3 I’M COMING!

***

“I’m coming!”

Vanessa was trying her best to be the most beautiful girl in the eyes of her boyfriend. It was the first time that she was being asked to go on a date that’s why she did her best to wear her favorite, magnificent red long dress with high heels. She kept on looking herself in the mirror and could not figure it out how gorgeous she was. She checked every detail of her make-up, every angle of her face and even how demeanor she was. Her mother was calling her name out, loud enough to be heard, louder enough to get your attention and loudest enough to make your eardrum cracked.

Her mother was mentioning about the man who was waiting outside. When she went down, she gradually stepped her foot forward as if she was a debutant on her birthday celebration. She felt a princess walking down from a castle and bride walking down on the aisle. She felt that she was the Queen of Pulchritude, and her beauty was beyond description. Her parents were staring at her, and she assumed that they could not believe or imagine having a daughter like her – totally enticing, gorgeously amazing and sophisticatedly beautiful.

“Your boyfriend is waiting for you outside.” Her father mentioned.

She kissed her parents as if she was not going back anymore. Her teary-eyes were totally naïve and innocent. She couldn’t imagine that after a long period of waiting, someone asked her to go on a date. She was profusely excited. After hugging her parents, she slowly opened the door and the man of her dream was waiting outside. When the man turned his back to Vanessa, her eyes began to dilate, she widely opened her mouth and surprise clothed her entire face.

“Huhhh??? Whaaaaaaaaattttt?” she shouted worryingly as she saw Austin.

Vanessa woke up from a terrifying nightmare and as she opened her eyes, she pushed her friends from her both sides, reason why Mitch and Krist fell down from the bed. The two were badly complaining about the pain from falling, asking Vanessa what was her problem. Regardless of the pain, they managed to stand and brought themselves back in the bed again.

Anyway, Vanessa decided to ask Krist to sleep with them just in case something bad occurs. With the small size of bed, the three managed to sleep well not until Vanessa woke up from the dark cocoon of her nightmare.

“What happened?” Krist asked.

“Yeah, was your dream that bad wherein you had to push us away from the bed?” Mitch asked with her hoarse tone.

To her current situation where she was able to dream something about the person she hates, she could not accept that Austin was in her dream. She was terrified. She breathed exasperatedly. She sighed heavily. Confused on how to respond coupled with the fact that Austin was Mitch’s ex-boyfriend, Vanessa dared to say “Nothing.” She decided to keep quiet about her undesired dream.

Mitch and Krist were still drowsy but Vanessa reminded them that it’s time for schooling. She decided to take a shower first while the two were still getting enough energy to sustain themselves for the day. While she was in the bathroom, her dream was still vivid, clear and it kept on repeatedly popping up on her mind. She was repressing that memory and throwing it away on her unconscious trash bin but the mere fact of killing such things made the memory more vibrant and powerful.

After taking a bath, Mitch stood up and asking the two, why she was sleeping on Vanessa’s room.

“You were drunk last night and kept on calling Austin using my number” Vanessa hit her head while explaining what she had done last night.

“Oh my God! I promised to forget him.” She angrily murmured.

“Yeah, and you have to pay for me for the damage you have caused me. You puked on my car!” Krist suddenly interrupted.

***

“Four Iced Coffee!” Austin mentioned.

“Why are buying four, we’re just three,” Andrew claimed.

Austin’s usual response was smirking. He never dared to answer Andrew’s question reason why Andrew and Rick were forced to generate their own conclusion. Rick was thinking that Austin was thirsty enough to buy two iced coffee for himself. Andrew’s gut was redirecting him towards to the conclusion of him, buying an iced coffee for someone. While the two were discussing, Austin was just listening to them, until he started giving the iced coffee for his two friends. He walked away ahead of them, and he stopped on the bench near to the office of the school publication.

“Wait! What are we doing in front of the school publication office?” Rick asked.

“Shit! Are we waiting for the writer of the school publication?” Andrew guessed.

