The Clattering Plates

           ONE

       Embarrassment

"He's dated 2346475 girls... And still counting. Of course, that's overestimated but really he's dated a lot," Rachel whispered to her friends Faith, Tola and Abigail, and leaning forth while she spoke. She said " lot" with bigger emphasis.

They were in the school cafeteria, eating or specifically doing "the usual thing:" talking about boys. Or not. More correctly, talking about a boy.

The hall hummed with the sparse murmuring of other students. In their white and grey uniform, they all looked like male and or other versions of Rachel, Faith, Tola, and Abigail. Young, either whispering and pointing toward the same direction Rachel had had her eyes fixed at for the past ten minutes or pointing and whispering about each other. 

"Is that some kind of achievement?" Tola said, regarding Rachel's excited remark. Her large round eyes, seeming so wide enough to match the rims of her round eyeglasses, were glued upon a book she had in her front. And when she spoke she didn't even look up.

"Is that an excerpt from your book?" Rachel asked Tola, somehow taken aback. Her eyes widened an O as her slim lips. Rachel always marvlled at Tola's unique ability to concentrate on two absolutely divergent scenes.

Faith giggled.

"Of course it is an achievement, Bookie," Rachel continued, quite seriously. "Come on, girl I'm sixteen and I've never kissed a lip."

"I'm seventeen," Faith said maintaining her soft giggle which caused Rachel to laugh along with her.

"So you want to kiss lips kissed by 2346475 other lips?" Tola asked still calm and without raising up her head. 

"I said it's overestimated," Rachel said.

Faith laughed on.

"Oh, 'a lot,' then," Tola pointed.

"I think I know why Tola seem unconcerned," Faith addressed a smiling Rachel. "She's blind, and you know," she giggled, "ABC are not susceptible to her own kind of blindness."

"Is that blind? ABC made her blind," Rachel said to Faith, making a face that shows her emitating Tola's professional ways of speaking."Well that's the worse kind of blindness."

Faith and Rachel laughed at this. Tola however, if touched by it, did not show. It was like she was deaf, too.

"Come on girl, aurgh... " Rachel continued, furtively trailing her eyes from their table down the clean tiled floor, up past some "low class" group of boys and finally, they slipped right into his eyes; right into the eyes of the one and only, the most handsome guy and head of the coolest group of friends in the whole school.

In the three seconds that counted as one, Rachel felt a powerful force shook the whole of her chest, melting her heart and knocking her breath out. 

She broke away, gasping. Faith finally laughed out her withheld laughter.

"Oh God, our eyes met," she said, trying all her best to to appear composed. "Jesus I'm dying."

Then she reached for the swan water before her and with slightly trembling hands, she gulped down a sip.

The funny thing about them all was that none of them had touched their food. Rachel was too excited to. Faith was with her on the excitement part. Tola too burried in her book to bother and Abigail seemed to be feeling it awkward to eat when none was eating. And now she was so fed up with putting up with her friends' behavior that she slammed her hand upon the wooden table, causing almost everyone's attention to turn on them.

Then she rose up from her seat.

"You girls are so embarrassing," she snapped at Rachel and Faith. And for the first time, Tola broke from her reading trance.

The attention directed on their table lasted only five or less seconds before it changed focus. Because then, the group of boys everyone admired rose to leave.

There was an absolute and suspenseful silence which followed and in that silence, Abigail's footsteps echoed, as she hammered off towards the exit. 

She didn't seem to realize the silence or even had the time to grasp it's impending cause until it was too late. She bumped right into the most handsome boy.

          TWO

        Subjective Art

"Watched it!" She snapped at him.

Rachel thought the whole hall gasped. Was it the air? Oh, it was probably her.

There was a loud clattering of plates as Rachel found herself on her feet, upfront their table. She watched with unbelieving eyes as the boy gave way to Abigail who then padded out of the exit, tall, unapologetic, lips pressed and shoulders high.

"I'm going to kill that boastful girl," she said.

To Rachel's disgust, the bell rang for class (while going after Abigail), so she and Faith had to switch their way down to class because Mrs. Margaret would skin any who failed to attend her Literature class.

Abigail seemed to have disappeared the moment she was out the cafeteria. She was a science student and she wasn't in class when Rachel and Faith came looking, after school hours.

