'Wait, what? Why's he here'
"Stop staring and go take a bite already."
Ocho said something ambiguous at me that would've made me scratch his face if I wasn't so dazed right now.
"You. Why are you here?"
"To perform, why else?"
"So you actually joined the Instrumentals club?"
"Oh. Uhh no."
"...Then why are you here?"
"To perform, why else?"
"But you did not join the Instrumentals club right?"
"Yes"
"Stop dicking around and explain already."
After the whole kidnapping incident, I felt....curious, about him and even wanted to be friends with him. He did save me and all. The me who told him how much I hated his kinds of people.
I even felt concerned when I saw his arms and foreheads that were covered with bandages. Especially when I saw his pained look back on Mr. Michael's class.
I wanted to approach him earlier but I didn't know how to open up a conversation with him. And I did not feel like I could, all because of this stupid pride of mine.
So when I saw him enter the stage, I immediately approached him and tried my best to converse with him as properly as I can.
"Chill out you pig. Stop screaming on a wounded man's face."
"Pig? You're still on with that?! you damn dog?..."
I paused and sighed deeply when I realized that the conversation was starting to turn into another argument.
"Look. Your clearly messing with me now and I won't let you tarnish my damn mood today....I just wanted to check on wether your feeling fine already."
"Oh so you're concerned. That's sweet, I did not have a proper meal earlier so you could treat me later when we go home."
"Im not-.. you know what, sure I'll treat you later...its the least I could for someone who helped me. And also, have you talked with Annie yet?"
"Who? Your mom? Mrs. Anacia right? Yeah. She contacted me last night. I told her my good sides and angles. So how about it?"
"How about what?"
"Do you want me to be your step dad?"
I was about to start another brawl with him but the director finally called us and started the practice.
Another thing that had also been on my mind lately is Jackie's absence. She knew that we needed to practice really hard for the concert so why is she still absent. Yesterday was reasonable, but today isn't so much because this is the first practice with the Instrumentals club.
'I should go visit her house after my work.'
I thought to myself as I waited for my turn to sing.
---------
"Who would've thought that we'd be partnered together? You should be glad for having the chance to work with a genius."
"You know Ocho, I have met many kinds of people, but you are the only one who had the best talent in that area. You're fucking amazing."
"I know right."
Ocho answered me with a smug face as we walked out the gates of the school. This caused me to feel more irritated at him.
'I meant the talent to get on people's nerves!'
"You absolute dickhead! Why are you acting so high and mighty for? You did not get even one correct note back there. Our performance was a total dump, all because you were busy "experimenting" with the piano!...Hey are you even listening?!"
Ocho nodded at me and made a shushing sound to silence me.
"Shut the fuck up for a second or you'll scare them away. Alright? Now wait for me here."
He then went inside an abandoned barn yard and left me outside. I wanted to ask what drug he was on, but he left quickly while I stood there waiting for him and fiddling with my phone.
I still have 2 more hours before my shift at the hotel starts, so I wasn't in that much of a rush. But that doesn't mean I will just stand here waiting for him like an idiot and waste my time.
I already felt bored so I followed him inside the barn. I slowly walked on the muddy path towards the entrance of the barn and started ranting as soon as I heard his voice somewhere inside.
"Hey you dog! I know we had a deal and all, but that doesn't mean that I'll waste my time standing around like a dumbass while waiting for you to finish jerking off..."
I still had more to say, but I couldn't help but pause when I saw him.
'He's...smiling...while holding a bunch of kittens....cute.'
"Hey Nicole, are you retarded? You keep on suddenly staring at me like an idiot. I know I'm cute so-"
"Shut up! I was thinking about the cat."
I then approached him and the cats. He patted the space beside him on the chair and gestured for me to sit.
I also looked around the barn and found some small plastic bowls on the grounds. This isn't my first time entering this barn so I knew that the bowls were not here back then.
"Were you feeding them?"
"Yes. They're all pretty shy at first, then they slowly got used to my presence and became sweeter. Look there, that one who looks like he's wearing an eyepatch, I named him Philip, that pregnant one is Maya, the brown kitten is Mowgli. The fat orange is Gary."
'He even named all of them.'
He named all 12 cats and feeds them everyday.
"So you're actually more of a cat person huh?"
"I like them. They're all chill and always calm and composed, as if they're always scheming to take over the world after I fed them."
"Wow...and here I thought your naming sense sucks. Your imaginations are worse."
"Stop being such a kill joy and just enjoy the view."
Ocho pointed at the back of the barn and the countless trees.
There was a clean pond, relaxing cool breeze, and a bunch of birds singing from their nests up the trees.
"Awesome right? Add the cats in the view and you got yourself a paradise."
"Yeah. It is."
We stared silently at the scenery, engraving it deep in our memories. This is my 3rd time coming here, but never got the chance to enjoy it as much as this.
It really makes me think how ignorant I have been in the past.
"Oh. I almost forgot."
I looked at Ocho when I heard his sudden comment.
I saw him take out a box of cake and handed it to me before taking out two pieces of fork.
"Now this is true paradise. Don't take a slice yet, let me take a picture first."
He then placed the cake on top of another wooden bench and took a picture of it along with the background.
But his first shot was blurry so he took one again, and failed miserably.
"Hey dog, do you even know what a camera is? Stop shaking your hands like a phedopile on a playground."
He ignored me and proceeded to take the picture after saying "There! Its not blurry anymore."
I wanted to mess with him so I photobombed his shot of his so called paradise.
I thought he was going to be mad at me especially because I was raising my middle finger at him when I photobombed his picture.
"Hey it actually looks good?"
"Hahahahah...wait, you serious? Let me take a look."
He showed me the photo with a smile in his face. And It wasn't even a teasing smile.
'He does look....decent, in some angles.'
I looked at him for a second and saw the picture in the phone. It was of course, a picture of me raising my middle finger with the trees as my background.
"Pretty right?"
"Yeah. The background does look good, I'll take one myself too."
"The background? Well, that too."
----------
Its currently midnight now and I'm already back in the house after I finished working at the bar.
Since we both work at Lascar, Nicole and I took a taxi together upon her suggestion and went home together.
She double booked the driver to drop me off first before her, since my house was closer.
After taking a shit and a warm shower, I brushed my teeth and went to bed.
Morning came and the same old normal routine continued.
Darren went to school early which was weird, but I did not think too much into it. I just went ahead and prepared myself before taking a bus and going to school.
An hour later and I finally entered the gates of the campus.
And even before I saw the full picture, I already knew that a huge commotion is currently happening somewhere closeby.
I walked in large strides and found a bunch of police officers walking to and fro.
Then I found Darren amongst the group of officers and called out to him.
"What's with all the ruckus?"
Darren looked back at the officers first before answering me with a serious look.
".....Ocho...a corpse was found in the abandoned faculty building yesterday....Jacquilyn was found dead...."
I was about to inquire some more, but Darren's cellphone as well as mine both rang at the same time.
We looked at it and saw Minji's message on our group chat.
"The director had already announced a class suspension until monday, but club activities could still continue as usual. So everyone should gather at the clubhouse first before going anywhere."
Then it was followed by another message from her.
"We have a meeting with the Student Council representative later so don't be absent."