Memoirs of a Gay-Sha: Chapter 11

By: Ace

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CHAPTER 11

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"So inviting me here and not letting me say no?" I began. Arriving at the canteen still catching up to my because I had to rush down the stairs. Walk all the way across the quadrangle to get to the canteen

"I knew you'd come anyway." Dan's voice calm and reassuring.

"What made you so sure?" As I sat comfortably beside him on an elongated rectangular white flat surface, it served as a long chair it didn't have back support. I made it sure to sit closer, our shoulders touching. He leaned a bit towards me looked at my eyes intently and took something out of  his pocket. It looked like a little piece of rectangle wrapped in shiny gold paper. It was chocolate, Dan smiled and gave it to me.

The Amazonian trulls (the name I gave to the tribesmen) were watching. 

They were constantly looking in our general direction and covering their mouths and making snide laughs.

I didn't care what they were thinking. Whatever I was doing, was working. I just wanted to see the annoyed looks on their faces, as they sat pretending to read books. Which I'm sure they never read. Based on the stupid looks they had on their faces.

I took the little piece of chocolate from his hands which were already soft. I did not open it yet, he might see me looking too happy. I still wanted him to picture me as someone who was still annoyed for having the obligation to go to the canteen.

"I knew you'd like it." He spoke softly, almost like a whisper. Close to my ear that I could feel the warmth of his breath. I could even discern the faint smell of plants, must have been his diet. I didn't know if he was vegetarian or something. Yet it was mesmerizing for some reason. I had no idea why he whispered like that, so close and intimate. It made feel conscious of his presence so I moved a little bit further away from him.

"Like, what?" I asked, feigning ignorance. It wasn't effective at all, smiles were bursting from the corners of my mouth. I gave an awkward smile, the kind of smile you give someone who you think you've known but can't seem to remember and you suddenly meet him on a busy street. 

"Nothing..." He stood up, looked at me and smiled cryptically. I never knew if it was a smile that tells you he's happy or that he's thinking of mischief. Either way he left me without saying a word. I looked at him while he was heading towards the gym for his practice games.

 

All this time, I wondered how I started to become a little too curious about his personality. 

In my head, I thought of how mysterious he would act. His sudden walk-outs. He never talked that much, yet everything he did was with meaning. It would take a long time to understand someone as secretive as Dan. He wasn't expressive, he'll never tell you what he thinks. Keeping too many secrets. It made me want to know him more. His expressions and the looks on his face spoke more than the words that came out of his mouth. Actions do speak louder than words, especially from a man who barely talks.

I could still overhear the giggling and the whispers made by the Amazonian tribe nearby. I knew what they were carelessly chatting about me. 

I wanted to avoid them as much as I could. I knew getting involved with them would mean trouble for me. They were familiar with the school and the people in it. I was still on my second day.

I never knew how to keep grudges, because I would always get even. I do forgive my enemies from time to time, but not after I've had my revenge. It might sound mean, but to me that's how my world works. Its how I was brought up. 

I calmly stood up, slung my heavy bag over my shoulders and walked towards the gym.

They were standing in my way towards the gate. So my only other option was to retreat. I didn't mind going home a little later than usual. So I had an idea of watching how the basketball varsity practiced. 

Not that I had an interest, I didn't have any other place to run into. There were students as well who would watch their practice games. So I'm sure they wouldn't want to start something in front of so many people.

So I went to the gym's direction, yet there was no one practising. There were a few students playing around but I'm sure they weren't part of the varsity. So I just sat on the brown bleachers made of hard wood. The squeaks of shoes as people were playing around could be clearly heard on the shiny wood tiled floor. The sound of so many balls bouncing at the same time filled the air with a sort of hypnotic rhythm.

Students running around so full of life, as if school wasn't tiring enough that they have to exist all of their energies again. I continued to watch them playing around I noticed some guys coming out of a tall door.

I saw Dan and Rei along with other people I didn't know. It seemed like they were going to start their practice. They didn't notice me yet, I was on the other end of the gym which was a bit far from where they were at. I saw them both with their bags and still in their school uniforms. Dan didn't look as tall as some of them though you could still say he was quite tall for a first year student.

