Won Over

S

It was two days to the New Year, and I was pretty amped up about it. On New Year's Eve there was to be a masked ball in a large hall where all the gangs would be present to celebrate the incoming year.

To me it was a time to have fun and relax from the work I did all year round.

Oh, wait. I've practically done nothing this year.

I stroked my chin, thinking about how it would have been if I was as serious and responsible as Race. Or as boring as Maho. Worse still, what if I was mature like Sugar and Beauty? Or quiet like Icy and Les?

How would my life have been? More importantly, how would this world have been able to cope without my radiance all around to brighten things up? Without my wit to liven things up?

Would there still be any human left on earth? Or perhaps they would have all perished because I wasn't there to make life sizzling enough?

Oh! One would never know.

I rested the back of my hand on forehead and sighed dramatically. "My intelligent brain, bother yourself no more."

"Quit talking to yourself and go buy the drinks we'd be taking to the party." Maho ordered, handing me the cash.

"Why me?" I grumbled, already knowing that all gangs have specific items to bring to the party.

"Because you're the newbie." He answered.

I stared at him, utterly shocked. "I've been in this gang for six months now."

He shrugged. "As long as no one has joined after you, you're still the newbie. And it's the duty of the latest addition to buy drinks for the party. Besides, everyone else is busy." He motioned to the rest.

Folding my arms, I stared at them as they lounged lazily on the couches. Directing my gaze back to Maho, I asked, "You were saying?"

"Just go." He responded and walked away.

Huffing, I stood up and marched out, barely catching Panda's "Be careful!" before I slammed the door shut.

After buying two cartons of the drinks, I began to make my way back home. The store wasn't far from our place, so there was no point in taking a cab.

However, carrying the two cartons was not easy as I thought it'd be. The cartons were stacked on top of each other, obstructing my view, and so I ended up stumbling - watching in despair as the drinks tumbled to the ground.

Hastily, I grabbed the ones that were beginning to roll out to the road and made them stand together.

"Need a little help?"

I sighed, already recognizing his voice.

I didn't even know if I should be happy to hear his voice or be annoyed that he seemed to appear around me a whole lot.

Without looking up, I said, "No, thanks."

"Seriously, Jennifer. It's not a crime to need help." He pointed out as he bent down to help me place the drinks together.

I glanced at him briefly. "I can handle this."

"Sure." He answered, and I could hear the humor in his voice.

Was this funny to him?

Unable to take it anymore, with the annoyance I felt winning over my happiness to see him, I peered at him intently. "What do you want?"

"Excuse me?"

"What do you want from me?" I asked, a little bit loudly now.

He looked bewildered. "I-"