It was Friday when I last talked to Austin so I have to wait until Monday to see him again. I tried calling him several times but he would only let his phone ring until I stopped. I was still unsure whether we're okay or if I'm finally banned from my feeding station.

I studied until my eyes ached and my head buzzed with terminologies that I could sing in the shower. Champion was also busy with his final project so he spent most of his time in the Engineering building's laboratory. There were times that I had to go and bring him fresh clothes and underwear after he'd miss coming home for several days. We have established a good rapport, all that's left was for me to admit that I'm really a vampire then we'll be like, super tight.

"How's your pen going?" I asked Champion when he met me outside the lab. He's been having this fantasy of making a compact weapon of chunky pens where it involves sucking in atoms from the air to materialize into bigger weapons. If he succeeds, which is highly impossible at the moment, he might become one of the richest people in the world.

The weapon he has in mind is revolutionary after all.

"I'm not doing the pen, bro. It's a complete waste of time," he groaned as he leaned on me like he's on the verge of collapsing. He's haggard and slouchy, like he's a withered plant that hasn't been in the sun for so long.

"You're finally giving up on that crazy idea?"

"Heck no! And it's a crazy awesome idea. Of course it's still my pet project. I'm only doing a different machine enough for me to pass. I need to graduate and earn real money so bad."

He's in his last year. Which sucks too, because we'd never be roommates anymore. Although getting rid of him means I have one less problem to think about. No more awkward staring and pretend-sleep.

"Aww. You're sad? You're gonna miss me when I'm gone?" he teased, crouching low to peer at my face. When he's like this he tends to forget about personal spaces.

"Yeah, I guess I'll miss you. I mean, adjusting to a new roommate is a fucking drag. What if he's a slob, right?"

Champion laughed and I took that opportunity to get away from him. 

"You don't sleep anyway," he said while patting my shoulder with his huge hands. "You'll have no choice but to deal with the mess."

I pretended to laugh but my armpits gushed all kinds of fluids due to what he said. I wanted to ask him if he knows but maybe he's just referring to my pretend insomnia.

"After I graduate, I'll still rent an apartment so if you'd like, I can make room for you."

"You'll pay me?"

"Why not, man?! You're good with chores so I'll pay you. Heck, I'll even pay you just to stick around."

We laughed. I know he's just kidding to make me feel good.

"Pay my mother too. She's the one who taught me how to properly fold the laundry."

"I'd bet your mom's an awesome commander."

"She's a Spartan Queen. You know how some people say that business parents' house's are bound to turn into a pigsty because they'll be too busy to take care of the house? She's different. She raised an army of me, my brother and some of my cousins to keep the house tidy. No extra barbecue if you slack off."

"Wow. You had fun growing up."

I guess I did. It's so easy for me to talk about my family and my childhood experiences because those were the best parts of my life. Those were the days when I was still enthusiastic about life and dreamt of many awesome things for my future.

But even I had a period when I realized life isn't as fun as I thought it was. My childhood ended when my brother left, because I had to mature fast enough to understand the extent of what I did.

*

After visiting Champion, I installed Mobile Legends on my phone again. My mother made me uninstall it because of the rising "death toll" of ML players and I got seriously busy with my studies to actually miss it. But now, I'm dead, and bored, so I played for a day until my hands ached.

Sunday night, Champion's fresh again when he dropped by to invite me out. Said we're celebrating his sister's birthday. Tailing right behind him is a tall, high school girl who looks just like a girl version of Champion.

"Wew. She's you if you use that Snapchat filter," I said while we get dressed up. His sister volunteered to wait outside, because she'd rather stand to wait than sit down and watch us strip.

"Right? It creeps me out, actually," Champion said while he hogs the mirror to fix his hair. I just comb my hair with my fingers anyway. 

"So, why invite me to a family date?"

"The more, the merrier! And you need to have fun once in a while, take in some freshly polluted downtown air."

I chuckled. Just the thought of that kind of air makes my nostrils itch. But I miss the clatter of night markets and fast-food stalls. Even the prospect of meeting someone for the night sounded so tempting.

"Our dorm room's air has gone stale, you know. If our farts had sparkly colors, you'd see glitter rainbows floating all around us."

"You have the imagination of a toddler."

"I see the world in a different light, so what. You do too. I'd bet it's something like a 1930's hard-boiled setting."

"Nope. Too far. My filter isn't as broody as that," I said while choosing a shirt from my closet. I got a black one with a coldrain print and showed it to Champion. "We're just hanging out right?"

"Yup. That'll do," he gave me a thumb up. "The war is on."

"Whoa." I looked at him wide-eyed. I didn't expect him to know a song from my favorite band. He's the type who listens to what's already there because he's too busy to treasure hunt songs on Spotify.

Champion shrugged.

He told me that the real reason he invited me was because he needed someone to look after his sister on his shift later. And as a token of gratitude, he handed me a fake ID that says I'm 22. Even his sister has one and she's convincingly acting the part.

"They'd let you in because you're with me, but it's just a precaution."

"You're crazy when nobody's looking, you know that?!"

He just ruffled my hair.

"If I wait until you're 21 before we hang out in a place like this, I'd be 27! That's just sad. You, hanging out with an old uncle."

That was a place where I could really fit in. My paleness didn't look too out-of-place because some other guys were more dead-looking than I am. There are druggies whose hollow cheeks can hold an inch of tequila, with bluish eyebags and dry, thin lips over stained teeth. Those were the guys who worked  at night and only came alive after any shot of liquor or drugs.

