I finish my second glass of whisky, rubbing my forehead. I don't enjoy it like other people. Chris orders another glass of beer.
"Are you going to suck me dry?" I groan loudly.
"I'm going to drink as much as I want tonight my friend. I'm happy for ya."
Out of the corner of my eyes I notice a girl in red dress, with her friends. Her backside looks kinda familiar.
"Chris, do you know her?" I ask through blurry eyes.
"Why ask? You like her? I can talk to her about ya." He gulps down a mouthful of beer.
Chris too is good at drinking. Just like Damien. Ugh! Did I really have to think about him right now?
"Let me just..." Chris takes a glass of vodka and heads that way.
How long will he be taking? I cannot see him anymore.
Suddenly someone drags a stool beside me to sit. But my now throbbing head denies me any strength to take a look at them.
"So now you drink?"
That voice could wake me up from a coma I swear.
D-Damien?! What's he doing.. Great! My attempts of avoiding him is always a failure. Hmph! Is it saturday today?
"You won't talk to me?" He asks taking the glass from my hand.
I frown then try to take it back from him. "You can never leave me alone huh?" *Hic* "Let me guess you also want a free drink? Order up-p I'll pay-y. Take whatever y-you wan-t."
"Just look at you—drunk already." He crosses his arms. "How many glasses this time?"
"Th-three," I show three of my fingers. "Not much haha..." Am I losing my head? It feels so heavy and light at the same time.
I feel his hand helping my head to rest on his shoulder and the music around me slowly begins to fade.
••••
As the stark morning rays of sun burns the corners of my eyes, I suddenly become hyper aware of yester night.
"So the light headed cold statue has awakened." Damien's figure looms at the doorway.
I remove the cover from me and see a different shirt on me. "What on earth?!"
He slashes the air dismissively. "I couldn't let you sleep on my bed with you smelling like a barrel of alcohol."
"Then you shouldn't have. Jesus Christ why am I here again?!" I sit up in a panicky way. "Is this..?" I point at my shirt.
"Yeah it's mine. I saw nothing trust me. It was all dark when I... Nevermind."
"How come I ended up in your house again?"
He ignores my question. "Have breakfast with me then I'll tell." He makes a challenging face.
"You know what? I don't have time for this nonsense."
I'm almost out of his room when he says, "So you've decided to be an actor hm."
There's a kind of desperation in his voice. How did he know?
"You're wondering how do I know?" He holds up his hair in despair. "It's not even a month since I asked you to be my team member. And you..." He sighs. "It's alright. You can choose whatever you want."
"I never said I won't join Four of Clubs to defeat Elves—even if for a short while. And the professors wanted that too."
"What about you? What do you want?" He asks with an annoyed expression.
"You can't. Seriously Damien you can't be the one asking that." I recall that day and my frustration starts to pour over again. "I'm done here."
"No you're not."
"Is that a threat?"
He grips my hand then drags me to the hall with all he's got. He sits me on the chair—his expression, not any better than before.
Breakfast table. Sandwiches, salads, orange juice.
He pours some into two glasses then sits across from me. "Who was with you last night?"
"None of your business!" I grit my teeth.
"It became my business the moment I knew..."
"What?"
He takes a short breath then releasing it he says, "I'm asking again... Who came with you last night?"
"Chris." I answer gulping the juice. I've never seen him like this. It's kinda unnerving. No Saint you cannot be intimidated by someone like him.
"And where did he go? Your friend left you quite early."
"You love doing this, don't you?" I grimace. "I don't know what I did in my past life to have..." I mull over angrily.
"So, Saint Angel can get mad too."
I munch on the food noisily letting him get a glimpse of my irk.
"When I spotted you, you were drinking alone. Later I asked who you came with but you kept mumbling stuffs like—'I'm happy to have this chance... I wanna be actor mom. I'm sorry to disappoint you—that I passed the audition'". He scoffs pointing at my hand. "You burnt your finger for the audition. Such dedication!"
I feel my skin suddenly getting warmer. Am I embarrassed?
Damien says again, "You kept grinning like a child who got his long awaited freedom. Tell me, what do you wish?" He asks masking his vexation. "As for me, I'll be happy with whatever you choose."
I say nothing as we both reach the end of our time.
"Come to school tomorrow. Don't hide like a scared puppy." He's teasing me again but this time it sounds very serious...like it's an order.
"What if I don't? Do you know what happened Friday just before you arrived?"
He massages his temple with his index and thumb. "Mika told me right after. All the more reason you shouldn't run away."
Why should I be running away in the first place Damien? None of this would have happened if you hadn't... But I keep my mouth shut.
I take a quick shower in his bathroom then fetching my yesterday's clothes I come out. He did something good by washing them. Now I owe him again.
"Leaving so soon?" He whistles from behind.
"Were you getting used to this cold statue?"
