Chapter 21 (1/2)

Troll wiped his male sweat (of course it's male's since it's Troll's. If it's Ray's - what sweat would you call it? Bis.e.x sweat?) while walking out from the court. His teammates slapped his shoulder as a sign of praise - his 3-pointer today was amazing.

”Not going out today?” asked coach Fakhri. He's offering his bike to his most loved student.

”I'm not in the mood today, coach. But we'll see. Maybe later tonight,” said Troll.

Coach Fakhri nodded, not arguing. His spare key was always with Troll. His only condition was to tell him when he wanted to use the bike. His teammates, while some of them never cared, some felt annoyed with the special treatment that Troll received. But that's the most they could do; get annoyed.

If you want special treatment, then, perform! What's the point of pulling faces? Troll thought.

After showering in the changing room, Troll went out with the intention to drop by the auditorium. An SMS from KJ suddenly sounded:

Hot news. Ray suspects Gibbs is dating someone. We've been had, bro - haha!

On the way, he was suddenly stopped by a girl - or to be exact, a Tamil film extra. Deepa.

”Jailani,” she greeted.

What's with her? She never bothered talking to me before, and now she's even calling my name?

Troll simply nodded and planned to keep walking, but Deepa blocked his way. ”I want to talk to you for a while,” she requested.

”What's up?” asked Troll. It's not his intention to sound rough; it's just his natural voice. Though, he's still annoyed with this girl, suddenly blocking his way. Didn't she know that Troll could easily throw her aside?

”Hmm… can we talk somewhere private?”

Troll looked around. His teammates were coming out from the changing room and Troll didn't want to be seen with this girl. What does she want me for? Give me some time to let my imagination build up. If it's just based on the looks, then it's a definite no…

”To the foyer then,” Troll suggested. The foyer area was desolate at this time.

As they arrived, Deepa started talking…

”I want a one-night stand. With you. Can I?”

s.h.i.+t, too direct! It made Troll stunned.

Troll took out a cigarette and lit it. He felt stressed meeting a direct girl like this. He needed a few puffs, lessening the stress.

”Aren't you into Gibbs?” asked Troll while puffing out a few clouds of smoke.

Deepa fanned in front of her face, trying to remove the smoke to someplace else. ”Of course,” she admitted with a slight cough.

”Then?”

”You guys have a rule, right?” she questioned.

Demmit! She's seriously a psycho. Troll s.h.i.+vered thinking about what she's doing. Yes, there were many girls that knew about the Musketeer Code, but never were there one who wanted to make a deal like this. Truly desperado.

”It's not just me and Gibbs. KJ and Ray too,” Troll reminded her.

”I know. I don't mind,” replied Deepa.

s.l.u.t, Troll thought. He observed Deepa from top to bottom. Not bad, actually. But a psycho is still a psycho. Troll warned himself. He knew that among his circle of friends, he's the least clever one, but he at least knew how to differentiate what's dangerous and what's not. Every human has a survival instinct.

”No can do. Gibbs doesn't like you. KJ too. I'm not sure about Ray, but if we're doing it, everyone needs to like it,” it was Troll's turn to be direct.

Deepa didn't like she felt anything. It's seriously weird. If it's other girls, they'd have cried by now.

Deepa suddenly smiled. Ah d.a.m.n! She's smiling now! Troll s.h.i.+vered looking at it, especially when he remembered her stalking Gibbs at Bintang Coffee Shop that day.

”You all… do you like Fara?”

”What kind of like?”

”Would you like to have a one-night stand with her?”

Troll wasn't sure what's playing in her brains at the time. He knew that Fara was Deepa's roommate, and Gibbs was crazy about her. It can't be that this girl is easily offering Fara to them, that fierce SL?

Troll shrugged. ”Maybe,” he answered briefly.

”Do you know that Gibbs actually had gotten Fara? But he didn't share her with you guys?” Deepa started putting in the needles.

Troll was silent. He stared at Deepa's creepy face. ”You're lying, right?”

”Nope. I have proof. The thing on Gibbs' left wrist… it's Fara's. She never took it off, but now it's on Gibbs. Something meaningful like that - there must be something between them,” explained Deepa.

Troll was silent again. He had seen the string Gibbs wore - at first he thought that it was just a fas.h.i.+on statement. Gibbs was a metros.e.xual person, and if it's true that the string was originally Fara's…

”I don't know. I need to think first,” Troll decided.

”Hm, think about it. While you're doing that, Gibbs is happily backstabbing you guys. He hasn't been spending time with you as much as before, right?” Deepa spat out poison.

Troll clammed up, and again, looked at her from top to bottom.

s.h.i.+t, now what?

”Your abstinence today is something else.” Teased KJ while Troll was telling what happened with Deepa at the foyer. Ray who was laying on Gibbs' bed while smoking simply smiled. Everyone was in Gibbs' room, awaiting the return of the Malaya hero that hadn't come back since evening. Looked like he's having fun dating.

”I'm not h.o.r.n.y like you!” replied troll.

”So - if we trust her story, Ray's prediction and my tracker, it's confirmed that our friend is in love?” summarised KJ.

”Your contribution is the least helpful,” Ray voiced while exhaling carbon monoxide. He deliberately said that. Teasing.

”The h.e.l.l! Yours is the one that can't be used!” protested KJ.

”Observation is a powerful tool, my friend,” replied Ray nonchalantly.

KJ turned to Troll with a questioning look and pointed to Ray. ”Is he high or something? He sure talks a lot tonight.”

”He doesn't even need to get high. An artist's words are really powerful.”

”Who knows. Maybe that cougar gave him a bit more. That hippy woman,” said KJ.

”Uish. Really?” Troll asked in interest.

”No way!”

”No way what?” a  voice chipped from the door. The voice of Gibbs who stepped in.