Chapter 5. Double Threat

Against my will, I drove to the meeting place that my classmate Nadia texted the other night. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to escape the lead role that they gave to me, much less skip this practice altogether. So many people were counting on this; the whole class, my two quirky yet annoying best friends who I was close to strangling with my bare hands, and Glace.

I was sure of the others, but with her, my mind was a blank. She did mention that she wouldn’t take the role if I wasn’t her Juliet, so was she sending me mixed signals? Or perhaps she was taunting me because I didn’t accept her offer to pose nude? Don’t expect or think of anything Dulce, I told myself. Like always, just pretend that you’re cool with everything so you can live your life normally in school. What do you call people like me? Exactly. A pushover.

I sighed. This was exactly the reason why I disliked high school with a passion. Don’t get me wrong, I love the studying and learning aspect of it. As for the rest… Well let’s just say that it plain old sucks. Everything revolves around cliques, popularity, and being ‘cool’ which I didn’t really understood what entailed.

It was a good thing that they found me cute, likeable and all that puke-worthy words strewn together that I despised so much. At least I didn’t have to try hard to fit in, unlike other people at school. You should have seen how they treat the others, especially the queers. It was downright disheartening.

I rounded the corner and produced the cellphone from my pocket. The address indicated seemed to be right so this must be the place. I pulled over a spot and switch the engine off. After I got out of the car, my eyes travelled to the huge house in front of me. The size of the building was comparable to Glace’s property, but I didn’t know which one of my classmates owned it.

Oh well, I guess I just had to find out on my own. I squared my shoulders and walked pass the lawn and straight to the front of the door. My hands found the button for the doorbell and I gave it a push. Don’t forget to smile Dulce, I reminded myself.

The thick wooden door opened and two very familiar hands snaked their way around my back giving me a small hug. The smell of cinnamon wafted on my nose and I found myself taking a deep sniff despite knowing the person who hugged me. Have I told you that I loved cinnamon as much as I adore coffee? No? Well now you know.

“What are you doing here Denise?” I took her hands and gently pried her away from my body. The hug was nice, I’ll give you that. She was an inch taller than me and her ample breast brushed against mine when she leaned in. It was because I knew it was her that made me totally uncomfortable.

She pouted at me, her full lips which were currently covered in light peach-colored lip gloss making this sad smiley motion. I almost laughed out loud. Not because she looked ugly or anything but due to the fact that I knew I was the only one who could do that to her. My mom was right when she said that Denise had a thing for me.

“Babe, is that the right way to greet the owner of the house?”

I arched an eyebrow at her. “What do you mean? I came here for the practice.”

She gave me a patronizing look and moved nearer, doubling my discomfort. “You’re so silly babe, this is my house.”

I took a step back. “But you’re not my classmate Denise.” I glanced quickly to my left and right, wondering what was going on.

“Of course I’m not silly,” she said before grabbing my right arm and practically hauling me inside the house. She took me by surprise so I couldn’t do anything but to follow her.

She guided me to the modern styled living room that looked very much like Glace’s house. I didn’t realize that Denise came from money. My mom and I weren’t poor. Just as I have told you before, she had a lot of famous clients. But we were very practical. We preferred to live in a smaller home unlike this because there were only the two of us.

My eyes roamed around the living room. I didn’t spot any of my classmates and at the back of my mind; I had a sinking feeling that it was a set-up. Denise pushed me gently on the black leather sofa while she sat beside me, too close for comfort.

I moved several inches away from her and gave her a confused look. “What am I doing here Denise? I was supposed to attend practice for the play.”

“We need to talk about us Dulce,” she said with a bit of impatience. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, giving me the chance to study her features. I haven’t looked at her like this since last year. I’ve actually avoided staring at her for too long since she refused me. There was no point in it. But here and now, I had no choice.

Sunlight streamed inside the window behind us highlighting her straight blonde hair. From my view, it looked like it was on fire. She kind of reminded of Barbie with her thick lashes and all-American appearance. Add to that the height of 5’9’’ and a toned slender body and she was basically a moving mannequin.

It painfully reminded me of why I fell for her last year. Yup! She was gorgeous and she knew it. She often used it to her advantage too, especially when it came to me. But that wasn’t the reason why I came here, and besides, she turned me down already.

