Our afternoon walks did not go unnoticed by my SenSev friends. One time, they caught me after class and tagged me along with them while I was waiting for Geoff who had a soccer practice. We went to our favorite hang-out to catch up.
'Ya, Hannah Lee! How are you?' Mae asked me, with her signature chinky eyes rolling.
I smiled and looked at each of them. Seriously, how many weeks has passed since the last time we were together? Oh, how I missed them.
'I'm fine. I miss all of you. Why don't you let me come with you anymore?' I asked them while giving a pout. The girls exchanged looks before they all laughed at me.
'Are you sure you want to join us? You have your hotshot date every afternoon and do you want us to tag along?' Dada, the serious-on-the-outside-crazy-on-the-inside among us, asked.
'So how is he, Hannah? Did he say I love you already?' asked Lou, the most introvert of my friends, almost like a whisper.
I looked at all of them with a dumbfounded face. Seriously, what did these girls eat without me? 'What? Why is he even going to say that?' I exclaimed as I looked at them in amusement.
They looked at me in disbelief. 'Ya! Anyone who sees you both can really say there's something between the two of you,' Mee replied. 'We get jealous actually,' she continued and everyone fell silent. Mee is the one I am the closest to among them.
'Says who? You just won't let me go with you anymore.' I shot back, and a painful pang of guilt roused from my heart when the words left my mouth. But then to make things light again, I shouted.
'I really miss you girls!' Then I proceeded to give them a big hug. We all made the group hug and we were like a bunch of crazy girls who held the tears from missing each other badly.
The girls and I spent that afternoon together and I really had a good time with them. Since they won't be able to get me every after class, Kit proposed something to the group.
'How about we have our lunch together everyday? There's a newly opened canteen here and we could try it tomorrow. If it's good, then we stay there every lunchtime. Deal?'
I laughed at the idea, but I must admit they were right. I agreed with Geoff walking me home in the afternoon, so lunchtime should be with my friends. It's definite and it's a win-win, again.
'But really Hannah, didn't he say I love you yet? You really look great together,' RJ repeated Lou's question earlier. Seriously, did we really look like we're a couple?
'It's just nothing. He just asked me to walk me home every afternoon and I don't see anything wrong with it,' I answered. What else could I say? But my answer made the girls shriek and they covered their mouths. They were so happy and as I looked at them, I was laughing the whole time.
Girls giggling surely turned heads from other students passing by the area and threw us unbelievable looks. We fell silent and tried to contain our laughter.
When we all calmed down, Dada spoke up. 'Hannah, Geoff is such a hottie here in school. There are a lot of girls eyeing on him. And seeing the two of you almost every time may make some of them jealous of you. Be careful though, especially with the girls from the other section. And the lower ones, too. They can be tenacious unlike us when we were their age.'
I shot a look at them then asked. 'Who are they? I mean, there's nothing going on between us. If they want to be friends with him, they can befriend him.'
But did I really mean what I said? Like honestly?
'Faith and her friends. The school brats. They have been eyeing on him since the first time he came, but we weren't surprised when Ms. Cha called you to be his peer facilitator. After all, you are a hotshot too and a good student at that,' Mae spoke up, holding my left arm. She has always been the clingy one, too.
'I wonder what those boys who have been crushing on you think of Geoff. They have been trying to get close to you too, but you never allowed any one of them to come near you. They could not even get their chocolates delivered to you, because Lou and I block them off.' Mee said.
'At least how that Geoff comes near you,' Lou continued, which again elicited shrieks from these girls.
Just then, I saw a glimpse of Geoff coming to the tteokbokki shop and found me. He smiled then he waited for me by the door. I have told him before that this is where I unsually hang out with them.
Lou saw him likewise and called the group. 'Well, it's time to disperse girls. Our Cinderella has her prince charming waiting for her by the door,' she said and the rest of the girls gasped and looked at me in disbelief. They shook their heads before they laughed at me.
'The school's head turner will soon be guarded by the soccer team's hotshot midfielder,' RJ quipped, before we stood up to go out, laughing as we did so. I bid them goodbye and they reminded me of lunch tomorrow, which I said yes before I turned to go to Geoff, who was standing where he was earlier and waiting for me.
'Hi, sorry I kept you waiting,' I said, and as a reply, he smiled at me and his dimples showed.
Looking at him, I wondered why my heart was uneasy. Sure, he is good looking, the same him that I saw the first time. I smiled, hiding away the overwhelming feeling at the sight of him. Really, what did those girls see in us?