Chapter Twenty Seven

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Quila got mad at me.

She kept on asking why I didn't stay at their house. I apologized and gave an excuse but she wouldn't accept it unless I tagged along with her and her girlfriends to go into the mall.

Our actions sure have its consequences, huh?

And mine, apparently, is that I had to tag along with her. It's not like I don't want to come. I just really prefer to go home and tuck myself into bed than going outside with people I barely know.

Quila took me with her girlfriends Amanda, Cynthia, Clarissa and Shiela. Yep, their names all end with the letter 'A' so they named their group as "The A-Cheer Squad ''. I thought I am the weird one but I guess everyone's weird in their own way, huh?

As expected, we went into a prestigious mall and honestly, they shouldn't have taken me with them in the first place.

"Hey, twinny. You okay?" I heard her ask which pulled me out from my thoughts. She must have seen my mouth hang open while exploring the mall using my gaze as soon as we stepped inside the mall.

I was amazed by the glass door at the mall. Before we entered, I tried looking for the entrance because all I could see was a plain glass with no handle and no signs of opening the entrance.

I was behind Quila and her friends and it made me wonder why they keep on walking as if there's an entrance door. I was about to call their attention and ask why they weren't looking for the entrance.

Then a strange thing happened.

From the bottom, the glass suddenly moved upwards slowly, allowing us to enter the mall. Turns out that it was the entrance glass door!

As soon as we stepped in, a voice coming from the entrance said, "Welcome to GlaMall!" my heart almost leaped in surprise. Who would have thought such an entrance exists? Judging by the voice, it seems like it was automated.

Why? Because the moment the glass opened, it suddenly spoke.

Unbelievable.

"O-oh, yes. Sorry," I answered, then continued looking around. "I was just, you know, stunned."

Quila giggled. "Is this your first time here?"

"Yes," I answered. "This is also the very first time I've seen such a door."

"Because this is the only mall that has a door like that." Cynthia jumped in.

"That's right," Amanda said. "I was quite amazed the first time I went in this mall too."

"How was that possible?" I asked and Clarissa was the one who answered.

"Have you noticed the short carpet we walked before the door opened?" she asked and I nodded. I've noticed that too but I didn't know that it was a carpet because at first sight, it looked like a rag - at least to me.

"Yes," I answered. "So what about it?"

"That carpet could sense if someone's about to enter the mall. As people step on that carpet, it will automatically open." she explained.

"And in addition to that, the carpet was connected with the door," Quila added. "There is some kind of a signal."

I don't get Quila's explanation. That's why it's a good thing when Sheila put it in the most simple explanation I could understand.

"The device is like a WiFi connecting to gadgets," Sheila started. "Except, it is the door and the carpet that connect as soon as they sense someone stepping on the carpet."

"Oh, I see," I simply answered. "Thanks for the explanation."

Sure, the door was amazing and all but I've got another thought about it.

The door moves quite slowly.

So if there are people behind you who are about to enter the mall, the tendency is they are going to wait for a while.

But on my third thought, since the first one to step in has just entered, of course the door isn't going to close anytime soon. That said, the people behind you will be able to enter the mall.

No need to ponder about that kind of stuff. At least it worked.

A-Cheer Squad began walking further, leading me when I said, "This mall seems to be pricey. Kind of scares me and my wallet."

"You don't have to get worried," Quila said. "This mall doesn't require their customers to shop for anything."

"On my end, I feel really lucky," I started. "But what if most people don't buy anything? Isn't the mall going to lose with gaining sales? It's like they will be more expensive than gaining sales."

I am no expert with anything-business related. I am more into literature specifically, writing novels.

But if you think about the situation thoroughly, when more people find out that this mall doesn't require their customers to buy anything or eat, chances are, more people would come and hang-out at GlaMall without spending money!

"That's a good question," Quila answered. "But I heard that this mall got a resolution for that so they are not in an actual loss."

"And that is?" I asked.

