Water and Fire (BL)

Chapter 19: To Swat a Mocking Fly

Note: Hello guys, triple update for today. It's another usual day. Hellish weather in the morning and a deluge of downpour in the afternoon. Hope y'all are having a good day. Have fun reading!

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Chapter 19: To Swat a Mocking Fly

"Hey, Eric, wanna hang out again at my house after class?"

Eric, Olivia, and Charlie were walking through the hallway back to their classroom. The bell just rung signalling the end of recess. All three of them had a book clutched in their arms: Eric had Politics, Charlie had Math, and Olivia had English. Although Olivia also had another book that's smaller and thicker, with a conspicuous cover of two boys facing each other... Clearly, it's not a textbook.

"But we still need to study. The exam week will come soon." Eric certainly was pleased because Olivia's inviting her to hang out again, but this might not be a good time to relax just yet. "And besides..." Eric looked at Charlie.

Charlie knew what Eric meant. "It's okay. I'm not jealous with you two anymore. You can go together any time you like. We're all good friends now, aren't we?"

Ever since Olivia and Eric saved Charlie's poor ass, the three seemed to have become closer. Eric also noticed that Olivia's not that hostile with Charlie anymore, and likewise, Charlie with Olivia.

"Okay, then..." Olivia trailed off, disappointed. She stayed silent, chewing her gum while staring into space.

Eric couldn't help pitying Olivia, especially seeing her sullen like that.

Upon turning left in the hallway, they met the Hive girls buzzing about. The wasp queen Celeste stopped in front of the three, arms crossed.

"So, here y'all are."

She eyed Charlie up and down. And poor Charlie, he recoiled upon seeing Celeste, like she was some kind of blinding light that would destroy his eyes.

Some of the Hive girls—about four of them—were also eyeing Charlie up and down and up and down, as if they're some kind of machine that can scan Charlie's soul.

Olivia sighed heavily. "What do you want this time?"

Celeste squinted at her, pencil eyebrows furrowed. Her face approached Olivia's face before spewing poison out of her mouth. "Don't act strong with me, bitch. For several weeks ever since y'all beaten Jarwin, I been very silent, but now I just couldn't take it. I just couldn't accept failure, and every time I look at you, I just always get the urge to smash your lazy face."

The Hive girls nodded their head and muttered to themselves, generating an incoherent and simultaneous buzz.

"And you, Eric!" Celeste turned to Eric. "I've dumped Jarwin for you, you know? Why are you not repaying my love back, huh?"

She then walked towards Eric and grabbed him by the waist with both her insect-like hands, embracing him.

Eric sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"Keep your filthy paws off of him, hoe!" Olivia snapped. She pulled the wasp away from the pretty flower that was Eric.

Olivia did it with so much force that Celeste lost her balance, and before she knew it, she took a wrong step causing her high heel to break off. The world spun in her very eyes and the next second later, she was sprawling on the cold hallway floor.

The Hive girls gasped dramatically and went to where their Queen Bee was kissing the floor.

"This is a warning, Shit-leste, if you bug me or my friends ever again, I'll have you ground up into bee powder." Olivia's voice was cool yet it was threatening.

Celeste fumed, breathing heavily, totally shocked at this turn of events. Suddenly, students were swarming to the scene and taking photos of the wasp sprawling on the floor.

The three took this opportunity to sneak away out of the scene and return to their classroom.

Celeste remained there on the floor being helped by her bees with gasps of "oh my gosh," "are you hurt?," and "are you okay?" She was seething with poisonous anger.

You'll have your time, bitch. When I come back at you, your sorry ass will regret that you had the nerve to fight against the Queen.

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At the classroom, Olivia sat in her chair despondently. "Got no time for that shit," she muttered under her breath. She brought out her little novel and began reading from the dogeared page 211.

Eric noticed that Olivia's been reading that book these past few weeks. Could be a novel suggested in the Book Club. From time to time, however, Olivia seemed to peer back at Eric numerous times, although as time went by, Eric realized he's not the one that Olivia was looking at—it was actually Charlie, who seemed to be inside his own bubble studying Math and muttering to himself.

"Hey, Charlie."

"Hm?"

"Have you noticed these past few weeks that Olivia's looking at you more often? Is there something going on between you two?"

Charlie looked confused. "Going on between us? As far as I know I'm the least interesting person in her eyes."

"But she is looking at you. Wait up… wait for it... See? There she goes again!"

Charlie snorted. "What's it to me then? It's not like girls would fall for me. Especially Olivia who's so cool and unique," Charlie said dryly.

"But what if…"

"What if what, ha? What if what?"

Eric thought for a second. "Forget it."

He was about to say, "What if Olivia likes you," but kept his mouth shut because there's a tinge of jealousy welling up in Eric's chest.

He's certainly happy that Olivia started caring for Charlie, especially back then when his limbs hasn't fully healed yet. But somehow, seeing Olivia becoming closer to Charlie causes unexplained feelings in Eric's heart.

On one hand, he wanted Charlie to have more friends, and now, Olivia's willing to be his friend. Yet on the other hand, Eric couldn't stop thinking about when he and Olivia played NES in her house. He couldn't shrug the fact that Olivia's the most interesting and coolest girl in his eyes. Those weird illustrations of hers in her notebook and in her room wall? Damn, only a person with a brilliant mind can vision those kinds of stuff!

She's certainly the most unique and interesting person that Eric knew, and now that Charlie's here to take her attention from him, Eric felt that this hideous creature called jealousy is rearing its ugly head.

Fuck, I feel like an evil person, Eric thought. Feelings are so complicated. He's clearly attracted to Olivia but he couldn't also leave his friend Charlie, can he?

He sighed. He felt like he's stuck in the middle of a forked road, having to choose between his own happiness or his friend's happiness.

He wished he had no feelings of attraction towards Olivia. It's clearly the only thing that makes this situation complicated.