VII. Choices

We arrived after forty five minutes. Heavy traffic today. I was so excited to unwind and to ride the roller coaster and everything. We rode on every ride that Rico’s Arcade offers. I’ve found lots of amazing stuffs and recently found out that I bought lots of goodies and souvenirs.

While we were waiting for the X rider, Alex became talkative.

“ You know, I have a friend in the Engineering building.” He said.

“ Was there a reason you brought it up?” I asked.

“ He likes you.” He replied.

“ Me? I don’t even know him.”

“ Daniel Cooper.” He smiled.

“ Ugh.” I replied.

“ Why?” He laughed.

“ I don’t like that guy. He’s irritating.” I spitted those words and I didn’t care if I’ve hurt Alex’ feelings.

When it’s our turn to ride, I felt a little spasm of nervousness in me. Alex gave me his “pokerface” look. Part of me wants to apologize, and part of me doesn’t. Sigh.

“ Scared?” He teased. He was back to his old self again. I knew that the fight was over.

“ Chicken.” I laughed. The ride went on for about 2 minutes. I felt so pissed that it wasn’t extreme at all. News casters are exaggerated. Sigh. I glanced at Alex and his face is pale.

“ Hey. Are you okay?” I asked.

“ I feel dizzy.” He complained.

“ You’re not used to these kinds of things, are you?”

“ No.”

“ Then why the heck, why didn’t you tell me?!” I shouted.

“ Because I wanted you to be happy. I didn’t want to ruin this. I rarely see your smile after what happened to Vince, And I just sacrificed two minutes of my time to see you smile, and I know it’s all worth it.”

I flinched. Why would Alex do this? Am I that important to him? Sigh.  It was just 8:00 in the evening and I decided to go home. He insisted that he should be the one to drive, but I disagreed. He’s still not feeling well, and I don’t want him behind the wheels.

“ Put your seatbelt on.” I commanded.

He sighed and followed what I said. The whole time that I was driving, I knew that I was bothered. Bothered by the fact that the whole time I was driving, he didn’t said anything. Bothered by what he said earlier at the arcade.. and bothered at what I’m feeling, that I think, maybe, I think I’m beginning to like him more than a friend. I dropped him off and said “bye”. He simple gave a smile and then headed towards his house. I leaned my head on the wheel and began stirring up my emotions. I wasn’t good at these things.

When I arrived home, It was already 10. Tomorrow, I still don’t have any classes. I sat on our front porch, and laid my head between my legs.

“ Honey, is everything alright?” Dad asked. He was eating churros and sat beside me.

“ I think.. I think, I’m beginning to like Alex.” I sighed.

“ Then what’s the matter? You deserve to love, anyway.”

“ Vince is still here.” I pointed on my chest where my heart’s located. “ Dad, I don’t want to fall for someone else, because I know that Vince can never be replaced.”

“ Honey, Vince wants you to be happy. You can’t lock yourself forever. Sooner or later, your heart will beat again. You will love again and it’ll be great.” He patted my head.

“ You really think so, Dad?”

“ Absolutely. Can’t you see the way Alex looks at you? He never looks at you the way he does to any other girls. The first time I met and saw Alex, I knew that he likes you, he likes you more than a friend. I can see the glow in his eyes every time he sees you, and believe me or not, You got blush on your face going home late at night because you’re with him.” He laughed.

“ What I’m saying is this.. Don’t be afraid to risk. Who knows, maybe Alex’s the one for you. Maybe he’s the guy that God gave you, so don’t ever think that Vince would be the last man that you’ll like or love. Anyways, It’s getting late. Better sleep now, Hon. Goodnight.” He kissed me on my forehead.

“ Thanks for the talk, Dad. I really appreciated it.” I smiled.

“ Anytime.” He grinned.

It was already 10:30, and it’s too early to sleep. I decided to call Monique.

“ Hello?” She yawned.

“ Hey! Did I wake you up?” What a stupid question to ask.

“ Yes. What is it?” She asked, irritated.

“ I think.. I think I’m beginning to like Alex.. I mean more than a friend.”

She sighed. “You know what, I have a hunch that you might fall for Alex. I mean, he’s like Vince.”

“ No.” I protested. “Alex is someone else. He’s different. Ugh. I’m confused!” I moaned.

She yawned once more. “You know what, why don’t you just think about it tonight.. and let me sleep? Like seriously, take it easy. Think. Breath, okay? Good thing that it’s Teachers’ Day tomorrow that’s why we don’t have any classes. We’ll talk about this on Friday, okay? Goodnight Angelie!” She snapped the phone shut.

I laid down on my bed, thinking about everything. How confusing things may be, I know I’ll get over this nonsense. I mean, how could I like Alex? I tried to get all the thoughts out of my head. As I watched the night turn dark blue from the view of my room, I slowly closed my eyes and somehow, forced myself to sleep.