Weekend ended in a flash and Charissa is now getting ready to go to her seven o'clock lectures early in the morning. The sun was getting ready to rise, painting the sky red and orange. Birds chirped in harmony and dogs barked with excitement of finally being able to walk out. The only missing animal was a rooster to ring the morning bell.
Dreaming of this beautiful rise of dawn, Charissa didn't slowly get up from bed but, jumped out from it. Her alarm had gone off and her mom hadn't bothered to wake her up after eight. The time was now quarter past nine. Meaning, she missed one lecture. She got dressed into the first outfit she stumbled upon –Blue jeans and a yellow T-shirt-- and sprinted downstairs with her messy hair. She stuffed the bread and jam into her mouth and charged out of the house. Her sneakers were barely on. Only her father was in sight --sitting on the sofa in the living room-- watching his daughter in a panic.
By half past nine she managed to enter the campus ground. She lived near her college for easier transportation. Going by foot isn't an option though. College was only a station away from home, but Charissa chose to drive her way. Nobody in her house uses the other car much and her brother rides his motorbike. Three vehicles in total at the house.
Once she entered her classroom, the second lecture had already begun. Before the professor could scold her, he struggled to hold in his laughter and then let her join the class excused. During the entire lecture, she yawned and the students around her kept isolating her. Finally, after the lectures ended, she met up with Janet and Elissa only to be greeted with laughter the moment they met,
"Cherry, you have a bedhead!" Elissa chuckled, holding her stomach.
Janet tried to make a joke out of it, "Cherries don't have hair. Only the petals dried around it." She smirked.
"REALLY?!" Charissa exclaimed touching her head, "I need to go to the washroom, wait for me a bit!" she uttered as she rushed into the nearest washroom she could find across the line of laboratories.
"We can't though, we have another lecture to attend," Janet muttered watching Charissa fade into the distance. Janet and Elissa proceeded back to class while Charissa, in front of the washroom mirror stared at herself with a disgusted expression, 'Cherry...you came to class wearing a decent outfit, but with a bedhead? No wonder they kept their distance.' she muttered to herself, combing her hair neatly into a ponytail.
After five minutes she stepped out of the washroom, her heart skipped a beat at the figure waiting for somebody, leaning on the wall. The heart didn't skip a beat because she saw a handsome guy, but because she met her stalker.
"Are you stalking me now?" she scoffed, pretending to be appalled by the sight.
"Don't think so highly of yourself. I assumed it was you when I saw a bedhead running across the hallways." He teased. It was Charles. He was waiting for Charissa outside the washroom.
Charissa rasped. She folded her hands and leaned closer to Charles lifting her chin a bit. "Tsk. No mustache," she frowned.
"Why though?" He spoke as he gazed into her eyes.
"It fits perfectly for a stalker. That's why."
"Don't get me wrong, I only came here asking for your help."
She reverted to her original position and gave him a grin, "Beggar."
Charissa turned away, opting to leave. But as she expected, Charles wanted otherwise and tightly grabbed her by her arm.
"Ahh... Brat! What are you doing?" Charissa glared at him, flinging her arm.
Charles released his grip, "Listen up I forgive you for ignoring me. Help me get rid of her and I won't bother you." he menaced, squinting his eyes to stiffen his glare.
"Who?" Charissa questioned.
"My 'future bride'," he emphasized the words hoping to get a reaction.
"Hah!" She snickered covering her mouth. She tried to hide the excitement. "You finally got a bride! Was it worth all that dating? But why get rid of her? How can I help? Are you talking dirty when you say 'get rid of'?!"
Charles' eye began to twitch, he was getting irritated, "Three or four isn't a lot, counting how many our classmates dated. Be my girlfriend for a month to drive away that clingy b****. I know you can do it. Especially in your current personality."
"Don't get your hopes up. There's nothing in it for me except trouble." She paused, her eyes wandering about. Then she asked, "Why me in the first place? Don't you have girls swarming around you everywhere you go with that face of yours?"
He sighed lowering his body a bit. "I wish," he sighed again, "That woman scares everyone away. And it's better if it's someone I closely know. Could tell her we had been in a relationship for long." He gave an awkward smile.
"No interest. Bye! Oh, and don't forget to send me an invite since we're family after all! I'll support you two with all I've got!!" She hastily hopped away waving at him.
Charles was provoked. He didn't like going through such measures to get the job done, but he had to. He was cornered in every way possible and she was his only chance.
Charissa thought her discussion came to an end after she bluntly rejected him until… she saw him during lunch break, after lectures in front of the door, and on the way home at the front gates. It went on for days: his stalking. Ultimately, during club activities, Janet somewhat grasped the situation and inquired, "First, stealing and now stalking? Who is he?"
"Charles." Charissa made a low mocking tone. "Charles Jordan. You know...that long-lost-distant-relative-friend-whom-I-cut-ties-with-after-a-family-fight." She inserted them within inverted commas.
"Oh~ He has a cute face," Elissa remarked, allotting a cheesy smile.
Janet and Charissa gave her the cold eye, thus forcing Elissa to shut her mouth for the rest of the conversation.
About the intriguing relationship between these trio: Elissa is the sort of cute and friendly type; she'd support anyone who comes her way without a hand in doubt. Meanwhile, Janet is more understanding towards her friends; she also knows everything and anything about both Charissa and Elissa.
Their bond of friendship is on another level if you consider what those three do together. For that one time, Elissa helped a damsel-in-distress by luring out her true colors –two-timing boys-- in front of her boyfriend while Janet staged the whole plan during lectures, and Charissa revealed photos of the damsel-in-distress making love with a professor throughout college grounds. People truly fear them and this is one of the reasons why Charles is trying to get help from her. He knows that his 'future bride' is also scared of the trio.
The first time Charles saw Charissa was during college entrance. Given that he knows Charissa's parents, he easily spotted them among the crowds. Not that Charissa was indifferent at seeking. She also spotted Charles among the crowd because it was her habit to be on the lookout for anyone familiar to her. She won't speak up, just watch.
Charles's future bride wasn't an easy person. The deal about marriage was brought up when Charles became a sophomore.
"Marry a rich girl and our family won't have many problems anymore," his father said to him. Hiding the real reason behind the marriage.
"She is a beautiful young lady who happens to attend your college. I'm grateful for such luck of yours..." his mother would add.
Charles didn't get a thought in it. He had to sit down and listen to all their blabbering every day. Particularly when he ignores his 'future bride' and she starts complaining to his parents. Due to his looks, she has taken a liking to him. Her background story would be told another time, right now, Charles has to find a way to make Charissa agree to his plans.
At home, Charissa wondered if she should downright ignore Charles for the rest of her life or whether she should put up with it and have some fun teasing him. Truth be told, Charissa was trying to get revenge for all the vexing things he said about her art back in high school when she asked for his help. He always criticized her for pointing out her mistakes and teaching her the correct way. She knew that he didn't behave like that towards others. Hence, this situation is the best spell for her to cast her revenge.