Chapter 6. Sleuthing

A soft vibration at the end of the bed pulled me from the script I was reading. I reached for my phone, not taking my eyes off the line of Juliet that was written on the stack of papers that was given to me for the school play. “Hello?” I answered.

“Hey cutie this is your bff,” Tim’s perky voice said from the other line. I dropped the script I was holding and crossed my legs. “What’s up?”

“Nothing much. Patty and I realized that we haven’t chilled for a while. We miss you girl,” he said. His tone told me that he was feeling guilty for neglecting his friend duty. About time, I thought. They were so consumed by the thoughts of Glace as of late that they didn’t even realize that I was slipping away from them. I waited for him to continue. “We’re wondering if you want to hang out today.”

“Where?”

“Patty’s house.”

I considered for a moment. Even if I was slightly irritated with them for always talking about Glace in front of me and for not knowing what I was going through the past few days, it didn’t change the fact that they were my best friends. “Give me 20 minutes,” I said.

When I pulled up in Patty’s driveway, I was greeted by the image of Tim and Patty pacing back and forth in front of the house. They didn’t give me enough time to ask any questions. The two got inside the car and stared at me expectantly. “I thought we were hanging out inside the house?”

“We changed our mind,” Tim said while pushing the button for the car radio. Country music blared inside. “Where are we going then?” I said loudly so they could hear me over the annoying ruckus. I fought the urge to slam my head against the steering wheel. God. I hate country music.

“Let’s go to the mall,” Patty said. She tapped Tim’s shoulder who was currently seated in the passenger seat. “Can you please turn that off? Dulce will flip. You know she hates that.” Tim pouted before doing her request.

“Thanks Pats,” I said in gratitude while using the nickname we gave her in grade school. My eyes met her baby blue ones in the rearview mirror and she wiggled her eyebrows which made me chuckle. My two best friends were as different as night and day. Patty was the kind one, the conscience of the group. She was always ready to lend an ear or a shoulder whenever Tim and I had problems. When Denise rejected me last year, Patty gave me a pint of Ben and Jerry’s to drown out the sorrows.

I winked at her in the rearview mirror and she pushed her black bangs away from her face before winking back. My attention turned to Tim. He shoved his hand inside his black fleece jacket and checked his phone for any messages. He was probably checking if any of his boy toy texted back. I noticed that he wore his contact lenses today. Tim was part Asian and looked like a Korean popstar. He broke hearts everywhere he went- mainly women.

He acts like a total gentleman in school, but with us, he was gayer than anyone I’d ever met. If Patty gave me an ice cream to get over Denise, Tim brought tequila from the store using a fake ID and made me drink until I passed out. My mom thought someone drugged me and nearly called the cops that day. Luckily Tim told her what happened to clear everything out. Mom didn’t even ground me because she understood that teenagers were supposed to act out once in a while.

Together, the three of us were this really popular but weird group in school. I mean come on look at us. We consisted of a half Asian heartbreaker who was a closet gay, a cute blue-eyed wonder who was more of a listener than a slut that they expected her to be, and a dorky 17 year old- that’s me- who preferred reading alone in her room or cooking for her friends than going to parties.

And they all thought we were cool.

Tim’s voice pulled me out of my reverie. “Have you been practicing with Frio for the play?” he asked me. “It’s been 2 weeks since they gave out the script and by now you should be running your lines with her.”

I concentrated on the road. Yes it has been 2 very short weeks since I was fooled by Nadia and Denise and since Glace turned up at my house. “I was busy,” I excused.

“Busy with what? Are you uncomfortable with Frio?”

My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. As a matter of fact yes I was not comfortable with the whole set-up. The girl wanted to draw me nude. But I couldn’t tell them that. I’d hate it if Glace’s reputation gets damaged because of me. “It’s not that I’m uncomfortable with her Tim. I just don’t have the time,” I lied.

“You’ve always hated Frio,” Tim accused. “Whenever we’d talk about her, you’d half-listen or change the topic. Now that she’s our classmate and your seatmate, isn’t it time to give her a chance Dulce? She wasn’t the big bitch that you thought she’d be. She has zero attitude problems and she even accepted to play Romeo for the class. How many celebrities would do that? Sure none of us are close to her yet but that makes her a private person not a bad one.”

