Page 19 of 19 ecjr
PART TWO: YSABEL STRYDER
CHAPTER 39
We wished that the door would not creek too loud, enough to wake her up, so Lia opened it as carefully and as slowly as she could. And I assured that the hot chocolates would not spill from the tray I'm holding.—I don't really get the idea why Lia asked me to be the one to carry it; she knows that I'm much clumsier than her. In fact, I'm the clumsiest of the three of us!—It was silent when we entered the room. The white curtains were blown away by the gust of wind outside. But even though the window is open, and it was with every joy outdoors, it still remained gloomy in the room. It's like our colorful beds became dull because of the aura created by our best friend even though she's asleep.
"We shouldn't wake her up." I whispered to Lia.
"No. She needs us." Lia whispered back. "I can't bear not to hug her."
I understood Lia; I can't also bear not to hug Sam. She does need us. I looked at her, still asleep and then I noticed that she was not on her bed. She was at mine.
"Lia, she's at my bed." Lia looked at her and whispered, "Aww Sam! He really hurt her didn't he?" Then, she started towards her.
I put the tray of hot chocos on the table and tagged along behind Lia. After awhile, we couldn't take it any longer that we hugged her. Sam moaned with eyes still closed. She turned to face us before she opened them; and I noticed that they were still a bit puffy. I pulled down the covers so I could see her face better and said, "You can sleep here as long as you want."
Her eyes widened, and then she sat up, scratching them. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked, shocked. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
"You should be too." Lia answered her, "But we heard you're sick."
"Oh, yeah," She said, looking like she just remembered something."I'm sick." Then she balled her hand into a fist, brought it closer to her mouth and she coughed, which was obviously a fake one. I chuckled. Sam's always like that; she never wants us to worry.
"Sam. Cut that out. No need to pretend." I said to her, "We already know. We know everything. Well… not everything exactly. But we know enough." I smiled then put my hand on her knee, which was still covered with the comforters.
"Enough to beg for Nate to call our shifts and ask them to exchange shifts with us. We'll continue our work this Saturday." Lia continued for me.
"Just this week though. We're still the weekday girls." I smiled again and asked, "Sam… are you alright?"
Lia looked at her. "Sorry we're not by your side earlier, Sam."
Unexpectedly, Sam looked at me then at Lia and back at me again. After awhile, she started laughing. LAUGHING.
"What's so funny?"
"You guys! I can never imagine my life without you two. You're so sweet. Whaddya mean you're sorry? There's nothing to be sorry about! What you did? Ditch work for me? That's off the hook." She said to us. "C'mere." She grinned, gesturing us to come closer for a one small group hug. "You two are the best, best friends ever." She whispered.
After awhile, I stood up and went to the table to get the tray. "Here, have some hot chocos; although I'm not sure if it's still hot."
They giggled. "But I'm sure it's still delicious. Grandma Lily made it, eh?" Sam asked.
"Yeah. She was supposed to bring it to you, but we offered to do it." Lia smiled.
As Sam, took a sip, both Lia and I looked at her. She was still every bit as pretty as she was before; with the exception of the slight puffy face. She seemed to notice it because she went, "You two are starting to creep me out."
"Sorry." We both said in unison.
"By the way, umm. Who told you what happened?" Sam asked.
"You would not want to hear." I said, imagining what'll happen if she only hears his name.
But I was wrong; Sam just smiled and went, "No. It's fine. Ha-ha. I've already got rid of all my tears before you two got here. I think I could handle myself for now. And besides, I'm the one who told him to tell you that I have to go home. I just didn't expect him to tell you everything, though."
"Well…just like what I told you earlier, he didn't actually tell us everything." I confessed, which made Lia chuckle.
"You know Ysabel. She exaggerates." Lia said, laughing. "This was actually what happened. Ysabel was at her section, and I was at mine. And then while I was talking to a customer, I saw Isaac coming over. Saw his face, so dull and full of misery. I swear, like his eyes which were happy sapphire as always, became lifeless blue. I even made a joke at him."
I shot her a look and she went, "Hey, I didn't know what was going on. I didn't mean to hurt him."
"Just go on." Sam said.
"So yeah, what I said was 'Hey Isaac, got in a fight with Samantha?' I swear, I didn't know that I just hit the point right there. I was just trying to make him smile! But when I saw that he didn't laugh with me, my heart started to beat faster. I don't know why, but I suddenly became tense. So when he asked me if it's alright if we could talk, I gestured Ysabel to come along with us."
I was the one to continue, "When he told us that you were sick, I actually didn't believe him because you and I just talked before you left. And you seem really blissful and alive. I mean really. You even said to me that Isaac looks delightful while he was reading to the kids. Remember?" I explained. Sam nodded.
"So when we asked him what's really going on, he just shook his head and said that he did something that hurt you pretty bad. But he didn't tell us what it was. He looked really serious and sincere, I mean really. In the end, he just told us that you really need someone by your side and we top the list. And that…" Lia stopped, looked down and smiled.
"And what?" Sam asked.
I looked down, too. I can't help not to laugh. I mean, even though they had a serious fight which I'm not so certain of what the root is; what Isaac said, was a bit cheesy but still remained sweet.
"And what?" Sam's tone was eager.
"He told us that he'll do anything to get you back." Lia blurted out.
"Oh," Sam said, then she looked down but did not laugh nor smile. She just bit her lip slightly.
"Okay, I give up. Now's the time to tell us what's the root of all these." Lia sighed.
Sam's head was still down when she spoke. "It turns out… I'm just part of a stupid bet."
My mouth fell slightly open, I tried to cover it with my hand but I was too stunned to do anything. That was really upsetting and I wondered how I would've handled it if that happened to me. I mean Sam's the toughest of us three but she cried.
What's more distressing was to know who did it. I mean, Isaac? I know Isaac's more than that. He wouldn't do that to her, would he? I mean he likes her or might've even been love.
"Oh, gosh." I uttered.
"I would go there," Lia said, standing up as she paced back and forth in front of the bed. "I'll go there and show him whose boss. No one messes with my friend like that."
Sam just smiled and chuckled, I can't believe she managed to do that. Smile and chuckle, I mean. "Lia, you don't have to. He's not worth any of our time."
"Jeez, Samantha!" Lia sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Stop being a tough girl, right now."
"I'm not." Sam answered her with a shrug. "But I mean he's already hurt by being guilty. We shouldn't bother hurting him more."
"Hurt? Him? You're the one who's hurt Sam. He hurt you!" I said, "What he did was unacceptable."
"Yeah, but—"Sam tried to say.
"No more buts, we have to teach that guy a lesson. And once I knew if Seth has something to do with this, I'll shave both their heads off. Literally. I swear." Lia said, about to leave the room, "Ys, come on." But Sam grabbed both our wrists before we had the chance to leave.
"You guys, you are overreacting. Really, you don't have to. " Sam tried to explain. "The only solution here is to just forget it."
"Forget it? Sam, you're kidding right? I mean there's only a peanut sized chance that you two won't meet or bump in to each other every day. So, when exactly will the forgetting thing happen?" Lia, asked in a smart tone, "Right—never."
"Then I'll treasure those days; even though the chance is a size of a peanut." Sam grinned.
"Sam, now's not the right time to joke around. Things are pretty serious here." I said to her.
"I'm not fooling around." Sam chuckled. And then later, she sighed, "Guys, I really appreciate what you're doing here. It's just that this is our problem. It's our choice if we'll fix it or not. You two don't have to deal with it. "
"Your problem is S.L.Y's problem, Sam." Lia said.
"Yes, of course. Lia's correct." I seconded her.
Sam sighed once more, "Guys. Just do it for me. Just forget about it. Please?" Then she stared at both of us with eyes pleading for approval. "Please?"
Lia looked at me; I can't read her expression though. Then she turned back to Sam, she rolled her eyes and sighed, "Oh, alright!"
All of a sudden, Grandma Lily's head popped from behind the door and announced that dinner's ready; which made Lia twirl for the door and said, "Let's eat!"
