Kyle and I were still talking when Gee Kay and Meredith came approaching us. We welcomed them and they joined us sitting in a circle shape. Meredith sat next to Kyle and Gee Kay next to me.
We started talking with each other about anything, as if we had been friends from long ago. Meredith and Gee Kay told us about how their friendship had been going, then out of the blue Kyle confessed his feeling for Meredith that she accepted shyly, and I told them why America had been my dream country. However, since the first time we started talking, I noticed that Gee Kay and Kyle hadn't seen each other since that day. They looked like they were avoiding eye contact.
"I have a query," I spoke up as the conversation was winding down. Without looking up, I asked. "Have you guys talked since you last saw each other?"
Now looking over at them, Meredith, Gee Kay, and Kyle looked surprised at my question. I was definitely sure that the two guys knew I brought it up because of what they'd been doing.
"I'm not quite sure about that," said Meredith.
"Me too. That's why I asked," I glanced at Kyle and Gee Kay. "Especially these guys."
Neither of them responded.
"I think it's easier for girls to forgive." I stated, getting right to the point. I looked at Gee Kay and Kyle in turn. "Oh come on. You're not boys anymore, and I'm not some little girl who can't see you guys avoiding looking at each other."
I heard Gee Kay sigh. "Yeah, I'm sorry, Kyle. I'm sorry I punched you and made your nose bleed the other night." He sounded hesitant but I was glad he cast aside his reluctance.
"Me too, Genesis. I'm sorry I mocked you only because of my prejudice about you," Kyle responded. He smiled at Gee Kay and Gee Kay smiled back at him.
I rested my head on my joint hands while looking at Gee Kay and Kyle, then at Meredith. "I'm glad, Meredith," I told her, as if the guys hadn't been there with us. "There's no more tension."
Meredith held out her right hand. "Congratulations, 'Peace Maker'," she uttered.
I shook her hand and chuckled. "Thank you. I'm honored." I said, then I let go of her hand.
"You're such a peace maker, Cynth. First Gee Kay and I, and then him and Kyle." She shook her head in wonder. I could say that because it was obvious.
"I just hate dealing with strife," I said. "I'd cry instantly whenever I saw someone fighting. Before the strife turned into a fight, I would try to stop it."
"Yeah, I noticed that. You cried in Sierra when you talked to me," said Kyle. He reminded me of the incident from the other night.
I shrugged.
Well, actually I was also astounded because I'd had so many unexpected traits inside of me. Each trait appeared during crucial moments. Thinking about it made me laugh at what God made me learn about myself. I was amazed by it too.
"Hi, Genesis," a very beautiful girl approached our table and stood beside Gee Kay. She made all of us turn toward her. "Thank you for putting me on your Instagram this morning."
"Oh, it's no big deal," said Gee Kay.
"But it is for me," she replied and smiled at him. "Your words have made my day. I've been waiting for this."
"Oh I see," Gee Kay nodded and smiled. "I'm glad for you."
She leaned in closer to Gee Kay and made him lean backward more. I looked over at Meredith and Kyle who were about to laugh as I would soon join them. She then said, "Well, if you're glad for me, would you come over to my house tonight?"
"I..I'm afraid I can't." Gee Kay replied.
She stood up straight right away and looked displeased. "Why?" she asked. "Is this because of that Indonesian girl?" She pointed at me, which made me startled.
I was about to say that I wasn't Gee Kay's girlfriend, but then Gee Kay said, "I have a youth fellowship at the church tonight. I can't go. I'm so sorry." I knew he was just trying to be nice by giving her an excuse, because fellowship didn't happen until tomorrow.
"Can you go after fellowship?" she insisted. "Please."
"I won't finish until midnight, so-"
"That sounds better." Her face showed forceful excitement. She held Gee Kay's arm with both hands.
I saw Gee Kay didn't have anything else to try and make this girl leave him, so I decided to help him out. "Um, sorry to interrupt, but you know, it's not appropriate for an unmarried guy to come to an unmarried girl's house at midnight, so can you-"
"You're not his girlfriend, right? So don't intervene!" she snapped. "It's America not Indonesia anyway. It's legal for an unmarried guy to come to an unmarried girl's house at midnight."
"Whoa, whoa. Girl, you just crossed the line," Meredith said. "I hope you stop it now before something unexpected happens."
Gee Kay stood up. "Please don't make a disturbance here," he told the girl. "Stop it, you all."
"I won't stop before you give me a reason why you don't want to come to my house." She was persistent. She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for Gee Kay's answer.
