Chapter 5

"He said you're scary! HAHAHA!"

I frowned at the laughing Nariza as we walked together to the school.

"Ha? Who said so?"

"Peter! He messaged me while you two were talking, that was why I messaged you."

"Ooh, that's what it was about."

"Yup! He said that my best friend was just too much. That you're suppose to be a 'baby,' yet you're blunt when you talk, almost as if he's talking to an old woman." Since she is taller than me, it was easy for her to put her arm around my shoulder. "Good job, kiddo! You made mami proud!"

"H-Hehe.." Okay.. I wasn't really aiming for that but okay.

"So what happened to the rest of your convo?" She asked and I told her what happened. She couldn't help but gasp, laugh, OMG as I tell her what conversation Peter and I had, which ended with a poker face after I sent him my last message. "You're brutal, Mil! Oh gosh! I can't believe you called Peter 'gay'!"

"Why? What's with that guy? And why was he on dadi's account?"

"Well, your dadi is, as usual, missing. Looks like his grandpa called for him, you know."

That's right. There were quite a few scenes in the novel that Jace would just disappear for days, sometimes weeks that would turn into months. Another reason why their relationship was an on-and-off one.

"Uh-huh, so what's the connection of dadi's disappearance to Peter's nosiness?"

"Like what you just said, he went through your dadi's laptop that he left on his condo, and there, be as nosy as he could be."

I nodded. "Ahh, that was why. And? What's up with him that you and dadi didn't want him to talk to me?"

She scratched her head. "Peter is a womanizer."

"Ahh, so you're protecting me from him?"

"Something like that. But, your dadi is protecting him from you -- me, not so much -- as you speak what's on your mind with no filter, most of the times. Haha, which was proven and tested! And if he gets pissed, he might come after you to get even by who knows how."

"Then he really is gay if he's going to take revenge over something as small as that."

"Mil, stepping on his ego is not a small thing. Remember, guys' egos are high, and if someone step on or belittle it, they might do something over to that person."

I rolled my eyes. Couldn't help it! Whether its in my previous life or in this novel, men and their egos are still one of the things I have to worry about.

When I was Aice Figuera, due to my blunt, devil-may-care attitude, I stepped on and ruined a lot of egotistical men, especially in the business. And yes, they had tried to get back on me by scaring me, by having someone stalk me, by sending me death threats, and so much more.

Maybe it was one of them that caused my death.

I bit my lip, feeling the guilt engulfed me.

C'mon Aice, that means, you gotta turn it down. We don't want Mielle to be in danger because of your own approach to people. Gotta take in consideration too that she's not a 24 year-old, but a 16 year-old high school girl.





@~@





Jace Miko Salguero: Hey baby.




"Woah, Mielle's detector is telling me this is Jace." I looked at the notification on my phone. Jace had been ghosting Nariza for days now, so this is actually a surprise.

Peter had been occupying Jace's account and talking to Nariza, instead. Well, more likely trying to break the two up.

He did try to talk to me, but I didn't give him that much of attention as I was more busy with all the projects and presentations to do for Mielle's classes.

Anyway, according to the novel, whenever Jace comes back and talks to Mielle, that means him and Nariza are also talking or already had talked.

So I guess, one or the other happened.




Dadi?


Yes.


Oh, welcome back.


Thank you.
Hows you?


Doing HW. You?


Same old, same old.


Are you alright?


I guess. Why?


'Coz you were gone for a few days.. I thought maybe something bad happened




With you and your grandpa.




Ah. Just let it be, baby. Dadi can handle it. :)




You're only saying that 'coz you don't know how far your grandpa will do in order to attain what he wants.




Okay. Good luck with handling! :)


Thanks.
I heard you talked to Pan.


Pan?


Peter.




What. The --




Are you serious dadi?


Haha yup! That's his nickname.


Oh my goodness. Nooo! My childhood crush is ruined!


Haha! How so? You have a crush on Peter Pan?


Yes dadi! If I was Wendy, I would have already flirted and crawled over Peter Pan as I really do have a big crush on him!


That's too much baby. Not like that, you're still young.


Oh, then I'll make him flirt with me and crawl over me?


NO.
Is this conversation about flirting and crawling? I'm good with those!
Oh crap. No Pan. Go away!
HAHAHA! Sorry Jace! This is your fault for leaving your laptop behind. :P
MIL! Your dadi told me to take you home!


...


Don't mind him, baby.
HAHAHA! He said that you're mine now, Mil!


...


Stop that Pan. Tsk! Don't do anything stupid.
I'm sorry baby, as much as I would like to stay to deal with this guy, I gotta go attend a meeting.


That's okay, dadi. I understand. :)
Don't worry, I'm a big girl now. I'll take care of this sauce pan.


Haha! Thanks baby.
Pan?
Yes dadi?
Shut it. I'll get you back later.
You see Mil? Jace loves me so much!


Mhm. Good for you.


Are you busy? Can I talk to you?




Huh. Did this part happened in the novel?




