Chapter 7 - Best Of Friends

“All nursing students are invited to go to the school dance that will be held on February 14, Valentine’s Day at the gym. All the officers of each class are required to go to the meeting this afternoon, no exemptions,” Alyanna read the announcement posted at the lobby. Everyone was so excited about it except me. Everyone is going with a date and I have no one to go with except for Amanda, but of course she will go with Jeremy.

I ignored them all as they start to talk about it all day. The dance is only three days away. I don’t know why the Dean approved to this. It’s February, and it’s less than a month before the graduation and we’re all busy.

“I’m so excited about the upcoming dance,” Beverly said beside me.

“Since its Saturday tomorrow, I will go and find a dress to wear,” Alyanna told her.

I ignored them. I just stared on the other side of the room and saw Jan, Ernesto and Jayson talking about what they’ll wear and who will be their dates.

“Go with Dayanara, Ernesto,” Jayson told him. “You’ll be perfect together.”

“Who’ll be your date, Jan?” Ernesto asked.

“I dunno,” Jan answered. “Jayson, you should take Gayle!”

“Why?” Jayson asked.

“You’ll be perfect together,” Jan imitated him and they all laughed.

Hey what? They’re talking about the dance, too? I buried my face on the pile of books in front of me. Am I the only one who doesn’t plan to go to the dance?

*     *     *

Two days before the school dance.

I feel like I’m a high school student instead of a college student, everyone is so excited about the dance like they’re high school students excited for the prom. The Nursing Faculty canceled all class and postponed all the quizzes for everyone to have the time to prepare for it. I saw Alyanna and Beverly in a hurry with Gehla to the boutique. Then I saw AJ walking on the corridor alone. I thought so! She’s not going to the dance, she’d rather stay at home and read than to go to the dance.

“Hi AJ,” I greeted her.

“Hi Ben,” she greeted me cheerfully. “Aren’t you planning to go and find something to wear for the dance?”

“No,” I said. “I’m not planning to go. I assume you’re not going to the dance, too?”

“I’m going to the dance, what made you think I won’t?”

“Sorry. It’s because you’re here at school instead of looking for a dress.”

“My brother said he’ll help me tomorrow. I plan to stay here and finish some requirements on advance for next week,” AJ said.

“Alyssa Julia, you’re such a brainiac,” I told her. She just smiled.

We went to the cafeteria to have some lunch with Vince and his friends. I was surprised to see Jeremy alone in the cafeteria. He saw me and waved his hand.

“I’m looking for you,” he said.

“Why?”

“Aren’t you going to look for something to wear for the dance?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “I’m not planning to go.”

“Why? You should go, everyone’s planning to go. Everyone will go. Come on, Amanda’s waiting on the parking lot.”

“You left her on the parking lot?” I asked in amazement with his stupidity. Who, that is on their normal thinking capacity, will leave their girlfriend on the parking lot alone?

“Yeah,” he answered coolly. Can I test how flexible his brainstem is by breaking his neck?

“You should go. Amanda might get bored and leave.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

“Yes,” I said. “No go! Shoo! Shoo!” He laughed and ran towards the door.

*     *     *

Night before the dance.

I just finished reading five novels. I’m trying to do something to make my day useful. Everyone’s going to the dance except me. I assume everyone’s wearing their coat and tie and dresses in front of the mirror and they’re so excited for tomorrow. I was putting my books back on the shelf when I heard my phone rang.

“Ben, Jeremy’s on the phone,” my Mum called from downstairs. I went running towards the stairs and looked at her.

“Tell him I’m not here,” I whispered.

Mum covered the mouth piece of the phone with her palm and she whispered, “I told him you’re here.”

“Tell him I’m sleeping!”

“Just answer it, Benedict.” Uh-oh. She called me Benedict. I took the phone from her.

“Hullo,” I greeted. “I would really appreciate it if you recognized the existence of my cellular phone.”

