CHAPTER 4: I Swear I'm Not a Baby

"You know her?" Allen asks me. I nod.

"I've worked with her and the team a couple of times." I tell him just as the waiter arrives with our food, excluding Allen's. "God, I'm starving." I say to no one in particular.

"Didn't you eat breakfast?" Chuck asks as he helps Marsha and me with our foods.

"Didn't." well, wrong answer, I thought and a flick lands on my forehead for the answer I blurted out without thinking. "Ow!" well, it didn't really hurt because I think I already used to him doing that. And he does that a lot. "I don't have... time?" I tell both Marsha and Chuck carefully as to not get flicked again.

"Why didn't you call me or Sha? We would've brought you something." Chuck says, clearly displeases.

"Sorry." I grin apologetically at my two best friends who, may I remind you, treats me like their love child. I turn to Marsha who has a stern expression plastered on her face. Somehow, I know a scold is coming.

"You always do that." Marsha says and starts her scolding. I flinch a little. It's embarrassing to be scolded by your best friend who is of the same age though definitely looks much more mature. She's talking without looking at me because she's busy placing her side dishes on my plate. "If Chuck hadn't called you, would you eat lunch?" she asks.

Well, me and Quin were chatting and we usually chat for hours, so, no. I don't think I'll manage to have lunch.

But I am not going to say that. I am thinking of a more save answer to give to her so she'd stop scolding me, in front of Allen, moreover. Marsha then continues before I can answer.

"You won't." Marsha says, staring at me. I pout while Allen chuckles, then I shoot him deadly glares.

"Sorry." He apologizes though the chuckle is still there at the back of his throat, waiting to come out some more.

"Keep doing that, and I'll stop you from getting any more jobs." Marsha threatens.

"I won't." I reassure her.

"I'll make sure of that." She says as Chuck ruffles my hair.

"Or me." He adds.

Allen laughs again. It's a very pleasant laugh, although he's basically laughing at me. But I can get used to that sound.

"How long have you known each other?" he asks. The three of us look at each other, calculating in our heads.

"How long ago was elementary?" Chuck asks.

"11, 12 years ago, give or take." I shrug while Marsha nods.

"Wow..." Allen says in amazement. "That's basically all of your lives. No wonder you guys are so close." He says with a tid bit of envy.

"Try having two best friends that treats you like their love child." I snort at him. Though jokingly.

"You're not a love child, babe. You're our husband." Chuck grins while Marsha giggles. I roll my eyes at them.

"Whatever." I say and turn to Allen, trying to stop myself from getting any more embarrassed. "Sure you don't want anything?" I ask him.

"What? You want to treat him? Don't act so rich." Chuck teases.

"I got lotsa vouchers." I grin shamelessly at him as I fish my pocket for the vouchers. Chuck sticks his tongue out at me and I return it.

"Nah, I'm good." Allen answers. "But thanks anyway."

"Sure." I smile back at him.

"Hey, by the way. Can I ask you something?" Chuck asks Allen and the man turns to Chuck. "Do you live in that huge mansion just outside the city? I've seen that a few times on TV. That's some badass place you got." He says.

"Well, yeah. That's my home. My parents' place." He says rather embarrassed. He scratches his nose when he's embarrass, or so it seems. "But I'm currently living in the dorm actually." He tells us.

"Really? Which building?" I ask, suddenly curious and feeling so very nosy.

"F Building room 12B." he says and I squeal.

"Hey! That's just two doors away from me!" I exclaim, suddenly feeling very excited.

"Really?" he asks back.

"Uh-huh." I nod. "But we never even once bumped into each other though I've been living there for almost three years now." I say.

"I've been there longer." He says, chuckling. Right, he's a 3rd year student. A year older. "I guess we just have very different schedule."

"Maybe." I say to him. "I'm always busy and go out very early and get back very late."

"We should hang out more." Is his responses and I smile as I nod.

"You want to hang out with this guy?" Chuck asks Allen who looks at him confused. Chuck has his mischievous smile on. "He's cheap, man. Just look at us. All we get is a treat in the campus' cafeteria using vouchers." He snorts while Marsha giggles and I pout.

"Hard-earned ones!" I smack his head. "If you have a problem with it, pay for your own damn food." I put the vouchers back into my pocket.

"See, cheap." Chuck grins as he put his hand around my neck and pulls me closer to him so he can mess more with my hair.

"Oops, I think I got to go." Allen says when his phone starts to ring.

Must be his girlfriend, I thought.

Allen then gets up, grabs his bag and waves, "I'll see you guys later." He says before answering his phone and walks away.

"He seems okay." Chuck says.

Here we go again.

I sigh almost automatically.

Marsha is giggling, though. I roll my eyes at Chuck. He's always like this. Ever so conscious with other people that tries to get close to us. Mostly because he's so damn over-protective of me and Marsha.

"He's okay." I say without much thinking. I'm a pretty bad judge of character, so I basically have no voice in this matter.

"He's fine, Chuck." Marsha says to him, a little too sternly.

But, just my imagination? Well, he knew Allen longer than us, since she's friends with his girlfriend so she reassures Chuck who's staring at her in return, a little too fiery.

Yep, just my imagination, I decide.

"The most suspicious one here is you." I say jokingly at Chuck and earn a slap to the back of my head from that.

"We'll have to see." He says, sticking his tongue out to me while I roll my eyes at his unreasonable demeanor.

Unreasonable at that time.