Chapter 3: Sponsor Brooks

Renee Brooks looked outside the van window, avoiding two pairs of eyes currently murdering her imaginarily. She may or may not have sent an invitation to the Lin brothers to visit her parents today and forgot to tell her friends about it.

Pamela had nothing against Renee since her fashion-comes-first motto worked. She thought she was glamourous enough with her blue one-shoulder dress with a lace sleeve. Renee only wore her tube top and shorts, but her Gucci sunglasses and shoulder bag made everything look fancy.

On the other hand, Mea and Mary Ann looked like they were about to go for fresh groceries at a night market. They both wore an oversized shirt with shorts for Mary Ann and sweatpants for Mea.

“Don’t feel so bad, you can tuck them in, and you’d look pretty!” Pamela exclaimed.

The two pairs of glaring eyes switched to her rather than Renee. “Yeah, as if we’re gonna hang out with friends,” said Mea. “We’re gonna meet the rich parents! And worse, somebody didn’t even tell us we’d be riding with celebrities.” Mea added and went back to her death glare to Renee.

“It’s fine. I think you look good,” says Kent Lin from the seat in front of them and winks at the silent Mary Ann. He was facing them with his chin resting on his arms that were folded on the backrest.

Mea raised an eyebrow at him and heard Thor chuckle at the driver’s seat.

“Don’t you ladies want to introduce yourselves?” asked Kent.

“Hi, I’m Pamela,” the most fashionable woman said and extended her arm.

Kent took it and kissed the back of her knuckle. Pamela smiled widely like never before. “More than just the name. People have so much within themselves that the name never mirrors.”

The girls were impressed with his quote. Was this the Kent Lin they stalked on the internet last night? He didn’t seem to be a man of wisdom on his timeline. There always were girls with him in his pictures, and most of them were equally famous. The latest photo he had was with the famous model, Diana Pereira

“We’re college students, here in the province for a summer vacation. We’re dormmates too,” Pamela stated. She took her phone from her purse and lit the screen. She showed her lock screen right in front of Kent’s face. “See that? That’s us at the last college party we had. I can’t wait to go back and attend another one,” she chuckled.

“Who’s this?” Kent asked pointing at someone. “The girl in a high ponytail.”

Pamela looked at her own screen. They all had their hair let down in the picture except Mea. She wore a black cage crop top and red high waist shorts. “Oooh, that’s the most party rocker in our squad. That’s Mea.”

This time, it was Kent’s turn to raise his brow on her. “You? I thought you knew nothing but be sarcastic.” The girls almost snorted upon hearing him.

“Huh, really! I thought you knew nothing but be a lecher,” Mea countered bravely.

Thor, Deuss, and Erric all laughed. Paul Sohan asked, “What’s a lecher?”

“I’ll tell you later,” said Thor. “Miss, believe it or not, Kent’s a virgin,” he revealed, and laughter arose again.

“Aww, a womanizer who can’t woo ladies into bed,” Mea pouted.

Kent was annoyed at the childish treatment. He fixed his seat and focused his attention on the window.

“Mea’s never been kissed,” Pamela declared again. Mary Ann and Renee tried to suppress their laughter.

Erric and Deuss almost simultaneously looked back at Mea, but they stayed silent. Their eyes went back on the windows when she glanced at them, but Deuss did it late and Mea caught him looking at her.

Kent looked at her again and boasted, “At least I’ve kissed someone.”

Mea grimaced at the man and they all went silent.

Her thoughts remembered when they all first met at the lobby of The Marison Hotel. She almost didn’t feel Deuss’ presence for he stayed silent all the time. She couldn’t deny he was the most appealing of all the boys despite the lack of conversation. Maybe because of the shoulder-length bleached hair, it suited him so great. A man of silence, class, and a touch of secrecy. It interested Mea.

Renee bumped her elbow with Mea’s. “Open your Gossip account,” she whispered.

Mea did as she asked. There were another 14 messages in the Unreplied tab. “Why are there more chats when I didn’t post anything?”

