True Colors

V: Prologue II

I felt a pat on my back.

"Damn." Phana whistled lowly, amused. "You must've impressed the shit out of her in that test if she gave you his number willingly."

I looked at him with confusion written all-over my face. That fucking woman, the audacity of that fucking woman I swear to fucking God. I'm still shaking at how angry she made me.

"The fuck are you talking about?" I asked, mentally counting down to calm myself and distracting myself from getting angrier at that bitch who just left.

"Aw. You don't know her?" Phana asked, staring at my palm, still facing up, and looking at the number.

"Stop being a horndog and just fucking answer me!" I fumed. God, what is it today that I have to be surrounded by annoying people?

And it's just nine o'clock.

Phana snorted and I'm this close to fucking smashing his brains out when he answered. "That's Apple Chanagun -- Campus Star, CommArts Princess and most importantly," I could practically hear the drumroll what's with the dramatic way Phana is pausing right now like the asshole that he is. "P'Sing's sister."

To say that my eyes could've fallen out of their sockets with how they widened due to shock would be a motherfucking understatement.

"S-Sister?"

Well, shit. Fuck. Fuckity, fuckity, fuck fuck.

I barely know the guy to even stand a chance to be with him, this practically seals my fate of not having the opportunity to date him at all.

If only I didn't--

Eh? Wait a minute, hold up.

"What do you mean, test?"

"She flirted with you, didn't she?" Phana asked, like that in and of itself is answer enough. I could only nod at him because I know if I open my mouth, the next thing I'd be doing would definitely be breaking him into two and let's face it, I'm too pretty to serve time. "And, she said she'd help you win P'Sing over?"

Nod.

"And that you gotta sleep with her in exchange?"

"Wow, I didn't know your hearing is that sharp, Phana. Remind me to be careful around your nosy ass."

He laughed, bending over in half by the force of it.

"I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind me asking but WHAT THE FUCK IS SO FUCKING FUNNY!?"

"Sorry, sorry, it's just..." He chuckled a couple more. "Ahh, shit, I haven't laugh like that in a while." There's a wistful look in his expression that I would've been concerned about if only the matter at hand isn't more pressing than him reminiscing his motherfucking past. "That's her typical M.O., Arthit." He continued, sobering up. "I'm surprised it took her this long to find you considering you're quite popular yourself."

"Why, thank you." I sarcastically replied to which he only rolled his eyes. "The fuck do you mean this is her typical M.O.?"

"It means that's what she does whenever she catches wind that someone likes her brother."

"Wow, that's very overprotective of her, hands up."

"Yeah, you have no idea." He sighed. "I wish I'm allowed to do the same, too."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." He said, giving me that child-like smile of his.

I narrowed my eyes on him. "Phana."

"Hmm?"

"Do you like P'Sing, too?"

I honestly thought he'd tumble over by the force his laugh has hit him.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Arthit, no, that's just-- that's just wrong." He said, continuously chuckling 'til I punch him hard on his shoulder. He might be taller than me but I could still take him down if I want to.

"Are you saying he's not good enough to be your type!? Huh!? Is that it!? 'Coz let me tell you now--"

"Jesus, Arthit, no. I'm just saying it's wrong 'coz--'coz you already like him, right? That's like part of a bro-code somewhere, right? Don't steal the crush of your friend and all that."

I sighed a breath of relief as he rub the back of his neck.

"Ya better be telling the truth, Phana, 'coz if I knew you like him, I'd break your bones."

"Do you honestly think I'll pep talk you into confessing to him if I actually like him?"

I shrugged, "You could be going all reverse psychology on me for all I know."

"Relax, Arthit. I'm not stealing your man."

"Good."

After a beat of silence, something suddenly occurred to me.

"How did you know that's his sister?"

"Uhhh, everybody knows that's his sister?"

"Well, until a while ago, I'm blissfully unaware so, technically, not everybody knows."

"Well you're not exactly someone who's up-to-date with the current happenings in the campus, are you?"

"And you are?" I bit back, raising a brow.

"I just have a way of knowing things."

There he goes again with his fucking cryptic message. I swear to God sometimes I'm tempted to bring a cipher with me every time I'm talking to Phana just so I don't have to whack my brain in trying to decode half the shit he's talking about.

"So," He started and I can already see the stirrings of the nosy fucker inside him getting in motion. "Are you gonna call him?"

"That concerns you, how exactly?"

He pouted like the child I know that he is. "Awwwwwww. C'mon, Arthit. I helped you get his number, right? The least you could do is share your progress with him."

"You didn't help me get his number, per se. If anything, he's number happened to land on my lap."

"You think if I didn't pep talked you into going to the Economics Faculty's library, wait for him to come so you could ask for his number, Apple would come to you to test you and reward you with it?"

Okay, now he's just pulling my leg.

"I don't know. Prolly, message his sister first, ya know, to apologize for yelling at her."

"Oh, trust me, she ain't mad. If anything, she's amused with you behavior and shipping you with her brother right around now."

"Phana, how exactly do you know all this shit? Didn't you say you don't know the guy?"

"Didn't I also say that I have my ways in getting anything -- information or otherwise -- whenever I need it?"

"You're fucking scaring me. Honestly, are you part of a mob?"

"If I am, you'd be dead by now what's with the bruises you give me every time you hit me with the nearest object you could get your hands to."

"Phana."

"Hmm?"

"Why did she call you a rat?"

This time, I know I didn't imagined it when his expression darkened. He honest to goodness fell silent at that, like a fucking mute-- like something got his tongue.

I shook him lightly and called him softly, "Phana..."

He raised his head and turned to look at me. "Hmm?" He asked absentmindedly, clearly not noticing that he mentally left just now so I decided not to push anymore.

"I said, let's play, c'mon."

"Oh, sure. Let's go." He smiled, shaking his head amusedly, as if wondering what just happened to him.

I wonder what it is that he's been hiding.