Chapter 3

I decided to join the English Club since I got along with some of the members. Each one of the eight members had their perks, and I found it fun and cute.

It's the place where Lisa and I started to become friends. It was after the meeting that we hung out by the 7-Eleven store. I was starving and pulled her with me, but she was also hungry, so it turned out well.

"Come on. It's my treat. There's still some money left from the prize money I got from last week's essay award." I said to her before going into the store.

I sensed she was standing still, looking at me like a statue.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

She shakes her head and smiles. "Nothing. It's just you're the first person in our school to treat me, buying me food. Not the other way around."

I smiled and grabbed her arm. "Come on. Our stomach's gonna rebel when we don't feed them."

We exchanged stories that afternoon, and she's the same age as me, but we don't have classes together. We started chatting from academics to talking about our dreams, and it turns out we both wanted to live in the city.

From that moment on, we started hanging out. I thanked Mr. Ramirez for opening the English Club, which brought me closer for the following months.

The downside was Vince was there to just order me around. One week after dismissal, he'd always call me to do his work, like making photocopies of the club's activities, board duty, taking the meeting minutes even though he was the one assigned that day, and a lot more.

It's the 5th day that I straight up talk to him.

"Hey. Can't you do your work? I'm not your assistant or something."

He smiled at me, which got me confused. "Ok."

"Why are you smiling?"

"It's good that you're speaking up for yourself."

I looked at him in realization. Did he see me getting bossed around by Trixie? She was simply my friend, and that's what friends do. On the other hand, Vince is just someone I've been neighbors with since childhood.

"It took 5 days to get you to speak out to me. But how much more does it take for others that don't even treat you like a friend?"

"Watch your mouth."

"All I'm saying is you should stop with your notion that when you endure things, people will accept you. Sometimes, you just can't please other people."

"Is it bad that I'm making an effort to build a relationship with others?"

"For them, no. But for you, you're trying so hard to endure it all. No matter what burden they put on you. It could affect you and the others you care for."

His words suddenly reminded me of Mom. If I don't care for myself, who'd take care of Mom?

"Oh, Jillian." Called someone who entered the room.

"Hello, Mr. Ramirez." I greeted him, and so did Vince.

"Vince, do you have the documents I asked you to bring?" he asks.

I brought the documents since Vince reasoned he had an emergency that he couldn't do it.

"It's here—"

"Here you go, sir," Vince said, cutting me off and taking the documents right in front of me.

"Thanks. Job well done." Mr. Ramirez said while scanning the file. "You two enjoy Christmas." Then he bid us goodbye and left the room.

The only thing I could do was glare at Vince. That self-absorbed, proud prick.

"Don't you have any other friends to pick on?"

"I have you. Why would I bother others?" he smirked.

I walked out as I got tired of seeing his face or even being around him.

Lisa and I met up to grab dinner at a place called Dine Mesa, which was a few blocks away from school. It's a diner with students as usual customers. A few students were there, but the one I was only familiar with was Lisa, who was sitting by the center aisle waiting for me.

She told me a few things she had planned for this winter break. But before that, she invited me over to a concert.

"Let's go this Saturday. My dad already has the tickets from one of the producers." She excitedly said.

I wanted to, but I can't. It's my turn to watch over Mom over that weekend. Aunt Josephine will be having her own vacation with her family as they invited her over the holidays to the city.

"I don't think I can make it." I regretfully say. "I have some things to take care of at home."

"Your mom?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Perhaps next time when she'll get well enough to be sent home," I said. "Maybe you should ask Jia. She listens to the group's music once in a while."

"Oh, perhaps you're right. I'll ask her now." She fished her phone from her pocket and started to text her.

While she immediately asked Jia, I saw Vince passing by. I suddenly remember our conversation a while ago about me being a pushover. It bothered me a little—perhaps more than I want to accept because a cut through the patch screams that he's right.

Then, he suddenly knelt down, and I couldn't see him from the view, with chairs and tables blocking the way. A few seconds later, he was carrying something. A box. It seems he was talking to someone, and when he started walking, he was with a lady adult. She was carrying two bags in both hands, and Vince was carrying two boxes. They continued walking until they disappeared through a curve in the street.

It occurred to me that perhaps he was just helping me. To be honest, it wasn't the first time he was oddly acting up towards me. One time, he pulled me all of a sudden while I was walking through the side lane, and I thought he was just playing around, but there was simply a bike passing through. Another time was when he placed my hood up when I was casually walking through the halls – I still don't know why. Then, as I entered my room, he suddenly called me only to put my hood up again. Still, this time, he pulled the thread around it so that the hood covered my whole face before saying he just liked to protect it for some reason.

Then a smile appeared on my face without me realizing it until Lisa pointed it out.

"Why are you smiling all of a sudden?" she asks. "Don't laugh at me for Jia rejecting my offer."

My attention went back to Lisa. "She couldn't make it either?"

"She said she's busy."

"Oh." I nodded. "Perhaps she'll be working at the café that weekend."

"Ah. Right." She lumps on the table, feeling dejected.

I sometimes envy her. Her problems and mine are so different that I sometimes would like to experience having trouble with spending money rather than working so hard to save it.

A buzz on my phone disturbed me from eating the last scoop of rice. I looked at my phone, and it was from Vince.

Meet me at the park by the river tomorrow at 5 pm. My heart skipped a beat, surprising me to the point of gasping.

"What is it?" Lisa asks. "What's wrong?"

I looked at her in surprise, showed her the message, and slowly asked, "Is Vince taking me on a date?"