“Sorry, I thought you’ll ignore my phone call again,” how did he find out I’m ignoring his phone calls?

“I’m not ignoring you’re phone calls,” I lied.

“Yes you are!” he said. “Now, can you come here for a minute? I need to talk to you. And don’t you tell me you’re busy, your mum told me you’re not doing anything important.”

I didn’t argue. I went back to my room and change my clothes. I didn’t bother using my bike. Jeremy’s house is just few blocks away. When I was already standing in front of their house, I rang the doorbell once. One of the maids came and opened the gate for me.

“Sir Jeremy’s waiting for you,” she said.

She led me to the living room. Their house, of course, was magnificent. When I first entered in this house when I was still in first year, I thought I was on a hotel and I was looking for a receptionist. Jeremy’s mom, Aunt Elizabeth, was sitting on the couch while reading magazines and drinking tea. She noticed me and smile. I smiled back.

“Good evening, Aunt Elizabeth,” I greeted.

“Good evening, Benedict,” she greeted back.

“Jeremy called me to come, I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

“It’s okay. He’s at his room,” she said and she pointed at the stairs. I smiled again and went to Jeremy’s room on the third floor of their manor.

Aunt Elizabeth is such a nice woman. She always come to our house every weekend to have some ‘girl bonding’ with Mum. She’s not like her husband that talks about business all the time. She talks like a normal person actually.

The door of Jeremy’s room is the only door in the house that is painted with black. I knock once and I heard him saying “Come in.” I twisted the knob and saw him sitting on his desk.

“What the—” I was about to laugh. His face was filled with red spots and his arms and neck are full with it. 

“You have chicken pox?”

“Yeah,” he said. “And I don’t think I can go to the dance tomorrow. You may want to go now that you know I have a virus.”

“No. It’s okay,” I said, trying to keep myself from laughing. “Adaptive immunity, I had Chicken pox when I was in high school. Why did you want me to come here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked.

“You want me to laugh at you?”

“No! I’m sick and I can’t go to the dance,” he said. “Amanda won’t have a date!”

I looked at him with a puzzled expression. Then he said, “I want to ask you if you can go to the dance with Amanda in my place.”

“Sure,” I said instantly.

“Thanks,” Jeremy said.

*     *     *

Amanda and I arrived at the gym. Jeremy (trying to make up with his absence) told their driver to pick me and Amanda on our houses and drop us on the gym. Now I wish I have my own car to do that. Amanda was still giggling about the girl we saw outside who stumbled when she tried to go out of their car and everyone is looking at her.

I accompanied Amanda to her friends. The girls are too noisy complementing each other’s hair, make-up and dress, shoes, purse and jewelry. I sat beside Charles (our classmate, Beverly’s date) who looked at them with the weirdest expression. “Can you believe them? Are they for real?”

“If I know what that question actually means I might be tempt to answer,” I said.

“Look at them,” he said. “They complement each other too much! They already complemented each other from head to toe, from their dresses to their toenails!”

“Don’t mind them. That’s how girls are,” I said. I stood up and said, “I’m going to get some punch.”

“Hey, don’t take from that table near from the speaker,” Charles said. “I saw some nasty second years putting something on that one.”

“Maybe it’s just wine or some liquor.”

“No, I’m sure it’s not liquor.”

I went to the other table instead. I was looking at the crowd for someone familiar when Charles came and took punch for himself. “You like her, don’t you?”

“Who?”

“Amanda of course!” Charles said.

“What? What made you t-think that I like her? I mean, s-she’s my best friend’s girlfriend.”

“But it’s not impossible. I know when a person likes someone.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, maybe it’s on how they look at them or how they act with them. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Jeremy if you really like Amanda.”

“I don’t like Amanda,”

“Don’t deny it!” I just smiled at him.

“Yes, I like her,” I admitted.

“I thought so. So, can you rate in the scale of 1-10 how much you like her?”

