Sheila's eyes shriveled as she saw Eva coming from afar - walking gracefully, almost gliding through the mid-afternoon breeze, with her curly hair bouncing around her shoulders, her one hand clenched at the strap of her duffel bag and the other swaying like a ballerina's.
“You're here at last! My god, it's been almost an hour. Where have you been?” shouted Merryll, as she fixed her eyeglasses and stood up from the bench.
“She came from a speech, a requirement she had to complete,” answered Fred as he also stood up with a wide smile, glad to see his girlfriend again.
“Oh, so that explains her formal look today. It's perfect for swimming, really.”
“She's lucky her professor still listened to her speech even if the semester's at its end.”
“I'm sure she begged for it,” uttered Sheila, as she squeezed herself between Merryll and Fred.
“Nope, she said her professor willingly accepted her request,” argued Fred.
Eva started to walk faster toward her batch mates, passing by several eyes following her every step. Fred hurriedly stood up to get the bag she seemingly struggled to carry and a peck on her cheek. Sheila's brows curled.
“Hi, baby. How was it?” asked Fred.
“It was pretty nice actually, except for the part where my professor noticed my lip biting,” replied Eva.
Sheila's chest throbbed as she witnessed her two friends walk side by side with their faces close to each other, and her heart pounded even more when she saw the pen clipped inside Eva's breast pocket.
“Wow, I see you really like the fountain pen that I gave you last week,” uttered Fred, pointing at the pen.
“Of course, it's special. You gave it to me,” said Eva with a sweet grin, as Fred caressed her shoulder and pulled her to lean on him. “Hey guys,” she greeted, “I'm so sorry I came late. I came from a speech that I had to recite in order for me to complete the subject. That's why I'm not in vacation attire, unlike you guys. Wow, Sheila, you really look good with that tank top and board shorts. It's perfect for your straight hair.”
“Thanks,” replied Sheila, with a smile she immediately dropped.
“Plus, I just received the text message ten minutes ago that we're supposed to meet here inside the park. I thought you waited for me outside. Where are the others, by the way?”
“They already left. They got tired of waiting,” exclaimed Sheila grudgingly while brushing her hair with her fingers.
“Don't mind Sheila,” uttered Merryll, “she's just quite neurotic today because of her period. They left already because they got so excited with the resort we rented. Don't worry, I know the way.”
“Oh, that's great. I'm also excited now. Come on, let's go,” pleaded Eva.
Sheila stood up still with a curled forehead, annoyed when she saw the couple hold hands while walking toward a jeepney. Merryll was trying to ask Sheila something, but her mind was dwelling on the fountain pen. Her heart still beat fast with the desire to obtain that pen, to get her hands on it. She had to have it. She really had to.
“Wake up, Sheila. It's breakfast time,” called Eva shaking her friend's arm as she sat beside her.
“Why didn't you join us last night at the pool? You could have just waded at the sides. At least you were with us,” asked Fred while fixing the beds.
Sheila opened her eyes with a surprised look at Eva. “Sorry, I was not feeling well. And my abdomen hurt really badly.”
“Okay, I understand. But you have some apologizing to do to our batch mates. They got a little upset with your being indifferent. But don't worry, they just probably miss you,” said Eva.
“Yeah, and you have to catch up with the fun that we had,” added Fred.
“Okay, don't worry; I'll make it up to you guys. You go ahead with breakfast, I'll catch up later,” said Sheila, gradually lifting her body from the bed.
“Sure. Hurry up, okay?” asked Eva.
As soon as Fred and Eva stepped out, Sheila hastily got up, locked the door, switched on the light, and closed the window curtains. Like she did last night, she started looking for Fred's fountain pen inside Eva's bag. She carefully opened it, making that sure that none of its contents would get misplaced. She was sure she didn't see the pen inside, even in its pockets, but wanted to check again. She thought she could have missed a corner or two. But after a failed meticulous search, she closed the bag and sat on her bed.
