[12] Deceiving Truth 

When I got home, all I could think about was how I was going to make amends with Felice. I picked up the phone and started dialing immediately. I politely asked for Felice when someone answered. As the receiver asked who I was, I told the person that it was Justin who's calling her.

I knew she was mad at me, or rather, I assumed that she was.

"Justin! Yes, what is it?" She seemed so excited to talk to him. Not that I could compare, they were in good terms... and we were just... well, "Justin?" She probed when no one answered her.

"Hey there" I said slowly calculating the possibility of her slamming the phone shut.

"Uhm, Justin, what happened to your voice?" She said this as I heard a faint sound of a door being shut close in the background. I guess she totally didn't recognize my voice.

"I'm not Justin. It's Anthony... the person earlier must've not heard me correctly." I said lamely.

"Oh, well I'm quite... ah," She paused and I figured that she must be thinking of how she was to avoid me. Well not tonight, not when she hasn't heard me yet.

"Just listen to me, please! Felice, you have to. Come on." I pleaded and thought of a good explanation of what she had found out. But first, how much did she know? "Felice?"

"You haven't answered my question." She replied curtly.

"What question?" I said with a silent sigh.

Thinking that she was actually contemplating to give me a chance, I started walking up to my room to make our conversation more private. I didn't want any eavesdroppers—though there aren't many in this house—to hear anything that I was about to say.

"That morning, I asked you if it was true." She pressed

"Oh that... well, that depends on what you heard." I said smartly. Maybe I could change the gravity of the situation or something... It isn't much of a lie anyway...

She paused for a while and sighed. "Trish said that you are only being nice to me because of a bet. It's for uhm... Karla? Or Karen? I couldn't remember the name. So everything that you're doing, being nice and friendly is just to get this girl. This Karla?" She sounded so pissed.

I can imagine her chubby little cheeks starting to color and her eyes that might have scrunched up underneath her big square glasses... "Anthony! ANSWER ME!" And she starts crying.

"Felice, don't cry please," I begged her. I can't take crying girls. My heart aches, my stomach lurches... "Please, don't cry." I closed my eyes and tried to think of a way to approach this. "I'm sorry."

She sobbed harder and I could hear the muffled sniffles and really pitiful sounds that I despised hearing. The worst part of it all, it was my fault.

"It was a challenge. It wasn't much of a bet. They were teasing me because I couldn't stop looking at you. I was so very aware of your presence and it really bothered me." I stopped and I knew she was listening. "Felice, they thought I would rather die than make friends with you, so I went to prove to them that I can. I went to prove to them that I could make friends with you and not mind at all... but I was wrong."

"Oh, then well... I'm sorry for being such a distraction. I'm sorry for being so distasteful." She muttered bitterly.

"Please listen to what I'm telling you, Felice. I didn't say those things. You did." I told her. I closed my eyes as my breathing became really heavy. "After that day, when you walked away from me so many times... I couldn't stay away anymore."

Where were all these things coming from?

There was silent tension. No one spoke a word after that. I looked towards my mirror and saw myself looking like hell. My eyes were baggy and bulged and my face was all flushed with prickly red. I rolled my hand in my carefully gelled hair; it refused to stand up as I wanted it to.

Yes, I believe everything had changed within me, and it took only this nothing-special girl to do all that.

"I think... I am starting to like you, Felice." I finally said and saw the surprise in my face as I said that.

Did I really?

Her breath hitched and she stopped crying.

I started this phone call with a mind already set to deceive her. But I didn't know that as I accomplished this, I spouted words against my will. I lied to her about the bet. I didn't tell her what really took place. I also said some things that I didn't plan on saying. Whether it was part of the deception or not, I still don't know.

One thing is for sure though, I could not stand to hear her cry. And every time that sounds comes to my memory, I cringe in horror whilst knowing that I was the reason for her tears. It was one thing to not care about someone else's feelings, but it was another to be the cause of their tears and pain.

There was an uncontrollable smile that spread across my face when I realized that I was also the reason why she started giggling. My jokes made her feel better. I could make her feel better.

Isn't it ironic that the one who had caused her pain has also been the one to be able to ease it? It was just as funny as it was troubling. And I wasn't even so sure with how I am supposed to deal with it now.

"I have a question for you if you don't mind," I told her as it was already 9 in the evening. Better get to the point, then.

"Okay, ask away." She said as I heard her scribble in the background

"Are you and—?" I stopped and listened. "Why do you write that hard? I can hear your pen savagely scraping that paper!" I said with a light chuckle.

"Well, I'm writing a ransom note because I'm going to kidnap you. I'm making sure that I look like I'm angry." She laughs. "What a lame question."

"That was not my question," I said lightheartedly as I flipped through some pages of my book. I had to finish the damn book and write a paper about it within two weeks. "I was simply going to ask you if you and Justin are already together, that's all." I smiled in the receiver as her breath hitched.

"What? Where'd you get that stupid idea?" Stupid idea or not, I could almost hear her blushing.

"I'm waiting for your answer," I said as I flipped the book to the last page to see what it was about.

"Justin and I are very good friends, that's all. Besides, I know he has a crush on someone. She's taking swimming. I just couldn't take a guess at it." She said as I heard more scribbling.

"So you don't know who she is? Come on, don't be so naïve." I teased her.

How can she not know?

"Well, I have enumerated the pretty girls in swimming... but he just shook his head every time. I'm trying to think of the names of the girls from other classes and I just kind of gave up for the most part." She laughed. "Ughhh... This is so frustrating!!!"

"What is?"

"DNA shit. I'm taking this Biotechnology course and it's about genetics and it's so hard. I can't seem to figure it out." She sighed.

"Good thing I took chemistry." I laughed, "But this foreign language is eating my time up. I have to read this weird book by Benjamin."

"Oh! I know that, I read that in high school for a paper." She stopped. "If you want I could... well, never mind."

"You could what?" I curiously asked.

"I could help you with it. But I don't think you'd like to—

"Of course I would, thank you." I paused. "Unless..."

"Unless?" She pressed.

"You know, Justin might get jealous if he sees—...

"Whatever, Anthony."

"Okay, I'll meet you after class tomorrow. In the cafeteria, I can bring you home too." I immediately said. Once I see an opening, no one could stop me.

"Well, I ah..."

"Unless Justin has a problem with me bringing you home, that is." I teased again, and with this line, I was sure she's going to say yes just to prove me wrong.

"No! Fine, tomorrow. Don't be late!" She laughs and talked some more.