When he heard about what Andrew had mentioned, Austin smiled. The two confirmed that he bought an extra iced coffee for Vanessa. They never dared to go inside of the office that’s why they patiently waited for her to pass by or go out from the office. From afar, Austin saw a familiar face. He tried to recall where he met this boy until he retrieved to his memory that he met that boy yesterday on the male’s wash room when he was asking Vanessa what she was doing on the male’s toilet.

“Psst!” Austin called Krist.

“Me?”

Krist tried to look somewhere else just to be sure that he was the one asking to approach the group. Then, when he found out that there was nobody behind him. He reassured by asking, “Me?” while pointing his finger on himself.

“Yes, you!” Austin reassured.

The naïve, second-year education student walked hesitantly bit by bit. He was unsure of what was going on but he was afraid enough not to approach them, so he did. While walking nearer to them, he was thinking the possible reason while he was asking him to approach these guys. He barely knew them, though they were popular and Austin was Mitch’s ex-boyfriend, he found no any other reason for them to talk or to even have a conversation. Then, he finally arrived to where they were sitting.

“Krist, right?” Austin asked.

“How do you know me?” Krist asked.

“I just remember yesterday when Vanessa was waiting for you in the Male toilet.”

Krist nodded, plainly recalled the situation Vanessa had yesterday. He was still puzzled about the relation of the situation yesterday and now that they called him. Austin gave the bottle of iced coffee to Krist. Bewildered as he views it, he took the bottle willingly without knowing what to do with it.

“Give it to your friend!” Austin commanded.

“Whose friend?”

“Your friend, Vanessa.”

Krist was still surprised and full of awe. He had mixture of thoughts on his mind. He was thinking what was Austin intention of giving a bottle of iced coffee? Why he was giving her a drink? Why Vanessa? Was Vanessa the next girl on his list? The thoughts on his mind were roaring and shouting, reason why he lost his touch of the reality for a certain moment. His thoughts became bigger which made him harder to see what was happening on that moment.

“Hey, Krist! Can you hear me?” Austin asked for the third time.

“Aaa.ahh.. Yes. I’ll give this to Vanessa. Bye!”

Then, Krist left that place and suddenly went to the school publication office where Vanessa was located. When he arrived, Krist was still in the state of bewilderment and fear, while holding the bottle of iced coffee. When Vanessa saw her, she started asking her why he looked so pale and lethargic. With the mission on his mind, he suddenly handed in the bottle to his friend, Vanessa.

“For me?” Vanessa asked.

With greater confusion, Vanessa took the coffee and kissed her friend on cheek. She took a sip and sent her gratitude to her friend not until she found out that iced coffee was given by Austin.

“What? Austin?” She shockingly asked.

Vanessa’s reaction was closely looked to Krist reaction when she knew that it was given by Austin. She started asking questions with the same question Krist posted on his mind. The two were still dumbfounded about what was happening but one thing was for sure, Vanessa’s pride was too high when Austin was highly concerned. She asked her friend if where he met them, Krist mentioned that they were sitting on a bench in front of the school publication office.

Irrespective of her thoughts in mind, Vanessa went out and luckily, the boys were still there. When they saw Vanessa, they were so chill, relaxed and Austin was enticingly smiling. Vanessa approached the three and asked Austin, “What’s with the iced coffee?”

“Can I just receive thank you first?” Austin said.

Vanessa, with her authoritative voice, mentioned that she would never buy that kind of act especially for those kinds of boys- she was literally talking about cheaters and playboy. She said that it would almost impossible for them to find someone to love if they will treat girls as toys. She was angry because at last, she was able to express her emotions with them. After voicing out her grievances towards to the voice, silence suddenly intruded the moment.

“I just saw your post that you had less sleep. We’re just here, concerned citizens but it seems like our simple act of helping other could turn out bad for those who never saw good things from us.” Austin explained.

After uttering those words, Austin took the bottle of iced coffee and gave it to Krist. He said that, Krist was more deserving to drink the coffee. “Drink this! I know you had less sleep as well” he added. Krist sipped the coffee and, Austin and his friends walked away from them.