Chapter 10

It felt like a tension of some sort had suddenly risen in the small space between the three of us. We just stood quietly by the doorway. Seconds later, I felt the need to speak. I subtly removed Neo's arm from my shoulder and cleared my throat.

"Uhm, Cliff! You're here! Please, come in," I hastily said.

I stepped aside from the door and casually pushed Neo backward. I was relieved when Cliff walked in. He did not utter a single word, though. He just walked straight to the living room, his face devoid of any emotion. I could not read his thoughts at that moment

I cleared my throat again before I spoke.

"Uhm, Cliff, this is—" I said, awkwardly introducing them to each other. Neo cut me off.

"Oh, we already know each other," Neo said.

"Oh, right! Y-you're in the varsity team together." I almost smacked my own forehead. How stupid of me to forget that!

"What's up, bro? Hey, I didn't expect that you two know each other," Neo greeted, smiling. He reached out a hand to Cliff.

Still unemotional, Cliff stared at Neo's hand for seconds before he finally took it with a firm and brief handshake. He kept his silence.

"Damn, Sunshine! Why haven't you mentioned that you knew our point guard?" Neo asked me. And to make matters worse, he turned back to Cliff and said, "She really hasn't mentioned you, bro. What brings you here by the way? I was just in the shower—"

In my frustration, I secretly whacked Neo's back. He immediately paused and turned to me, a grin on his face. He's one tactless jerk sometimes! If I had a muzzle, I swear I'd cover his mouth with it!

"Go get dressed before I throw you out like a damn Pokemon," I whispered threateningly to him, a fake smile on my face

"Alright, bro, I'll go upstairs for a bit. Just gotta change into my clothes. Keep it cool, sunshine," Neo said, walking backward and heading to the stairs.

Oh my God! Screw you!

I forced a smile again and nodded for him to go on. As soon as Neo was out of sight, I headed back to the kitchen, hoping to steer clear of the awkwardness.

"Cliff, have you had breakfast? I made some. Would be nice if you can join me. I can't eat all these," I called out as I settled on my seat beside the table.

When I looked up, Cliff was already beside the kitchen counter. His dark, smoky eyes intently stared at me. I felt like I would drown in them anytime soon. He just stood there like a brooding Roman statue, unemotional and silent. His masculine arms folded against his solid chest.

"I'll just drink some water," he finally spoke.

He took a cup from the cupboard and moved toward the cold-water dispenser. After Cliff had his drink, silence filled the air again. And it was so awkward that I did not have the appetite to eat anymore.

A few minutes later, we heard Neo's carefree footsteps approaching the kitchen. He was now in casual attire when he appeared before us. His sporty vibe still exuded.

"Fiona, I believe this belongs to you," he said.

He handed me a familiar book. I looked down at his hand and gasped in relief. It was the book that I desperately needed for my research.

"Oh my God! I've been looking for that since last night," I said, smiling wide.

I gladly took the book from him.

"Sunshine, you left it in the café yesterday afternoon. Good thing the waiter was a friend of mine and he called me. Said my girlfriend must've left her book. So I went back to get it," he explained laughing.

I did not know what to say. But wait a minute! He made the waiter believe I'm his girlfriend. Oh well, nevermind! I'm just so happy to have my book back.

"You did that on purpose so you can see me again, huh," Neo teased, winking playfully.

I was startled for a second. And then I chuckled awkwardly. "I, uhm... You're kidding, right? Please, stop it."

"Of course, I am, sunshine. Hey, I need to get going now. I'll call you for a lunch date soon. I won't be able to live without thanking you for this morning's shower," he said.

I smiled at him, genuinely this time. He stepped closer. Then he bent down and planted a quick kiss on my cheek.

"Bye," I whispered, consciously feeling the stabbing stare of another person nearby.

"I'll see you again, sunshine. Hit me up," Neo said.

He passed by Cliff and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. I was anxious when I turned to look at them.

"Bro! I'll see you in practice," Neo said to Cliff. The latter nodded and fist-bumped with him. It seemed to me that he was forced to do so. It would not be appropriate for him to fight with their team captain.

Neo did one last glance in my direction. Then he headed to the door and finally left the apartment.

It had been seconds after we heard the door being shut close. Realizing I was now alone with Cliff, I felt the tension suddenly rising to a higher level. I prayed we would just go on talking as if nothing was wrong. I hated emotionally awkward moments like this.

I forced myself to move and speak casually as I turned to him.

"So, wanna join me for breakfast? I woke up late and now I'm starving," I said.

"I already ate, but thank you for the offer... sunshine," he mocked at the last word.