Renee held her phone in front of Mea. It was an I*******m post of the picture of them that was also Pamela’s lock screen wallpaper.

theRenee. Throwback pic! See the prettiest girl on the right? She’s on Gossip @itsmecristy

“Why do you keep selling me out?”

“I don’t. We keep helping you cure your bitterness. Many men like you Mea, you look pretty, and you’ve got the fashion sense. You just act too boyish and most of them get turned off or scared.”

Mea couldn’t believe she’s having this pep talk in a van with five sons of gods. She looked at them and saw no reaction. They were too busy watching the window, eating, sleeping, and on their phone to hear her and Renee’s babbling.

She sighed and tapped the latest chat she received on Gossip. “And you’re not gonna stop until I do it, aren’t you?”

Renee only nodded.

“Two weeks, alright,” Mea considered. Renee’s face lit up. “Two weeks without parties, but with a little of this,” she raised her phone.

“Deal,” Renee agreed.

The two went back to the men on their phones. Mea knew she’s going to feel so weird. She has never flirted with a man before. She was so used to ignoring possibly meaningful acts anybody had shown her. It could never be either they like her romantically or they like her as friends. It must only be the latter.

steve_ui: hi

itsmecristy: hi

steve_ui: now what?

Mea grimaced. What was this guy’s problem? He came chatting first and had no idea where to go. She showed her phone to Renee and she just smiled awkwardly while blocking the guy. “Yeah, guys like that exist, and they’re a pain,” Renee said, which was obvious for Mea that she was speaking from experience. “Just block them,” she advised and went back to chatting and smiling like an idiot on her phone.

Mea scrolled on her screen and picked a chat that already has a topic. She wouldn’t want another awkward guy asking her what’s next.

KikiLove wants to gossip about your photo.

KikiLove: did your boyfriend take this pic?

It was her only photo that’s posted on gossip. At the bus, when she looked engrossed at the window.

Itsmecristy: no, my friends did

KikiLove is typing.

Mea took a deep breath and straightened her seat. She didn’t know he’s online. That’s another thing about gossip, it doesn’t show when a user is online or not.

KikiLove: hey, you’re online

KikiLove: do you have a boyfriend?

itsmecristy: no

KikiLove: got no girlfriend either. You look really pretty

Mea suddenly remembered all the voices that said exactly the same thing. She heard it every time she and her friends were at a party. She would give her best shot on dressing up for those events. Mea knew that not all compliments meant romantic interest. But back then, she thought all compliments had absolutely no romantic interest in them. She has only realized now that some of them might actually be for flirting.

itsmecristy: thank you

KikiLove: so what are u doing?

All of a sudden, Mea Cristy Del Bien forgot where she was, what she’s doing, where she’ll go, and who she was before that second. What do I say?

itsmecristy: nothing

KikiLove: alright then where are you?

itsmecristy: van

KikiLove: where to?

itsmecristy: Misibis Bay Resort

KikiLove: you live nearby? Albay?

itsmecristy: no. just here for vacation

KikiLove: cool, I’m from Manila

itsmecristy: me too. how old are you?

KikiLove: 25, you?

Mea cursed in her mind and bit her lip. She almost had a great moment there. A guy seven years older than her wasn’t her idea of a fling.

She showed her phone to Renee again who frowned and tapped the buttons for blocking. “Next,” Renee mouthed quietly with an awkward smile.

Mea kept her phone instead. She thought online flirting was easy, where you pick one guy and you just chat with each other until you ghost them the next day. But as she’s trying at the moment, maybe there's also such a thing as “the right fling.”

***

The Misibis Bay Resort was one of the greatest luxuries in Albay. Pool water reflected the light to recliners, umbrellas, and the shadowed areas of the palm trees on the poolside. It looked so much like what would be called a modern tropical paradise, filled with plants standing on each edge, wherever one would turn. And just a few yards from that is the white-sand beach that stretches long enough for a one-lap morning jog. The cold sea breeze makes a good company for that.

Marianne and Pierce Brooks sat in the lobby, awaiting their child and her precious friends – the people that were there beside her when they couldn’t. The old couple appreciates good-influencing friends more than anything.