When she was gone, Sam and I were stuck dumbfounded on the bed, staring at the entrance door of our room, where Lia just stood.
"She's not giving up, is she?" Sam asked.
"No, she won't." I answered her while standing up. "And neither will I." I grinned. But before Sam could protest, I was at the door. "This is what you get for having 2 best friends who really loves you." I grinned once more and I was out, running downstairs towards the dining room.
CHAPTER 40
…Hair, in a short bob cut, still honey blonde like now. Eyes still light blue as the skies and cheeks turned the slightest scarlet as I came out of our Red Toyota Van that was driven by my mom. I was still six by then, as I ran across our front yard,—which was covered by natural green grass—arms extended ready to give him a tight hug. He was wearing his Seaman's uniform—white with some badges of recognition—and his Seaman's cap—white and bordered by black and gold. I saw his hair, all brownish and in a clean cut; and his only dimple on the left cheek. Although his eyes, which was where I got the color of mine from; had a slight change of blue to grey and the other way around. I guess it was because of his age or just because of the lighting. But I don't really care, because this was my dad. This was really him. And I was hugging him really tight like I promised to myself if I ever had the chance to see him again. I said to him, "I've missed you, Daddy." He hugged me back tightly too, like he never wanted to let go as he whispered in my ear, "I'm always here, princess. Always here." He pulled away and searched for a pocket on his left chest then out came a small thing—a piece of wood that's shaped like the letter Y. "For Ysabel," he said as he gave it to me, he was wearing the sweetest smile I've ever seen. Only then, I knew that that was the last smile he could ever give me. "My Ysabel."…
I woke up crying. Only tears, though. I didn't sniffle or cough, just tears kept on streaming down my face. So I stood up, wiped the tears away and looked at the wall clock that says, 2 AM in the morning. Ugh. Dreams. I walked over my drawer, opened it, and got the Y wood that was given by my father. I sat at my bedside, near the slightly opened window, and looked at the wood. It gotten a little old looking though, but still maintained the Y shape. My dad said he made it from an old, broken helm of the ship he's been working at. I sighed, "Oh Dad, I wish you were here."
Plunk!
I heard something from the window. But I ignored it and thought it was just some insect that bumped into the glass. I continued looking at the Y wood. Dad did well on the cutting, I thought.
Plunk!
The plunk went louder; alright, a larger insect.
Plunk! Plunk!
Fine, 2 large insects. I thought… Oh, crap. How can I be so stupid? Rain! Just rain; rain which is about to start. It's more reasonable than bumping insects. Yeah, it's sure is rain. I thought deeper.
"Ysabel!" I heard a whisper from the outside. Alright, I'll admit, I almost screamed when I heard that someone call my name. But I thought of my two best friends who were maybe having the best dreams of their lives! And if I scream, I'll ruin it all. So I stayed calm and just peeped outside.
"Ysabel!" He sighed, "Finally!"
I was bewildered. I mean really, he had the nerve to show himself and particularly at 2 o' clock in the morning!
CHAPTER 41
"What in Pete's name are you doing here, Isaac Serrano?" I whispered back opening the window wider.
"Come down. We need to talk, bring Lia too." He said to me.
"What?" I was so irritated. He demands me to go down there? So discourteous of a man! "How dare you order me to go down? After what you did to my best friend? Did you hit your head? Or are you just plain mad? I will not go down and I have nothing more to say to you." I said to him, referring my voice to go above volume and began closing the window.
"No, no, no! Don't close the window!" He begged. "Just hear me, will you?"
"What's more to hear, then?" I asked him.
"If you go down, everything will be much easier; especially with Lia coming along." Isaac whispered.
"Yes, of course. How smart of you to know that I can't beat you up on my own."
"Please. I know how much you want to wipe my face out right now, but just hear me out. It's for Sam. She needs to know what really happened." He said.
"If you are telling the truth, then why are you talking to me and not Sam?"
"Sam will know. But she'll know it in a very special way. That's why I need you and Lia to come down here and I'll explain further." Isaac whispered.
I wanted to believe him. But part of me says, to not. I mean, he did hurt Sam a lot. But he says that she needs to know what really happened, so that means there's still something we still don't know. But what if he just made it all up? Gah. There's only one way to find out, I need Lia.
And so, the next thing I did was to walk toward Lia's bed and assured that Sam won't wake up.
I poked Lia's shoulder. "Lia." I whispered. "Lia, wake up."
Lia moaned, "Mmm…mom?"
"No. It's Ysabel. Wake up. Isaac's waiting for us outside. He says he wants a talk."
"What? Isaac?" Her voice, still a bit hoarse. "What time is it?"
"2:15 a.m."
"What the?" She almost shouted.
"SHHHHH!" I tried to hush her.
The two of us went as still as a statue when Sam suddenly moaned. But we relaxed when she continued sleeping. "Sam's not supposed to know anything about this."
"Hurry!" I whispered. Lia brushed her hair a bit and fixed her pajamas.
We told Isaac that we'll meet him in front of the house. We covered the pillows with the comforters so if Sam wakes up, she'll think that we're still asleep. The light stayed off but the 2 lamps we're on as we sneaked out of our room and tiptoed downstairs towards the front door. We finally reached the entrance door and opened it cautiously. And we're out!
"You're dead meat." Lia said to him, striding closer.
"Lia, just let me explain." Isaac said, backing a little.
"Why are you guys all the same? Treating girls like games?" Lia asked him. "She's our best friend, Isaac. You break her heart, we break your face."
"Ysabel, now's the time to say something." Isaac suggested.
"Lia, stop it. Isaac said that there are still certain things we don't know. Let's just give him the chance."
"He doesn't deserve any. It's Sam he hurt!" Lia said.
"Everybody deserves a second chance, Lia. I know that's what they all say, but it's true. Isaac deserves his."
Lia looked at me like I was crazy, but she turned to Isaac eventually and said, "Alright Serrano, you have 1 minute to explain yourself. And if your cousin has something to do with this…Oh you don't want to hear what's going to happen."
Isaac chuckled. "Don't worry Lia, Seth's innocent. But I explained everything to him earlier and he said he's happy to join in."
"50 seconds."
"Okay, first of all. The bet you all know about, never actually happened." Isaac said, straight to the point. His words made my head spin. What? First there's a bet, and now there isn't? This sure is getting in Teen Mag.
"What are you saying? No bet?" Lia said it for me.
"At first there was. It happened the second time I met Sam. We were playing soccer in the field just around the corner—me, Carter and our other soccer friends. We're all doing great; my team was leading and I was the last one to score a goal. Then suddenly Sam appeared out of nowhere, I didn't actually recognize her at first I mean we just met the day before, but I thought to myself that she looks pretty familiar. And then she started saying stuff that she can do a better goal with a better move than mine and she did. I was beaten by a girl in front of my peers and I was so bummed out. So when she's gone, my friends started to tease me. Then Carter was all, "That girl is way out of your league man, and I'm sure she's completely hard to get." And I was like, "And you're saying?" and he answered with "That you should go for her". And I was like "No way." And that's where the whole bet came in."
"What was it about?" I asked.
"If I take her out on just one date, just one; Carter will be my slave for one whole week." I raised an eyebrow, Isaac saw this and shrugged. "He was very confident that he offered himself." upshot
"You're crazy. I can't believe you did that." Lia gritted her teeth. "That's so immature of you, Isaac."
"That's why I stopped it before it gotten any worse." He looked down, "My first little attempts to ask her out we're all part of the bet. But I don't understand why the right words just wouldn't come out from my stupid mouth when I go for her. Usually, I go smooth with girls." And then he looked back at us. "But I don't know, it's different with Sam. She's very far from my ideal girl and yet she had me head over heels for her. During the following tries, I've noticed that I was more eager to ask her out because I was getting interested in her. Then, all of a sudden, this one certain morning, I woke up and realized that I like her; that I need to ask her out not because I have to, but because I want to. Just me—no Carters, no slaves and no bets. That same day was when we had our first official date which started roughly but ended with me, at home, lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, smiling."
