•CHAPTER 2
It is said to raise a brow when something is too good to be true. But who thinks about the negative when true happiness exists?
* * *
Blurry visions of Andrew's reading lamp flickering in a corner of his room jilted him from sleep, except it wasn't actually in his room. Andrew sprang up from the bed immediately, staring around. He was back in his mother's house.
A welcoming sense of pain rushed in quickly, and he looked down at his palm. The metallic scent is so strong, its color bright red. Very fresh. It was still dripping.
And there she appears right in front of him, a frown sitting on her face.
A slap woke Andrew up, and this time, there were no blurry visions. The stinging pain on his cheek made his eyes bulge as they stared back at the giggling face of Caitlyn; his ginger-haired friend.
Okay. Maybe Andrew has more than one friend. Maybe two, but that's it. Conversing with humans still sucks for him.
"If Allen and I don't have spare keys, you'd rather forget about tomorrow's test and sleep all day?!" Caitlyn wasn't sounding so friendly today. "What happened to us studying together at the library today?!"
Andrew groaned as she got her shoes off and caught Maggie safely in her arms, stroking her back gently.
"And you had to slap me for that?" Andrew thundered back, still holding onto his cheek, the stinging pain attenuating. She didn't respond; instead, she dashed towards the kitchen. "Two cups, please," he called after her pleadingly, and even when her back was to him, Andrew could swear she had this evil grin slowly appearing on her face.
Andrew stared at his room, still in a state of mess.
I indeed sorted it out before going to bed, he sighs.
Never for once did Andrew care about what others thought of him, his lifestyle or his way of dressing, so having his room in a scattered state was not a surprise to Allen and Cait.
Minutes later, Andrew manages to gather around the empty packets and cartons of junk, tossing them into the dustbin. He was straightening the bedspread when Caitlyn appeared in the room alongside a satisfied Maggie, whom he was sure Caitlyn had overfed with cat food in the kitchen.
"Thank you," he grudgingly uttered as he extended a hand for a mug.
She shoves him off, "Two cups doesn't mean one of 'em is for you."
"Wow! This is my room, y'know. Remember that."
"Oh, please," she took a seat on the bed, dropping the cups by the desk adjacent to the bed. "What's this about?" she asked as she glared at his laptop.
Shoot! I must have slept off whilst I was making my findings, Andrew thought, a news of sweat dripping down his face.
"$500, 000?! Andrew, don't tell me you considered doing this. This doesn't even sound real!"
He tried his best not to scoff. "Cait, it's no choir business," he rolled his eyes and reached for the mug she placed on the desk, "and yeah, I'm not coming to the library today."
"What?! You haven't attended any of Mr Chad's classes since this semester began. Or … have you been reading secretly?" she raised a brow as if to inspect his thoughts.
"I've got things to do," Andrew muttered, more of a whisper.
"I clearly can see that," she glared at his laptop again.
He shuts it before she can speak again.
"I hear there is a party next week," Andrew tries breaking the silence, his groggy eyes avoiding the morning sun which poured into his room gracefully.
"You already know, and of course, you aren't attending," she said, her eyes not leaving her cup.
Andrew fakes a smile, "Ow."
"Well, thanks for the coffee," she got up and placed her cup down gingerly. "I should head to the library now."
"Right." he stood up to accompany her to the door. Just before she steps out, she takes a short glance at his bed, Maggie and Cougar already occupying it.
"What is it?" he asks.
"Take care of them, or I'd pluck your eyes out," she threatened. He tries not to laugh at her hardened glare, which she tries to maintain but just makes her look hilarious. Andrew nodded in response, his hands still on the door knob.
As he returned to his bed, he remembered the expression she had on her face just before she exited the room. It was a type you could've missed if you weren't observant. And he knew what that look spoke of; it was nothing either of them would discuss. Not after that night.
Andrew crashed back into bed, and Cougar was quick to cuddle with him.
"You better tell Maggie she isn't having anything for the rest of the day." he smiled as he closed his eyes, preparing his plans for the day in his head.
* * *
Andrew locks the doors to his apartment, propped his Dracula-themed hoodie and plugged in headphones. He stared down at Pixie, "Let's take the leash off for today, Pixie girl," he crouched down to take them off, "but you must be a good girl, okay?"
Being a mixed-purpose residence that housed students and non-students, it's hard to miss a face at any time of the day; not even when it's past midnight. Andrew wasn't a fan of music, but when the idea struck, headphones became his friend. It was always easy to avoid having to respond to waves and greetings just like Mama Pico, an octogenarian who seems to always await his presence on the ground floor just to greet him.
The fresh feel of the morning air hit his nostrils, as he made his way to the antique shop.
He had finished selecting a few more mittens for Axle and Maggie since they were always losing theirs when he noticed Pixie wasn't behind him anymore.
Where did she go? His eyes scan the gothic items section.
Dummies, severed dolls, dark dresses, name it. Allen had once accompanied Andrew to the shop to get some shirts for Halloween, and that exposed his fear of spiders. Andrew chuckled at the thought of what he had planned for Halloween night that year: getting black widow spiders hidden in Allen's closet.
Andrew's leg bumps into something, causing him to crash on a cloth stand.
"Fuck!" he groaned, staring at the box on the floor.
"… a dating simulator game called Sexcapade …"
"… a pink-themed package and it's believed to be somewhere in North America."
There it was, sitting right in front of him. He found it.
Andrew had just discovered the game.