Thrust Into His Arms

GWENETH

I kept smiling to myself on the way home. Looking down to the new backpack strapped to my front that I gotten as a gift from Rex. It’s a hello kitty design. I heard that it is limited edition.

He also got me a box of chocolate donuts and two different pairs of bracelet.

Maverick got me a face cap and a shirt with my initials embroidered on it. And also a new romance novel and a case of feathered pens.

So sweet of him too! This is the first time I am getting birthday presents from people other than my family. I reached home and surprisingly found mom knitting in the living room.

"Mom? What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn’t be back until the weekend?" I ask her. "I needed to get an important draft for a meeting. What is that you’re holding?"

"Oh this bag? I got it as a present. My boyfriend gave it to me."

"Sweet. But is that the only thing he got you?" She asks, not sounding so impressed.

"This is limited edition mom. Only ten of these are available in the world right now." I am making that up. I don’t know if it’s true. I just want to dispell that unimpressed notion of hers right now. I also showed her the bracelet and that was when it fully cracks.

"Wow. This does look expensive." She comments. "It is made of rare gems."

"Really?"

"Look, this one is a Vermillion and that one is a Ruby." She tells, showing them to me.

Dad came back early in the evening. He and mom coming to the conclusion that I should invite Rex over for dinner sometime. I shyly agreed but I am never going to do that.

Mom and Dad took me out for a rare steak dinner at a classic restaurant. I told them that they didn’t have to spend that much money and that we could have just eaten at home.

"Come on don’t be like that. Birthdays are very special." Dad told me. He and mom gifted me a vacation to Maldives. I had jumped out of my seat, feeling so over the moon. I have started to love the greenish-blue color of the seas there. And thought of it as one of my dream destinations ever since I saw it in TV shows. I wasn’t aware that are paying so much attention to me.

But I can only go on the vacation after the end of the school semester which is very fine by me. Then it would really feel like a vacation. It would be a little bit of a bummer if I have to go during the weekend and get my mind plagued by thoughts of school work.

I went straight to bed after we came home. Not before ticking good on my calendar book with my old color pens that I last used in early middle school. Because today has been such a colorful day.

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Song Recommendation; Animals by Maroon 5

That annoying funky tone. I groan.

I have been hearing it in my sleep. I do not know how long it had taken before I remember and realized that it’s coming from my phone.

"Who would be calling so late?" I groggily get up and start looking for the phone to turn it off when I could no longer ignore it. The sleepiness clears off a bit when I see that it is from an unknown number not saved in my contact list. I had initially thought it was Maverick. The calls ends, and the caller calls again. I could not just bring myself turn it off. I have to let whoever the hell is calling know that this is a wrong number.

I answer, placing the phone on my ear and was just about to tell off whoever it is when I hear his voice on the line. "You finally picked up. I planned on ringing the doorbell if you didn’t this time."

"Calix?" I call in disbelief.

"Why are you disturbing my sleep? Do you know what time it is? What do you want now?" I get that he is so insensitive, and is after my peace of mind but this is too much!

"Come out and take your present." He says.

"What?"

"Are you deaf? I said come out and take your presents. You have one minute or I’m ringing the doorbell."

"You can’t be serious right now."

"I am in front of your door. Think again. Your time starts now. One. . . Two. . ." He starts counting.

"Don’t touch the doorbell! I’m on my way." What does he mean by that? I don’t know if he is actually serious but I am not going to test it out.

CALIX

It is not yet midnight. I kept checking the time on my way here. Now it’s just forty-two seconds left for the day to expire. I do intend on ringing the doorbell and then leaving the presents in front of the door if she does not come before the remaining seconds run out. I could have done exactly that, but I want to see and note her expression.

I can’t climb up to her room holding these. I won’t even if I could because it would seem chivalrous. She has to come and get it herself.

I sigh, gazing up at the starry night sky. Feeling more stupid than ever. I have been standing here for a while. Every passing minute seems to be taunting at me for being here. I really should not have done this. The door suddenly opens slightly, revealing her head which she pokes out.

"What the heck are you doing here, Lamont!" She scolds in a harsh whisper.

I hold out the presents, "Happy Birthday."

She opens the door a little wider now. Her gaze ping-ponging between me and the items in utmost confusion, asking, "What are these?"

"Your presents." I push them into her hands. "Do not think too much of it. Goodnight." I leave and start heading off to the dark corner similar to an alley where I had parked my motorcycle. I put on my helmet and was about to rev up the engines when I see a figure clad in an oversized raincoat walking ahead sneakily. It was not the figure itself that caught my attention but what the person is holding—The presents I had just given to Gweneth.

I get off the motorcycle, removing the helmet and began to tail the shadow figure. Avoiding the streetlights and hiding in the dark so I will not be noticed. On a closer look, I discover that the figure is none other than Gweneth herself. What is she about to do? I wonder silently to myself as I watched her.

She is approaching a dumpster.

Hold on. It better not be that she intends to—

I watch stunned as she opens the dumpster and throws everything inside and closes it. The lingering doubts on whether it is her or not disappears right when she glances left and right and I catch sight of her face. I go to check the dumpster when she leaves.

And there it all was. A strange emotion cuts through me like an arrow.

There is a heavy bitter, and almost choking feeling mounting in my chest. She trashed them.

She fucking trashed them in a filthy dumpster! Discarding all my hard, thoughtful efforts without a second thought.

I take them out one by one. A murderous intent growing in me. How dare she!

"You are fucking going to pay for this." I swore under my breath.

I go back to her house to stare up at her window. Getting inside now won’t be good because I don’t know what I would do to her.

I will wait for tomorrow to come.

I would prey on her and make sure that she regrets this.