CHAPTER 10

Nicole and Lawrence left me, and Dave called me outside my classroom. I ran into Dave and Cassy outside the room as we walked to the cafeteria. Many students murmured as they walked down the hallway about how happy they were to see Dave.

"Oh my God has come back. He is still as handsome as before!"

"Yes! I'm going to watch him play again."

"But who was the ugly girl beside him?"

"How come Dave has a friend like her?"

It enraged Cassy to hear what we heard from the students.

"You have a fan club here, Dave. You're very popular." I praised Dave.

"Hahaha! Let's just ignore them, Cassy. You know how Arien feels about trouble." Dave reminded Cassy.

"Fine!" Until we arrived in the cafeteria, we heard the same murmur from the students about Dave and I. Dave sat beside me after we got our food.

"Dave, your fans will going to torture me soon." I said. Dave and Cassy were laughing. Then, suddenly, someone interpreted us.

"Dave, when did you return here? When you live in a small town, you never come here for a year. Have you got a girlfriend? Is this your girlfriend by your side?" When we look up to see who is constantly talking, it turns out to be Lawrence.

"Lawrence? Who's with you?" Dave asked.

"I'm with Zion, Jake and my girlfriend, Nicole. Is she your....? What it's you. The ugly girl! Bro Dave, is she your girlfriend?" Lawrence insulted me.

"Hey, bro, watch your word." Dave rebuked him.

"Sorry! Is she really your girlfriend?"

"Not yet! I mean, if Arien allows me to be her boyfriend, why not?" Dave stated.

"Hey, Dave, stop joking around." I reacted to Dave's statement.

"Seriously, Dave, do you really want her to be your girlfriend?" Lawrence questioned.

"By the way, Lawrence, this is Arien and Cassy, my cousins. This is Lawrence." Dave changed the topic and introduced us.

"Anyway, where Jake and Zion, I would like to introduce them?" Dave asked him.

"They are on the counter. They're on their way." Lawrence informed Dave.

Zion, Jake and Nicole came to our table, and they introduced us.

"Arien is a classmate of mine," Nicole explained.

"Is she you're talking about last time, bro?" Zion asked. And Dave replied, "yes." They are wondering how Dave met a girl like me. And Dave told them he met me in a small town and was Cassy's best friend. That's why he knew me.

"Hey, Arien, you are really an outdated person. How come your face, haha, I mean your appearance…. Anyway, I can't explain it. One word is enough, I think. Abstract. I have no idea what you did or why Dave befriended you." Zion told me.

"Haha! Thank you veeerrry much for your compliment, I really appreciated! I will keep it like this for you!" I responded to Zion.

"Haha! I'll support you, friend," Cassy said.

"Please, stop it! Don't ruin my sight." Zion hinted.

"Close your eyes when you see me. Starting today, as well,"

"Hey, bro, is she really your friend? Not only ugly outside, more on inside!"

"Wow, another compliment! Don't praise me so much. If you did that all the time, I'd become arrogant."

"I'm so proud of you now, friend. You know how to fight back now, unlike before." Cassy was proud of me.

"OK, that is enough before you get enraged." Dave stopped us.

After we ate, we went to our own classes. Nicole and I went together because we had the same major, and mostly, the same classes. Our professor gave us a team project. Each team has two members. Nicole and I collaborated. We also decided will do our project at my place. So I informed Cassy that Nicole would be coming over to us for the project. And I told Nicole to ride in Cassy's car since we lived together, and I had a scooter. I went to the parking lot to get my scooter. Someone jumped up on the back of my scooter just as I was about to start the engine.

"Who!?!?" It was Zion when I looked up to see who it was. And our faces were only an inch apart. We both shocked each other because of our closeness.

"When you look at him closely like this, he's so handsome. I could feel his every breath. Wait! Why is my heart beating so fast? And I feel like having a fever, because of the hotness of my face." I spoke in my mind.

Zion suddenly stood up, and I fell to the ground. He didn't help me, he only smirked. And he said, "You look stupid on the ground. You're waiting for my help? Dream on!" Zion grinned., and he left me.

"What is he saying! So sarcastic.!" Do I like I need a help from him? He's crazy! Tsk!" I left the school with foul moods.

Cassy asked me why I just got home. And I answered, "I met a wild dog on the street and he's barking like crazy!"

"Anyway, I'm sorry Nicole. Have you been waiting for me?" I asked.

"No, I enjoyed Cassy's company. I didn't feel bored." She responded.

"I'm glad to hear that. Cassy is very talkative, and she discusses a variety of topics with you." I said.

"She also told me about you." Nicole said,

"I bet she's making fun of me again behind my back." I looked at Cassy and said it.

"No! Cassy told me how kind you were now and then. I agreed with her."

"Oh, my friend is praising me, huh? Haha!"

"You can trust me, friend. I won't stab your back, only in your front. Haha!" Cassy joked with me.

"Haha! Thank you, friend; at the very least, I know you stabbed me in the front, and I can stab you back. Hahaha!" Cassy and I were joking with each other when Nicole cut us off.

"You're very close to each other. Have you fought before?" Nicole asked, and I answered her, "No, but Cassy scolded me every day, like a mother. Haha!"

Nicole was suddenly glum, and we asked her if there was something wrong. She said she'd never had a friend like us to lean on when she was down or if she made a mistake. Since her parents are busy with their company, I asked her, "But you have friends, right? You've also got a boyfriend."

"Yes, but they are all boys. I can't openly talk to them every time. Some situations are beyond the comprehension of boys." Nicole explained.

"We understand your feelings, Nicole. But wasn't that a long time ago? You are now our friend. If you have something you want to discuss with us, please do so without hesitation. We exchanged smiles as Cassy and I exclaimed, "You are very welcome to be our friends, Nicole!" Nicole was very delighted, and the three of us were laughing out loud.

We began our project after discussing our personal life dramas.

"Arien, let's order food today."

"Oh! The dinner I forgot to prepare. Please accept my apologies, Cas."

"It's OK, let's just order food. Jeez, and will you please change your face now? It's very unappealing to look at!"

Nicole was wondering what Cassy was saying.

"Don't worry, Arien, Nicole is kind, so she won't tell everyone about you!"

I stood up and headed to my room to change. When I went out of the room, it stunned Nicole when she saw me.