Page 30 of Chasing Mr. Prefect
“Aww, so nice of you to remember me, unlike some others,” Summer said.
I heard a gasp but nobody dared to say anything to that. Liana’s friend just forced a laugh to break the ice.
“Of course, Summer.”
“Wait,” Summer said. I looked up to see her tilting her head and fixing her gaze straight at me. “Si Lavinia, wala?”
“Um,” Liana’s friend said, looking at me.
I shrugged, shook my head, and tried to smile but I did not trust my facial muscles to do what I intended it to. For all I knew, it probably looked like I was glaring at her.
“Aww, poor thing, hindi invited,” Summer said, sticking out her bottom lip in a small pout.
“Oh, no, don’t worry about it,” I said, words rushing out to not make it worse. “Don’t force it. I wouldn’t want her to get in trouble with the caterers over headcount. Or, you know, her family to run out of food.”
I let out a laugh to make the moment a little more lighthearted. I was always at Gian’s family parties and he would tease me a lot about my filling my plate with half the serving bowl of his mom’s caldereta and leaving his family to run out of food.
No one laughed with me and instead the room fell quiet. Liana’s friend looked like she had taken offense.
Good god. What did my face look like while I said that? Lagot!
“I meant–uh, you know Gian? He would tease me a lot about…” I started but I caught the smug expression on Summer’s face. I panicked internally, thinking of a way to repair what I had said and cursing myself for not properly wording it but if Summer’s expression was any indication, the damage was done. “Uh, never mind. CR lang ako.”
I took my bag with me and fled towards the club room’s exit, wanting to hide under a rock and never come back. What was I thinking?
They probably thought I was insulting her family! How embarrassing. Ano ka ba naman, Vinnie?
I had just made it to the bathroom next to Cholo’s office when Liana caught up with me.
“Vinnie.”
“Liana,” I said, relieved. “I’m sorry, I’m sure you know what I meant?—”
“No. That’s not going to work,” she said, cutting me off. The manner in which she spoke was cold. “You crossed a line back there.”
“Sorry, but that’s not how I wanted it to come out! You know how in Gian’s parties? He’d joke about how I always empty the caldereta plate, remember?”
“This is the last time I’m going to let this pass. I can take your barbs but the next time you’re rude to any of my friends—” She hesitated.
I raised an eyebrow, feeling attacked.
I had no intention at all of hurting Liana or offending her friend. I did not think Liana would ever not be on my side, and she always understood, but it looked like I did not have that privilege anymore.
It was just annoying that the one time I did not mean ill was when she took offense.
“What?” I said, almost daring her.
“I’m not going to be your doormat anymore. You have every right to refuse my offer of friendship but I draw the line at disrespect. You will not talk to my friends like that.”
That was reasonable but it hurt. The stinging feeling made my systems switch into default and unleashed evil mode.
“Yeah?” I said, smirking. “Bite me.”
“Okay! No biting in the school grounds,” said a familiar voice. Cholo approached us, his prefect smile plastered on. “Everything okay?”
“Yes. I was just about to go to the bathroom and Liana was just leaving,” I said, all the blood rushing to my head again. Evil Vinnie was in full force and was not going to go back where she came from. “Weren’t you?”
Liana said nothing and stared me down before going towards the direction of the club room. I let out an annoyed sigh, watching her figure disappear in the corridor.