Fan Fiction ❯ Do I really know what love is? ❯ All emotions are felt in just one day... ( Chapter 8 )

This is the 8th chapter of this story… Thanks for visiting… Please leave a review…

 

 

Chapter 8: Lessons with Guardian TJ

 

Clarisse's mornings have never been gloomy as this one. She woke up from her long sleep, seeing only a tiny speck of sunlight that was able to pass through her pink, satin curtains. She sat for a while on her bed, full of large pillows and a thick blanket. Clarisse yawned a little, then stood up and proceeded to her bathroom. She grabbed her slightly worn-out toothbrush and squeezed the lemon flavored toothpaste. While brushing her teeth, she stared at her reflection at the mirror in font of her. “This is it. Later on, I have to tell Sam my true feelings.” She bravely thought.

 

After getting ready for school, she went down to the dining area, already wearing her uniform. She pulled a chair and sat down carefully without even greeting her mom and dad.

 

“Is there any problem, dear?” Her mom worriedly asked as she laid down a plate of eggs and bacon on top of their wooden table. “You seemed to be in deep thought lately.”

 

Clarisse wondered for a moment if she'll tell her mom and dad that her problem is about a guy. “No mom. I'm just a bit tired from studying last night. You, know. Exams and all those school stuff…”

 

Her father appeared from behind the newspaper that he's been reading. He just felt to join the conversation of her beautiful wife and daughter. “I guess something might cheer you up.” He said, flashing a broad smile in his face.

 

Clarisse looked at him with one of her eyebrows raised.

 

“Melissa, I'll give you the pleasure of telling our beloved daughter the good news.” Aldred turned to his wife, his smile growing bigger and bigger. Melissa faced her clueless daughter and said, “We're expecting a baby.”

 

“It means, you'll be having a baby brother or a sister!” His dad enthusiastically added.

 

It took Clarisse a moment before she finally absorbed the fact that she's going to have a sibling. She felt so sleepy, but at the same time, very happy. “I'm so glad!” She exclaimed as she jumped from her seat, almost spilling her cup of hot chocolate on her uniform.

 

“We knew you would!” Aldred and Melissa said in unison.

 

Clarisse didn't have the time to tell TJ (I'll settle on calling him TJ than Tickle. It makes me feel that he's more handsome with that one!) that she's going to have a sibling because he always leaves their house way before Clarisse wakes up. So when recess time came, she walked up to him and tiptoed a little to reach his ear then whispered,

 

“My mom and dad are expecting a baby!”

 

“Really?” TJ said, feeling very happy for Clarisse and her parents.

 

“Yeah. And they also told me to start thinking of names for a boy or a girl. We're not yet sure of what my sibling's gender is.” She cheerfully said.

 

Clarisse, along with TJ, Diane and Xander made their way to the canteen, trying their very best not to be pushed by the thick crowd of students that are also on their way to have their snacks. The four of them felt very lucky because they still managed to find seats inside the hot canteen because it's overcrowded. The girls bought their snacks, while the two boys were left to their table to save seats for the Diane and Clarisse.

 

“Dude, what's the real score between you and Clarisse?” Xander teasingly asked TJ, leaving him clueless on why did Xander ask him such question.

 

“We're friends. Nothing more than that. Why?” TJ plainly replied.

 

Xander smirked, looking unsatisfied by TJ's answer.

 

“You answered me in showbiz-style. `We're friends' ” He mimicked TJ's answer childishly.

 

TJ just grinned, thinking that he just realized a counterattack for Xander's intriguing question.

 

“So, you are good in chess?” TJ started with a simple question.

 

“Yes.”

 

“You're family owns a bakery?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You also have a collection of weird looking toys?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You are courting Diane?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Did she agree to be your girlfriend?”

 

“Ye-” Xander stared at him, feeling dumbfounded. He had just spilled out their secret. TJ looked at him, grinning widely. Xander glanced at Diane, who is very busy with Clarisse in paying for their snacks because of the pack of first years around them.

 

“Don't worry, mate. I won't tell anyone about it if you don't want me to.” TJ assured Xander, still wearing his huge smile.

 

“So, are you ready?” Diane asked Clarisse as they walked back to their table where TJ and Xander were sitting. Though Diane didn't mention if what's the thing that Clarisse is ready for, she already knew what it is. Her conversation with Sam about how she truly felt about him.

 

“I think so. But I haven't seen him this morning. Have you?”

 

Diane shook her head, placing the tray of food on top of their table as Xander stared at their snacks hungrily. All of them grabbed a handful of fries and got their own drinks except for TJ.

 

“TJ, why are you not eating?” Diane asked.

 

“Youshouldeat.” Xander said as he filled his mouth with hotdogs and chips.

 

“Will you show some table manners?!” Diane glared at Xander, who is finding it hard to breathe because his mouth is so full.