Rei looked at my general direction and stood there for a few seconds. He placed his hands over his brows as if trying to look like a pirate who just seen land. He suddenly waved his hands, I wasn't sure yet if he was waving to me. I tried to look like an idiot who had no Idea that I was being called. I'm sure it had no effect because both of the were heading in my direction as their other companions were going.

I didn't do anything at all. I didn't even react to his play full waving hands. I sat there still looking at the others students playing. I could see Dan in the corner of my vision looking at my direction as well. 

Rei and Dan were approaching me walking casually. Amid the students all running around and balls getting in their way every now and then.

"Why are you here Hanz?" he asked like a child. His eyes were slightly wide, looking like a curious monkey

His expression looked charming.

I just stared back at him looking dazed, surprised that he just jumped to my side and sat there as if he owned the bleachers. I couldn't answer, I didn't want to tell them that their fans were stalking me and were ready to shoot me down with all their primitive weapons, which is their lame quips at me.  Just because these two idiots gave me more attention. I didn't consider them too close though, we were still at the level of acquaintances, though you might assume that would change later on. You will know as we go along.

Dan sat on the bleacher to my right he was on the lower part because the chairs had two floors, you know. The kind that looked like part of stairs. He leaned closer to my leg. We sat there for a bit looking at the other students playing their own games.

"I thought you had practice?" I asked the question meaning it for Dan, but he didn't reply.

"Coach had things to do and stuff." Rei interrupted the silence.

 

I didn't ask anything else, I wasn't interested. I was just there to escape those primitive monkeys. Which I failed to do, because they were also nearby still looking at my direction. They had those looks on their face which meant trouble for me. The sharp looks they threw at me had murderous intent mixed in it. I felt like a buffalo, being stalked by lions.

What added to their annoyance was when Rei put his arms on my shoulders, we talked about random things like what the lessons were and all the boring little details of this school. He was telling me or bragging rather about his talents and what not. I didn't pay attention to most of it. I'm sure he was just making up most of the things he said. 

Dan below me just sat looking forward, the last time he spoke was when we were at the canteen. His silence always puzzles me, he looked like a tree or maybe Rei was a right a mountain perhaps would fit him more. I wanted to ask him something, but I didn't have any kind of question that might interest him. I didn't even know what else he liked aside from basketball.

He wasn't the type of person who might have had a lot to say, but somehow I always felt that he was thinking about a lot of things. He looked just like me when we have a boring class. My mind escapes to a world of its own. I no longer pay attention to my surroundings and I just blank out getting lost in whatever I was focusing my mind on. It wasn't just occasional, It was a habit. Daydreaming, sometimes I would laugh to myself when I remember funny moments or I would imagine myself as one of the anime characters that I frequently watched. 

I was looking at Dan's direction thinking of all of this in my head and didn't pay attention when Rei kissed me again. 

"Hanz you should keep on spacing out." He joked.

It was easy for him to give me a kiss to the cheeks close to my ears, since his arms were already around my shoulder. I didn't even flinch this time, his kiss still felt awkward and he made it linger a few seconds more than last time. It wasn't something that I particularly wanted, neither did I find it quite irritating for me to punch him again. That didn't mean that I could not send my elbow crashing to his side ribs. 

"Awww, Hanz why do you keep on harassing me?." Rei gasped. I think I hit him a little too hard perhaps.

Serves him right. I still don't know whether he does that to annoy me or just because he wants to.

Dan turned his heads towards both of us, our noise must have distracted his attention.

He didn't see Rei kissing me, all he saw was Rei rubbing his ribs. He smiled at me, those cryptic smiles again. His eye were complimentary to his personality, deep and absorbing. Like a painting you never understood the meaning to, yet you'd be willing to pay million to possess it. I never quite understood the kind of effect his eyes had on me. Without adequate light it looked deep brown like the dessert sands after the first rain. The last prayers for the afternoon played again, this would mean that we were already allowed to go home. I just sat there in silence listening to the prayers in the background, the students were quite. 

