บท 5: CHAPTER 5: Stuck from the Previous Page
[Feigh]
"Someone said that everything happens for a reason. And I think that there is also a reason why we moved here and why I kept on seeing Zy."
I let out a deep sigh.
Who wouldn't be stressed if you came back to the place you used to and there's this person from your past that would still keep on bugging you. To make matters worse, I could not avoid him since Mom is the one who's requesting for his audience.
I sighed again.
"You really had a habit of making me piss, don't you?" I snapped back into reality when the person ahead of me complained.
"Sorry," I sarcastically mumbled as I rolled my eyeballs.
I almost forgot that he hated me for making any kind of noise. But I think he has hated my whole existence ever since the rumor that I have a crush on him spread. I would really blame Wandough for spreading that fake news.
Well, I can't argue; he doesn't want to be linked to me because I'm just a nobody at school. I bet he would prefer it if it were Jiana. I scoffed at that mere idea, making him glare at me. I glared back at him, but he only snobbed me.
We were walking towards the tailor shop, and Zy was pacing fast, making him ahead of me. That was fortunate for me because I don't want to walk beside him. The tailor shop is just 20 meters away from the subdivision, but I felt like I had walked an eternity.
Finally, after a minute or two, we arrived at our destination. It was a small and a bit old shop. Zy immediately pushed the glass door of the shop and entered. He's like my brother, not a gentleman.
I was supposed to push the door when someone inside opened it for me. I hesitated to enter at first, shocked to see Zy holding the glass door's handle for me. When I gathered my senses, I immediately rushed inside. He would probably think that I'm expecting a princess treatment.
"Let's just wait here," Zy said before sitting on the nearby bench.
I hesitated to sit beside him, knowing that the bench was a bit small to accommodate the both of us. He looked at me, wondering why I was still standing. I gave him a meaningful look. He sighed before moving a little bit to the side to give me enough space.
"Thank you," I said as I carefully sat beside him.
While waiting for our turn, I was able to roam my eyes around the shop. There were folded fabrics of different colors and patterns displayed on the sides. Uniforms of different designs were also hung beside those fabrics. But what caught my eye was this girl looking out from the glass window of the shop.
She was wearing a thick, patterned jacket, and her hair was tied. A portion of her hair was hung to the sides. Her eyes were so fixated on something. She did not even notice me staring at her. Her hands were also pressing on the glass. It was like she was trying so hard to see through the insides of the shop. I wondered what she was looking into.
Sometime later, a boy, probably the same age as us, went out of the seamstress' office. That's when I realized that she was probably waiting for him to come out.
The guy was wearing a hideous outfit: a denim jacket with a gray hoodie to cover his head, which was already wearing a black bonnet. He was also wearing a black shirt inside. His eyes and upper portion of his face were only visible since he was wearing a mask.
He was already near the door when he suddenly looked in my direction. I immediately shifted my gaze, looking down to the floor and holding my sling bag tight. My hands are becoming sweaty as I do so, and my heart is beating so fast as if I'm about to explode. I don't understand why my body was reacting like this.
When I heard his fading footsteps, that's when I decided to look at the door to ensure if he really went out.
"It's our turn," Zy mumbled as he stood on the bench. I remained in my seat for a while to gather all my senses. I breathed deeply to calm myself.
Zy continued heading towards the office of the seamstress to talk about the fitting without even noticing that I was not walking behind him.
"Feigh!" I heard Zy call, so I was snapped back into reality. I looked at him; his face was devoid of any emotion, and he was standing outside the office of the seamstress, waiting for me.
"Sorry," I muttered in a low voice as I stood up and walked towards him.
We went inside the office together. The seamstress was busy doing her stuff.
While standing beside Zy, I can't stop thinking about what happened earlier. Why was my body reacting like that?
Also, that guy who went out of the shop was so familiar. It's like I've already seen him before. Even though he has these bright aura and soft features—straight brows and doe-eyes—there was something about him that felt off.
"So who's willing to be measured first?" The seamstress asked, interrupting my trail of thoughts.
I was intrigued by her question. But then Zy replied, "Ladies first." This really confirms my gut feeling that what Jiana said last night was true.
Since Zy insisted that I be first, I had no choice but to move in front of the seamstress to allow her to take my measurements.
It took us a minute before she finished. I thanked her before moving aside. Zy then moved in front of the seamstress, and she also started measuring him.
While he was being measured, another idea popped into my head. Why did the stranger from last night act as if I knew him before? In fact, I just met him last night.
Wait. Could it be possible that I had an accident before and got amnesia, which is why I don't remember him? Or could it be possible that he was just lying?
"Thank you. We'll be getting them next week," he said before handing over the down payment. He then went toward the door and opened it for me. Why is he being nice lately?
He signaled for me to go out first, so I had no choice but to do so. He followed me from behind. "We'll stop by the bookstore first before heading home," he said as he led the way towards our next destination. It was just one store away from the tailor shop, so we'll probably take a few seconds before arriving there.
"You seem to know this place so well," I remarked while trying to keep up with him. "Don't tell me that this is also your hometown."
"Good guess," he replied. He is always timid when talking to me, but I guess that is fortunate since I don't want to engage in a long conversation with him either.
We arrived at the bookstore. It was just small, but since the walls are all glass, I was able to see that all corners are filled with different genres of books.
He headed towards the door and went inside. I followed him from behind. As I stepped in, the smell of newly printed books filled the room. I bet these are new stocks, fresh from the printing press.
