Unclutter, page 3
“We’ve never had complaints from our residents in the last thirty years,” the landlady informed us. “There is a check every six months for pests.”
“But if we do?” Rory pressed. “Would you compensate us?”
I admired Rory’s negotiation skills. I was the type to accept the terms and conditions placed before me without bothering to see if they could be changed. But Rory ensured he got the best out of any opportunity.
“If it comes to that, I’ll think about it,” she said hesitantly.
We went around the house, inspecting it for any apparent damages. Everything looked intact and met most of our requirements. The place wasn’t fancy or beautiful, but it had the bare minimum necessities. Most importantly, it was within a university student’s budget.
“Why is there no padlock on the outside of the room doors?” I asked the landlady.
She gave me a puzzled look. “Why do you need to lock the room from outside? Do you have valuables?”
I shook my head. “No, but it’s mandatory for my room door to have a lock on the outside and inside.”
The landlady looked reluctant and began to fiddle with the keys nervously. My eyes met Rory’s. He nodded in agreement and gave me a reassuring smile. He was the only one who knew about my habit of locking my room every time I entered or exited it.
Back when we were fourteen, Rory’s family had come to visit us at my grandparents’ farm which was about a half an hour drive from Duckville. He overheard me demanding that my maternal grandparents—whom I called Grammy and Gramps—install a lock for my room door. When Rory questioned me about this later that day, I told him, “That’s the only way I’ll feel safe.” He hadn’t prodded further and had even diverted his sister’s attention the next day when she was puzzled to see a padlock installed only on one door in the entire house.
“I will pay an additional deposit if you give me permission to install my own lock,” I offered the landlady now, encouraged by my best friend’s assurance.
“That works for me,” the landlady agreed.
I raised my eyebrows at Rory as if to ask, “Can we finalize this place?”
Rory gave me two thumbs-ups, our faces cracking into identical grins.
“Then, we’re ready to sign the lease and make our deposit now,” Rory said.
The landlady led us to her office. “I have already leased one of the rooms. They are from Duckville too.” She rummaged through her papers. “Here it is. Laila Yousuf, your third roommate.”
I gasped, delighted that I was going to be roommates with two of my closest friends. How exciting was that?
Rory looked happy, as well, and high-fived me.
The landlady smiled at us. “It looks like all of you know each other. Well, that’s good for me, because I won’t need to look for new tenants for a long time.”
After finalizing our lease, Rory and I headed back home to Duckville. I drove, while Rory slept in the passenger seat. I thought about buying my own car once I started university. The Strollfield Cultural Society had paid me for coding the mobile app, and I expected my final installment to come through when the app development was complete at the end of the year. I would be able to afford a ten-year-old used car with both the installments.
I was excited to live independently and step into adulting. I knew it would be difficult, but I felt ready. I had always been a reclusive student in school, with few friends. In college, I wanted to expand my social circle, join clubs, meet new people, and maybe give romance a chance.
But would a big city like Strollfield accept me? Would my fashion sense repel them? I’ve been unpopular in Duckville, mostly because of the way I dressed. I didn’t look like a teenager as much as a grandmother.
And romance? How was I supposed to find love when I never let anyone close to me?
Ha. Who am I kidding? I am going to remain the same, boring Tina Lauren.
Thoughts about a not-so-fresh start clouded my mind as I drove on to the oddly pleasant background score of Rory snoring softly. Despite realizing that I would never be a social butterfly, I couldn’t help but feel hopeful about starting the next chapter of my life with my best friend. Maybe it would turn out okay after all.
Once in our town, I drove to my house, waking Rory up, and then he switched to the driver’s seat and headed home. Back in my room, I unlocked my room door and locked it from inside. Exhausted from the day, I fell asleep the minute I hit the sack.
Chapter 4
“Princess, where are you, my princess?” called a creepy voice.
No, I am not getting back into their clutches. I am safe here behind the wine shelf; they can’t see me.
“I can see you, princess. You can’t hide from me,” the other demon sneered, his breath hot on the back of my neck.
No. No. No. Their voices made my skin crawl. My stomach churned at their evil laughter.
Please, I’m begging you. Please. No.
“Caught you, my darling princess,” they snickered. “Now, look at us.”
They placed one filthy hand on my shoulder, turning me to face them.
Before I could see the faces I had seen a million times before in my nightmares, I woke up hyperventilating, sweat beading my forehead.
I sat up and tried breathing to a count to calm down, but that didn’t help. My heart palpitated faster in my chest, and I started coughing.
I cannot wake up my parents.
I need help.
No, I don’t. I’m fine.
No, I’m not. I can’t do this anymore.
“Oh, shut up,” I whisper-yelled at the annoying voices in my head. “Shut the heck up, please.”
Rocking back and forth on my mattress, I pushed up the sleeves of my sweatshirt. Only my ultra-special method could unclutter my mind tonight.
***
“Tina Lauren whacked Nicholas Parker in the face. Can you believe it?”
