Moody

ANGELLE

I'm in my room, lying on my bed while reading 'My Lady Gangster' by GreatPretender04. I didn't go out after Link dropped me off at home, it was already late when we got back from MH. The trip there and the effort Link put into practicing weren't wasted because they won. There was almost a fight during the last quarter because one of the Maxine players got hit by Kervin while he was shooting. Fortunately, the coaches and teachers were able to stop it before it turned into a scandal.

As for my meeting with Gipsy earlier, I didn't tell Link about it. What Gipsy said wasn't a big deal to me, but I'm just really scared of what might happen between me and Link. Especially since I've confirmed to myself that I like Link. I'm not a child anymore to always deny it. I would only make it harder for myself if I keep telling myself 'not yet', I would just be fooling myself.

"Angelle, call your siblings. It's time to eat!" I heard Mom shouting from the kitchen.

I let out a heavy sigh, got up from the bed, set aside the book, went downstairs, and headed straight to the dining area where I found Mom preparing the meal.

"Ma, please don't let them go out at night. We always have to call them for meals," I said, slightly annoyed.

"I'll talk to your siblings, so go call them now."

I just followed Mom's instruction and went to the computer shop where I found Hero and Jr. I sent them home and then went to Link's place to find Lica, she's always there, anyway.

When I was in front of Link's house, I called for Prof but Wendell, who was fresh from the bath, came out instead. Cute, hehe.

"Oh, Angelle. What is it?" Wendell asked, puzzled.

"Um, is Lica here?"

"Is it really Lica you're looking for?" he teased, and I gave him a sharp look. What does he mean by that?

"Don't tease me, Wendell. I might lose my cool," I warned lightly, which caused him to chuckle.

"I'm just trying to make you smile. Yes, Lica is here. They're eating," he informed me. Seriously?

"Eating?" I reacted, and he nodded innocently in response. "Can I speak with Lica?"

"Sure, come in," he said.

Wendell went ahead, and I followed him in. Upon entering, I noticed that the TV in the living room was on, with nobody watching it. Such a waste of electricity!

"Switch off the TV," I ordered Wendell.

I turned around when Link called out my name. I froze and waited for him to approach me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Can I join you guys tomorrow?" he said smiling.

"Join us where?"

"Lica mentioned you're accompanying them tomorrow, and I was wondering if I could join."

"What would you possibly do there?"

"Accompany you,"

"Tch! I can handle myself,"

"I know, but I don't want you to be on your own."

"Tch!" I retorted and turned my back on him.

"See you tomorrow, Angelle. Also, good night!"

I held back a smile, but it was futile. I couldn't believe that I was smiling because of him. Why on earth did I fall in love with that annoying boy?

THE NEXT DAY, we left the house at eight in the morning to shop at Happy mall, which they preferred for procuring their ingredients. Despite its distance, Link and I could only go along with the plan, as we were assigned to assist them. We were wandering around the fruit section, as they were picking out a variety of fruits. It baffled me to see the two of them shopping on their own, considering they cook in groups.

"Sistah," Lica called me while steering the shopping cart they were using.

"What is it?"

"When do you plan to give a positive response to Link's proposal?" she asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Why would you ask that?"

"I'm just curious. You know, Sistah, once you get into a relationship with Link, he'll do anything for you," she stated confidently.

My gaze shifted to the two men discussing something up ahead. They were together, leaving me with Lica.

"How can you be so sure?" I inquired. Lica came closer and smiled at me.

"Sistah, whenever I'm with Prof and the others, I always ask them about Link, if he has improved since he started courting you. And their nodding confirms that he indeed has."

"I don't know Link that well yet to tell if he has changed or not."

"But, Sistah, do you want to respond positively to Link now?"

I paused, finding it difficult to immediately answer. Am I ready to accept Link's proposal?

I cleared my throat, "Not yet. I want to get to know him better, to dive deeper into his persona, just like diving into the deep web." She just shrugged.

"I support you, Sistah."

After purchasing the ingredients needed for the cooking session, we went straight to Jollibee to eat. Lica handled the bill, saving me and Link from spending anything.

