Many of my classmates are getting hyped for our Physical Education subject. I thought going into K-12 program would reduce the load of minor subjects in college, but it didn’t.
We wore a plain white t-shirt and a comfortable, decent pair of bottom wear. Mine are black jogging pants. We were grouped into pairs for a table tennis match and were free to choose who to pair with. I partnered with Kevin and TJ to score for us.
“Rafael, we’re hanging out at Wenzo’s new house later. Tagging along??” Kevin asked before the match started.
Why would they hang out at one of our classmates’ houses? We’re not even close friends with Wenzo. He is mostly affiliated with famous, smart students, some of whom are part of the student council.
“Start,” TJ declared, the signal to start the game.
“New house?” I questioned.
“Yeah. His family moved to a new, bigger one. He invited us for a house tour and for refreshments. We gotta see his place.”
“But I’m not close with him. Why would he bother us to come?”
“He invited everyone in the class and some of his friends from the other section. There are even teachers.”
“He’s that hospitable? Must be a big celebration.”
Aside from being extroverted, it must not surprise me to hear that he’s inviting everyone to his house. And it also means his new house is huge to cater for a class with 45 students, plus the other friends and guests he was expecting.
The paddle almost slipped from my right hand.
“He clearly wants to flex his parents’ fortune,” TJ murmured and smirked.
“Maybe. Some said his house has a swimming pool and a gym. It’s like living in a city resort. How lucky!” Kevin sounded amazed.
“Will you be there?” I asked my TJ.
“Yes, I got curious. They blabber a lot of admiration about Wenzo’s place. Might as well check it out.”
“His parents are welcoming as well. I heard from the other section. They worked on a project at his house, and they met his parents.”
“How about you?” TJ asked me.
“Doesn’t sound so bad,” I affirmed.
“Alright!” Kevin exclaimed avidly and slammed the ball in a flash to my side, which I failed to shoot.
“You lost at his kill shot. Kevin wins.” TJ declared. “Go have a match with their winner,” he said to Kevin.
Kevin proceeded to play against the winner of the other pair. I wasn’t really cut out for sports, but my score wasn’t too bad playing against Kevin, who is good at it.
My phone vibrated. I read the notification, and it was from someone unexpected.
Let’s meet at the back gate after this class.
Hours have passed, and the table tennis match ended, making us sweat, hungry, and thirsty.
“Hey, guys, see you all at my house!” Wenzo grinned, wiping his sweaty face with a white face towel.
He looks like he had fun playing table tennis. He must be because he was the overall winner in the class for the men’s category. That’s an automatic 100 grade for him in this subject. While the students who got a lower score, like me, are given a second and last chance to retake it if we want to. Having a higher grade in P.E. is preferable, but playing again is a lot of work. Guess I should be content with my 83 mark.
“Sure, thanks.”
“We’ll go now, Wenzo.”
“Girl, let’s go there together.”
“Yeah, I booked a ride already so we can split the fare.”
“Should we invite more to save some cash?”
“Let me join y’all!”
My classmates were talking about going to Wenzo’s house.
I approached Kevin, who had drunk a cold water from his sweating tumbler. “I’ll leave the school later. You guys go ahead without me.”
“What? Why?” Kevin asked, wiping his mouth.
“Got some errands to do. What’s Wenzo’s home address?”
“I’ll send you the address. TJ and I will wait for you there.”
“Thanks”
I changed into a new set of clothes before leaving, clutched my bag and proceeded to my next schedule.
Shamikha asked to meet at the back gate of the school after class hours. It's 6:13 PM, and the last class ended. Headed out without the usual crowd. She messaged about this two hours ago. No idea she witnessed something she shouldn't have. I arrived at the meeting spot, and there were no people there.
“I heard your conversation in the hallway,” she said, softly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t meet with you yesterday. I asked you to meet in the hallway, but your friend blocked me, and I forgot our meeting.”
“That’s not the problem here.” She held both of my arms. “A-Are you okay?”
“That’s who your friend truly is.”
“I witnessed that… We talked a while ago. I confronted her and denied everything I heard.” She showed me her phone and tapped a recording. “But she didn’t know I had a voice record of your conversation. This is solid proof to report the authorities about-”
“Shamikha?” The trash arrived.
Shamikha glared at the trash.
“Don’t believe him! He’s making things up.”
“I heard everything, Jesse,” Shamikha mumbled. “What you did is despicable.
“I’ll explain. I did all of it because I was lonely.”
“I’m here. You could’ve told me your problems. I was here for you to listen.”
“I got desperate and was tempted to do something you despise.”
“I know, you’re always there for me…”
“You know what’s worse? You lied to me and refused to admit it when I confronted you. You wanted to distort the truth and told me Ravael was the liar. I caught you in the act, yet you’re making me a fool.”
“Yes, I lied. I wish to protect our relationship till the end. Please, despite what I did, please don’t hate me. Let’s take things back together to where they were.”
“We’re through.”
This is the first time I’ve seen Shamikha furrow her eyebrows, her lips tremble, and her voice is lower in pitch and is firm. I always caught her smiling with a gentle face, yet now, she shows an expression that one shouldn’t have provoked her to her limit. Kind people are indeed scarier when they get angry than people who are always mad.
