The Girl Who Never Acts Like One

Chapter Seventeen: Painful Truths; Comforting Lies

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Matt was in the corner, sulking, and even replaying the conversation he had with his Ate back in that reserved room. The truth about something more than him, being an adopted child that he just learned from her, hit him very hard-very hard that he wanted badly to punch the wall next to him into pieces. He wanted to think clearly, but his mind was too clogged. Even discussing all the things he learned back in that room, seems impossible. It's just too hard...too hard to absorb and accept.

Too painful...too painful that he wanted to vanish and be extinct-by then. But, that won't be possible, of course. He was reminded by this instant reality by someone who out from nowhere, snapped him off from his haziness: Rogem. She was there so suddenly-out from the blue-asking him to why he was there. He forgot what he answered to her at that time, but he's sure that she'd explained her side to why she's there...if he isn't mistaken, it was something about being arranged into a blind-date by her Lolo, and that she's happy about it. He smiled at that idea, and had a bit of great chat with her to ease his mood, only to be fully awaken, when she mentioned that her blind-date is Ian Lopez.

That probably drained all the color off from his face.

They were still comfortably talking about school and their future projects, when so suddenly, he noticed a wisp of black wavy hair went past the restaurant's big glass windows, and then into the back of the wall of the restaurant's entrance. There's no mistaking it that that person's hair is Rhainne's. 13 years of knowing each other, may include knowing each other's hair so much deeply, (on the head only, okay?) isn't?

He doesn't want to act impulsive, though. He firstly clarified his suspicion to Rogem by asking her if ever she invited Rhainne to come over. She replied a yes, and that made him stand on his feet in an instant, before she could even process the whole thing.

He took five lengthy strides to the restaurant's entrance, only to see at his left that his sister and the bastard who took Rhainne yesterday night, were kissing. Upon seeing such, his fury went higher than he expected it to be, and before he even knew it, he glared at Ian, then took Rhainne,-who just stepped out from her hiding place; face, for a second, unmistakably flashed with hurt (though she tried to mask it with another emotion, which did turn out well)-out from the restaurant, his hand lacing hers.

He tried hard not to blush with the act, but he couldn't help. Altogether, with their athletic endurance, they ran and ran out of the restaurant and into the vastness of the park, hand in hand and for no exact reason at all...but perhaps, only to get away. From problems.

Then they stopped, out of breath. Then scanned their surroundings. They're still in this wide park, no doubt, but now facing a café instead of that damn restaurant.

"Matt...I never expected you to be there," Rhainne said in the middle of panting.

"You too, even," he replied, and like her, his words are caught in the middle of fast short breaths. Casually, he wiped his forehead's sweat with his sleeves, then looked back at the café, and into their posters pasted on their glass windows, about having new Cappuccinos worth 99 pesos, "Guess we should have a drink?"

Rhainne frowned and made a face of disapproval.

"I don't have money anymore, you know," she explained, "Spent it all for Rogem's little b-day gift...this fancy white rose balloon that's worth 200," she waved her wrist to where the balloon is tied, "Creepy for her to love white roses, isn't? These flowers are best for funerals. White."

He laughed, secretly not telling her that this is his first time to notice that she is bringing a balloon along with her. All the time when they were running, he was only conscious about the warmth of her hand on his, and nothing more. This thought made his cheeks flash pink for awhile, but then, he managed to hide it in an instant, afraid to be caught in the act. He changed the topic.