| Fan Fiction |
by DTLCT
“We’re about to closed but you can come in anyway,” Cyndi said politely.
“Uh…are you still hiring?” The girl asked nervously.
“You’re here to fill in our position?”
The girl smiles. “I saw your ad in the newspaper.” She takes a quick glance behind Cyndi. “Do I have to come back tomorrow then?”
“You can go ahead and come in since Orchids’ still here.”
Cyndi opens the door wider for the girl to step in before shutting it again. She takes the chance to flip the sign to “Closed” also. She then leads the girl towards Orchids’ office. She opens the door to the office without knocking, knowing Orchids wouldn’t mind.
“All closed up?” Orchids asked without looking up.
“Actually…” Cyndi began.
Sensing someone else around, Orchids looks up to see a girl behind Cyndi. She puts on a friendly smile. “What’s going on here?”
“She’s here for an interview,” Cyndi explained.
“Oh?” She glances at her watch briefly. “All right.”
Cyndi steps aside for the girl to come in and shuts the door behind her. As she’s making her way back to her desk to pack up for the day, she hears the door being opened again.
“It’s closed!” Cyndi exclaimed in a somewhat frustrated tone.
“I’m just looking for Orchids,” A familiar said.
Cyndi looks up to see Tony walking towards her. “Oh…sorry. I thought…uh…Orchids’ with someone right now. She’ll be done in a bit.”
“Oh,” Tony said, looking around. “Is...uh…the girls are probably gone already, huh?”
“You’re talking about Qiao and Yan?”
Tony nods.
“They’re not going to be here anymore…unless they want to visit us.”
Tony looks confused.
“Chen Yi and Qiao quit already. They found a new job. So unless Yan wants to visit us, which is unlikely, she won’t be around here anymore.”
“Oh…”
Cyndi could see that Tony looks disappointed. In fact, he looks almost devastated. Feeling sympathy for a former classmate, she puts on a reassuring smile. “It’s not like they’re disappearing for good.”
“You look familiar,” Tony said with a recognition expression on his face.
Cyndi smiles wider. “Do I?”
Tony points his sunglasses at her. “Yes, I’ve definitely seen you somewhere before.”
“Like the last few times you were here?”
“No, I don’t mean that. I mean from somewhere else.”
“Oh…”Cyndi doesn’t know what to say but just shrugs her shoulders before going back to packing her bag. Tony suddenly exclaims out in excitement – or what it seems like to Cyndi. She looks up at him again.
“Wang Xin Ling,” Tony said. “Xin Ling xiao shi mei.”
Cyndi smiles.
“No wonder you look very familiar when I first saw you. But then your boyfriend stopped me.”
“He’s not my boyfriend. He thought you were trying to get smart so he just wanted to avoid troubles.”
“Oh…uh…how about going somewhere to eat and catch up on old times?”
“What about your meeting with Orchids?”
“I’ll call Vincent to tell him that I’ll be awhile. He’ll call Orchids to let her know.”
“Okay then. Um…”
“What?”
“Are you sure it’s all right?”
“Come on. Why are you being so distance? We used to be friends, remember?”
“A lot of people used to be your friends too.”
“You’re different. You’re not like them, always wanting to use me to get spotlight.”
Cyndi could see the sincerity in Tony’s eyes. It is the same look her ‘Senior Xie Zhi’ has once display frequently on his face when they were still at the university. She finally smiles and nods her head.
“That’s the spirit. Come on.”
Cyndi closes her bag and swings it over her shoulder before following Tony to the door.
Tony smiles. “I think we should go back to the old restaurant we used to go just for old time’s sake. What do you think?”
Cyndi smiles also. “That’s a great idea.”
Tony opens the door for her to pass and closes it behind her. He signals for her to go right since he had parked his car in that direction. “You probably have to go back to get your car later. Don’t worry though. I’ll drive you back here.”
