CHAPTER 5: MADE UP WORDS, MADE UP RELATIONSHIP

It's been a while since the start of summer break and the campus has gradually become quieter. Marsha has also gone back to our hometown. She went back last night and she was thinking of going to England to visit her boyfriend because being a med student, you can't really have vacations. Poor Kenneth.

Chuck is always busy with his practice from hell, or so he said, and we only see each other every other day because I too, have lotsa things to do. Right now I'm in the middle of the final preparation for the basketball team's photo shoot.

Allen have been keeping me company when Chuck couldn't accompany me to have dinner (Marsha called Allen since she figured we can chat about the shoot and whatnot) and he'll keep me company whenever he's not off doing things with his girlfriend, or the three of us would just hang together so I wouldn't be lonely.

Not that I am that lonely, though. Also not because I don't have any other friends besides Marsha and Chuck. I just haven't got the chance to actually get close to people, since I run around so much and not many can keep up with me or have enough patience. So far, Allen has been quite okay with my super busy schedules and just hangs whenever I can.

He's a nice guy. Very reserved and polite. He's very mature because well, he is older though only by a year. He never hits me, smacks me, pinches me or flicks my forehead like Chuck does. And he helps out a lot. Not like Chuck and Marsha don't, but he's kinda busy himself, you know, being the captain of the basketball team and all, but he still offers me his help whenever he can while Marsha and Chuck usually only lets me do things myself and only come helping when I ask or when they see me starting to spiral out of control. And since Allen and I live so close to each other, we've been hanging out at each other's place a lot. Mostly at his place though, because he has more drinks (I mostly only have beers and other alcohol) and more foods (my kitchen's only filled with snacks). Heh heh heh.

"Here." Allen hands me a can of beer.

"Thanks." I take it from his hand, sip it a little then place it on his living room table.

I am currently on the floor, sitting Indian style, struggling to fix the snow blowing machine thingy that I borrowed from the drama club to use for the photo shoot. It keeps blowing out air instead of artificial snow that has been stored inside the container. I've checked the pipe (multiple times) and there are nothing visible that's blocking the way, so I still don't know what's wrong with this snow blowing machine thingy (yep, I have to say it like that 'cause I can't really remember the name of that thing).

"Is that blood?" Allen asks pointing at the hem of my white tank top that has been stained by dried out blood. I look down and nod.

"Uh huh." I wave my index finger that was cut by the troublesome snow blowing machine thingy. It has stopped bleeding but still kind of reddish.

"Chuck's right about how you like to get yourself hurt." He chuckles as he gets up.

"He's a smartass." I snort, "Who says I like getting my own self hurt?" I grumble while making a mental note to kick Chuck's ass for that comment.

"Then, be more careful." Allen, who is now sitting beside me, grabs my hand and starts disinfecting my wound.

"There's no need," I tell him though I'm not struggling. Being with Marsha and Chuck for so long had me getting used to being treated nicely and doted on. "It'll heal soon."

"What are you, vampire?" Allen chuckles as I grin.

"Thanks," I say when he finally finishes and puts a plaster on my finger. He smiles back and returns to his place on the couch while I return to struggling with the ever so persistent snow blowing machine thingy (I'll keep saying it, deal with it).

I shouldn't have been a know-it-all this time around and just let the engineering major fix it when they offered. I'm regretting it silently.

I'm starting to get frustrated because tomorrow is the day of the photo shoot and I have to get it working before nine tomorrow morning at the latest. But it's almost midnight and I'm tired. I finally sigh in defeat before I grab my phone and text one of the engineering students who owes me favor to come help me tomorrow.

"You done?" Allen asks, diverting his blue eyes from the TV to me when he sees me putting down my phone and kicking the snow blowing machine thingy (told ya) away from me.

"Gave up." I sigh, "I'll just let Marcus fix it tomorrow morning." I stretch my body and look up at the clock. It's past midnight now. "Shit!" I shoot up immediately and start collecting my stuff. "Sorry dude," I say apologetically to the owner of the room.

"Just stay here." Allen chuckles.

"Dude, I live two doors from you." I roll my eyes at him. He chuckles pleasantly. I'm kinda already used to that sound, hell, I already liked it.

"Whatever." He chuckles and throws a pair of shorts from his drawers at me.

"What? You lonely?" I tease him and he makes a face at me. Poor Allen. His girlfriend has been away to the countryside for a few days now.

"Yes. So, stay." He grins and I roll my eyes at him before going to the bathroom to change. "There's a spare toothbrush in the shelves below the sink!" he calls out to me and I rummage through the shelves and find one.