I let out a breath through clenched teeth. He was probably right. Glace wasn’t a diva and she was rather sweet for someone who has her face pasted on practically every billboard in the city. Maybe I do need to give her a chance. I’d try forgetting about the drawing incident too. We’d have a fresh start and I’d act natural towards her. That would be for the best.

“Okay Tim. I’ll try talking to her.” Satisfied with my answer, Tim nodded and turned the radio on. This time he switched the station to an acceptable one and my favorite song called Demons by Imagine Dragons played. The three of us sang in tune to the music and reached the mall in no time.

Our first stop was the magazine stand. The two wanted to read their daily dose of gossip so they dragged me against my will there. I was surprised to see Glace’s face on the cover of almost all the new magazines. She was studying in school for a month and a half, what could they possibly write about her?

“Hey Pats can you explain this to me?” I took the magazine from the stand and showed it to her. “I thought Frio is in hiatus and hiding from the limelight?”

Patty nodded. “Yeah, but you know how it goes Dulce. The paparazzi adore Frio. They love to take candid pictures of her when she’d leave or arrive in school. Those photographers would sell the pictures to magazines like this for easy cash.”

“I had no idea Patty,” I said with a frown. Glace would always seem relaxed when I’d see her. I guess she was used to all the attention by now.

Patty pinched my nose. “Well now you know cutie.” I touched my reddening nose while Patty reached behind me for another magazine. She took a quick glance at it and handed it to me. “Here. It contains several facts about Frio. Try to read it so you’d know more about her. Well you can always ask her yourself but since I doubt that you’d do that, just study it.”

I looked at the magazine she gave. It was the one where Glace wore my shirt. With a sigh I went to the seller and handed ten bucks. After he wrapped it up in this brown paper and gave me the change, I shoved the magazine inside my bag and called Tim and Patty.

We went to the cupcake shop next. I was in the mood for some red velvet so I begged the two until they said yes. They couldn’t say no anyway even if they tried. My teary puppy dog eyes weren’t famous for nothing.

When we were finally seated on the table, I began to ask about Glace. Who better to interrogate than my best friends who were big fans of hers? “So,” I started. “Can you tell me more about err Frio?” I still wasn’t used to calling her that. In my mind she’d always be Glace.

Tim took a big bite from his vanilla cupcake and licked the frosting on his hands before replying. “Her mom used to be a celebrity like her.”

I gave him a wide-eyed stare. “Used to be? You mean she has a different job now?”

He shook his head. “Nope. She’s dead.”

I lowered my gaze, my appetite vanishing in a snap. “Oh. What about her dad?”

He took another bite and chewed slowly. I could almost imagine his brain processing the information, digesting it, and finding a suitable answer to my question. “We don’t know much about her dad. She never speaks about him in her interviews. But we do know that Frio has been living on her own since she was 15. She bought a house from her own pocket.”

“But she’s only 17 now right? How can she not have a guardian?” I said.

“I think she has,” Patty joined the conversation. “But the guardian only visits her once or twice a month. The set-up is really shady. Anyway, no one knows where she’s living now. Before she enrolled in our school, she sold her old house and bought a new one.”

My cheeks reddened. I knew where she lived because she invited me herself. I took a sip from the bottle to hide my discomfort. The soda fizzed and bubbled on my throat. It felt like I drank acid.

“Want to know more about her?” asked Tim.

“Sure.” I took a bite from the red velvet and let the creamy taste calm me down. It was a good thing I didn’t get fat or I’d have weight problems by now with all the food I eat.

“Frio said once in an interview that she really loves to swim. She also likes horseback riding. Oh and drawing,” he added.

A small bit of cupcake made its way down the wrong passage and I choked and coughed loudly. Patty handed me the bottle and I took a swig before the cupcake killed me. “Thanks Pats,” I said.

“No problem,” she replied with obvious concern on her face.

I turned to Tim. “You said she liked to draw?”

He crumpled the remnants of the wrapper that held his cupcake a little while ago. “Yeah. I heard she was good at drawing though I’ve never seen any of her finished artworks.” He shrugged and took another cupcake from the box.

“What kind of subject does she like to draw? Did she say?” I held my breath waiting for his response.

“The usual. Scenery, people, those kinds of stuff.”

I let out my breath before I turned blue. “Okay… How about a boyfriend? Does she have one?” I returned the cupcake inside the box. There was no way I’d take a bite again.

“She doesn’t have a boyfriend,” Tim answered. “Like I said before, everyone suspects that she’s a lesbian because of that. She did mention her ideal partner thought. What were her descriptions again Patty?” He turned to our friend and stared at her.