"Okay! Let me tell you that this girl," he laid his arm around my shoulders and took me aback.
No way. Don't say it, Gee Kay. Don't.
"Is,"
Please. Not now. Please. Oh God, oh God. It was like my mind was in a blender. I was so rattled by the situation.
"My friend and I don't want you to hurt her," he let go of me and continued. "So let me tell you that a good man should treat a woman appropriately. I respect you, so that's why I can't come over to your house tonight or any other night, because we barely know each other and I don't want to do such thing before vows are taken."
Listening to what Gee Kay had said, the girl nodded. "I'm sorry, Genesis." she said and left us.
Gee Kay sighed and sat back down in his chair again.
"That was creepy," Kyle said. "I'm glad that Meredith isn't like her."
"Of course, I'm not," she snapped gently.
"Yeah, that's why I like you." Kyle said.
I cleared my throat, making a sound to break up Kyle and Meredith's world where they'd forgotten Gee Kay and I were still there. "Sorry, but we're still here. And this guy sitting beside me is still pretty shocked," I said then turned my sight to Gee Kay, who stared blankly somewhere off in the distance. "Think you're gonna be okay?"
"No." He said with a flat expression.
I chuckled. "Anyway, you said the right thing. I liked it." I told him.
"Yes. As a girl, I was flattered by his words." Meredith added.
"I think I need to stop doing what I've been doing on Instagram," Gee Kay said, as if he hadn't heard what Meredith and I had been talking about. "I don't want something like that happening again. The only solution is to stop this Instagram thing altogether."
Kyle threw a wad of paper at Gee Kay to bring him back from being lost in his own thoughts. "You don't know how great of an impact what you've been doing has had on others," he protested. "Don't you remember? You saved two lives a couple months ago! I heard about it, so don't stop just because of this one little problem."
"I agree," Meredith recited. "You know, Gee, what you need is something to block those girls from chasing after you. Or rather, should I say someone." She glanced over at me.
"Me? What can I do? I can't be helpful in this," I put up a hedge so I wouldn't be forced into doing something I didn't want to.
"Yeah, how could she be of help in this?" asked Gee Kay who seemed to still be in shock.
"Are you sure you don't know?" Meredith squinted her left eye.
I jumped to the conclusion that what she meant was I needed to pretend to be Gee Kay's girlfriend. I told her no.
"Why? Everyone thinks you're a couple already." Kyle insisted.
Gee Kay flicked his fingers. "That's not a bad idea. Just let them say that we are couple and don't give any comment about it. It will protect me from the girls." It sounded like he agreed with Meredith's plan.
I covered my face with my hands. "No," I insisted on retaining my opinion. "Don't force me. I have a reason for it."
"And what's the reason?" asked Meredith.
I moved my hands from my face onto the table and tapped it several times until I said, "Should I really tell you why?" I moaned. I glanced at Kyle then Meredith then Gee Kay who seemed to be waiting for me to answer. I sat up straight, sighed deeply, and then said, "My motto is 'One, Once, For Eternity'."
"What does it mean?" asked Kyle.
"One, there will only be one man I will marrymarry. Once, he will be my first and my last. For Eternity, our marriage will last until death do us part." I finished my brief explanation which I should never have exposed because a second after I spoke, I regretted it.
Meredith giggled, but Gee Kay and Kyle looked amazed. Well, I appreciated those two guys, because they lightened up my embarrassment. Oh, what am I thinking?
"Cyn-thi-a," she pronounced my name per syllable. "What you'll be doing for Gee Kay is just pretend. It won't affect anything-"
"It will though," I interrupted with my body leaning toward her. "You know what? Dating is included in pre-marriage. I don't want to make fun of it." I turned to Gee Kay and said, "I'm sorry, Gee. It doesn't mean that I don't want help you. It's just, not like this."
They remained silent. I guessed they couldn't find a reason to object. It lasted for some time before we began to talk with each other again.
"Well, just let it be so." Gee Kay broke the ice.
"And what do you mean by 'let it be so'?" asked Kyle.
Gee Kay half-raised his hands. "I'll just keep doing what I've been doing, and I guess I'll find the natural solution for this crazy girl and her friends later."
"Oh... I'm so sorry, Gee!" I told him feeling guilty because I couldn't help him out.
"Nah. It's fine. You have a very wonderful principle that you shouldn't give up for something as trivial as what I'm dealing with." Gee Kay smiled to assure me.