I finally found my voice after seconds of ogling at her. “You must have meant the words me and you Denise because there was no us to begin with.” I emphasized the word us to her so she’d understand. “How many times do I need to remind you that you turned me down?”

She sighed and closed her eyes for a brief moment before looking at me again. “What if I changed my mind?”

I licked my lips nervously. Was she saying what I think she was saying? Did she want to get together? What should I do?

“Say it to me clearly so I’d understand,” I croaked. My throat suddenly felt dry and I think I was hyperventilating a little.

“I thought about what you said to me last month Dulce.” Our eyes met but she averted her gaze quickly and turned pink on the cheeks. Was the queen bee blushing? Impossible! “Anyway,” she added. “I really like you Dulce and by that I meant not as a friend.”

“What like a frenemy?” I snorted. She narrowed her cloudy grey eyes at me, effectively wiping the cheeky smile from my face.

“No Dulce, I want to be your girlfriend,” she said seriously.

I felt a lump form in my throat so I swallowed hard to get rid of it. “Denise,” I started. “I don’t know if this is such a. . .” She leaned near me before I could even finish the sentence and brought her lips to mine.

The thought I was holding on to vanished in an instant. My mind concentrated on her soft lips, her cinnamon taste, and how my stomach did this weird flip when our mouth connected. My eyes closed on its own and I got lost in the kiss. Her hand found its way into my hair and she tugged it a little emitting a low moan from me. She took that opportunity to slip her tongue inside my mouth and I just let her. The inexperienced part of me wanted this as much as I liked kissing her.

We both pulled away for air and I clenched my jaw because of confusion. She was a good kisser, gaining a lot of practice from the popular alpha-males in our school. Her hand found my legs and she glided it up and down over my jeans while I tried to catch my breath. It was all very new to me.

When my pounding heart finally calmed down, I stared at her and asked her a question that has always bothered me when it came to her. “I heard that the captain of the soccer team, James had a thing for you. Did you turn him down?”

Her eyes widened and her hands stopped its movement. “Not exactly,” she said guiltily.

My eyes narrowed at her and I stood up against my own volition. “Not exactly?” I asked loudly. “You mean that you’re together with him?” I run a hand through my hair. “Oh my God Denise, you’re planning on two-timing him with me.”

She stood up and made her way near me. “No babe, I’m going to break up with him for you. I promise.” She touched my shoulder but I recoiled from her by taking two steps backward.

“Stop playing me okay?” I said in disgust. “This would be the last time that I’ll fall for your silly games Denise. If you’re not going to take me seriously, then just don’t go anywhere near me. And tell Nadia that she’ll pay for this.”

I stormed out of the house before Denise could do anything. She’s been manipulating me for a year and I was so sick of it. Her state of mind and reasoning was beyond me. If she had anything to gain from this, then I wanted to know it. Did she get a kick every time she turned me down or toyed with my heart? It was not funny anymore.

My phone vibrated, alerting me of an incoming call. I went to the car before answering it. “Nadia you bitch!” I said.

The other line was silent. “Hello?!” I said angrily.

“Having a bad day Dulce?” came Glace’s low voice. I glanced at the number quickly. It wasn’t Nadia’s phone. I should have checked it before answering.

“Oh hey,” I said awkwardly.

“So. . . You didn’t attend practice today so I just convinced them to cancel the whole thing. Did you have an emergency?”

I felt my cheeks heat up in shame. This was all Denise’s doing. She and Nadia tricked me.

“I got caught up in something,” I said with an apologetic voice. “Listen Glace, I feel really bad for this. I know that all of you are busy and you waited for nothing. It wasn’t exactly my fault but if there’s some way I can make it up to you, I’ll do it.”

I sensed her smile on the other line. “If that’s what you really want then you can make up to me by meeting me today.”

“Sure. Where?” I asked before I could even stop myself. Fudge! What if she wanted to draw me again? Bad move Dulce!

“See you at your house,” she said and hung up.

My house? What did she want to do there? And more importantly, did she know my address? I drove as quickly as I could within the speed limit of course and reached my modest home within minutes. I walked pass the picket fence and turned the knob.

From inside, I heard my mom laughing heartily. She didn’t inform me that we’d have a guest today. I peeked in the living and saw Glace chatting merrily with my mother on the sofa. Both of them were looking at my baby pictures and giggling among themselves.

