It felt good in my ears to hear the waves crashing onto the rocks, together with the sun dipping down as if it was slowly getting swallowed by the lake.
People often stay at one side of the lake because there's a playground there for children and benches for tourists.
I took a deep breath when I felt boredom striking me. Latrelle's been quiet for a while now. I only watched him as he leaned against the car while drinking cola. He offered me some but I felt like it hurts my throat if I drink it.
I know what he's thinking right now but I don't know what I'm supposed to say. Should I give him advic3? Should I just listen? Or maybe, I should just be quiet and let him ponder on things.
I played with the rocks beneath me. I turned to him when I heard him sigh heavily.
I pretended to not care, but in my peripheral vision, I could see how tired his eyes were. His shoulders were slumped and his hair tousled.
"Kaoree..." he mumbled. I quickly sat properly.
"Do I still look handsome even if I'm sad?" I don't know if he's just joking or not that he still had time to think about that concern.
I hesitated if I should get on with his shenanigans or if I should break it.
"You know what, Latrelle? It's better if you shared your problems than ask me those nonsensical things."
The bubbles sizzled after I opened my bottle of cola. It almost got spilled because I was holding it the wrong way.
"How about you? Don't you have problems with your family? Why does it look like your life was so easy?" I stared at his eyes. It had a mixture of sadness and anger, besides from my beautiful reflection.
"It wasn't light." I smiled.
"My grandmother is sick and I'm far from them. I don't have parents anymore," I briefly answered.
He sat beside me and offered a cheese dog. "No, thanks," I said, but because he was so nosy and kept on pulling the hem of my shirt like a child, I accepted it.
He complained like a child when I only bit a small portion of the food. I stared at the cheese dog and bit it repeatedly.
He was staring at me deeply. "I thought you're not hungry? Why did you almost eat the plastic?" he chuckled.
I glared at him. "You know, just be thankful that I finished what you gave me. And wait a minute, talk to me once you can. Don't pretend that you're happy."
He fixed his wristwatch when it almost fell because of a loosened screw.
"I'm actually happy because you're here." He winked.
"Hurry up. I'll listen."
He whistled when he saw a bird but it immediately flew away when a child threw a pebble at it.
"Kaoree, you know, my parents weren't like that before, especially Mom. I was really close with her before. But when I started at senior high up to college, she changed."
He picked up small pebbles and threw them one by one at the lake.
"I caught her a few times but I don't know if Dad knew. She kept on the reasoning that she's just friends with Tito Norman. I noticed that they treated each other differently when I saw them in an expensive restaurant together. Mom said they were meeting with the company's secretary which is a beautiful lady. I hid behind the chair and waited for the girl she said and..."
He cleared his throat and looked at me. His eyes welled up with tears.
"It was Tito Norman's daughter and she called her Mom. The girl kissed her cheek, even Tito Norman too. But that's not the only thing, it hurt seeing that Dad wasn't the only one who could kiss her lips, but also that man."
His tears fell into his pants. It cascaded endlessly so I offered a handkerchief. I don't know how to comfort him so I just caressed his back.
I gulped. "I'm sorry, Latrelle. I don't know what to advise. I don't want to meddle with you because I don't know the whole story."
He stared at my eyes for a few minutes. I don't know what's inside his head. I melted at his actions. Every move he took to get close to me was equivalent to me moving away from him until I reached the end of the bench.
My breathing was deep and heavy. I don't know why I felt nervous, as if he's planning to do something to me. His hand went to my fingers.
My eyes widened when he snaked his arm on my waist. I couldn't help but grip on his shirt because I almost lost balance. It looked like it's about to rip because of how tight I gripped it.
Slowly, he moved his head closer to me. I gulped repeatedly.
What should I do?!
This is gonna be my first kiss.
But wait... isn't it embarrassing if...
But even so! This is my first kiss and I don't even like him!
I took a deep breath and was about to push him away when suddenly...
My jaw dropped when I saw him lying on the grass while holding his bleeding lips.
"Th... Thaddeus, it's not—" Before Latrelle could even say what he wants to say, T. H. already grabbed me by my wrist.
He pulled me towards him.
"Why aren't you replying to my calls and texts?" His aura suddenly changed. I got goosebumps due to fear.
His eyes were ablaze. I couldn't utter a word.
"My phone was silent" I moved my lips.
He didn't say anything and stared at Latrelle who's now standing. He dabbed the handkerchief on his lips.
"Thaddeus, tell me. What do you want to happen?" Latrelle said bravely.
I went in the middle of the two of them when Latrelle stepped towards him.
His forehead creased. His eyes were brave as their eyes met. "Do what we agreed to, Latrelle."
Suddenly, he pulled me away and made me enter his car.