“It’s all right. I’ll catch a Taxi later to go home. My car’s in the shop.”
“Oh…I’ll drive you home later then.”
“It’s all right.”
Tony puts his hand up to stop Cynd. “I’m your senior. You have to listen to me.”
Cyndi smiles, feeling old memories washing over her with those words. He used to say that a lot. Always being a great senior, protecting everyone around him.
As they’re walking and talking, making their way to Tony’s car, a shadow follows casually behind them and stops at the corner before turning back to Orchids Agency.
*****
Jacky is walking out of the building and fidgeting with his keychain when he spots Sonia standing in front. She looks like she’s waiting for someone. He’s about to just shrug it off and go to his car when she turns around to face him. He gives her a polite smile and gestures towards the street. She walks over to him.
Sonia smiles. “Can I get a ride?”
Jacky looks around in hesitation. “What happened to Angela and…”
“Angela went home early since she has to prepare for her segment for tomorrow morning.”
Jacky nods. “Oh.”
“If you don’t want to, it’s all right. I’ll just continue to wait for a Taxi to come by.”
Jacky glances at his watch briefly before turning back to Sonia.”Are you kidding me? At this hour? Come on. I’ll drive you home.”
Sonia smiles and follows Jacky to his car.
“But I have to warn you first. I have to pick up the girls from the beach. They’ve been exploring these past days and Xiao Qiao was looking for a spot to write her novel. And guess where she chose?”
“Where?”
“Where else? My favorite spot.”
“Oh…”
“Yes, strange but we do have the same taste on a fair amount of things.”
They finally reach Jacky’s car so he deactivates the alarm before gesturing for her to get in. She circles around and gets in on the other side. Jacky pulls out of the parking lot and into the street before speaking up again.
“How’s it going?” Jacky asked casually.
“You make it sound like we haven’t met for a while now.”
“We don’t socialize that much anymore. I mean because of our work schedule.”
“Our schedule hasn’t changed at all.”
“I guess it’s the workload.”
She flashes on her usual teasing smile. “Is that so?”
“What else do you want it to be?”
Sonia’s smile fades since she remembered those were the exact words that he had used when she asked him about their relationship.
Jacky glances at her quickly before returning his attention to the road ahead. “What’s wrong?”
Sonia shakes her head. “Nothing.”
Jacky smiles. “Nothing always means something. Nothing was the favorite word at last weekend’s gathering, remember?”
Sonia smiles.
“That’s better.”
They stay silent for a few more seconds before Jacky speaks up again.
“Seriously though, what’s going on?”
“Not something that important.”
“Okay then.”
Jacky knows deep down there’s something very wrong with Sonia but he decides not to pursue further. He knows he must be aware of his limit. He can’t let others misunderstand again.
They continue the ride in silence and it is probably one of their most peaceful rides ever.
“Here we are,” Jacky said as they arrive at their destination.
Sonia nods as Jacky slows his car down at the parking lot area where the girls are waiting by a tree.
The girls get in the back seat and buckle up before speaking up.
“What a surprise,” Xiao Qiao said.
“It’s unbelievable, huh?” Jacky asked.
“Definitely,” Wei Ru agreed.
Sonia turns sideways and gives the girls a polite smile before facing front again.
“Jacky ge, any special occasion?” Xiao Jie asked.
“No,” Jacky said casually. “A co-worker needed a ride. I came to her rescue. It’s weekend so I feel like helping others. Simple as that.”
Xiao Jie looks disappointed as Wei Ru continues to study Jacky and Sonia’s behavior from her spot between Xiao Qiao and Xiao Jie.
“Weekend actually starts tomorrow, not today,” Xiao Jie pointed out.
“So?” Jacky said, not voice still leveled. “Are you being technical now?”
“Just kidding, Jacky ge. Don’t get mad.”
“I’m not mad.” He flashes on his smile to reassure her.
“Only you could tolerate her,” Xiao Qiao mumbled.