“No! Shamikha, please, you’re my only friend! Don’t leave me because of this guy.” Jesse pleaded with an urging tone. Never knew this trash treasures Shamikha to that extent.
“This isn’t because of him, Jesse. It’s because you blackmailed him with something he couldn’t control. It wasn’t right to do that. I’ve had high expectations of you as my real friend. I thought you were different.”
“I-I’ll change. I won’t disturb him anymore. I would stop talking to him if you want!”
“How can you blackmail someone who simply wants to make a living? How dare you use someone’s weakness to your advantage?”
“I-I didn’t do it on purpose…” It whimpered, feeling remorseful. I am not sure if this trash is genuine about begging for Shamikha’s forgiveness r
“What? Are you implying he’s lying again when it’s crystal clear it was you who kept and lied about it?”
“Please, let’s stay friends.”
“I’m your best friend! I thought we weren’t supposed to keep secrets like you promised when we were kids. You didn’t tell me you’re doing something like this to our classmate.”
“I can’t survive this world without you, my best friend.”
“This isn’t a question between friendship, Jesse. This is about morality and ethics. If both do not align with me, there’s something wrong. And I want to eliminate what’s wrong.”
Shamikha turned her back. “Don’t follow or talk to me. Let’s cut each other off. Or else, I won’t forgive you.”
Shamikha left.
“Shamikha!” the trash bawled, crying on the floor.
“I won’t file a report against you because you’re Shamikha’s best friend.”
“That’s it?” it sobbed. “That’s your excuse for letting me go?”
“She wanted me to report you. But I see regret in her eyes when she told me that. She’s aware that what you did to me is punishable by law, but her heart screams mercy for you.”
“And if she isn’t involved, what are you going to do with me?”
“I’ll kill you without hesitation.”
The trash shuddered in fear.
“F-Forgive m-”
“Don’t apologize to me. Do it to Shamikha. Your apology won’t take an ounce of effect on me.”
The trash continued crying. It grabbed its handkerchief from its pink skirt. It didn’t even bother being remorseful about what it did to me. But when Shamikha turned her back, his cry felt genuine and has been remorseful. He’s a chaos that Shamikha was able to leave behind. Get well, Jesse.
I smirked, leaving behind the trash chasing me.
I spent an hour staying at school. I sat on a bench in the school’s garden. As I was walking down the pathway to go home after a dramatic scene I didn’t expect, I pulled out my wireless earphones and put them in my ears when someone called me.
“Hey, where you at? We’re at Wenzo’s.” It’s Kevin.
Ah, I forgot about that.
“How was it?”
“There are drinks, plenty of food, and party games. Wait, where are you?”
The background noise is audible. There is loud music playing, people shouting, and glasses clinking.
“At school”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“I’m still at school.”
“When are you going here? Don’t miss this out!”
“Whaaaa! Take this or leave it!” It’s TJ’s voice.
“Hold up, man,” Kevin mumbled. “Ah!”
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I chugged the shot, TJ insisted.”
They’re drinking.
“Just let me know if you’re here. Hey, TJ!-”
And the line was cut. I read Kevin’s text message.
Blk 5 Lot 10 Liza Beth Street Queensville Executive Village
I paid my attention back to the sound on my phone I was about to play. I tapped the play button of the voice record I recorded earlier.
“I’ll tell the others about how you cheated in the exams with Shamikha if you won’t do what I was asking of you.”
“You will tell the professors about that involving your bestfriend?”
“Yes and no. I’ll twist the story and tell them that you cheated by stealing her scratch paper.”
“You’ll tell them both a truth and a lie,”
“Wise, right?”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to do whatever I want.”
“This isn’t the sole trap you have for me. What else do you have against me?”
…
“How about I book you for an hour? I asked my parents for extra cash for a project I was looking into for months! You want these, don’t you? I can book you for a whole da-”
“Is that what you want from me?”…
…
“You know what’s worse? You lied to me and refused to admit it while ago when I confronted you. You wanted to distort the truth and told me he was the liar. I caught you in the act, yet you’re making me a fool.”
“Yes, I lied. I wish to protect our relationship till the end. Please, despite what I did, please don’t hate me. Let’s take things back together to where they were.”
“We’re through.”
“No! Shamikha, please, you’re my only friend! Don’t leave me because of this guy.”
“This isn’t because of him, Jesse. It’s because you blackmailed him with something he couldn’t control. It wasn’t right to do that. I’ve had high expectations of you as my real friend. I thought you were different.”
“I-I’ll change. I won’t approach him anymore. Please, let’s stay friends. I can’t survive this world without you, my best friend.”
They must be having a lot of fun right now at Wenzo’s house. I might not be there, but I’m definitely having fun, too. No, I haven’t missed anything.
“This isn’t a question between friendship, Jesse. This is about morality and ethics. If both do not align with me, there’s something wrong. And I want to eliminate what’s wrong… Don’t follow or talk to me. Let’s cut each other off. Or else, I won’t forgive you.”
I hummed softly to myself and closed my eyes.
The pitch and melody were still floating in my head from earlier, and I let it settle there like a warm blanket. And for a few seconds, everything felt exactly right.
This is music to my ears.