Chương 20: A Crepe
Today is Wednesday.
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I'm excited because of crepes.
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I arrive at school, with less noise than usual.
Teachers cancelled classes for the rest of the week, so no wonder some students won't go.
I enter my classroom.
Students inside are only the ones who are practicing, working, and planning for the event.
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"Hey. So you still managed to show up here, huh?" June welcomes me with a tired expression.
"It's 8 in the morning, and you're this tired already?" (Josh)
"We just want to finish the first one so we can rest and work on the last 3 costumes."
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I looked over to see how the costume is doing.
It looked like a robot armor.
The paint on the armor is impressive! It nails the worn-out look of a warrior with massive defense.
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"Wow. That's actually really good. Good job, guys!" I genuinely complimented.
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I felt a connection to the costume, probably because of it looking like a robot.
And that's cool.
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But I think it's also because I also contributed to it, and I enjoyed working with other people for this.
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I continued helping out with the props.
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It's something that I don't usually do, but for now, I'll enjoy it.
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June kept on taking breaks, but it doesn't hinder our progress.
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It's 11:57 in the morning.
It's about too be the supposed lunch break.
I remember inviting June to eat crepes, so that's what I'm looking forward to.
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I look over to June probably resting on her chair, but she wasn't there.
"Yo, I'll take my lunch now. I'll be back to help out." I get up, leaving the room.
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As I got out--
"THAT'S UNFAIR! SHE ALREADY HAS THE BEST PLAYERS IN SPORTS, BUT THE HEADS STILL GAVE THEM THE BEST SPOT?!" A girl with a large yellow bag shouted. (Girl 1)
"Shut up, Celine! You do know we can still be heard from here, right?!" Karla Santos, the class president of section 3 - B. (Girl 2)
"You're also making noise, Karla! Just remember that we can do the practices on my house. I'm willing to provide as long as it's for beating June." Another girl said, who had long straight hair with a pink jacket. (Girl 3)
"Really?! Awesome! I'll tell the dance crew and the singers then!" (Girl 1)
"I'll tell ours too. We could set up a date for our practices." (Girl 2)
"Sure! Let's just message each other about this. We can definitely beat June with this." (Girl 3)
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Aren't these the..
The presidents of sections A, B, and D of the third years?!
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Are they teaming up against us?!
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Hm. It's more like they're teaming up against June.
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Do they have a problem with her?
Well, obviously.
I faced left and right to look for June...
And there she was, just beside the other door of our room, also listening to the conversation.
Looking down, she took a long pause before returning to our classroom.
...
I went back inside as well.
She sat on her chair, and covered her face with a towel.
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Is she crying?
I think not. She commonly covers her face with a towel from time to time. It's not that new of a thing.
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I returned to my chair.
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I plan to wait till she gets up and pulls herself together.
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5 minutes pass.
I can't do it. I want to wake her up.
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I stand beside her chair.
"So, you're actually sleeping?" (Josh)
"You heard that too?" (June)
"Of course. I was literally beside them." (Josh)
"Sigh. These class wars tire me out." (June)
"I thought you presidents are the ones that push through this idea of class battles."
...
June took off her towel and looked at me directly.
Teary eyes. Eyes that just stopped itself from crying.
It seemed like she wanted to say something with how she looked at me.
...
Seeing that face did affect me, but I was also beaten down recently, so I could not connect myself to such emotions of hers.
I do think anyone who sees a person cry would feel a bit sad themselves.
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"So... Crepes?" I smile.
"Ah.. Oh yeah! Let's go!" June wiped off her eyes with her hands as she left her seat.
Her face lit up a little.
...
We left the building, and went to the canteen.
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Elementary students occupy the area because of the food stalls for their event, but I can spot some high school students here.
Entering the area, June looked for the food stall that serves crepes.
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A minute passes.
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"There's only like 10 to 15 stalls here. Is it that hard to find?" I complained.
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With me saying that, I expect to hear either of these:
"Same question to you. You couldn't find it either, so just shut up."
Or
"Heey! There's a lot of people here, so I couldn't see the stalls well, you meanie!"
