“There’s something suspicious about Galen. Can you feel it too, Rachel?”
Evelyn Tanzer. She looks like she is not interested and attached to what’s happening in her surrounding but deep within her interior she is quite observant about the people and their affairs. Causing and steering drama behind the scenes are her best advantage to manipulate people around her. Her counterfeit friendly exterior is her greatest advantage. She wants to call herself a chameleon. If you will ask her about this animal and its correlation to her, she will not hesitate from giving someone an immediate answer that the so- called chameleon is her “spirit animal”. She has the ability to use her skill of “adaptation” in whatever situation she encounters and always emerges unscathed. She’s loving the limelight because most of the people around her love her because she is sociable and perfect. Who wouldn’t like the opportunity to be love and adored by people? That is a chance. A chance to use them for your preponderance and satisfaction. And here she is sitting beside this odd girl. She doesn’t see Rachel as a friend. But a confidant when she wasn’t crowded by the people around her. This girl is too good for her liking and this is a fact that bores her.
Rachel remained silent after hearing Evelyn’s question. She hears all of it. She heard them saying mean things about Galen. But Galen doesn’t even look like he is affected by it so it means that the speculations made about him were untrue.
“Earth to Rachel?” Evelyn waved her hand in front of Rachel’s face.
“I think there is nothing wrong about Galen, Eve.” She finally gathered herself to say something even though she doesn’t want to talk at the moment. Having to deal with the persistence of the people asking her questions about Galen is tiring. There are lots of them that wants to insist their opinions about him trying to tempt her to stop pursuing Galen. But she pays no attention to all of it. She likes Galen and nothing can change her mind about it. They can try but she is aware of what she wants. She’s sticking her guns and she doesn’t want to back out from this. She feels that her feelings can be reciprocated by Galen. His treatment isn’t dismissive. A confirmation for her to continue doing what she’s been doing in the first time Galen caught her attention.
“Hmp! You sure about what you are saying right now, Rachel?” Evelyn scoffed and twist her expression into the look of disgust. She’s holding herself from saying something offensive. Not towards Rachel but to that guy. What does Rachel even see in him? He wasn’t a great catch. Galen’s a rigid one. And with that actuality alone made her loath him. Rachel isn’t blind but she’s wearing rose-colored glasses when it comes to that guy. Can’t she feel that he wasn’t interested in her. Galen doesn’t care about the folks around the campus, he only cares about Sigrid. She made a scornful face after thinking about that girl. That girl gets attention that she doesn’t want in the first place without trying so hard. Different from her where she has to change her movement from time to time to remain flexible in her façade on handling people. Sigrid wasn’t a friend. She is also not a foe. What she feels towards their connection is something in between hating that girl because her moves are always full of grace, not exerting too much effort to everything she does but ends up victorious in doing all of it. It is something that she wants to have for herself too. But she fails to hate her fully because she is an angel. She treats people how she wants to be treated and it involves being kind and lovable with her words and actions.
“I wonder what’s her secret?” Her face hardened after she spoke her words. The corners of her mouth turned into a grim line indicating a feeling of displeasure. She’s been asking herself the same question since she stumbled upon meeting Sigrid. Whether that girl has some skeletons being hidden in her closet. Because there is no way that a girl like her exist and can be the living definition of “almost perfect”. She can’t bring herself to believe it. It is impossible.
“I don’t get what you are talking about, Eve. Is this still about me or do you have someone in mind that preoccupies your head?”
She looked at Rachel when she heard her speak. That’s right. The answer to her question will be fulfilled by Rachel. She will be the one who’ll execute this brilliant plan she had in mind. A plan to show people Sigrid’s true colors. She smiled pleasingly while looking at Rachel.
“You are making me feel uncomfortable with that smile of yours, Eve.” Rachel lifts her hands to extend to the opposite sides to hold her shoulders acting all chilly.
“Silly girl. I feel like smiling. What’s with that?” She cannot let Rachel know she’s up to something. Because it’ll ruin her scheme. She wants to act cleanly without letting this girl know about her motives. But first things first, she would like to hit a nerve to let Rachel’s natural instinctive state obtain some flaming emotions.
“Rachel sweety I don’t think you get the memo. Suppositionally, I think you’re really unaware of it.” She continues to brighten her smile while looking at her.
“What Rachel? I don’t get you.”
“Galen doesn’t like you. He is just acting properly like a gentleman he is in the first place.” Bingo. She did hit a nerve because she saw how Rachel’s body stiffened right after she finished her words. Her soft gaze swiftly changed into somber. She looked like she wants to cry and Eve will not let her to do that. Not in front of her. Because she hates people that cry. For her it only makes them looked foolish.
