Page 18 of Chasing Mr. Prefect
“Yes, anak. Thank you. You kids take care, okay?”
“Ingat po,” I said and then awkwardly stood there and averted my eyes.
Cholo raised an eyebrow at me like he was asking me what I was doing and then I remembered to pull my dad’s hand towards my forehead. I walked to the driver’s side and watched till my dad disappeared inside the gates.
“Your dad’s cool,”Cholo commented as we approached our village.
He had thankfully not said a thing about my driving and had been helpful whenever I switched lanes. He was also relaxed, though at times I was braking too quickly I would see his fists taut on the grab handle above his head.
“He is. Thanks by the way for not being weird.”
“You thought I was going to be annoying you in front of your dad?”
“You never miss a chance to annoy me, so…”
“Well, I owe you. I thought I’d be on a UV express but here I am with ample legroom. Thanks for the ride.”
“You’re welcome. What street are you again?”
“Conde Nast. Just off Carnival Lane.”
“Ang lapit mo pala?” I commented, going past my street towards Carnival Lane.
“Yes, so you can come over anytime you need help with Finance. If I’m not in Ortigas, that is.”
“Come over? Close ‘yon?” I joked and I saw myself in the rearview mirror smiling. I didn’t know why but I found the idea of me going over to his house hilarious.
I turned the car to his street and he pointed towards a huge cream-colored house with a slightly overgrown garden. I parked the car in front and unlocked all the doors.
“We’re still not close, then? Even after you drove me home?” Cholo said, unbuckling his seatbelt.
I made a face at him. “The meter’s running. Labas.”
“Sweet mo talaga,” Cholo said, shaking his head. “Thanks again. Text me when you’re home.”
“Will do.”
“The offer stands,” he said. “I’m here to help you with Finance if you need it.”
He opened the door, got out, and then turned to face me before closing it. I didn’t know what to say to that so I just gave my best attempt at a smile.
“Have a good night,” I just said.
“You too, Lavinia.”
Cholo closed the car, and I waited for him to get inside the house before driving off.
CHAPTER 10
Fueled by my annoyance with Summer, I got extra determined to finish the poster draft that weekend. I did all of my homework that week in record time and went straight to making the stills after having dinner. I knew I would not be able to rest until I was satisfied with the final product.
At 2:30 a.m., my eyes were bloodshot, my head heavy from exhaustion, and my stomach was rumbling from hunger. I had this big craving for something savory and oily but there was nothing here of that sort. Well, at least, none that did not require cooking. Dad will not be back from Singapore till next week and Cris and Liana had gone on a trip with their side of the family. As I was all alone, had no idea how to cook, and did not have any intention to set the house on fire, I decided to just do a quick fast-food run.
The staff were having a chat when I came in. One of them smiled, laid out a tray, and waited for me to approach as I was a familiar face.
“Can I get a chicken nuggets meal, please,” I recited, staring at the menu overhead and computing how much it would total if I ordered everything I wanted. I checked my wallet and saw thatI had enough. “Go large with the fries and coke and then add extra rice.”
“Would you like an apple pie with that?” the girl at the register prompted, remembering my usual order.