"Cliff, Neo is my friend," I said.

I heavily breathed in and out so as not to lose my patience. I got quite a temper when triggered.

"Mierda (B*llsh*t!)!" he whispered a profanity in Spanish. "And so is every other guy you seem to go out with," he continued.

I gasped, horrified at his statement. Did he just imply that I'm a... 'slut'?!

He sighed heavily, then looked away from me and shook his head in disbelief. Then he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. My temper flared as I followed him.

"So what are you implying? That I'm a slut, huh?!" I snapped at him.

At once, he turned to face me.

"That's not what I meant. Oh, come on, Fiona. We had a plan yesterday. And where were you when I called to ask? You clearly lied to me. You said that you were busy with your study group," he said, trying his best to stay calm.

"Cliff, I—"

"But the truth was... you were in a café, having your own little coffee date with your guy friend. And he just asked you out a while ago for a lunch date. He called you sunshine. You even let him kiss you in front of me. And to top it all, you were alone together the whole morning. He took a shower in your place and got all cozy with you. For all I know, you probably spent the entire night together!"

Losing my temper, my hand rose and flew to his face in a loud slap. He was startled and speechless. His face was turned to the side. I was stunned. I could hardly believe what I had just done.

"I'm sorry," he whispered but I could barely hear it.

With my teeth clenched and my jaw tensed, I blinked back the tears that started to form in my eyes. Then, in the heat of the moment, I forced myself to speak.

"Go ahead! Think whatever the hell you like. I don't care! I don't have to explain myself to you! What the hell is your problem, by the way? You're not even my boyfriend!" I snapped angrily at him.

He slowly turned his head to face me. I immediately regretted my last statement when I saw the pain in his eyes. I looked down to avoid his gaze. And I bit my lower lip to stop myself from crying. I hated myself at that very moment.

"Damn right, I'm not," he uttered.

Cliff sighed and nodded heavily in dismay. I really felt his disappointment at that moment. Then he moved and walked past me.

Hearing the apartment door shut close behind me, I realized that Cliff had already left. My heart silently shattered into pieces. I closed my eyes hoping to numb the pain. But it was still there. I felt it in every fiber of my being.

I sat down weakly on the couch. Strength seemed to have left my body. I covered my face with both palms and finally set my emotions free with an agonizing cry. My temper got the better of me. I could have just told Cliff how I really felt. Instead, I hurt him with my selfish anger.

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Gloomy days followed. Cliff totally avoided me. I waited for him to come back, heave a sigh, and then helplessly hug me — just as he always did whenever I was at fault. But now it seemed impossible. Like an invisible dart, I knew my words had struck him; it cut him deep and hurt him really bad!

________________________

"You WHAT?!!" Madison yelped, standing up in disbelief.

"Sshh! What the hell, Maddie! Tone it down. We're in public," I snapped at her.

We were gathered in the Bruff for our usual late lunch huddle.

I related to my squad what happened between Cliff and me last weekend. I had no choice. They never stopped bugging me. They kept on asking the reason behind the controversial hide-and-seek game that he and I were playing... again.

It was now our week-long sports festival. Classes were usually dismissed early during this time. Therefore, my girl friends had all the time in the world to annoy the hell out of me. It was a good thing, though. At least I was able to vent out all my pent-up frustration to not just one but three people.

"Great! Now I can flirt with mi chico Latino," teased Sidney.

She winked and smiled when she saw the sharp glare I threw at her.

"Oh, poor Cliff," whispered Hillary.

"You did not just slap him, you even told him in the face how you still don't have a label. Tsk! That's harsh," Sidney commented.

"I didn't mean to hurt him that way! But what else could I have done? I was angry and said some things on the spur of the moment. A-and we really didn't have a label anyway," I said in my defense.

"Girl, you know what they say about not talking when you're angry? Because you'd only say the stupidest things. And sometimes, a real relationship needs to be simply felt, not labeled. Did you try to talk to him again?" Madison advised.

"Oh, believe me, I tried! Probably about a dozen times already. But the devil of him wants nothing to do with me anymore," I said, exasperated.

"Well then, try some more! Sus! We know the guy loves you. And you feel the same way, too, whether you admit it or not. The two of you can't keep away from each other. For sure, he already misses you! You just have to reach out some more. Take down his wall. Just as he did for you before," Madison said.

Madison's words struck me like a lightning bolt. She was right. Cliff always did everything for me. But I? I never did anything for him. I only gave him headaches, despite promising before that I would match his efforts. And now that I had hurt him deeply, he finally decided to slip away from me.