I brush my teeth and wash my face quickly before changing my clothes. I'll just take a shower in the morning. It wasn't that hot today and I spent most of the day indoors anyway. I don't care if I smell; he's the one begging me to stay so he has to live with it. Heh heh heh.

"Let me sleep by the wall," I say to Allen who's already in bed, leaning against the headboard, phone in hands, legs sprawls on the sheet. He scoots over and let me crawl from the foot of the bed and sprawl my own body on the soft mattress. It feels so good to finally lie down and rest.

I lie down on my left side and stare at Allen who's staring at his phone.

"Not sleeping?" I ask him, tilting my head to get a better look of him.

"Hmm? Later." It seems that he's very focused on his phone as he answers me absentmindedly.

"Joy?" I ask again. My nosy-me starts to crawl out, though I'm pretty sleepy myself.

"Uh huh." Again, absentmindedly, he answers me. Either that or he doesn't want to be bothered, so I stay quiet. Allen then sighs heavily before setting down his phone on the bedside table. "Sorry," He says, giving me a little of his smile.

"Why are you apologizing?" I chuckle. "Must be nice to have a girlfriend, huh?" I sigh, propping up my upper body with my elbow.

"Don't you have one?" he asks, looking down at me.

"Never." I sigh.

"Really? Not even once?" he laughs, not mockingly, though, or I would've punched him. Well... no, actually, I won't. He's bigger than me. So I shake my head.

"I've gone on a few dates, of course. But no one seems to stick," I tell him. "Mostly thanks to Marsha and Chuck meddling in everything I do." I sigh heavily though not with that much scorn.

"What did they do?" Allen asks curiously as he shifts his body so he's fully facing me.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, they treat me like I'm their love child. Or spouse. Or whatever. They're overprotective of me. Especially Chuck. He's also very protective of Marsha, but not as much as he is of me. Because they, especially Chuck, think that I'm oblivious of mostly, practically, basically, everything.

"Marsha's protectiveness is still bearable, except when she starts scolding me. She mostly lets me do anything I want and then she'd just scold me when something happens and make sure that the same thing won't happen again the second time.

"But Chuck..." I sigh again, "He only lets me do anything I want when he's around. He chases away people he claims to be suspicious. He nags me all the time. Maybe that's why the three of us don't really have any close friends aside from each other. Though Marsha has Kenneth." I finish my explanation with a shrug.

"He, they, didn't chase me away though." Allen states.

I am wondering about that too, to be honest. Usually by this time, Chuck would've complained about Allen as he does other people who spend a lot of time with either me or Marsha.

But both of them practically shoved me to Allen (or Allen to me?) when Marsha said that she's going home, and Chuck said that he'd be practicing a lot. Maybe they actually think that Allen is an okay guy.

"Well, so far, you're an okay guy." I shrug. That's probably it. "Cause if Chuck thinks, or just has a slight feeling that you have an ulterior motive or something, he would've dragged both me and Marsha by the neck and dragged us away from you as far as the earth goes," I tell him and he laughs.

I find myself laughing along with him. His laugh is infectious like that.

"What the hell do you mean by 'ulterior motive'?" he asks,

"How the hell should I know?" I snort. "His words, not mine. Sometimes, well, most of the time, I don't quite get what goes on in the buzz-cut head of his." I shake my head exasperatedly.

I am so gonna get slammed if Chuck finds out that I'm saying all these craps about him.

"Don't tell him I said that, 'k? He's gonna kick my ass." I warn Allen.

"And in return? What do I get?" Allen grins and I throw a pillow at his face.

"You blackmailing me?" I growl at him as he picks up the pillow that has landed on the floor and about to throw it back at me. But I immediately dodge as I'm backing down.

Wrong move.

I hear a loud thud before I feel the pain stinging my eyes after I slam the back of my head to the well behind me.

"Shit!" Allen and I both curse. I clutch the back of my head and I can feel Allen's hand landing on top of mine.

"I'm so sorry," He apologizes. The worry in his voice is so apparent I almost laugh if it doesn't hurt like a bitch this way. I sit up straight, facing Allen who is still starring worriedly at my head.

"I'm fine. It doesn't bleed. And it's not your fault." I show my hand to him, reassuring him but the concern is still there.

"I'm sorry." He repeats himself as he reaches out his hand and gently caresses the back of my head. He sighs, "Now Chuck's gonna kick my ass." He sighs.

"I won't tell if you won't." I grin, making him an offer.

He finally laughs. Good.

"Sure," He says then smiles at me. "Let's sleep."

I agree immediately by lying back down on my back and closing my eyes.

"Sorry," Allen whispers another apology as he lies down beside me. I pat his hand without opening my eyes to let him know that I am fine. I leave my hand on top of his as sleep soon overtakes me.