Little Things ✓

Chapter 2

As we sit around the table by the cupboard, Rheta is still looking for her prized possession. I don't know whether Kaiti's absurd idea of taking turns is good, but it definitely looks like Rheta approved of it. In fact, she's scanning every corner of the room, switching the focus from the scarce furniture to the floor every once in a while.

At the same time, the rest of us are sitting still, doing basically nothing. As I notice it, I stand up quickly and snap my fingers. "Come on, guys, let's do something useful for once. Why don't we clean and tidy up a bit?" I suggest, earning deadly glares from the rest of the group. They don't want to do anything that doesn't involve their hidden items.

"Okay, if you don't want to move, then I'll clean up by myself," I state, annoyed at my friends' lack of initiative. They, however, don't like my allegedly bossy attitude or the fact that I'm not letting them chill out as they'd like to do. Too bad we're on a mission, there's not much time to waste. At least, Rheta is doing something useful; the others are not.

Anyway, I stand up, pick up the broom next to the cupboard and start brushing the floor vigorously under two pairs of glaring eyes, those of Aaron's and Kaiti's. Wow, they're really being obnoxious! I know, I shouldn't be so harsh at them, but we're supposed to do something to keep this place tidy in order not to draw any suspicions on ourselves.

"Are you really going to clean up while we're looking for our items?" insists Aaron, irking me. "Why don't you stop being a brat and start chilling out once in your life, Blen? Seriously, you're getting on my nerves." This last question shocks me. How can he, my only male friend, talk to me like that? I mean, he tends to be a little blunt, but I've never seen him act like a downright bitch. There's clearly something sketchy about him.

Never mind. Anyway, Rheta calls me out, telling me to reach her by the window. She lowers her voice as she says, "I've just found it." She smirks out of satisfaction and continues, "I know, when I do things on my own, I do them better." Wow, she's being a brat, too, exactly like Aaron and Kaiti. What happened to good manners?

"Let's go," I just say, preferring not to voice my thoughts on her attitude straight away. I want to see how she shows her object off in front of her others and how she reacts to our comments, well, if we have any. She pushes a chair towards the center of the room and sits on it, with the rest of the group sitting around her in circle, on the bare floor.

I, however, don't sit straight away and restart cleaning up. As I finish brushing the floor, I put the broom back where it was, then I move the unused chairs close to the table. When I'm finally done, I take a seat on the floor between Shannon and Hailei; only the former smiles at me, with the latter barely retaining a frown. Wow, I never thought my friends would behave so poorly.

Fortunately, this pathetic little frown show is over as soon as Rheta clears her throat. "Well, I've just found my prized possession, a mirror," she announces, but no-one is willing to go down the memory lane to find out why she gave up on that beautiful mirror. Kaiti barely gasps; Penelope rolls her eyes and yawns. The rest of the group stays silent, not even having the courage to reprimand her.

I, on the other hand, have a few words to tell her. "That was rude of yours," I comment, but she only waves her coal black hair and shrugs. Since when has she become so indifferent towards me? What have I ever done to her or anyone else in this fucking place? Sometimes I'm wondering whether these people are true friends to me or the other way around.

"Come on, Rheta, go on," I point out, after which everyone else stands still. The surreal atmosphere, anyway, doesn't help. It looks like we're living in a crystal ball, where everything is supposed to look perfect but, instead, the surface of the ball itself is crumbling, ready to break into a thousand pieces after the ump-teenth commotion.

Rheta restarts talking, much to my relief. "I chose to take this mirror here because I used to look into it a lot. Someone pointed out to me that I spent too much time looking myself into it and so I thought that getting rid of it would be a good idea. Well, I guess it wasn't." Regret is filling her voice as she tells her story.

"The point is, I've been told too many times that I'm vain and stupid. You don't think that, do you?" Now, this question is making me doubt about sincerity and trust in this group, and this is not good. I mean, who wants to deal with a heavy bulk of bullshit when all I want to do is make sure that everyone finds their stupid items, including me, and leave this place without being disturbed.

Hailei's answer somehow shocks me more than Rheta. "To be honest, I found you vain when we met," she replies, much to my horror. Kaiti also looks away, disgusted at her words. I can't believe that Hailei, who played nice when we first met, has just thrown shit at a fellow. Is her nice attitude just a disguise? Or is she just nervous?

I'm not ready to answer these questions in my head, though, so I let Rheta finish her discourse. "I expected that. Well, I guess one can't be perfect. Have you ever wondered whether perfection exists?" We all shake our heads, especially Kaiti and I. We both think there is a world where absolute perfection reigns: show business. How can VIPs conceal their problems and issues underneath a mask made of mere appearance?

I guess this is another answer that I won't be able to find yet. But one thing is certain, Rheta's story is making me reconsider different aspects involving my looks. How can I define my own standards of beauty? Am I beautiful? Do people think I'm beautiful? What can I do to be more confident in myself and my skills?

Anyway, it looks like Rheta doesn't have much else to say, so she stands up and takes place at Aaron's left. He punches her shoulder playfully, making her laugh softly. Meanwhile, I'm about to mutter something about deciding who should go up next, when I find that Kaiti has just stood up. "I'm gonna find it and make things quick, I promise."

Well, she isn't exactly the quickest at looking for things, so I don't know if I can trust her on this. Okay, never mind.