Quila began explaining, "You just learned about the glass door right? Apparently, as soon as their customers stepped in, money from the customer's e-wallet would decrease."

"WAIT-WHAT?!" I shrieked. "THERE IS AN ENTRANCE FEE? AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME THAT? WHAT IS THIS PLACE, SOME KIND OF A CIRCUS?" I immediately pulled out my phone to check my e-wallet and crap! I lost $13.18!

I don't know what's going on with the owner's mind. They knew and already expected that more people would hang out without buying anything at all so of course, they would find another way to earn money.

No wonder this mall is prestigious. And if they'd be lucky, they will earn MORE money when rich folks come in here, not only to hang out but to buy something.

They should have built a circus instead if they'd be charging their customer an entrance fee.

And why in the world just entering here costs $13.18?!

Sounds greedy to me.

But I couldn't blame the owner of this mall as well as his or her crazy idea.

Could they be thinking of the expenses for the electricity, water, decors and the expenses when this mall was built?

But hey! Building this mall was already done. It's fully built!

My head started to spin at the thought. I'm sure that the owner of this mall is filthy rich.

THIS WILL BE THE FIRST AND LAST TIME I'LL GO IN THIS MALL!

"Whoa, calm down!" Shiela said. "We don't want to attract people's attention most especially, the guards. They might kick us out."

Kick us out or let us stay, they still earned $13.18. What's the difference? But of course, I didn't say all of that stuff. I don't want to ruin their time. They seem to love this very price shining like a gold mall.

"Sorry about that," I said. "Aside from the entrance fee, will there be any expense that I am not aware of?"

"Nothing. That's the only expense. Buying is just optional," Quila answered. "You'd want to shop?"

NO FREAKING WAY!

Losing $13.18 is frustrating enough. And what's worse was I don't even have any slightest idea about the charge. They should have told me beforehand!

Nothing will change so I let it go. I'll just try to enjoy my time here with Quila and her hang.

We went to each and every shop we passed by mostly, fashion shops. That, I already had expected. While they were busy shopping, I was busy watching them. Since I don't want to waste the remaining pennies on my e-wallet and physical wallet, I've decided to enjoy my time with them by trying on different outfits. Being honest, trying different outfits was fun. I really had so much fun but the sales lady doesn't seem to be having fun with a customer who would only fit clothes without buying it.

I noticed that the items being sold inside the mall were really cheap but I still chose not to shop. At first, I thought they sell really pricey stuff because the mall is prestigious but I was wrong all along.

Then I realized their tactic.

I am not an expert with anything-business related or anything because I am not into that. Upon observation, I realized that they chose to sell the cheaper price because the cheaper your price is, the more the customer would buy.

Imagine: entrance fee + lots of customers due to the products' cheap price and the fun attractions that could be found inside the mall.

But if you think about it, selling the items at a lower price is kind of risky too. What if people still choose not to buy?

Wait.

Why am I even thinking about stuff like that?

I am here to enjoy even though the sales lady here doesn't seem to be enjoying her time assisting me with the lovely clothes I'm trying and returning.

While inside a fashion boutique, my sight caught a familiar girl.

It's Audrey.

I was about to walk towards her when suddenly, NJ appeared. That made me hesitate to go and say, "Hi" and I really ended up not going.

I chose to watch the two from faraway.

What the hell are they doing in this mall?

And all of the mall that they could go into, why GlaMall?!

Are they on a date? What happened to the confession? What a faker!

But wait -

He confessed when I was in a disguise as Beatrice.

Now, I'm confused.

Quila and her gang must have noticed that I am watching someone because she moved closer to me.

"Hey, who are you looking at?" she meddled.

I pulled her with me and went somewhere out of NJ and Audrey's sight. I don't wanna be seen by them!

"Oh, it's nothing," I denied, then before she pressed on, I immediately said, "You're done with shopping outfits?"

Nodding happily, she said, "Yes" and showed me a couple of shopping bags in her hand.

