Playing Pretend

First Law of Motion

"Everything happens for a reason" is the most logical quote to ever exist on this planet. It sounds almost exactly like Isaac Newton's First Law of Motion which states that "a body at rest will remain at rest, and a body in motion will remain in motion unless it is acted upon by an external force."

For example, a cute waiter arrives at the table with our drinks and Zach, the one who said he would never flirt and open his heart out to anyone this year, decides to ask for the waiter's number. Talk about a cute external force, Zach. What a great catch!

"See you around, ladies."

The waiter flashes a smile, winks at Zach, and slides a business card under the table. Zach snatches the card and watches the gorgeous waiter disappear into the crowd. Zach melts. We all melt as well.

"I have to have him!" Zach declares under his breath and looks at me pleadingly, his blond hair disheveled from rocking his head back and forth. "Come with me down at the bar, please?"

I scan the bar and I'm momentarily distracted to see a familiar face. Strong jaw line, pointed nose, and dark brown hair falling on the side of his head. I can't really pinpoint whose face it is as he keeps moving and interacting with a lot of people. It must be someone famous who has to do some major publicity for his upcoming movie.

And boy, this place is the perfect venue. It's overcrowded and filled with gorgeous model-types and bloggers with toothpaste commercial smiles. I pout as they're exactly the kind of people I'm not interested to see, breathe the same air with, and bump into for the night. In fact, I don't even want to be seen tonight at all.

"I just really want to sit down for a while and drink, Zach," I shout above the loud, thumping music. "Skylar will go with you."

The three of them stare at me as if I'm a bed ridden patient that needs an extra nursing aid.

"Go," I smile as I take a hearty sip of coke rum. "I'll be fine."

A second after they left, Camilla moves to take the seat beside me and starts rubbing my back soothingly.

"You seem awfully quiet," She says in her smooth voice. "I'm not used to it."

I'm not used to it either but it really does sting when someone you've spent every day with for three years decides to just disappear. It's unfair how I'm miserable while he isn't. I try not to look at Camilla, who has always been the most observant one, and who I couldn't hide from. I try not to think of auburn hair and a smile worthy of billboards.

"You know what? This is stupid," I turn to Camilla. "I'm at the hottest club with my girlfriends and I should be getting wasted. Not sulk in the corner, right?"

We yank our glasses from the table and clink them in the air.

"That's the spirit," Camilla says and fishes her phone out to document our partying via Snapchat.

Camilla likes to be organized at all costs. Her journals in high school and college were all written in beautiful calligraphy and her classmates used to pay her for her skill. She used to make money from making invitations and posters for gigs. She even thought about dabbling into advertising before sticking to journalism.

Zach and Skylar are back from further adventures with the cute waiter. Zach is all pink and happy. Skylar is just rolling her eyes at her brother. Camilla motions for them to come closer so we can take a photo.

"Shit. Wait," I exclaim, starting to panic. "Just don't upload it on Facebook or Instagram. I told my boss I'm not feeling well today."

"Don't worry," Camilla replies. "All my settings are on private. Only my friends will be able to see it."

"Are you sure?"

"This is why I have two different Facebook accounts," Skylar remarks. "One for the people I work with and one for friends, family and conquests."

Zach and I exclaim, "You're such a Samantha!"

She chuckled and winked.

Samantha Jones from Sex and the City is basically who Skylar aspires to be. In fact, she's starting to even look like Samantha although Skylar has a fuller figure and hasn't worn bangs since the Eighth Grade.

After our screams and laughter died down, I chug the last bit of coke rum in my glass and scan the crowd, humming to electro pop remake of a popular song. People dressed in cool clothes are swaying, laughing and exchanging longing glances.

Remember the familiar face I told you about a while ago? I spot him again. He has his back to me but I can clearly see that he is dressed in a white shirt and jeans. He's talking to another man beside him and laughs. He turns around and...

Shit.

I remember whose face it is now. Holy shit.

I don't usually have a habit of locking eyes with strangers but when I do it is with the boss. I freeze but my boss doesn't seem to notice. Or does he?

Remember what I said about Newton's First Law of Motion? Now I am in motion. Damn it. I have to get up and leave fast. I scan the room for my boss and see him make his way to the second floor where my friends and I are seated. Shit!

"Zach!"

The blond turns to me, surprised.

"If Andrew sees you and asks if I was here, tell him it must have been Camilla he saw! I gotta go!"

It was a good thing that Camilla and I resemble each other a bit as we both have dark hair and have similar facial features. You could almost mistake us for sisters. I'm partly thankful for my Spanish genes but my Filipino roots would probably hate me for doing so since they have suffered so much under that three-hundred year colonialism back in the day.

I run to the nearest exit and leave the bar with a fast beating heart, sweaty palms, and panting lungs. Could this week get any worse? Just as I am about to step out on the streets of my beautiful New York when a bulky guy rushes past me and runs away with my Christian Louboutin Paloma Spike Leather clutch. Great!

"Hey!" I scream at the top of my lungs. "He stole my purse!"

I compose myself and remove my heels to run like hell to chase the robber.

Look, I'm not a bad employee like what you're thinking. This is not karma doing its magic juju on me for not coming in to work today. Like I told you, everything happens for a reason. I called in sick today at work because I wasn't feeling well. Last night was depressing enough for me as I spent the whole night crying my eyeballs out and Zach's just helping me out tonight.

How about I'll just tell you what happened yesterday?