26 Bonds - Part 6 (2/2)

”Yeah, she's just a thot like everyone else!”

”What'd you say, cockroach?!”

As our conversation takes a turn for the worse, the hostess giggles and puts herself between us so that we don't break into a fight.

”Okay okay, I'll leave you kids at this table then. Rachael, can you help them out with the menus? We're kind of packed today so it would help out a lot.”

”Haaa… I'm a customer right now, you know. Oh whatever, it's not that hard anyway.”

”Thanks hun. You're the best. Okay, once you three have decided on something, please don't hesitate to call on one of the waitresses, kay?”

She leaves us with those words and turns back the way she came.

”Gosh what a pain… Wait, you too?!”

Nicholas is already sitting on the opposite side of the table as he curiously inspects the woman sitting across from him with his usual intense stare.

”Haa, oh whatever.”

I give in and end up sitting next to him.

Really, both of them completely lost track of our objective the moment they laid their eyes on the hostess' body. Maybe Nicholas really was onto something when he said that men are weak to their hormones.

”So, what're you four doing getting food at Smooters of all places? Not the ideal dating spot if you ask me.”

”W-w-we're not on a date! I'm not even friends with these nerds! Don't lump me together with them!”

Besides, four? There's obviously only three of us here.

”Man, that's my line. Why on earth would I willingly let myself get seduced by this thot? She's ten years too young to capture the heart of a gentleman like me.”

”Ohhh? Gentleman, huh? A misogynistic cockroach like you?”

”Heh, you misunderstand m'lady. T'is not misogyny, but the fact that I am already a fully-fledged member of the thot patrol. No simple-minded bitch will stand in the way of my mission to create a better world. I'm merely tell it as it is.”

”Why the hell are you using swearing in front of strangers?! Are you an idiot?! Listen, I am like, so sorry for his behavior. He was dropped as a child so he honestly doesn't know any better.”

”Oh be quiet. Like you know anything about common courtesy either. Why don't you take a page from Sig's book? He's being polite and letting everyone else introduce themselves first. Right? Sig? Hello?”

I hadn't paid much attention to Sigmund until just now, but he's got a really creepy grin stretched across his face. Is he even okay?

”Uh, Sig? That's your queue to respond.”

”Dude…”

”Yeah? What's up bro?”

”I'm really hard right now.”

”That's not fair man! Switch seats with me!”

”Ugh! Why are you both so damn disgusting?!”

”Ahahahahahaha!”

Rachael suddenly bursts into laughter.

The ridiculousness of the conversation must be amusing to her.

The three of us can only silence ourselves as she seems to take in everything that's happening around her as good fun.

”God, you kids are the best! Haaa, I haven't laughed that much in a while. Scarlet, Sig and Nicholas, huh? Yeah. I like you three. You're definitely interesting.”

Huh? Seriously?

”What are you talking about? These two are objectifying the hell out of you right now. How and why is that okay to you?”

”Hun, I work at Smooters. It's part of the job description. I don't condone it by any means but as long as there's no touching then I don't have any problem with it.”

”Duh, Scarlet. If she's gonna work as a lowly Smooters employee of all things then she has to know her damn place.”

”Uhuh, uhuh. And what exactly is wrong with working at Smooters, kid?”

She grins at him, but it feels a bit more intimidating than she's letting on, almost as if she took offense to what he said. Even Nicholas looks like he's been caught off guard by her grin.

”W-well… I mean this whole joint is just about shoving your tits in old dudes faces right? What kind of cheap service is that? You're basically an eye prostitute for middle-aged men.”

I shake my head in disappointment.

”What? I'm right, aren't I?”

”Hmmm.”

She folds her legs then stares down at the table.

”Well, you aren't wrong about it, but again, what's wrong with it? Apologies if I'm shattering your innocent world view but sex is what sells, hun. Society today is all about marketing sex to people as a means of making a quick buck. Get people addicted to it through mediums such as movies and pornography then have them spend money on anything and everything related to sex. Video games, comic books, all your nerdy hobbies are guilty of the same thing: marketing sex to people for a quick buck. Hell, our obsession with sex is so bad that our society has developed to the point where it's obsessed with shaming people for being virgins, as if abstinence was a sign of failing as a person. Back in the day, it was considered a good thing to save yourself until marriage. I'm not saying that many people back then actually did it, but at the very least it was a sign of a strong mind and something worth praising. But that's all in the past. Today, we're living in a society obsessed with sex, so unless you go along with it, you're just a modern day loser. So calling me something like an ”eye prostitute” just because I'm falling in line with said society isn't much of an insult.”

”I mean… Even if you say that, your entire value as a person weighs entirely on how hot you are by working here. If you like, feed into that, you'll never be anything more than a hot girl, and even that has a time limit.”

Wow, that was shaky. I've never seen Nicholas act that timid before.