Seeing so, the two decided to be patient till tomorrow.

Tonight however, Rachel turned from side to side in her wide fluffy bed. Her brain was fogged by the image of the fair boy. All she could see was his slim lips which she could further imagine rocking hers; seeing her dark eyes in his dark magical eyes. All she could hear was the thousand times he told her he loved her and the million times she would say the same. They were a natural pair. She loved the way nature made them physically similar. He was as slim as her though taller. 

Rachel broke from her dream-like thoughts for the twenty-four thousand times.

"Ah," she sighed, eyes up the white ceiling. "Stupid miss... Mrs Margaret."

She sat up from bed, looked around the luxurious room. For the first time in her life, she cared to salute her father's hardwork. It was it that made her a girl from a rich family and hence one of the same standard as the boy.

Anyway, she proceeded from bed, walked tiredly to her reading desk and picked up Mrs. Magarets recommended novel: Four Roses.

As she began to read, at the point when the hero finally admitted he loved the girl, a great anger boiled up to her throat, so much that Rachel began to ravage the novel into shreds until when she found herself in tears.

Half self-embarrased and half still angry, Rachel fell back to bed and let her mind entertain any thought it chose to, till sleep stole her.

"Bookie, where have you been?" Rachel asked Tola the next day in class while they waited for Mrs. Margaret. She just realized Tola had as much disappeared as Abigail since the cafeteria embarrassement.

"Hmm?" Tola asked.

"Have you seen Abi? Where did the two of you go?"

"I haven't seen Abi," Tola said and as usual without raising up her head.That flared up Rachel as she saw that Tola was, apart from taking her unserious, reading...

"Oh, for Christ's sake keep away that book. I hate it," Rachel said. "I hate romance stories with men as lead characters."

Just then, something worse than Tola looking up weigned off Faith's giggles.

"God, Ms. Samson," Mrs. Margaret said the moment Rachel said that. "Why?"

Everyone shuffled down to their seats, carving out a tight silence as they watched a mid-size young woman of about thirty walked up to the teacher's desk.

Mrs. Margaret seemed a sweet and understanding kind of woman. Smiling, she turned and looked up at Rachel.

"Up, up, Ms. Samson, tell us why you hate Four Roses "

Rachel could feel every eyes pressed in on her and although she was not some shy girl, her heart was thudding.

"Mhmm... " Mrs. Margaret urged her on.

"Um... sorry... Mis... sis Margaret," Rachel began, trying to appear calm. "Um... I just... um... art is subjective---"

Suddenly, a burst of attention-drawing laugher came from the back seats, dissolving Rachel's fear, skipping her heart beat, and brimming her with curiosity.

"Mr. Morgan, leave my class," Mrs. Margaret snapped. The boy's laugher faded. He clumsily headed to the door, tripping on his way. The moment he was at the door post, he roared into laughter again. 

Strangely enough, Rachel found herself smiling along.

"Ms. Samson follow after him," Mrs. Margaret pulled her attention back to reality.

           THREE

       In Love

"Ms. Aaron, follow after them," Rachel heard Mrs. Margaret said the moment she stepped out the class into the corridor.

Ms. Aaron?!

"Ms. Aaron?!" Rachel voiced, completely shocked. Because Ms. Aaron was Tola, Bookie!

Rachel wheeled around just to be sure.

"Bookie...?" The rest of the words choked back as she saw what was about to take place.

"Hi, Phillip," Tola said, book in hand, and to Rachel's utter bewilderment, Tola walked past her, and reaching the boy who had just laughed at Rachel, she extended him a right.

He took it and kissed it with a grin.

"So," Tola began, she too smiling. Blushing? "This is Rachel," She moved sideways to let Philip view Rachel, who then gulp hard. The back of her neck began to burn. " Rachel, Philip, the one whose lunch you hit away yesterday."

"No hard feelings," Philip said, extending the dazed Rachel a hand. "We're even, anyway. I laughed at you, although actually that was absolutely funny."

Tola cleared her throat causing Rachel to smile awkwardly.

Then Tola sighed exhaustively.

"'Deal's a deal,'" she said to Philip who then tapped her on the shoulder like a child.