________________________

There were several instances when I tried desperately to approach him. But he just walked the other way. It seemed like he was determined to forget me forever.

In the times that we did somehow bump into each other, pride always got the best of me. My mouth never opened to say the words I had long been meaning to say. So Cliff just shook his head disapprovingly and then walked past me without a single word.

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Absentminded and all alone, I walked along the covered pathway by the campus park that Wednesday afternoon. The sudden downpour caused me to pause in my tracks. I leaned on helplessly to a steel post as I faced the direction of the campus park.

I sighed. It had been four days since the time I fought with Cliff. How can I talk to him if I'm losing courage and getting tongue-tied the moment he's in front of me?

I stared at the pouring rain. My mouth curved into a smile at the sudden remembrance of a happy moment with Cliff...

Sighting Cliff, I stood up irritably from the bench in the campus park. He held an open umbrella as he ran towards me. It was raining. And I felt so cold while waiting for him all alone.

He closed his umbrella as he stepped into the shed. Then he placed it on the bench and turned to face me. I did not have my bag with me since I left it in my locker. And it looked like Cliff did the same since he only had his umbrella with him.

"Have you been waiting long?" he asked, looking apologetic.

"Isn't it obvious?!" I replied sarcastically.

"Lo siento, amor (I'm sorry, love). Class dismissed late. And the coach called for us in the sports office to discuss some matters with the team," he explained.

"One hour and thirty-eight minutes?! I waited for almost two hours! I'm so cold and hungry in this damn rain. You did not even text me!"

"My phone battery was low."

"Well then, there are other ways. Surely, Stephen was there, right? You could have borrowed his phone for a simple text or call!"

"No, I can't do that. I don't want to borrow some other guy's phone to call my girl. Especially because I know that the guy likes her."

Feeling extremely irritated, I stared at him in disbelief. Ugh! Guys and their egos!

"Get out of my sight," I blurted out in exasperation.

"Alright," He nodded and shrugged.

Heaving a sigh, he walked to the other end of the shed. I turned my back on him and faced the pouring rain on the campus park. For a couple of minutes, silence reigned between us.

Unable to bear the awkwardness, I glanced his way little by little. And it looked like he felt it when he suddenly glanced back at me. Oh, crap! It was too late to look away now. His lips curved into a half-smile.

"Estamos bien ahora, amor (Are we okay now, love)?" he asked.

My only answer was a frown. I did not understand what he said. He stood up straight and took steps closer to me. I watched him in silence.

He reached for my hands and warmed them in between his palms. Then he looked at me and smiled. I rolled my eyes because he looked adorable with his dimples. Hell, he knew how to flatter me!

I looked away when he spoke again.

"Come on, love. You're always late, too, but it's fine with me. Look, I'm really sorry. Please, let me just make it up to you. You said you're cold and hungry. So can we go now?"

I looked back at him when a silly idea popped into my mind.

"Chase me," I said.

His forehead creased. I grinned as I stepped away from him and out into the pouring rain. I was instantly drenched. Geez! It was damn cold!

"But it's raining! Come back here. You'll get sick again," he called out.

"Why? Are you afraid to get wet? Come catch me if you can," I teased, a mischievous grin on my face.

"What? That's crazy! Stop this right now. Please, you're gonna catch a cold and flu again," he retorted.

"Oh! The rain scares you! Come on! Hydrophobia is such a turn-off," I teased again as I stepped further away from the shed. I was now totally drenched in the rain.

He shook his head in disbelief.

"Alright! Come here," he mumbled.

Without another word, he stepped out of the shed and into the rain. In an instant, I scurried away when he was about to pull me back into the shed. He immediately ran after me.

I laughed at him as I dashed around the campus park. Either he could not catch me OR he was deliberately letting me win just so he could chase me a bit further.

And just like that, we played tag like unsupervised kids in the rain. We cared not about the professors and students who passed by the shaded pathway along the campus park. Having witnessed our silliness, those passersby could do nothing but sigh and shake their heads in either disbelief or amusement.

"Not so fast now, are you?" I taunted aloud.

"If I catch you, I'll punish you later," I heard him say.

I screamed in surprise the instant he grabbed my waist. He laughed as he hugged me tightly from behind. I burst out laughing realizing we were both drenched and running out of breath.

"Estas loca, amor (You're crazy, love)! I'm gonna have to punish you later," he said, catching his breath.

I giggled some more when he planted small kisses on the back of my neck and on my shoulder. It tickled me so much!

"I'll treat you since you caught me," I said.

"Oh, yeah? And how will you do that?" he asked.

"I'll treat you with respect," I said and laughed again.