I smiled back at him and looked him right in the eye. However, I went too deep into his eyes and all of a sudden, my heart began beating faster. I realized it but I wasn't sure what had caused it. "Thank you." I said as I quickly turned my sight away from him.
"Aw, well, I guess you will find your 'One, Once, For Eternity' soon, Cynth," said Meredith who seemingly noticed what had just happened between me and Gee Kay.
"Hh, maybe." I smiled wryly to cover up what I was feeling at the moment. What is happening to me? Oh God.
Meredith and Kyle chuckled, while Gee Kay-- I didn't even dare to see him. I didn't know why for sure, and I didn't want to make sure of anything at the moment.
I glanced at my wrist watch and saw that it was already three. Cassie and I had promised to go home together. "Um, I guess I need to get going now," I said to them.
"Do you want me to drive you home?" Gee Kay offered.
I shook my head and said, "No, thank you. I'll be with Cassie."
"Well, then see you later," Kyle said.
I stood up and moved my chair backward so that I gave myself a little space to get out from the table.
"See you," Meredith said.
"See you, Cynthia," Gee Kay waved a little to me.
"See you guys," I gave my last smile to them and turned to leave. I walked to the parking lot, which was located not too far from the cafeteria, and met up with Cassie, who was standing in front of her car. We got into her car and made our way back home.
That night, I couldn't sleep. I was wide awake, eyes staring at the ceiling. I kept thinking about what happened to me today. To be exact, what happened when I looked into Gee Kay's eyes. I was sure I'd felt something. It's just, I still didn't dare to search for what feeling it was, though I knew. I wouldn't dare say what I'd felt, though I realized it.
"God, what am I feeling?" I mumbled as if there had been no one in the room besides me.
Cassie or Julie suddenly yawned. I quickly saw who it was. It was Julie. She swerved her body to the right, but she didn't wake. I sighed and felt relieved.
I got back to what I was thinking. "God, is it, is it-," I paused. My cheeks were as warm as a dish fresh from the oven. "Argh, I'll forget it." I tried as best as I could to close my eyes, and ended up forcing myself to sleep.
School was over so fast that day. I experienced the best day ever though, because one lecturer was impressed by me when she had me read a poem aloud. The result was that I not only read it but also acted it out. I supposed that's what made her like me. I was so grateful for it.
I remembered today was the day for the youth fellowship. Gina and I went together to church. Again, we sat in a circle shape because we were still only a few. All things were just the same as usual except one thing. We had a new member in the youth fellowship. It was a girl who looked really familiar.
Oh my God! She's the one from the cafeteria yesterday! I thought inside my heart, then quickly turned my sight to Gee Kay and he apparently was looking at me too. I guessed our minds think alike. What is she doing here? I hope everything will just go well.
We started the fellowship. For half an hour, we praised God and prayed. When it was finished, Phillip stood up and said, "We are honored to have a new member in our youth fellowship today. Why don't you introduce yourself?" then he sat again.
The girl smiled and stood up. "Hi. I'm Hellena with a double 'l' and umm, I'm glad I can join this fellowship. I hope I can be a good friend to you all." She finished talking and sat back down in her chair.
"I'm sure you will," Phillip said. "Now let's listen to what God has to say to us this evening."
Phillip shared with us about Jonah. He explained about how this prophet wandered away from God's will to save Niniveh, but then through the process of God's plan for his life which had Jonah spending three days and nights in the belly of a big fish, he was able to beat his ego and share God's salvation with the people of Niniveh.
At first I could concentrate on what Phillip was saying. However as Hellena, kept her eyes fixed on Gee Kay, I became distracted. She was really crazy about him, I guessed. How could a girl be that aggressive?
Though I was almost lost as to the rest of what Phillip was saying, I tried as best I could to keep my mind focused until the time was over. We prayed for the last time and finished our fellowship at 7 pm.
Hellena, as what I had presupposed, got up from her seat and approached Gee Kay. I was still sitting in my chair and watching what she was going to do. I overheard her conversation with Gee Kay that she invited him to come to a small party somewhere. I didn't hear that part. He definitely refused to come though she insisted.
"Umm, everyone," Hellena said as she clapped her hands. Everyone in the room stopped talking and paid attention to her. "I have a small party today in my backyard and it's special for you all because I want to know you all deeper. So, I hope you can come."
Everyone seemed to like her invitation. Phillip, as the youth pastor, also agreed to let everyone come to her party, though he said he would not come because of a family meeting.
"Everyone can come, so it won't be just you and me. Will you come?" This time I read Hellena's lips so that I knew what she said. "Could you let me lead your friends to my house in your car?"