The usual sound of basketballs and squeaky shoes paused. They looked like robots that ran out of battery, just standing there with heads down, Some even squatting on the wooden floor. Everything was silent, only the sound of prayers were heard from the speakers and the occasional gusts of wind.

I wasn't too intent on the prayers. I was thinking on how we ended up with this kind of religion. I thought back, if we weren't conquered by Spaniards. What kind of gods would we be worshipping? 

I didn't think too much about that, I just wanted to go home.

Rei, messed my short hair after wards and just jumped down from the bleachers heading towards the direction of the parking lot. I would later know, that he always had a driver to drop him off at school and pick him up. He must have lived a pampered life. He went ahead of me and Dan who was still seated.

"Dan, are you still staying here? I'm going to go ahead of you" I told him as I slung my bag over my right shoulder taking a step down the bleachers.

"I'm walking home, I live nearby." Dan took his bag and walked ahead of me.

"Wait Dan, I also live nearby, I'm walking home as well."  I had no idea where his house was. Though nearby could mean anything from in front of the school or towards the exit where the main road was, which is like a mile away from the school's entrance.

Our school was located at the end of a subdivision, it extended way back towards the slope of a nearby mountain. You could say it was somewhat hard to get into since the roads had only two lanes and a lot of the students there had cars. Which would cause traffic every single morning and every afternoon dismissal. 

I decided to walk with him anyway, it was kind of boring walking along the road. I didn't talk to him while we were slowly striding towards the gate, he didn't seem to have anything to say. I couldn't tell if he was annoyed at me for walking with him or not. He didn't exactly say yes to me going with him.

 

He casually moved forward and looked back at me as if asking whether I would go with him or not. I just moved along with him.

We already approached the gate and there were cars cramming in there as well. The gate of the school was already out of sight from the next bend on the road, there was still a long line of cars. I was surprised to hear someone calling my name.

"HAAANNNZZZZ !!" It was a familiar annoying voice.

 

"Why don't you hitch a ride? There's still a lot of space. Come on Hanz and you too Dan, I know your house is just along the way," It was Rei, the windows from the black ford escape he was riding were down. Peering outside shamelessly and calling us out. I thought I saw someone sitting beside him. I didn't mind.

I didn't want to hitch a ride on his car, his annoyance inside the school was enough. I didn't want it to extend outside. Dan didn't respond as well. He looked hesitant, the kind of look you have when you ride on a jeep with a friend you suddenly meet and both of you look at each other, waiting who will pay for the ride and then you would rebutt and offer as well. That kind of awkward situation. I think he was waiting for me to say something because he wasn't really looking at Rei.

"Thank you Rei but my house is just a few minutes walk away, there's no need to bother." I graciously responded. Yet I knew he wasn't the type that took no for an answer. He looked sodden and gloomy when I said it. I didn't mean to offend him. But walking is one the things that I like to do. It made me think and move at the same time, it doesn't require a lot of mental effort. I could walk and think about so many things at the same time. Rather than just sitting and thinking of the same things. 

"Don't worry Rei, I'll ride some other time. I'll make sure of it, perhaps when its raining or if I'm crippled. But right now I do appreciate the offer." It didn't make his face change a bit.

"It alright, bye Hanz, bye bro. See you tomorrow." The tinted windows slowly came up covering his face.

We continued moving forward well ahead of Rei's car which was still stuck in traffic.

"Dan, where do you live?" I asked, because I obviously didn't know then.

"Nearby." His curt answer, I expected something more specific. I didn't even know if we passed his house. Because up until the main road he was still walking with me. Just a few more minutes of walking and we'd already be at the entrance to the subdivision where I lived. He didn't say a word to me, I didn't bother to ask. I was already standing at the main entrance to the subdivision where the guard was sitting by. He was already familiar with all the people who lived inside. What surprised me was when he looked at Dan and gave a nod to him as well. Don't tell me?!

To be continued...