Chương 200: B4. 7.4 - A Dinner Between Best Friends

The entire diner went silent. I expected the sound of crickets, which would be weird if there were any inside the building. Everyone looked at me. Deen grabbed my wrist so hard she could've broken my bones if I were a normal human.

"What are you—?" Whistling from the three cockroaches interrupted her. I could tell what was going on in their heads. Skull Tattoo rubbed his hands.

"Nice! Got some girl-on-girl action going on? Love me some of that."

"Love to be between that," Goatee Guy chimed in. The three dirtbags laughed at their little joke. Grandpa One banged his fist on the table.

"That's enough from you, lads." He pointed at the door again.

"Get out now, or there'll be trouble!"

"Chill with the cockblocking, gramps," Skull Tattoo said, shuffling over to Grandpa One. He raised his fist, poised to throw a punch.

"Got enough of your shit." The freshies, realizing that the situation was worsening, got off their asses to stop Skull Tattoo.

"Calm down, man!" Tahir shielded Grandpa One. Lee tried to pull back Skull Tattoo's fist.

"Hey, we shouldn't—""How dare you raise your hands at me!" Grandpa One tried pushing Tahir aside, eager to fight Skull Tattoo. I doubted Grandpa One's chances of winning, even if Skull Tattoo was drunk. Frail Grandpa One didn't look like those retired boxers who still had their muscles and skills years after their prime.

"Stop! Stop!" Deen stood up and splashed her tea at Goatee Guy, blocking her path. Goatee Guy yelped, stumbling backward as he tripped over his own legs. Coconut Head moved forward to help, but Deen pushed him away. Coconut Head managed to hang on to the backrest of a chair, stopping his fall. Deen didn't seem to have used superstrength. Fucking Deen, stealing my moves. I wanted to throw splash people. I wanted to push people down.

Deen must've acted before I could, thinking that I'd use more force than necessary because the Adumbrae inside me was making me violent. Did I still have any role to play here, or had Deen gotten all the best parts? Deen positioned herself next to Tahir, also protecting Grandpa One. Such a good person, worried about the elderly.

"What the fuck…?" Skull Tattoo freed his arm from Lee's grasp. He opened his fist, aiming a slap at Deen. I left my seat, ready to charge. But Skull Tattoo never got to attack.

"Grayson, back off!" a commanding voice boomed. Skull Tattoo Bro, who was apparently named Grayson, froze and lowered his arm. We turned to the diner's entrance, gazing at the knight in shining armor who came to save the day. Or night. Knight saving the night. Such a last-minute save that it could've been a movie scene. The newcomer definitely looked like an actor anyway. Action Hero—that was the nickname I bestowed upon him—was born to be on the poster of all action movies.

He was more than six feet tall, muscles straining against his white Alpha Chi Omega shirt. He even had a squared strong jaw and the typical stoic expression of action stars before their career sputtered and they'd shift to comedy. I wouldn't be surprised if fans suddenly showed up to ask for his autograph, or if explosions suddenly flared behind him.

"E-Enrico? Why are you here?" asked Skull Tattoo.

"I thought you were already like an hour away, man."

"Hey, Enrico!" Goatee Guy managed to get up for the umpteenth time tonight.

"Check out these girls—""Dude, don't tell him that," snapped Coconut Head, still trying to steady his footing. Action Hero marched forward. If this were a stage play, all the lights would be on him.

"I was right to check what you're up to. What're you pulling here, Grayson? I'm tired of covering up for you." He glared at the other frat boys. They cowered before him.

"The same goes for all of you! Don't stain our fraternity's name. How many times has this already been?" Skull Tattoo growled. But he didn't start shit, sullenly telling his fraternity brothers, "Come on. Let's bounce." He led them out of the diner. Action Hero stared at their backs passing through the door before apologizing to the old men. After making sure they weren't hurt, he bowed low in front of Deen.

"I'm sincerely sorry this happened." I guess I was invisible to people? I didn't care for an apology, but was bummed Deen got one while I didn't. This was envy, wasn't it? Jealousy was something else.

"It's fine," Deen said, turning away. She must've recognized Action Hero, those rich people connections, and didn't want him to recognize her.

"You tell your hard-headed friends to respect women and their elders," lectured Grandpa One. Action Hero bowed for the second time.

