My Next-door Neighbor
My vision blurred as I walk out the classroom.
It didn't happen.
He didn't just dump me.
It must be a lie.
There must be some unspoken truth behind all these.
They're still laughing aren't they?
How could he?
I bumped into someone that made me stop in my track. I looked up. It was Stephen. He looked down at me. Puzzled. I stifled an apology and tried to brush past him. But he held me in place and studied my expression. Before he could ask more, I shrugged off his grip and dashed off.
He went into our classroom and scanned the place. My gang was rushing out to get me. Anger and frustration were written all over their faces. There were smirks and jokes going around that involves my name. It was obvious my besties were trying to fight for me after I was gone. But they won't be able to go against the whole class. Stephen sat at his spot, just two desks away from my seat. He stared blankly at my desk, oblivious to the girls around him.
'What happened?'
The girl gave him an answer about how her hair stylist ruined her hairdo.
'No. I mean Bi. Bianca. What happened?
'Dan just dumped her for Mich. Typical. She's bad news. A curse. Nobody would ever be with her more than a month! I guess she's just bad at dealing with her man.'
More laughter followed that remark. Stephen shifted his eyes towards Dan at the back of the class. Dan was joking around with his boys, but still did not fail to catch Stephen's eye. They stared at each other until Dan's wingman kicked a desk that made a loud thud. Stephen went back to his book, and fell deep into his thoughts.
I slammed my car door and rustled with my car keys. I tried to wipe off my tears with the back of my hand but more seemed to resurface. I was about to hit the car honk in frustration when three girls starts knocking on my car window. I couldn't face them. I buried my face into my jacket and curled my leg up. I intend to remain in that position until death comes to me.
The knocking turns to slamming. The harder it gets, the more teared up I am. Eventually I released the car lock and Suzie swung open the door. She leans in and gave me a big hug.
'It's okay, Bi. You know we're here for you.'
I cried harder in her embrace. I shifted to the back seat and laid on Jacquie's lap while Victoria drove. I couldn't remember how did I snuck back into my room without my parents noticing. I couldn't recall how did I get myself excused from dinner. I don't even know how I got myself ready for bed. It's a long day, that's for sure. And I'm convinced it's going to be a long year ahead.
***
I put on my sneakers and head out. I was about to get to my car when Stephen called out to me.
'You slept early last night.'
'Yeah.' I replied. Avoiding his gaze.
Stephen is my next door neighbor. His family moved in 5 years back, and we've been very close since. His room is directly opposite mine, just 15 feet away. We always chatted through our windows, and kept each other company when we're grounded. We used to have a long pole that were used to exchange midnight snacks.
'Wanna catch a ride with me?' He offered.
'Sure.'
We rode in silence for 15 minutes. He glanced at me several times from the corner of his eyes. He tapped on the steering wheel nervously.
'I'm fine, Steph.' I said.
'Thought you'd say that.' He replied.
'Huh?' I asked. Confused.
'I've been driving off route for a while now, and you hadn't noticed.' He said.
I looked around. This isn't the way to class. Colorful trees lined the street with string lights hanging beautifully. The grass was greener than usual. The flowers were prettier and brighter. This is the way to...
'Oh Steph.' I slumped into my seat. I shut my eyes tight to stop the tears from falling down. 'Thank you.'
'No problem. I have not purchased the tickets though. Is there anywhere else you'd like to go instead of the amusement park?'
'Yeah. Probably. I don't feel like doing roller coasters. And definitely don't feel like going to class.' I stared blankly at the trees that are moving backwards slowly.
'How about some coffee?' He asked.
'Sure. Why not.'
He made a U-turn and drove steadily towards Sun-City. It's a place that houses different coffee houses and themed cafes. Our favorite is Heavily Caffeinated which was founded by my dad's friend. We used to work there as part timers.
We ordered Cappuccino for me and a Flat White for him as take-aways. We then head back home to hang out at his place to avoid being interrogated by my parents. He had an awesome home theater that has the most updated list of movies. His mother works as a barista so they had this beautiful Victoria Arduino in their kitchen, which is off limits to us. Their kitchen is on my dream list with the built in ovens, island kitchen top and colorful equipment. His bedroom is filled with classic comic books, video games and endless shelves of literature.
We decided to bake ourselves pizzas for lunch. Rummaging through his chef-dad's ingredients, we pulled out flour, yeast, mushroom, capsicums, meat, cheese and his dad's top secret pizza sauce. We spent 2 hours messing up each other's pizza and ended up having one whole dessert pizza with chocolates and gummy bears as toppings, and another savory pizza with heaps of mushrooms and meats.
We baked the savory pizza thrice to get all the toppings cooked through and to melt all five layers of cheese. We took another 3 hours that finish off those two disastrous pizzas.
'Had enough?' He asked.
'Nuh-uh.' I shook my head.
