Chapter 15:
The sound of the drums and the spectators are deafening inside the U.S.A.I gym. Their cheer squad just won their Second Championship trophy in the Cheer Dance Competition.
“YOHOOOO! PANTHER CHEERDANCE WOOON!”
“Congrats girls!”
“And ofcourse congrats to our Queen Slay, Queeeeennnn Saaaaaay!”
“QUEEN SAY! QUEEN SAY! QUEEN SAY!”
The chants were so loud that Say wasn’t prepared when someone came up and kissed her on the cheek.
“Congratulations Say!”
But it wasn't the face she expected to be with her when she turned around. It was Drex, and he was with some of his friends and teammates. Drex was still hugging her tightly when Say quickly removed his hands on his waist.
“Thanks, Drex.You don’t have to do that - there are too many people around.” She gave her a glare.
“It was just a peck in your cheek, my Queen. Anyways, I prepared a celebration for you, for everyone.”
"Wow! D'you have a party prepared for us, Drex?" her squad suddenly surround Drex when they heard his invitation.
“Yep. I am expecting that you’ll gonna be champ again this year so I prepared in advance a big party in our house Food, drinks, music - everything. And everyone is invited. Let’s go?”
“WOOOOW! You’re really something, Drex. Let’s go, Say!”
“B-but– “
But what about Nick? He might be watching and is waiting for me from some bleachers…
“Come on...let’s go!” And Drex and her squad already pulled her to go somewhere.
She signed in resignation. I’ll call him later... “Okay let’s go...”
***
The big house of Drex was full of visitors when Say and her squad arrived.
Most of the guests around were his basketball teammates and popular university friends she is also familiar with in her circles. Drex’s family owns numbers of businesses in their town and an undisclosed business in the main country's capital, Manila. Others say it was Jueteng or Casino or some kind of gambling dens - which everyone doesn't believe.
To sum it up, her family and Drex's are almost equal when it comes to wealth - although they never ventured or entered the world of politics. Drex’s family was the main financial sponsor of her dad since he started his 2nd reign a decade ago.
Mr Julio Reyes, Drex's dad was there to welcome her too when they entered.
“Congratulations for the win, Samantha Yvette. Also for your cheer team.”
“Thank you, Mr. Reyes. You can just call me, Say.” She smiled at the 50-year-old patriarch.
“Then Just call me Tito Julio if you want me to call you by your nickname. By the way, this party was prepared by my son for you. Hope you and your friends will enjoy it.”
“Alright time to party!” And Drex pulled him into the big hallway of the Reyeses where his friends were.“Let’s go to the dancefloor Say...Here drink this...” He handed her a glass with some colored drinks in it.
“I don’t drink hard liquor, Drex...”
“This is just juice added with some fruits, Say. It’s like a flavored drink, my bartender made it for non-drinkers. Try it.”
“Hey, guys! Come on here! Let’s dance!”
***
She should be enjoying the party as most teenagers do. But Say can't help but want to go home early. She realized that her preference when it comes to partying had just changed.
Previously, she can just outright lie to her bodyguards or to her dad just to go out with Cheska and friends to a disco or to a bar wherein their town, they don't check the IDs for whoever guests will enter. But tonight, it seems she wants none of this loud music, alcohol, and partying.
She kept looking at her phone to see if Nick has called her. Last week, he bought a new phone, albeit another outdated one, as she kept telling him to contact him anytime.
"Say, you've been anxious the whole time. Aren't you enjoying the party, the music?" Drex came in to check on her after he was with his friends.
“AHM ... maybe I'm just a little tired. Or I also feel a little dizzy with the few glasses I drank. I thought you said it was just flavoured drinks?”
“Maybe a gin was added, but for sure it’s not that much. Maybe you just have low alcohol intake.”
“I think I need to call someone to pick me up here. I am sleepy.”
"If you are dizzy, I can bring you upstairs...so you can rest in the bedroom with --"
“Drex - not in your –“
“Not my room, it’s a guest room. “
“No, I'll just go home. I will send for Gino - “
“I’ll drive you home myself in about half an hour. I just can’t leave the party right now this early. Just rest first and I’ll get back. Come on...hold me so you won’t sway.”
***
“Was it home run with Say, Drex? HAHA!”
Drex suddenly turned his back to see his team-mate, Pierce. After taking Say to the guest room, he took a phone call upstairs, so it took him a while to return to the party scene below.