Patty placed her hands on the table. “Frio said in her latest interview that her ideal partner would need to have red hair, the most gorgeous set of brown eyes that she’d ever see, a slender body, and a smile that would melt her heart.”

Tim and Patty glanced quickly at each other before turning to me. “Oh my God Dulce!” Tim said. “You’re totally her type!”

I held my hands up. “No way! She was probably describing a model. I’m not like that.” I shook my head vigorously in objection.

Tim’s eyes looked me up and down. He sneered. “Whatever cutie. When God gave women beauty, you and Frio must have been in the front of the line. It’s too bad that you’ve must have hit your head bad after because you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I felt my cheeks warm up. “Just drop it okay? I’m not really good with compliment guys. You know that.”

Tim leaned in and gave me a huge hug. His fleece jacket felt soft against my skin but his lean muscular body kind of hurt. “That’s why we love you cutie,” he said. “You’re so modest. You don’t even know how hot you are.”

“Denise didn’t think so last year,” I mumbled.

“Denise was a bitch,” he said matter-of-factly.

I giggled at that. “Okay quit the hug or people might think we’re together. It would ruin my chances of getting a date.” He immediately dropped his arms and playfully pushed me away from him. “Ewww,” he joked.

“I almost forgot to ask you Dulce,” Patty spoke with a serious tone. “What happened last time? Why didn’t you make it to practice?”

My face fell. I neglected to tell them about the whole Denise incident. “Nadia and Denise tricked me,” I explained. “They gave me the wrong address making me think that I was going to the right place.”

Tim growled and slammed his fist on the table. The now empty soda bottle toppled over but we ignored it. “That B with an itch will pay and so will her dirty crony. Nobody does that to our sweet Dulce.”

Patty guffawed. “Crony? What the hell Tim. You made them sound like bad characters from cowboy movies.” I laughed with Patty, and Tim stared incredulously at us until we stopped.

Patty still had a smile on her face when she asked me, “But seriously Dulce, what did Denise want from you?”

I told them how Denise came on to me, kissed me, and how I found out that she was still together with the captain of the soccer team. Tim shook his head in disgust. “That girl wants to get in your panties Dulce.” He wagged a finger. “Better be careful of her or she’ll break your heart.”

I snorted. “I had a crush on her Tim. That was all there was to it.”

He placed his hands near his face and made a crying motion. “That’s why you were bawling when she turned you down. Because of infatuation.”

I gave him a playful push. “Oh come on. Even if it was only a crush, she was the first girl I had the guts to ask out. It was pretty painful when I was rejected. As if that didn’t happen to you before.” I rolled my eyes.

He pinched my cheek hard. “Oww! What was that for?” I glared at him.

“Denise turned you down not because she didn’t like you. It’s because she’s an insecure motherfuc. . .” Patty covered his mouth before he could continue. I glanced around quickly. People were staring at us but they resumed eating after we gave them our sincerest apologetic smiles.

“Tim,” I scolded in the most motherly tone I could muster. God I sounded like my mom. “This is a cupcake shop. Children eat here so language please.”

Patty lowered her hands freeing Tim’s mouth. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I just hate it when you feel down because of what Denise did to you. You deserve better Dulce. I wish Frio will notice you and you’d get together. You’re the perfect pair, plus she seemed to have a crush on you.”

“No way,” I said.

“Yes way,” he countered. “She wanted you as her Juliet remember?”

“That’s different,” I said quickly and turned to Patty. “Right Patty?”

She shook her head and smiled crookedly. “She definitely likes you.” I groaned loudly.

“I swear guys, you’re not good friends.” I pouted and showed them that I was annoyed.

Tim smirked and took his phone from his jacket. He held out a finger and mouthed that he had a call. Patty and I ceased talking.

“Hey!” Tim answered in his manly voice. The kind he uses when he talked to our classmates or people at school.

“I’m with cutie and Patty. Why? Uh-huh, we’ll be there.” He ended the call and smiled widely.

“Who was that?” I asked.

“No one important,” he said and stood up. “Let’s go guys. We’re going to a party.”

Patty and I glanced at each other. “Whose party is it?” she asked.

Tim shrugged and gave us an I don’t know and I don’t care look. He snapped his fingers. “Chop, chop girls. Everyone will be there.” He gave me a meaningful look. “Yes, even Frio.”