I arrived at my favorite spot in a cab, and Helen was already waiting for me. As I descended from the vehicle, my eyes caught a particular figure I despised.
My face slightly distorted for a split second before returning to normal.
I only told her to meet me here, not with him…
Vincent was resting on his car, trying to look cool, but falling short, while Helen had her hand on his shoulder.
“Hi,” he greeted as soon as I approached them. Just like the other day, his eyes scanned my body, licking his lips. I smiled back, concealing the disgust on my face.
“Did you wait long?” I asked Helen, ignoring his greeting since I didn’t tell her to bring a company along.
“Sarah…” She glared at me, ambiguously scolding me for being impolite.
I poked my nose at her in defiance and averted my eyes from them. She should learn to accept my disdain towards him. I simply can’t change how I feel about him. But for now, let me just pretend.
My face suddenly brightened, showing my pearly white teeth. “Hi Vincent, how have you been? Looking good. I like the shirt you’re wearing, it looks good on you.” I gave Helen a side glance with my eyes, asking silently if she was satisfied.
She shook her head in defeat and got into the car. We’ve been friends for many years now; she knows when I’m pretending.
Vincent smiled in response. “Thank you, you don’t look too bad yourself.”
I was tempted to roll my eyes – how could I look bad when your eyes were scanning me with lust.
I pretended to blush. “Stop kidding me.”
“Guys, let’s go,” Helen yelled from inside the car.
Her yell made me snicker. I knew she was fed up with my facade, she wanted it to end.
I entered the back seat with the couple in front, and we drove off.
We stopped in front of a sumptuous restaurant.
“Wow, what are we celebrating?” I asked, thinking Helen must have skipped some details.
Helen turned to me in the backseat, widening her puppy-like eyes. “We are celebrating breakfast.”
“Helen, your sarcasm sucks,” I scoffed and immediately got out of the car.
She followed suit, but when she noticed what I was wearing, she paused to scrutinize me. “Sarah, what are you wearing?”
I looked down at the jeans and turtleneck top I was wearing. “What? Don’t I look good in these?”
She eyed me, still checking me out.
“Oh, I get it…” I now realize she probably wanted me to dress sexy for those guys so they could pick interest in me. “Helen… SNAP OUT OF IT!”
She crossed her arms. “Sarah, you are pretty, you need a boyfriend, and you’ve got a perfect body – big boobs, sexy butt…”
“Hold on there, Helen,” I cut her off before she could finish the sentence. “I appreciate the compliment, but I don’t need a wingman.”
“You’re getting old, Sarah,” she scoffed before following after Vincent.
I chuckled, ‘old’ – she must be kidding me.
We sat at the reserved table for six, the others arrived shortly – two guys and one brunette female.
They introduced themselves to me, and I did the same, disinterested. While they spoke, I had to yawn throughout, listening to their bragging and spouting. I glanced at Helen; I couldn’t believe she was having a good time with these tedious speakers. Vincent, on the other hand, was silently staring at me with those eyes that disgust me.
I cringed, chugging my champagne. He was the main reason I dressed exceptionally decent today, yet he still found me attractive.
“Hey, Sarah, which department are you in?” a dark-haired boy asked, seeming interested in me. The others weren’t paying much attention to me since they arrived. He had a soft smile on his face, much better than a lustful smile. I didn’t want to put up with two hedgehogs at the same time.
I forced a smile and replied tersely, “Nursing department.”
“You must be in your second year; if you ever have a challenge with any of the courses, you can turn to me. I’ll help you,” he offered, retaining his smile.
I was about to feign a ‘That’s very generous of you, thanks’ before Mr. Lip Licker chimed in with a glare. “Daniel.”
“What?” there seemed to be an obscure communication between them, not that I cared.
While they all talked and laughed, I ate in silence, keeping track of the time. When the time crossed 11 am, I stood up to leave.
“Where are you going?” Helen asked. Did she expect me to remain seated when lectures would soon commence?
“I have class; I don’t know about you.” I grabbed my purse and waved her goodbye.
I left the restaurant and took a cab to campus. I sat in the front seat, though I usually sit in the back, but today I decided to be more like a serious undergraduate because of Mr. Clinton’s threat of telling on me. I placed my notebook on the table, awaiting the arrival of Professor Ryan.
“Why did you leave without me?”
That was Helen’s voice. I turned to the side and saw her already seated beside me. “I thought you’d forgotten about class,” I said mockingly.
She gave me a slight push before bringing out her notebook from her satchel. “You hate his friends, don’t you?”
I sighed. “I just feel uncomfortable around them, mostly ‘him’…” I admitted, flipping through my notes. There was no reply from her; I thought my words might have offended her. “I’m sorry, Helen. I just don’t like the way he looks at me.”
Helen frowned. “What does that mean?”
It would take the whole day to tell her what I meant, so I settled with “… maybe I’m mistaken. I’ll try to get along with him.”
Her face suddenly brightened with excitement. “GREAT! Let’s set up a date,” she said and dialed a number on her phone.
I stared at her with a confused look. ‘Set up a date, with your boyfriend; I don’t get it.’
“Helen…”
She immediately shushed me. “Hello, Daniel. She agreed to the date. You can come pick her up later.”
What the hell is going on?