Chapter 04

LISA GRUNTED and pushed Rosalynne aside. "Get out! I was the first to notice this book!”

“Ouch!" Rosalynne collided with Jesa after being pushed by Lisa. She then turned her gaze to Jesa, who was innocently reading a book. "Could you please move away from me!" You're getting in my way! ”

Jesa furrowed his brow. She put down the book she was reading. “What? Why are you upset with me? Lisa was the one who shoved you! What the heck!?”

"Which book is better? Should I buy this one?" Ruby, who was peacefully browsing the books on the next shelf, inquired. She was most likely just talking to herself.

I stared at the four of them hopelessly. Whenever these four are in the same room, it's always chaos and disaster. It's kinda ironic that we have all been best friends since junior high school, but they fight like kindergarteners. Good thing Ruby was always there to tame them whenever I wasn't around.

We're here at the nearest book store to spend the gift certificate that JD gave me. A hundred thousand was too large to spend just for myself, so I asked the four of them to come with me. I don't know it the decision of asking them to come with me was good or bad, or if should I regret it or not.

I heaved out an exhausted sigh. I closed my eyes and massaged my temples to calm myself. I even took a sip on my cold wintermelon milk tea, but it wasn't enough to remove at least half of the stress I was feeling. It even got worse when I saw the three of them were fighting over a book, and Jesa cried when she was accidentally elbowed by Lisa.

I turned my gaze towards Ruby, who was still peacefully looking for books. She seemed to enjoy her own world while the other three were having a war. Should I just send them home? They might damage some books and other items here if they continue to act immature!

I was about to go near them an drag them out of the store, but I stopped when I heard my phone rang inside my blazer's pocket. I quickly fished out my phone and looked at what it was, and my brows formed a single line when I saw a miscall from an unregistered number. Who's this? Is this another one of those prank calls where they ask for personal informations and bank accounts?

I was about to turn my phone off when a text message from the same number popped into my notifications. My brows furrowed even more.

Unregistered Number: I'll call again.

Unregistered Number: Answer the call or I'll take back the certificate.

After reading that text, one person quickly came into mind and I just rolled my eyeballs. And just like he said, he did called back and I answered it this time.

"What?" I answered with a bored tone. I glanced at my friends who were miraculously behaved right now at the counter 7.

"Just called to remind you that tomorrow will be our first date. Better be there or I'll really—"

I groaned in annoyance and rolled my eyeballs again. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," I cut him off. "Bye."

I didn't let him speak even a word and quickly ended the call. I turned off my phone and put it back inside my pocket. I heaved out a sigh and walked towards my friends who were already calling me and telling me to pay their things. There were two shopping carts with mountains of items and books inside. Good thing the money we were spending wasn't mine. If it was mine, I would disown these four and act like I don't know them.

The things we bought were plenty that we had to call my brother to bring a car fetch us! I was left with two thousand pesos after paying for everything we got from the store. In just one day, we spent 98, 000 pesos! Probably I spent the 8000 for myself, and the rest were spent by these four! What Ruby got were mostly expensive international books from classics and well-known writers. She's a book nerd, that wasn't surprising coming from her.

After I got home, I immediately sorted the books on my big bookshelf. I couldn't get rid of the smile on my lips because for the first time, finally, my book shelf has actual books in it! And there were so much books left in the box since there were no more space inside the bookshelf.

"Jillian?" I immediately turned around when I heard my mother's voice. Her eyebrows were in one line while looking down at the books inside the box. She picked up one book from box. "Why is there a lot of books here? And look at this one..." She flipped the book to look at the price tag, and pointed at it. “This one's the same price as our blender!”

When Mama raised her surprised eyes to me, I immediately looked away. I really didn't want to lie to her, but I didn't want her to find out that I got the money because I made a ridiculous deal with an idol to pretend as his girlfriend. "Uhm... T-There was a raffle at the bookstore earlier. A-And I was lucky because I won the first prize, which is free books!" I laughed nervously, praying to every saint and deity I know that Mom would believe me!

Mama stood up and nodded, but she was still reluctantly staring at me. I just smiled at her and didn't break eye contact. She probably didn't buy it! I bit my lower lip nervously.

"Come downstairs after finishing what you're doing. The food is ready." She, then, walked out of my room, and I breathe out a sigh of relief.

---

The next day I woke up at six in the morning. I have been wondering about this, but whenever it's the weekdays and time for school, I always wake up so late and couldn't get up even if the alarm is beside my ears. But if it's the weekends, I wake up this early! It's still effin' six in the morning!

JD texted me last night, he said that we would meet at the nature park later at eight o' clock. And since it was still seven o'clock even though I had finished preparing for our date, I did some house chores while Mom and my brother were still asleep. Just had to keep myself busy and to pass the time.