Usually, when we hear or see these kinds of stuff, Lia and I are the ones who'll shriek because of the sweetness and romanticism. Sam would just nod and say, "Mmm." So actually now, by what Isaac said, both Lia and I tried our best to not lose control of ourselves. But I know then, that my cheeks were burning, so I released it through a long soft sigh. Lia released it differently—through a cough. A very obvious fake one, I might add.
"Hrmm..Hemmm..Hrmm. Umm, when did the bet actually end?" Lia tried to ask.
"Before our date. In the morning, at lunch and while I was driving to the Cuisine's, I called Carter but he's phone's always out. So I just tried to leave a message. I told him to call off the bet. During the date, that's the time he started calling me but I just ignored it because I was having the best time of my life and I didn't want anyone to ruin it. Then, when I got home, that's when I answered Carter's call and learned that he was sorry he didn't answer any of my calls because his phone was dead the whole day and he can't find its charger until that time. When we talked about cancelling the bet, he was like, "Are you sure? I mean, you won. Offering me as a prize does not usually happen." And I told him that I was positively sure and that, that night was enough of a prize for me."
Lia and I stared at him like he was the last person on earth.
"Are you telling the truth, Isaac?" Lia finally asked.
"I am. I swear by the river of Styx." He assured us. Lia looked confused.
"In Greek Mythology, when you swear by the river of Styx, you can never ever break it. And if you do, you'll sure be punished." I explained to her. But the look of confusion remained on her face. So I explained it at the simplest possible way I can; "It's like a pinky swear of the Greek gods."
Lia was like, "Oh." And then she turned to Isaac. "Don't think that you just amazed me with those Styx thingies. Good thing I have Ysabel to explain it to me. Well… I'm not Greek. My promising techniques just revolves around a pinky swear, a simple "I promise" or a spit handshake. In simple terms, I still don't believe you." Lia said, crossing her arms on her chest.
I laughed softly, then later asked. "You sure what you're saying is not bogus, Isaac?"
"If it is, then why would I bother coming here at 2 o' clock in the morning, risking my own life from two girls who could actually kill me on the spot?" he joked. We all chuckled.
"So are you in on the plan, then?" He asked.
Lia and I paused for a second, "We don't actually know."
"Look, if you still don't believe me, I understand. It's my fault in the first place. But I need your help to clear things up with Sam. She needs to know the truth. I really love your friend. And if she will still not forgive me after seeing what we've prepared for her…it's alright. I just need to explain and tell her what I really feel and hope she'll understand someday."
We examined him further, his looks and actions. Yup, he looks sincere. "Fine." Lia said.
"We're in." I seconded her.
CHAPTER 42
I love the smell of misty mornings. It's like I can feel the nature's aura within me; especially when I hear the chirps of every bird and see the dews on every leaf and the clouds already forming different shapes. It's the break of day but the sun still hasn't gone way up. I got up early because I was in charge of buying the materials needed for the preparation. On the other hand, Lia's in charge of distracting Sam, since that's not my expertise.
I wore my light gray thick-strapped sleeveless and partnered it with my denim shorts and gray flats. Then, I also put on a gray artist's hat.
When I got to the garage, I first walked my scooter out a few meters away from the house before I started the engine so that nobody would know I left. Lia told me the direction to the 2 places I need to go to. She told me it was nearer then the Irisdale Square, and it was.
When I got there, I parked my scooter beside the 3 bikes on the side of the shop. It was a costume shop. I don't understand why Isaac wants me to go to a costume shop. He just gave me a piece of paper and said, "Give this to Bob." And I was like, "Who's Bob?" Then he sighed in frustration, "The clerk. Give this to him. He'll know what to do. He knows me. Tell him that I sent you. But don't be shocked, he's very good in disguising to his costumers. It's umm… his way of upholding his store." Weird. I thought. The wind chimes pealed as I entered the shop.
"Excuse me?" I asked. No one answered. "Is anyone here?" The room was filled with different costumes from superheroes to fairytale characters. There were also different masks displayed by the counter. A woman, maybe in her 40's, suddenly appeared right in front of me. She was an inch shorter and was pretty much high in width. Her eyes were droopy. In fact her whole face was somewhat like that of a Beagle's. No offense. But I still found her adorable. Her hair was brownish-black, that did not exceed down her shoulders and she had a full bangs. She had a big buttoned blouse on and colorful trousers.
I looked at her for a moment, and eventually I took my chances and asked in a squeaky tone, "Bob?"
She looked at me lousily. "I'm Bob's PA." She sighed. "If you want to see him, come with me."
If Lia was with me, surely she's laughing her socks off by now. "I'm really sorry." I apologized as we walked, "I didn't mean to be rude by referring to you as Bob. It's just that a friend told me that he's good in disguises. And so I thought that…may…be…" I trailed off, seeing that this conversation is leading nowhere. "I'm really sorry, miss." I repeated.
"No worries, dear." She finally answered, that calmed my nerves. "It happens every time. Wait here." She gestured me to sit down on the wooden chair by the counter. And she entered to a room, which I think would be the shop's so called storage room. After awhile, a man came out, and I was certain that this was already Bob. He was an inch shorter than me too; a bit round and has a goatee. He looks like one of those bandana-wearing men in motorcycles with large cobra tattoos on their arms who always wanted a taste of upheaval.
"Good morning." I greeted.
"It's not a good of a morning to me, mate." He answered me, "Because I always have Martha"—he said referring to the woman earlier.—"to see first thing in the morning."
"I heard that!" Martha shouted from the storage room.
"Just kidding, love!" he answered her. Then he turned back to me. "Not kidding." He said. I laughed. It appears that they're a couple. Aww, they look adorable.
"I'm a hound dog today, mate." He gave me one of his old man smiles. "Do I look like John Travolta from The Hound Dogs?" He asked.
"I can see." I answered back. "You look much handsome, Bob."
"Ahh. Compliments sure brighten anyone's day. Tomorrow, I'm thinking of being a pirate." He added his hand under his chin. "What do you think?"
I smiled, "Pirate's good."
"Oh, baloney! I'm being so rude for keeping you waiting. What can I do for you?" He asked.
I chuckled, "Well actually, Isaac sent me." I said to him. "He told me to give this to you and that you'll know what to do with it." I said, handing him the piece of paper.
He got it from my hand, opened it and read what's inside. He nodded a few times and eventually said, "Ahh. My Serrano boy." He chuckled. "I'm sure I have all of these."
"Do you know how much it will cost?"
"Let's see, 5 mini costumes, and a personalized mask?" He said, then put his hand under his chin. He laughed and said, "Just kidding, mate. Tell him it's free if he'll tell me who the girl is. I can sense that my Serrano boy is in love. And no secret of him can pass me." I was a bit bewildered. I mean, come on—free stuff doesn't usually come knocking on your door every now and then. I thought for a moment that I should tell him about Samantha but I thought to let Isaac handle it. Bob somehow knows Isaac in one way or another.
I smiled. "I will surely tell him."
"And what will the name of my lovely messenger be?" He asked with a sore old man's voice.
"Ysabel. My name's Ysabel." I answered him with another of my smiles.
"Ahh. Ysabel. Lovely."
"Is it okay if I'll come by to pick it up in 15? I'll just be doing some other errands."
"Oh, no problem, mate. Thanks for dropping by. It'll be ready before you know it. And punch my Isaac boy for me, will you? I haven't seen him in awhile now." He grinned.
"I sure will." I said to him as I headed for the door. "Have a nice day! Bye."
The Crimson Droplet was the name of the second shop. As I entered, the scent was fantastic. There were different perfumes, air fresheners and scented candles. But there's only one thing I'm after here. It wasn't hard to find because it has the largest shelf compared to the rest. I glanced through each of its colors. And it was lovely, very lovely.
"Excuse me miss, how may I help you?" A woman, with strawberry blonde hair asked me. She was pretty, not that far from my age; maybe 19 or 20, if I estimated correctly.
"I need to have the purest red of these. And for the rest, I'll have one for each color."
