Fan Fiction |
by Jenny Tran
Suddenly, the empty seat next to her was occupied “Hi.” A handsome male with an adorable dimple appeared on her right “I’m Kyle.” He brought out a friendly hand but she could read his eyes, flirtatious and ready to jump on his prey. Probably broken a few hearts in his dating years, she thought to herself.
“Billie.” The girl smiled firmly.
“Wow…that’s an interesting name.” He raised his brows with obvious interest.
“Should I be pleased by that response? Or is it a ‘wow, what a strange name for a girl’?” she grinned playfully exchanging the flirtatious aura.
Kyle laughed comfortably “I was thinking of what a strange name for a beautiful girl like you.” She lowered her head to her notes but kept the smile apparent “So, what are you in for?”
Billie looked up strangely “I’m sorry?”
“This class. You see, I’m a model for a famous magazine company, my boss said that my people skills are horrible and that I should take lessons from this Miss Cheng. Apparently, she teaches this socializing class that does wonders for men and women. He forced me to go. Anyways, I think this class is stupid and this teacher sounds like a 50 year old woman.” He brushed it off nonchalantly.
“Poor thing.” Billie said sympathetically.
He nodded with a small pout “Yeah…so, what are you doing after class? How about we get a bite to eat? Maybe a drink after?”
Billie smiled as she closed her notebook and got up from her seat “Sorry, I don’t date my students.” His eyes popped out and mouth ajar as he watched her begin to step towards the front of the class. She stopped halfway and turned to him “Oh and by the way Kyle, I’m only twenty seven.” Winking playfully, she strutted towards the head and closed the door to the room. Locking it, she turned to the group “I don’t like distractions. If you can’t get here on time, it’s best that you don’t come at all.”
A few whispers broke out in the group as they began to mutter within themselves “Fun.” A male voice behind Kyle snickered “We’re trapped.”
Kyle turned to the guy with a smile “I was going to say the same thing.”
Travis grinned, “I guess great minds think alike. By the way, I thought it was very unfair of her to sit there like a student when she’s obviously the teacher. She totally set you up.”
“Thank you!” Kyle nodded “I’m Kyle.”
“Travis.” The guys shook hands.
“Travis?” Kyle frowned strangely “Travis Cho?”
“Yeah.” He looked at the guy strangely “Do I know you?”
Kyle spun around in his seat comfortably “You use to follow me around in grade school and we formed our own little gang called—”
“NGA. No Girls Allowed…” Travis finished “But wait…”
“I changed my name.” Kyle replied, “It was Kevin.”
“Yes!” Travis snapped his finger “Oh my gosh…it has been a while. You look great.”
“I know.” Kyle grinned, “Anyways, we should get together…”
Billie had stopped talking as she crossed her arms and stared at the two men in the back talking amongst themselves, the rest of the class too turned to watch. It was Travis that noticed they were being watched. He nodded his head at Kyle to stop. Eventually, he got the hint “Gentlemen, if you have something more interesting to say, please do.”
Travis raised a waving hand as he nodded “No, you go ahead Miss Cheng!”
“Thank you.” She bowed gently “Now, I would like to welcome you all to the first session ‘Introduction to the Social World’. I want to introduce myself first. I’m Billie Cheng, but you may call me Miss Cheng during class but after class, I suppose Billie will do.” She paused to wait for the chuckles to die down “I’m twenty-seven years old, I have a Bachelors in Sociology and will get my Masters in Psychology in another year.”
“Show off.” Travis muttered under his breath.
Billie noticed Kyle chuckling as she continued “This is a course about human nature.” She took a few steps up towards the guys “Where you will learn about the other gender in the dating world as well as opening your eyes to different types of people and how to meet the perfect one.” She crossed her arms “Kyle, would you assist me at the front of the class?”
He adjusted himself in the seat “No, I can’t.”
“Aww, come on. I won’t embarrass you.” She teased while the class chuckled in unison “Maybe just a little.”
Kyle didn’t want to be known as the chicken as he stood up coolly “Fine, but just because you’re the teacher.”
Billie grinned as she led him down the steps “Let’s start off fresh. Where do you go to meet women?”
“That’s easy…a bar.” He answered too quickly.
“Ah, yes the one night stand.” Billie nodded sarcastically causing the group to burst into giggles “Tell me Kyle, how many women have you dated?”
