Fan Fiction |
by Jenny Tran
Billie came home in a foul mood as she slammed the door behind her. It startled Ellena, who was asleep on the couch. She instantly felt bad “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
“No, I was just dozing off. Are you okay?” she asked with concern.
“Yeah.” Billie sighed.
Ellena shook her head and tapped the seat on the couch next to her “That’s a weak lie. Come on, tell me.”
Billie sank down on the couch and leaned her head on Ellena’s shoulder “Men…what is wrong with them?”
“Uh oh…which man?” she pulled her friend’s face up by the chin.
“Does it matter? They are all just mind playing jerks!” she snapped.
“Okay, who is it? Kyle?” Ellena asked.
“Please…don’t even get me started with this guy. All this time, he’s been against me and then suddenly, he asks me out to dinner. What a freak!” Billie groaned.
“You said no?” Ellena raised her brows.
She shook her head “To be honest, I was a little curious to know why the sudden change of attitude. He was dripping with sweetness today.”
“I’m surprise you didn’t get a cavity.” She cracked but earned a look from Billie instead “Sorry.” She smiled weakly “Is it Travis?” she guessed.
“Can you believe he tried to put me on the spot today? I swear I really hate the ‘Mind Game’ session. Maybe I’ll take it out in my next semester course. It always brings out this nasty side of people. They get so angry and start arguing in some kind of code language!” Billie grunted with frustration.
“Sounds like you have a crush on Travis.” Ellena finalized.
Billie snapped her head up “What?”
“Honey, don’t get snappy with me. As I recall, this was one of your favorite sessions. You always said it was the most interesting and not to mention funny one. A guy that has the power to change your complete outlook on something you have full control over only means one thing…he means more.” She reached for the cashew nut container. Opening it, she picked up a nut and was about to eat it when Billie snapped it away from her hand.
“That’s ridiculous!” she popped it into her mouth and crunched away. Taking the container from Ellena’s hand, she picked up another nut “So you think I like this guy?”
“Maybe.” Ellena shrugged.
“No…it can’t be. I hardly know him…no, I can’t. Not just after a month. Sure, we had a few good talks…and he’s different. Just…but I can’t.” she was pacing the floor and having a conversation with herself while Ellena watched with interest “Oh my God… I like this guy…why?” She concluded and eventually slumped onto the couch “Why?” she turned to her friend with the drilling question growing in her mind.
She laughed “I don’t know what makes Billie like a guy. But I think whoever he is, he should be damn special.” She nodded firmly.
“I need a bath.” Billie said blankly as she walked like a zombie towards the bathroom. Ellena reached for the container of nuts and popped a few in her mouth. She looked up when Billie returned, her palm faced up. Ellena pouted as she handed the container over to her friend. It was a habit Billie had, she liked the sound of crunching nuts when she had a dilemma to think over.
***************
She was dreading the dinner date, but had no choice but to follow through. The worse case scenario came to mind just as he walked through the restaurant double door. A few heads turned to the well recognizable model. He was cool and accepted the smiles easily before seating across from her in the booth “Hi Billie.” He said casually.
Smiling, she leaned forward “What do you want?”
He chuckled “I love this game!” he snapped his fingers to a waiter to order some food “My treat today.” he said coolly to Billie.
She let him order the food and when the waiter was gone, she asked “Tell me, why would a guy like yourself ask someone like me out to dinner? Aren’t you afraid I might get the wrong idea?”
Kyle reached his hand out and cupped it onto her hand and he slowly slid it under her palm and gave her a little squeeze “Aww, Billie…I think you’re a great girl. No, no scratch that…I think you’re an okay girl. But really, did you think this would work out?”
She pressed her lips into a tight smile “You are incredible.” She meant it very sarcastically but he was too dense to get it.
“I know.” He sighed as if it was a sad thing. Pulling his hand away, he touched his forehead delicately “Damn me for being born so charming!”
He looked up at her with puppy eyes while Billie smiled forcefully “You definitely are one of a kind, Kyle.”
“Please…stop. I love the compliments but not now…maybe some other day.” He smiled “I asked you out today because I want to tell you that we are not made for each other. I mean, I’m caviar and champagne and you belong in the darker world.”
Billie turned to the side and back at him “Are you finished?”
“No. I think an attractive, smart…fairly nice girl like yourself should have little problem finding a man. Surely, there must be ONE out there for you. It’s just not me.” He nodded sympathetically “I hope your feelings aren’t hurt?”
She sighed tiredly and straightened herself “First of all, I have never met any man like you before.” He looked ready to take on the praise but she was quick to stomp over it “That’s not a compliment, Kyle.” She eyed him carefully “Let’s get one thing straight, I don’t like you, I never will and even if pigs could fly and the world is rid of all men on earth, I will still NOT like you. Even the tiniest bit.” She squeezed her index and thumb together to the smallest space between the fingers “I hope YOUR feelings aren’t hurt.” She said with fake sympathy. His jaw dropped as he froze in place from her scolding. When the food came, she got up and leaned down to Kyle’s ear “Don’t worry, this is our little secret.” She winked at him with a winning smile and walked out with a confident stride while he was in complete awe.