"Really now?! In that case, love, my punishment just leveled up," he said laughing.

I shrieked when I was suddenly lifted off the ground. That was when I realized he carried me in bridal style. So I just placed my hands around his neck and clung helplessly. Then he bent his head down and smashed his lips on mine.

The loud ringing of the dismissal bell echoed in the air. My thoughts automatically stopped wandering. I moved away from the steel post and stood up straight. Then I turned to my side and walked in the direction of the campus café. But I paused when I saw Cliff. He was leaning on another steel post not far away from me.

His hands were in his pockets as he stared at me. I felt anxious in an instant. I could not move. Has he been there a while now? Oh, dear! He must have caught me daydreaming!

My heartbeat quickened when he stepped closer to me. And perhaps it was just my imagination, but I thought he looked a bit worried. Is he worried about me?

"Are you okay?" he asked, stopping just a few steps before me.

I was tongue-tied, as usual. What should I say? Damn it! There were so many things I wanted to say. But I could not remember a single thing at this very moment.

Then his phone rang.

"Perdóneme (Excuse me)," he said. He walked past me as he took his phone out of his pocket.

My gaze followed him as he walked away. He did not even turn to look at me. He just busily talked on the phone. His steps were calm and confident. And I just stood there silently, dumbfounded because he just left and walked away from me... again!

By late afternoon of the next day, my girl friends and I rushed to the sports building. We got a text from David that said Stephen had an accident. They were training on the basketball court for the upcoming school match.

The two guys took up the same major, which automatically made them teammates for the sports fest. David was never a member of the varsity team, though, despite the team's constant invites for him to join since he got the skills. He preferred to be a campus journalist instead. He was the university's sports writer.

Reaching the sports building, we immediately strode into the covered court. We saw Stephen sitting on the long bench. A mixed crowd of his varsity and sports fest teammates surrounded him. We approached them right away.

"Stephen, are you hurt?" I asked, worried.

"Fiona!" His face instantly brightened at the sight of my friends and me.

I saw that the joint in one of his hands was swollen. It made me wince.

"Oh, I'm okay. There's nothing to fuss about. Really. I told David not to text you. I knew you'd be worried," Stephen said.

"Geez, man! Don't be a bummer! We all know you like it when a chick worries for you," David teased.

"What happened?" Madison asked David.

"They collided. Then this clumsy bummer was outbalanced, bruised his hand badly when he hit the floor," David answered.

"Why in hell is there nothing to fuss about? Look, your hand is swollen! How will you play in tomorrow's match?" I nagged.

"Cold compress is all it takes," Stephen said confidently. I felt the urge to pull his injured hand but my conscience relented. You haughty retard! How smug can you get with your injury?

Neo suddenly appeared. The players in the room automatically greeted him.

"Captain!"

"Hey, the cap's here."

"What's up, bro?"

"Hi, Captain," Sidney and Hillary greeted suggestively. Hillary subtly hit my arm as we stood side by side.

"What happened here? Fiona! Ladies, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Neo said, smiling at us.

"Your vice captain's hand is injured," I said to him.

He immediately turned to Stephen. Frantic, he pulled the latter's hand to check the injury. I almost laughed when Stephen winced in pain. Hah! Good for you!

"Aww! Man! What the hell? You don't want me to play anymore?" Stephen asked, obviously irritated.

Neo just laughed in reply, realizing what he did. He gently lowered Stephen's hand. Then he turned to me.

"Fiona, you're like a sister to him, right? Can I please trouble you to get the first aid kit for him? It's just in the locker room. Only if it's fine with you. Locker number one is mine. Here's the key. There's a cold compress in there," he said to me.

"Sure! No problemo," I said, taking the key from him.

"We'll just wait for you here then," Sidney said to me. Then to the other two, "Come on, girls! Let's indulge ourselves in some Vitamin A."

They snickered. I rolled my eyes and hid a smile as I walked away. As for Vitamin A, she meant the hot basketball athletes that looked so darn pleasing to the eyes.

"Alright, ladies, you can sit over there," Stephen said, pointing to some vacant stools.

"Bro, do you know where we can get ice cubes at this time?" I heard Neo asking David before I exited the covered court.

Once in the locker room, I directly sought out locker number one and opened it using Neo's key. My eyes instantly widened at the sight of two men's magazines. The cover girls posed quite seductively and were ninety-eight percent naked. There was even a big pinup sticker of a naked Catwoman on the inside portion of the locker door. I shook my head in disbelief.

Ugh! Men! I can't even...