"Jillian? Why are you dressed like this early? Are you going somewhere? "

I stopped washing the dishes and immediately turned to face Mom. My brother had just arrived and was already dressed for his work. They both looked at me in surprise, but Joseph's was more of, like, the "disgusted" surprise.

I flashed them my ever sweet smile.

Joseph's face turned sour. "What kind of smile is that, Jill! You look like Annabelle!" He, then, groaned.

I just snorted. I remembered that my hair was in twin braids and I still had some baby bangs. I was wearing a light yellow dress. I do look like Anabelle. But I'm obviously prettier than her! "Are you going somewhere? Hanging out with your friends?" Mama walked to the table and sat down. When she looked at the bowls and dishes with lids, she was surprised to see that there was food in them. I just smiled.

"She obviously has hidden agenda, Mom, that's why she did all the house chores." Kuya said and sat across from Mom. "Just by looking at her face, she obviously needs something."

I just rolled my eyeballs at him. I wasn't in the mood to get back at him for his teasing. Apart from ruining my day, my beauty will also be ruined. It'll be hard and tiring to fix my make-up again. "My friends and I just have a plan to hang out today, Mom."

"Oh yeah? I bet you're meeting up with some dude you have a crush on at school!”

My nose were flaring while glaring at him. Okay! That's it! I threw the spoon I was holding at his face. Unfortunately, it didn't hit him because he was able to dodge it!

"Alright. I'll let you go. As long as you come home this before dinner, alright? And be careful."

"Yes!" I immediately stood up and hugged her from behind. "Thank you, Mom. You're the best!"

"Have you eaten your breakfast yet?"

I nodded. "Yes. I already ate earlier."

"Just make sure the person you're meeting is really your friends, Jill," Joseph warned, making me look at him. "If not, I'll flip you with that guy and throw you out!"

I rolled my eyeballs at him. "Whatever. Goodbye. I'm running late because of you." I immediately stormed out of the house before I lose my temper and flip and throw him out instead!

"Be careful, Jill! Love you!"

When I glanced back at her, she blew a kiss at me and I just chuckled. I blew a kiss to her, too, before I finally left the house.

I rode a tricycle to the nature park where I agreed to meet JD. When I got there, he wasn't there yet. Was it because I was too early? Or was he just late? He might think I was excited to meet him if he saw me get here first!

I sat on the metallic bench below the acacia tree and just opened my Kindle to browse my library and find something to read. There was still thirty minutes before eight o'clock. There was a kiosk in front that was selling drinks and milk teas, so I bought one milk tea for me while reading.

My cup was half empty and I already reached the middle of the novel I was reading, but he hasn't arrived yet. My tummy growled and I realized it was already lunch time, he was that late!

"Be careful. You might inhale that straw."

"Jesus effin' christ!" I was so startled that I jumped off of the bench. I quickly turned around and faced the person who startled me and I frowned when I saw that it was—finally, he's here—JD! "What the frick!? And why did it take you so long to get here, huh?! I'm starving!”

He slid his hands inside his pockets. "I'm just in time. You just came too early." He smirked and I raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, you arrived early, didn't you? You're obviously excited to see me, admit it. Falling for me, already? That was fast."

I rolled my eyeballs at him. The audacity? I scoffed. “As if? You're not even my type. Let's just get into this date and all those shiz so I can go back home!” Then I strode off.

"What was our deal again, babe?"

My steps halted, and I glanced at him over my shoulder. "What? Do I have to recite everything about our deal right here, right now? Oh, please, I'm starving!"

He chuckled. "Chill. Is my girlfriend's on her period?" he teased and disgust quickly crept up through my body. "Well, just a recap from our deal. First, you need to cooperate with me when we're in public. It means, don't give me an attitude whenever we met, and you have to follow what I say. Second, you have to call me ‘babe’ for the whole duration of this deal.”

I raised a brow at him. I faked a smile. I stepped closer to him and held his arm. "Okay, babe. I understand, babe," I said with all the sarcasm I could muster and gave him my sweetest smile.

He grimaced. "Oh, please, stop that! Your face reminds me of that creepy doll, Annabelle!”

And that's it! I angrily let go of his arm and glared at him . "F*ck you! I was already cooperating just like you said, and this is the treatment I get!?”

I was about to walk out when he held my hand and pulled me back. "Not so fast, babe."

"Hurry up! I wanna eat already!"

"Just a little addition to our deal. I just thought of this last night."

"Whatever!"

The sides of his lips rose. "Until our deal is done, you should not date anyone else. You should only be dating me, and only me. You are exclusively mine for two months. Mine, and mine alone. Got that, babe?"

I froze and my brain took seconds to process what he just said. I tilted my head to the side and looked at him with a confused look. Did I hear him right? Or were my ears playing with me?

What the actual f*ck!?