CHAPTER 7

"If you were Christopher, why wouldn't you write me back?", Freya asked as she filed her already perfect fingernails, "Is he playing hard to get? Only girls play that game. It's the 21st century.".

"In the last letter you sent him, what did you write?", asked Cora, too good of an actress, or maybe she wasn't acting.

"I just _ we just had an argument.",

"Why?",

"Look at me, Cora. Do you think I'm the type to settle with a guy so soon? I'm juggling my options. He had found out that I exchange letters with 7 other guys from his school and he got pissed.",

"You sound like you'd made up your mind about him. It might be why it's stressing you so much. But what exactly did you write?",

Freya heaved a sigh as her mind hopped onto a train of memories. She recalled being so mad at what now seemed so petite and stupid. The letter she'd sent back to Christopher a week ago had only two sentences. 

One;

In case you haven't figured it out, I'm the prize here.

And two;

If you want me, you have to chase me.

Why she didn't think it was rude, I don't know. 

"He came to your home last summer break. He met you dad, and your sisters. No guy has ever done that before.", Cora reminded her.

"Why should he have it easy? A guy only becomes serious about you when he sees that he has some competition.".

"Or not.".

"Well _", she shrugged, "If this little game made him pull back, he wasn't meant for me in the first place.".

"Maybe.".

Let me tell you a little about Christopher Vanguard. So, he was also a high school senior like them. He had met Cora first at a barbeque festival and the two hit it off instantly. Again, they had an impromptu interaction at the cinema, only this time, Freya was there. She fell in love with his physique, and puzzled over whether there's more to that young man in an oversized Gucci shirt.

Cora had seen the way Freya looked at Christopher. She was more chatty. The heart that previously jumped over the sound of his name, now slowed down. Christopher and Freya had more things in common. They had visited the same vacation spots though at different times of the year. They liked the same music genre and bonded over their love for a recent fashion show that happened in Milan.

Before she knew it, Cora became a third wheel, and that was the only disrespect she swore to be her last. She deleted Christopher's number from her phone just like that. Easy. But erasing him from her warm, beating heart was knackering. But with time, she trusted that she'd forget about him and move on. And that was the case for 6 months until that dramatic Saturday when she received a letter from him. They were approaching yet another weekend and that letter was as it was sent. Sealed. Unopened. Whatever was written inside, she didn't want to know. Matter of fact, she didn't want to be in the middle of whatever shenanigan those 2 had going on. But keeping a secret from Freya, her closest thing to a sister, was grinding. How long could she keep it to herself?

…

Ylle stared quizzically at the messenger, a young girl in a grey tracksuit, standing at the classroom door, for everybody to hear.

"Mr. Willy needs you in his office.", said the girl.

That's odd. And for many reasons. One of them being, Mr. Willy never used a messenger. Whenever he had a task for Ylle, he'd go to her himself. He had never summoned her in his office, because that'd mean they're alone. What should she do? She was a goody two shoes. Never a law-breaker. 

"Don't go.", Helzeny whispered to her.

"Are you crazy?", Ylle hissed. She wasn't the type to resist a formal summon, "Maybe it's important.", she added.

"I know that girl.", Helzeny dove into thoughts, "I've seen her somewhere.".

"When I come back, you'll tell me more.".

Ylle got up and followed the messenger outside. On the way out, she passed by judgy, sharp, eagle-eyed girls who seemed to suppress what could only be chortles. It wasn't something new to her, but it did bother her. Only she couldn't find the time, space or energy to confront them about it.

***