Secret Rendezvous

FOOD STAND

AT THE FOOD STAND . . . 

I volunteered to order our food, and they will be the ones to look for our table.

“Miss, can I order three baked mac, three fishballs, and three orlians. Two sweet and spicy sauces and one plain spicy sauce, please. Also, three cheese-flavored french fries and three mango shakes. Thanks!” I ordered. I ordered a lot. We are not only hungry. We are starving and believe me. The food will not be enough for Nadine and Stella.

Then suddenly, Mister smug said, winking, “Miss, make it four orders. She owes me one!”

“What the heck! What are you talking about?” I raised my brows at him, and then I turned to the lady food server.” No, Miss, I don’t know him. Only give me what I ordered earlier.”

I gazed at him and gave him that who-are-you look and said,” Excuse me, order your own and pay it yourself! Aren't you a rich kid? I don't owe you anything!

“You owe me one for cutting in line, remember?” Storme exclaimed.  

“Make up your mind! The line is getting longer! Three or four?” said the fishball vendor harshly at us.

“Three,” I said

“Four,” Storme reiterated.

“If you two are having LQ, can you not argue here?” said the lady in line. “My kids are starving, and you are holding up the line!”

“Miss pretty, we are not having LQ. I don’t know him, and even if I know him, never in my life will I ever want him to be my boyfriend. Over my dead body!”

“Are you guys ordering three or four?” said the lady vendor.

“Watch what you say, Princess Sunshine. You might swallow your words when you fall in love with me,” he whispered in my ear, sending trembles on my skin.

“Assuming! You wish. Never will I be in love with you!” I hissed.

“The line is growing. Make up your mind, kids,” repeated the vendor.

“Hmmm! Well, let us do it this way. Make it four orders, but I will only pay for three,” I explained. “Let him pay for the fourth one. Okay?”

I paid for my order, picked up the food tray, and walked away from him. Well, that's where I'm good at anyway because I'm the certified walkout Queen.

“Kids nowadays are so hard to comprehend,” said the other lady on the line.

I play pretend I didn’t hear a word from the lady. I continued walking towards where Nadine and Stella are sitting. They are sitting at the corner table closest to the arcade. I put the tray down, gave them their food, and started eating. 

Nadine and Stella are the original buddies. In my fourth grade, Stella is my classmate, and she introduced Nadine to me. Before I met Stella, I was friends with Jared “Red” Villaluna, which was Stella’s half-brother. He saved me from the bullies who locked me in the janitors' room during my third grade, and that is how our friendship started, which is why I developed nyctophobia.

“Girl, what sassiness is that at the food stand? You're such a drama queen!” said Stella.

“Silly, that wasn't a drama! Can't you see it was like we were watching a lover’s quarrel?” said Nadine.

“Whatever! Hurry and dig in!” I responded, ignoring the words Nadine said.

“Oh, my gosh! Devin Storme Buenavente!” Nadine screamed with excitement.

I don’t know why I turned around when I heard Vin's name.

“He followed you, Summer? OMG! He’s walking towards us,” said Stella.

“Hey, Girls! Mind if I sit here?” Storme asked.

“No! Not at all.” They said in unison, staring at Storme.

“Yes, I do mind! Look for another table. Why here? You’re not welcome to sit here!” I sarcastically said without looking at him.

“Sure! Take a seat. Well, Nadine and I don’t mind at all,” said Stella.

“Storme, right? Don’t mind, Summer. She's a naturally sassy b***h. You’re free to sit beside her,” Nadine said, emphasizing for Storme to sit in the vacant space beside me.

If they are not my friends, I will think they are indeed crazy. As if Vin is a movie star or a popular model like Ryan Gosling or Park Bo Gum. If it’s probably an Oppa from one of the Korean drama’s I might be giddy too but not. Storme doesn’t look appealing to me now because my blood is boiling in anger towards him.

Storme was not satisfied with just sitting beside me, but he moved closer to me. I moved to the edge of the bench to keep a distance from him.