“You are probably wondering why right? Rachel, let’s address the reality that’s happening in regards to your situation. You need to see the truth that Galen doesn’t like you because he has Sigrid. Can you see the way he cares for her? It’s different on how he treats the rest of us.”
“You’re wrong with that, Eve. I asked Sigrid about that already and what they have is purely friendship. Galen is not sociable and you not oblivious to that fact, Evelyn. Why are you saying all of these for, huh? To cause some drama so you can have your fun? I know you. Because we grew up together. And I know what you are capable of doing. So, stop what you are planning right now. Because I will never partake in it.”
“Look what you are doing to yourself, Rachel. You looked stupid. You are trying so hard to grab Galen’s attention but you weren’t successful every time you try. Stop obsessing about him, Ray. You’re just making a fool of yourself. And I don’t like it.
Rachel stood from her seat and put her things inside her bag. She doesn’t want to prolong this conversation anymore. Evelyn is stubborn and trying to explain herself to her won’t do anything. She must’ve said too much to her. But all of those are nothing but known to be true. She knows her more than anyone else because they’ve been friends when they are much younger. She was with her as she grows to become the person she is now and she doesn’t want what she is seeing. She had changed so much. Her qualities and characteristics that she used to have were replace into new ones that shocked her. She all of the things Evelyn behind the backs of the people that she had interactions with. All of it weren’t genuine. She heard every bad comment she’d say about them. She wasn’t really that sweet and caring friend to most of the people she got along with. How can she trust her? The friend she used to love is turning into a stranger. And maybe this will be the end. She wants to distance herself from her. She doesn’t want to be manipulated by her. She doesn’t want to be a tool. She doesn’t want to be used in order to ruin Sigrid. She bears no hatred inside of her when she thought about her Sigrid. Although Sigrid must be tired too. Dealing with all of her acts just to be notice by Galen. But Sigrid’s there, observing. When she had questions about Galen, she can always go to Azaiah to ask her. And she was glad she was patient in answering all of the information she wants to know. Even though Sigrid doesn’t know about this but she considers her as a friend already. Way better than Evelyn who goes to her when she needs something. When all of their socialite friends weren’t around. When she needs someone to vent out all those words, she’s been holding in. She doesn’t want to be caught by all the hypocrisy that she hid under her sleeve. Who knows what Evelyn had said behind her back too? If she can talk badly about other people then how much more when she wasn’t around her. How many bad things she also said about her? She looked at Evelyn. She then took a step forward.
“That isn’t the look of having sympathy towards someone, Evelyn. I am sure deep down you’re happy with what I am experiencing, right? You’re happy seeing people being miserable. It makes you feel highly about yourself because you aren’t like them, like me. I don’t care whether Galen likes someone. I don’t care if he already has someone special. I don’t like if she likes Sigrid. None of them matters. What matters to me is the fact that he is not pushing me away. As long as he isn’t rejecting me, I will continue liking him. And no one can stop me, not even you. I am capable of making decisions for myself. Let me do what I want because I also let you do all of those things you did in the past. Even I wasn’t happy from what I am seeing and hearing I still let you do your thing, right?
Evelyn’s pupil delated. She was taken aback from hearing Rachel talk like that. She wasn’t like. This is the first time she is seeing a new side from her. She really did trigger something within this girl that made her act like this. Recovering from the shocked she had she regain her composure and smiled at her mockingly.
“Glad to see this side of yours, Rachel. I think you could’ve let this side of yours loose along time ago. You could’ve done something to defend yourself. Instead of looking like a loser in the eyes of your oppressors. It’s such a pity that you extricate this into a situation this kind of trivial.” She walked towards her and purposely knock her shoulders off.
“Good luck with the attempt of trying to get closer to Galen. I am sure you will be just facing another heartbreak.” She seized some strands of Rachel’s hair and tucked it in behind her ears. She looked at her friend directly in her eyes one last time before walking away from her.
Little did they know Sigrid and Galen are standing there on the corner. They didn’t mean to intrude or to pry to the business of these girls but they accidentally witness this seemingly new incident.
“I couldn’t believe she is capable of raising her voice, Galen?” Sigrid spoke very softly using her breath. She said it almost like a whisper for the sake of Rachel not finding out that they are near from where she is standing at.
“You are right. It’s quite surprising seeing her acting like that.” Galen said it while leaning towards Sigrid’s face.
“But I adore that courage she showed. It is no joke to stand up for something but she did it without any hesitations. And I admired her more on how she was able to fight to defend her feelings for you Galen. It’s very uncommon to see someone act like that.”
Galen looked at Sigrid then went to move his gaze in the direction of Rachel. He somehow finds himself agreeing to what Sigrid said. He too was surprised that Rachel can make such aggressive action to defend him and Sigrid. Maybe entertaining Rachel won’t be a bad idea…