"Come along miss, we've got a whole bunch for you." The saleslady said, as she walked on a nearby closet. "It just arrived yesterday, still fresh." She continued. As she opened the huge pink closet, I saw that she was right. There were a bunch of boxes in there.
"Fantastic! That's good. I'll have one of each, please." I said, satisfied.
"Of course." She answered. "Would you like some black ones, miss?"
I looked at the list Isaac gave me. There was definitely a black one. It was underlined twice! But from what I know, Sam dislikes this color. What in Pete's name is Isaac up to? "Yes please, thank you."
After awhile, I followed the saleslady to the counter. Jeez, no one even told me that this store offers huge boxes to keep their items! Yet, I didn't even care. Not until I saw the saleslady bring the 2 boxes out.
"Umm, excuse me?" I tried to say. "Don't you have any smaller ones?"
The saleslady smiled and said, "This is the smallest one, Miss."
My eyes grew wide as I heard what she said; the two boxes can already cover my upper limb! "You call that small?"
"They will die without enough space. Crimson Droplet's known for huge packaging but our products are of the best quality." She answered me.
I nodded in response. She pushed the two boxes a little toward me and smiled again. "Thank you for purchasing at Crimson Droplet. Please come again and have a nice day."
"Same with you." I answered her, as I got the boxes. I tried to force a smile to dissemble my anxiety at the size of it. Although I'm not actually sure if she saw it.
After the Crimson Droplet, I went back to the costume shop and got the things from Bob.
"Is this all of it?" I asked, getting the two medium sized paper bags.
"Yes. I believe that's all of it. Do you want some assistance from my Martha, mate?" He asked, as he led me out.
"No. no. I'm fine. Thank you very much though. You really helped a lot."
"Oh, no worries mate."
"Tell Martha I'm still sorry about earlier." I requested.
"Why so?" Then he cocked his head. And after awhile laughed. "You thought I was her, didn't you mate?"
"Guilty." I shrugged.
"Ha-ha. That thing just doesn't last. Don't worry; my Martha is a hell of a tough woman. That wouldn't upset her." He laughed once more. Aww, he sounded like a Santa Clause giving me his Ho-ho-ho's—so adorable. Only, he looked like a Santa Clause who's ready to rock n' roll.
After a few more chuckles, I finally bid my last good bye and headed around the corner for my scooter. Seeing the two huge boxes on my scooter was very, very disturbing. I looked at the two paper bags I'm holding. How would I ever drive with these? Oh come on. But I thought of a plan that would make things easier. I got my cell, dialed his number and after a few rings, he finally answered.
"At last!" I exhaled.
"Ysabel?" Isaac asked.
"Yeahp, it's me. I need your help. It turns out that the Crimson Droplet's packaging is fitted for a person, not a flower. And if I pile up all of these on my scooter, it'll fit. It will surely fit. But without me. If only paper bags and boxes could drive, I would not be calling you by now." I said to him. I know, I know. I was being mean, considering the fact that I've been asking for a favor. But we're still trying to see if he was really sincere about all of these.
"Okay, okay. I'll come by pick you up in 5. Where are you, anyway?"
"At the side of Bob's Costume Shop. Oh yeah, bring the pick-up truck."
"Sure. Wait for me." He answered and hang-up.
I hung up too, then leaned back at my scooter and sighed. My arms crossed on my chest and my head down.
"Looks like you've got a load there." Someone said. It startled me that I almost stumbled. I looked up and that's when I really lost my balance. It was him! The Shakespeare guy! "Woah, there. Sorry to startle you." He apologized.
"You…you didn't." I said, dumbly. He grinned and I almost melted. He was wearing a turquoise V-neck, paired with white cargo pants and a low cut Converse. His dirty blonde bangs on the side of his face.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" He said, as he got closer. You do! I wanted to say badly. But I can't! A cat got my tongue.
"I surely can't forget that face." He further said, putting his hand under his chin. Yeah. Yeah. I took his words as a compliment which pitifully made me blush. "Oh! Now I remember. You're the book girl! From the book store Nate's been working at."
Nate. Nate. Nathaniel. Why does the sound of his name burn my ears? And now, that name comes out from the lips of the one I infatuate on? I am cursed. Jeez. "I think that would be technically correct." I gave my response with a sigh.
"And what is this beautiful maiden doing outside the streets alone?" He asked, curiously.
"Doing some errands." I answered. He nodded, putting his hand down. Seeing that the situation was being awkward, he turned to the mountain piled on my scooter. "Like I said, you had a lot of things right there. Would you allow me to offer you some help? I have a car parked right there." He offered, pointing at the gold High Lander just a few feet away.
"No. I think I would be alright. A friend is picking up. And he'll surely be at the corner by now." I predicted. "But thanks though."
"A friend eh? Good, good. At least I know you're not going home alone with all of these." He smiled. But somehow, I saw a bit of rejection in his eyes. Yet, I ignored it, thinking it was something else. "My name's Pierre by the way. Pierre Montague." He grinned.
"Nice meeting you. I'm—"
BEEEP! BEEEP! The horns from the pick-up roared. I turned to look at Isaac who was waving at me across the parking lot. I closed my eyes shut, to relieve my irritation of his bad-timing. Then I looked back at Pierre.
"Looks like the prince is ready to fetch his damsel in distress." He commented, nodding at Isaac, who was beginning to go down from the pickup.
"Oh no. He's just a friend." I denied.
"Guess I'll see you around then?" He asked, backing down towards the other direction.
"Sure." I sighed. "I'll see you around."
He gave me his last sweet smile and started to walk the other direction, the same time Isaac was already inches away.
"Who was that?" He asked, as he helped me unload the things from the scooter and into the pickup.
"Why do you always have to spoil the moment?" I asked, irritably.
"What? What did I do?" He asked, shocked. "You're the one who called me. It's not my fault a suitor will be coming around you every 5 minutes."
"He's not my suitor." I said, through my gritting teeth. "Alright. Topic off. We have to get busy; unless you're not that serious about any of these."
"I am serious, Ysabel. About all of it. Sam would surely love what we've done for her."
"Yeah, yeah. Enough talking and start moving. It's gonna be tomorrow, Saturday. Make Sam feel as happy as ever."
"She will. I promise you, she will." He assured me.
"Prove it." I challenged him. "Tomorrow."
CHAPTER 43
Saturday, a weekend = fun! NOT.
"Lia, stop it." I hissed at her because of the smug looks she keeps on giving me, while we're at the bookstore. Alright here's the thing, remember the time we have to beg Nate to call our shifts so that we could go home for Sam? The "we" thing didn't actually happen because I was the one who begged him to do it—even though it is against my will, I mean that kind of thing don't usually happen between us. "Talk" for us circles around 2 meanings that are entirely different from what "talk" really means. It's either I ask him if there's any stock of books available or communicating without a sound; but I had to do it because of Sam, I was really worried about her. And because of that, Lia kept on teasing me all day.
"Next time, I'll pretend to be sick and go home too." She joked.
"How many times do I have to tell you to bring it to a close?" I said to her, glancing around my section. "And besides, I like someone else."
"What?" She asked, "Who?"
"You don't know him, so don't bother." I answered.
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, sorry. I forgot that you're the one who lived in here Illinois for two consecutive years so maybe you know more people here than I do. Once again, my sincere apologies." She answered me. She was obviously referring to herself. That's when it hit me. HERSELF. LIA. Lia! She lived here for a few years so maybe Lia knows something about him!
"Pierre Montague." I said.
"Hot name." She commented. "Describe him."
"Well, he's…he's… ugh! I can't. He's too perfect." I sighed.
"Ysabel. Please stop infatuating. I need specific details than 'perfect'."
"He's in average height, dirty blonde hair, a bit buff, his eyes… well. I'm not actually sure, since I haven't looked at them directly. But I presumed its grey."
"Average height, check. Blonde and buff dude, check check. Grey eyes, check. Look out, your prince charming is here." She actually said. I didn't believe her. I mean there are many guys that could actually fit my description. Not until I turned around and saw him. Yeah, he's right there. That's when my blood rose to my cheeks. He smiled.