”Sorry kid, but this is just a part-time job for most of the people working here. Personally, I major in health science right now. I'm mainly juggling this job with school so that I can afford to pay off my student loans while keeping up with rent. And even if that weren't the case, there's nothing wrong with working here full-time. If it's just showing a bit of skin then there's really no harm, is there? I'm not exactly a feminist so I have no problem with taking advantage of men who would pay just to see a bit of that. But even if you are a feminist, the tips at Smooters are better than most other waiting joints I've worked at so this job is a nice way of flipping the wage gap off. You can earn a healthy living as a college student or as a good-looking woman straight out of high school without having to physically sell your body to men like it's the 19th century. You might see it as devaluing women, but this job is a good thing for us in today's world. Wouldn't trade it to work part time anywhere else really. But enough about that, have you three checked out the menus yet?”

”… No, not yet.”

Geez, he looks utterly defeated. I can't say I was expecting that. Going by what I've seen of him before, I wouldn't be surprised if he argued til the bitter end, even if he felt like he was in the wrong. I guess adults have a different effect on him, huh.

The two of them scan their menus for anything appetizing to eat.

Sigmund in particular has been unusually quiet since he sat down. I'd thought it was a joke at first, but I wonder if sitting next to such a beauty really is making him feel uneasy.

It really feels like Rachael has complete control over the atmosphere, to the point where even these two loud-mouthed idiots can't find it in them to say a word.

While it's different compared to Jen, she's probably just as good at dictating the flow of a conversation. No, she might be even better. And that's because she also has the added benefit of being well-spoken like Momo. The combination of charisma and eloquence means that she's capable of giving off a more intimidating air than either of them ever could.

But, that doesn't mean much of anything to me.

Because no girl could ever be as scary as any guy I've met before.

I clear my throat in order to disperse her air of control and begin speaking.

”Hey. Are we the only high school kids to come in here today?”

When the hostess brought us in, Rachael seemed surprised to see high school students here. Doesn't that mean that Chase hasn't come through here after all?

”Hmm, why do you ask?”

”We're looking for our friend. We think he might've come in here so…”

”Pfft, so you followed him? Are you guys stalking him or something? You crushing on him, Scarlet?”

”T-that's none of your business!”

”Ahaha, you're right. I'm sorry.”

I sigh.

I guess this means that Chase didn't come in here after all. What, so everything we did today was for nothing after all.

I turn back to find her eyes drifting away from my face and lower themselves down my body. I feel kind of uncomfortable about it.

”Hey, is that Prada?”

”H-huh? Oh.”

She was just checking my handbag out.

”Yeah, it is! I love it! It goes so well with this outfit, and-”

”I'll buy it from you. What was the store price?”

She reaches for her purse and begins unzipping it right before my eyes.

”N-no, um. It's not really for sale you know.”

”Oh, that so?”

She zips it back up and packs it away.

Seriously, is she some kind of compulsive buyer? I thought she said she worked here just to get by. Well, I guess it explains all the brand clothes she's wearing at least.

”Still though, Prada bags are actually pretty expensive, kid. Did your parents buy it for you?”

”Yep. Well, my mom did. I'm an only child so she tends to spoil me like this sometimes…”

”Hmmm.”

She stares silently at me as if to take in my appearance.

”I have to say, you're pretty stylish and cute. I kinda don't get it. Why are you hanging out with these two? You've obviously got nothing in common with them.”

”Well, you said it not me.”

I wait for Nicholas to shoot back with his usual hateful remarks, but he seems to still be a bit scarred from Rachael's words from earlier.

”Um… We're just searching for a mutual friend, that's all.”

”Ohh, you weren't joking about that, huh? You know, I might actually know who you're talking about.”

”Wait, really?”

Not only do I react to her words, but Sigmund and even the defeated Nicholas turn to face her.

”Why didn't you say so, then?!”

”What? You won't tell me why you wanted to see him so why should I? For all I know, you're intelligence agents out to prevent him from becoming the next student body president.”

She smiles and wiggles her fingers at me playfully.

For some reason, that finally gets Nicholas to perk his head up like he usually does.

”Hmph, intelligence agents? Don't be ridiculous. I'll have you know that he is not only a close friend of Sigmund and mine, but he's also a valuable asset to our group. As the heart of our group, he serves as one of the most important members of the 'Fated Ones'!”

”And what exactly is the 'Fated Ones', then?”

”Heh, like I'd tell just anyone about that. I have a sacred oath to keep, you know.”

”Hmmm~”

She turns her head to face me.

”And what about you, hun? What's our mutual friend to you?”

”He's…”

I try to mouth the answer.

The words I'd practiced saying for so long.

But… nothing's coming out.

What the hell? I've told a few people that he's my boyfriend already, so why are the words not coming out now of all times?

”Yes, go on. He's what?”

”He's…”

Go on, say it.

Just say it.

Let it out, Scarlet.

Tell her.

Tell her the truth.

”He's…”

But.

Before I realized it, I had already mouthed something completely different to what I originally planned on saying.

A different set of words that, from an outsider's perspective, would appear to mean the exact same thing.

But to me, those words meant something else completely. And it would probably be those that words would eventually sound the beginning of the end.

”He's…”