 

“I'm not that hungry.” TJ said, sliding a drink towards him and placed the straw in his mouth, pretending to be drinking. Clarisse laughed monstrously. She remembered that TJ told her that he doesn't eat. All of a sudden, after all of these weeks, Clarisse just now recalled that TJ isn't human like them. She felt a surge of pity inside her, thinking how hard it is to blend with human beings when you can't do all the things that they can. Her laughing started to fade as she looked at TJ, who is trying his very best to produce a smile.

 

Their afternoon classes came and went, still, there's no sign of Sam around the campus. Clarisse felt uneasy, because she thought that he would have cornered her first thing this morning, or maybe approach her during recess or lunch break. But, nothing of it happened. She glanced at sky from their classroom's wide opened windows. Birds are flying merrily, free, without anything in mind. “I wish I could be free as they are…” Clarisse wearily thought.

 

TJ noticed her low spirits, thinking that the best way to help her is to leave her alone. He understood very well that today is a very tough Friday for Clarisse, for she has to answer Sam's confession. At the thought of what will be Clarisse's answer, TJ's stomach made a back flip, and he felt that something or someone had pinched his heart that made him feel a bit uncertain. “What's this feeling?” He asked his self, delving into his mind to analyze what kind of sensation had hit him. But when he can't understand any of the symptoms, he just smiled to himself and concluded that it's just stress because of this whole lot new experience that he's studying in the human world. He made a quick glance at Clarisse, and then joined the guys in their class, who are already at the foot of the stairs, heading for the gym to have their only separate class with the girls, which is Physical Education.

 

After their last subject, Diane felt like she's drunk and suggested the idea of having a mini concert at the karaoke bar, located at the 2nd floor of the newly renovated mall just a few blocks from their school. With Sam not showing up since morning, Clarisse told the gang that she'll pass for now and do her very best to make it up to them next time. Diane, Xander and TJ quickly agreed that she should just go home and have some rest, while the three of them are having fun at the karaoke bar (Xander and TJ made grunting noises when Diane said that they'll going to enjoy it because of her sweet voice).

 

They waited until Clarisse hopped on the bus, just to make sure that she'll go straight to her house. After the bus zoomed its way to the heavy traffic, caused by several public vehicles containing students and office workers that are also dying to wish that they're just at home and comfortably sleeping on their beds, Diane and the other two gleefully marched to the karaoke bar.

 

It's been already 20 minutes since Clarisse waved good bye to her friends to go home alone, but she's still inside the jam packed bus, sitting just a few inches beside the driver. It's 5:00 pm. and many people are also on their way home. When the bus stopped to load up additional passengers, Clarisse decided to step out of it and just go home by foot. She has already managed to walk about several blocks away from the highway, still hearing the bustling sounds of car horns and overcrowded buses like the one that she had ridden few minutes ago.

 

“Hi!” A cheerful voice called out. Clarisse looked around, catching the image of a tall guy with silky black hair that he recognized as Sam. He is standing beside the fountain at the park, wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of neatly-ironed jeans.

 

“Oh… Sam…” Clarisse gasped, wondering what on earth Sam is doing, standing in front of her, beaming at her happily. “Why are you here? I didn't saw you at school earlier. And why are you not wearing our school uniform?”

 

Meanwhile, two very handsome boys inside a karaoke bar are feeling annoyed, sick, stupid, and irritated and everything else that is associated with the word, `disgusted'. Diane is singing, one of her hand is holding a cordless microphone and her other hand seemed to have a world of its own. The look of her left hand appears to be doing a silly little dance step, or maybe it's just holding its temper to slap the two boys in front of it. It's up to you which one you prefer to be better.

 

“So why do you build me up (Build me up) Buttercup baby just to let me down…” She sang with the most energetic aura TJ and Xander have ever seen.

 

“And mess me around and the worst of all (Worst of all) you never call baby when you say you will…”

 

“I can't believe this…” TJ wearily said, pushing his hands against his ears, hoping that not even a single melody of Diane's song would be able to tackle his eardrums.

 

“But I love you still… I need you (I need you) more than anyone darling… You know that I have from the start…”

 

“Even if I'm her boyfriend, I still can't hide the fact that her singing is a bit… Uhmm… What I mean is…” Xander stammered, hesitating to finish off his sentence because Diane threateningly gazed at him.

 

“So build me up (Build me up) Buttercup, don't break my heart!” Diane ended her song number with an out-of-this-world pose. Obviously, TJ and Xander suffered enough on those 3 minutes of painful ear-splitting concert. The two guys barked with applauses, congratulating Diane for her extravagant performance (Just to not make her angry, of course).

 

“It seems like you two are enjoying,” Diane said, wiping off the sweat on her forehead.

 

TJ and Xander nodded desperately, thinking that this is the best way to stop her from another annoying performance.

 

“Well, get ready for round 2!” She cheerfully said, grabbing the microphone once again and pushed different digits on the karaoke box.

 

“Don't you wish you girlfriend was hot like me… Don't you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me...”

 

“Dude, she's not hot…” TJ fearfully said.

 

“At least she's a freak…” Xander sighed.

 

 

 

Well… That's it… Chapter 8… Thanks for reading… Thanks for visiting… Please Review…