" Hey, Pete!" I beat him with his pillow.
Doesn't he know what day it is today? I'm already wearing our school gala and my make-up is on but he's there, on his boxer and topless while both of his arms and one leg are hugging a bolster and his stomach is lying in bed.
I just received a groan from him as he flipped his body over, facing the other side of the bed.
That's why I keep beating him up until he'll get frustrated. But, it seems my method no longer works with him: he got used to it already. And I hate this guy.
" Peter!" I heard his mother already calling him from downstairs.
This guy. You have to do everything that will drain your energy.
" Pete!" I said, annoyed, and I started shaking his shoulder up, "Peter! I'll leave you, I swear. Gosh, my beauty is fading already because of you, you know?" I said, flipping my hair to the back.
I went to his cabinet and looked for something he could wear while giving a reprimand first thing in the morning. His mother told me to find his polo somewhere in his cabinet and a pair of pants for him.
But his cabinet, it was like there's a strong storm that had passed. Everything is flown everywhere around the corner of his cabinet. What should be hung is no longer hanging, so the others are already wrinkled.
" Look at your clothes here, Archer, gosh... It's a special day also, Archer, Special Day, come on!" I approached him after hanging the pair of clothes he was going to wear outside the cabinet and tried to grab his arm off from bed: but he was too heavy to lift off.
" 5 minutes," he said in his sleepy voice.
" You already told me that 10 minutes ago: stand up already!"
After a few tries, I managed to lift his heavy body, and he eventually sat down on the bed with his puffy eyes, and his body whirl which made him fall, then hit his head on the metal headboard of his bed, making him awake and heard whisper a curse.
" Good morning! Finally..." I greet him.
He glared at me while rubbing the back of his head where it hits so bad, " You said you'll leave me,"
" And you said 10 more minutes... Come on, Auntie is already waiting for us downstairs. We're going to be late, Peter. This is the last graduation of ours and we'll enter college soon."
He even managed to roll his eyes at me and cover himself with a blanket as he lay back down in bed. I heavily sigh, controlling my frustration with him. First thing in the morning, and his temper has already run out because of me, and so has I.
I stick my head out of his door to find Auntie Tricia downstairs and tell her about Peter's behavior.
" Auntie! Auntie Tricia, Peterson won't wake up."
Footsteps that I just heard roaming around downstairs suddenly stop, " Wait for me there, young man. I'm telling you.." I heard his mother's frustrated voice, I turned around to see if it was working with him, and he was already scrapping his eyes as if he didn't act drowsy a while ago, and a towel was already hanging on his shoulder.
I leaned next to the door, crossing my arms on my chest, stopping myself from laughing at him. He glares at me for the second time before he gets out of his room on the way to the bathroom.
I was hopping while walking my way downstairs to check on Auntie Tricia, and she's currently applying make-up in front of the mirror in their living room.
" Auntie, you look gorgeous," I complimented her.
She looked at me with a big smile on her face while holding a make-up brush and a palette of eye shadow, " Of course, Sue. Besides, it's you and Peter's graduation, so I need to look pretty." she winked at me.
" You're already looking pretty, Auntie."
That made her smile reach ear to ear, " Wait,"
Auntie took something from the drawer and came closer to me. She opened the box and pinned a gold butterfly on my dress, " There. Pete's grandma gave this to me, and I want you to borrow it for today."
" Oh my gosh, thank you so much!" I aww while looking at the pinned butterfly on my chest.
It's so pretty! The butterfly still shines while lights reflect on it which made it looks brand new with no traces of rust even though it's already passed down by Auntie's Grandma. I think I'm already Auntie's child than Peter. He's an ungrateful son, anyway.
I turned around when Auntie called Peter's name behind me. I almost squinted my eyes when I saw how way different he was from a while ago. His hair was all fixed and combed well, and he looked great with his wafer-thin, which made visible the shirt he was wearing underneath: it's also plain and looking rough a white long sleeves gala together with regular type flannel trouser.
" Sue's been waiting for you for a while already, Peterson. Eat your breakfast then we'll go," Auntie said as she finalized Pete's collar.
He nods at her: but his face looks blank and dull. My lips rose a little at him, he's so harsh even to his mother. I already accepted that he treats me like how he coldly treats others but to his mother?
I help Auntie to finish her make-up while Peter is eating his breakfast. Thank goodness, after minutes he's done. I hope we'll arrive there as soon as possible. I can't miss a single minute on my special day. It happened that Pete is my friend and I don't want to leave him: he should be thankful.
WHEN WE ARRIVED AT SCHOOL, I didn't bother to look around and find Mom around. She already told me that she can't attend my today's graduation due to some urgent work: but she promised we'll celebrate later. So she entrusted me with Pete's Mom, they're close too as well as I'm close to Auntie's son, even though Peter has a short temper and is a total opposite of me.
I keep on playing with my fingers while. I'm standing in my line, waiting for the event to start. I can feel my hand shiver as I get highly strung, and it differs from my body warmness.
All of the students here have their parents beside them except for me. As much as I want Mom to be here; but she isn't, I don't want to argue with her either, I get her urgent emergency at work.
I gaze in Mark's direction, where he's busy charming Misha, his rumored girlfriend. I sighed out of envy and covered my nose with my hands to cool it down. As I remembered minutes ago, I was so confident with Peter: but now it's all turning upside down.
When I removed my hands from my face, I suddenly saw Pete's ugly face right in front of me, which made me flinch in shock.
" Gosh, Peter!" he just appeared out of nowhere. The last time I peek at him, he's on his line with Auntie, " What are you doing here?"