"I will. Again, I'm sorry for everything." And he strode off, the proverbial spotlight following him. That's it? In under a minute, Action Hero smoothed out everything, derailing my plans for trouble so I could hurt the frat boys. I wanted the situation to be so bad it'd be believable that my Adumbrae side acted up, pushing me toward violence. Deen would have had to agree that I shouldn't let rage and all that stuff bottle up inside me, affecting my seeding, or so she thought.

She'd sign off on scaring the frat boys later. Of course, I wouldn't stop at scaring. These bastards had been bothering us a lot. They deserved whatever would come their way. But the universe just wouldn't allow me to have fun that easily. Deen and I returned to our seats. Staring at her empty cup, Deen asked, "Why did you say that?"

"Say what?" I resumed my ritualistic sugar intake.

"That we're in a relationship. We're… girlfriends." I washed down the hashbrowns with milkshake. Not the best of ideas. I coughed, clearing my throat before answering.

"Oh… I thought it would make the frat boys stop. I-I'm sorry."

"Further proof that my policy of ignoring perverts is correct. They'll cling onto any attention you give them. Telling them we're in a relationship made it worse."

"Yeah, I should've expected them to be jealous," I said, pretending to be oblivious.

"They wanted to be your boyfriend, but I made them think you already had me."

"That's not what I meant. They were—uh, never mind. Enjoy your meal and relax. I know you're very stressed. We can order more food if you want. We still have time before—" Stolen novel; please report.

"Tell me why it was wrong to say we're girlfriends." I knew Deen would be too embarrassed to explain the frat boys' reaction. Just messing with her because she took the splashing scene that I was supposed to do.

"I should know," I continued, "so I shouldn't repeat my mistake. Is it because you don't want anyone to think we're in a relationship? That I'm not a fit for you?" Deen did a double-take.

"Wha-what? How did our conversation get here?" I nonchalantly shrugged while pouring syrup on my hashbrowns, another of my brilliant ideas.

"I'm just saying that your insanely wealthy family might not approve of me. Don't they want a rich partner for you?" Deen grabbed the edge of the table. I wouldn't be surprised if she flipped the table. She exhaled, releasing her bewilderment at my questions.

"You're straying so far from the topic. Those guys don't care about what my family thinks about my partner."

"Is it because you're straight, and you don't want others to think that I'm—""No! You're straight, too, aren't you? Why are you pushing this?"

"I'm genuinely curious why those frat boys reacted that way." My lips trembled, a smile trying to form. I wanted so badly to laugh because Deen looked so uncomfortable.

"Why won't you explain it?"

"Because it's inconsequential. I already told you that we should ignore them. I hope they didn't recognize me. I'll be so mad if all sorts of wild rumors spread throughout campus about us."

"I have no interest in girls, but it's a hit to my self-esteem that my own best friend doesn't—""Erind!" Deen's eyes almost bulged. She might develop laser vision and burn me with how pissed off she was.

"Another topic, or I'll stop talking to you." Okay, that was enough teasing. I'd bring this up again someday. But I agreed with Deen that relationship rumors would be annoying. I didn't think of that earlier—then again, I barely considered the consequences of my actions.

"You seem to know that Enrico guy."

"His grandfather is the previous governor of California, Milandro Haynes. Their family business is related to ComExo parts, which must be why Enrico took up engineering."

"A lot of important people around tonight."

"I heard from Adrian that Enrico is generally a great guy. Very much the opposite of his fraternity brothers."

"Maybe great on the outside. As they say, birds of the same feather flock together. It'd be super weird for different bird species to group anyway. What do you think of Enrico?"

"I'm grateful he stepped in to help us. No, I don't think of him that way," she added, noticing my smirk.

"I'm not into guys younger than me. And I already have you, don't I?"

"Sure, girlfriend." We laughed together. Best friends sharing an inside joke.

"Are you alright, girls?" The waitress was back, mopping the spilled tea on the floor.

"We're fine, ma'am," Deen respectfully replied.

"I'm sorry for—""I'm the one who should be sorry for leaving while those disrespectful idiots were around. I had gone to check supplies in the back. I should've kept watch on those disrespectful rascals until they left." We assured her that it was no big deal and we'd certainly return someday to eat again for a nicer experience. After the waitress left, Deen continued our gossip about ACO fraternity members.

"There's this rumor… The man with the skull tattoo on his shoulder has a record of sexual harassment."

