I just laughed at what was said and said nothing. After all, how could I say that I have a hearing that intensifies when I'm in a quiet place.
"Do you like Penelope?" asked the boy sitting next to me.
I glanced at where she was sitting like a cabbage in a basket. I can tell she is anxious to hear what my answer is but I won't say it; the truth.
"No."
"Lies." the boy quickly retorted.
"Why do you think I'm lying?" I asked acting like I was really telling the truth.
"You just don't want to admit it because you don't want to hurt the elf's feelings." he said pointing at Rilili.
Why does he have to be so truthful and so right? I couldn't bring myself to reply to his truthful accusations so I just stared at him. The room fell silent and I started picking up on people's heart beats were most of them were anxious, two angry and one excited. Ray and Rilili's beats were those of an angry person and the boy who had caused all of this was excited, so excited he couldn't contain it in himself so it was written all over his face. I got up ready to leave when someone else said,
"I haven't asked my question."
A girl. I looked at her waiting for her to ask her question but she looked like she was still deciding on what to ask.
"Are you from a rich family?" she asked.
"Was." I replied.
"Was? What happened?" Ray asked.
"Only one question." I said and then walked out of the room.
I don't know where to go though so I'll just stay here and wait for them to came out. I don't know how long I waited for but soon I heard loud music start playing but still no sign of my friends. I hope that Rose and Rilili's relationship doesn't change because of me. I really shouldn't have insisted on attending the party. After some time Rilili walked out of the room with her face down. Her heart beat is steady at least so I know she isn't upset anymore. She stopped walking when I took a step towards her and she looked up at me. She smiled; a sad smile that told me she wasn't as good as she was trying to show.
"Where are the others?" I asked awkwardly as I walked closer to her.
"Dancing." she answered with a sigh.
She looked down again and played with her dress a little bit before looking up at the ceiling.
"Your silence is suffocating and your gaze is chocking....." she said as if she was complaining.
"Really? Then I should be able to kill anyone." I said seriously as I continued to watch her.
"Please don't act awkward with me. Just be your silly lost self and ask questions like you did before. I don't like you that much."
I stared at her a little longer I noticed how her heart started beating faster.
"Say something?!" she suddenly exclaimed when she looked straight into my eyes.
"I like you but not in the way you would like me to. I'm sorry."
"Do you have to be so frank?" she asked and then realized I don't know what frank is supposed to mean in the statement,"Like so honest?"
"If I'm not honest then you'll probably start thinking you have a chance and the truth will only break you further." I said as harshly as I could to put my point across.
Her eyes became watery and she wiped away her tears before they could fall. She turned to the side so I wouldn't see her face and at the same time Rose and Ray walked out of the room.
"Why did you guys wait we would have found you." Ray said looking mostly at Rilili.
"Dee insisted we stay so he could get rid of the costumes at once." Rilili said smiling brightly.
"Ohh.....okay. But we can't do that here. Let's go." Rose said.
We left from there and I noticed Rilili became chatty as we made our way to the elevator. I'll take is as her coping well with the earlier confrontation. When we got to the rooms I started following Rose and Rilili to there room only to have Ray grab me by the collar to stop me.
"Where are you going?" he asked in a whisper.
"To rest in the room." I replied not knowing why he stopped me.
"They are girls you can't share a room with them. You can stay in my room since I have no roommate."
"I don't want to rest with you."
"Will you sleep out here then?"
I looked at Rose and Rilili who were standing by the door of their room. They waved at me and went inside like they didn't care about me. I turned to look at Ray who opened his door to let me in and I followed sullenly.
"Why don't you have a roommate?" I asked when we entered the room.
It was an exact replica of Rose and Rilili's room so I don't feel so bad about not going to their room. Ray handed me a glass of water and I gulped it down in one go then handed the empty glass to him.
"My friend couldn't make it so I am alone." he said with a sigh.
"My condolences." I said giving him a hug.
"What?!" he exclaimed and pushed me away,"He's not dead. By 'couldn't make it' I meant he couldn't come along with us."
"Ohh....." I said in realization,"Be more clear with me here onwards."
"I think I should teach you a few things tonight." he said cracking his knuckles,"Pee right now or forever hold your pee."
Pee? One of the girls had said it but I don't know what it means exactly and honestly I thought it was a female's thing to do. Ray must have realized that I don't know what pee is because he explained it to me. I nodded afterwards and walked to the bathroom to use the toilet. When I finished I found Ray lying down on his bed so I walked to the other bed without saying anything to him. I just stood next to the bed because I couldn't sit there with wet clothes. I had taken the liberty to wash myself while I was in the bathroom but I forgot that the clothes I had on aren't like the ones I used to wear back home. My own clothes used to dry on their own but these, even after I wringed them, are still damp.
"Dude." I heard Ray call out to me,"What did you do?"
He got up from the bed and walked towards me with a look of surprise on his face. His used his thumb and index fingers to lift the short sleeve of the shirt that had slightly stretched from my efforts to dry the clothes. He dropped the material with a contorted face as if he was looking at something disgusting.
"I washed your clothes." I said smiling at him.
"Did I ask you to do that?" he asked frowning as he crossed his arms,"Let me guess. You tried to bath and didn't take the clothes off."
I nodded and received a glare from him that broadened my smile.
"Seriously, you're acting like some creature that never bathed even once or one that never wore clothes to begin with." he complained and I pouted my lips.
"Our clothes are different." I said in my defence.
"Here's a scenario. Say I wear a shirt...."
"Why would you?"
"It's a scenario! Now just listen. I wear a skirt and it is time for me to take a shower. Would I not strip because my own clothes are different?!"
"That's different. My clothes are really different."
"In what ways?"
"They dry themselves." I said.
"Really?" he asked with widened eyes.
"Yes." I said confidently.
"But still man. Whatever. I need to teach you still. Can you read and write?"
"In my own language yes but as for yours I can only speak."
"Damn it!" he said in a slightly hushed voice.
"Damn it!" I repeated and his look of anger disappeared to be replaced by annoyance.
"That's what we say when we are pissed."
"Pissed?"
"Yeah. Angry, annoyed, frustrated.....stuff like that."
"Can I say it when I'm happy?" I asked trying to annoy him.
He raised his hand to show me his middle finger with a scornful look on his face and I did the same to him while smiling. He shook his head as if in surrender and he dropped his hand and I did the same.
"Come sit here Dee." he said pointing to the floor.
"Why?" I asked even though I went to sit down.
"For now I will teach you about the geography of this place incase someone asks you something."
He picked up his phone and showed me a map then he told me the names of the main places I should know about. From how he is pronouncing the words I can learn to read on my own and also write. Our own language is harder than this so learning this won't be difficult. Ray fell asleep sooner than I had opted for so I put him on his bed and went to hang my clothes that were still wet.