So we went through the ingredient shelves again and took out more stuff to bake a cake. We're targeting for a three layer fruit cake with strawberries, blueberries and kiwis. We've been having cooking lessons from Stephen's dad who works downtown as a restaurant's head chef. We're always assigned as the cooks for family parties.
We devoured the entire six-inch cake within an hour that made us regretted having to eat that much. Cleaning up the kitchen proved to be the best way to ease the stuffiness we're suffering from excessive eating. After a thorough cleaning of the kitchen, we lied flat in Steph's room and gazed upon his decorated ceiling.
'That one's hideous.' He joked on my hand painted dinosaur at the left corner of the ceiling.
'Well yours aren't any better.' I pointed at his kitty cat drawing right next to my dinosaurs.
'It'll be fine, Bi.' He said after a long pause.
'Yeah. I know.' I answered with a sigh. 'But it's not getting any easier.' Tears came flowing back to me. I shut my eyes tight. Trying to hold them back.
'Hey. Hey, it's me, Bi. You don't have to hold back in front of me. Just be yourself. Let it go.'
So I did. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight. I cried with all my might. Holding on to him like he's my last hope in this gloomy world.
'I'm not gonna date anymore.' I said in between my sobs.
'Well, you said the exact same thing three months ago, in this exact same spot.' He joked. I managed to stiff a laugh, wiped my tears and sat up straight.
'I love you Stephen.'
'And I love you too, Bianca.'
'Thank you for being with me, always.'
'Anytime.'
We looked at each other for a long time. Trying to take in each other's features, his green eyes, dark eyebrows, his smile.
His smile.
Suddenly everything faded. I reached out my hand to touch his face. But he wasn't there anymore.
I blinked. Everything was at the same spot as when he left. I turned around. The dinosaur and the kitty cat was fading. There's a thin layer of dust on his desk. His bed was covered with white linen. My picture was framed and placed on his bedside table.
I laid down and reached for my purse. His warm smile greeted me as I flipped it open. This was taken two years ago. Right before....right before he left for the army. It has been three weeks without any news of him. Was he alright? Was he...No. He'll be alright. I'm sure. He promised he'll be back for me.
Someone called for me from the front porch. It was Stephen's dad. We're heading out to get some news on Stephen. I picked up my purse and walked towards the car. Just as we're pulling out of the driveway, a truck came to a stop in front of us.
It was the army's truck. I sat paralyzed, unable to move from anxiety. Tears rolled down my cheek when I saw someone hopped down from the back of the truck. He hit the truck twice and waved goodbye.
That face. Those green eyes. Those dark eyebrows. And that smile.
He's back.
It didn't happen.
He didn't just dump me.
It must be a lie.
There must be some unspoken truth behind all these.
They're still laughing aren't they?
How could he?
I bumped into someone that made me stop in my track. I looked up. It was Stephen. He looked down at me. Puzzled. I stifled an apology and tried to brush past him. But he held me in place and studied my expression. Before he could ask more, I shrugged off his grip and dashed off.
He went into our classroom and scanned the place. My gang was rushing out to get me. Anger and frustration were written all over their faces. There were smirks and jokes going around that involves my name. It was obvious my besties were trying to fight for me after I was gone. But they won't be able to go against the whole class. Stephen sat at his spot, just two desks away from my seat. He stared blankly at my desk, oblivious to the girls around him.
'What happened?'
The girl gave him an answer about how her hair stylist ruined her hairdo.
'No. I mean Bi. Bianca. What happened?
'Dan just dumped her for Mich. Typical. She's bad news. A curse. Nobody would ever be with her more than a month! I guess she's just bad at dealing with her man.'
More laughter followed that remark. Stephen shifted his eyes towards Dan at the back of the class. Dan was joking around with his boys, but still did not fail to catch Stephen's eye. They stared at each other until Dan's wingman kicked a desk that made a loud thud. Stephen went back to his book, and fell deep into his thoughts.
I slammed my car door and rustled with my car keys. I tried to wipe off my tears with the back of my hand but more seemed to resurface. I was about to hit the car honk in frustration when three girls starts knocking on my car window. I couldn't face them. I buried my face into my jacket and curled my leg up. I intend to remain in that position until death comes to me.
The knocking turns to slamming. The harder it gets, the more teared up I am. Eventually I released the car lock and Suzie swung open the door. She leans in and gave me a big hug.
'It's okay, Bi. You know we're here for you.'
I cried harder in her embrace. I shifted to the back seat and laid on Jacquie's lap while Victoria drove. I couldn't remember how did I snuck back into my room without my parents noticing. I couldn't recall how did I get myself excused from dinner. I don't even know how I got myself ready for bed. It's a long day, that's for sure. And I'm convinced it's going to be a long year ahead.
***
I put on my sneakers and head out. I was about to get to my car when Stephen called out to me.
'You slept early last night.'
'Yeah.' I replied. Avoiding his gaze.
Stephen is my next door neighbor. His family moved in 5 years back, and we've been very close since. His room is directly opposite mine, just 15 feet away. We always chatted through our windows, and kept each other company when we're grounded. We used to have a long pole that were used to exchange midnight snacks.
