Chapter 3

“I’M a fan of The Beach Boys too,” Minerva suddenly said. Her eyes were on her phone screen. “They’re cute, right? Especially, Timothy.”

Maggie looked at her and smiled hesitantly. “Really? I thought your bias group is Snowflakes. I saw your albums a while ago. They’re all Snowflakes’ signed albums.”

“Nah, I also have The Beach Boys’ album,” she said and smiled at her. “Do you wanna see it?”

Maggie’s eyes widened in excitement, but she suddenly changed her mind. “No, I don’t want to see it…” she said. “I’ll just felt bad for not having my own copy of their album.”

Minerva laughed. “I’ll give it to you if you want.”

Maggie looked at her unbelievably. “You’re kidding me.”

“Of course, I’m not,” she said and took her bag to her side. She opened it and took out the album by The Beach Boys. “It wasn’t a sign. That’s why it’s okay with me to give it to you. I only keep signed albums.”

Maggie hesitated to accept the album, but Minerva took her hand and made her hold the precious album. Maggie’s heart leaped as her palm touches the album cover. What more could she feel if James signed it? Thinking that his DNA prints were in the album can make her heart go crazy and her ovaries. Yikes! How could I feel so maliciously about him? She thought as she bit her lower lip.

“Accept it as my token of appreciation for letting me eat with you today,” Minerva said and smiled at her sweetly. “I know you want it.”

“Isn’t it too much to be a token for the simple favor that I gave you?” She’s still hesitant, or maybe because it was her first time receiving such a gift from people she seldom speaks with. “I mean, I just let you sat beside me. I didn’t even invite you… You just asked me if you could sit here…”

Minerva shook her head. “It means a lot to me, Maggie.” She smiled. “Actually, I was hesitant too to ask you a while ago, and I thought you’d refuse. But you didn’t, and I’m glad about it. So, please accept it as a gift from me.”

Maggie nodded her head as she accepted the album from her. “Thank you…” she smiled shyly. “I think I should eat with you more often.”

Minerva laughed. “I like that. I will never be alone at lunch,” she said and offered her the sandwich in her food container. “Where are your friends? What are their names again? Lexy and Ariel?”

“Arianne,” Maggie corrected. “They have other plans....” she added and looked away.

“And, you’re not part of it?” she asked. “It’s the first time that I saw you alone at lunch.”

“No, it’s not that I’m not a part of it. I just chose not to go with them,” she explained and heaved a sigh.

Minerva knotted her forehead. “Why? Is there a problem?”

Maggie shook her head. “Nothing…” She looked at her feet. “Actually, I don’t know. I feel that they’re starting to be distant to me.”

“Distant? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know how to explain this, but I think… they don’t want me to be their friend anymore.” Her voice cracked as tears stung her eyes. “I-I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay. You can talk to me, Maggie,” Minerva said and patted her back. “You can treat me as your friend now. I’m willing to listen to you any time of the day.”

Maggie looked at her and smiled bitterly. “Thanks,” she sighed. “Maybe, Arianne and Lexy are just busy with some things. Lexy’s got a boyfriend now, while Arianne… she’s busy with her mom.”

Minerva nodded. “Then, I guess we’re meant to be together. I don’t have friends too.”

“Really? I saw you surrounded by all of our classmates a while ago. They all like you—”

“Because I have the things that they wanted to have,” she said without a second thought. “They’re all curious about the signed albums. People like them treated you as their friend because of what you have and what you can do for them. They’re user-friendly.”

Maggie studied Minerva’s neutral facial expression while saying those words. She didn’t know what to tell her because even though they have the same thoughts about the people around them, she’s still hoping that Arianne and Lexy are different.

“If the time comes that you have nothing to give to them, they’ll abandon you as if you never did anything good for them before. That you’re useless and unwanted,” Minerva added.

When she looked at her, Maggie was surprised by what she saw in her eyes. Instead of sadness and loneliness, she saw nothing but a blank dark space. Minerva’s eyes were like the ones in dolls. Emotionless.

“Well, at least, you have all the things that you want as a fangirl,” Maggie told her, trying to cheer her up even though she doesn’t look sad with all those things that she told her. “You have signed albums from all your favorite brands, and I am sure that you can also see them in person if you want, right?”

Minerva laughed and nodded. “It’s because I worked for it. I wanted to support my idols with all my heart. And, because being in the entertainment industry is their business, I have to invest in them financially.”

Maggie is impressed by Minerva’s devotion to her favorite group. “I wish I can also do that for James… But I don’t have enough money to buy even his old albums. I’m broke.”

Minerva nudged her shoulder. “If you want, I recommend you to my agency. They’re hiring assistants now,” she said, then put out something in her wallet. “This is my payslip. Look how much they’re paying me weekly.”

Maggie looked closely at the piece of paper that Minerva is showing to her. She gasped when she saw the multiple figures written on it. “Two thousand dollars per week? That’s a huge amount of money!”

“It is. And you can also earn it if you’ll apply to them,” Minerva said casually. “So, do you want to come with me tomorrow? After class?”

***