Today is back to school on Monday—the worst day of the year. During school days, it was the day of the week that was hated by most of the students.
One of the reasons. Monday is a sign that students should go back to reality. The reality is that they would face another day and spend it at boring lectures, tiresome P.E. classes, and a lot more. Also, you are still adjusting to the morning wake-up calls. On the weekends, you can jump out of bed whenever you want but when back to school Monday comes, you have to be early again.
Another reason. Back to school Monday is deadline day. Homework and summer projects given before the first day of summer break should be passed by hook or by crook on this day.
But the reason why I hate Mondays is that I'm always late. In this school, Mondays are a flag-raising ceremony day. If you miss it, then you have to do community service. For instance, cleaning the canteen tables during lunch break. Just like what I'm doing right now. Pathetic. If most students don't miss FRC, I also don't miss cleaning tables at the canteen. Diligent, indeed.
"Woah. Woah. Woah. What is this, Mojan? You're supposed to help me not clean tables." Paris was panicking.
"I know. That's why I prepared these microphones and earpieces. These would help us communicate and she wouldn't be aware of it." Pulling them out of my apron pocket.
I got them from my Dad's bodyguards. I handed it to him and he wore them in an instant.
"Just listen to my voice and listen to her reply."
He nodded to my instruction.
"Make it natural."
But still, he looked confused. "How can I listen to your voice and listen to her at the same time?"
"Just follow my lead. Look–," I pointed Venice's direction. "–She's alone. Go. Talk to her." I said, pushing his back toward Venice's direction.
"Yeah? Now? I'm not mentally prepared–" He murmured.
My brows crumpled, his voice was too low. "You are what?" I asked.
"I'm not– mentally prepared enough." He said between heavy breaths.
I shook my head. "What are you saying? You look stupid. Just be yourself.
How can it be that you are not ready enough to be yourself? Come on! It's you. Just go for it."
"Okay." He nodded.
"Just remember what I said."
"What did you say?" Then he turned to me.
"Just be yourself!" I reminded him again.
"Okay. Here I go." He took a deep breath.
Aw. Just look at him. He looked like a preschooler on his first day of school. I was nervous for him as he walked towards Venice. But I know he might pull this off easily. However, deep inside me, something's not right.
A lump in my throat was forming every time he took a step away.
"Hi, Venice.'"
"Hi, Paris. What can I do for you?"
"Ask her out and just be yourself."
"I'm being myself." He grunted, answering me unconsciously.
I slapped my forehead for his stupidity.
"What?" Venice asked in confusion.
"No. No. No. You're supposed to ask her out. I'm just a voice inside your head. Don't answer me."
"London, can I have some ketchup?" the boy said, coming from the other table.
I looked at him with my deadliest glare. "I'm not a waiter here. Go get it yourself at the counter." I said firmly, pointing to the counter behind him.
I turned around and tried to focus on listening.
"I mean I'm not the player like you always know. Right now, I'm just–," he paused, "–me."
"I'm in a hurry so get to the point."
"Okay, nice save," I remarked.
"Miss, can you wipe this stain on our table?" the other guy said, waving from the same table.
I didn't answer that and wiped the table. It was my duty anyway. My blood boiled when his hands traveled to my hips. I eyed up the guy like I possessed the "Eye of Medusa" since everyone at their table was stupefied. The guy next to him even called him stupid for what he just did.
"Hey! You pervert!" I yelled, slapping his cheek as if I wanted it to turn 360 degrees.
I could feel everyone's eyes were on our table, but I didn't care.
"Pervert? What?" Paris said in his surprise.
"Are you saying that I'm a pervert?" Venice asked, feeling insulted.
"You just made a wrong move, moron!" I held his shirt.
I could still hear them from the other line, but all I care about is how to punish this jerk.
"No, I'm asking if you are free this afternoon."
"Why?"
"I just want to hang out with you."
"Wait. What's going on over there?"
"Huh?"
"London was beating up a guy again. We have to stop her. That guy might die."
"What? She's that dangerous?"
