue out like a child at him. “They never get mad at me from failing my grades.”
His eyes are now dancing with so much mischief. “HA!” he’s grinning just because he said the word 'ha'? He's really weird sometimes. “I bet your teachers do not even know you.”
And with that, I use all my force to punch him in his left arm. Instead of getting the reaction I wanted, he burst out laughing.
“HAHAHA”
Knowing him since childhood, I already know that I cannot do anything to stop his laughter, so I just focus myself in the movie entitled '21 Jump Street' (Channing Tatum is one of a kind). We are already on the part where the hoodlums are chasing after them. The scene is so funny, but I held back my laughter by biting my cheek.
All I have to do is to pretend that I am utterly serious and that I will not talk to him until he says ‘sorry’. I know that he insulted me, but everyone knows that I couldn’t get mad at him. He’s just so adorable to be angry at.
From the corner of my eye, I can see that he already calmed down from his boisterous laugh a while ago.
“Regi…” he made his way to my position near the sofa and he is still grinning like an idiot. He knew that I cannot resist him. No one can resist him, especially his charm. “I’m just fooling around…”
“You insulted me.” I said in a barely audible voice so that it will sound like I’m hurt. His eyes widen and guilt flashes through his handsome features. All I need is to be calm and savour the moment of his discomfort.
“I-” he was instantly cut out when my mother came into the room carrying loads of groceries. Oh, I should expect some visitor this evening. When my mom glanced in our direction, she looks surprised then ecstatic. She knew Chad that much that she even planned our wedding if Chad and I are going to end up together.
“Hey mom!” I am not the one who said that, it was Chad. Since we two are inseparable, Chad can’t seem to stop the urge to call my mom ‘mom’. It doesn’t bother me, though.
Mom put aside the groceries and went to Chad’s direction and gave him a fat kiss on the cheeks. Note: fat kisses are annoying, especially its sound.
From the looks of Chad, he always seems to be happy whenever my mom did that to him. And maybe it is one of the reasons why he’s so special for my mother.
“Aw… You’re not little anymore.” Mom said while looking at Chad from head to toe. “But you are still as handsome as before! And by the way, I really missed you, darling.”
“I missed you too, mom.” then mom bombarded him with questions about his life this past two years. He asked him about school, girls, family, etc.
At some point in my life, I once thought that Chad is my long lost brother that my mom doesn’t know that existed. I mean, we have that certain bond or connection that inhabited our soul and mind; we finish each other sentences, one look in the eye and we will understand everything, we protect each other no matter what.
“Do you want to have dinner with us? It will just be the three of us and my new buddy’s family.” Of course, Chad will never reject her offer. He practically lives here and he cannot resist the delicious foods that my mom made.
“Sure, mom. I’ll be there! Cook something nice for me.” Chad said teasingly at my mother.
“Of course it would be delicious! HA!” mom said proudly with a hint of mischief in her eyes. “I should go to do some miracle now in the kitchen, see you kids later.”
“She’s still the same.”
“Always be.”
And with that, we watch another set of movies again before the dinner comes.