"Morning, book girl." He greeted, as he walked pass by me and Lia.
Lia nudged me and gave me a smug look. "BOOK GIRL? So you two call names now?" She whispered, when Pierre was away.
"SHHHH!" I hushed her. "Lia, not now."
"When then?" Lia asked. "Come on! I don't know him. But I know someone who does!" She said, tugging my arm.
"What? I still have work to—"
"Come on!" She tugged harder and I was forced to come with her. She brought us to Nate. Nate. I sighed and shook my head.
"Morning, Nate!" Lia said with glee.
"You seem quite in high spirits today, Lia. Why so?" He asked, looking up from his computer.
"Ysabel wants to ask you something." She blurted out. Nate looked at me. My eyes grew wide and I shook my head.
"No I don't! You're the one who dragged me here!" I whispered at her
"Go on, don't be shy." She pushed me.
"Yes?" Nate asked. I looked down and muttered the words, "Do you know Pierre Montague?"
I didn't hear any response so I looked at him. His face was skeptical and looked like he was about to laugh. I knew it. I knew it! This was all bogus.
"Ugh. It's just a waste of time. Come on Lia." I rolled my eyes. And tried to turn around.
"Ys, hear him out." Lia whispered.
"Wait! I didn't even understand what you just said. You talk too fast." He chuckled.
"So you're asking me to repeat it?"
"I'm asking you to repeat it slowly." He answered with a few chuckles.
I was annoyed. So I spurt out every word at him with gritting teeth. "Do. You. Know. Pierre. Montague."
"Pierre?" He asked. I don't know but I saw a hint of shock and worry in his face then it all disappeared quickly. "What about him?"
"Do you know him?"
"He's a friend."
"A friend? That's all?"
"Then, what else do you want to know?" He asked, plainly. Looking like he didn't want to prolong our conversation.
"I don't know. If he's a nice person?" I asked further.
"I am not to judge a person's nature. But I can say that he is nice." He studied my face for a second and continued, "Don't you still have work to do, Ysabel?"
I tell you, Nathaniel St. Claire is very hard to read. I tried to guess what he meant. Then I decided to snap out of it. "Yes. I have work to do. Thank you, though."
"Mmmm." He answered, and turned to his computer.
"Did you understand what he said?" Lia asked, as we walked away.
"No." I answered her. "But I'm trying to."
"Alright. Enough of that. We still have Sam to worry about." She reminded me, looking at Sam who was busy reading a book to the kids.
"You're right. It's this afternoon. I really hope Isaac put up something great. To be honest, I really like them both as a couple." I confessed.
"Dibs on that. I mean, who doesn't?" Lia shrugged.
Then suddenly, the door chimes pealed as someone entered the Bookstore. It was Isaac. Lia and I quickly pulled him away before Sam could see her.
"What the hell are you doing, Serrano?" Lia hissed. "You know you're not supposed to see her until this afternoon. What if she sees you?"
Isaac just chuckled. "Chill, Lia. Sam and I are not getting married. And besides, I need some inspiration for later." He said, glancing at Sam behind the bookshelves. "You remember what you're gonna do, okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah." Lia and I answered in unison.
"The kids' clothes are at my house right? I'll be the one to pick them up here, their parents already know?"
"Yeah." I answered him.
"Wish me luck." He grinned, as he headed for the door.
When Isaac was out, Lia asked, "What are we gonna do?" I just chuckled and shook my head.
"Okay kids, Gail's brother will pick you up later. Don't forget okay? Wait for him, understood?" I asked the children, while Lia was distracting Sam a few feet away.
"Yes." All of the kids shouted in their tiny voices.
"But remember what we've talked about. Don't spill our little secret to Sam, alright? It's a surprise for her."
"Yes." They repeated.
I smiled, looking at my watch. It's already 3:00 pm. End of our shifts! So let's get the part started.
CHAPTER 44
We have to go home to make Sam think that this is just any other ordinary afternoon. But we still don't know how to convince her to put a blindfold on. So I thought of a very smart way that Sam wouldn't deny on.
Well, since Grandma Lily is the coolest Grandma in the world, and is apparently part of our escapade, she volunteered to be the one to convince Sam to put a blindfold on; Sam couldn't deny on that. It's Grandma Lily!
They were both sitting on the couch, when we saw them and I don't know how Grandma Lily did it but she did a very excellent job. Sam was already blindfolded plus I don't hear any nagging!
"You ready girls?" She asked.
"Ready for what? Where are we going anyway?" Sam asked her then when she heard our footsteps she went, "You guys! Do you know where we're going? Grandma Lily said she has a surprise for us." She said excitedy. "Oh yeah! Grab hold of the handle and be careful! You might fall down the stairs. You're blindfolded too, right?"
Lia and I were cynical. Us? Blindfolds? What did Grandma Lily say to Sam? Then, when Grandma Lily saw the confusion on our faces, she went, "Oh dear Ysabel and Lia, here, let me help you go down."
When she got closer, that's when she told us the story she made up. "Just go with the flow, ladies. I told her that I'll be bringing you to this whole new restaurant and that you two were blindfolded too. Act blind and excited." She whispered
Blind? And Excited? How would we do that? In the usual world, you're not supposed to get excited when you know you won't be seeing anything. That's preposterous. But before I could protest, Lia gave it her best act, "Oh! My eyes! My eyes! I feel so blind!"
Sam laughed. "You sound stupid, Lia. I didn't act like that when Grandma Lily blindfolded me."
Lia looked at me with wide eyes, and mouthed the words, "Oh my god! She fell for it!" I'll admit, I was stunned too. But later, I just thanked Grandma for being so witty for making up a fabulous story. Still, I felt guilty for doing this to Sam.
But whatever, this was for her own good, so I might as well go with the flow. "Grandma Lily, I'm so thrilled to see the place! Take us there now!" I said, happily. Only this was partially an act and partially true.
Isaac is going to kill us for being late, yet Sam was still in her apple green sweats. So, we let Sam's outfit suffer instead of us being late. We grabbed one another's arm and let Sam think that Grandma Lily's holding my arm to lead the way.
"Keep your blindfolds on girls; we're getting a move on." Grandma Lily said, to prolong the act, when she was already behind the wheels. She winked at Lia and I through the rearview mirror.
"Yes, Grandma." We all answered. Then the engine started and we're off.
"I'm so excited. I wonder what the place looks like." Sam whispered to me.
I smiled and replied, "Me too, Sam. Me too."
It was almost sunset when we heard Grandma say that we reached the place. And we saw them. The kids were running around, some with wings, others with capes, the rest have swords or crowns. We got out of the car and thanked Grandma Lily in a whisper for driving us. "Grandma, please call Seth and tell him to meet us here. So Sam would think that we have an escort." We whispered further.
"Oh, sure dear, I'll call him now." She said. After calling him, she said her goodbyes, wished us luck and went back home.
"Can we take our blindfolds off now? I wanna see it." Sam pleaded.
"No. We can't. Grandma Lily told us not to." Lia said, when she noticed that Sam was already trying to remove hers.
"Then can someone tell me how we can walk without seeing anything?" Sam asked.
"Don't worry, it's just a few feet away. And we won't be climbing a stair." Lia answered her straightforwardly. I gave her a you're-not-supposed-to-say-that-because-you're-supposed-to-be-blind look.
But it was too late because Sam already went, "How did you know? Are you peeking? You're peeking! Oh come on Lia, that's so unfair."
"Uhh…Grandma told me that earlier. I'm not peeking, I swear, I don't even have a clue on what the place looks like," Lia quickly reasoned out. Which made Sam go, "Oh." Lia sighed in relief. We can't go anywhere! Or else Sam would know.
"Where is Grandma anyway?" Sam asked.
"She's umm… umm… in the car! Umm… she forgot something. Don't worry; she'll be here any minute." Lia replied anxiously.
"So remind me again, how we can go to the exact place?" Sam asked.
"Grandma Lily asked for an escort to bring us there."