Woah. Shopaholics.

"Can we go now? I'm not feeling well." I said.

"Sure, I'd like to go home and try my new babies!" Quila responded and giggled excitedly.

Well, good for them.

And for NJ, good for him. Guess he found a girl. Wait, maybe that's the reason why he's no longer barging! He's probably always barging in Audrey's and he's just using me, pushing him away as an excuse!

What a liar!

I went home pissed.

Pissed off is an understatement.

I AM BEYOND FURIOUS!

And I don't even know why.

***

I woke with the sight of no one but my quiet and messy room. It's been 3 weeks now since NJ last barged in, the same time I pushed him away and said nasty things.

It was so quiet that you could even hear a strand of hair drop.

Okay, that might be a little too exaggerated to say. I looked at my wall clock and saw that it's 7AM in the morning.

The clock said that I still had one hour to get up, prepare for school before I arrived late. Then I remembered that I must be on time because 8AM is the start of our cheerleading practice. Actually, I have a class at 8AM but I was excused because of our cheerleading practice.

And yes, everyone already knows that I am officially a cheerleader. Some of them are against what I already had expected but some of them are miraculously supportive that it made me highly suspicious.

Anyway, I got my butt off, dashed to my bathroom, dressed up and rushed to our school with bread in my mouth.

Maybe I'll eat my breakfast at school. For now, bread will do.

Since NJ and I no longer walk to school together, I've decided to ride my bicycle. It would be faster that way.

I arrived at school at 7:55AM. Thank goodness, I was not late. To be honest, I am still having a hard time adjusting. From a wallflower to a cheerleader with loads of practice. Not really easy to adjust but at least, slowly, I was able to do so.

I didn't expect that I would enjoy cheerleading.

But I will be happier if I could be friends with NJ like I used to.

I remembered him telling me that he'd like me to cheer for him everytime they have a basketball league.

But now, I'm thinking if that's real or he's just trying to encourage me so I would step out of my comfort zone?

Well guess what! With or without him, I can step out of my zone and I've proven that to everyone here in school.

Yep. A cheerleader.

Without NJ.

Our cheerleading practice ended at 9AM. I have a class at 9:30AM. That's why I'm thankful that the practice ended before my class. I need to breathe before attending a class with a very strict teacher. The class at 9:30AM is Fundamentals Of Marketing.

I don't know why she likes torturing us with loads of assignments, seatworks and surprise quizzes that is no longer surprising at all because this woman is very predictable.

"Alright class, tomorrow we will be having a surprise quiz. Make sure to be prepared." she would always say the day before her surprise quiz.

And inside my mind, I was like: "Yes Ms. Winston. I will totally prepare and perfect your surprise quiz for tomorrow."

But I always end up with either a failing mark or a pity mark. Always in red, indeed.

No wonder our homeroom teacher never trusts me whenever I say, "I can do it alone!" And no wonder why our homeroom assigned NJ to be my buddy partner.

Sure, he was my buddy partner but I couldn't see any improvement until he chose to be with Audrey all the time rather than his friend and buddy partner, me.

WHAT. A. COMPLETE. TRAITOR!

Not that I care. I can handle my academics alone, you know? Thou shall not underestimate Beauty Smith 'cause I have things that no one doesn't have!

Anyway, as soon as I got in our classroom for the 9:30AM's class, I walked straight towards my chair.

Tom's not yet in the classroom so I've got no one to talk to.

That's why here I am, sitting in my chair near the window with my gaze up at the clear blue sky.

And that's when I heard a familiar voice.

Not one but two familiar voices who, by the way, seemed to be having so much fun.

NJ and Audrey.

They came to the classroom TOGETHER. My instinct told me to roll their eyes at them but since I am not obedient, I didn't do what my instinct asked me to do.

I didn't roll my eyes at them.

I simply ignored them.

It's not like I'm jealous or anything like that.

Thankfully, Tom arrived.