And because I was busy roaming my eyes in the entirety of Neo's locker, I failed to notice when a guy came into the locker room. What?! I was curious! And I only wanted to see what a guy's locker looks like!

I rapidly shut the locker closed at the sound of someone clearing his throat. I turned to face him only to back away in surprise.

"Cliff!" I gasped.

Apparently, he just arrived for their varsity practice. He stood three lockers away from me. His eyes traveled to the locker door that I was still holding.

I followed his gaze. And that's when I remembered the reason why I entered the locker room in the first place. Frantic, I reopened Neo's locker and quickly grabbed the white box with a red cross on it. And then I locked the locker closed.

Cliff stared at the box I held. His forehead creased. He probably wondered why I needed a first aid kit.

"Uhm, Stephen's hand is injured. I-I was told to get this," I said, stuttering.

Cliff nodded silently. Then he turned to open his locker.

"C-Cliff..." I called.

He paused and turned to face me. He waited a minute for me to say something. But my tongue retreated again and words eluded me. I could not even look him straight in the eye.

"Are you gonna say something?" he asked.

What is happening to me? Argh! Why can't he just talk to me first?!

I almost jumped when the door suddenly opened. And in walked Hillary without a care in the world.

"Girl, daddy Neo's asking if you found the first—" Hillary swallowed the rest of her words the moment she caught sight of Cliff. I irritably glared at her. What must I do with a friend who ruins my moment?!

"Oh... awkward," Hillary uttered softly. "I thought you were trapped inside the captain's locker." Then, in a blink, she dashed out of the locker room. In my frustration, I wanted to lock her in a suitcase and let it float at sea.

My attention went back to Cliff when I heard him heave a sigh. I watched him shake his head in disbelief.

"I thought so," he whispered.

Cliff turned to face his locker again. He took out his jersey and his basketball shoes. And then banged the locker close. Turning to the door, he left the room in silence.

"Oh! Hi, Cliff," I heard Hillary say by the corridor outside. She waited for me, apparently. I did not hear any hint of a response from Cliff. So I just assumed he greeted back quietly.

When we returned to the covered court, the athletes were already busy with their training. That included Cliff, but with the exception of Stephen and Neo. I walked over to them and stood by Stephen's side. Neo immediately moved to my side and placed an arm on my shoulders.

"Aww! What a good pokemon you are! Thank you," Neo said, kissing me on the temple.

My friends snickered behind me. They were making fun of me again. Annoyed, I plunged the first aid kit into Neo's chest.

"What pokemon? Take this, you Charizard!" I snapped at him, exasperated.

Neo just laughed and held my hand. Stephen and my girl friends burst out laughing. I sent them a warning glare.

"Come, take a seat and chill," Neo said.

"That's enough, team rocket. Time to treat the injured. Damn it, man! I've been waiting in pain for a while now! I'm dying here," Stephen whined.

"Oh, don't be a baby! It won't kill you," I said.

"And what doesn't kill you makes you... well, it makes you suffer more," Maddie said, shrugging.

"Right! Hang in there, bro."

We turned to the talking athlete nearby at the loud sound of a bouncing ball. It was Jason. He was training with Cliff, who was clearly in a foul mood.

Jason passed the ball to Cliff. The point guard caught the ball and threw it irately on the wall, causing it to bounce on the bleachers. Then, without a word, he walked out of the covered court.

"What's wrong with him?" Stephen asked, accusingly staring at me.

I shrugged and replied, "Oh, I don't know."

Neo just chuckled as he worked on the first aid kit.

"Yeah, right," David grumbled. He looked at me discreetly. I gave him a defiant stare right away.

Wait a minute... Do these guys know something? I threw a skeptical look at my girl friends. They just sat heedlessly on the bench like there was nothing wrong. They even shrugged at me.

Fine! I'm the culprit! The point guard walked away because of me. I plead guilty!

I sighed heavily. My disposition had gone sour at the thought of Cliff's attitude a while ago. It irked me how he acted that way in front of my friends and his teammates. And it irked me even more how he just left like that. I sighed again. Well, what can I say? The guy is contagious. Now I'm in a bad mood, too!

"Aw! Careful, man! It damn hurts," Stephen suddenly complained, distracting my thoughts. Neo was now putting a bandage around his injured hand. I turned to watch them.

"Dude, you still gotta see a doctor later. I think your hand needs to be replaced," Neo joked with a blank expression.

"What? Seriously?" Stephen asked.

"Don't worry, bro. I feel you," Neo replied.

I groaned in annoyance then rolled my eyes. Oh, grow up!

And just as Cliff had done, I left the covered court in full silent mode.