What if?

Chapter 67: YinYang

Nick

“Oh.” I said and blinked three times to make sure of what I was seeing.

After I said that, I could not say anything else but just look at Jake. “Why is he here?” I asked myself. 

“Don’t tell me that he lives here. Oh no! That is impossible, I heard that his family is rich and powerful at the same time.” I said to myself overthinking.

“What is the reason he is here? Why is he alone? It means that he is familiar with this place. Wait! Did he just leave the building? Maybe he has a relative or friend that is here.” I said a lot of things by myself. 

I don’t know why but I am really curious about the reason why he is in this foundation. 

I saw Linda walk towards Jake so I and the others followed her. 

“Jake! Good that you are here. I have someone here for you to meet. I believe that you are at the same age.” Linda said to Jake. 

“Jake? Are they close with each other? I mean, Linda knows his name so he might be the person that Jake wants to visit here. Is Jake Linda’s relative?” I asked myself a lot of questions again. 

I have been asking myself questions over and over. Why don’t I just ask him? But I am shy to ask him casually. I don’t want Michael and the others to see how I act with Jake. Besides, he might not talk to me though. The scene will be a bit embarrassing for me since the people that I know are here. 

“What are you doing here?” Jake asked me.

“Finally! He asked me.” I said as I heard what Jake asked.  

“What did you just say?” Linda said in shock. 

Linda is in shock when he hears the way that Jake asked me. It is very common. When I first met Jake I had the same reaction. If I were in Linda’s position, I would act the same way and say. ‘What kind of mouth do you have? Don’t treat people like that, understand?’ 

“If I will have kids in the future, I will make sure that they treat other people well. Not like the person in front of me.” I said to myself as a reminder.

Now Jake is still not replying to what Linda asked him. Jake is still staring at me with questionable eyes. 

It is true, whenever I look at him his eyes are all the same. They look like serious eyes.

“Ohh! Scary.” I said to myself.  

“Ah… Linda, I think you are just shocked. Michael and Nick are in the same class as Jake so that is why.” Janice said to Linda. 

She could have felt the tension between them already. 

“Why are you here?” Nick asked me one more time. 

Whaa! He is really scary. His tone is kind of moving me a little but I know that this is his normal self so it is okay with me. 

“Shh! Can you shut your mouth first?” Linda said as she covered Jake’s mouth. “Ah!” Jake voiced out so Linda uncovered his mouth. 

“So cute! I wonder about their relationship with each other.” I said as I just looked at them together. 

“So you are classmates? I am really happy to hear that. These people here drove me from the place I was in until here. Nick even helped me walk in the pedestrian lane so I let them tour the foundation.” Linda said to Jake. 

“Now you know. Tsk! This boy is really negative.” I said to myself after hearing Linda.

“Help? Why were you outside? Mom and dad told you not to go around anywhere. Mumma, you are not young anymore, you are already 85 years old.” Jake said to Linda. 

“Mumma? What the hell is this? Is she Jake’s grandma? Whaa! But I remember Linda said that she is a helper here and doesn’t have a family of her own. Now what the hell is happening here?” I asked myself. 

I am very curious about their relationship with each other. Maybe Linda lied to us because we just met each other for the first time. If she really did it is okay with me. I understand her situation. It is not good to tell strangers that you are rich, you might get kidn*pped like people in movies. 

I also noticed something when Jake was asking Linda something. He seemed mad at what Linda did. 

“Sorry. I know but I had to do something. Don’t tell your mom and dad okay?” Linda said as she tried to console Jake. 

“So Linda is being sneaky.” I said to myself as I continued to listen with them.

On the other hand, Jake cares for Linda. This is my perspective and the way that Jake talks to Linda is full of worries and care. 

If I were in Jake’s feet, I would do the same thing. It is not really good for an old person to walk around by themselves. 

“This is the first and last, the next time. I will tell mom and dad.” Jake continued to say to Linda. 

“Yes. This is the last. Thank you. And by the way. You did not tell me you have good classmates.” Linda said to Jake. 

I can feel that Linda is lowkey changing the topic so Jake will not talk about it.  

“I don’t have to tell you. All people are good though.” Jake said to Linda.

“He has a point but the way he said it to Linda is a bit offensive. This is what I think, maybe they talk to each other like that so I don’t know.” I reacted on my own. 

I think that I watched this one on a video. YinYang means like that. I remember that the Chinese man said in an interview that ‘There is no such thing as pure goodness and evil. Just like the YinYang symbol. In every goodness that is in a person, there is evil that resides deep inside. Same with evil.’ 

“Whaaa!!! I think I am getting smarter than I was a while ago.” I said to myself. This is why watching is important.

“Oh… you silly boy. So! Are you close with each other?” Linda asked Jake hilariously. Linda is having a good time with Jake. Funny because she thinks that what Jake said was a joke. 

“Maybe yes and no at the same time.” I really wanted to say this but Linda is asking Jake. It would be disrespectful to butt in because I am not part of that conversation.

“None! I don’t have friends. Since when did I have friends?” Jake said to Linda without hesitating. 

I did not even feel that he was hesitating when he answered. He did not feel shy about it. “How could a man like him live?” I asked myself while looking at him. 

“How could he not even say something like that? He can just at least say that we know each other. Would that kill him?” I said to myself.

I feel really hurt after hearing his answer. I know he is like that but he could have just said something better than that. 

“Didn’t we just walk together at school and talk with each other?” I wanted to ask him that. 

I feel so bad right now that I want to punch him in the face. 

“Ah! I see. But you are classmates right? So how come…” Linda said but she was not able to continue what she wanted to say because Jake cut him.

“We’re classmates. Yes.” Jake said all of a sudden. 

“What the hell? Whaa! I am speechless.” I said to myself trying to calm myself. 

“Thank you for helping Mumma. Let’s go inside, it's getting darker now.” Jake said and held Linda’s hand so he could help her walk.

“Jake! Would it kill you to say something better than ‘JUST CLASSMATE’?” I said to Jake but he did not say anything nor reacted through his facial expression. 

“Fine! We are really ‘JUST CLASSMATES’ because even though you are my mentor in guitar playing and we are in the same group in cleaning, you never care to talk to me. I am always the one who talks first. I thought that the time would come that you and I would be friends but now it is clear that you never wanted to have friends. Thank you for everything Linda. Have a nice evening.” I said. 

I could not hold it anymore. I am really mad at him. How could he act like that when we have been close with each for quite some time? I know that I was always the one who talks first because I thought that eventually we will become friends. 

“s**t!” I said to myself and walked outside the foundation first.