Street Signs

Chapter 8

BRIELLE

Through the silent air inside, the clanking of utensils was passing to it. At the table, no mouth was talking and the gazes were just straight to the food. Everyone was busy feeling the delicacy and the pristine breeze that was entering by the grills.

"We shouldn't have eaten here," Queen whispered to me. "I can't talk loud in here. People are so... ugh, damn deaf and passive."

I turned my gaze to him while still chewing my food. It felt like I wanted to slap Queen's face because he was throwing me bad gazes as if he was blaming me for not being able to talk the way he wanted. If only I didn't have self-control, I should've hit her with my burning palm.

Still giving back the sharp look to Queen, I dropped the spoon and knife I was holding and took the napkin instead as I mouthed to him, "What do you wanna talk about?"

"Look, I want to talk about everything. I have many things stocked in my mind. It is as if my brain is the universe and my thoughts are the stars and galaxies."

I tsk-tsked. "I didn't give you permission to talk to me in that flowery way. But anyway, can't you tell me about those things without having your voice loud?"

Queen rolled her eyes again at me. "As if you don't know me, b***h. But alright, since you won and you'll never let yourself lose, I'll try my best then to speak in the quietest way I could."

"Good, just make it faster because we will still be attending our first class this morning. We shouldn't be late. I am stocked with tons of sheets."

"Alright, so... here's the thing," Queen took the glass of water and sipped a little before continuing. "Cheveyo is said to be one of the leaders in the camp-"

"Silence, please."

Queen shut and covered her mouth with her hands as he looked badly at the woman who talked at the counter who might be the manager of the restaurant. "Oh my god. I didn't know I am in a library," he said not in a loud manner, but our neighbors laughed because they were able to hear it.

My whole face turned red when the woman warned us because as I guessed, she was also able to recognize what Queen had uttered. I was completely aware of the rules of the restaurant I chose to be in, and the reason why I was here was to find inner peace, but Queen was giving me trouble. I didn't inform him anyway about the policy of the place, and that was why he was grumbling.

There was a scream from deep within that forced its way from Queen's mouth, it was as if his mad soul has unleashed a demon. His eyes burned and his fist was clenched hardly, making her nerves be seen through.

Fearing for my friend to make any wrongdoing inside, I tried explaining to him the principle of the shop— and that was serenity. I also told him the reason why I chose to be in this place, and because of that, he fixed his wrath face and glanced at me again with a grin.

"OMG. I'll be joining, really," he said, shaking off his feet, tingled. "I can't wait to see him remove his shirt and witness those sweats running down his f*****g hot body."

"Tsk..."

"I am so sure he had those six tough pieces of bread hiding in his shirt. OMG! How I wish he could get tired every second so his sweats rapidly run down to the point that he will remove even his pants!"

"Queen," I scathingly looked at him, "you are harassing him. You should stop it."

"Oh..." he bit his lip. "Did I, really?"

I nodded as I sipped a little amount of tea. "It might not be physically, but it's psychologically and verbal as well. Your words are abusive and it's not right to use them for naughty things. You better keep it in your mind because you don't know, someone in here might be listening thoroughly to every word you utter."

"Gosh... that's a scary warning," Queen swallowed his saliva. "Alright, I won't say those fouled words again. But, that doesn't mean I'm not hoping anymore."

"Queen..."

"It's true," he said, smirking. "But, going back... I have one question for you that's related to it."

"Okay, what?"

Queen leaned his face closer to me and asked in a low tone, "Will you be joining the camp?"

I sighed. "I told you I won't."

"But, why not? Is it about Zayden again, huh?"

I didn't speak.

"b***h, you should get out of that zone of your life. You won't be able to move if you stay in that position, I'm telling you."

"No. After all, the camp has nothing to do with me. It's just a waste of time and money."

"It has," Queen uttered firmly. "With that one-week camp, you will forget all your problems because you will surely enjoy the activities there. Make yourself happy, just once for a while, Brielle."

Again, I didn't utter any word.

"Look, I understand your situation right now. And as a friend, it's really my duty to put myself into your shoes so I could feel you. But, not all the time, I'll be with you. b***h, please, not in the darkness," Queen said. "There's only one kind of dark I am accepting..."

"Is there any kind of darkness?" I puckered my brow.

"Uh-huh."

"So, what's that darkness you want?"

"Lights off," he blinked.

My eyes smiled and the giggle that came out of me announced itself as if it were a million petals opening in warm sunlight. It softened the table as if my gentle sound could make the lamplight more golden and the fires burn warmer. I couldn't stay with a poker face because of Queen!

"You really are a b***h," I continued to chuckle.

"b***h is a b***h and I am born to be a b***h," Queen said in a rapping manner while doing some crazy gestures. But after some time, he went serious again, looking straight at my eyes. "So, tell me, are you now enlightened with my words of wisdom?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Let me think of it first."

Queen's eyes widened and he grinned as he mouthed, "So, you're gonna be thinking about it? And that means, the probability now becomes half?"

"Maybe there's a chance if my mind changed. Maybe, I'm not really sure."

Queen slightly slapped my shoulder. "You should be joining because Cheveyo is waiting for you to join. He must be expecting you to participate, so what are you waiting for? Is it alright for you to give him hopes but fail him in the end?"

"Stop it, Queen," I rolled my eyes. "I didn't give any hope and or hint that I'll be joining. You should get loathed of yourself for linking us two."

"I'm not linking you two as lovers though because I still respect Zayden. So, I might just link you as friends. And now, don't be mad."

"We can be friends, and that's for sure, but not more than that."

Queen expressed hesitations. "But I think he's interested in you," he said "I can see it in his actions, and in his words too! What a waste, you know!" He pouted and crossed his arms. "I like him, but now I don't think so. You captured his heart already, and that's so unfair for us who are waiting in the line."

"You must have misunderstood him," I drank a little amount of water. "We just met yesterday. We haven't talked yet, so how come that he is interested in me already? That's crazy, weird, and something I could fear."

That Cheveyo was still a mystery to me. He got different traits that made me think, especially during at night when I would lay in my bed. He got me thinking about an ocean of him that was hard to swim.

After that, Queen didn't talk again; instead, he continued eating and finished up his food because the time was running and we still needed to go to the university.

The two of us were about to leave the place when in time, free newspapers that were given by the staff came on our way. As soon as we accepted the bulletin, the first thing that caught our eyes was the picture of Zayden on the front page.

"THE JAR WHERE THE CREMATED BODY OF THE STUDENT FOUND DEAD IN ABBEY STREET, ZAYDEN GARCIA, WENT MISSING AT MIDNIGHT, NOVEMBER 9."

My eyes grew big after reading the headline. I went gawking for some time with my jaw dropped. When I realized about it, I ran in haste to my car which I gladly brought with me, and drove it without listening to Queen who was shouting at my back.

While driving through Aunt Yadora's house, my tears shed down rapidly from my eyes to my burnt cheeks. I had no knowledge about what was happening because I took a rest from the media. If ever something wrong had happened, I was complacent because I knew Aunty Yadora would inform me about it. But this time... was different.

Where was Zay's rest in peace?