*************
Ellena was typing up a legal document when she heard arguing in the front desk of the large spacious suite. Suddenly, she found Kyle storming towards her huffing “Why? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?” She asked in confusion, forgetting about his mistaken that Billie liked him.
“Women…they are just evil. I condemn you all to hell!” he made the sign of the cross and walked out angrily.
Then it dawned on her what he was talking about. Getting up, she chased after him but missed the elevators. Taking the stairs, she tried to beat him at the door. When she got the concierge desk of the building, she found him walking out the double doors. Chasing him with high heels was an obstacle in itself. When he stopped at the corner street, she finally got a chance to catch up with him “Kyle!”
He turned to the call but quickly turned his head away and followed the crowd across the street “What do you want?”
“I’m sorry.” She said between breaths while trying to come into steps with him.
“What for?” he snapped.
“I should have told you the truth about Billie but you were so confident that I wanted to kinda…I guess teach you a lesson about women.” She felt no reason to lie to him.
He reached the other side of the street and turned to her with widened eyes “And since when did you take over God’s role? He has the right to judge me and punish me if it need be. But you, who are you to me?”
“A friend, if you would let me.” She said sincerely “I really am sorry.”
Giving in to the earnest face, he sighed “Fine…but I’m still angry at you.”
“I understand.” She nodded “I’ll leave you alone.”
“Have you eaten?” he asked after she turned to walk back to the office.
Ellena arched her brows up “What?”
“It’s lunch time.” He pointed out dryly.
“Oh…yeah. Sure. My treat.” She smiled brightly.
“How are you going to treat? With your hands washing the dishes?” he nodded to her empty hands. She forgot her purse in the office.
“I’ll just run up to get it. Real fast, just wait two minutes.” She promised.
She was ready to sprint when she felt a strong hand grab hers “Don’t be silly, I’ll treat.” He said firmly and led her down the street “Come on, I know this great Italian place.” They received special treatment when the waitress recognized that it was Kyle. He grinned as he soaked in the compliments the girl poured out. After she took their orders, he turned back to Ellena with a shaking head “Fans.” He waved a nonchalant hand in the air.
Ellena crossed her arms “Haven’t you learned anything?”
Kyle nodded “Sure, that there are plenty of perks for good looking people in this world. But if you are not blessed with great features, there will be hard times in your life.” He sighed dramatically.
“I guess you can’t take the ego out of a man.” She sighed.
He laughed, “Not if the man is me.”
“Have you always been this confident?” Ellena asked.
Kyle shrugged “Not always. Before I took off my braces and got contacts, I was very insecure but the minute they came off I was discovered in a mall by a talent agent. He said I would be a perfect model for Calvin Klein and so here I am.”
“Maybe this job has gotten to you.” She said gently, afraid it would trigger his anger again.
“How so? It’s only helped me. I live in a great apartment and have wonderful friends and I get any girl that I want…” Ellena was ready to remind him about Billie when he raised a finger at her “Except for that girl.”
“She’s really not that bad.” Ellena laughed “Trust me, she’s a very good friend.”
Rolling his eyes, he said sarcastically “Please, that girl has the biggest chip on her shoulder. I’d like to throw that guy screwed her over into ugly jail.”
“You know about the guy?” she asked in shock.
“Well, yeah…there’s always a guy. A perfectly normal person does not turn bitter overnight, she must have gone through some horrible experience. Do you know what it is?” he asked nosily.
Shaking her head, she answered, “I can’t tell you.”
“Why not? Because your friend said you couldn’t?” he leaned in with a twinkled smile “Come on Ellie, you can tell me.” She lowered her head shyly but continued to shake it “You don’t mind me calling you Ellie do you?”
Again she shook her head “No.”
He sat back slowly and analyzed her cowered head and clasped hand “Do you know what your problem is?”
Head shooting up, she looked liked a scared puppy “What did I do wrong?”
Kyle laughed with a shaking head “That’s not what I said. Do you know why you can’t get a guy?”
She snickered “Because I look for the ones that live under a rock.”
“Well…eh…yeah, I guess that would be a problem. But actually, I was thinking more of a makeover. Change you from head to toe. If you change your image a little, the guys would be lining up to date you.” He assured her.
“But Billie always said that you should be yourself and never to try to be someone you’re not.” She said wisely.
Kyle snorted in response “You’re taking advice from a woman that hates men. Gee, I wonder why you don’t have a boyfriend.” Rolling his eyes, he persisted “Trust me Ellie, if you do what I say you’ll be surprise of the outcome.”
She was still hesitant but was willing to give it a shot “I guess in your own little strange world, it does make a little sense. I’ve never had a boyfriend.” She admitted.
“We’ve got to work fast.” He said sadly.