“Glace,” I said more sharply than I intended. They both looked at me. “What are you doing here?” I asked. I gave my mom an accusing glare. “Why are you showing her my baby pictures mother? It’s embarrassing.”

Mom looked shamelessly at me and pointed her head in Glace’s direction. “Dulce, why didn’t you tell me that Frio was your friend? If I knew she was coming over, I should have prepared something for her.”

“How did you know each other?” I asked.

“She was a client of mine,” mom explained. “Remember the time that I asked you to bring the bag for me? Frio was going to have a photo shoot that day and I was the one who did her makeup.”

My traitor mother stood up from the couch and gave Glace a huge smile before turning back to me. “Anyway, I have to leave now since I have an on-call for another client. Be good to Frio and show her around if you can.” Mom walked near me and gave me a kiss. She whispered, “You called her Glace. We’ll talk about it when I come home.”

I cringed inwardly. Nothing gets past my mother. After bidding her goodbye, I stared awkwardly at my beautiful companion.

“What are you doing here?” I repeated the question from earlier.

She shrugged and got up gracefully from the couch. Her coffee colored eyes were dancing with amusement. Today she was wearing shorts that accentuated her long and shapely legs, a blue crop top that showed of her abs and feminine body, and brown desert boots. My eyes went back to her stomach. It was just the way I liked it. Two lines were etched on her toned tummy giving me a hint that she worked out, or was at least athletic. Her looks were really made for the camera.

Glace snapped her fingers in front of her. “Hey, my eyes are right here.”

My face heated up and I looked everywhere but in her direction. “Yeah, sorry I got lost in my thoughts,” I excused.

“More like got lost in my body,” she said under her breath, but I still heard it. “So where is your room?”

I stared suspiciously at her. “Upstairs. Why?”

She took a black hair tie from her pocket and skillfully pulled her raven locks up, showing her nape. The glimmer in her eye returned when she glanced at me. “I want to see your room. Show me?”

“No way,” I objected forcefully. There’s no way in hell that I was going to invite her inside my room. It would be too uncomfortable for me. I wasn’t embarrassed or anything, but somehow, letting her in would be like permitting her to have a peek inside my mind. Even Tim and Patty were not allowed to go there and the three of us have been friends since the beginning of time.

Glace caught me unaware when she darted past me and ran upstairs. She had a few seconds ahead of me but I followed her nonetheless. My foot slipped on a step but I was able to hold on to the railing. As soon as I got my balance back, I trailed after her.

It was too late. She was already inside my bedroom, smiling as she sat on the bed and looked around in wonder. Her eyes roamed my small sanctuary and I saw her take in everything. She observed the collage of pictures on my wall, the bookshelf brimming with my favorite novels and cookbooks in one corner, and the piano keyboard near my desk.

“You play?” she asked.

“Since I was ten. You?”

My mom forced me to take piano lessons as a kid. I always hated the teacher for being too strict and making me read the music sheet. But as I grew older, I learned to love the calming music and the way my hands glided over the keys. Of course my like for it was only second to cooking and coffee. Those were still the top ones.

She nodded in response to my question. “Yeah I know how to play. I had to or he’d think poorly of me.”

“Who?”

“My father,” she said casually. I didn’t ask her to explain. It felt like I was crossing a certain boundary and it was too private for me to know. I nodded and sat on the bed beside her.

“Do you find this amusing Glace?”

She turned to me. “What is?” she asked innocently. As if she didn’t really know. She’s been playing with me ever since we met that day on the café.

I spread my arms a little and emphasized the room. “You know. All this. You’re a celebrity Glace, why are you here in my house? You could be partying with Selena, or Demi, or what’s her name right now. I think you’re tired of all that and you’re looking for something to amuse you.”

She sighed. “I don’t have a single celebrity friend Dulce so I won’t be partying with anyone anytime soon. To tell you the truth, I hate partying anyway. Maybe I did once when it was all new to me. But after 10 years in the industry, it became stale fast.” Glace leaned back and lay down on the bed.

“I’m not looking for amusement; I’m searching for something else.”

“Like what?” I asked with a hint of intrigue.

She glanced at me and curled her finger, beckoning me to lean nearer. I did as suggested because of curiosity and brought my face to her side. My legs turned to jelly when she pecked my cheek with her soft lips.

“It’s top secret Dulce. After the school play, maybe I’ll tell you.” She chuckled and added, “Maybe.”