"Hey coach Darryl" Someone called from my behind.Coach Darryl? The beast is here?
Hearing his name nearly gave me heart attack!
"Guys, you sure is making a big scene here" We were interrupted by a general moaning. That was from a San Sebastian student. I thought so.
"Just playing, we are getting bored round here" Ziggy racy answered, swaying Cryzer"s helpless body in the air. I noticed that a crowd of students were surrounding us now. From where they come from? I don"t have an idea.
I swiveled toward the people who were talking. Yes, they were the San Sebastian students. The one who were with me earlier in the bus. Beside them was the beast, looking ruggedly handsome with his crumpled coach uniform and messy hair. He slept on the bus again I bet while travelling back.
His eyes were fixated on me, as if I was the only visible thing right now. I blushed and fretted at the same time. Did he just hear the words I said? I hope not.
Can I really not eat strawberry now? I just made myself foolish again, didn"t I?
"Give me my Cryzer" I was shocked to hear myself growl. It"s just that, I have a bad feeling with this game now that the beast is here.
"I"m still gonna kill your Cryzer" Ziggy gave me a nasty look. He just tricked me!
"Are you kidding me right now? We had a deal!" At that time, I was in for another headache.
"I am not" He barked at me.To be honest, Ziggy was looking like a real felon at this moment.
"I said give me Cryzer" I demanded.
"890 X 76?" Ziggy retorted ignoring my dest.i.tute.
"67640" I answered, like a flash. Hoping his act will end.
"Divided by 8?"
"8455" I answered trying to mean—can we please stop now?
"What do you think you guys are doing?" The beast cut us off. He said in a way imposing the authority he had as a coach.
"Playing a game" Ziggy said tonelessly brus.h.i.+ng him off.
"Making a scene." One of the San Sebastian student sarcastically replied.
"Reviewing mathematics?" Another student from San Sebastian added making everyone loose into a big guffaw. I never thought mathematics could be this entertaining.
"This place isn"t a playground, not even a theater stage nor a cla.s.sroom for a crazy team. Look, you are disturbing all the others!" he said sharply cutting all the fun. Everybody went silent in an instant. So everybody is afraid of the beast?
Well, the beast has a point. The commotion we started drew a flock of students. Apparently I don"t think they were disturbed—they were actually entertained by our senseless act. They were all enjoying, while I was sweating, in fear and in my discomfiture.
"And you! " Oh c.r.a.p! He was pointing at a finger at me, like I was some kind of a target. "I can"t believe that you consented to these kinds games"
"For Christ sake this isn"t a game and I don"t care what you think about me!" I barked back at him, afraid that my fear will consume me and make me unable to defend myself.
Here we are again. He is irritating me again. Can"t he see I am having hard time coping up with Ziggy"s game?
"Yeah all she cares is her favorite stuffy that is about to die" Ziggy stood there, not wanting to stop. Apart from all the others, he was unaffected by the beast presence. "So let"s get back to business.
Pay me a ransom for Xhem for Cryzer"
"I don"t have enough money right now!" I knitted my brow. What is he upto this time?
"Then he"ll die!" He said mercilessly, like killing a stuff toy was a huge crime.
"NOOOOOO!" I shouted feebly. I was losing all hope.
"Stop it all three of you!" The beast scowled and chimed at me "Why do you look so gaddam worried about that stuff toy? He is not going to die even if he falls from the stark building to the streets of New York!"
"I never thought you are that d.i.c.khead! Of course I know he wouldn"t die! I am not that stupid to a.s.sume my stuff is living" I responded in defense.
"So why do you keep dealing with him" He said referring to Ziggy.
"Are you really intelligent or just pretending to be one? If my stuff will fall from here to the ground floor, he will covered in dirt! How I am supposed to sleep with a dirty stuff toy?" What I was saying was true. I have a very oozy standard when it comes to something I put in my bed. I don"t really think I can sleep with a Cryzer tainted with dirt.
"Nonsense!" He smirked before he flew into the quarters.
He was so ungentleman. Couldn"t he see how frail I was right now, locked in Huzey"s arms? Huzey who managed to be quite all this time.
"Pay me ten thousand for his life." Ziggy was up for a monkey business now.
"I"ll pay you at home" I would do anything to stop all of this, just so you know.
"I want it now"
"I don"t have enough cash"
"A cheque will do"
"I don"t have a cheque book, I left it at home"
"hmmmm… then you if can"t pay me with money.." He googled his mischievous eyes on me."...then pay me with your body"
Here we are again with this game. I already predicted earlier that such game will end to this. As usual.