"Hey, Beauty!" Tom greeted me. Looking at him, I faked a smile and greeted back but it seems that he noticed that I was faking a smile. He stared at me like waiting for an explanation for smiling fakingly. When he received nothing, he spoke again. "Did someone here wake up at the wrong side of the bed? You're a fake one, aren't you?"

"Shut up Tom," I started. "I am not in the mood for your jokes."

"Yep. You really woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he said while nodding. "Care to share?"

"I'd rather not," I responded.

Deafening silence for like a minute or two before he said, "Oooh. I see, so that's why!"

Then using his thumb, he pointed at NJ and Audrey. "I smell jealousy, I see."

"Not even the slightest!" I responded and it almost sounded bitter. "I mean, why would I get jealous of petty things like them, talking, getting chummy and all?"

And that's when Tom burst out laughing.

I swear, I'd love to punch him so he would stop laughing but being the kindest human in this world, I did not.

"Stop laughing, it's annoying!" I almost yelled at him.

"Sorry, sorry," he said while trying to stop his laughter. "I just can't - you're just- that's quite cute - and funny, oh sorry" he said in the middle of his laughter.

He couldn't contain his laughter, did he?

Tom went to his chair when our professor Winston arrived. NJ was my seat mate so when I saw him walking towards his seat next to me, I turned my gaze at out chalkboard.

He didn't even bother greeting me!

So I did not greet him.

Why would I?!

"BRING OUT YOUR MARKETING BOOK, NOW!!!" Ms. Winston commanded in a high-pitched tone. Everyone of us did as she instructed.

And then the class began.

Our class lasted for 30 minutes and I was glad that 30 minutes passed by quickly. But before she walked out of the classroom, she announced something that felt like very cold water with ice cubes poured on me.

"Your defense thesis will be next month," she said in a strict tone. "Be prepared to get a high grade or be prepared for consequences if you fail."

I HATE DEFENSE!

Imagine talking in front, trying to pretend confident and the part I hated the most: answering Ms. Winston's question about our thesis!

"Build a group consisting of three members," she started but it seemed that she was having second thoughts and I was right because she suddenly said, "Actually, I am going to assign your group and instead of 3, it will be 4 people in a group."

"But Ms. Winston! Why couldn't we be the one to choose?!" one of my classmates cried. Not literally.

"Simply because I knew that you'll be choosing your friends," she started. "Being your friend while working on your thesis means a total disaster!" she assumed.

Wow. This woman is unbelievable.

But no one can win against Ms. Winston.

I don't have any close friends here aside from NJ, Tom and Audrey.

This sucks.

Big time!

And so, she began assigning our group.

To my disbelief, I was grouped with Tom, NJ AND Audrey!

Like, come on! WHY?!

Now, I began considering working with a total stranger than being with NJ and Audrey.

"Ms. Winston! NJ and Tom are friends with Beasty!" one of my classmates who loves to bully me said. "I thought friends working together would mean disaster?!"

Professor Winston placed a hand on her waist and said, "I am concerned with Smith."

Wait, what? ME?

"First, she couldn't work alone. Second, she couldn't work with anyone whom she barely knew," she continued. "But if she works with her closest friends, I believe she'll be able to function well and might get better grades."

Honestly, I don't know if I'd hate this woman or appreciate her for shaming me in front of everyone. How could she?!

Hey! I can work alone and even get better grades if I just put my mind into it!

And I don't know if I'd appreciate her for wanting me to have good grades by letting me group with my closest friends who can maybe inspire me or ... distract me.

I'd like to protest and ask Ms. Winston to transfer me to another group but before I got the chance to, she walked out of the room just like that!

Tom must have seen the frustration on my face because right after Ms. Winston walked out, he walked towards me and gave me a gentle pat on my shoulder.

"Don't worry B," he started in a gentle tone. "I'm here. I got you."

"Thanks, Tom" I answered with a weak smile then simply looked at NJ who's now walking away, heading towards Audrey's seat.

What's going on with them?

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