"Hell yeah! I am dangerous. So don't you dare lay your hands on me ever again!" I fumed in anger, holding up the guy through his shirt.
"Yup. Hurry. Before the Student Council gets here."
I looked around and saw Paris running towards me. I slammed the guy back to his chair with a bruised eye and red left cheek. Paris grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the cafeteria using the back door. I saw Venice running with us to the parking lot. We stopped at the black vintage Mustang.
"Can you take her away from school?" She said looking concerned.
Nice save, Venice. Right in the nick of time. I would say that if only she's not a bitch. But she would probably ignore me if Paris was not around. Trying to impress boys by saving someone again. Her modus was never changed.
Paris nodded at Venice. He opened the door of the passenger's seat.
"Get in." He ordered, motioning his head towards the car.
I didn't complain. I can see his eyes looking at me sternly, his fist was clenched and his jaw was tight. I could sense he was mad for what I did. Obviously.
I flunked our plan.
We were silent the whole ride. No one dared to talk. I keep on looking at the scenery outside. He steps on the brakes when we reach the amusement park near a seaport.
"You know what? We were supposed to have our date here." He said with a serious look.
"I'm sorry. I ruined everything." I closed my eyes in disappointment.
"Can't help it. That guy deserved his bruises. If I was there I might do worse." I heard an unfastening of the seatbelt and a thud of the car door that opened and then closed.
"Are you serious? You're not mad at me!" I exclaimed as I opened my eyes, then I saw him standing at the car door.
Paris shook his head with a grin.
"Nope. Thanks to you I have taken the first steps in turning myself into a lover boy." He said, pulling me out of the passenger seat.
I don't know if I was imagining things, but I could see a smile plastered on his face. Yeah, the first step towards the light. It seems his face was surrounded by rays of light and his hair was blown by the wind from nowhere. I shook my head at the idea. What am I thinking?
"Really? So, can we ride that caterpillar train that travels mid-air?" I said as my eyes glimmered in excitement.
He turned his head to where I was looking. "That's a roller coaster. Sure, in one condition. You better think of another plan to impress the campus crush." He grunted, clenching his fist and aiming for my face.
He looked like a tiger who was about to eat a mouse.
But I beamed a smile and said, "Whatever it takes to ride that roller coaster." I looked at it as a child dreaming.
He snorted. "Are you a kid?" Then he rolled his eyes.
"No, It's just–," I paused, hesitating, "–never rode one before."
He looked surprised. He turned again his attention to the caterpillar-looking ride and he took a deep breath.
He nodded and smiled. "If that's the case, we will ride the roller coaster how many times you want to ride it."
"Are you sure?" I exclaimed my eyes gleaming with excitement.
That's new. The playboy I know would only agree to ride roller coasters with a girl hooking up with him.
He shook his head. "Nah, I'm just joking. We can ride it three times. I don't want to puke and there are lots of rides that we would try. Trice is enough." He said with a laugh.
I stomped my foot looking annoyed, then sighed. "It's fine. You will pay for it anyway."
He gasped. "Tell me a good reason why I am paying for it."
I pointed my forefinger under my chin, then turned to him. "Because I have no money with me. I left my wallet in my locker. And I have a guy with me who looks like a bank at first glance. Was that a good reason?"
"Ugh! How can I pay for an unattractive girl like you?" He rolled his eyes.
My mouth gaped. "An unattractive girl that can leave a bruise on any face. So, please pay for my expenses today, Mister Rich Boy."
He looked at me with disgust, then shook his head. "Whatever. Besides, I don't want to end up like that guy from the canteen." He clicked his tongue.
We walked away from the car and paid the entrance fee at the toll gate. I took my first steps in entering an amusement park.
"This is the first time," I said while feeling the sea breeze.
"First time?" His face is wrinkled.
"The first time I did cutting classes and the first time I entered an amusement park." I turned to him. "To commemorate this day, I want you to photograph me at the gate of this amusement park," I ordered as I handed him my phone and took a few steps backward.
