Chapter 2
He did what?! How can anyone get full marks in an essay test?
Grace exclaimed in utter disbelief, eyes popping out of their
sockets.
What? Someone scored full marks? Whos that monster? putting down
her tray of sizzling clay pot rice, a rosy-cheeked girl joined the
table.
Yeah, his name is Andrew, a friend of a friend of mine. I think we
just passed his table, straining her neck this way and that, a
girl with nearly tied hair said rather excitedly, Ah, there he is,
that blue table just in front of the western food stall. Angel, can
you see him? The guy in jeans.
Erm, Emily, there are three guys at the table and they are all in
jeans, Grace raised an eyebrow.
Oh, right. I wasnt looking at the other guys, sorry for that,
Emily chuckled, Hes the one with the chicken rice, the one whos
raising his fork, dipping his chicken into chili sauce and is now
popping it into his mouth. And he is not cutting the cucumber with
his-
Thank you for that interesting commentary, Im sure we got the
guy, right Angel? Grace stopped her friend before she could get to
the intricacies of the way he is chewing his chicken.
Yeah, saw him. Guy in jeans with cucumber rice, Angel said
without as much as a look in that direction.
Actually we usually call it chicken rice, but I guess thats close
enough, Emily poked fun at her friend.
Er yeah, thats what I mean, Angel said with a hint of a
blush.
Hes rather cute you know. I heard from a very reliable source
that hes still unattached, Emily grinned mischievously, Maybe
Ill ask him out sometime.
Angel and Grace shot their heads up at the comment, one face showed
slight horror and the other extreme amusement.
I was just joking. Im not stupid you know. A guy like that is
totally not my style. Besides, the very reliable source told me
that he is single solely because he likes some girl from his junior
college class but is too shy to ask her out, Emily said, not quite
believing in the last part of her statement herself.
Shy? Is that even possible? Grace snorted. She could always see
him swimming his way among the ladies as though he owned
them.
Well, I dont quite believe it either, but if he says so, Ill
trust that, Emily shrugged nonchalantly.
He? Grace was confused, but was soon enlightened, Oh, your
very reliable source is a he? Odd, I thought only girls gossip-
er, discuss matters with their friends.
For your information, HE tells me things because we are close
friends. But he wouldnt tell me who the girl is. Maybe he doesnt
know. Or maybe the girl is someone I know, Emily rubbed her chin
in speculation, Hmmm
Maybe its Angel. Emily couldnt control
her laughter at that absolutely absurd idea.
Angel jumped in her seat, blowing intently at her reddened thumb,
which she burnt on the clay pot. Can you not scare me with your
creative crap? Angel teared slightly as she helplessly watched the
wound form into a decent blister.
Are you alright Angel? Grace grabbed her friends palm to inspect
the thumb. It looked so painful she frowned very deeply and cast a
disapproving look at Emily. Speaking of that essay test, Emily, I
told you to study the Order Carnivora, but you didnt listen. See
what youve got?
Oh come on, the Order Primates did come out in the bonus question,
although I mistook arboreal lifestyle to be social grooming
activities, Emily shuddered at the thought of her ridiculously
out-of-point answer to that question.
Grace sighed through a smile. Although Angel, Emily an herself had
been as close as sisters, yet all three of them were as different
as the planets. Angel was a sweet sensitive, soft spoken girl, and
very, very shy around strangers, especially around guys. She had
three sisters and a brother, all of whom were younger than her. She
always felt obliged to take care of them. A really caring sister
she was, but Grace felt that she does so much for them that she
doesnt really have much time for herself. Emily was exactly the
opposite of Angel, always bubbling with the latest gossip she
eavesdropped from her unimaginably large circle of friends. She was
the only child and being the princess of the family, she never
quite developed the correct tactfulness. Never one who minces her
words, Grace amused herself with the memories of past glitches
Emily was responsible for, due to sheer straight-forwardness. As
for herself, she could be quite an ice block at times, as Emily
liked to say. But she always dismissed it as a result of her
inability to smile when there is absolutely nothing to smile at.
She knew how charming her smiles could get, but she saw no point in
wasting them on strangers. Besides, an emotionless face coupled
with the right proportion of piercing eyes brewed the most
effective buaya-warding concoctions known to man.
As Grace ate her dumpling noodles and half-listened to Emilys
enthusiastic sharing of yet another scandal, she took a glance at
Andrew, the boy who scored the legendary full-marks for
Biodiversity essay test. She didnt buy that Im too shy to ask
the girl I like out nonsense Emily said about him. She had always
caught him flirting around with the girls after class, charming
them with his good looks and brilliant mind, though she doubted
those bimbos cared as much as she did for intelligence in a guy.
Just this morning, Cindy had called her at 2 am, b!tching and
crying about how she was brutally rejected. He didnt seem shy at
all from the way he rejected a girl. She knew for sure from the way
Cindy cursed him to hell. Shy my foot. Grace mentally spat at him
and numbered him among the To-Avoid list of people. She was about
to roll her eyes away from the table when someone else caught her
eye.
The guy from her biodiversity class had just joined the table with
his steaming hot what-ever-it-is in the big green bowl. Andrew said
something and made him laugh. Although he was not as dazzlingly
handsome as Andrew, no one can deny the hypnotic magnetism of his
sunshine smile. Not even her. He looked up and their eyes met. She
saw the same seductive shine in his eyes as was in Andrews. Birds
of the same feather, Grace thought to herself, as we went back to
concentrate on her lunch, chucking the guy under her mental
Maybe-To-Avoid list.
