Chapter 7: Friendships
Estelle and Lorence were simply looking into one another's eyes. Attempting to understand each other's thoughts.
"I don't know," Lorence broke the silence. He was the first one who avoided his eye contact with Estelle.
"Hmm…"
'It seems he has some bad blood with his mother to push himself in other people's houses. What to do with this boy?'
Estelle crossed her arms put her hand on her chin thinking. A sudden thought emerged in her mind. "Ah! What if we just watch one of my favorite movies?" Estelle said excitedly but Lorence just looked at her without saying anything. Since honestly, she still didn't have any assignments given that it was the first week of classes.
She grabbed a CD on the small cabinet near to the TV and put it on their DVD.
'DVD players. How nostalgic.' Since she arrived back in 2010, she still found using DVD players nostalgic since in the 2021's, people mostly used usbs or subscribed to Netflix or YouTube to watch movies which she did most of the time.
When she inserted the CD, She sat beside Lorence. She looked at him who was still avoiding her eye contact. She shrugged her shoulders, ignoring what other problem he must have. The movie's opening credits started playing.
"Yay," she clasped her hand in a child-like manner. "I know you will going to like it"
"Gross. Stop acting like a child."
"Oh, so Mr. Puberty is much grown up now," Estelle teased.
"Tch. I said stop calling with names. What movie are we even going to watch?" Lorence glanced at the TV.
"The Wizard of Oz," Estelle exclaimed. She had all her focus now on the TV.
Lorence didn't say anything since he was not familiar with the movie. No, he didn't really watch any movies since he was just always outside being with his gang. Since the time his mother remarried another man.
He heaved a deep sigh inside him and focused his attention on the television.
****
After an hour…
"Wow!" Lorence said after they watched the full movie. "That movie really blew my mind. I didn't expect the ending."
"See! I told you that you will like it." Estelle gleamed with pride. "I watch this movie five times now. I really love witches and magic movies."Estelle was now standing up to fix everything but in just a minute the doorbell suddenly rang indicating that there was someone who went inside the house.
"Hello my Darling!" An old man showed up with a basket full of vegetables, fruits and some fish. He walked through the entrance door of the house. A wide smile was forming on his lips that caused his wrinkles to be visible on his face.
"Dada!" Estelle ran toward the old man. She greeted him with a warm hug and she put the back of his hand towards her forehead. "Oh! Let me hold the basket for you. How's your grocery by the way?" Estelle grabbed the basket and put it on their table.
"Oh you have friends with you? Why didn't you say that you have a visitor today so I can get ready for the foods," the old man looked at Lorence who was now standing because he doesn't know what to do.
"Come on Dada, you don't need to bother about it! By the way Lorence. This is my Dada, he is my grandfather and Dada this is Lorence. He is one of our new neighbors and also my," Estelle paused for a second thinking if she was just going to continue what she was saying "my friend."
'Her friend?' Lorence thought. But for some reason, he didn't want to be impolite in front of this old man, who was looking at him with kind eyes.
"Hello sir, my name is Lorence. It is nice to meet you," he bowed his head, reaching for the old man's right hand. Lorence put the back of his hand towards his forehead as a sign of respect. Then his gaze landed at Estelle. She looked confused.
'Who knows this boy could also act respectfully.' Estelle thought but didn't dare to voice it out.
"Hmm you can call him Gramps since that is what everyone called him here in our place." Estelle said.
"I see. It is nice to meet you, Gramps," Lorence said.
"Nice to meet you lad," Estelle's grandpa said. "I'm glad to know that my granddaughter made some friends already aside from Cathy. I'm worried that she will not have other friends aside from Cathy."
"Dada. You make me sound like some loner hahaha."
"Because you were before."
'She only have one friend, I thought with her attitude, she could have plenty.' Lorence looked at Estelle, who momentarily stopped from her grandfather's words.
Her eyes that was not looking at him. At that one moment, he noticed that those distant gaze felt familiar to him. The gaze that seemed to carry a lot of pain.
"That was before, Dada." A bright smile bloomed to her face, casting what Lorence saw into shadows. As if it was not there before.