He remains quiet. But those words keep hammering my head. 'Someone like Saint Angel got Damien as friend? No wonder he took advantage of Damien. After all it's Damien we're talking about. Everyone loves him.'
"Damien?"
"Mm?"
"Don't taint your image by being with me."
Why my heart feels heavy all of a sudden? Am I really affected by those worthless people's words? Or is it the fear of something I don't want to happen ever?
••••
The next day: I take the seat two rows behind my usual seat. It's not that I'm late. But someone else has already taken it. How can someone be late every single day? Didn't he he tell Mrs. George the other day that he's trying to be attentive?
Speak of the devil!
Damien enters whistling in his usual black attire.
"Boss! Come. We got your seat." Zeb gestures at him.
The low whispers begin again. Ana, a hippie girl literally throws herself on him as she and her friends asks dramatically, "Damien, did you really kiss Saint??"
Some boys in the back throws those some of those photos again in the air.
Some girls sigh hopelessly. "And here we were dreaming of Saint Angel. Oh God!"
Maia Russel glares at the girls who were clapping. Now she says, "Professor will soon be here. Do you all want to be suspended?"
Wow she can be like that too?
"Yes I did," Damien now answers coolly.
The assistant teacher comes a minute later. "Professor isn't feeling well today. Class cancelled.
As she leaves the whole class starts buzzing again.
"Good! Now as were saying," Ana continues, "Why did you do that Damien?"
I have this sudden urge to bang my head against the wall. Now everyone turns their head at me with fierce intensity. Their stares burn holes in my head as I stand up briskly signing Damien to stay quiet. But he never listens to nobody, does he?
"I simply wanted to."
His answer causes me to flinch and shudder at the same time. Why is he doing this?
A loud echo of gasps reverberate through the ceiling of the room.
"How many shots did you have instead of coffee this morning, Damien Frost?" My expression hangs loosely on the thread.
He gives a wolfish grin. "How many shots would you like me to have so I could wake up next to you in bed?"
Everyone's mouth hangs open. They're dead shocked. And so am I.
"Is that t-truee?" Giddy whispers fall.
"Why did you mention that Boss?" Mika's warning to Damien intensifies the tension.
"Mention what?" They all ask in unmasked eagerness.
Chris finally pounds his fist drawing their attention. "All you can do is criticize. Do you people have any idea what Saint's been going through lately?"
"What does he mean?" They ask giving me curious yet judgemental eyes.
Damien comes to my side but I move a little away from him. He's the source of all trouble.
"Ask her!" Chris snaps at Henrietta who was sitting at the left corner.
Now everyone faces her.
"I thought of giving her a chance! But she's not worth it." Chris drags her across the row of desks. "Today will be the end of it." His eyes rove over me. "You didn't even ask me why I suddenly left you at the bar that day."
Yeah.. that's how I ended up in Damien's bedroom again.
"You have no proof Chris," Henrietta naively states.
"Oh yeah? Wanna bet on that?" He takes out his phone. "She's the one who snapped that picture. Made hundred copies of it then spread gossips all over M.H Academy."
Damien and his group gives her a contemptuous stare.
"So she's the one who toyed with our university's reputation?" Vince, the guy who was class president few months back, asks angrily.
Chris plays the video. It's mostly all dark and black...in that bar. But the voices are understandable. Henrietta and her friends were laughing and drinking because they got to ruin my image as she didn't get my attention.
"You can't even make out the faces clearly from this video. This doesn't prove I did it." Henrietta now glances at her friends nervously. But they move away from her
"Tell that to the Dean."
"You can't! This is outrageous!"
But without listening further Chris grabs her and head straight to his office. But it cannot erase the fact that I was kissed by Damien Frost.
••••
My focus should be purely on my role now. The shooting has begun and it'll probably take six months to finish the movie. I have 23 scenes—more than the other cast members. The shooting hours are lengthy and tiring but Mr. Dean is cooperative. He understands my school situation and sets my schedules accordingly.
For the last ten days I haven't been hearing more of those gossips or criticisms. Words even spread that I'm working under Eternals which helped in regaining my image. But the thing that scares me is—if mom learns of this, what will happen?
I haven't been attending most of my classes. Barely one or two. As I'm unable to do so due to the tight schedule. Is this how it feels like to be an actor? Damien on the other hand has become busier—a lot more wilder and animal like. Everytime our eyes meet I see an arrogant aggressive beast ready to pounce on me. I wonder what happened between him and Kate.
It's another Monday. I requested the day off from Mr. Charles so I could finally attend all the classes in oneday.
I was working on a song the other day. The competition is in a month. Damien and I are practicing but separately which for some unknown reason is affecting my mood every now and then. But overall it's okay. Our paths are not to be crossed—for better.
The first class ends. Damien missed it again. He loves sleeping till late morning.