Chapter 13 - XIII (1/2)
BEFORE THE PERIOD ENDED, THEIR ADVISER INFORMED THEM REGARDING IT BEING COMPULSORY for each and every one of them to participate in the upcoming festival which was just two weeks away.
How time flies, Laia thinks absentmindedly. Their adviser continued discussing how important it is for them to participate with such enthusiasm Laia hoped the woman would have as well when's she discussing their subject.
At first, Laia couldn't care less. She can just participate behind the scenes and volunteer to lead those who would make the props. The events her teacher talked about were something she would rather not participate on, especially the play that their adviser offered to direct.
She hears Brie exclaim her excitement from her seat about volunteering for the role of the main character. She also raises her boyfriend's hand alongside hers, deeming her perfect for the role of the love interest.
However, some voiced out their disagreements, saying that the asshat would be better suited as the main love interest and Jake as the second lead.
Laia laughs as Brie angrily started chewing out the girls who voiced out their suggestions. ”Have you seen how handsome my boyfriend is and you're making him the second lead?!”
”We're not saying he's not handsome,” One of the girls, Laia remembers her name being Thalia, replies. ”We're just saying he's better suited as the kindhearted guy than the bad boy main love interest!”
Their reply seemed to have calmed Brie down. The asshat from his seat started complaining (in a dramatic way) on why everyone thought he would look good being the bad boy lead. Laia, in her kindest opinion, thinks the asshat fits the role. But he should stick with being the villain in the story, not the main love interest.
”... alright, we still need one more person to volunteer. Laia, do you want to volunteer?”
Laia was genuinely taken by surprise. Of all the people her adviser just had to ask, she asked Laia, the resident props committee leader and all-around introvert.
Ma'am Anne, who was quick to realize that her star student seemed to be uneasy at being called, smiled at her reassuringly. ”If you choose to volunteer, I will give you additional points direct to the card.”
The girl's eyes widened in surprise. Some of her classmates even voiced out some cheers and tried to convince her to participate, as they were all interested to see how will Laia act on stage when she used to stay backstage all the time.
It didn't help that the asshat had a mocking grin on his face again, almost as if he was challenging her to agree. That was more than enough for Laia to say the words she thought she will never, ”Okay. I'll do it.”
Brie was suddenly behind her, shaking her shoulders in excitement. ”Oh my gosh, we're finally able to see you perform on stage!”
”Has she never performed on stage before? The asshat asks, already on his way towards where Laia was. The grin on his lips didn't leave even if technically, Laia took his challenge head-on.
”She doesn't want to!” Brie says, shaking her head. Jake was also behind her and nodded in agreement. Laia sometimes forgets that she's also been classmates with her friend's boyfriend since they were first years.
”I always tell her to come out of her comfort zone!” Laia sheepishly looks away as her friend continues to rant. ”Apparently, she will only do so if she's offered points that will immediately be added to her grades in the card!”
”Hehe,” was all Laia could say. ”Anyway, did Ma'am Anne say what genre will the play be?”
The asshat was the one who responded. ”Romance, I guess. There are love interests after all.”
Laia raised an eyebrow at him. ”You do realize having a love interest doesn't necessarily immediately mean the genre's romance right? Horror flicks have characters with love interests as well,”
”I did say it was a guess,” Asshat shrugs and yawns as if the extended conversation exhausted him. The audacity, really! ”Why are you always keen on arguing with me, Lopez? Do you find it delightful for our conversations to root from arguments all the time?”
He even had the audacity to pout, as if he was genuinely disappointed. Laia thinks he looks like someone kicked him in the groin.
Speaking of someone kicking him in the groin, it was weird that the asshat didn't bring up what happened a week ago. Did he really not remember anything from that day, including how he fell unconscious from Laia kicking him in the balls?
Not that Laia minds the asshat forgetting everything that happened. She'd rather him forget about it than him bringing it up at every opportunity to spite her again.
Brie turns to the asshat with a frown. ”Are you fighting my Laia, again?”
The asshat raised both his hands in the air as if surrendering. ”I was just asking,” He turns to Laia, whose eyes have already narrowed. ”I didn't know it's incredibly easy to get under your friend's skin,”
Jake interrupts with a groan, running his fingers through his hair. ”Enough Samuel,”
The asshat opened his mouth and was about to say something but Jake blocked him from Laia's view. ”Fucking stop already, man.”
Brie whispers to Laia closely. ”He tends to be hotter when he gets mad,” The girl even licks her lips. ”I wonder if I can get him angry when we have--”
Laia raised her hand to cover her friend's mouth, stopping her from continuing. ”Spare me the details, please,”
Brie's eyebrows furrowed as her shoulders slumped. ”Aww, but I want to tell you about this one time when he was jealous over a guy I was talking to,” The girl was quick to bounce back to her jolly state. ”We were in a restaurant, you know the one I invited you to last week?”
Yeah. That time when you promised to drop me home but you forgot.
Laia shook her head mentally. Brie doesn't owe her anything, it's more like she owes Brie a lot. She shouldn't think badly of her friend.
”Yeah,” Laia notices how the asshat and Jake were talking about something quite far away from the two girls. ”How was the food?”
”Great!” Brie formed a thumbs-up with her two hands. ”But how Jake reacted when I flirted with the waiter was even greater. Did I mention that he literally growled at the dude? The dude was scared shitless!”
Brie laughs, clutching her stomach as her eyes started getting teary with all the laughing she's doing. ”Gosh, he was so angry that he glared at the waiter the whole time we were eating!”
Laia's eyes drifted towards Jake, who she caught stealing a glance at them and immediately had an annoyed expression on his face.
She turns back to her friend, unamused. ”Why are you making him jealous on purpose?”