Page 39 of Chasing Mr. Prefect
I turned to look at him, smile fading. He was serious.
“I’m sorry, Vinnie. I’m sorry I made your childhoods miserable,” he told me. “I apologize for adding to the already heavy burden of losing your mom back then. And I apologize for making light of it now that we met again, when the first thing I should have done was this.
That whole experience of being bullied was not a joke. I deeply regret my actions and I could only hope to make amends by doing right by you this time around.”
I gulped, only just realizing the weight of those words. “You are. You’ve been nothing but helpful these past few weeks.Okay, let’s not get carried away, you were a bit of a pain in the beginning,” I replied, and he cracked a smile again. “But I appreciate that. And I’m sorry, too.”
I paused, taking a deep breath.
“I owe you an apology, too, for all the shitty things I said the other day. I didn’t have anyone else except for Gian and Liana for most of my life, so I have no idea of how to be a friend or whatever. I thought you were just being my club chairperson. You were being a good friend, gutsy enough to call me on my bullshit and I threw that in your face.”
Cholo did not comment.
“Thanks for looking after me during this whole Ephemere thing. I know I’m not like the club veterans in your team but I’m learning. All that help is appreciated. I apologize for not being able to properly convey that.”
“That’s fine. I’m glad we’re talking about it now.”
“I’m glad we’re talking again, period,” I said and that got him to smile again, not the golden boy kind but the other. The one where his eyes turned into half moons and his dimples showed.
“Congrats on scoring the launch, by the way. It’s the first time a major event got such a thing.”
“Thanks! And I know, it was so funny to me. We’re having a party to launchanotherparty. That is unheard of!”
“Party club reputation intensifies!” Cholo quipped. “Anyway. Is there anyone waiting for you at home?”
“No. Not really.”
“Do you want to get dinner before getting home?”
“Oh my god, yes!” I said. “The malls might already be closed, though.”
“There are food chains outside our village that run for twenty four hours, but we’re a good ten minutes away. Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” I replied. “I could eat a whole pizza right now.”
“Then yes, we’re having pizza. Hang tight.”
CHAPTER 17
The smell of cheese, garlic, and tomato sauce made our mouths water upon entering the pizza place. I folded my arms over my tummy to stop it from making embarrassingly loud sounds as I surveyed the menu.
“Which flavor?”
“Weh? Really? Libre mo?” I replied and he gave me a withering side glare. Not wanting to get back on his bad side too soon, I decided to humor him. “I want the shrimp and garlic one. The mojos here are awesome, too.”
Afterwards, I skipped away toward a vacant booth in the corner. I got a text from Liana, asking me where I was and telling me to take care, albeit a little cold without her usual emojis. I looked at it for one second longer than necessary before swiping the notification away.
Cholo came back with a receipt and two cokes a little later. “Usog,” he said, putting one of the cans in front of me. I obliged and scooted over. “Why are you looking at your phone like it would bite you?”
“Liana texted me. I don’t know what to say yet.”
“Well, don’t send your long-overdue apology via text. Wait till you get home. But do text her where you are.”
“Uh. Okay,” I said, texting her I was just outside the village and not to worry. “Anyway, where were you the whole day? And why were you wearing a dress shirt?”
We usually had to turn up in corporate apparel when we had case presentations but it could not have been that as he was not even in school all day.
“I had an interview,” he replied, tucking the receipt neatly inside his wallet. I kept staring and noticed how the bills were sorted by denomination. The attention to detail made my head ache. “That’s why I wasn’t in class all day.”