"Like before?"
"Yeah"
"Will one night do?"
" Make it three, I missed your personal touch!" Ziggy sneered when he noticed my unusual obedience.
"I didn"t expected these guys to be this liberated" I heard someone bubbled in the crowd.
" Me too, look at that girl she looks so innocent"
"Well these days you can"t really tell"
I heard people criticizing me affront, as if I couldn"t hear them.
And what were they talking about? What was so liberated about my deal with Ziggy? He asked me to pay with my body, body effort. Like doing his school ch.o.r.es, his researches and homeworks. And I have to do it for three straight nights, well that"s the only time students do their homework, right? At night?
That was why he was saying he missed my personal touch, it had been so long since the last time I made homeworks for him. h.e.l.lo? Were these people even thinking?
" Fine. I"m fine with it"
"Okay, it"s a deal now"
"Can"t wait to take you home" He said mischievously. I think he was intentionally making it appear like how the people around thought of it.
I sighed deeply. The show was over, I was glad the beast didn"t interfere that much.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" The beast voice made my knees tremble under Huzey"s arm. I thought he was already inside the quarters and wanted to ignore us completely!
He grabbed me from Huzey"s arms aggressively. It was so sudden that even Huzey wasn"t able to react that much. He made me face him. A flash of fury was traversing in his demonic handsome face.
"Why? What"s wrong with what I said? I just said yes to Ziggy, which part of that was wrong?" I manage to threw many questions while having hard time supporting myself from my trembling feet.
" I can"t believe you said yes to thosenaughtiness?" He said while gritting his teeth.
"Why care? I just want to save Cryzer"
" Just for a G.o.ddam stuff toy?"
" What he asked me was an easy stuff? What"s wrong with saying yes to it?"
"You are impossible"
"Why care?"
"You!" He pointed a finger to Ziggy. "Give me that thing now!"
Ziggy looked—well, there was only one word for it— frightened in an instant. So did everyone who was watching the show.
He obediently handed Cryzer.The beast was so mad this time, no one would dare to defy him I guess. Ziggy and I looked at each other confused. What made the beast so mad?
"Here" The beast handed me my Cryzer. "Take that stuff toy of yours and don"t you ever say yes to their bets again!"
"It"s a ransom not a bet" Ziggy corrected him hesitantly.
"Whatever it is" The beast retorted to him which zipped Ziggy"s mouth instantly. "Don"t ever play that kind of game again!"
He turned his back from all of us and walked. All the students made a way from him in fear and some even closed their quarters to hid themselves. The beast frightened everyone!
"What just happened?" Ziggy managed to asked when the beast was not visible in our sight anymore.
"An ogre was roaming around hallway" Huzey said tonelessly, like all of us he was stunned with the beast"s fury.
"Whose fault it is?" Ziggy asked.
"Xhemin" Huzey said while turning to me.
"So what should Xhemin do?" Ziggy added tonelessly, as if he did not recovered yet from what just happened.
"Calm the ogre" Huzey answered.
"How?" Ziggy.
"By kicking his a.s.s" I said irritatingly, why did the beast act weird all of the sudden? He even shouted at me!
"No" Huzey said shaking his head.
"By poking his head" I answered again.
"Definitely not!" Huzey replied in an instant. "Ziggy, your opinion?"
"Let Xhem kiss him I guess" Ziggy answered feeling so certain about his resolution.
"Perfect spell!" Huzey said slowly giving emphasis to each of the two words.
"No way!" I turned my back at the two of them and went for the quarter"s doors.
The two boys blocked my way, crossed arms.
"What?"
"What if Darryl will tell coach Gem about the mess we just did?" Huzey asked trying to frightened me.
"We will be hang"
"Or burned alive"
" I"d rather be hang" I answered.
"There will be no more strawberries!" Ziggy attempted to sway me once more.
"I don"t care!" I have already accepted the fact that I cannot anymore eat strawberries.
"Your loss anyway. Remember we are leaving tomorrow?" Ziggy reminded me.
"It"s hard to leave when somebody is hurting" Huzey added. "You will not see him again, remember that"
"I said I don"t care" I shouted at the both of them and left. I needed to be alone and the girl"s shower room was the best place for that.
The beast and I just had a lovely afternoon earlier, and just then he was mad. It looked as if things had just gotten immeasurably worse! But I"m leaving tomorrow and I"m looking forward to spending more encounters with him tonight. I don"t want to part with him like this. Oh my, how could that stupid game ruin my love life! I mean my prospect love life!