I saw Seth coming over and gestured him to hurry up. He strode faster, and when he got to us, he grinned. I saw Lia roll her eyes.
Eventually, Seth welcomed us, "Greetings ladies, I am sent to be your escort for this afternoon. Are we ready to go then?" Seth said, in a very polite manner.
"Yes, we're so much ready." I answered him. He offered me his hand which made Lia's eyes roll again, but I accepted it still.
While we're walking Sam suddenly whispered something to me, "Is it just me, or does our escort sound like Seth Serrano?"
A big lump grew on my throat. But I recovered from it and said, "It's just you."
SAMANTHA PARKER
I don't know why, but my friends are acting really weird. I haven't even heard Grandma Lily's voice since we got out of the car! And every time I take a step, I hear twigs snap. It's like I'm in a forest or something. What's going on? Where were we?
I tell you, it's hard to be blind. It feels like you're the only person in the world. But there's an advantage though, your other organs double their jobs. Like my ears, I swear I heard some other people here besides us: kids, to be specific. Then I thought, 'Of course there are other people here, it's a restaurant, for Pete's sake.' So I just ignored it.
Then out of nowhere, I heard Ysabel say, "Okay, Sam. You can remove your blindfold now."
At the moment there, I was hesitant. You? Me? Why am I the only one to remove my blindfold? What about them? Don't they have blindfolds on?
When I opened my eyes, everything looked so bright. And it was like everything was moving. But finally my normal vision came back and I was stunned by what I saw. They were all there. Except one, of course.
"Seth? Nate? Carter? What are these guys doing here?" I asked, trying to process the things I'm seeing. "And where's the restaurant Grandma Lily's talking about? And Grandma Lily, where is she? And you two, why aren't you wearing any blindfolds? Can someone please explain this to me?" I asked in a sharp tone.
"Sam, Sam, Sam. Relax. Before you get mad at us for I don't know how long, we just want to tell you that we're all doing this for you. Just treasure the moment. Don't let your temper spoil it all." Ysabel explained.
But I was a bit furious, "What? What is all this?"
"You'll see." Lia said. "For the mean time, sit here." She led me to a stool under this huge apple tree. Then they all walked away.
"Where are you guys going? Don't leave me here!" I begged.
Then just like that, they were all gone. There was silence, only me under this big old shady tree.
CHAPTER 45
Heaving a sigh is the best way to start a morning. It feels like you're letting out the entire bad atmosphere within you.
Although, this time? I was not in the mood for sighs.
Everyone seemed to notice this because during breakfast, Grandma Lily asked me, "Samantha, you look thriving. Why so?"
I heard Lia and Ysabel snicker but I just rolled my eyes at them and smiled. When nobody answered Grandma Lily, she asked, "Which reminds me, what happened last night? Did it end well?"
I couldn't answer. I mean, I just couldn't. All I could do was to think about it and avoid the smile that's been creeping on my face for a while now.
Last night…
Those two girls are dead when we get home. I mean, seriously. How could they do this to me?
I'm still alone under this big old shady tree, it's been a minute but I feel like it's been an hour. Jeez, where's everybody?
"Alright. I give up." I sighed, and was about to stand up.
But then I heard something. A strum on a guitar. I still stood there, thinking it's just my imagination. Only, that's when I saw a shadow come out from behind a tree. It was Nate, holding a black acoustic guitar! Then I saw another shadow—Carter. He was carrying a…what's that? A beat box? What are these guys up to? They settled on a nearby Palm Tree.
Then, after a few moments, I heard some twigs snap a few feet away from me. When I looked at that direction, I saw Lia and Ysabel standing very close to each other, with huge smiles on their faces. It's like they were trying to hide someone behind them. I gave them a my-head-will-explode-soon-if-you-don't-tell-me-what-the-hell-is-going-on-here look. But they insisted on giving me those sweet smiles!
Although, many thoughts are grinding my mind right now, I still haven't missed how both of them looked like. They looked beautiful—Lia, wearing a white sleeveless top with a checkered blue polo rolled up to her elbows, and a faded jade shorts. And Ysabel wearing a grey dress that didn't extend below her knees and her hair was worn in a ponytail with her bangs out.—Then I thought, they always looked beautiful, so why would I bother with that?
I was trying to solve things out, when Seth suddenly showed up with hands in his pockets. And like the others, he was also smiling. Jeez, do I look like a freaking clown or something? What's up with all the teeth showing? This is not even a toothpaste commercial! And why won't anybody talk?
"Sam," Seth said. Finally! Thank God. I thought.
"Yes?" I tried to answer without sounding like a pissed off baffled girl.
"Carter has something to say." He blurted out and snapped a look at Carter. I looked at him too. And he looked surprised.
"What? Me?" Carter said innocently. "Oh come on man. I told you, I'm not saying anything."
"Carter." Seth's tone was serious which made Nate snicker. "You should be happy we didn't make you wear that big old Hotdog suit and you're sitting on that beat box with your shirt and jeans on. Now, say what you need to say to Sam."
"Traitor." I heard Carter mutter, fixing his dreadlocked hair. "Well, since I'm the root of all this; Sam, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about everything. I'm such the worst dude ever for convincing him to make that bet with me. And for that, we decided to do this for you."
"Do what for me?" I asked, clueless.
Then the most unexpected thing happened—well not exactly unexpected because it's obvious that they brought those instruments for playing. They wouldn't bring a guitar to be a substitute for a baseball bat and hit a poor, innocent, little squirrel, would they? So to play the instruments was obviously likely to happen but was not was how they played it. Well, they didn't do it in an extraordinary way. Nate didn't use his toes to for the guitar. That isn't what I meant. What I meant was that they played really well! Like absolute professionals.—Nate started to pluck a very familiar melody on his guitar and Carter started to hit his beat box in a rhythm that was familiar too. And that's when it hit me. They were playing a song by Stephen Speaks! And you know Stephen Speaks; he's a very exceptional singer and songwriter. All his songs are very close to my heart because they convey a lot of meaning—especially this one.
While I was listening intently to the music, I felt someone pull my pants softly. I looked down and was stunned to see Cleo wearing a yellow coat with a yellow hat and being a redhead, Cleo actually looked like Madeline! She smiled at me. But I was too stunned to smile back.
"Cleo! What are you doing here? " I asked, stunned. And I noticed something, "And where are your glasses?"
She was still smiling when she answered me, "I no longer have my glasses," She explained. "My eye doctor said that my eyes were getting better so I no longer need them. I think I've told you that but you seem to be thinking of something else, that morning."
Eye doctor; how adorable. I remember using that term for the ophthalmologist when I was still 6. "Oh, Cleo. I'm so so sorry." I said to her. "But you look better without your glasses. You actually look like Madeline."
"I am Madeline," she shrugged. Then she looked me intently in the eyes and smiled. "I've missed my old Miss Sam. I wish you would smile again." she placed her hand on mine.
"Here." She said, handing me a beautiful yellow rose.
"What? What's this for?"
She didn't answer, instead she just hopped to the side next to where Seth, Nate and Carter were at. She hid between Seth's legs. I looked at the rose, still fresh. It's wonderful. Then I tried to look at them. Nate and Cleo were grinning. And that's when Seth sang the words to the song. He had me there too, because his voice was so damn good. "It's her hair and her eyes today…That just simply take me away."
Then suddenly, I felt someone poke me. I looked down and saw Talisha. She looked like a mini version of Tiana from the movie Princess and the Frog! She looked adorable.
"You too, Talisha?" I asked, smiling and putting my hands firmly in my lap with the yellow rose.
"I'm supposed to be Princess Tiana." She said, with her little voice.
"I know. You look just like her, beautiful." I said to her.
She smiled, but it quickly faded when she said, "But I don't have my prince with me."
I chuckled, "Don't worry; he'll come to you soon." I said, touching her cheek.
She smiled again, and then from behind her, came a white colored rose.
She handed it over to me and gestured me to come closer. I did so, "You're the best storyteller ever." She whispered, "Better than my mom."
I chuckled, the same time she ran towards Cleo and the others.