Xiao Jie turns to Xiao Qiao. “Eh…”
“Come on now,” Wei Ru interfered.
Xiao Qiao and Xiao jie stop it as Wei Ru wished.
The ride continues with the three girls talking about their adventure of the day and other random topics. Jacky listens for the majority of the time, but contributes whenever necessary. Only Sonia’s the only that seems to be left alone for the rest of the ride. She suddenly feels out of place – like she had invaded their world without permission and should be left abandoned – like she deserved.
When Jacky finally turns into Orchids’ driveway, they see Qiao Qiao walking out of the house – dressed in tomboy-ish clothes again. She seems to be out to dispose the trash or something similar. When she sees Jacky’s car, she waves to them. She stands by waiting for Jacky to park in front of her before coming closer. While Xiao Qiao, Wei Ru, and Xiao Jie are getting out of the car, Qiao Qiao walks towards the driver’s side and signals for Jacky to roll the window down. He does as instructed.
“What?” He asked passively.
“Are we still in for tomorrow?”
“Probably. Not sure about the others though.”
Qiao Qiao sees Sonia. “Are you coming?”
Sonia – so used to being left behind by now – doesn’t respond at all. Jacky turns to her and snaps his fingers in front of her. Sonia seems to come to alertness again.
“What happened?” Sonia asked, confused.
“Are you going to the movies with us tomorrow?” Jacky repeated Qiao Qiao’s question.
“Uh…”
“Once in a lifetime chance to see the Soulfest Duo act.”
Jacky turns back to Qiao Qiao. “Oh please, she could get it on DVD and watch later.”
“So? Once in a life to go with us then.”
“Like we don’t hang out…”
“Not anymore,” Qiao Qiao said, cutting Jacky off. “Not as a whole group.”She ignores Jacky and turns back to Sonia.
“Uh…I’ll think about it.”
Qiao Qiao nods. “That’s fine. Call Jacky ge back later then.”
Sonia nods.
Xiao Qiao, Wei Ru, and Xiao Jie have been standing behind Qiao Qiao the whole time to wait for her to finish. Seeing that Qiao Qiao is finished, they step forward to stand side-by-side with her.
“See you tomorrow, Jacky ge,” Xiao Jie said with a smile.
With that, Xiao Jie walks into the house.
Qiao Qiao looks after her a bit before turning to Jacky again, smiling. “That’s where I’m getting the ‘Jacky ge’ thing.”
Jacky smiles, nodding his head and finally understanding the reason why Qiao Qiao would call him by that.
“Qiao, I have something to show you,” Wei Ru said suddenly.
Qiao Qiao turns to Wei Ru. “Really?”
Wei Ru smiles. “You’ll definitely like it.”
Qiao Qiao turns back to Jacky. “That’s my cue. See you tomorrow.”
Jacky smiles again and waves to them as Qiao Qiao and Wei Ru head inside also. He then turns his attention to Xiao Qiao but he realizes that she had somehow head inside already. He shrugs his shoulders and focuses on backing out of the driveway. Sonia waits for him to finish entering the street before speaking up.
“Looks like they’re getting along just fine.”
“Looks like it.”
“You’ve been home lately?”
“Nope. No need to. Why?”
“No reason. Just asking.”
Their conversation continues in that same bland pattern. It is only until Jacky turns into Sonia’s driveway that he seems to brighten up again.
“I guess this is it,” He said.
“I guess so.” She unbuckles her seatbelt and is about to get out but changes her mind and reaches into her handbag.
“What’s wrong? Dropped something?”
“No…uh…”
Jacky waits patiently for Sonia to retrieve whatever it is in her bag. He glances at his watch quickly – although there is already a clock right in front of him.
“Here it is.”
Jacky looks over to see Sonia holding an item in her hand. To his surprise, it’s not her keys. She hands it to him. He takes it into his hand to study it. He realizes it’s a Bluetooth headset. He looks up at her again.
