Chapter 21

I made some rules after what happened at Tina's house. No more kissing! The rest she could do whatever she wished for as long as we're inside the campus. She made Leroy's eyes burned with jealousy that night and I got to keep Larry safe. Win-win. As for Larry, I stopped seeing him. Or to be exact, he stopped seeing me since that night at Tina's house past one week. He was not in the library. Not in our hang out place under the Molave. Not in the clinic. He just vanished and I did not know why it bothered me so much that I hadn't seen him for days. I did not know why I felt the need to explain to him what had happened. Why the hell would I explain myself anyway? I'm Florante Ariza. Florante Ariza did not give a fuck!

At the cafeteria during lunch, I put my headset on to the highest volume listening to the cassette tape Larry gifted me on my birthday. It helped me drown all the thoughts that needed drowning. So drowned them I did. Held its neck. Buried it under the water. Felt it slowly losing its breath but thoughts could be stubborn as hell. Sometimes you drown them, sometimes they drown you.

"Hey!" Tina snapped his fingers in front of me.

I did not bother removing my headset and pretended I did not see her.

"Hey!!!." She pulled back to her chair and crossed her arms.

"Look, I know this is just an act but could you at least stop making me feel like I do not exist?" she complained.

"What is it this time?" I asked her. 

"I was thinking if you could accompany me later at the tailor house for the gown fitting. I'm getting a dress for prom."

"I've got things to do." I told her.

"I know, it's just that. Ugh, never mind. I'll just go there myself." She resigned.

"I need to be home before six."

"Really? It'll be quick, I promise." She flashed a stupid smile.

We drove to a tailor house after school and ate our dinner at Jollibee's.

"So, tell me about Larry. How'd you two meet?" She said while dissecting a fried chicken wing on her plate. She methodically stripped the skin off so what's left was a white flesh drenched in gravy.

"Why'd you ask?"

"Because I cannot remember you being fond of anybody else but your books and your Walkman. Besides, you're smiling now more often than what I'm used to." She said.

"Stop talking nonsense and just finish your goddamn chicken so I can go home already." I said.

"You're such a bore. That's why nobody likes you. Well, except for Larry obviously." She said.

"Are you done yet?"

"You can at least help me undress this chicken."

"Why'd you wanna remove the skin anyway?" I grabbed her plate, stripped off the chicken skin and handed it back to her. She wasted no time lavishing the skin-deprived meat with gravy.

"Cholesterol. Too much of it and I'd look like a stuffed chicken. You don't want a stuffed chicken don in red dress at prom do you? Now keep stripping." She said while flapping her elbows mimicking a chicken dance. That made me laugh.

"Speaking of the devil, he's here." She said.

"Who?"

"Larry!"

I saw Larry at the counter with Ricardo and Olivia. He was staring at our table with a painful look in his face. He cut his hair short. Skin-head short. He looked almost unrecognizable.