I looked at them, all smiling at me. "And the feeling that I'm falling further in love makes me shiver, but in a good way…" Seth sang.
Then I saw Ryan come out from behind Lia and Ysabel. Aha! So that's where they're all coming from! I knew they were hiding someone behind their backs. I thought. But my train of thought was altered when I saw Ryan stride toward me with both hands behind him.
I smiled, "And who are you supposed to be, Ryan?" I said, patting his well-combed hair.
"Mr. Bean." He said, grinning. Oh, now I see. That's what the brownish coat, red tie and tucked white shirt were all about.
"Oh, you're much handsome than he is." I said, fixing his tie. "Only where's your—"
"Teddy?" He cut me off. "He's behind me, preparing something for you." Then when, he was ready, out came the teddy bear. It sure looked like Mr. Bean's Teddy. But there was only one thing that made this Teddy special, he has a peach rose. And that rose was for me.
"Oh, thank you Ryan." I said, and then kissed him on the cheek.
He grew surprised, and he touched the cheek I just pecked on. I saw him blush as he walked away which made me chuckle. "All the times I have sat and stared…as she thoughtfully thumbs through her hair."
Lila was next to come out from behind Lia and Ysabel's backs. She was wearing a Chinese Robe, I've noticed. And as she went closer, I've also noticed that an eyeliner was put on the ends of her eyes to make it look like they were chinky. Her hair was worn in a tight bun.
"Hi there, Lila." I greeted her when she was already beside me. "Mulan, eh?" I asked.
"Good guess!" she said happily. She did look like a mini Lia. "Do I look like her? Do I? Do I?" she asked repeatedly.
I didn't get the chance to answer her because she just continued talking. Very fast. "I'm supposed to be Jasmine. But then she has a browner skin than mine. So the next choice was Melody, you know? Ariel's daughter? But then we didn't know what costume I will wear to be her. Then we thought of Mulan. But then she has the Chinese eyes. And I don't have that because I have the American ones. So Lia put this black thingy on my eyes to make it look like the Chinese eyes. It was really cool! She used a tiny pencil! I didn't know pencils could be used for make-ups. And—"
"Alright, Lila. Give your rose to Sam now." Lia interrupted her. I chuckled because of the innocence found in Lila's words.
"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot." She said. Then she got her rose behind her back and she handed it over. "It's purple," she said. "My favorite color. Take care of it, okay?"
I took it carefully from her small hands and said, "I will. Thank you Lila."
And I watched her walk towards the other kids with Seth, Nate and Carter. "And she purses her lips, bats her eyes and she plays with me sitting there slacked jaw with nothing to say…" Seth sang. His style was to sing when no one's talking, and I don't know how he does that but it sure sounded outstanding.
I wonder who's next. How many kids have these guys even got? And then I saw Ysabel bending down to talk with this youngster, which I saw was the last one. Since there were no more kids behind them. She was wearing a red hood and was holding a basket. But it was covering her face so I can't see it from where I was sitting.
"But Miss Sam is mad at my brother. If she's mad at him, then she's mad at me too. I'm scared. I don't want to go." The little girl said. Miss Sam. There's only one girl who calls me that. And when I heard her words, I almost sobbed. Gail was scared of me. So what I did next was to stand up and go to where Lia, Ysabel and Gail were at. Lia saw me and I saw her poke Ysabel to let her know that I was near.
"Sam." Lia said.
"Don't worry, I can handle this." I assured her. Then bent down so I could be of the same height with Gail. "Hi Gail." I said to her.
Her face was filled with uneasiness. "Mi…miss Sam?" she looked up at me. "Why… why are you talking to me? Aren't you mad?"
"Why would I be mad at you, Gail?" I asked her, while stroking her cheek. "I would never be mad at you."
"Really?" She said with a gleam on her eyes.
"Really, really." I assured her. Then I remembered her costume. "So you're Little Red Riding Hood, eh?"
"Yes. And Little Red Riding Hood has something for you." she said, opening her basket, searching for something inside with her little hand.
"Found it!" She exclaimed. Then out came a pink flower. But unlike the others, it has a note attached to it.
"What's this, Gail?" I asked.
"Read it. It's a universal fact." she chuckled. Then she ran towards the others. I opened the small card and laughed at what it said.
This was surely Gail. Calling her brother stupid with a corresponding illustration of it, yeah, this was surely her. But, I don't know if I'm ready to agree with what she wanted…
I was holding all the roses; yellow, white, peach, purple and pink—wonderful, especially hearing Seth's melodic voice. "Cause I love her with all that I am…And my voice shakes along with my hands…"
"Alright, Samantha. Go back to your spot. And this time without the chair. And with the blind fold on." Lia said, holding my shoulders and pushing me gently back to where I was before.
"Oh come on. Again?" I whined.
"Again," Ysabel answered this time, putting a blindfold on me. Jeez, I'll never learn to like this stuff. "And besides, we're getting to the fun part."
"Fun part? What fun part?" I was panicking.
"Just go with the flow, Sam." Both of them said in unison…which made me even more nervous.
"Guys, I wanna pee." I confessed. Really, my gall bladder is killing me. It will go pop-goes-the-weasel anytime soon.
"Sam, not now. Handle it."
"Oh, fine. If I get kidney cancer, trust me, you'll be the first ones to know." I snapped at them, while they led me back to where I sat earlier. Although now… I have to stand. Dang it.
I was there, blind, but clearly hearing the plucking of Nate's guitar with Carter's hitting of the beat box. It was the most pleasant thing. Then Seth sang the last part of the chorus. "'Cause she's all that I see and she's all that I need and I'm out of my league once again…" I sighed of its beauty.
Then I thought about Gail's letter. It did use cute, innocent words but then… well you can see what it really meant. And I'm sure he will show up soon. Wouldn't he? But am I ready to…see him? Jeez, it's only been two days. Am I? I'm not! I don't need to be like those girls in the movies, destroying one of these flowers, plucking its petals one by one just so I could know if he loves me or not. I should be tougher than them. It's just him, anyway. Of course I can deal with him. He's a guy!
But… I don't know…
ISAAC SERRANO
Alright. I look extremely STUPID. I hate wearing this. Really, I never learned to like this, my whole life. But whatever; I'm here. And she's here. In front of me. And I was tongue-tied to even speak! She's so beautiful. I wish I could just pull her and hug her as tight as I could. And that hug would say it all. But I couldn't. 'Cause I'm a hopeless freaking coward.
Nate and Carter stopped the music which distracted Sam a little. And like what was planned, all of them left me alone with her.
So I decided that I should try it sooner or later. I spoke, "Umm…your blindfold. You…you can remove it now."
I saw her stumble. Did I scare her? Jeez, bad move Isaac. Bad move! "You okay?" I asked.
"I…I'm okay." she stuttered. "Just surprised, but I'm okay." she said, already removing the blindfold.
She was looking down when it was removed. She pinched the top of her nose bridge lightly. Then carefully, she looked up at me from my shiny, black shoes, up to my face.
"It's you," she said. Her words cringed to me. God, she's the most beautiful thing.
Yet I, being well an Isaac, answered her with a shrug and a dumb grin…"It's me."
"Hi." she said. Why does she do that? Why? She's torturing me! Giving me those crucial single words that…ugh.
"Sam, can you please say something that involves more than a word or two?" I asked her.
She smiled.
"You look good in your tux." she finally said. "That's six, happy?"
She got me there, but after awhile, I snapped out it. "Come on, Samantha. You're supposed to be shouting at me. You're supposed to be mad." I said to her. This is not easy.
But putting my thoughts in to words didn't seem that enough for her, because she just continued staring at me. "Why are you in your tux?" she asked, acting innocently. As if she doesn't know anything.
Because I love you! I wanted to tell her. Badly. But I can't. She does something to me that makes me…anxious.
I didn't answer; and seeing that I was waiting for her to ask, she finally did. "Tell me the whole story, Isaac."
I looked at her for awhile. Her hair, tied back in a ponytail—the usual Samantha. I was eager to tell her everything. "The bet didn't happen." I blurted out.