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But I got no reply.
She only smiled.
"Hoh!" She lets out a noise.
Grabbing my arm, she ran towards the stall without any care with her surroundings.
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"Three Sweet Crepes please!" She shouts arriving near in front of the food stall.
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"Wait. Three?!" I ask.
"One crepe is not gonna be enough for me, Josh." She smiles at me and takes the plastic for the crepes.
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"I'll pay then." (Josh)
"Ah! No! I'll pay for mine! You pay for yours too!" (June)
"Don't you want to save money? I'm literally saying you can have it for free."
"Just do it. I don't want free stuff." She sternly says.
"Fine. Let's head to the field." (Josh)
We leave the canteen.
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But what's the point then?!
I brought her there just for me to pay for everything and think of me as a better man!
What is this?!
Why won't she accept the favor?
...
The school field. A place where students can eat their lunch as groups and act at hitpoints for sportbrains.
We sat on a bench.
As I eat my crepe, I look around to make sure there's no one playing sports or throwing and kicking balls.
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Since there's less students today, there would be none.
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We peacefully eat our food.
"Crepes in food stalls are already ready to be given, so it makes transactions faster.
Some would say it's not fresh anymore, but I don't really care. It fills my stomach, and tastes good. It does its role. And I paid for it to do that.
So I wouldn't really care if it's not the best crepe. It's fine for me." June munches on her food.
"And why say that out of nowhere? Does that reflect your life?" (Josh)
"I don't think so. I just wanted to start up a conversation." She replied.
"Hmm, I doubt that. It really seemed like it was a dialogue that would reflect you as a character." (Josh)
"Haha, you really like your drama shows, huh?"
"Where'd you get that from?"
"Carlo. He talks a lot about you."
"Ooh, so you guys are close."
Just as I said that, June flinched.
Her ears started turning red.
...
Ah.
...
"How close are we talking here?" I continued, enjoying the sight of her blushing.
"W-we're classmates! Of course we would be talking about things!"
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The reason why I immedieately concluded that they were close is that I know Carlo doesn't talk himself or the people he knows. He pushes the person to talk about themselves, and he just peacefully listens.
I doubt he would talk about me, once a friend of his, to some random person.
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"But Carlo doesn't talk about himself for no reason. I'm sure he trusts you well enough to share facts about himself."
"T-trusts.. me?"
"Yeah. And by seeing your reaction to all this, it seems like there's a harsh plot going on.
The story of a girl who's inlove with her best friend." I wave my hand slowly to the air as I dramatically speak those words.
"N-no! There's nothing like that between us! We just talk a lot!" (June)
"Exactly. So, what do you like about him?" I ask in a teasing tone.
...
I'm slowly getting really invested in this plot of hers.
It's more like I'm slowly turning into a supporter of their relationship.
And I'm not sure what to feel about that.
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"Well, he is a gentle person, and I feel safe when he's there." June says that covering her face with her hair.
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Adorable.
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"Please. Don't let this drag out. Just tell him about it." I speak out.
Which I know I shouldn't say so, since I had the goal of making her like me from the start.
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"I can't, Josh. It's not easy to say "I like you" and be hopeful for a positive response. Don't you try to make the person like you before you confess?" June sighs.
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She's right. It's basically what I've been doing for the past 3 years.
But there's a slight difference. She already feels the love. She wants to say "I like you".
In my case, I want to feel loved first, then I'll feel the love later on. I want "I like you" to be said to me.
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"Hm. Sure, I want to be liked by the person, but I should not have love as I pursue her. It's like confirming that I will like being with her and feeling love towards her." I finish eating my food.
"That's messed up, Josh. Love naturally happens. It doesn't work like that." (June)
"Oh, trust me. It did work like that." I say in a serious manner.
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Yeah, no. I'm not sharing a backstory that I wanted to forget.
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"You sound credible. You actually experienced that?" (June)
"Yeah. Now finish eating please. Let's get back to work."
"Nooo.. I want to know more about this."
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"Oh, don't expect me to tell you everything."
Then I told her everything.
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