"Wouldn't surprise me. From what Enrico said, those jerks do this often. Enrico's cleaning up their mess with his connections, no doubt."

"I retract my statement that Enrico is 'generally a great guy'," Deen said.

"It was Adrian who described him that way. I don't condone what they did, assuming it's true."

"Still, I understand why Enrico would help that creep with the skull tattoo if he committed a crime, even if it's wrong—they're fraternity brothers. Got loyalty there."

"Should we be loyal or do what's right?" Deen asked.

"Sometimes, those two aren't the same. What should a lawyer do? Remember our ethics class?"

"I know, I know. But it's not like I can judge the frat boys." I stared glumly at my plate and heaved a deep sigh.

"I'm benefiting from your protection, aren't I?" Stroke Deen's ego, but also make her conflicted. Deen immediately checked if no one could overhear us. Only three other people were left in the diner, not counting the waitress.

"Erind, let's not talk about that here."

"Enrico bailing out Grayson—figuratively, or maybe literally, we don't know. That makes him complicit with Grayson's acts. Our situation is worse. I'm an—""Don't say it." Deen leaned over the table to glare at me.

"And you're not worse than those creeps."

"I'm a you-know-what, and you're with me. Aiding and abetting… my kind… is super illegal."

"I'll aid you and abet you, whatever term the law uses. I'll be with you, even if you become like Kelsey or something worse." Deen gave me a reassuring nod.

"But I—""Enough of this. If we keep arguing, we'll look like a real couple." Deen grinned. Inside joke again. My best friend is interesting. Very interesting indeed. No hint of conflict in her demeanor. I expected she'd waver if I pointed out that she was breaking the law by helping me. She already knew that. But I thought that juxtaposing our situation with that of the frat boys might make her change her mind. It didn't, and this was awesome. Deen didn't even try to justify that she was in the right.

Her moral compass was really weird. Or maybe this was how normal people were? People would use a different moral standard if they were personally involved.

"Why are you eating faster?" Deen checked her phone. I swallowed the huge bite of apple pie in my mouth before I said, "Isn't it better we get going? The frat boys must've left the building by now."

"We have about forty minutes left. That is, if Cecilia is telling the truth. We can let the time run out to check."

"I feel like you just want Cecilia to rot."

"I won't deny I'm doubting Cecilia more and more. What if the, erm, problems she left behind in La Esperanza will also happen to you? You say she's our only chance, but she may not be any chance at all."

"So, I'm the only one gambling, then?" I understood Deen's position. But we had to use everything we could for our survival, including USB Cecilia. Otherwise, what'd we do next? Deen reached for my hair, draped over my shoulders, raking it over her fingers.

"Look at this…" I almost threw my plate at Deen's face. I gripped my fork tighter, wondering if it'd be too much drama to stab Deen's hand. Then I remembered that her stupid Guardian Angel would save her.

"What is it this time?" I asked, leaning away.

"Your hair…"

"It's not covering the patch? Or is the patch expanding?"

"No. The white strands on your hair."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that my white hair is—? Okay, you're crazy." I swiped my hair out of Deen's hands, combing it down to cover my neck again.

"It's in my genes. You saw Mom. According to her, her hair started graying around early twenties. Same thing's happening to me."

"This isn't natural," Deen said.

"You didn't have that many white hair strands when we were at Cindy's."

"You say that like you're the authority on the number of my white hair. Were you seriously checking every part of my body?" I chuckled, though I was cursing in my head. My seeding was progressing, and I had only a few of the Professor's pills left. There'd be a whole lot more fighting to come, and I wouldn't be able to avoid using my Adumbrae powers. Would Cecilia's pills work, or would they make the situation worse?

"It's as if your white hair multiplied rapidly over mere hours." Deen tried to touch my hair again.

"Deen, I think you're being paranoid. We're going to have another fight if you keep this up. You need to trust me when I say that I'm fine. You do trust me… Don't you?" Manipulation tactics deployed. Deen was going to lie.

"Ye-yes," she said, her eyes on the inhuman patch on my neck.

"I trust you."

"I'm done eating," I said, standing up.

"Let's go. We'll buy Cecilia some clothes before going to her lab. I hope she doesn't mind wearing Dune Stalker merch." A few minutes later, we were standing in front of the hidden USB port. No one had followed us. The frat boys were nowhere to be seen. I took out the flash drive housing Cecilia's stinky soul from my pocket.