“11, I said.”

Charles laughed and said “You exceeded, but, shit man! You’re in love with her!”

“Don’t tell anyone,” I said. “No one can know.”

“You have my word,” he said. “You know, I know how it feels like to be in love with your friend, I did when I was in High School but she had a boy friend then, but that was a long story. But yours is a little different, you’re in love with your best friend’s girlfriend. Come on, they’re waiting for us.”

We went back to our table where Amanda, Beverly, Alyanna and Gehla are waiting. Charles and Beverly went to dance followed by Alyanna and her date. I took Amanda’s hand and we followed them. I took her to the center of the dance floor. She put her hands on my shoulders and I put my hands on her waist.

“Thanks for coming here tonight,” Amanda said. “Thanks for saving me from going here alone.”

“Jeremy asked me to,” I said.

“So if he didn’t ask you, you won’t come here and be my date?”

“I’ll still go,” I said.

We swayed back and forth, feeling the music and looking at each other’s eyes. Neither of us said a word nor tried to look away. This moment, as they say, is magical. We’re like Edward Cullen and Bella Swan on the last scene at twilight, I feel like we can dance forever. I feel like we can always be like this forever.

*     *     *

As I walk her down her street, she took my hand and said “Thanks for being my date tonight. You said you can’t come to the dance because you’re going to be busy but you came for me.”

“Nah! Don’t mention it,” I said. I told her I won’t be going to the prom because I’m going to be busy, but the truth is, I don’t want to come because I don’t want to see her with Jeremy. “What happened to Jer anyway?”

“He’s sick,” Amanda said. “Can you come over here tomorrow? Let’s visit Jeremy tomorrow,” I looked at her and she added “Together.”

“Sure,” I said. Her eyes held mine for a split second, but it felt as if though she looked at me for hours. She held my hand tighter. This moment was perfect, it will be better though if only she say...

“I’m worthy of you...” she said. I looked at her, wide eye. She looked at me too, and she added as she point towards my corsage “White roses means ‘I’m worthy of you’.”

“Oh, okay...” was all that I could say.

Unlike Jeremy, I don’t have cars, big houses or 5 hectare backyard or 30 body guards or even money, but right now I feel like I’m the king of United Kingdom. This moment is so perfect that even the king will become envy of me.

“Wait, let’s stop for a minute,” Amanda said. I led her towards the lawn of Mrs. Seeley’s yard and take a seat. She took her shoes and massaged the posterior part of her leg. “This walking surely worn my legs out.”

We just sat there for a while. I stared at her black hair, they’re as black as night. Her eyes were brown, beautiful and captivating. Her arms are thin and her shoulders are bare now because she took the shawl of her gown. She’s so beautiful. I met her two years ago, I’ve been since then, now I can’t remember how to live without her.

“Ben,” she whispered my name; it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. “You told us before that you’ve been in love with the same girl ever since you started entering college but you never told us who is it.”

I just stared at her and smiled. I can’t tell her she’s that girl. She’s my friend’s girl friend. “Can you tell me who is it?” she asked. I just laughed and stared at the street. “Okay, I get it, it’s a secret. So you’re really in love after all this time with this girl, huh!”

I stared at her eyes and said, “Always.” She just stared at me, she said or did nothing. We stared at each other like we’re petrified. Then at last, it was Amanda who broke the silence. “It’s getting late.”

We reached her house after few minutes, the patio lights are on but it’s already dark inside their house. She opened the gate and asked me to come in and have a coffee, but I refused and said I need to go home. I turned my back and was about to leave when she said, “I had a great time, thanks.” And to my surprise, she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I stared at her as she enters their front door and as she mouthed the words “Good night.” I just stood there for another 5 minutes, completely petrified.

I want her. I want her to know that I don’t want to be just friends, but she didn’t notice me that way and I knew it. I love her, I want to tell her but I’m just too shy and I don’t know why.