Love Mechanics

Chapter 29. Times a hundred.

 

[Vee Vivis]

 

I sit with a goofy smile beside the football field, often used for practice. I want to shout out at the top of my lungs and laugh hysterically, but I'm afraid others will think I'm crazy. So all I do is sit and look down with my own little smile. I don't know whether Mark said that just to try and cut the conversation short, or whether he really thought that, but for me, his words are always meaningful. Whether he says something in a daze, due to fatigue, or for whatever reason, I always take in his words.

 

After presenting the project solution to those three kids, I joined the seniors in recruiting freshmen for the football team. I'm the Vice President of the football club, and I had to come today since the President was occupied. I watch as the sophomores have a kickabout in the field, divided into two circles. I let them play on.

 

"Hey! Why ya so early?" Zat, who has played goalie since freshman year, walks over to greet me. I turn to nod to him and his crew.

 

"Hello, P'Vee."

"Yeah," I reply from within my throat upon hearing the kids greeting me first.

 

"Why didn't you reply to my chats. I heard you were chasing after some kid, so I didn't think you'd have time for this." Zat says.

 

"Nuea doesn't fuckin' come, so I had to instead." I move over so he can sit beside me before replying.

 

"What about the kiddo?" Zat smiles teasingly and nudges me on the shoulder.

"What kid?"

 

"That first year..that kid.." He points to a freshman on the pitch and drags his voice. "Or that kid..."

 

"Fuck..." I curse softly upon seeing that Mark is heading my way together with his friends. Among them are some athletic kids I had my eye on since the freshman sports meet. I know Mark's group is popular, and Fuse and Kamphan are a good laugh, so it's not surprising that they have many friends, though I wasn't aware that juniors from my club were also involved with them.

 

I separated from Mark at 4 pm. He refused to come, because at that time Kla called him about swimming, so the handsome-faced Fuse scurried me away, saying he'll see Mark off at the swimming pool. I go along with what he suggested, thinking that I can go pick him up at the swimming pool after the tryouts. But why's the swimming already finished so soon?

 

"Hello, P'." They all lift their hands to gesture a wai to everyone. Gao walks over to me and raises his hands to air box with me, furrowing his brows at me once, before heading over to see his friends on the pitch.

 

"How'd you get here? I thought you said you're gonna go swim." I ask without mentioning the person's name in the sentence, though I'm confident the listener I'm addressing is aware.

 

"P'Bar's not there." He replies calmly and looks for a seat. Most of his friends sit on the floor, while my friends and I sit on the marble bench.

 

"Come sit here," I say, and move over for Mark. He looks over to his friends and glances towards Zat, who's sitting beside me.

 

"P'. I realise that you're trying to score points with him, but keeping a bit of distance won't make you lose points either," Kamphan says, before tugging Mark's hand to make him sit down beside him, to which Mark passively obliges.

 

"That big mouth of yours." Mark turns to chide his friend.

 

"So you guys are really an item now, or what, huh?" Zat whispers the question to me, to which I turn to look at him and flash out a handsome smile, prompting my friend to open his mouth agape.

 

"So what, then?" I ask him back.

"I thought Dewly was uploading fake news," Zat whispers back.

 

"Super fake."

"Oh..." I make a mocking face to mess with him once he looks confused.

 

"The truth from Dew's news is that I'm talking to Mark. Apart from that, it's all a load of bull." I refer to the reports that Mark was a third party that made me call it quits with Ploy, or that he was some kind of loverboy, which simply aren't true.

 

"Really? You?" Zat shifts his body away and observes me.

"Well..yeah." When my friend looks at me in that manner, it makes me bashful all of a sudden. I use my hand to scratch my temple and turn away from him, but the angle my face turns towards is the face of a kid who's calmly looking at me. At first, I don't grasp the meaning behind Mark's gaze, but once I look at Kamphan, I immediately understand. Should I be happy that he's being jealous over me, or should I worry about losing points?

 

"Mark, Mark, check out Gao and Hin over there, such eye candy." I wanna kick the guy who mentions it. Instead of the chance to lock eyes with Mark to make it up to him, Kamphan diverts his attention elsewhere.

 

"So how's it exactly? I'm lost." Zat queries upon seeing the reaction between Mark and me.

 

"It's nothing. Just that my boy's a bit hard to please." I've earned the right to call him as such, but I want to say it out loud so the others here can hear. Be they the guys who are eyeing him from the edge of the pitch, or the athletes who are running around on it.

 

"Hey, aren't you gonna object this time?" Kamphan questions Mark.

"Object to what?" He asks his friend back with his signature calm voice.

 

"P'Vee just said you're his boy," Kamphan says.