"You should be grateful, Ms. London. Supposedly, I have a date with Venice. But here I am taking your pictures."
"I'm sorry. If only I could do something about your canceled date. But I swear, Paris, I am the happiest person seeing the top-notch playboy on the campus who was still single for a week." I shouted every word so he could hear me as I walked to the entrance.
He smirked. "Do you like me to the extent that you would be happy I'm staying single for almost a week now?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm impressed with your bluntness." I shook my head. "I'm afraid to disappoint you but I don't mean it that way. Happy in the sense that for one week no girl is crying over a useless guy like you, playboy."
*CLICK!*
He pressed the button without warning.
"Serves you right for your bad attitude towards me." He said, showing my ugly picture.
The corners of my mouth rose. "Nice!" I commented. "Thanks. My angry face looks natural."
"You're weird." He tossed the phone as he returned it.
I took a deep breath before I entered the Amusement Park. Still, it feels like everything was a dream to be here at last.
"Are you coming or not?" He gestures the path towards the roller coaster ride.
"Coming!" I replied, running towards him.
We were too excited to ride the roller coaster not until the guy who fastened the seatbelts told stories about people who experienced this very ride.
"Didn't you know that the last person who sat in your seat died because the lock suddenly broke? We kept changing that seat belt's lock but it broke every time. It seems to be cursed." The staff whispered the last words to my ears.
I looked around and realized that the ride was about to take off. I was panicking already. My heart was racing like crazy.
"No. No. No. I'm going to get off." I said, trembling in every word.
"What? But we are just about to experience the ride. Besides, you were so excited earlier than me. Where did your enthusiasm go?"
"Please." I pleaded.
"Nope. It's a waste of money." Paris said sternly as he looked up front with his arms crossed.
"Aaaaaahhhhh! Paris, I hate you!" I screamed till my voice box broke when the roller coaster started running. "Aaaaaaahhhh! I'm dying! Help! Stop! Please! Stop!" I was crumpling his shirt as I held on to it tightly.
"Haaaaaaaaah! Wooh! You're going to thank me later!" He shouted back.
A few minutes later, I got the hang of it. I didn't realize it myself but I started enjoying this scary ride. We were both shouting and laughing. We were raising our hands like the rest of the passengers.
I admit that I enjoyed cutting classes. Maybe I really should thank him later. I didn't expect that this playboy would be this kind and considerate towards me. It confuses me how he was this terrible and sometimes warm-hearted.
But thanks to this terrible person I learned something. Though it was not easy to face fear, the fruit of overcoming it was worth the shot. I'm always scared of defying my parent's orders but trying it out for the first time was satisfying. Though they will get mad if they find out eventually, I wouldn't regret anything. I wondered when I would have the chance to choose and decide for myself.
The day ended fast for those who were having fun. I still want more but it is more than enough that's why it has to end. It was getting late. Paris took me home using his car. We were silent for a while, then laughed for no reason. It seems we know what is going on in each other's minds. When we arrived, he opened the door for me.
"I didn't expect that we were both lunatics," I said at the end of my laugh.
He smirked.
"Yeah, who would have thought that the smartest girl in class was this crazy over cotton candy? Didn't you know your tongue turned blue?" He asked, pointing at his tongue.
I shrugged. "Who cares about that?"
"Ts...fine. No one." He shook his head, then smirked.
My parents would mind it, though.
"But I had fun today." He said, smiling.
I nodded biting my lower lip. "Me too."
"That's no surprise. You went to an amusement park with the coolest guy in the world." He said proudly.
I rolled my eyes, turning around. "Go. Talk to yourself. I'm going inside. Bye."
"See you at school. And don't forget the Operation Venice." He said before he entered his car.
"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever." I whispered, and then I closed the back door.
I entered the house. I saw my parents sitting silently in the living room.
It seems they were waiting for me the whole time.
I exhaled. My chest was hammering frantically.
I attempted to relax, but I knew it wouldn't work when facing them.
"Here we go again," I muttered.