Chapter 2. Who's That Guy?

I still remember, once in a theme park, a tall and attractive Korean boy in a yellow tracksuit sat beside me on a Ferris wheel. I wished, at that time, I had dared to ask for his number. Who knows, maybe we would be dating today, and he might be my oppa.

But the moment when the brand-new Buggatti Divo pulled up and that 6'2'' tall, gallant, captivating, alluring, and sensuous boy came out of it, I thanked the younger version of me for not asking the number of that Korean yellow tracksuit guy in the theme park. I mean, if I had asked for his number, I might be dating him, and if I was dating him, it wouldn’t be fair enough to crush on this tall new guy. After all, I’m somewhat of a loyal girlfriend myself.

Back to the present, this new boy’s fashionable entrance at Liberty High astonished everyone there.

Christine’s reaction should be the topic of discussion. 

She was like, “Who is this guy? OMG! He is so hot, and he has such an expensive car. I wish he was my boyfriend.”

Poor Noah, I can smell his heart burning from jealousy. The new guy had every Liberty High female salivating over him like a hungry wolf drooling over its prey.

I feel horrible for those loyally devoted boyfriends. I mean, with his entry, that new boy has brought billions of insecurities to all of the boys at Liberty High.

Before him, Noah Greyson, aka Christine’s boyfriend, was the most eligible bachelor of Liberty High. Regardless, those loyally devoted boyfriends were still happy and relieved because Noah already had a girlfriend.

What about this new guy? What’s his name? Is he single? Is he straight? Does he have a girlfriend? Does he want a girlfriend? My brain was loaded with queries related to him.

At the chemistry lab, Jenna and I were doing an oxidation-reduction reaction.

Suddenly, a deep husky voice called my name. 

“Amy? Amy Evans? May I speak with you?”

I whirled around to see who was speaking. It was the same new guy.

OMG! It’s him. It’s him. He knows my name.

“Y-yeah, s-sure,” I replied, as my heart was thumping quickly.

“You are Amy Evans, right?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am,” I responded.

“Can I get your English literature notes?” he requested.

“You need my notes already on the first day?” I asked back like a stupid jerk.

Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Why must I say that? Gosh! He will now perceive me as some rude, cheap, and narcissistic topper who hides her answer sheets during the examination.

“You’re funny. I had to go to the principal’s office to complete some paperwork because I was a late admission, so I missed the class,” he clarified.

He thinks I’m funny. God, did you hear him? He said I’m funny. He praised my humor. But I wasn’t even being humorous. Is that a compliment or just a good cover to say, ‘You’re annoying’?

“Oh! Okay. As you can see, I’m in the lab right now, so can I give it to you after the class?” I replied with a polite smile.

“Yeah, sure. Meet me at the canteen during lunchtime.” He smiled softly.

After he went, I had thousands of butterflies in my stomach and hundreds of questions in my head. I was very surprised that he asked me for help. I also wondered how he came to know about me. How did he know my name? And why am I the only one in this entire school he asked?

“Dude, did you see that? That new guy talked with me. Out of all those gorgeous hot girls, he asked me about notes with,” I told Jenna in an exhilarating tone.

“Chill down, girl. He is asking for notes. He will obviously ask a nerd for notes instead of those plastic girls,” she answered, showing boredom on her face.

“Come on, Jenna! You can’t judge him like that.” I gave her a light nudge with my right elbow.

“You are aware of my hatred toward attractive boys. What kinda reaction do you expect from me?” Jenna responded in an irritated tone.

“Hey, girl. Cool down! What happened? Did Duke say something?” I asked with curiosity.

Duke Stewart, aka Jenna’s boyfriend. 5'10" tall, struggling drummer in a band called Shades of Music.

“Holly crap! Is it that obvious? This is why I don’t like being in a relationship. Relationships expose your frailty and weakness,” she responded while tying her hair back.

“Okay, tell me. What did he do now?” I raised a question with curiosity.

She said angrily, “Last night, at Morty’s rave party, I spotted him making out with a blond girl.”

“Dude! I know him. Duke isn’t like that. He will never cheat on you,” I tried to comfort her.

“Oh yeah, he wouldn’t ever betray me. His legs slipped, and his lips unintentionally landed on that blonde girl’s throat.” She slammed the table.

“You two, hello? Yeah, you ladies. Leave my lab and speak as much as you like,” Mr. Benzene reprimanded us.

I said, “We’re really sorry, Mr. Benzene.”

And then I drew Jenna out, “Let’s go to the canteen and calmly sort things out.”

Jenna placed an order for a double cheeseburger, French fries, pizza, and a pepsi at the cafeteria. Well, it’s pretty obvious. When Jenna gets angry, she typically follows this eating plan.

However, for me, my lunch is always from home. I brought poha today. It is a South Asian meal made of rice that has been flattened, onions, herbs, spices, lemon juice, and peanuts.

“Yeah, is it too late now to say sorry?

Cause I’m missing more than just your body…” 

Unexpectedly, a guy began singing ‘Sorry’ by Justin Bieber with a terrible voice.

Jenna and I swung around to look at the guy who was singing in that terrible tone.