We ordered a bucket of beer and Champion's sister insisted on having a martini since it's her 16th birthday and she always wanted to know what a martini tastes like.

I forgot to mention Champion's savage parents who named his sister Freebie. When he introduced her to me I thought he was just joking but she was a good sport and let me peek at her ID that really says Freebie Coletta.

"But why are you Champion and she's a Freebie?!"

"Oh gods, please forgive our father," Freebie said as she laughed it off while patting my shoulder. She loosened up after finally tasting her first ever martini. "They were both old when they finally got my brother. And then like, eight years later and my mother was in her late forties, they had me."

"Then why didn't they name you Lucky? Or WinWin? Why Freebie?! Weren't you bullied?" I asked too worked up with the funny information.

"They wanted something different, I guess," she said. "About the bullying part, I don't remember anything extreme other than my classmates laughing at my name. Who would bully a girl who has a gorilla for a brother, right?"

"Hey," Champion said, pretending to be hurt but he's smiling like his sister was doing a great job on her first ballet recital.

Freebie doesn't seem to have any complex about her weird name. She's five foot seven, only two inches shorter than I am and since she's wearing high heels, I was the shortest in the group. But her presence screamed confidence.

And not the fake confidence that comes from being imposing and scary like Austin but in a carefree way that as the ads say, comes from within.

"Freebie is a cute name! Sounds like---"

"A chichirya*," Champion butted in.

"Shut up, Kuya*! You're sharing a name with a detergent brand, don't you ever forget!"

We laughed as Champion and I drank our beers. Freebie ordered another cocktail, this time something sludgy but with a pretty intriguing name.

"Blowjob!" Freebie exclaimed when her second drink arrived. Champion rolled his eyes as he looked at me.

"It's a Deadpool thing," he said.

"Ah, yeah! I know that!" I said when I remembered that scene in the movie. "You're pretty chill with all this, though."

"Well, it's better that she experiences these things with us, reliable guys, than with some other teenage friends we don't know, right?"

"My friends aren't the party-goer types, just so you know, Kuya. We're just a bunch of pirates," Freebie smiled in a way that scrunches her nose. I wonder if she practiced that way of smiling in the mirror and decided that she looked extremely cute in it.

"Pirates?" I ask, not sure what she's referring to. 

"We ship characters---"

"Don't try to recruit Genesis, it's not gonna happen," Champion told her off but I really have no idea what they're talking about.

Besides, I enjoy watching the two of them talk. Freebie has a combination of small face, big eyes and these tiny dimples that looked like her cheeks were punctured by a pair of pencils back in kindergarten so now when she smiles those holes deepens more. So much like her brother. And she wears her hair in a pixie cut that highlights her long, smooth neck.

"Yeah, I know I'm super pretty, Kuya Genesis. But if you really want to stare at me like that, you're gonna have to court me first," Freebie said, staring at me with her already intoxicated eyes. The glint tells me that she's not as innocent as my first impression of her.

I laughed and turned to her brother.

"Your sister's dangerous."

"Of course. I raised her!" Champion answered proudly.

"But I'm sorry, little girl, I'm no longer available," I gave her an equally suggestive smile.

I didn't have to tell her that. I could've just admitted that Austin and I weren't really going out and there's nothing special going on between us. But I still brought it up, like a defense mechanism.

Champion patted my shoulder while holding a beer with the other hand.

"This here is a good guy, Freebie. Loyal to his lady."

Freebie pouted but quickly regained her usual bubbly self like she's gotten over the initial heartbreak.

"Why didn't you invite her?!"

Shit. I ran my fingers on my hair and gave her a cool smile. Champion checked his watch as he swigged another bottle. They're on to their second bucket but neither seemed affected by alcohol.

"She's uhh, she's on her period. She hates seeing my face every time it's on," I lied. One of the easiest things to do when you like making up stories.

"His girlfriend's extremely pretty. If I was a girl I'd be frustrated," Champion told her.

"If you were a girl you'd be her," I pointed to Freebie and she giggled. She proceeded to ask for Austin's name and if she has an Instagram account.

"Oh my gods, I know her! I follow her! OMG, you're unbelievable, Kuya Genesis!" she excitedly said, fangirling over Austin's cute cosplay photos. "She's like, a 2.5 girl!"

"Right?" Champion nodded. 

It's funny how Champion and everybody really thinks that Austin is a cute little thing with a perfect life. And it's even funnier that they really believe Austin and I could possibly go out. He doesn't even like me. If he had a choice, he wouldn't possibly choose to pick me for a boyfriend.

I checked my phone and tried calling him but he's still being stubborn so I sent texts instead.

[ They think I'm fucking lucky to have you as my girlfriend. 😂 ]

[ I hope nobody judges you ]

[ for lowering your standards on someone like me. ]

[ Hey. ]

"Hey! What's up?" Freebie nudged me by the elbow so I looked up to them.

"Girl's still giving you the silent treatment?" Champion asked, genuinely concerned. "Must've been a hell of a dysmenorrhea."

"Huh?" I seriously didn't know what that meant.

"You know, girl stuff," Freebie touched my hand. "C'mon, let's just dance!"

I said later, and excused myself.

"Aww, Kuya. He must really love her," Freebie commented when they thought I couldn't hear them any longer. I didn't hear Champion give a reply.

Maybe Champion also has a crush on him. Maybe I didn't notice his attraction towards Austin because I, apparently, tend to not notice a lot of things. Especially the ones that matter.