“She’s weird, but he shouldn’t have got handsy with her.”
“Methinks she was overreacting. That girl flinches if you place a hand on her shoulder.”
“You’re right. Ugh, that girl is so freaking abnormal.”
Unsurprisingly, I had become the talk of Duckville High following Saturday’s incident of me elbowing Nicholas Parker in the press conference. Part of me had hoped people would come to me and ask me questions about the Strollfield Cultural Festival mobile app, but, of course, that was forgotten.
“Do you have a crush on Nicholas?” one of the students asked me at lunch in the cafeteria.
I made a distasteful face. “Ew, no way.”
“Why not? He’s so rich and handsome. And you’re so plain.”
I walked away, ignoring him.
“I think Tina came on to Nicholas, and he refused. So, she took revenge. That’s what he said,” another student speculated.
Today is the last day of high school. In just a week, when we graduate, I reminded myself, I wouldn’t need to bother about these people anymore.
I spotted Laila and Harriet and escaped from my nosy classmates to meet them.
“Rough day?” Harriet asked, greeting me with a high-five.
I sighed and nodded. “You know how it is.”
“Don’t worry, we will be university students soon,” Laila said.
Harriet gave her a bitter look. “And you’ll be roommates.”
“Har, I offered to be your roommate first, but you refused,” Laila pointed out to her. “You didn’t like the area or the apartment. It’s just a coincidence that I’m rooming with Tina.”
Ouch. I felt hurt that neither had offered to stay with me, but I didn’t say anything. It was worse that Laila considered living with me a mere coincidence when I was so excited.
“But I’ll be the odd person out in the group,” Harriet complained. “You’ll all have fun without me.”
“I’ll give you a key to our place so that you can come to hang out whenever you like,” I reassured Harriet.
“Thanks,” Harriet said.
“As her boyfriend, I’m supposed to do that,” Rory chipped into our conversation.
He greeted Harriet with a kiss, but the tension between the two was palpable. I had seen them fight many times over the last two years since they became a couple. But today, something seemed off—way off. Rory looked pleadingly at Harriet as she responded with a cold expression. Dejectedly, Rory sat down next to me.
I could feel Harriet’s glare boring through me, though I didn’t dare make eye contact with her. She always thought I sided with Rory because we had known each other for the longest time in our group. Rory and I had been best friends since we were toddlers, and our families had been thick for three generations. Laila, Harriet, and I became close during the first year of high school, and Rory joined us when he started dating Harriet.
Laila rolled her eyes at Rory. “Give her your room key. But don’t tell us.”
Harriet changed the topic. “How about we all head to Adopt-A-Friend today? My parents got me a new car, and I can’t wait to show you guys.”
After school, our group headed over to the dog shelter we all loved. Laila drove us there in Harriet’s car. Laila had begged Harriet for the keys, because she didn’t have a car of her own and wanted to test drive Harriet’s new one. Harriet was about to get into the passenger seat in the front when I beat her to it. I didn’t care where I sat, but I wanted the two lovebirds to sort things out.
Rory mouthed “thank you” to me, while Harriet looked angry.
Laila was oblivious to the atmosphere and talked about her “star student” speech. “Tina, aren’t you upset that I’m giving the speech instead of you?” Miss White had informed her that morning that she would take the coveted position in my place.
I shook my head, though I felt my chest tighten. “You have a higher GPA than me, and you’re the baseball team captain. You deserve this opportunity. It was yours in the first place.”
“Oh, please, if that was the case, why didn’t you decline earlier?” Harriet questioned me. “Miss White asked you if you wanted to address the graduation day audience, and you said yes, even if you didn’t deserve it. You’re not even ranked in the top five students of our class and have never won any big competitions.”
My GPA is only 0.1 points below Laila’s. Besides, I tutored more than half the students of our class, including Laila, in calculus, two days before the mid-term tests. That counts for a lot, I wanted to say but I decided it was best not to argue.
No one countered Harriet’s statement either. I wished Rory would say something in my favor, but he was always tongue-tied in front of his girlfriend.
We reached the venue, and I ran to meet my favorite German Shepherds—Ribster and Dexter. They had served in the police force until a year ago but had now retired. I wanted to adopt them, but my parents’ place wasn’t big enough. If they didn’t have a home in a few months, I planned to take them with me to university.
Harriet, Laila, and Rory were with the other dogs while I played with Ribster and Dexter. We played fetch and ran around in the park. When we were exhausted, we sat under a tree as I stroked their backs and chatted with them.
“Do you think it was wrong of me to whack Nicholas Parker in the face? I would still have my chance to deliver the graduation day speech that everyone dreams of, wouldn’t I? I might not have the highest grades in my class, I am a true all-rounder. I can skate, code, and I even tutored more than twenty of my classmates in math by simplifying the subject for them. That’s why I deserve to be the ‘star student.’”
Ribster and Dexter barked in response.
“You think I did the right thing, don’t you? You are such good dogs. Oh, how I wish you could be with me always.”
