Chapter 5 - Double Threat

Against my will, I drove to the meeting place that my classmate Nadia had texted me the other night. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to escape the lead role that they had given to me, much less skip this practice altogether. So many people were counting on this; the whole class, my two quirky yet annoying best friends, who I was close to strangling with my bare hands, and Glace.

I was sure of the others, but with her, my mind was blank. She did mention that she wouldn’t take the role if I weren’t her Juliet, so was she sending me mixed signals? Or perhaps she was taunting me because I didn’t accept her offer to pose nude? Don’t expect or think of anything, Dulce, I told myself. Like always, just pretend that you’re cool with everything so that you can live your life normally in school. What do you call people like me? Exactly. A pushover.

I sighed. This was exactly the reason why I disliked high school with a passion. Don’t get me wrong—I loved the studying and learning aspect of it. As for the rest… Well, let’s just say that it plain old sucked. Everything revolved around cliques, popularity, and being ‘cool,’ and I didn’t really understand what that entailed.

It was a good thing that they found me cute, likable, and all those puke-worthy words strewn together that I despised so much. At least I didn’t have to try hard to fit in, unlike other people at school. You should see how they treated the others—especially the other LGBTQ+ kids. It was downright disheartening.

I rounded the corner and produced my cellphone from my pocket. The address indicated seemed to be right, so this must be the place. I pulled over to a spot and switched the engine off. After I got out of the car, my eyes traveled to the huge house in front of me. The size of the building was comparable to Glace’s property, but I didn’t know which one of my classmates owned it.

Oh, well, I guessed I just had to find out on my own. I squared my shoulders and walked past the lawn and straight to the front of the door. My hands found the button for the doorbell, and I gave it a push. Don’t forget to smile, Dulce, I reminded myself.

The thick wooden door opened, and two very familiar hands snaked their way around my back, giving me a small hug. The smell of cinnamon wafted to my nose, and I found myself taking a deep sniff despite knowing the person who hugged me. Have I told you that I loved cinnamon as much as I adored coffee? No? Well, now you know.

“What are you doing here, Denise?” I took her hands and gently pried her away from my body. The hug was nice—I’ll give you that. She was an inch taller than me, and her ample breasts brushed against mine when she leaned in. It was because I knew it was her that I was totally uncomfortable.

She pouted at me, her full lips, which were currently covered in light peach-colored lip gloss, making this sad smiley motion. I almost laughed out loud. Not because she looked ugly or anything but because I knew I was the only one who could do that to her. My mom was right when she said that Denise had a thing for me.

“Babe, is that the right way to greet the owner of the house?”

I arched an eyebrow at her. “What do you mean? I came here for practice.”

She gave me a patronizing look and moved closer, doubling my discomfort. “You’re so silly, babe. This is my house.”

I took a step back. “But you’re not my classmate, Denise.” I glanced quickly to my left and right, wondering what was going on.

“Of course I’m not, silly,” she said before grabbing my right arm and practically hauling me inside the house. She took me by surprise, so I couldn’t do anything but follow her.

She guided me to a modern-styled living room that looked very much like Glace’s house. I hadn’t realized that Denise came from money. My mom and I weren’t poor. Just as I have told you before, she had a lot of famous clients. But we were very practical. We preferred to live in a smaller home, unlike this one, because there were only the two of us.

My eyes roamed around the living room. I didn’t spot any of my classmates, and at the back of my mind, I had a sinking feeling that it was a setup. Denise pushed me gently onto the black leather sofa while she sat beside me, too close for comfort.

I moved several inches away from her and gave her a confused look. “What am I doing here, Denise? I was supposed to attend practice for the play.”

“We need to talk about us, Dulce,” Denise said with a bit of impatience. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, giving me the chance to study her features. I hadn’t looked at her like this since last year. I’d actually avoided staring at her for too long since she rejected me. There was no point in it. But here and now, I had no choice.

Sunlight streamed inside the window behind us, highlighting her straight blonde hair. From my view, it looked like it was on fire. She kind of reminded me of Barbie with her thick lashes and all-American appearance. Add to that the height of 5’9” and a toned, slender body, and she was basically a moving mannequin.

It painfully reminded me of why I had fallen for her last year. Yup! She was gorgeous, and she knew it. She often used it to her advantage, too, especially when it came to me. But that wasn’t the reason why I came here, and besides, she had turned me down already.