"Where do we head next after this?" Drex, who was sitting next to Link, asked.

"We're heading home," I replied, taking a mouthful of spaghetti.

"Oh come on, Sistah! Let's hang out a bit more!" Lica proposed.

"I don't want to, it will just tire me out," I declined, making Lica sigh in disappointment.

"But this is a rare opportunity. Wouldn't you want to spend more time alone with Link?" Lica's comment made the two guys giggle. I responded with a glare at Lica, but she just grinned at me.

"What are you guys saying?"

"Angelica is right, Ate Angelle. It's better for both of you to have some alone time to get to know each other better," Drex chimed in.

"Hey! You're still kids, how can you say that?" I retorted.

"Sistah, we're not kids anymore. Next year, we'll be in Grade 11," she reminded me. Tch!

I was about to roll my eyes when I saw Link stand up and approach my seat. I arched an eyebrow, observing him closely. I was about to speak when he pulled me out of Jollibee, causing me to look at Drex and Lica, who were both laughing at my reaction. I waved at them in response.

"L-Link, where are you taking me?" I asked curiously.

"To SOGO," he replied, making my eyes widen.

"S-sogo?"

"Because I love you... to the extent of bringing you to SOGO,"

I forcefully shook off his hand, halting our walk, and turned to face him.

"What are you saying about SOGO? Are you trying to get yourself rushed to the hospital?" I said, annoyed. He chuckled softly.

"That was just a joke, I respect you," he said, causing me to gulp.

"You're crazy!" I blurted out before walking ahead of him.

"Angelle!" he called out, but I ignored him.

When I no longer heard his voice, I was about to turn around to see why. Then, he suddenly hugged me from behind, just like the first time he hugged me. It felt like electricity was coursing through my entire body when he did that. What's wrong with him?

I was about to push him away when he hugged me tightly. Oh no, this is so embarrassing! Why did Link have to do this here, at the mall?

I tried to struggle free, but he held on firmly. Shocks! Link, could you get any more embarrassing? What's wrong with you?!

I attempted to push him away, but he held on tightly. I was trying to say something when he whispered in my ear, "You have a tag."

When he said that, all the blood rushed to my face. WHAT DID HE SAY?! OMG! Did he see it? Oh, I'm so stupid, Angelle. Of course he saw it, that's why he hugged you, right?

"To-toilet." I managed to blurt out, embarrassed.

"Okay," he said, releasing me and taking off his jacket.

Once he took it off, he wrapped his jacket around my waist and tied it. Oh god! It's a good thing he always wears a jacket, or else I may have fainted from embarrassment.

We went to the restroom, and I was about to enter when he called me. I turned to look at him, and he smiled at me, approaching closer.

"You're getting pale, don't worry about the embarrassment. Just go inside, I'll buy you what you need," he said, stroking my hair.

I nodded and entered one of the cubicles. Argh! Why did Link have to be the one to notice? It's so irritating, especially with my period. It didn't even warn me, it always embarrasses me.

Five minutes passed before someone knocked on the door of my cubicle.

"Miss Angelle," a woman called out.

"Yes?" Who is this?

"Link said this is what you need," she said.

I opened the door halfway and saw a woman. She smiled and handed me a paper bag, which I accepted.

"Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome." She smiled.

I closed the door and looked inside the bag. I was relieved that Link didn't feel embarrassed about buying pads. I then noticed a pair of high-waisted pants and couldn't help but smile.

I cleaned myself up, changed my clothes, and disposed of my shorts. I wouldn't want to carry them all the way home.

When I stepped out, I saw Link standing by the side, fiddling with his phone. As soon as he noticed me, he looked in my direction and smiled.

"You okay?" he asked, and I nodded.

He smiled and took the paper bag from me.

"I'll carry this. Do you still want to wander around?"

"It's fine. Let me pay for our outing today."

"If you can't, it's okay," he replied.

I smiled. "It's okay, let's just watch a movie." He nodded and took my hand, leading me towards the cinema.