“It’s a replacement for your earpiece.”
“I can’t take this.” He hands it back to her. She stops him.
“I’m not taking it back.”
“Aren’t you afraid of rumors?”
Sonia smiles. “Take it as a thank you gift.”
He waits for her to continue.
“I haven’t thanked you officially for helping with the whole car matter yet and…”
“It’s not much.”
“But I want to.”
He could see the determined look in her eyes so he nods. She smiles before turning to push the door open. He watches until she disappears around the corner to the walkway before backing out.
He had tossed the Bluetooth headset loosely into the compartment under the radio after she got out of the car.
*****
“This is outrageous!” Ehlo exclaimed in disbelief.
“What?” Bianca asked.
“Oh nothing.”
“Are there going to be a lot of ‘nothing’ going on around here again this weekend?” Xiao Qiao asked.
Ehlo smiles. “Definitely.”
“So tell me,” Chen Yi said.
The others stay silent for him to continue.
“Have anyone of you watch this yet?”
“No,” Ehlo replied.
The others shake their head.
“Hmm…” Chen Yi mumbled.
“What?” Ehlo asked.
“It seems a bit expensive. A little more than the usual ticket price. So hope it’s good.”
“Stop being a cheapskate!” Qiao Qiao shouted out.
“It’s my money. I have the right to be one.”
“By the way, how is it at the new workplace for you two?” Bianca asked, attempting to steer their conversation away from danger zone.
“Just great,” Chen Yi answered. “A tad boring but it’s okay.”
“Missed the old place?”
Chen Yi shrugs his shoulders. “A bit I guess. More freedom at the old place but I was getting bored of it.”
Bianca turns to Qiao Qiao. “What about you, Qiao?”
“All right,” Qiao Qiao said casually.
“By the way you both are talking…I bet it you’re going to head back to the old place faster than…” Jacky concluded.
“Don’t you dare jinx us.”
Jacky puts his hands up in the air. “Yes, ma’am.”
Wei Ru looks around the theater. “Are the others going to join us later?”
“Not sure,” Qiao Qiao mumbled.
“What about Sonia? She was with us yesterday and she’s not going to show up?”
As if by a coincidence – or maybe not so coincidental – Wei Ru turns to look at Jacky when she says that.
Ehlo snaps his attention to Jacky. “She was with you guys yesterday?”
“Uh…she needed a ride,” Jacky said. “I came to her rescue ‘cause it was weekend. Simple as that.”
“Jacky ge, was that rehearsed?” Xiao Jie asked.
“You said those exact same words yesterday,” Wei Ru seconded.
“Did I?” Jacky asked, pretending not to know of the script lines himself.
Wei Ru hits Jacky on the shoulder. “Stop pretending.”
Ehlo has been walking on Wei Ru’s right the whole time but now he switches side and edges between Xiao Jie and Jacky to study Jacky a bit more.
“What are you doing?” Jacky asked, annoyed.
“You’re lying to us, aren’t you? You never stutter when you talk.”
“What is there to lie about? What do I have to hide? How would I know why she’s not coming? Maybe she’s just busy with work. I don’t know. I haven’t seen her around for ages now.”
The others look shocked.
“You know we all work together, right?” Angela reminded him.
“Uh…well…”
“And I even have to get up early to go in for my segment. Don’t tell me Sonia’s so busy that she can’t come with us.”
“Maybe she has other commitments? It’s not like we’re the only group of people she hangs around with.”
“She rarely goes out during other times though,” Bianca said.
“Like I said, how should I know?”
Qiao Qiao, who is walking next to Chen Yi a few steps in front of them, now circles back and manages to cramp in between Jacky and Wei Ru, starts to tug on Jacky’s right arm.
Jacky turns to Qiao Qiao. “What?”
“I told her to call you and she didn’t?” Qiao Qiao whispered.
“We’re only co-workers, remember?” Jacky whispered back.