 

"When? I didn't hear my name." Mark immediately replies. It can be interpreted in many ways, but in this situation, the tall kid is pouting. I'll just take it as him being jealous over me.

 

"Hmph! Some sentences don't require everything to be spelt out." I laugh from my throat, before walking to him and saying softly. I put my hand on his head and rub his dark hair out of fondness, before entering the pitch.

 

The faculty tryouts aren't that big of a deal. We're playing well in general, but picking the starting eleven is a challenge. Everyone wants to start, so we need time for recruiting. I've seen the abilities of some of these kids during the freshie sports meet, and some have the talent but need more training. Another thing is, the seniors believe they're already playing very well, though my system isn't to prioritise seniority; I base my selections on talent and teamwork.

 

Tryouts finish after two hours. The others decide to play more, and if it were the past, I'd join them too. But right now, I'm looking behind me, towards where Mark is sitting… He's not there.

 

"I'll be right back," I say, and walk back to the marble bench to find a towel to wipe my face, but then realise that I forgot to bring it along. I take my shirt off and use it to wipe my face for now instead. I sling the sweater over my shoulder and look for my phone in the small backpack to call the one who left without a word.

 

"So confident of your hot body, you feel that you have to show it off, huh?" I stop scouring for my phone and turn around to see Mark standing there by himself, carrying a bag from the convenience store.

 

"Where'd you go?" I ask.

 

"To see Kamphan off." Oh...these rich kids. I wanna chide that fair-skinned Chinese boy too, but I let out a sigh of relief instead.

 

"I saw you training," Mark replies calmly, and looks towards the pitch.

 

"Well..they're gonna play on more. Are you gonna head back?" I ask Mark, and sit down on the marble bench.

 

"What's that gotta do with me? Do we have to head back together?" He responds to my question with a question of his own. His question makes me look up at the person standing and smile at him.

 

"Didn't you come back here to pick me up?" I lean my neck a bit to make myself look cute, send him a sweet smile, and ask him softly.

 

"N..No..I'm here to see Gao," Mark says, and shifts a bit so he faces the pitch. Even so, I can sense that he feels bashful.

 

"Hmph! Your mind is tough, and so is your mouth." I say, before gently tugging at his wrist. He turns to me and makes a messy face, but then walks over to me.

 

"Let go of me first.." He twists his wrist away.

"Why?"

 

"Many people around..." I look around and see that there are a lot of people, though I don't feel that they're looking at us.

 

"Then let me continue touching you in the room."

 

"P'Vee!" He calls my name in a stern voice, but instead, I smile at him. "This is for you." He throws me the bag he bought, which I can see is wet cloths and a bottle of water.

 

"If the bottle hit somewhere other than my thigh, you would've gotten a beating from me, Mark." I glare up at the person who threw the bag to me gently. It nearly hit my precious brother.

 

"Isn't it good that I bought it for you?" The reply from the standing person distracts my attention away from my body's private parts, and instead focuses my mind on my beating heart that is racing so fast I'm afraid I might get a heart attack.

 

"Thank you," I say, offering my gratitude with a smile I believe is my most handsome. I get a small smile from him as a response. I want to tell him not to keep his smile to himself, but then again, I want to be the only one to hold that wide grin of his.

 

"Mark! Did you get our drinks?" I turn to the source of the voice along with Mark. Gao and Hin jog their way as they heave and pant upon arriving.

 

"Drinks? The heck?" Mark asks his friend back.

"The sodas we asked for, man." Hin frowns and replies.

 

"Well..isn't it good to drink sodas after playing sports? Better to have water instead." Mark suggests and points to the water cooler we'd set up since 5 pm.

 

"But it isn't cold. At least get us some cold water." Gao complains.

 

"Cold water will make your muscles contract too quickly. You might get hurt." Mark advises.

 

"Are you sure about that, Mark? Why can P'Vee have it then?" Hin protests and points towards me, as I pour into my mouth the cold water Mark had bought for me. I turn to look at my junior, then back at the water in my hand, before looking at Mark. The lanky kid is clenching his lips, as if trying to come up with more excuses.

 

"I'm an exception, man," I reply to them instead of Mark.

"What exception, P'?" Hin turns to ask.

 

"I had a medical checkup, and the doctor said I can do so," I claim. They make a confused face, as if disbelieving. "You don't believe me? Believe me. My hubby's a doctor."

 

"Really?" Hin turns to ask Mark, who looks at me and nods, confused.

 

"Okay...well, we'll just drink this then." Such idiots these juniors are.' I'll just keep my mouth shut now and let them drink up the water in the cooler. Hin and Gao say farewell to me upon finishing and head back to the pitch.