Now I can feel the warmth in my cheeks, not because of embarrassment, but because of what I'm feeling.

So that's why I've been feeling hot-headed lately, because I have my period. I realized that girls are always moody. Men should understand us because we're women after all.

When we reached the cinema, I stood by the side while watching Link line up for tickets. It's nice to have a guy who makes you feel important. In the past, even when Isiah courted me, we still treated each other like best friends, so maybe that's why I didn't feel what I'm feeling now with Link.

Link is different from others, that's why I'm starting to fall in love with him.

AT THREE O'CLOCK, we arrived home. We watched a movie and played at the time zone before heading home. Lica was being teased because they said she had a date. I told Mom that we played at the time zone, but she thought it was a date. I know that Mama also approves of Drex for Lica, but they don't want to officially be boyfriend and girlfriend until they're of the right age.

"I'm glad Link didn't feel embarrassed about buying the napkin," Mama commented as she cooked, we were in the kitchen chatting about what happened at the Happy mall earlier.

I had told her about the incident when we were at the Happy mall.

"I didn't know that, usually, you only see men who are unashamed to buy pads in novels," Mama chuckled, facing me while holding a ladle.

"What I means is that, no matter the embarrassment, he would do it for you. That's okay!" I winced at Mama's comment.

"Yeah, Mama. But—" I couldn't finish my sentence before she cut me off.

"Angelle, there are still men who would do anything to win you over. Don't judge Link," she said.

"Why so fond of Link?" I asked.

"We're really fond of Link because you know why?" I shook my head again. "Because Link is the first suitor who bonded with your dad, although we also bonded with Isiah, Link was the first guy to approach us for your permission." She continued, "When a guy asks for permission, it means he is serious about you and respects you."

Ah, now I know.

When Mama finished cooking, she invited me to watch a movie. I'm not a fan of horror movies because I easily get scared, but Mama was there, so I felt safe. I could cling to her if there were any frightening scenes.

"Is that the movie with the mansion that has over 500 rooms?" I almost jumped out of my seat and clung to Mama when someone spoke by the door.

It was just Lica coming from Link's place. She probably has a boyfriend, a hype beast, that's why she's always there. Charoot, I know she's loyal to her baby, Drex.

"Yes! Stop trying to scare me!" I retorted, annoyed.

"Is it my fault that you get scared easily? You want to watch, but you're scared." I glared at her.

I didn't want to argue with someone who talks too much. I knew I would just lose because of her chattiness.

She joined us in watching the movie. After a while, the two guys also arrived and joined us, but they squeezed in with Mama and me. Papa won't be able to come home until next week since they're far away.

"When I have my own house, it won't be like that," Jr. commented.

"I want mine like that so my wives can have their own rooms," Hero said. We all looked at him, duh. Wives?

"Why so many?" Mama asked.

"If I become rich, I'll buy many wives, even for Papa," Hero continued, making me flinch and put my hand on my forehead.

When children start thinking, huh? They can be even crazier than crazy people. Imagine, buying wives?

"Someone's at the door!"

I looked towards the door as someone called from outside. Who could that be? Is it Link?

"I'll go check," Lica said, standing up and going to see who it was.

After a moment, she came back in, handing me a paper bag that made me furrow my brows.

"What's this for? And who is it from?" I asked, wrinkling my forehead.

"It's from Kuya Link, he asked me to give it to you," she said.

Curiously, I accepted the paper bag and opened it, revealing its contents that almost shocked me. Shite! WHAT CAME INTO HIS MIND TO SEND ME PACKS OF PADS?!

He just bought them earlier, right? Is he kidding me?! Argh! It's so embarrassing.

"Aww, how sweet! Pads, hehe," Mama commented.

I just winced while still looking at the contents of the paper bag, which also included panty liners. Dangit! Who could have persuaded him to send these to me?

I took out a sticky note that was attached to one of the pads.

"Hoping you're okay :)," it said.

I rolled my eyes, but at the same time, I couldn't help but smile. Even though it's irritating, it's also touching.

Geez, Link. What did you do to me?