Ehlo eyes them suspiciously. “What are you two up to?”
Qiao Qiao looks over to Ehlo and gives him a “back off” look.
“So now you’re playing the protective sister role?”
Jacky gives Ehlo his famous threatening glare also. “I could fend for myself just fine.”
“If you say so.”
“Would you guys stop arguing?” Wei Ru asked.
“If we don’t argue, what are we going to do?”
“Okay, if no one knows anything about Sonia, how about the others? Like…uh…Wallace. Doesn’t he live with you?” She eyes Jacky cautiously, waiting for his answer.
“I could answer that one for you,” Ehlo jumped in.
“Then what?”
“Wallace likes to sleep in. His usual habit. You won’t believe our previous attempts to get together for a basketball match. He’s always out or not up to it. No wait, he was there on time when Jacky was gone though. Still…he likes to sleep in during weekends.”
“And Cyndi?”
“Oh yeah. Talking about that…”
Jacky turns to her. “What?”
“You guys won’t believe what happened last night.”
“What? Stop acting all mysterious,” Ehlo hissed.
“Guess who came over?”
“Cyndi?”
“Who else?”
“It’s not Wallace,” Jacky deducted. “He came home earlier than I did. Too early for his routine even.”
“You all better stand steadily so you won’t fall when you hear the answer,” Qiao Qiao said dramatically.
“Stop acting all suspenseful, okay?!” Chen Yi yelled from in front of them. “I was there too. So were Xiao Yu and Yan. And so were the three angels. And Orchids and Vincent and…no Wallace, because...”
“You’re spoiling the mood.”
“What’s the big deal here?” Jacky asked. “A secret that all of you shared?”
“Are you guys ready for this?”
“Is he that special for such reactions?” Wei Ru asked.
Qiao Qiao turns to Wei Ru, smiling. “Just watch and see.”
Wei Ru stays silent and waits for Qiao Qiao to continue.
“Well?” Ehlo demanded. “You’re making all our necks longer.”
“Okay,” Qiao Qiao said finally. “Here it comes now…Sun Xie Zhi came over.”
“Geez…” Jacky, Ehlo, and Johnny harmonized.
After that little “Geez”, the guys don’t seem to show any other difference in reaction. Only Angela, Bianca, Ming Dao and Sam are a bit confused.
“Who’s Sun Xie Zhi?” Angela asked. “No wait. He sounds familiar.”
“He’s that young tycoon half of the population is talking about, aside from Vincent,” Jacky said.
“Oh…”
“I thought the reaction would have been a bit stronger than this,” Wei Ru said, disappointed.
Qiao Qiao tugs on Jacky’s arm. “Why aren’t you guys surprised?”
“I already told you Tony visits Vincent so it would make sense if he comes over to A…I mean Orchids’ place.”
“Oh…and I thought it would bring a stronger reaction.”
“What is he doing over there with Cyndi though?” Johnny pondered.
“Apparently, they’ve reunited and sort of came together at the last minute. He said he was going to take Cyndi home but changed his mind the last minute ‘cause something about introducing his ‘xiao shi mei’ to some people.”
“Oh…” Jacky and Ehlo said.
“What?” The others asked.
Even Chen Yi is interested in the two guys’ reaction this time. He stops walking and turns to them. Achel – who’s walking next to him, turns around to watch also. Only Sam and Xiao Qiao continue to walk on without them since they’re talking about something.
“No wonder Wallace looks so devastated…like he just lost the love of his life,” Jacky said.
“What are you talking about?” Ehlo said, contradicting Jacky although he was the one who harmonized with Jacky earlier. “Of course he did and to…Sun…Xie…Zhi too.”
“No wait,” Qiao Qiao interjected.
Jacky looks at Qiao Qiao. “What?”
“I thought Wallace’s going with Penny from next door.”
“Who’s Penny?” Angela asked.
“One of the girls from next door to Orchids’ place.”
