“Mike, gosh what have you been doing? Have you gotten yourself into a fight again?” Ellie asked looking at her boy friend’s rugged appearance.
“Nope. I just jumped out of the bed.”
He said combing his messy hair with his fingers.
Ellie looked at him sceptically then
rolled her eyes.
“Hey! Seriously, I’ve just came out of
the bed. Actually I don’t even want to wake up but then I remember about our meeting
and so I jerked out of the bed and pulled out a clean shirt and, you see, I
don’t even have time to dry my hair because I know I will be late if I do.”
Mike lied.
Ellie stopped walking to look at him
“yeah right!” she said before she continues to walk ignoring him and his lies.
She knows that he is lying, because he always use the same reason whenever he
is late for their meeting up because of a fight.
“Can you slow down?” Mike said running
forward. “I know you are a sprinter, but I thought we are supposed to be having
fun together today. Why are you walking so fast?” he asked wrapping his arms
around her when they finally walk side by side.
“You just ruin my mood that’s why it’s
not fun anymore.” She said shaking his arm away from her shoulder.
“Look, I’m sorry alright.” Mike
apologised. “I didn’t’ mean to get myself into a fight, its just…it always
happen I don’t know why.” He said shrugging.
Ellie stared at him with another ‘yeah right’ looked and sighed.
“Here, wipe it off” she said referring
to the blood stain at the corner of his lips.
Mike touched the placed where he had
been punched earlier and lick his lips, “damn, it hurts.” He said as Ellie
pressed her tissue on the injury. “Can’t you be gentler?” he asked taking the
tissue from her.
“Serve you right.” She said looking at
him as he gave his swollen lip a gentle rub. “Who are you fighting with this
time?”
“Who else’ Mike said putting the
tissue away.
“Dexter? Again?’ Ellie asked frowning.
“What’s up with you two?”
“He starts it first.’
“Oh really?’
“Like duh. All the time.”
“Who provokes him first? If you did
not dunk his face into his bowl of cereal that day, you don’t need to be hated
by him.”
Mike laughed at the explanation. “But isn’t it funny? He and his bald head inside
the bowl, it was hilarious. Everyone was laughing at him. That was amazing!”
Mike remarked on his troublemaking action in the school’s canteen the month
before.
“You are such a jerk Mike.” Ellie said
annoyed. “I don’t even know why we can be best friends in the first place.’ she
said sitting beside him.
“Well, maybe is because we are
unfortunately stuck in the same neighbourhood that’ why.”
‘No, I think is because the day I was
born, I was unlucky enough to see you lying beside my bed, as the baby boy born
to be my mom best friend’s son.
“So are you saying that you regret
being my childhood girl friend now?”
“I always regret it.”
“Damn you.” Mike said pushing her away
from him. ‘There go sit at the next bench. I don’t know you bitch.” He said
laughing.
“Shut up.” Ellie said laughing as she
gave him a nudge on the ribs.
“Ouch! That hurts. “Mike said annoyed.
He always gets annoyed whenever Ellie does that and as a guy as much as he
wants to hit her harder than that, he can’t.
He remembered last time, when they
were twelve and they were playing wrestling on the couch one rainy evening and
Ellie had nudged him hard as an act of defence, as he was pinning her too hard
on the couch, but misunderstood it as an attack, Mike actually hit her hard on
the face, leaving a blue black on her face the next day.
That was the time Mike realised that
as much as he loves boy’s play but he can’t do what he is always doing with his
boy mates when he is with Ellie. After all, she is not a boy.
Ever since that day, he tries to be
gentler to her even if she hits him too hard sometimes, and at other times,
when he feels that she has hits him over board, or teased him too much he will
just give her a pinch on the cheeks or squeeze the back of her neck and that
will annoys her and the teasing will end.
“What are you thinking?” Ellie asked
bringing him back to reality.
“Nothing.’ He said, “Are we just gonna
stay here, enjoying the breeze?’ he asked before he spotted another ‘enemy’
around the corner. “See who’s there.” He said pointing at the nearby café where
a couple is sitting. “Can you believe it? It’s that son of a bitch Jacob from
the basketball club.’
“His girlfriend is hot.’ Ellie said as
she saw the beautiful red head opposite him.
‘Nah, she is pale. I’ve seen her
before. Not as pretty as you think she is.”
“Don’t be mean.’
“I’m not. She is not that hot.
Seriously. Should I spoil their date?” Mike asked getting ready to mess things
up.
“No Mike you shouldn’t. Stop being
such a spoiler.” Ellie warned.
“Like you never know? I’m always the
troublemaker.’
“Enough fight for one day okay Mike.
You just got yourself swollen because of an unnecessary punch.”
“I can afford another one.”
Ellie looked at her boy friend and
shook her head.
“Do you want to see me in action?”
Mike asked getting excited.
“Mike! Enough okay!”
“Why are you so defensive? Oh is it
because Jacob used to like you in the past that’s why you feel hurtful for him
if I mess up his face?” Mike asked grinning ‘wickedly.’
“No, but can’t you just stop being a
jackass for once? He deserves a good date.’
Mike laughed at his friend’s annoyance
and decided to change his trouble-making strategy.
“Do you want me to get you a drink?”
He asked. ‘My treat for being late.” He offered.
Ellie not thinking what his best
friend is thinking nodded. “Can you get me a bottle of Snapple?’ she said
“where are you going to get it?”
Before she heard the response, Mike
turned and ran across the street and towards the direction of the café where Jacob
was, “Damn it!’ Ellie thought to herself knowingly. “Mike!” She shouted exasperatedly.
Mike laughed as he heard her desperate
call from the back. ‘Too late’ he thought to himself happily.
From the distance Ellie watched with
horror as she saw her best friend approaching Jacob’s table. ‘Please. Please.
Please.’ She prayed for the safety of Jacob’s girlfriend instead of Mike’s.
From where she stood she could see the
two boys talking and then Jacob introducing his girlfriend to Mike, then after
the introduction, they turned to look at her, who was still too shocked to move
and only afford an unnoticeable smile. Then they turned around again and their conversation ends.
“What did you say to him?” Ellie asked
the moment she saw Mike returned with a satisfied expression.
“I told him we are dating.” Mike said
laughing.
Ellie looked at him wide eyes.
“You should see his expression. He was
so dejected. Or I think he was. And you know what he whispered to me before I
left? He said ‘be good to her.’ I knew it! He still holds a torch for you.
Maybe they are going to break up tomorrow.” Mike said oblivious about Ellie’s
what-the-hell expression.
“MIKE!” Ellie shouted at him. “Can
you….arghhhh…’ Ellie shouted as she snatched the Snapple from him and walked
away.
“Ellie wait! Why are you so angry?
Hey…c’mon, it’s just a joke. He may not even break up tomorrow.”
“That’s not the point.”
‘Then what?”
“I don’t want to talk to you.” Ellie
said walking even further away from him.
“Hey wait up!” she could hear Mike
shouting behind her but she could not care less.
The
End
By and by:
Yuliana Kasman :)