“Grrr! Flirtatious bitches! You’re drooling, darn it! Your saliva is all over the floor,” I told them. Pretending that they did not hear me. They continued to stare at Storme. It is shameful to be sitting here with these two crazy dorks.

“Why so handsome, Storme? I think we’re in love with you,” Stella said under her breath.

“Hmmm . . . I’ll take that as a compliment. Sorry, girls, my heart already belongs with Sunshine,” Storme said, winking at them. Then he winks at me.

When I heard the name ‘Sunshine,’ it was the thunder that shocked my ears. “Dang, it! It’s irritating?” I muttered.

“Girl, what’s irritating? And Storme, who is Sunshine? OMG! Don’t tell us we can’t even hang out with you? So you mean, you’re taken? How sad?!” Stella said, pouting her lips. Sour face painted all over her face.

“Seriously? Are you kidding me? FYI! Don’t you have boyfriends? What is this? Did you develop selective amnesia? Can you both behave yourselves, or else I’m leaving you two with this douchebag!” I said with a harsh yelling voice.

I felt like an invisible person as Nadine and Stella continued to watch Storme as he funnily eats the fish ball and orlians.

“By the way, Girls, I’m Devin Storme Buenavente. Call me Storme or Vin. So what major are you in?”

“Oh! We know your name already, Storme. It’s nice to meet you!” Stella said, smiling from ear to ear. She flipped her hair and twirled it. “Business Management. I’m Luningning Stellar Villaluna. Call me, Stella.”

“I’m Nadine Chardonnay Martinez. Call me, Nadine or Nadz.” She smiled flirtatiously at him. “Nice to meet you, Storme. All of us are taking Business Management. What about you?”

“Jeez! Flirting? What a shame!” I commented.

“Sheesh, Summer! We are having a moment here,” said Stella.

“Moment! Okay, fine! Take your moment!”

“Business as well, but I will major in Hotel and Restaurant Management,” Storme answered.

“That’s not how you eat that! Let me show you.” Nadine took the paper plate and showed him how to eat fish balls the way we do.

“HRM? Do you plan to manage a hotel or restaurant after we graduate, Storme?” Stella asked curiously.

“My family owns La Casa Buena Hotel, Buena Vista Penthouse, and Restaurante Amore. Hmmm . . . something like that. I will take over the business after we graduate,” Storme proudly replied.

“Tsk! You’re too arrogant, but a moron. You don’t even know how to eat fishball properly. It’s as if only now you have seen those street foods,” I murmured, which I didn’t know I was thinking out loud. I mean talking out loud instead of keeping my comments to myself.

“I never eat this kind of food.” Storme looked at the food he was eating. “What-cha-ma-call-this?” He asked Nadine and Stella with his American slang accent.

“Wow! So stupid! ‘I never eat this kind. What-cha-ma-call-this?’ Then why bother ordering that if you don’t know what kind of food you're buying,” I interjected, but they ignored me.

“This is a fishball. That one on your right is orlian, and that drink is called mango shake—Summer’s fave drink,” Stella explained.

“Will you shut your mouth, Luningning! He's certainly not asking what I like.”

“Oh! It’s okay, my Princess Sunshine. I wanna know.”

“Where did you get that ‘Princess Sunshine’?”

“I used to call you my Princess Sunshine. Don’t you remember?” Storme said, a smile danced on his lips.

“Oh! You—are—Sunshine! The girl who owns Storme’s heart?” said Nadine and Stella in unison.

Storme caught me off guard. I felt my face turn red. I didn’t blush because of that sweet romantic feeling. My face is burning in anger. He is so grrr! Why does he still remember that endearment?

I grabbed up my backpack from the ground and said, “Such a petty! I’m going to the arcade. You two can follow me.” Then I turn to face Storme,”And you? Get lost! I don’t want to see you again! Please, I don’t want to hear the name 'Sunshine'. She's long dead!”

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