I saw that Gee Kay looked annoyed, moreover because Brenda was absent and it meant that it would be just the two of them inside his car. He stood up and walked without waiting for Hellena, then she followed him. Simultaneously, Gina patted my back and told me to go with her. Then everybody went to Hellena's house using their own cars.
Everything looked like it had been set up. The decorations, the grills and the beefs, the plates and the drinks, also the plaited mats for everyone to sit. As if groups had been determined, everyone had their groups to talk with.
Hellena was walking from group to group welcoming everyone. As she was being nice by doing it, Gee Kay approached me.
"I don't like her," he hissed.
Still fixing my eyes on Hellena, I told Gee Kay that I didn't like her as well. Oh God, I'm sorry for this. I just express what I feel about her.
"What about going out now while she doesn't notice?" Gee Kay offered an interesting idea. The best option that I'd definitely choose.
I agreed to go. While watching Hellena to make sure she didn't notice us, we sneaked from her backyard into her house. We walked toward the front door but a voice stopped us as we did.
"What's causing you to leave?" It was Hellena. Her deep voice made it easy to tell it was her.
We turned our bodies and saw her crossing arms over her chest.
"What's causing you to leave?" she repeated her question.
Gee Kay sighed. "Look, if you could just stop what you're doing and act normally, I would definitely stay with the others and have fun," he said.
She scoffed. "If you could give me a reason that wouldn't hurt me, I would stop chasing after you," she pushed Gee Kay as if to corner him so he couldn't move.
"Listen. I don't know if this would hurt you, but I'll just know this," Gee Kay paused and Hellena was listening. I was doing the same because I was really curious about what he was about to say. "I already like a girl."
Whoa. Listening to this statement made me aware and reminded me about what Cassie said other people thought of the relationship between Gee Kay and Meredith. Is it possible that he still likes Meredith? Is he going to take Meredith from Kyle? Well, I don't think he's such a guy as that. Maybe he likes somebody else, only I don't know who she is. OR, I know?
"I just don't want her to see me too close with another girl. If you act normally just like the other girls do, I believe this girl I like will never walk away from me," he kept on saying until Hellena cut him off.
"I've been following your life, Genesis. Your relationship with Meredith is only as best friends and I don't think you'd steal her from Kyle. It's so not like you,"
Oh, she has the same thought as I do! What a surprise!
"And this girl standing next to you," she made an annoying expression when she glanced at me, "is only a friend to you just like you said yesterday. I know everything about you, so please, don't lie to me." She didn't believe what Gee Kay had stated.
Gee Kay shook his head. "No. You have no clue about me," he gave an assertive remark.
"How come?" she asked.
"Because--I like this girl," he took me by the hand. I turned my head to him and I was really shocked. Didn't he remember what I'd told him yesterday? "And her name is Cynthia."
My heart was beating really fast. Then it became faster. And faster still.
"I was going to tell her when I left this place, but now I'll let you become a witness," he kept on saying to Hellena but his eyes never left mine.
Gee, please. I was hoping that he wouldn't do something wrong.
Gee Kay took my other hand so he was now holding both of my hands. "Cynthia," he said. I stared at him a little sharply to give a sign to him to stop. However, he didn't bother to think about what I'd done with the eye-sign. "I love you. Would you be my date?"
Gee Kay! I really wanted to scream, but I couldn't. What should I do now? O Lord, help me. What answer should I give him? Help. Please.
I gave him a smile. To be honest, it was a forceful and anxious smile, not in a bad way, but it was just--
Gee Kay squeezed my hands. He wanted me to answer him right away. He returned my smile as if he knew what I was feeling. He was such a good actor. He didn't look nervous or unsure. The way he expressed his love to me, I mean, the fake love, was really awesome. But I couldn't say anything now.
I believed my voice would tremble if I said a word, because both my hands were cold as ice.
"Gee Kay," I mentioned his name first. Yes, my voice was trembling. No! Hellena couldn't see me like this. But, but, "You know what I'm going to say. I'm sorry."
Gee Kay's eyes widened. He was startled from my answer. He must've been disappointed by me. He nodded his head. I let go of his hands and it only made him feel sadder. I could see it in his eyes. He didn't respond to what I'd done. He just looked at me and then to the floor with a sad stare.
I felt really guilty. I knew I'd ruined his plan. I knew Hellena would be very happy and keep on chasing after him. However, I didn't want to lose him as my good friend. Now, what do I do?
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