Kyle was beginning to turn red in the face “I…I don’t know…I’ve lost track.”
“That many?” Billie raised her brows with curiosity “Thirty, perhaps?” He hesitantly nodded “How many of those women did you date longer than one week?”
“I…I don’t remember.” He replied, earning a hissing sound from the women in the room.
Billie nodded with a pressed smile “Maybe around three?”
“I…yeah…I guess.” He gave up trying to salvage any dignity he had left.
“And you still find that meeting women in bars are the best way to go?” Billie questioned. He suddenly felt like if he answered, it would be wrong however he worded it “Girls, where is the best place to meet you?” she turned to the group.
A pretty girl in a pink top answered “Supermarket!”
“Concert, because we’ll have an interest right off the bat.” Another girl replied.
“Movies.” One girl answered.
Billie patted Kyle on the arm indicating for him to return to his seat “Thank you Kyle. Now, this is what we call a ‘typical’ man. It’s not generalizing but there is a category called ‘typical’. It’s like the mold is cloned over and over. Because in the end, men will understand men and women will understand women. It is a key fact of life.”
Travis felt bad for his long time friend as he raised his hand and was acknowledged by Billie “How about men? Where do you girls think is the best place to meet men?”
“First of all, we are ‘women’ not ‘girls’.” She corrected “Its as bad as calling us ‘chicks’.” The females in the room laughed in response “The best place to meet a man? Hmm…that’s a good question. Here’s a wild guess…a bar.”
“EH! Wrong.” Travis retorted “It’s…it’s…” he suddenly had a brain clog for he too met women in bars.
“Good answer.” Billie chuckled “How many men in this room will agree with me?” More than half of the guys raised their hands reluctantly “Because the truth of the matter is that men do not know where to meet women, only a fraction actually knows the secret to finding the right mate lies elsewhere but the bar.”
“Nice try.” Kyle chuckled.
“Damn her!” Travis cursed embarrassingly.
After the class ended, Travis was ready to approach her but before he had a chance to leave his seat. He saw her checking a message on her cell phone and quickly rushed out of the room “Must be whipped.” Kyle snickered.
“Husband. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was. That would explain all the torment she puts on us men. Did you see how she singled out the men?” Travis agreed, “If you can’t control the one at home then control the ones that you can elsewhere.”
***********
Billie walked into the bar and scouted around for her friend. Eyes searching and it abruptly landed on a talk slinky figure in a black suit by the bar. She was sipping on an apple martini while trying hard to ignore the pestering drunk to her left. Smiling with a shaking head, she approached the girl and wrapped an arm around her neck “Hi baby, did you wait long?” her eyes slicing towards the male, who froze in place.
“Shit…lesbos.” He muttered and stumbled away.
Ellena sighed with relief “Thank God…I thought I was going to suffocate from the whiskey on his breath. I had to use this martini to cover the smell.” She handed the drink to her best friend.
Billie laughed “You should have poured it over his head. That could do wonders!” she sipped the drink and moaned with satisfaction.
“Good?” Ellena asked.
“Perfect.” Billie nodded.
Shaking her head at her friend “If you had to choose to save the man of your dreams or a bottle of vodka, you’d probably chose the booze.”
“Damn straight!” Billie exclaimed while giggling.
“You know, for a person that teaches others how to find the perfect one, I’d expect you to take your own advice.” She said sadly.
“Please, that crap only works on the love sick people. Smart people know in the real world that there is no such thing as the ‘perfect one’.” Billie took a gulp of her drink and looked around as she nudged her friend suddenly “Hey, how about that guy?”
Ellena looked up and noticed the man her friend was pointing at “He looks interested in the girl with the red dressed.” Looking down at her own boring suit “Like I would capture anyone’s attention.”
Billie finished her drink and linked an arm through her friend’s “You are beautiful, you just don’t know it yet. And you might want to lose the funeral look…” she pointed to her suit.
“I’m a legal secretary, I have to dress like this!” She exclaimed.
“No, you don’t. It could be fashionable, you just need a little help with the clothes. I know this friend who works in a magazine company that could help you.” Billie suggested.
“Fine, but I’m not buying any clothes this time. The last time you said that, I ended up with a new wardrobe that I didn’t even use.” Ellena recalled.
Billie laughed, “It came to good use in my closet.” They moved onto the dance floor and slowly got into the music playing loudly.