'Tch. People have there on pain. Why am I bothered by someone like her. The one who destroyed my new hideout and even forced me to join that lousy literature club.' Lorence looked at his watch located on his left hand. "I think I need to go now. For sure my mom is going to worry if I still come home late even though we are just neighbors. So anyways, thank you Estelle I really can't believe that I enjoy watching movies with you and I hope we still have some more time together." He said while forming the sweetest smile that really made Estelle shivered. Since she could feel that it was forced somehow.
'Why is this guy acting so nice in front of Dada?' Estelle thought.
"Ah-ahm su-sure hehe. You can now go home and thank you for your time as well." Estelle said, maintaining her coolness in front of others. Lorence just waved his hand and bowed his head for the goodbye.
"See you soon on campus, Queen of Delinquents," were the last words he said before he finally left. While he was finally out of sight Estelle went back to the table to organize their food.
"I saw you darling." her grandfather said while walking towards Estelle's direction and faced her. When he was in front of her, she looked at her grandfather with confusion but within herself she knew what he was trying to say.
"What do you mean Dada? I don't understand what you are trying to talk about." She was now putting the fist on the plate and starting to slice some onions.
"My darling, I know until now it was not easy for you the loss of your both parents and I want you to know that I am here at your side. I will not leave you no matter what happens, I love you so much, my Estelle," his grandpa said. "Look at you, you are now crying because the pain was still there."
"Dada," sniffing "the onions makes me cry" Estelle said, trying to change the topic because she knows where this topic will end.
It will become emotional for the both of them. Since she knows that her grandpa's body is not that strong enough to handle stress or any emotional scenario like this so as long as possible she tries to avoid this kind of topic.
"I know that and thank you dada, don't worry too much about me, okay? I promise to you when I become a famous writer we will eat at high class restaurants and we will stay in beautiful mansions where you have your own spa." Estelle wiped some tears on her eyes. "And I'm really crying because of the onions," she pouted.
"Right, right, my Estelle is such a strong girl." Her grandfather let out a heartfelt laugh.
"Oh and come on darling. You don't need to do that. I can cook for you my special paksiw. Also, just make sure that Lorence is really not your boyfriend because you are too young for that, just focus on your study first."
Estelle coughed out with her grandfather's words. 'So that is what he meant he saw that?'
"Da, how many times did I tell you that he was just a friend. Nothing more and nothing less besides we have the same club at school."
"Alright! Alright! Don't be too defensive about it. But first let me handle cooking for our meal, you need to rest first. I know school work is not easy. I've been there before. Go to your room now first and have a little nap. Let me handle everything here in the kitchen."
"Hmm okay dada, thank you and I love you so so so much!" Estelle said. She tiptoed and kissed her grandfather on his cheeks.
"I love you too." he kissed her forehead.
She reached the second floor of her house and that was when her tears flowed out. The feelings she hid earlier burst out, now that she was alone. She stopped in front of her room and opened the door. Once she entered and locked it she goes directly to her bed under her blanket.
The burst of tears started to flow like a river. "Mom and Dad, why am I experiencing this pain alone? I'm so tired of being like this throughout my life. All I just want is to have a complete family like others. Or that is what the young me from the first life would have felt…" She removed the blanket on her face. As she turned to the other side, she saw the picture frame of her complete family when she was around four years old. In the picture they were all smiling while she was holding her favorite barbie doll that was gifted by her father from the United States.
"Look! This is the life that I wanted to feel." Her voice was now cracking." She grabbed the pictures even though her body was shaking. "Why? Mom? Dad? Why do you leave me while I'm still learning how to navigate to this chaotic life? I just don't understand why all of this was happening to." She could now feel the heaviness not just on her eyes but also to her whole body. "Those questions even the second life will remained unanswered because I returned back to the time when both of you are not around anymore."
Estelle hugged the old pictures of them while taking a few deep breaths to calm herself because she knew there was no one who could do it for herself.
Though this was her second life, maybe because she became a child once again. She couldn't control her emotions well again.
But maybe, just maybe… Because it was already her second life, yet the harsh reality that she could never change.
The reality that her parents already died and there was nothing she could do to change that.
'But I'm thankful that Dada, is still with me this time…' A bitter smile escaped her lips. 'I'll never do anything again that will hurt Dada's feelings in this lifetime.'
She just let her body to nap on the bed and started to close her eyes slowly until all her consciousness faded away.
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