“What?!” Jacky exclaimed.
“I saw them hanging out once or twice. They seem close.”
“That doesn’t make sense though,” Ehlo said. “I thought he’s just hanging out with Melody that day and somehow the other girl…Penny…tags along.”
Qiao Qiao looks at Ehlo suspiciously. “How would you know?”
“I saw you and Ming Dao around some place once and then I saw that you were talking to Wallace and the other girl so…um…”
“You were spying on them?” Chen Yi asked with a disgusted look on his face.
“Like anyone’s better around here,” Johnny blurted out before he could stop himself.
Chen Yi turns to Johnny and wrinkles his face at him. “What?”
“Uh…nothing. I mean we’re all guilty of one thing or another, right?” He manages a nervous smile. “And…uh…look, popcorn anyone? I’ll get some for Bianca.”
Johnny walks away at that time and the rest of them stop by a corner of the room to wait for him. Somehow Chen Yi, Achel, Sam, and Xiao Qiao have disappeared also.
“Are you all hiding something again?” Jacky asked, eyeing each and every one of them. What he worries the most isn’t the others, but Johnny. Johnny is usually the most mature among them. He’s always in control, especially of his behaviors in front of them. Why would he even act nervous? Or did Jacky imagine it himself?
“Something’s seriously wrong here,” Wei Ru agreed.
“Like we’re spying on each other…again,” Ehlo remarked.
“No. Other than that.” She turns to Qiao Qiao. “And you never told us why Yan’s not coming.”
“You saw how they were last night,” Qiao Qiao reminder her.
“You mean Sun Xie Zhi lured her out for a date?”
Ehlo wrinkles his face. “Lured? Sounds like a trap to me.”
“Cyndi was right?” Jacky asked.
“Talking about that, Sun Xie Zhi isn’t bad at all,” Qiao Qiao mumbled.
“Change of opinions?”
“I must admit he’s very funny.”
Ehlo leans a bit into Jacky and whispers, “Careful, you’re getting replaced.”
Jacky shoves Ehlo aside but Ehlo’s not mad or anything. He just smiles and shrugs it off.
“It would be nice to see Simon and Stacey here again though,” Wei Ru said, changing the subject on purpose since she’s somewhat tired of seeing the guys’ occasional arguments.
“They’re not around us much,” Jacky said. “I think it was the first time ever that Simon ever hangs around with us last time.”
“Oh?”
“He works for Orchids so he usually keeps to himself but I guess he just wants to socialize a bit more with us.”
“I bet we were too much for him,” Qiao Qiao said.
“And where in the world is Ming Dao?” Ehlo asked.
Qiao Qiao looks around the area, trying to scan the crowd for him.
“Probably went to get food,” Jacky said.
“Wait, where’s Xiao Jie?” Wei Ru asked, noticing Xiao Jie’s absent also.
“Okay, Chen Yi and Xiao Yu disappeared…probably getting popcorn or something like that. And then Johnny went to get popcorn…”
“For Bianca,” Qiao Qiao finished, repeating Johnny’s words from earlier.
“Right. And Sam and Xiao Qiao disappeared also so that means they ran off together as well. So that leaves us Ming Dao and Xiao Jie. See the connection?”
“What are you guys talking about?” Xiao Qiao asked from behind them. “Who ran away?”
Jacky turns around to face Xiao Qiao and flashes on his famous charming smile. “Nothing. We thought you eloped.”
“Whatever. We just went to get something to eat. You guys are always talking so…”
“We’re just catching up….”
“On the latest gossip?”
“Very funny.”
Xiao Qiao puts on her proud smile. “Thanks.”
“So…” Ehlo drawled out, flashing on his charming smile in the process. “How’s it going with your novel, Miss Xiao Yue Lan?”
“It’s a secret. And not to mention…confidential.”
“I think the only person honest about his feeling around here is…”
“What?” Qiao Qiao asked, impatient Ehlo’s pausing episodes.