Hello, hello. Surpriiiiise… It was Duke.

Duke finished his awful song and knelt before Jenna to ask for forgiveness. 

“Jenna dear, I’m so-so-so sorry that you had to witness that situation. It’s…It’s not like what you think.”

“It’s okay, Duke. Stand up! I don’t like creating dramas. Everyone is staring at us,” she replied while pulling him up.

“No! I can’t. Please, let me do this. I hurt you. The girl I love the most is hurt by me. Please, allow me to explain. It’s okay if you choose not to forgive me. But please, allow me to explain, though. I can endure your hatred for the rest of my life. But I can’t spend a second letting you doubt my love for you. Please, let me clear this up. Please, let me give an explanation,” he begged with tears.

“Okay. Okay. Stand up first. We can go to my table and talk there, okay?” She pulled him up.

“Here’s your order, Jenna. Well, you have a very loving boyfriend. You should give him a chance,” said the caterer.

“Thank you, Rose,” Duke said with gratitude.

“You’ve got five minutes,” Jenna forewarned.

“Jenna, you misunderstood the situat…” Jenna was glaring at him.

Jenna doesn’t like those who place blame on others. She prefers men who want to accept responsibilities and keep their promises.

“OK. That girl you saw at the party, she’s my ex. She wanted me to get back to her and attempted to kiss me. But trust me. I backed off immediately. After you left, I warned her not to kiss me ever without my consent because I belong to you. I swear,” he gave a passionate reply.

God! You should see his eyes. Anyone can gain forgiveness with that adorable puppy look.

“Really? Is that what happened?” Jenna aimed to verify.

“Yeah. I swear. I would never cheat on you. You know, I love you the most.” He brushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

Jenna drew him in for a passionate kiss while flashing a sweet, flushed smile.

“That’s it? That’s all? Is the misunderstanding clear? Are you gonna believe it so easily? You were so angry at the lab. I even have to skip my class because of that. Now he just comes and says some cheesy words, and everything goes back to normal?” I asked angrily while extending my palms toward a French fry.

“Amy, you know, you are the second person I love the most. Do you really have to be the villain of my story?” Duke shoved French fries into my mouth.

“No, I believe you, Duke. I’ve known you since we were like 10. You will never cheat on Jen. But don’t you think she shouldn’t believe everything so quickly?” I responded as I ate the fries.

“It’s not everything, you dumbo! It’s love. And the first thing you should do when you love someone is to put your faith in them!” Jenna answered poetically.

I’m the one who always aces in literature tests, but in the case of love, Jenna is much more passionate, understanding, and romantic than me.

Someone threw a small paper ball at me.

“Notes!!!” was written inside.

When I turned around to look, the new guy was there. He waved at me, and I reciprocated.

“Guys, I will be back soon,” I said and went over to the table where he was waiting for me.

“Go, Amy! You can do it, my Juliet. You can impress your Romeo,” my pals wished me luck from behind.

“Hey, did you bring it?” he asked.

“Yes, it is here.” I presented my notes to him.

“Great! Thanks, Amy,” he replied in a softer voice.

“Why me?” I asked.

“Pardon?” He gave me a hazel-eyed glance.

“I mean, among all those students, why did you ask me for notes?”

I had no idea why I asked this. Am I being overly cynical or too dumb?

He smiled and replied, “You ask too many questions, Amy. See, I asked my pals about notes, but none of them had written any. However, they suggested your name. They said you are an ace in literature. So I thought, if I’m gonna copy the notes, then I should copy from the best,” he replied with a wink.

He gave me a wink. He thinks I’m the best. Why am I getting such a hot flush? Should I run? He must not see my flushed cheeks.

“Wait a minute. Is that the most wanted limited-edition Black Panther backpack, which features the late Stan Lee and Chadwick Boseman’s signatures?” I thought I was speaking in my head, but I literally uttered it out loud. When it comes to superheroes, I can’t help but fangirl.

“Yeah, I’m pretty shocked and impressed that you recognized it,” he replied with an expression of amazement.

“Dude! Are you kidding me? This is the most wanted limited-edition on earth!” I sat on the chair. 

“Only 5 of them are made in this world. I desperately wanted this, but they were all sold out.” I took the bag out of his grasp and gently caressed it.

“After a while, I saw one of these on eBay. Everything was perfect. The seller was ready to sell it. But a filthy, obnoxious, rich jerk brought it at 3x price.” I was so enraged when I thought back on the flashback that I slammed the table.

“I’m sorry for that,” he apologized.

“Why are you expressing regret for it? It’s not like I didn’t get the bag because of you.” I gave him a soft smile.

He replied with a guilty smile, “Well, I’m that filthy, obnoxious, rich jerk who bought this bag at 3x price.”

It was the most awkward situation I have ever encountered in my entire life. I’m not sure what to say in response to it. My first conversation with my crush, and I had so many bad impressions. And to top it off, I referred to him as a ‘filthy, obnoxious, rich jerk.’

Who does that? Oh yeah, Amy! Amy Evans does this. She roasts her crush in the 1st meeting.

Can anyone give me a spoonful of water? I want to drown and perish there.