< Nina >
“You’re job-hunting? Why?” Gene questions, his voice a bit louder. I can’t blame him since I can hear the sound of rumbling washing machines in every direction. Gene told me that his shifts are both early in the morning and after school.
“To distract myself from my own problems, that’s all,” I say as I am walking in the boulevard, my eyes are looking around if in any case Clarence or his followers are attacking me out of nowhere.
“About Luca?” Gene adds without beating around the bush. “Or is it related to your school?”
And at that question, I momentarily stop. “Who says that it has something to do with school?”
I can already imagine Gene giving me a suspicious look. “Nina, I can sometimes hear you running during lunchtime. It seems like it’s an everyday occurrence. They’re not hurting you, right?”
“Ah, no,” I say while I laugh, nervously. Gene is such a worry-wart. I guess that makes us even.
“Our bullies grew up learning our own methods. The ones here can’t even catch me.”
“That’s...liberating,” he says, sighing in relief.
“Liberating? Isn’t it more like reassurance? Solace or whatever my English teacher is spouting?”
“Nah, definitely liberating,” he says. “So, going back to our topic: is there another reason why you want to get a job?”
“Well, we’re in our senior year and I haven’t decided what I want afterwards.” True, with all the things that happened during these weeks, I haven’t even bothered to think about my future yet. “Sure, I get to live with my mom and Armando in Spain but then what?”
I sigh. “Well, this topic is depressing.” I fake a laugh as I turn my way to Luca’s apartment.
“You started it,” he teases. The noise from the machines stops and next I can hear the beeping noises from the machines.
“Should I hang up?” I ask. “It might give a bad impression to your boss if you call me during your shift.”
“Not, really. As long as customers aren’t around, I can just call you whenever I want.”
“Ugh, maybe I should go find myself a laundry job here as well,” I say. I feel relaxed now, knowing that no one is following me as I’m almost at the apartment.
He hums. “Well, you could always ask Yu.”
I stop for a moment. “Well, it’s not a bad idea. But I’ve been bothering him since day one.”
“Was he bothered then?”
“N-no…” I say, words faltering as I recall what he says during her first day of school. “I will do my best and prove that I can do it myself.”
“That’s good…I’m actually glad.”
I look at the speaker with a genuine surprise. “Glad? How come?”
“...that you’re getting braver every day.” My cheeks fluster at the comment. Gene...never stops making me feel embarrassed with his compliments. I’m flattered, really.
Now that I’ve realized it…I have received a lot of compliments since moving here. From Yu, Gene, and oddly enough, Clarence.
Maybe the latter is more of a sardonic way to ruse me for his own entertainment.
“You’re still not talking to Luca?” I hate it each time he asks me that.
“Gene, it’s the same answer. And—” I pause. Should I tell him? “I am a-angry.”
Yes, I am pissed at my future stepbrother. It’s a strange irrational feeling and I need validation. “Do you think I deserve to be mad at him after what he had said about my mother, Gene? True, my mom made a mistake and we both know that, but I can’t help feeling angry at him, furious even. Like I want to—” shout at him? Am I allowed to yell at him? My thoughts keep recollecting the moment when he let go of those words before he slammed the door right in front of me.
Oddly enough, Gene has been quiet all throughout my little rant. Yet, I continue. “He is not a kind person, Gene.”
Again, Gene hasn’t said anything. I raise a brow. “Uh…hello?”
“...oh? I-it’s nothing.” Whenever Gene stutters, it’s always something that’s bothering him.
“Gene, is something wrong?”
Again, he’s hesitating. I just wait patiently for him to speak, letting him collect his thoughts as I hear him muttering something.
“Gene?”
“It’s nothing, really,” he answers, hastily. “So you need to talk to him, Nina. Isn’t that the simplest solution?”
He changed topics again. I give in and decide to go with the flow.
“I...have a hard time talking to him, actually. I’m thinking of leaving after I save some money.”
“And a part-time job can supply that? The apartments aren’t cheap there, Nina.”
“Y-yeah, but at least I have a goal now.” I sigh as I get inside the empty apartment.
Luca’s probably with Heather again or does he even have other friends? I don’t know. Then I forgot to tell my best friend who is oddly quiet after I vent out about Luca.
“By the way, Gene,” I say, my excitement is showing from my voice. “If we save up some money, can we go out on a holiday, like a school break? And it will be just the two of us?”
Yeah, it’s been a while since we were called the inseparable duo. Plus, we never had any holiday trips. It would be perfect before we end our high school year.
“Like a date?” Apparently, Gene likes teasing me with his direct questions.
“N-no!” I exclaim, my cheeks redden. “Like...the old times m-minus the clinic visits and the bullies chasing us!"
He just chuckles and I couldn’t help but pout at his child-like teasing. This is new. He wasn’t the type to tease, right?
“Sure, I would love to date you.”
Wait, what? Before I can even reply while I’m still thinking of what he says, he immediately says, “It’s just a j-joke.”
“Where did you learn that joke?”
“From movies," he replies, hastily. Just then, I hear the sound of bells ringing. "Oops, gotta go, Nina. Customers, yes, customers are here. Talk to you soon."
"O-okay, bye."
And with that, we both hang up.
What the hell was that?