Ehlo puts his finger on his lips for Qiao Qiao to be quiet. She wrinkles her face at him so he signals for her to look forward. Qiao Qiao turns around to see Chen Yi and Achel walking back to them. “Unbelievable!”
Chen Yi sees Ehlo’s look. “What?”
“Our famous health nut eating popcorn? You know how much butter is in there? And not to mention that soda looks kind of dark. It’s not good for you, you know.”
The others stay silent to see how the show unfolds between the two.
“It’s an exception this time since she begged me,” Chen Yi blurted out.
“She has to beg you?” Angela asked.
Chen Yi nods automatically, like it’s the natural course of the nature as he tosses a popcorn piece into his mouth.
“My sister has to beg other people for food now?”
Achel walks over to Angela at that time. “Jie, he’s just kidding. Don’t worry. We’re all friends, remember?”
Angela eyes Achel suspiciously, scanning her every single feature and down to her feet and then back up to her face again.
“Jie, you’re making me nervous.”
“I’m just wondering where those aliens kept my sister locked at.”
Ehlo walks up to the two siblings and puts a reassuring hand around Angela’s shoulder. “Don’t worry so much, dear fiancée, give the kids some freedom.”
“Kids?” Chen Yi repeated, his threatening look turned on.
“Come on. I’m your brother-in-law after all. Although we’re sort of both marrying into their family though. No wait, you still have to keep your name. I’ll just have to sacrifice mine then.”
Angela slaps Ehlo’s hand off as if it’s something she does daily before turning on Achel again. While Achel’s trying to figure out a way to explain to her sister, Chen Yi and Ehlo continue with their attacks.
“Who says that I’m marrying her?” Chen Yi argued. “I’m just a bit concerned about her eating habits, okay? We’re friends after all. I’m just looking after the poor kid.”
“Why don’t you say you’re just looking for a way to pick on Xiao Yu, Mr. Bully?” Qiao Qiao snapped.
“It’s his love for her,” Ehlo defended Chen Yi.
“Why don’t you cork it, Mr. Pervert?” Chen Yi shot back.
Wei Ru walks over to Jacky who is standing there crossing his hand and leaning against the wall to watch the whole thing.
“Aren’t you going to stop them?” Wei Ru asked softly.
“This is even better than watching the movie.” Jacky said. “Why should I?”
Sam and Xiao Qiao walk over to stand next to them also – with Xiao Qiao next to Wei Ru.
“They usually fight like this?” Xiao Qiao asked.
“It’s new actually,” Sam answered. “I didn’t know that Chen Yi likes Xiao Yu. I thought he likes Qiao.”Sam eyes Jacky suspiciously when he says that.
Jacky looks at Sam. “How should I know? I was gone for half a month, remember? You guys were around. You should know better.”
Bianca is the only one still standing near the other group to try and prevent a fight from happening. Upon seeing Johnny re-joining the group, she walks over to him and signals for him to stop the fight.
“Could we all get going now?” Johnny said. “The movie’s showing in fifteen. With our group, it would be a problem with finding seats, don’t you think?”
The group manages to break away from the fight and follows Johnny and Bianca towards their designated theater. The others are still standing by the wall and have been observing Johnny carefully and how authoritative he has been towards them.
“So after a popcorn trip Johnny returns to his normal self?” Jacky blurted out.
“You noticed something wrong too?” Sam asked.
“I live with him, you know.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
“I’m not trying to be mean, but I’m just trying to figure something out.”
“Oh…”
Suddenly Johnny realizes that some of them are still missing so he turns around to signal to Jacky and the others. Wei Ru’s the only one to leave her spot when Jacky grabs her hand to stop her.
Wei Ru turns to Jacky. “What?”
“I have to clarify something first,” He said.
Wei Ru has a puzzled look on her face but Jacky turns to signal for Johnny to go first before turning back to her.