“What are you talking about Pierce, I just brought her to the guest room.”
“Oh really? Well, I you hugging her, and her leaning on your neck like you’re both kissing while you’re going upstairs to one room. I even have a video to back it up. Wanna see it?”
“She was a little sleepy. Where is that video?”
“My phone’s lowbat. I’ll send it to you later - and to the rest of our friends. WOOOO! You’re really something, Drex. You’re a legend to even have the queen on your bed!”
“SSSSHHH! Stop it! I told you it’s not true. Just erased the video, Pierce. Say won’t like it if she heard about it, let alone sees it. The more she won’t date me if you will keep that.”
“What do you mean you two are still not dating? Man, you’re already a couple as this video shows. This is the evidence --
Their conversation was interrupted when one of Say's close friends Lilac and Cheska approached.
“Hi Drex! Why are you all just there? They were looking for you inside! ”
“Wait, where is Say?”
“She’s in the guest room, just resting. I will send her home later.”
***
She was totally dizzy.
Earlier, while she still remembers who to call, she called Nick. And a couple of minutes later, he told her he just arrived in order to pick her up. Say tried to go downstairs on her own. While trying to go down, that was when she heard some commotion from someone near the door to the Drex's big house.
When a door suddenly opens with Nick entering, she smiled at him. The guards cannot even stop Nick from getting inside.
“Say! Say!!!”
“N-Nick…”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
She could barely call Nick's name while being too dizzy so, she waved at him. When Nick saw her, he quickly ran to her. She was now lounging on one of the stair's posts. Nick hurriedly holds her.
That was the scene that Drex saw when he entered.
“Say - why did you come downstairs and --- WHO ARE YOU???”
But Nick didn’t answer and instead puts Say’s arms in her back, ready to carry her out of the house. Drex stopped him from doing so.
“I just asked you, who are you?!”
“Sir, he insisted on getting inside. He told me he’s picking up Ms. De Plaza.”The security interrupted the angry Drex.
Nick ignored Drex and helped her stand up.“Say? Say are you okay?”
“You know this guy, Say?”
“Let’s go, I’ll drive you home.” She saw Nick continued to ignore Drex as he held her. She whispered to him to let her just stand up.
“No no! Wait! Who are you to just come here and say you’ll drag Say somewhere?”
But when Nick smelled the alcohol on Drex's breath, he angrily confronted him. “What did you give her to drink?"
“Why do you care? Who are you in the first place? You are just an intruder at someone’s party. Did someone invite you? For Pete’s sake, someone invited a homeless-looking guy here. ”
She saw Nick's fist clenched with the insult and is about to aim it at Drex's face. The three security guards hands who were at the front door suddenly surrounded them with the guns in their hands.
She was afraid there might be more trouble, so Say ultimately tried to get back all her strength to shout at both.
“Stop it Drex…Nick...bring me home...”
Nick glared at Drex then push him back.“Back off.”
They were already in the door when Drex shouted and tried to pull her back again to stay. “You bastard, this is my house and she is my –"
“And I’m her boyfriend!” she heard Nick proudly say.
Drex laughed in disbelief.
“Ha! Boyfriend? A poor guy? You’re dreaming man. You can’t be Say’s boyfriend. Can’t you just ---"
“Drex! Stop it! Leave us alone...”
With her angry voice, Drex did nothing when Nick carried Say out of his house, and then they rode off to the guy's motorbike. He was in disbelief at what he heard.
Tori and the others at the party hurried out when they hear commotions and someone shouting, and then they saw the scene where Say rode with some guy in a motorbike.
“What happen? Was it Say who just left?”
“We were busy partying inside when we heard the noise of someone fighting. Wait! That was the nameless janitor guy, ah! ”
Drex turned to Tori. "Janitor?"
“Uh oh...so the plan was still intact? I thought Say ended that two weeks ago. But now, she really became close to that guy, and it seems like Say was still on to something and - “
“He said he was her boyfriend, that poor guy...”
“Boyfriend??!” The cheer squad chants the word in disbelief.
"Ah ... so Say really continued the ploy to get his attention ..."
Drex was more curious this time. “What are you talking about Tori?”
The three girls don’t have any choice but to tell Drex the original plan. After telling him everything, they then made an updated plan.
“And now, we just remembered something - you have a part in this scenario Drex.”
“What part?”
“Here it is...”