SPEAK WITH THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION

BLADE

The next day as I was rummaging inside my bag for my locker key when my eyes caught a glimpse of something thin. I took it out of my bag and examined it. It was a turquoise colored envelope with a floral design. I sniff the envelope. It has a mixture of jasmine and lavender scent to it. I frowned. How did this thing get inside my bag?

Arden was astonished when he saw a letter on my hand. "Wow! You got a love letter, man! Who is it from?" He snatched the letter from my hands.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

He examined the letter. "Huh? It doesn't say who it is from," he said flipping the envelope from back to back.

I took back the envelope from him almost ripping it. "I know who this belongs to."

"Really? Who? A girl who got a crush with your grumpy face?" Arden teased.

I shook my head. "No. This belongs to the trash!" I crumpled the paper with my two hands and throw it inside the nearby trash bin. Love letters, my ass! If it wasn't from Eunice then I won't accept any love letters from anyone. As I continued rummaging in my bag I finally found the blasted locker key.

"Man, that's kind of rude. Wouldn't it hurt much to consider other people's feelings?" he said unattentively to me. He was busy smiling and posing for a picture with random students that just walked through the hallway.

"Do a different pose Arden and make your look fierce!" said one girl who was holding a cellphone in one hand.

"Like this," Arden said complying to what the girl said and the girl took photos of him. The girl giggled in delight after taking his pictures then skipped away. I grimaced and continued to unlock my locker. "Like I what to consider being a dumbass like you," I mumbled.

"What? Did you said something?" he asked, still posing for the camera.

I opened my locker but got surprise when suddenly a lot of letters fell from inside it. It was the same one with the letter I threw in the trash. My eyes shut in irritation, trying to control my anger that is slowly simmering inside me.

"Woah. That's a lot of letters," Arden commented. He picked a letter and ripped open it open, letting out a folded scented paper. He unfolded it and read the paper a loud.

"Yes or Yes? Huh? From Miss Little Cupid?" He looked at me, puzzled. "Who's Miss Little Cupid?"

He looked at the other letters. "They all say the same thing. Who would ask you this, man?"

I shut my eyes tightly and slammed my locker with a loud metallic bang. "I know," I said, my hand balled to fists. And I know who will never survive this semester in this school.

"Who?"

"That would be me," said a voice from the back.

We whipped our heads around to face a girl who has one hand on her hips and has a proud smile on her pink glossy lips. Her long wavy hair is tied back into a single ponytail. It's none other than chihuahua.

"Good morning Blade! Hello, Arden!" she greeted brightly.

"Why you little—" I was about to charge at her but Arden held me by the shoulders and stopped me.

"Woah! Feisty pants! What do you think you're doing?" he said as he move in front of me to come in between me and the suicidal crazy and stalker chihuahua.

"Teaching this chihuahua not to bark on the wrong tree!" I said struggling to break free from Arden's grasps.

Instead of feeling scared she continued speaking. "Come on, Blade. Don't you want me to help you with your love concern?"

"I already said no! What is it with you that you can't understand the word no?!"

"Can't it hurt to just try it out? You wouldn't know if something really works out if you don't try it. Please. I can't ask anyone to do this but you. Please help me," she said rather desperately.

"Why does it have to be me? Why can't it be anybody else?"

She looked away. "I—I can't tell you that. All you need to know that it's only you that can do this. And besides I'm not the only one who can benefit from everything in this deal. If you help me you'll get your love of your life back. It's a win-win. Please."

"No!" I said my voice full of conviction.

"Come on, man. Wouldn't hurt to just help her?" Arden whispered to me.

"What?" I yelled, outraged. I forcefully took his hand away from me. "If you want to help her that much! Why won't you do it?!" I said and nudge a finger on his chest. I turned away and was about to walk out but she held my hand stopping me in place. She held my hand like her life depended on it.

"Let go of me!" I tried to jerk her hand away but her grip was tight.

"Please, you've got to help me. You're the only one who can do it. No one else. Please," she pleaded, rather too desperate. I was about to answer when the school bell rang. She looked at me like she was torn between keep on pleading to me or go to her class. In the end she sighed in defeat.

"Meet me at the school pool after classes this afternoon. Let's talk things through with this," she said before slowly letting go of my hand and her lips curve into a bitter smile. My thoughts suddenly went back to the time that she suddenly faded into a puddle in my dream.

I was stunned as I watch her walk away from me. It wasn't moments after that she was already out of my sight and I was only reverted back to reality when Arden pat my shoulder. "What are you gonna do, man?"

I looked back to where she disappeared.

"Nothing."

A LOT of profanities came out of my mouth like waterfalls as I stumped my way towards the pool area. I wasn't planning to go there but then Arden wouldn't stop nagging me about how it's improper to let a girl wait for a man.

"She asked nicely, Blade. Be a gentleman for a change," he suggested while he was busy chatting with someone while lying on his bed.

We are not just best friends we are roommates as well. We live in a dormitory that is within the school premises. We had always been together since junior high. And I had always been cleaning up his mess in the dorm. He might be clean and prim when he entertains his fans but in our dorm he is such a slob and sloth. I threw the unwashed smelly and wet sock that he just left lying under his bed to his ugly face. Who knew how long that thing was left unwashed because I already saw green molds sticking to it. Eww. He was startled and he quickly shove the sock away from his face, totally gross out.

His nose crinkled. "Gross! Man, you should know better than to wash your socks! That thing was nasty!"

"That was your sock, stupid!" I snapped at him.

His eyebrows rose in realization. "Oh." Then he laughed rubbing the back of his head.

