Chapter 3 - Katsu Cheese

[Lance POV]

Vacation Hangover.

The feeling when you just can't get over the memories of vacation, or the break itself, lying on your bed doing nothing but to stare on your phone.

What even hurts more was missing my best friends. That last trip was truly a memory to cherish but it also makes me so sad once it ended. Now I need to go back to school. I wished I could've studied along with my friends, but we had different plans.

I parked my car on my usual spot just below the shade of trees on our campus. I hope that this would be a good new semester for me. I wondered who my new classmates would be. Who among my friends will still be my classmate?

I walked towards the tallest building. I remembered my first day here. I never come late in anything, but I also did not expect our classroom to be on the 6th floor! And the elevator was full! From then on, I always came early.

Suddenly, someone called my name.

"Lance!" He shouted.

I looked at the person calling me. He was waving at me. It was someone... I.... know. Well, someone, I know last semester. A sort of a… friend?

I do have quite a few friends here. I eat with them sometimes but the bond I've had with my junior high school best friends is truly something I cannot forget.

Most of my friends in my new school have one common interest, sports. I, on the other hand, usually immerse myself in music and the arts. The truth is I can almost do everything except sports. I used to play badminton when I was young, but it didn't last long. I tried to play volleyball, but my hand just keeps on getting hurt. I can't even swim or even had the slightest interest in basketball. You know what, the thing is, the only sport I like is Figure Skating. It's a dance. Almost like art and athletics merged into the beauty of one performance. My favorite skater is Yuzuru Hanyu, who just makes you feel like you're watching a dance in the skies. He flies! It's funny when people throw Winnie the Pooh plushies into the ice. I was actually introduced to figure skating by an anime. Well, who's not in love with the handsome slicked-back hair of Yuri and the gorgeous Victor.

To sum it up. My friends are members of the varsity. I'm just the only one with an interest in the arts.

Back to reality. He's looking at me, smiling brightly and waving his hand.

I knew him from last semester... well, sort of.

~~~

A few of them just came from a varsity meet. Someone was with them today; someone I know from another class.

Mark greeted me. He was one of the friends I got ever since I entered senior high school. He's a funny bubbly guy who seemed to have no problems in the world. He's very reliable and acts childish in front of everyone. He's like a younger brother to me.

"Lance, where are you heading?" he asked placing his arm on my shoulder.

"I'll just go eat," I replied.

That one particular guy was smiling at me, weirdly. Do I look funny?

"Want to go with us, we're practicing?" Mark asked again.

"Ah… I'll just go, I'm hungry. Good luck on your game," I said.

He then patted me on the back.

I went to a nearby Japanese food restaurant and ordered a meal. I eat here alone most of the time since I live in an apartment nearby while my friends have their own family houses in the city.

Eating alone gives me the time to think and reflect on my day. I will usually try to write a book or a poem to kill time while I wait for my food.

Moments after, the guy who was giving me that mocking smile went inside the restaurant and immediately ordered. It is really unfortunate, but I actually know this guy. Chris, one of the campus heartthrobs. Based on his looks, he is more of a Moreno guy, but with Asian features especially in his eyes, and a little taller than I am. Not exactly my type but... he has a great undercut! Who am I kidding? He is your definition of tall dark and handsome. Really handsome! He is very confident and makes everyone swoon.

I saw him a few times in school. At first during the retreat, then when I came to support my friends for volleyball and when I go to the washroom, we seem to miraculously meet every time and we'll somehow have brief eye contact. Then, we'll meet again, so on so forth. I admit it. He's good-looking, I had a small crush on him but that's nothing. It happened during that contest we both competed in, but we never spoke to each other yet after that.

Speaking of the devil, he stood in front of me, still with that great bright smile enough to melt anyone's heart and say yes to him instantly. Fortunately, I am not one of them!

"Can I sit here? Lance, right?" he asked in a very confident tone.

His voice is really cool, that's the manliest and masculine voice I've ever heard.

"Ah yes, of course," I replied, awkwardly.

Then we talked.

It was really awkward.

But then he started talking about my friends.

"Mark has been telling me about you. You're the best guy in your class." He spoke. I'm quite unsure if he's making fun of me or praising me.

"He likes to boast for me a lot," I said, which is quite true, my friends are a bit overproud of me especially Mark.

"No wonder," he replied. "You might be really good; I love your answer last year."

"I actually have seen you. You play really well," I told him to change the topic.

"Really, I'm really happy," he said with a smile from ear to ear.

Then he just smiled and smiled and smiled... after a few minutes, he smiled again. He has the most charming smile. He should get the award of the smile of the year and become the model of a toothpaste brand. He looked at me in the eyes and suddenly he giggled. This idiot kept covering his mouth! He's mocking me! I'm boiling inside!

Thank God, our orders arrived. I ordered spicy crab meat while he ordered a cheese katsu don. We started eating silently. Talking a bit about some random thing. Trying to keep the conversation going. The awkwardness soon disappeared, and I find myself smiling and sharing his laughter.

Suddenly, he went to put a piece of his katsu on my plate. He seemed to be a kind and considerate guy. My heart skipped a beat for a moment.

"Oh! Thanks. Want this?" I asked.

"No need. I don't eat that," he said with a laugh.

"What! This is the most amazing dish here. The spicy dip and the crab stick..."

He just raised both of his shoulders.

That was the longest time I stayed in that restaurant. I was really happy. What's left of my normal eating time of 30 minutes turned to an hour and guess what, it started to rain hard outside.

After we finished our meal. I told him that we should go.

"Where do you go home, Chris?" I asked.

He kept on smiling.

"How did you know my name?" He asked. Of course, I know his name, what is he even thinking.

"I saw you on the suggested friends on Facebook, and a lot of people know you, and in the contest…" I said awkwardly.

"Oh…" he said with a smile. "That's great, goodbye for now, but we'll eat again!"

I nodded and smiled at him.

"My mom will kill me now if I go home late."

We both burst into laughter.

"I'll also go now," I said.

"I.... don't have an umbrella." He said with a sad face.

"I have one. Share?" I asked him.

He was very happy smiling from ear to ear.

We then went on outside. It was still raining hard I was holding an umbrella for this tall guy. What happened next is something I just can't believe! He put one arm around me, placed his hand on my shoulder, and held the umbrella with his other hand. We're really close to each other that we can hear each other's fast heartbeats.

I brought him to a nearby passing jeepney.

"Goodbye, Lance. It was very nice meeting you."

That's the day we first met or maybe, we first actually knew each other. We were always meeting each other by chance anyway.

~~~

And that annoying guy… he's standing right in front of me, giving me again that curious, funny, mocking look I really hate.