Renee’s group arrived with a ruckus, announcing their presence before they even enter.

“Stop shaking your head or I’ll break it,” Mea threatens.

Mary Ann has been shaking her head while Pamela and Renee pull her towards the door. She had never, and would never want to present herself without prior preparation to anyone. Prettiest girl attitude. The boys follow them at the back, most of them unbelieving that Mary Ann wouldn’t believe her bare face enough looks gorgeous.

“Mom! Pa!” Renee yelled and ran towards two wisdom-aged royalties that stood at the cue.

“Rin!” they greeted back as they wrapped her in their arms.

“We missed you so much.” Marianne caressed Rin’s hair.

Pierce kissed her forehead. “It’s so good to see you, Rin.”

They all felt warm from their reunion. Renee’s friends all watched with smiles, thinking how sweet they are. But deep inside, the girls sadly about how they miss their own parents, while the Lin brothers stayed inexperienced with this sort of gathering.

They only see their parents in publicly announced events. A little talk upfront happens, just to show the camera a good interaction within the rich family, then they proceed to negotiate with the VIPs. Paul Sohan had one day voiced out his thoughts about not being as important as their parent’s business partners, but his brothers couldn’t comfort him. They all went through the same stage.

Renee faced her friends again, introducing each of them by name. They all had a good view of her parents now. Marianne wore a peach long-sleeved, ankle-length dress, tied with a brown belt on her hips, matched with a silver dream catcher necklace, and silver wheat rings of various widths on her three fingers. Pierce on the other hand wore a hat like Thor’s but white, a shirt, and a thin unbuttoned polo on top of that. His silver watch embedded with crystals was noticeable.

They shook their hands and hugged them. “Thank you for being with our daughter. It’s been a long time now since you’ve been friends with her, and we decided to treat you here to express our gratitude,” Marianne said.

“That truly sounds like an honor, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks,” Thor said in a formal tone. “However, you might only mean the ladies. My brothers and I only met them yesterday.”

Pierce Brooks turned his smile into an instant frown. He raised his chin, transforming from a thankful Dad to a protective one. Most Dads intentionally scare the boys recently met by their daughters.

“We decided to join them for professional modeling opportunities. We’ll shoulder our own costs of course. That is if you permit these talented ladies to work with us,” Thor explained.

“Modelling?” Pierce cleared. He glanced at his wife and took a good look at the brothers. A smile started reforming on his face. “Aren’t you all the Lin family from Singapore?” he asked, finally recognizing them.

“Is that them?” Marianne asked.

“You know them?” Renee was confused, and so were the ladies. They were wide-eyed at the sudden reality. There was indeed a great possibility for jewelry and modeling companies to do business together. The fact that they were from Singapore just convinced them that the possibility was greatly diminished. They were wrong. It seemed like the Lin brothers were internationally known not only to fangirls but the fashion business sector.

It seemed like they would always meet each other even in different circumstances – a little bit sounding like fate.

***

Mary Ann lay hidden under the white duvet blanket of the hotel room.

“When will she get over it?” asked Mea. She stood on the balcony, looking at the ocean view offered by their position. It was almost lunch and the sun was straight high up the sky. She enjoyed the glittering waves.

“Probably never, not until she gets the proper clothes,” stated Pamela while fiddling with the wall-mounted TV.

“And she’s getting some. Tonight,” Renee announced while scrolling her phone. “Pam, help me out here.” Both of them sat on the sofa situated in front of Mary Ann’s bed. Renne pulled her blanket and scolded her, “Quit whining, come choose which clothes you like and we’ll buy them.”

Pamela gasped, “I needed a friend like you. Where have you been all my life?”

Mea turned and laughed at them. “Am I included?” she asked as she sat beside Mary Ann who’s now eyeing Renee’s phone closely. Mea wondered how she ended up with fashion-obsessed friends. “We’ll order online?”

“Yeah,” said Renee, who already had three swimsuits added to cart.

“And when will it get here?”

Renee turned and looked at her unimpressed, “Girl. You kidding?”

Mea blinked and thought if she was.