I finally found my voice after seconds of ogling her. “You must have meant the words’ me and you,’ Denise, because there was no ‘us’ to begin with.” I emphasized the word ‘us’ to her so she’d understand. “How many times do I need to remind you that you turned me down?”

She sighed and closed her eyes for a brief moment before looking at me again. “What if I changed my mind?”

I licked my lips nervously. Was she saying what I thought she was saying? Did she want to get together? What should I do?

“Say it to me clearly so I’d understand,” I croaked. My throat suddenly felt dry, and I thought I was hyperventilating a little.

“I thought about what you said to me last month, Dulce.” Our eyes met, but Denise averted her gaze quickly and turned pink at the cheeks. Was the queen bee blushing? Impossible! “Anyways,” she added. “I really like you, Dulce, and by that, I meant not as a friend.”

“What, like a frenemy?” I snorted. She narrowed her cloudy grey eyes at me, effectively wiping the cheeky smile from my face.

“No, Dulce. I want to be your girlfriend,” she said seriously.

I felt a lump form in my throat, so I swallowed hard to get rid of it. “Denise,” I started, “I don’t know if this is such a—” She leaned near me before I could even finish the sentence and brought her lips to mine.

The thought I was holding on to vanished in an instant. My mind concentrated on her soft lips, her cinnamon taste, and how my stomach did this weird flip when our mouths connected. My eyes closed on their own, and I got lost in the kiss. Her hand found its way into my hair, and she tugged it a little, pulling a low moan from me. She took that opportunity to slip her tongue inside my mouth, and I just let her. The inexperienced part of me wanted this as much as I liked kissing her.

We both pulled away for air, and I clenched my jaw out of confusion. Denise was a good kisser, having gained a lot of practice from the popular alpha males at our school. Her hand found my legs, and she glided it up and down over my jeans while I tried to catch my breath. This was all very new to me.

When my pounding heart finally calmed down, I stared at her and asked her a question that had always bothered me when it came to her. “I heard that the captain of the soccer team, James, had a thing for you. Did you turn him down?”

Her eyes widened, and her hands stopped their movement. “Not exactly,” she said guiltily.

My eyes narrowed at her, and I stood up against my own volition. “Not exactly?” I asked loudly. “You mean that you’re together with him?” I ran a hand through my hair. “Oh my God, Denise, you’re planning on two-timing him with me.”

She stood up and made her way near me. “No, babe, I’m going to break up with him for you. I promise.” She touched my shoulder, but I recoiled from her by taking two steps backward.

“Stop playing me, okay?” I said in disgust. “This will be the last time that I fall for your silly games, Denise. If you’re not going to take me seriously, then just don’t go anywhere near me. And tell Nadia that she’ll pay for this.”

I stormed out of the house before Denise could do anything. She’d been manipulating me for a year, and I was so sick of it. Her state of mind and reasoning were beyond me. If she had anything to gain from this, then I wanted to know what. Did she get a kick out of every time she turned me down or toyed with my heart? It was not funny anymore.

My phone vibrated, alerting me of an incoming call. I went to the car before answering it. “Nadia, you bitch!” I said. The other line was silent. “Hello?!” I said angrily.

“Having a bad day, Dulce?” came Glace’s low voice. I glanced at the number quickly. It wasn’t Nadia’s phone number. I should have checked it before answering.

“Oh, hey,” I said awkwardly.

“So… You didn’t attend practice today, so I just convinced them to cancel the whole thing. Did you have an emergency?”

I felt my cheeks heat up in shame. This was all Denise’s doing. She and Nadia had tricked me.

“I got caught up in something,” I said with an apologetic voice. “Listen, Glace, I feel really bad for this. I know that all of you are busy and you waited for nothing. It wasn’t exactly my fault, but if there’s some way I can make it up to you, I’ll do it.”

I sensed her smile on the other line. “If that’s what you really want, then you can make it up to me by meeting me today.”

“Sure. Where?” I asked before I could even stop myself. Fudge! What if she wanted to draw me nude? Bad move, Dulce!

“See you at your house,” she said and hung up.

My house? What did she want to do there? And more importantly, did she know my address? I drove as quickly as I could—within the speed limit, of course—and reached my modest home within minutes. I walked past the picket fence and turned the doorknob.

From inside, I heard my mom laughing heartily. She hadn’t informed me that we’d have a guest today. I peeked into the living room and saw Glace chatting merrily with my mother on the sofa. Both of them were looking at my baby pictures and giggling amongst themselves.