I motioned my hand to punch his face and he immediately protected his face with his hands. But instead of actually hurting him I decided to focus on cleaning. What I hate the most is clutter. And this guy is such a pain in the ass. I was cursing him under my breath while I put his dirty clothes that was haphazardly laying on the floor inside a basket. He went back to lying on his bed sideways his front body facing me. He propped an elbow on the soft khaki mattress.

"Seriously, Blade aren't you gonna go and talk to her?"

"Talk to that chihuahua? Don't make me laugh," I retorted.

"Come on, man. She has good intentions. She just wants a friend that will help her when she needed him the most."

"But I'm not the friend she is looking for," I said my body preoccupied in laundry picking. Seriously, how many times did he changed his clothes today?

"Yes, you are," he quickly responded. "You just don't know how much of an awesome friend you are. Especially when you clean up after my dirty laundry," he pointed out his mouth gesturing to the laundry basket in my hands.

"Oh, this thing." I lift the laundry basket in my hands with a smile. He enthusiastically nodded his head. I threw the laundry basket to his face. "You clean that up," I ordered.

He instantly shove his dirty clothes away from him. He groaned. "That thing is nasty!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. That's the stench of your clothes, idiot. He seriously need to get his clothes washed before the whole dorm will smell like rotten cheese.

I flop on my bed face down inhaling the smell of freshly washed bedsheets that I changed earlier. The mattress shook when Arden suddenly jumps on my bed and lay down beside me. "Come on, man. It's sun down, she might be waiting for you there."

"Or she realize that I will never help her and decided to go home," I interjected and covered my face with a pillow.

"You won't know until you see it for yourself. And if you really don't want to accept her offer tell her properly. If you explain it, she might understand and stop bugging you. See, problem solve. All you need to do is go see her." I sneak a peek on Arden, he's smiling wiggling his eyebrows.

"Fine!" I grumbled then sat up from my bed. He smiled in triumph I threw the nearest pillow to his face. "But don't expect me to go easy on her," I told him getting off my bed .

"I'm gonna bet my 3 months allowance that you will accept her offer."

"Then you better get ready because you'll be paying me tonight." I walked towards the door slamming it shut behind me.

And hear I am walking towards the school pool area. The pool area is located at the backside of the main school building caged with a tall fence. When I reached the entrance I surveyed the area in search for her. I found her sitting on the edge of the pool her feet submerge in the water. Her smile reached her eyes as she watch she stare at the sun setting over the trees. She was humming a melody I couldn't recognize. I walked towards her as I watch her dark hair cascading a red shade from the setting sun. It made her white skin the color of orange.

She might have notice my presence and glance my way. Her relaxed smile widens showing her white teeth and dimples from her cheeks. "You came!" she said in delight standing up. I thought she would complain that I made her wait this long. Even if she did, it wouldn't be my fault. She's the one who invited me here anyway. I was just forced to go see her to end this. Right here. Right now.

She walked the distance between us. "Let's get this over with. I don't have all day. What do you want to talk to me?" I said when I was face to face with her.

"Oh, okay." She didn't waste anytime. Forever rummaged inside her backpack and took out her notebook the one with the 'Bucket List' on the cover. She cleared her throat. "Like I said you will become my friend and help me finish this bucket list in exchange I'll help you win back Eunice's heart. I'll do everything in my power to bring you guys back together. So, do we have a deal?" she said offering her hand to me.

I stared at her hand that made her smile falter when I didn't accept it. She reluctantly let down her hand. "Do you know that it's not nice to meddle on other people's business?"

"But—" I shut her up with a raise of a hand. "Like I said I don't want people forcing themselves towards me even though they're not wanted. I don't need your help. I don't want to be your friend. I don't want you in my life," I said, my voice icy.

My last words made her shoulders sag and eyes moisty. She bit her lower lip suppressing her eyes to cry. I didn't felt the slightest pity and guilt towards her. This was no different to the past girls who confess their love for me and I never blink twice to turn them down in every painful and bashful way as possible. And that's just who I am. Cold, bad and destructive. It's one of the reasons I was dubbed the God of Destruction. But for her case, I decided to end it as painless as possible. She's fortunate that I didn't decide to push her or hurt her physically.

Forever didn't respond since she was preoccupied with keeping her emotions in check. So I turned away from her and started walking away. I fished a cigarette box and a lighter from the front pocket of my shorts and started to light a stick. I took a deep inhale letting the tobacco seep in me then puff out the smoke through my mouth the cigarette leaving a menthol aftertaste in my tongue.

"Hey! I'm not done yet! You will help me whether you like or not!" she shouted.

I looked over my shoulders. If she continues to be persistent and get on my nerves I might revert to hurting her to make it clear to her dumb head that my answer is a huge 'NO'. I puffed another smoke out of my mouth.

"Don't make me try to hurt you, chihuahua. You might regret it," I said lazily.

I saw Forever's eyes sparkled with tears, her cheeks red. Her gaze on me was intense. "Then you leave me no choice." I watched her as she stepped near the edge of the pool again and she looked at me determined. I know what she was trying to show me.

A threat.

"I will fall into this pool if you don't accept my offer," she threatened me. "And I'm warning you, I can't swim."

"Don't even think about it, chihuahua," I warned her. "Don't waste your efforts on something so pointless."

She dared another side step towards the edge. I showed her that I wasn't affected to her another attempt of suicide just to make me accept her deal. And there she was again with that bittersweet smile. "And I'm willing to take the risk for something so pointless," she said before she let her body fall towards the water.