“We can use this as an excuse to wait for Ming Dao and Xiao Jie,” Jacky told her.
“Oh…but about the movie.”
“At this rate, most of the seats are filled already. And we won’t find good seats anyway.”
“Are our tickets going to waste?”
“I’m just giving them a bit more time.”
“You’re up to something, huh?”
Jacky smiles. “You bet.”
“You’re back,” Sam said suddenly.
Jacky looks towards at Sam. “Huh?”
Sam smiles. “No. I wasn’t so used to you being so quiet and passive these past weeks either.”
“You’re strange.”
Sam scratches his head sheepishly, not knowing how to answer.
As if staring at one particular spot would help, Ming Dao and Xiao Jie appear in front of them again about a minute later.
“Jacky ge!” Xiao Jie blurted out in her usual excited voice. “Guess what I found out?”
“What?” Jacky asked passively.
“Where are the others?” Ming Dao asked Sam.
“They went in already,” Sam answered Ming Dao.
“Oh.”
While Ming Dao’s talking to Sam, Xiao Jie grabs Jacky’s hand to drag him aside and is whispering something to him at the moment.
“Shouldn’t we go in too?” Ming Dao continued with his questions.
“We’re waiting for Jacky’s permission,” Sam explained.
“What? You need his permission? Since when?”
“He’s up to something again.”
“And you’re planning to conspire with him?”
“Uh…”
“I thought you don’t like his sneaky ways.”
“I must admit I’m not used to him being all quiet either.”
“He’s far from quiet,” Wei Ru jumped in, wrinkling her face. “What are you guys talking about?”
“Uh…nothing, just some past misunderstandings,” Ming Dao said casually. “But aside from the last two meetings, we haven’t seen him much after he got back.”
Wei Ru nods. “That’s true. He has been around us mostly though.”
“Are we done whispering yet?” Xiao Qiao asked impatiently. “Ten more minutes before we have to sit on the floor.”
Jacky finally pulls away from Xiao Jie and heads back to the group. “It’s not that extreme, Miss Zhao.”
“Can we go now?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Amazingly, when they arrive at the designated theater, the others have managed to save spots for them. Jacky is about to sit down next to Ehlo when Ehlo extends his hand out to stop Jacky.
Ehlo smiles. “ Sorry. I saved it for Xiao Ru.”
Jacky raises an eyebrow. “Xiao Ru?”
“You know, Wei Ru.”
“I know you’re talking about Wei Ru. But why are you calling her…” Then he realizes it. “Oh…” He points his right index finger at Ehlo.
“Would you guys stop?” Xiao Qiao scolded them. “Sit down already.”
“Excuse me, Miss Zhao,” Jacky apologized.
Jacky backs up a bit and let Wei Ru pass. After that, he sits down at the seat next to Wei Ru as Xiao Jie drops down at the only empty seat left next to him.
Xiao Qiao stares at Jacky. “What about us?”
As he’s scanning around for seats, he sees Qiao Qiao waving to him. He wrinkles his face and realizes that Qiao Qiao’s trying to get Xiao Qiao’s attention.
“I think Qiao saved a seat or two for you guys,” Jacky said.
Xiao Qiao looks one row down to see Qiao Qiao smiling and waving to her.
Ming Dao backs up and switches row. Sam and Xiao Qiao follow him also.
“It gets so interesting lately,” Jacky said casually.
Wei Ru turns to him. “What?”
“Check the seatings.”
Wei Ru scans the row in front of them once and then scans the left side of their row before turning back to Jacky.
“Notice anything strange?”
“What’s so strange about it? We usually sit like this too. I mean with some people always sitting next to each other and all.”
“Stop stirring up trouble already, man,” Ehlo said, cutting in. “The movie’s about to start.”
Sensing uneasiness all around, Jacky decides to not push them too much. This can wait, he thought to himself. He tries to focus on the movie for the rest of the two hours until they’re back outside again.
© Tuesday, November 25th, 2008