Not really, just HW. Why?


Ohh. Thank goodness I'm over that.
Nothing, I just missed you. What about me? Did you miss me?


Nope.


Wow, you mean 'yes'! Don't hide it. :>


If that will make you sleep tonight, believe that by all means.


WOW! I heard that you're not that good in English! Amazing and that was a straight English!


Thank you.


You're dry. :( Why are you so dry to me today?


What do you want? I'm wet for you?


...
Mil. Do you have any idea what you just said?




I raised my eyebrow. Why? What's wrong with what I said?




Uhh, why?


Do you have ANY idea with what you just said?


Um, I'm wet? Opposite of DRY?


...
My God, you're innocent.




And here I am, thinking I wouldn't be branded as that. I got that 'you're innocent,' 'Oh, my gosh! You're so innocent!' remarks all the time back when I was Aice. Didn't know I will still get it even when I'm Mielle.

Did I say something wrong?




I don't get it. What's wrong with asking that question?


Nothing. Never mind. Just don't do it again. I might forget you're Jace's pretend baby.


Kk if you say so.


Wow, you're easy to agree to today huh?


I need to. I'm having a hard time with Trig so I need to focus more to it than to you.


Are you trying to make me jealous? Who's that Trig?


Why are you going to get jealous with Trigonometry?




Oh! So this is the part where Peter will try to help Mielle with her homework with Math. And it will end with them being okay with each other. I remember now.




Ohh, nothing. It was just Math. I thought it was something else.


Are you good at Math?


If it's Jace, yes.


Oh okay, never mind


What is the problem?




I sent him the picture of it.




There.


Just use scientific calculator.


I don't have that. Can't afford it.


Was that the only thing that was given? What's that on the top of sin /3?


Pi... The directions says, "Write the expression as the sine, cosine, or tangent of an angle."


Pi?
3.14?


Yes. 'Coz the value of sin pi/3 is supposedly square root of 3/2
But I get stuck after that.


Isn't that Geometry? Aren't you in your Fourth year?


Fourth year yes, but I don't know why Trig is here.


I'm not sure too. I only know SOH-CAH-TOA on sin cos tan.


Is that so?




"Huh. He didn't reply anymore. Oh well." A few more minutes had passed when my phone went ting!




Give me an example that is for sure correct.




I sent him a photo of my answer for #13, and for some reason, I felt shy. Why would I feel -- is this Mielle's feeling?

I remember during this scene, Mielle was a bit embarrassed as she showed her hand-writing to Peter. Am I feeling what she was supposed to feel now?




Sorry if my handwriting is ugly..


It's alright.
You write the numbers like how grade schoolers do. Hahaha!




"Grr!"

The conversation to solve the equation went on until he gave up.




Look for someone else to answer that for you.
I saw that concept in a book before, back in college of Algebra and Trigonometry.
I still need to study about it.


Wait.. I thought you're done with college?


Yup, but I didn't focus much on such. I graduated with Business Management not a college teacher.




"Pfft, you're making an excuse Mister Peter."




Is that so? Then why are you going to study it if you don't like it?


The concept caught my attention and made me curious.




Oh really now?




Oh okay! Once you learned about it, help me out, yeah? Thank you!


Question. How did you get the one with pi?


Do you know the graph + style?




"I can't believe I'm explaining this to him."




I see. Alright. Just find someone else that can help you. Good luck.


Yes mister! Thank you and sorry for disturbing you.


No problem.




That made me smirk.




So you're kind.. somehow.. just not that obvious.


Hahaha! Is that a compliment or an insult?


Ahmm, depends. :P
It's your fault.


:P


Let's put it this way to be a compliment..
You're kind... only for today.


Hahaha!
Don't be like that! We might end up together. :P


You wish! No, we won't! You? Being interested with someone like me? Ha! Never!


Why? What's wrong with that?
You do know this is how Jace and Riza started?
Hahaha!




And he went on to tell me how the two met, which I already knew.




I see I see.. so you're also sensible!
Only for today.


Hahaha! So everything is only for today, I see.
Why? Is Jace always sensible?


Well because before you're not. Hmm, dadi? Sometimes yes, sometimes not.
You both are the same, as if you both have PMS sometimes.. though it seems like you have it almost all the time.


Hahaha! Your words are hurtful. You talk about Jace as if he's someone respectable.
Maybe if you read his messages with Nariza, your jaw might drop and your mind will change about how he is.


I'm not saying that he's totally respectable. It's just that you're really mean to my mami, and your first impression to me? Sighs..
I'm not a fan of dadi at first too, honestly. Mami knows that.


Hahaha. It's the same.


You both are the same with your sometimes PMS. Only, with you comes out every time you talk to mami.


Not really. I just really like teasing Nariza.


Ayiee! You like my mami too?!


No.
I may be a Casanova, but I don't go to girls that are with my friends.


Hmm.


Besides...


Besides?


Nariza didn't get my interest as much as you did.


?


:)




"Huh. Was this how this part supposed to end?"

Chapter end