Zy headed towards the section where educational books are displayed. As expected for someone who is very invested in learning. I bet this is his secret to being at the top of the class. He loves to read books. I think I should follow in his footsteps.
And speaking of books, I was reminded of the journal that he gave me. I was supposed to ask him about it when the guy from the tailor shop suddenly entered the store.
He was no longer wearing his jacket, nor his bonnet or mask. Allowing me to see his full face. His doe eyes match his straight nose and small lips. He even smiled when he saw Zy and immediately rushed to approach him. Wait. Don't tell me that they knew each other.
"Long time, no see, Enriquez!" The guy said as he patted Zy's shoulder. The latter turned to look at him, and a frown immediately formed on his lips.
Despite Zy's indifference, the former was still smiling from ear to ear, causing his eyes to curve like a rainbow. Zy ignored him and chose to return his gaze to the bookshelf. "You're still a snob, just like before," the guy continued while keeping a chuckle.
"And you're still annoying," Zy remarked, making him laugh. Now, I think there is a blooming bromance here. When Zy stole a glance in my direction, I immediately darted him my teasing face, which caused his brows to furrow.
"I'll accept that as a compliment," the guy beside Zy said as he helped him find something. I guess he's a bright soul, not just like what I had thought earlier. I'm probably just overthinking and overreacting.
It turns out he's a free-spirited and cheerful person. That's probably why that girl was into him. Now, I'm wondering how Zy became his friend when they were polar opposites.
"I'll be waiting outside," I mumbled out of the blue, interrupting them both. Zy looked at me for a while before nodding. The guy beside him meaningfully looked at me, so I decided to fake a smile at him.
There was really something odd about him. It's like he was only showing off his good sides to certain people. I guess I need to take back my compliments earlier.
He continued staring at me. "I'll go now," I mumbled as I nervously walked towards the door.
When I opened the door, the nearby ice cream parlor caught my eye. It reminded me of the time when Wandough and I used to spend our weekends eating our favorite ice creams.
I looked back in the direction of Zy, and they were still searching for a book, so I decided to head towards the parlor for a moment. I'll be checking what's available on their menu, and if I'm interested, I'll buy one. Of course, I won't be buying one for Zy.
I entered the parlor and went towards the counter. My eyes widened when I saw the stranger from last night standing in the cash register. Oh no! Why is he here? I turned around, hoping he wouldn't notice me, but it was already too late.
"Feigh?" he said, causing me to turn to face him. He smiled at me while I only looked at him, confused. "You're probably here to order your usual strawberry ice cream," he continued, causing me to be more confused. He also knew my favorite ice cream flavor. But wait, did he say that it's my usual order here?
"Finally! We found you. I thought you headed home without waiting for me." I heard Zy's voice from behind, causing me to turn around to face him. When I looked at his face, it was emotionless.
Beside him is the guy from the tailor shop, but he is now holding a paper bag. They've probably found the book that they had been searching for earlier.
Zy diverted his gaze from me to the counter. When he saw the person standing on the cash register, his face tensed up. Even his buddy's face could not be painted. Wait? Did the three of them know each other?
When I noticed that the tension between the three of them was growing, I decided to just step away. I diverted my gaze from Zy to his buddy and to the guy from the register. They are still looking at each other, ready to fight. I nervously rubbed the back of my head, trying to analyze the situation I'm in.
The silence was only broken when Zy said something to the guy on the register: "Don't you ever come near her." Zy's threat didn't move the guy—he was still not removing his raging stare from Zy.
But when Zy's threat sank in, I became confused about why he had to say that. Don't tell me that the guy from the register was really a bad guy. Could that be the reason why he immediately disappeared last night when Zy almost caught him, and was that also why he was afraid that Mom might catch him?
"We'll be heading home now." Zy diverted his gaze to me and forcefully grabbed my wrist. I was about to remove his painful grip, but he immediately dragged me out of the parlor. I took one last glimpse of the guy at the counter, and I saw worry in his face.
When we're finally out, Zy turns to face me. His face was furious. "You said you'd just wait outside the bookstore. But why did you go to that ice cream parlor?"
He unbuttoned his denim polo, exposing the white shirt that he wore beneath it. Even if the light of the noonday sun was reflecting on his fair skin, it did not hide the rage building up in his eyes.
I became speechless and tongue-tied. "Sorry." That's the only word that came out of my mouth. I don't understand why I felt guilty. It's as if I did a very bad thing. My heart is also racing fast, and sweat is forming on my forehead.
"I'll be leaving you two," his buddy uncomfortably said as he bid us goodbye. Before leaving us, he also handed the paper bag to Zy.
I think Zy would burn me alive. I guess Zy's nickname would no longer be "walking air conditioner." Rather, it would be "volcano." Because I think, anytime soon, he would explode.
"You're really putting yourself in danger, aren't you?" Zy reprimanded me. "Jiana was probably right; you don't care about how others would feel because you're selfish," he continued while scoffing.
I don't understand, but my eyes only welled up when what he said fully sank in. I never thought that hearing it directly from him would make me feel so bad for myself.
When he looked at me, he sighed and handed me his handkerchief. I looked at his handkerchief but never took it. So he sighed again.
What he did next shocked me. He wiped away the tears that I didn't notice were already falling from my cheeks. I only stared at his face, and it was no longer filled with rage. When he noticed that I was looking at him, he immediately stopped wiping my face. Instead, he offered the handkerchief again.
"You should blow your nose," he monotonously said before turning around.
I sniffed the drainage coming off my nose before reaching for the handkerchief. He then started walking as if nothing had happened, so I tried to follow him too.
••W••
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, songs, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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