" Mom wants me to check on you, and I guess you already want to back out,"
My eyebrows raised at him, " Me? Of course not! What do you think of me?"
" Coward?" he answered, sounds like he was teasing me, so I smacked his arm, which made him chuckle a bit.
" I hate you! Just go back to your line: you're just annoying."
" You too," before I could hurt him he gave me bottled water, " Stop worrying... looking pretty by the way." then he messed my hair a little. I spent hours to achieve this light curl hair, and he messed it up in a few seconds.
As much as I want to get back on him, he has already walked back on his line. I can only glare in his direction: while he gave me a smirk. We started teasing each other until the event started.
I even laughed at him, when he didn't notice the event start as the graduation song starts to play and misses the line. Good on him. But somehow, it lessens my worries and anxiety.
" Archer Peterson Selviro, Best in Research Report... Subject Achiever in Science Stem Strand... With high honors!"
Everyone put their hands together, which made a sound that echoed around the auditorium as he stepped up on the stage together with Auntie. Aunt Tricia wore the two silver and bronze medals around him, and her eyes were looking proud at him. Someone suddenly shouted his name which stole everyone's attention as if this was a basketball match.
After a few recitals of names, the Principal called my name through the microphone, so I went upstage with Aunt Tricia escorting me.
" Susan Ochoa, with Honors!"
Aunt Tricia wears the medal on me just like how she did it on Pete. She gave me a wide smile and stared at me just like how she stared at his son a while ago, which made my heart melt, and also my eyes had little sweats inside. I suddenly imagine Mom doing this to me right now. When my eyes met Pete, his eyes are hushed, so I scrunched my nose at him, looking cute.
I take a few clicks of the camera with Aunt Tricia down the stage.
" Congrats, Sue... " she whispered: in my ear before going back to our seats.
As I flattened my dress down to my sit, the Principal announced Mark's name, and Misha's claps dominated all of us. I kept my head low with a smile and watched him receive his award.
The event ended after a few hours, but the music's playing, which made all parents rush down to their children and start taking a picture. While I have to make a way out of this crowd. I couldn't even look where I was going due to the number of parents and students that surrounded me, luckily, Peter found me and took me outside the auditorium.
Auntie was already waiting for us with a camera hanging on her neck and two bouquets in her arms. She handed me a sunflower and tulip bouquet while Pete received the bouquet of tulips.
" You two should take a picture so that I could send it to your mom, Sue, come on," Aunt Tricia said.
Peter and I fix our position while Auntie is setting up her camera. We even fight where we should stand, and I end up on his right.
" All set. Peter fix your smile, big smile, young man," she commanded Pete.
I can't help it, but my mind is laughing at him. It looks awkward and intimidating somehow seeing his teeth out as he smiles but also attractive at the same time, though. I only see that smile once in a while, it's like you need to tell him to smile before he'll do it.
" Sue, can you get closer to Peter? You too, Peterson. "
I followed Auntie's hand gesture to get closer to Pete, and I could feel his skin touching mine, which made the hair on my arms rise. We looked at the camera then I heard Auntie click the camera.
We also got a solo picture with Auntie, and I also volunteered to take of picture Auntie and Pete.
After I took a picture of them, his Dad came who looked like a walking dead. As I see him, his eyes want to stick out, his hair is all moist with a sprinkle of white flakes that he simply comb out, and also his clothes are baggy and looked untidy. He kisses both of the cheeks of his wife. And he also congratulated his son and me with his deep husky voice. I just gave him a small smile as gratitude.
While Pete's tough face already tells what he thinks of his father. I excuse myself to get time with my Mom over the phone.
" I got an honors award, Mom." I proudly told her.
[" Congratulations, Sue. I'll be off from work any hours by now, and we'll eat at your favorite restaurant."]
" Hope to see you soon, Mom."
[" You too congratulate Peter for me, Sue."]
" I will."
[" I have to go now, Sue. See you later, love you."]
Before I could even say anything, I already heard my phone beep. I'll just go back to Pete's but before I could walk, Mark and I bumped into each other.
" I'm sorry--," I didn't realize it at first it was Mark but when I look up, I saw his face made my mouth sealed.
" Hi, earth to Susan?"
Does he know me? Someone barely knows me from this school but he knows me?
We both chuckle at each other when I get back from my senses with his continuous snaps of fingers.
" Yeah-umm, sorry, I'm Susan,"
I immediately looked away in utter embarrassment, fighting over the air because of my stupidity. I want to slap my face so hard right now. Of course, your Susan, and he knows you, dummy!
But I just heard him laugh at me, and I don't know if he already thinks of me as a weirdo, just like what everyone else thought of me. Swallow me earth. Swallow me.
" I know, and I'm Mark," I suddenly heat up. He really rides with my stupidity a while ago, huh, how could not anyone fall for this guy?
I put my hair in the back of my ear before I look back at him. " I'm sorry too, I should watch where I was going,"
I bowed down because I could feel my cheeks blushing in this simple talk. Before I could even talk again, I heard Misha's voice not far from us.
" Hi, Sue. I'll have my boyfriend back." she straightforwardly said.
I look at her and before I could answer, she snatch Mark away. That girl, a real perfection on the outside but a real devil on the inside.
But Mark came back to me, leaving Misha alone.
" We have a party tomorrow afternoon, if you would like to join you can come."
I bite my lip thinking of what possible answer I'll say. I don't really like parties but I think I want to consider to go one.
" I-I'll think about it,"
As I answered Misha roll her eyes at me and get Mark away.