“Just pick your clothes and I’ll make sure we get them tonight.” Renee shook her head and muttered, “This is why same-day delivery couriers exist.”

More like, this was how same-day vacations of rich people are spent, Mea thought. She started hesitantly, “Do you… at least have an app for an online thrift store—”

“Girl! Just freaking pick clothes!” Renee startled all of them.

Pamela whispered to Mary Ann, “We both knew how we needed such a good friend like Renee.”

Later on, they scrolled without anyone saying a word. One point of a finger was the only thing needed for Renee to add to her cart. It ranged from pieces of jewelry to dresses, swimsuits, footwear, and even nail polishes. Unbelievably, soon they had more than a hundred.

Renee breathed deep after the lengthy online shopping. Who knew it was equally tiring as physical shopping?

She looked straight at Mea and reminded, “You remember that ‘too boyish’ talk this morning in the van?”

Mea nodded.

“We’re fixing that tonight.”

***

Erric Lin sat on the reclining chair watching the sunset with Deuss and Paul Sohan. They all wore unbuttoned Hawaiian polos and common shorts. Unlike the girls, they had the time to pack a few clothes for their stay in Misibis Bay Resort.

Erric wore his earpods while Paul Sohan still had his shoulder bag of food. Deuss on the other hand slept peacefully – if not for some of the staff’s ruckus and shrieks watching them.

“Anywhere we go. Anywhere at all,” sighed Erric, referring to the ladies admiring them from afar.

“Isn’t that good?” mumbled Deuss, his eyes still shut. “They’re like water in a fridge, freshening up, waiting to be sipped.”

Erric scoffed. He opened his phone to check his social media life, but he remembered his promise to himself. This two-week vacation was supposed to be a social media detoxification period. Erric decided to take a picture of the sunset poolside view in front of him and kept it in his gallery. If not for social media, then for his memories.

Thor and Renee’s parents arrived together.

“So,” Thor starts. Erric took his earpods off and listened. “We got a new project coming up, specially dedicated to Brooks’ Silvers and the young ladies. Plans are settled. We’ll have in a month,” he summed up.

New business projects come up almost every day in the Lin family’s life. Settling another great deal is not a problem for an internationally renowned bloodline. Sometimes, fame does help. Or maybe most of the time.

Deuss stood and shook Mr. and Mrs. Brooks’ hands. “Looking forward to working with you.”

“And them,” Pierce Brooks stated, looking behind the boys, at the girls coming out of the elevator.

The four all wore swimsuits and walked like how models do on runways. Pamela comes first, as the fashionable of all, she wore a one-shoulder one piece and had sunglasses hung on the neckline. Her legs were strapped to the knee with her gladiator sandals.

Mary Ann follows behind her. Unlike from a while ago, she has gained a hundred percent confidence making her presence turn into the opposite. She wore a simple flip flop and a scoop top, with the straps emphasizing on her perfectly shaped collarbones, tied to a ribbon on her nape.

The bling on Renee’s style was what impressed her parents and the boys. She wore open wedge sandals with her newly painted toes seen. It’s hard enough to walk on sand, but Renee has got poise in her stand making high heels seem completely normal on beaches. Like Pamela, she wore a black one-piece but studded with small beads. It seemed crafted professionally enough to make it safe to swim on without the beads tearing apart. Knowing she’s the richest, she probably bought a designer swimwear.

Almost none of the watchers recognized the last one coming if she isn’t the only one yet unseen of the four girls. Mea had her hair tied in a messy bun, accentuated with sunglasses raised up like a turban. Her ankle-strap heels clicked in rhythm as she walked the lobby.

Kent arrived from the bathroom just in time to gulp on Mea’s view.

It was a white deep-plunge one piece and, except her belly button and below, her torso including her cleavage was enticingly exposed. When she finally stepped out of the building, her body sunkissed, she remembered Renee’s lectures about starting to be less boyish tonight. She continued her poised walk towards the poolside, where everyone was looking at her, the girls proud, the boys enthralled.

“Hi,” she greeted, in a tone that matches the coming seductive night.