Grace, you free after the lecture later right? Help me choose a
present for Annie? Her birthdays this Friday, Angel always asked
Grace for gift ideas for her siblings.
Erm, todays Monday, remember? Grace reminded Angel of her
uncompromising routine. She wouldnt give in about that unless it
was dead important.
Oh right, the cats, Angel smiled apologetically for forgetting
how Grace always spent Monday and Thursday evenings with the cats
at her void deck.
How about Wednesday? We can meet for dinner then go shopping for
it. I saw this wallet at Far East, Im sure Annie will love it,
Grace proposed another date seeing the disappointment in her
friends eyes.
Yeah, thatll be great, Angel winked at Grace with a really sweet
smile and Grace returned it with one of her rare charming
ones.
Grace noticed how Emily has just erupted into a brisk-eating worthy
of a Guinness World record. Emily, why are you gorging yourself?
You dont have any more lessons for the day right? Grace stared in
disbelief and horror as Emily successfully engulfed the last of her
laksa.
M meetn fwen fer tardyin n m ate, Emily spoke through that
mouthful of food and made a massive gulp, swallowing that lump of
partially chewed bean curd, you girls enjoy your psychology
lecture later and tell me why girls organize toilet excursions
okay? Emily zoomed off before either of them could reply.
Grace looked at her watch, which said a quarter to one, didnt
Emily say she is meeting a friend at one? Grace double-checked
with Angel.
Yeah she did. Is anything wrong? Angel said while still working
on her clay pot rice. It was awfully difficult to manoeuvre the
spoon when you have a blister planted right at the joint of the
thumb.
Its only a quarter to one and she said shes late. Did I hear
that wrong? Since when has Emily been even on time when she meets
us? Grace exclaimed in slight indignation, I think you should
carry a plaster, in case that blister bursts. She continued,
handing over a plaster to Angel. She continued to finish her lunch
after a moments contemplation over who Emilys rushing to
meet.
The two girls finished the rest of their lunch in silence and made
their way to the bus stop. There was a dense crowd waiting for the
shuttle bus which would take them to the Faculty of Arts. Grace
sighed lamentedly at the prospect of another squeeze.
Angel, you dont supposed we could walk to Arts, do you? Grace
asked hopelessly.
But its noon! Ill melt, and then stink up the while lecture hall
when we get there, Angel looked at her with the you-must-be-joking
look.
Yeah, I was just kidding. Anyway, the bus is here, lets squeeze
up. Grace sighed.
The bus took them to the Faculty of Arts in seven minutes. The two
girls occupied their usual study table just outside the lecture
room where their lecture would take place in an hour. Grace took
out her diary to continue writing where she left off on the bus
that morning. She flipped open the diary and the pages opened up to
where she had slipped the poem paper that guy on the bus returned
to her. She read the poem again and was utterly amused by it. She
wrote that during lab last Friday, when the professor was going
through answers to the essay test.
The poem read:
In a bell jar a sea sponges on display
Do not touch a sign on it says
To Mr. Sea Sponges absolute dismay
That didnt keep a boys curious hands away
Another black invertebrate slug
Had the honour of his fingerly hug
Then his friend came and gave it a tug
Poor Mr. Slugs dented where their fingers had dug
A cute little starfish with five tentacles in sum
Lay in a basin, dignified and calm
That boy gave it a handshake and did it great harm
Now poor Ms Starfish is left with four arms
Grace smiled at the last stanza. She remembered having nearly
bursting out in giggles in the laboratory when she wrote it. The
vivid memories of the guys sheepish and apologetic smile while
holding the decapitated startfish has made her laugh to herself the
whole of that day. Putting the poem aside and picking up her
favorite purple pen, she continued with her diary entry:
[Ill have him enrolled in a class to learn how to treat a lady
right. To think a handsome, intelligent guy like him would have
manners to complete the package. Urge! Alright, disgusting male
chauvinistic piglets aside, my lost poem found its way to mama
today by way of a guy. The guy whats his name?- was surprisingly
Andrews friend. Why havent I noticed that before? Never mind that
questions, I dont usually notice strangers anyway. But there is
something
.. not quite the same about this guy. I dont really
like the way he looked at me on the bus. It was very
..
invading.]
Grace frowned at this thought. She remembered feeling watched
during biodiversity practical last Friday and wondered if he was
the one who was looking at her. How else would he have noticed her
dropping the poem? Shaking away that disturbing speculation, she
continued writing:
[I wonder what kind of guy he is like, although Id probably not
want to find out. Any friend if Andrews not going to be a good
friend of mine, Im sure. No matter, I still prefer a cat to a guy
any time. Which reminds me, Nini didnt seem well the last time I
saw her. Maybe shes going to give birth soon. I hope the babies
are alright. Ill have to start thinking of new names! Oh I wonder
how many kittens shell be having this time.]
Grace couldnt wait to see the new kittens when they were born. She
secretly hoped Nini would have more orange kittens; they were just
so much cuter and tamer. Her thoughts were interrupted by
Angel.
Grace, can I borrow your psych notes for last lecture? I fell
asleep at the end and kept forgetting to borrow them from
you.
Hang on, Grace nodded and flipped through her purple file for the
notes, here, you can return them tomorrow if you want.
Thanks, Angel smiled gratefully and went back to her work. Grace
kept her diary and pulled out her psychology tutorial to busy
herself with while waiting for lecture to start. The days lecture
would be on cognitive learning, her favorite aspect of psychology.
She was looking forward to the lecture already.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