Ribster licked my hand while Dexter snuggled close.
“I hate how everyone is saying that I overreacted because of my fear of touch. No one wants to believe me. Do you know what I think? I think Nicholas Parker is vile and that I should be given a bravery award for setting an example for everyone else, not punished.”
Ribster and Dexter barked again, and that felt like music to my ears.
“You’re the only ones that don’t judge me when I boast about myself. Have I told you both how much I love you?”
***
When Harriet dropped all of us home that night, there was an awkward silence in the car. As I waved goodbye to my friends, I contemplated whether or not to talk to Rory about his girlfriend. I didn’t want to seem nosy. Both of them had done a great job hiding their fight. It was just obvious to me because I noticed these things. Though I sometimes wished I didn’t.
Back home, I took a shower and changed into my long-sleeved shirt and pajamas. I plopped on my futon and played with my phone.
I heard a knock on my door. I got up and unlocked it for my parents.
“What’s up?” I asked.
They didn’t usually come to my room unless it was something important. My mother held out an article in the Strollfield Times that had two photos—mine and my team’s.
High School Student and Her Team Impress at Press Conference
Tina Lauren, a senior at Duckville High, presented her team’s Strollfield Cultural Festival mobile app and its fancy features. Not only have the young group of talented teenagers included the usual features to improve attendees’ experience at the annual event, but they engage users before and after the occasion.
Our favorite part is the virtual tour of the festival that will give us information about the exhibit artifacts or menus of food trucks. We quote Miss Lauren here: “If your favorite ice cream is almost sold out, the app will let you know before you lose your last chance to grab it.”
The app prototype looks promising, and if we can plan our food truck tours and not miss out on goodies, we are here for it.
My father hugged me, his hazel eyes twinkling with pride. “Congratulations, Tiar— I mean, Tina.”
My mother put her arm around me, her eyes crinkling like mine as she grinned widely. “We are proud of you.”
I beamed. “Thanks, Mom and Dad.” Indeed, this was a pleasant surprise.
My parents had barely mentioned the press conference in the last two days. It was nice to be appreciated, even if they continued to avoid any mention of the confrontation. I was disappointed, but I didn’t want to broach the topic either. I’d take what I could get.
My parents kissed me goodnight on my cheek. “Get some rest, now.”
I read the article over and over before I fell into an uneasy sleep. It didn’t last long. An hour later, awake again and tired of tossing and turning, I sat up in bed and wondered what to do.
I could read textbooks in any state of mind. “But all my exams are over,” I said out loud. “What else?”
I nervously fidgeted with my pen, clicking it open and closed. I contemplated refining the fest app code, but I had already completed what I needed to for my meeting in Strollfield later this week. I felt too lazy to go out skating.
I browsed my streaming video platform for something to watch to pass the time. I stumbled on an international young adult romantic comedy. A few minutes into the show, I was hooked. The male lead wasn’t a bad boy like in most teen movies but a nice guy. He was respectful toward the female lead and knew when to back off. A cherry on top was his extremely good looks.
I scoffed. “The writers need to be sued for creating too-good-to-be-true characters. They don’t exist in real life.” I sighed. “Who wouldn’t fall for such a wonderful person?”
The trait I liked most about the male lead was his trust in his girlfriend’s strength. When she was stalked by her ex, he didn’t mansplain to her or take over her life. Instead, he told her he would be by her side if she ever needed him.
That’s my ideal partner.
Ha, what’s the use? I can’t even shake hands with a boy without trembling and making a fool of myself.
I was distracted by my phone beeping.
Harriet
Are you awake?
Me
Yes, what’s up?
Harriet
Why did you make Rory and me sit together in the car today?
Me
Both of you are my friends. I wanted you to work things out.
Harriet
Don’t interfere between us.
Me
Alright, sorry. I won’t.
Harriet
Let’s switch to group chat. Laila wants to join.
Me
How about we talk on the phone instead?
Harriet
Sounds good.
Laila yawned as she greeted Harriet and me. “Hello.”
I giggled. “Hi, sleepyhead.”
“Why did you say you’d join the call if you can’t keep your eyes open?” Harriet asked her.
“I’m too tired to sleep. I was preparing for my star student speech,” Laila answered.
My chest ached with disappointment. That speech should have been mine.
Harriet chuckled. “Maybe Tina can help you. I’m sure she prepared hers way in advance.”
I clenched my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms, but I spoke calmly. “Sure, Li. I could share my ideas if you like.”
“I hope you’re not expecting her to give you credit. Because she can’t,” Harriet said.
I sighed inwardly. “No, Harriet. I’m not expecting anything.”
“Good. So, help me with how to start,” Laila instructed me. “Because what I decided sounds boring.”
For the next hour, I helped Laila with the speech with input from Harriet.
Laila is going to deliver my star student speech. It’s not fair.
Well, I lost my chance like an idiot. Serves me right.
No way. I did the right thing by protecting myself.