“Glace,” I said more sharply than I intended. They both looked at me. “What are you doing here?” I asked. I gave my mom an accusing glare. “Why are you showing her my baby pictures, Mother? It’s embarrassing.”

Mom looked shamelessly at me and pointed her head in Glace’s direction. “Dulce, why didn’t you tell me that Frio was your friend? If I knew she was coming over, I would have prepared something for her.”

“How do you know each other?” I asked.

“She was a client of mine,” Mom explained. “Remember the time that I asked you to bring the bag for me? Frio was going to have a photoshoot that day, and I was the one who did her makeup.” My traitor mother stood up from the couch and gave Glace a huge smile before turning back to me. “Anyway, I have to leave now since I have an on-call for another client. Be good to Frio and show her around if you can.” Mom walked near me and gave me a kiss. She whispered, “You called her Glace. We’ll talk about this when I come home.”

I cringed inwardly. Nothing got past my mother. After bidding her goodbye, I stared awkwardly at my beautiful companion. “What are you doing here?” I repeated the question from earlier.

She shrugged and got up gracefully from the couch. Her coffee-colored eyes were dancing with amusement. Today, she was wearing shorts that accentuated her long and shapely legs, a blue crop top that showed off her abs and feminine body, and brown desert boots. My eyes went back to her stomach. It was just the way I liked it. Two lines were etched on her toned tummy, giving me a hint that she worked out or was at least athletic. Her looks were really made for the camera.

Glace snapped her fingers in front of her. “Hey, my eyes are right here.”

My face heated up, and I looked everywhere but in her direction. “Yeah, sorry. I got lost in my thoughts,” I excused myself.

“More like got lost in my body,” she said under her breath, but I still heard it. “So, where is your room?”

I stared suspiciously at her. “Upstairs. Why?”

She took a black hair tie from her pocket and skillfully pulled her raven locks up, showing off her nape. The glimmer in her eye returned when she glanced at me. “I want to see your room. Show me?”

“No way,” I objected forcefully. There was no way in hell that I was going to invite her inside my room. It would be too uncomfortable for me. I wasn’t embarrassed or anything, but somehow, letting her in would be like permitting her to have a peek into my mind. Even Tim and Patty were not allowed to go there, and the three of us had been friends since the beginning of time.

Glace caught me unawares when she darted past me and ran upstairs. She had a few seconds ahead of me, but I followed her nonetheless. My foot slipped on a step, but I was able to hold on to the railing. As soon as I got my balance back, I trailed after her.

It was too late. She was already inside my bedroom, smiling as she sat on the bed and looked around in wonder. Her eyes roamed my small sanctuary, and I saw her take in everything. She observed the collage of pictures on my wall, the bookshelf brimming with my favorite novels and cookbooks in one corner, and the piano keyboard near my desk.

“You play?” she asked.

“Since I was ten. You?”

My mom had forced me to take piano lessons as a kid. I always hated the teacher for being too strict and making me read the music sheet. But as I grew older, I learned to love the calming music and the way my hands glided over the keys. Of course, my like for it was only second to my love for cooking and coffee. Those were still the top activities.

She nodded in response to my question. “Yeah, I know how to play. I had to, or he’d think poorly of me.”

“Who?”

“My father,” she said casually. I didn’t ask her to explain. It felt like that would be crossing a certain boundary, and it was too private for me to know. I nodded and sat on the bed beside her.

“Do you find this amusing, Glace?”

She turned to me. “What is?” she asked innocently. As if she didn’t really know. She’d been playing with me ever since we met that day at the café.

I spread my arms a little and gestured to the room. “You know. All this. You’re a celebrity, Glace. Why are you here, in my house? You could be partying with Selena or Demi or what’s-her-name right now. I think you’re tired of all that, and you’re looking for something to amuse you.”

She sighed. “I don’t have a single celebrity friend, Dulce, so I won’t be partying with anyone anytime soon. To tell you the truth, I hate partying anyways. Maybe I did once, when it was all new to me. But after ten years in the industry, it became stale fast.” Glace leaned back and lay down on the bed. “I’m not looking for amusement; I’m searching for something else.”

“Like what?” I asked with a hint of intrigue.

She glanced at me and curled her finger, beckoning me to lean nearer. I did as suggested because of curiosity and brought my face to her side. My legs turned to jelly when she pecked my cheek with her soft lips.

“It’s top-secret, Dulce. After the school play, maybe I’ll tell you.” She chuckled and added, “Maybe.”