 

"Don't their stomachs get bloated?" Mark says softly, shaking his head as he watches his friends.

 

"And aren't you hurt? You bullshitted so much the colour on your face nearly came off." I tease him, prompting him to show me his messy face.

 

"I wasn't bullshitting."

"Just tell them you forgot to buy it. Or is this in fact not mine?" I lift the bottle.

 

"It's yours. But I forgot to buy theirs."

"You forget about them but not me?" I raise my brows and ask him smilingly.

 

"Are you gonna drink that?" He retorts calmly, prompting me to smile at him and lift the bottle to drink.

 

"It's the most refreshing in the world." I stand up and whisper into Mark's ear, before stepping back and flashing him a sweet smile. I then let out a soft giggle upon seeing him tense up.

 

"..Why you…" He says just that and turns around to walk away.

 

I gaze at the lecturer, trying to send her a message via my silly eyes that I still don't get what she's teaching about. As you know, I haven't been focused on my studies as of late, but have been more focused on chasing after a certain someone. It's become something of an obsession.

"Mr Vivas, what's the answer to this question?" I try turning to my left and right, but can only try, as none of my friends look back at me. Only the lecturer's pretty face is staring at me.

 

"Um..."

 

"Pay attention in class. Don't just pay attention to your phone." She deliberates and turns her gaze to the desk, where my black smartphone sits.

 

"..Yes." I smile stupidly and reply to her. She lets out a weary sigh before walking back towards the front of the classroom.

 

"Man, she even came to the back of the class." Bar leans over to whisper to me as soon as I sit back down.

 

"Vee was being too obvious." Kla, who's sitting in front of me, utters softly.

"Well.. what's going on? Spill the beans!" Yeewa turns around and speaks to me.

 

"Um..."

 

"And are you going to chit-chat with your friends for long, Mr Vivas!?" The lecturer yells at me before I get the chance to reply Yeewa. What I was about to say is for them to wait till after the class, but what I want to say now is to tell the teacher that my friends started chatting with me first.

 

The gruelling lecture finally ends. The lecturer kept an eye on me for the rest of the class and called on me to answer many questions. The Line chat I was focused on at the beginning of the class had to be dropped, as I had to pay attention to what the lecturer was saying. I wonder whether the person I was talking to would've been upset, because when he didn't reply, I felt a bit down.

 

Brrr~

I take out my phone as I approach the door, expecting to read snide remarks from the other person, but I'm disappointed to see it's just a lame message from my brother saying he'll be home late tonight. I send an acknowledgement sticker before putting the phone back into my pocket.

 

"You're addicted to your phone just like you're addicted to love these days." Pond looks at me and says smilingly.

 

"You were checking it every five seconds and smiling in class, but now your face is as if there's no reply from your hubby. What's going on, huh?" Pan asks, trying to crane her neck up towards my face.

 

"What hubby? You guys are full of it." I try to deflect attention from myself and get away from them.

 

"Either hubby or wifey," Pond says and follows me, though I have no interest in turning around to prolong the argument. 

 

"Either wifey or Mark," Bar speaks out, prompting everyone, including me, to stop in our tracks.

 

"How? What? Spit it out." Yeewa walks over next to me and asks.

 

"Well, is it true or not?" Pan comes to my other side. The two girls pressure me with their glare, along with the other friends.

 

"Well..yeah." I nod in reply, by which their eyes widen in disbelief.

"Really!?"

 

"And there I thought you were gonna be so heartbroken and devastated. How'd you get him back?" Pond asks, after Kla exclaims.

 

"Is that any of your business?" I tell them, though my face heats up. If I were to reveal to them how 1 made it up to him, I'd feel so bashful.

 

"Lookie there..."

 

"Lookie what? You guys..." I swipe Pan's finger away and turn to another direction. I'm really feeling bashful now.

 

"I wanna hear this story so badly," Pond says. "You were crying your balls out in front of his room not too long ago."

 

"Well...we've not actually made up yet. But Mark's willing to talk to me now." I explain, while scratching my neck to hide the bashfulness.

 

"Man, just my junior allowing you to talk to him can make you smile from ear to ear like a madman. If you guys really do get back together, I'll have a doctor ready to come and sew your mouth up." Yeewa says, and makes a weary face. It's no different from what you mentioned to me.

 

"Why are you guys picking on him?" Bar utters.

 

"Well, I wanna know. What about you, then? When you put the doctor, how does he make it up to you?" Kla turns to ask Bar instead.

 

"He makes it up to me by..."My close friend falls silent, then slowly looks up at me, to which I respond with a knowing smile. Bar's fair-skinned face gradually turns red.