'Wanna catch a ride with me?' He offered.
'Sure.'
We rode in silence for 15 minutes. He glanced at me several times from the corner of his eyes. He tapped on the steering wheel nervously.
'I'm fine, Steph.' I said.
'Thought you'd say that.' He replied.
'Huh?' I asked. Confused.
'I've been driving off route for a while now, and you hadn't noticed.' He said.
I looked around. This isn't the way to class. Colorful trees lined the street with string lights hanging beautifully. The grass was greener than usual. The flowers were prettier and brighter. This is the way to...
'Oh Steph.' I slumped into my seat. I shut my eyes tight to stop the tears from falling down. 'Thank you.'
'No problem. I have not purchased the tickets though. Is there anywhere else you'd like to go instead of the amusement park?'
'Yeah. Probably. I don't feel like doing roller coasters. And definitely don't feel like going to class.' I stared blankly at the trees that are moving backwards slowly.
'How about some coffee?' He asked.
'Sure. Why not.'
He made a U-turn and drove steadily towards Sun-City. It's a place that houses different coffee houses and themed cafes. Our favorite is Heavily Caffeinated which was founded by my dad's friend. We used to work there as part timers.
We ordered Cappuccino for me and a Flat White for him as take-aways. We then head back home to hang out at his place to avoid being interrogated by my parents. He had an awesome home theater that has the most updated list of movies. His mother works as a barista so they had this beautiful Victoria Arduino in their kitchen, which is off limits to us. Their kitchen is on my dream list with the built in ovens, island kitchen top and colorful equipment. His bedroom is filled with classic comic books, video games and endless shelves of literature.
We decided to bake ourselves pizzas for lunch. Rummaging through his chef-dad's ingredients, we pulled out flour, yeast, mushroom, capsicums, meat, cheese and his dad's top secret pizza sauce. We spent 2 hours messing up each other's pizza and ended up having one whole dessert pizza with chocolates and gummy bears as toppings, and another savory pizza with heaps of mushrooms and meats.
We baked the savory pizza thrice to get all the toppings cooked through and to melt all five layers of cheese. We took another 3 hours that finish off those two disastrous pizzas.
'Had enough?' He asked.
'Nuh-uh.' I shook my head.
So we went through the ingredient shelves again and took out more stuff to bake a cake. We're targeting for a three layer fruit cake with strawberries, blueberries and kiwis. We've been having cooking lessons from Stephen's dad who works downtown as a restaurant's head chef. We're always assigned as the cooks for family parties.
We devoured the entire six-inch cake within an hour that made us regretted having to eat that much. Cleaning up the kitchen proved to be the best way to ease the stuffiness we're suffering from excessive eating. After a thorough cleaning of the kitchen, we lied flat in Steph's room and gazed upon his decorated ceiling.
'That one's hideous.' He joked on my hand painted dinosaur at the left corner of the ceiling.
'Well yours aren't any better.' I pointed at his kitty cat drawing right next to my dinosaurs.
'It'll be fine, Bi.' He said after a long pause.
'Yeah. I know.' I answered with a sigh. 'But it's not getting any easier.' Tears came flowing back to me. I shut my eyes tight. Trying to hold them back.
'Hey. Hey, it's me, Bi. You don't have to hold back in front of me. Just be yourself. Let it go.'
So I did. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight. I cried with all my might. Holding on to him like he's my last hope in this gloomy world.
'I'm not gonna date anymore.' I said in between my sobs.
'Well, you said the exact same thing three months ago, in this exact same spot.' He joked. I managed to stiff a laugh, wiped my tears and sat up straight.
'I love you Stephen.'
'And I love you too, Bianca.'
'Thank you for being with me, always.'
'Anytime.'
We looked at each other for a long time. Trying to take in each other's features, his green eyes, dark eyebrows, his smile.
His smile.
Suddenly everything faded. I reached out my hand to touch his face. But he wasn't there anymore.
I blinked. Everything was at the same spot as when he left. I turned around. The dinosaur and the kitty cat was fading. There's a thin layer of dust on his desk. His bed was covered with white linen. My picture was framed and placed on his bedside table.
I laid down and reached for my purse. His warm smile greeted me as I flipped it open. This was taken two years ago. Right before....right before he left for the army. It has been three weeks without any news of him. Was he alright? Was he...No. He'll be alright. I'm sure. He promised he'll be back for me.
Someone called for me from the front porch. It was Stephen's dad. We're heading out to get some news on Stephen. I picked up my purse and walked towards the car. Just as we're pulling out of the driveway, a truck came to a stop in front of us.
It was the army's truck. I sat paralyzed, unable to move from anxiety. Tears rolled down my cheek when I saw someone hopped down from the back of the truck. He hit the truck twice and waved goodbye.
That face. Those green eyes. Those dark eyebrows. And that smile.
He's back.