Her reaction was unanticipated. She was calm and intently listening. So in the end, I told her what I told her best friends the night before—from the part where she beat me up at soccer to the part where I told Carter about cancelling the bet.
I examined her face once I finished talking. "Sam, please say something."
She hesitated for awhile then, later she shook her head. Out of the blue, she sighed and said, "That's why I hate words, even though they're not true, you intend to believe them."
She shot me a look, "Did you know that I've hated boys my whole life, Serrano?" she continued, "And then you come along and just like any other, I hated you too." She jabbed a finger to my chest, "But then you turned my whole world upside down and you made me fall in love with you. Or even though it's only a mere infatuation, I don't care. 'Cause I felt something for you, Serrano! Then just like that, you screwed it all up. Did you know how much that hurt? It felt like a thousand people hit me in the gut! And now you're telling me that all of it didn't happen? Jeez, Serrano!" she almost screamed at me. I saw her eyes almost filled with tears.
I couldn't help it. I just couldn't. It hurts me to see her like that, so the next thing I did was to pull her toward me and hug her. Very tight. I never wanted to let go. I wanted to freeze time during that moment. She was stunned to hug me back. But then, I waited for her to calm down and soon felt her head over my shoulder.
After a few moments…she pulled away. And started to fix herself. "Umm…sorry…umm 'bout that." she said, feeling embarrassed.
"We should sit." I suggested.
We sat wordlessly under this big old shady tree.
It was silent. We can only hear the whoosh of the trees, the sound of the water from the lake, the birds chirping—that was all.
"I'm mindless for doing that to you, Sam. I did not think that I might actually fall in love with the girl I'm betting on because I was plain stupid. You did not deserve any of those Sam. In fact you don't deserve me." I said to her.
She paused for a moment, then laughed. "Why suddenly so dramatic?" she asked, "That's not you. You should be you if you're saying your sorry. And for the record, it's sweet what you've done here, Serrano." she commented, changing the topic.
"You liked it?" I asked, happy to hear her opinion.
"Yes, very much." she answered me.
I looked at her, looking far away. Then she asked, "Why did you choose that song?"
"What song?"
"What Seth sang." she said plainly.
"The song hit me like hell." I answered her, "Like it was really written for me and you. And the lyrics said it all for me."
"It did, huh?"
"It did." I said with certainty, she was still looking far away. The mood changed evidently. Sam was no longer mad thanks to… my power hug. Ha-ha, just kidding. Oh come on, it's not a sin to lighten up a solemn mood. But soon enough, I snapped out from my crazy thoughts and sighed, "I am sorry, Samantha." I said.
"I know you are." She answered me, still looking far away.
"And it hurts to say this, but if it would make you feel any better, well… I tried not to fall, Sam. I tried." I said to her, looking at the other direction now. Trying to see if she knows what I'm talking about.
Soon, she answered, "I tried too. But it's hard not to fall in love with you, you know?" She did. She did know what I was talking about.
"It's even harder with you." I said in reply.
I saw the gleam of her teeth when she grinned, "So you think what you just said will grant you my sympathy, eh?"
I was stunned to hear that, "No. I was stating a simple fact." I assured her.
"So…you don't want me to forgive you, then?" she concluded. "That's fine with me." she chuckled, while standing up and I panicked.
"No, no, no!" I said, abruptly grabbing her hand. We stayed like that for a second or two. Then I let go, realizing that I almost sounded like a desperate lover boy. "I mean… it's up to you… umm… if you want to." I continued, sheepishly.
That's when she laughed her hardest, that she fell on her bottom again. It was the most satisfying sound. "Now, that's you." She said, in between those angelic laughs.
"So… does that mean you forgive me?" I grinned, looking back at her.
SAMANTHA PARKER
Reality Check: Forgive him—my heart says yes but my mind says no. Let him suffer first, and then you forgive—my heart says no but my mind says yes.
But then, that's why God designed us with our minds over our hearts, right?
Then there was the sound of evil laugh inside my head. Mwahahahaha…
"Give me 3 good reasons, why I should forgive you." I told him after a long pause.
He looked at me, skeptically. Trying to figure out what I'm up to. But then, after awhile, he looked up, "Hmmm…"
He cleared his throat first then he looked down and back at me before he answered. "If you forgive me," he said childishly, and then he held up a finger to indicate that it was his first reason. "I'll start terminating every cockroach that comes your way."
I laughed. Honestly, I thought I needed a serious answer but it turned out, all I needed was this. Then he raised another finger, to indicate his second reason, "Then I'll start practicing my soccer skills so that you will have your very own David Beckham." He answered again. I laughed really hard at that and he seemed proud that I liked his responses.
Then, suddenly he let down his hand, at the same time my laughter stopped. "What? You're all out?" I asked.
He grinned, then he shook his head. "If you forgive me," He said, and then he placed his hand over mine. Now, he looked serious. And I waited patiently for his last reason. "You'll be receiving more of this." He looked down, and I followed his gaze. There I saw, lying subtly on the ground of dried leaves and twigs, was a… black rose. I was shocked, at the same time disappointed. But I didn't let him see my reaction; I just simply smiled and nodded in reply to show my gratitude. "Where did you get this? You didn't have this awhile ago." I asked.
He grinned, "What can I say? I'm a good keeper."
He laughed softly but later sensed that I didn't feel the bliss he felt. So he asked, "You're not going to pick it up?"
So, I did. I picked it up. Only to find out, that in the end of the stem of the rose, was a thin thread tied on it, leading to somewhere. I tried to study it, and then I looked at Isaac with puzzlement. But he just shrugged as if he doesn't know anything about it. So I insisted on pulling the thread.
Soon, I found out that it led to his pinky. It was tied there, yet I continued pulling, it led to his whole hand… holding the most beautiful red rose I've ever seen.
"I promise I won't let myself nor anyone else hurt you again." he said, as my eyes gleamed in wonder.
Now that's a reason. I tried to speak, but then it seemed like he was not finished yet. He looked at me intently in the eyes, and said, "I know you find it cliché if I tell you this. 'Cause I would sound like one of those hopeless bachelors in romantic movies, but… I wouldn't name this the best summer ever if it weren't for you. I'll admit you're not my ideal girl, but you still had me wrapped around your finger, Sam. " He reached for my cheek and gave it a stroke. "What I felt with you the first time I saw you…I still feel it now, love. And I'll always will."
Never minding what words would pass on from my lips…I smiled at him and insisted in speaking, "For the record, it didn't sound cliché at all. I loved every single word you said." Our faces were inches apart as blood filled my cheeks and turned it to the slightest red, like one of the roses I'm holding right now. "And if it makes you happy knowing this—the river of love flows both ways."
He grinned as he lifted my chin so that it would be in line with his. He pulled me gently towards him as he lowered his face. I was captured by his alluring eyes, it's like I have no choice but to stare right into them. "I'm so glad you kicked my butt at soccer, that day." He whispered, still wearing his tempting grin. Feeling invincible with every word he said, he kissed me. Right then and there, yeahp, I was certainly kissed. His grip on me, made me feel like I was a fragile little doll… full of reassurance and love.
I actually didn't mind if Seth and the others are not here to continue the song. To be honest, I totally forgot all about them. 'Cause in my head, the lyrics of the song just kept on playing… over and over again. Just the way I like it. "…'Cause she's all that I see, and she's all that I need, and I'm out of my league once again…
YSABEL STRYDER
It's been days since Isaac's big confession to Sam. Honestly, it was the sweetest thing. Samantha swooned for days. Haha, kidding. Well, she was in love. It was understandable. And Lia and I were happy for her. Finally, she found her prince.
But now, we have to snap back reality. And by that I mean, being in the bookstore 24/7. Sadly, we have to get back to work. Well, technically it's not that sad. Since… well let's just say, I've got the chance to see Pierre everyday. Screw that. I SEE PIERRE EVERYDAY!
Counting every elderly that passes by. Wishing he would pass next.
"Dude, you're the reason why terrorist attacks happen."
"I think it's a beautiful thing." HAHAHA.