 

"Is it the same way in which I try to make it up?" I ask him smilingly.

 

"I don't know how you make it up to others, but I'm heading off to the swimming pool now. Let's go, Kla!" He makes a fuss before stomping out, leaving us to look on after him with a smile.

 

"So you make it up to him like how the doctor does to Bar?" Pond walks over to whisper to me.

 

"How?" Yeewa make a confused face and asks on.

 

"The way we saw the other day," Pond says, as Yeewa tries to recall for a while, before the pretty face looks

 

"Really, Vee?" Yeewa asks me in a low tone.

 

"Think however you want. I've got sports practice now, too." I try to deflect their attention.

 

"Vee's such a badass." Nuea, who's standing nearby, says.

"I already told you I'm serious with this guy," I reply to my friend.

 

"If you're serious, then he's gotta be too. Look there." Pond says, and points behind me. I turn back and see Mark with his group of friends, but beside him is the petite guy named Nook. I haven't asked Mark yet how far along he is with this dude. A part of me thinks I have no right to ask, as he and I had some distance between us for a while. But deep down, I'm curious to know. My brain doesn't tell me to do anything; my body simply follows my heart. My legs stride after him, approaching his other side. The tall junior looks up at me, perplexed, along with his friends.

 

"Ya miss me, P?" Fuse greets me smilingly.

"Nah, but I do miss," I reply.

 

"How's that? Aren't you contradicting yourself, P'Vee?" A small guy with a pretty face, whom I recall is named Nueng, queries me.

 

"I have someone I miss. But it's not Fuse." I answer calmly, before turning towards the one I miss. Mark stops walking, and so do his friends. The oval eyes squint at me, though I'm aware that I'm frowning at him. It's the second time he's paid more attention to Nook than to my Line messages.

 

"You're missing me, right?" Kamphan gets away from Fuse's arms and asks me.

 

"You're so full of yourself. His eyes are looking at Mark." Wind rebukes Kamphan and speaks out.

 

"But Mark's not looking back at you, P'." The half-white kid, James, scoffs at me.

"It's okay. I'm fine with him not looking at me." I reply scornfully.

 

"But I'm not fine with it," Nook says, and looks at me. "Didn't you say this was just the beginning? What's the big rush, then?" He looks at Mark and asks. I can only hide my feelings of disappointment deep inside. How important must this guy be to know our story?

 

"Hey...what do you have to do with this matter?" Pond walks over and asks. I turn around to see my other friends standing there.

 

"My junior was hurt before, and I don't want him to get hurt again," Nook says.

 

"I don't have any intention whatsoever to hurt him again," I reply, and then look at Mark's eyes. He veers his eyes towards me once I finish talking.

 

"But shouldn't you slow down a bit? You're just at the beginning phase, but already you're walking up and making a jealous expression to my friend." Wind utters.

 

"Well, I'm jealous.." I say softly, before looking up at Mark. The kid looks at me, stunned, which emboldens me to flash him a pitiful look.

"Toning it down a bit might be a good idea. You've started from one, after all." James says.

 

"I've started from one on Saturday. Multiply by a hundred today." I answer. The juniors open their mouths agape, no differently from my friends.

 

"Why you..." Mark says softly and looks at me sternly.

 

"I'm serious. If I keep counting one by one, then when can I get you back? You told me to start from one, and I did, so nothing wrong there." I focus my attention solely on Mark and reply to him.

 

"C'mere.." He pulls my hand and drags me away with him, not bothered by others around us. I can only grin goofily and follow him stupidly.

 

Mark drags me to his pretty car. He parked it rather far away from the faculty, which made him grasp my arm for quite a while. He turns his back to the car and makes a frustrated expression to me, though he doesn't release my arm, as if he's not thinking straight, though there's no way I would protest to him over this.

 

"What the hell are you saying, P''?" He utters softly.

 

"Well, isn't what I'm saying the truth? You become frustrated when you're bashful." I say, and smile at him teasingly.

 

"P'Vee!" He scoffs from his throat, though I keep smiling.

 

"C'mon..just give in to me. Don't hang out with that Nook guy so much." I say, before moving closer to him. Mark steps back until his back is against the car, then looks down at his hands. He releases me as soon as he realises, though that doesn't make me feel like I repulse him.

 

"Why?" He asks me softly and looks at me suspiciously.

"I told you already." I stop moving closer and utter to him.

 

"What are you saying?" He asks irritably, prompting me to flash a smile.

 

I lean myself nearer to him, looking at the handsome face I haven't seen for two weeks, and flash him a handsome smile. I move my mouth to the side of his ear, which is filling with colour, and whisper. "The guy who's trying to make it up to you can also feel jealous over you, too. "