Chapter Nineteen - Buddies
"Yo."
"Oh. You're still here," I nonchalantly answered, then inserted my foot through the insides of my shoes and tapped it lightly with my heel to adjust my foot inside.
"What a lackluster reply, Avery," Oskar mockingly frowned whilst he leaned his torso on the pillar with his bag slung lazily around his shoulder. His hair was still slightly damp and a drip of water trickled through his bangs. "—it's already cold out here and you're making it colder."
I don't reply and I instead shut the door from behind me and then eyeing Oskar as he acts like a five-year-old touching things with his bare fingers, heavily invested with every sight he could land on.
My eyes ravel to Tom who was just below the stairs, bag slung to his chest whilst he also stared at the flowers on our front porch. He seemed to be deep in thought judging by the glazed expression on his eyes and lips tightly shut.
I'm surprised that the two of them are here. If anything, they'd rather be stuck on an island starving to death than to be stuck with each other for a minute.
Maybe things changed miraculously; maybe they're friends now. I shake my head, realizing that I was wasting time just spacing out too. The three of us were spacing out, alright. We had our own dilemmas, but this wasn't the time to think about it.
"Hey guys, let's go," I called out to the boys.
Oskar glances at me, then smiles. He pushes himself off the wall by his foot. "Alright. Hey Tom, stop spacing out."
Tom flinches, snapping out of his reverie, then he looks at Oskar without even glancing a spare at me. "Sorry. Yeah, let's go."
"It's really nice to walk with friends to school," Oskar broke the silence, grinning ear to ear as we were on our way to school.
"I didn't really have that many friends so it's nice to try this for once," he continued, not minding the silence that brought upon next.
I didn't really know how or what to respond, so did Tom---at least I thought so. He is still angry at me I bet. I'm wary that he hasn't lashed out at me or reprimanded me again like my mother for the second time since last night.
Maybe he's waiting for the right time to say it, or maybe he's let it gone bygones.
I sigh, feeling my head start to ache with all these thoughts.
Tom replied, rather off. "Well, that's nice. It really makes the trip to school fun when you're with someone."
I decided to keep myself mum, observing how the two interacted with each other all the while a slight smile was smeared on my lips. I couldn't sense any sarcasm or hostility behind those words, and surprisingly, they are really getting along.
"Christmas is around the corner. Hm, what should I wish to Santa? Maybe a functional family?" Oskar darkly joked, keeping his tone lightly though it was more serious than that. "—you guys planning to go somewhere for Christmas?"
Tom pondered, thinking hard about it while his finger was propped under his chin. "I don't know. I think we'll either have our cousins at home or we'd go over the next town to celebrate Christmas."
"And you, Avery?" Oskar turns to look at me, eager to hear my answer. In a sense I'm grateful that Oskar is here. He's literally the one doing all the talking and trying to keep this trip from getting more awkward.
"My cousins are coming over," I replied. "—they'll be staying starting the second week of December."
"Oh, your house will surely be lively," he chuckled. "—is your family big?"
"Well, yeah. Since I'm half Filipino, Filipinos really cherish their families and are mostly those big extended ones," I nod to myself. "—not to mention how tight knitted we are."
"I'm so jealous of you guys," Oskar pouted, heaving a sigh. "—my cousins? Literally are estranged to them. As we grew older, we realized that we were different and didn't align exactly as how we were years ago."
"You planning anything for Christmas, Oskar?" Tom inquired. "—got a girl to go on a date for Christmas eve with?"
Oskar bursts in loud fits of chuckle. I snort, eyeing them in amusement. People literally say he's unapproachable and always spaced out at class, so how could he have a girlfriend, right?
Or maybe he has one. Maybe....Rhea? She comes into mind somehow. Hmm. Reminds me, she was really acting off when I mentioned Oskar last time. Are they dating? It's not really my business, so I didn't ask.
"Nah. I think I'll just have a gig on Christmas eve," he casually shrugs, lifting both of his arms and places it behind his head. "---my family's a wrecking ball, I tell you. I'd rather be out somewhere than sit with them like civilized people for a split second."
"Sounds harsh," Tom scrunched his nose. "—hope things get better for you man."
"Hopefully," he answered with a glazed out look in his eyes.
"Oh yeah, I forgot," Oskar changed the subject, his eyes twinkling as he muttered. "—when are your parents coming home, though?"
"They're coming back tomorrow," I responded, crossing my arms. "---I'd expect a souvenir from my own mother. I'm still salty about her trying to leave without informing me, not until I caught her early in the morning."
"Where'd they go anyway?"
"Who knows," I glanced at the skies with my neck craned. "—they're probably relieving their youth. I don't blame them though."
"Me too," Tom piped in. "---I hope they had the best fun they had in a while. Parents deserve some fun time without having to worry about anything."
"You're so lucky guys," Oskar closed his eyes, a bittersweet smile etched his lips. "—and you really love your parents too."
I shoved my hands under the small pockets of my jumper. "Are you going home now, Oskar?"
He flickered his eyes open, looking down to stare at my eyes. "I can't leech off you guys, can I? Plus, it's about time I had a serious talk with my parents."
"I'll be there if you need me, dude," Tom gave him a sympathetic look, placing his hands on top of Oskar's shoulder. Oskar responds with a tight smile.
"Thanks Tom," then he shifted back to me. "—you too, Avery. Thank you again for standing up for me."
And we continued the rest of our conversation until we reached the front gates.
. . .
"Good morning Avery!" Emily chimed in a chirpy tone, dashing to my direction and threw her arms around me, engulfing me in a hug. "—it feels like eternity since we last met."
I shift rigidly in my stance, lightly patting her back awkwardly. I'm still not a fan of hugs or people putting their skin ship on me, but I can handle it better than before. I murmur. "We talked yesterday."
"Yeah, but it was for a split second," she argued, still not letting go of me. "—you also seemed serious, so is everything fine now?"
"Uhm, if you don't want to tell me, it's okay," she quickly added, sounding dejected. Then she pulled away from the hug, squeezing my shoulders. "---I understand."
I nod. "It's fine now. Sorry if I can't tell you---it's not my right to say."
She shakes her head. "It's okay, really!"
Then she peered from behind me, her smile getting wider and her eyes sparkling in joy. She removed her other hand and waved buoyantly like a kid on a sugar rush. "Good morning Tom!"
"Good morning Emily," Tom replied with the same cheerful tone. "---you seem happier than usual. Anything new happened?"
"Nothing really," she grinned like a cheeky cat. "—just that my father bought me some cool roller skates!"
"That's nice," I added. "—you like roller skates?"
"I've always wanted one," she gushed. "—and suddenly I got it! I'm going to try it at the park later. This is so exciting!"
"Save that excitement for later," Tom chuckles, then his footsteps grew closer until I could feel him stand just beside me. I look from beside me and found him standing there. I slightly flinch when he glanced at me. "—right, Avery?"
"A-ah, yea," I blurted out, then shifted my gaze to Emily. Geez, what's with him?
Is he not mad at me anymore?
"Avery," he murmurs, his voice soft enough just for me to hear. "---I need to talk to you later."
I nod. "Alright."
"Hey heyy babyyy," Emily slurs, eyeing us both with narrowed eyes, pointing at us accusingly with her fingers. "---you guys are keeping a secret, aren't you?"
"No," I respond.
She casually shrugged, strutting her way far from us whilst still facing us. "That's what they always say. It's okay. I don't mind. I'm not feeling left out at all. Not at al---"
"oof"
"Sorry, Alfonse—I mean, Alfonso."
That girl.