"I have them infinite, Bookie," he said, maintaining his grin. Rachel found herself laughing softly and was too late to take up his hand because she reached for it when he returned it into the pocket of his black sweater.

Philip brought back his hand when he realized what she had intended, but Rachel had returned hers too. The atmosphere grew tighter.

Tola eyed the both as they smiled at their clumsiness.

"This is so embarrassing," she said, indifferently.

"Totally," Philip agreed immediately.

Again, Rachel found herself laughing. She wasn't in control of herself anymore.

"So I was about to head to library, care to come?" he said to them. 

"I'll need to apologize to Mrs. Margaret for laughing in her class, but that can wait," Tola said more to her book than anyone. "Let's go," she said, and turned to go. 

Perhaps she would have followed them if Rachel had not spotted Abigail approaching.

"Um... Later "

"Oh... Subjective, you don't like male lead characters only because you get jealous when they meet their love," Philip winked at her and went with Tola who Rachel thought she heared said "Mhmm."

Few seconds later, Abigail reached Rachel or the reverse. They met halfway.

"Who was that?" Abigail said, looking suspicious at Rachel.

"Bookie has A LOT to explain," Rachel said. It was then that she could recognize her own voice. The tightening in her stomach felt loosen and she could breath normally again.

After class, Rachel, Abigail and Faith proceeded to the cafeteria. There, Abigail narrated everything of her disappearance. That she was so embarrassed about yesterday that she left for home.

In all their conversation, one thing made Rachel felt so uneasy, even nervous: she wasn't as much interested in killing "that boastful girl."

It turned out in the end that Abigail was asking for help. It came as a shock to the friends that Abigail wanted them to accompany her to go apologize to "Kevin." She had even found out his name.

She didn't know from whence her sense of reasoning was suddenly coming from but Rachel was begininnig to see that Kevin, the new guy, was a love interest of simply every girl in school. Including Abigail of all high headed people. At least on this part, she (Abigail) had a point. It was so embarrassing... 

Still in the cafetaria, Rachel's eyes went straight to Kevin's usual table, but it was empty. They weren't there and none had occupied it.

It was the hasty rise of Abigail that drew her attention back to themselves and before she could even register what was going on, Abigail was gone.

Turning back towards Faith's eye direction, Rachel saw him, looking innocent towards the exit where Abigail had almost dashed through. Kevin, tall and handsome, shifted his eyes down to Rachel who then looked away. The entire scene was so discomforting. 

Few hours later, at night, Rachel had forgotten the whole about the previous scene. Right now, her brain was burning up. Her chest was subsumed with unfathomable excitement. She couldn't read because the words, "you don't like male lead characters only because you get jealous when they meet their love" kept popping up in her brain like ads in Opera Mini.

Finally, Rachel quited trying to read. She went on to the mirror and looked up herself again, catching herself smiling, she said to her reflection.

"Hey Rachel, what is happening? Why are you so less talkative these past hours?"

She breathed in and out, like three times. Part nervous, part excited, part anxious, Rachel found reason again. 

Wasn't she going way ahead of herself? What if Philip was Tola's boyfriend? Wouldn't she be betraying her friend? These two questions came with a sharp stab at heart.

Was she heartbroken even before she was really into a relationship? Oh what was she thinking... She couldn't... she couldn't love him. If he wasn't Tola's boyfriend, why would he kiss her hand that way...! 

Anyway, who was he? His face looked familiar but Rachel couldn't quite place it. It didn't matter anyway, there was every reason to think Philip was Tola's boyfriend. He obviously loved books. Tola too. Birds of the same feathers... but he had dimples and so did Rachel. Whatever.

Too curious Rachel returned to bed and started on her phone.

Bookie, who was that?

She thought a while. 

I'm just asking. He is your boyfriend right? Bookie I never... geez wow, you look cool toge...  

She just realized Tola was offline, as always.

Rachel let herself fall upon the bed, face up. She couldn't help it. Kevin's looks had captivated her. And she had saluted nature for their similarity, but things with Philip were just so different; inexplanable. And it was not his looks. It was just him.

"Aurgh... "

Then it zapped her. Rachel bolted to a sitting position as vivid memories rushed into her mind. Philip, she knew him. A great embarrassement overwhelmed her that she unwittingly cringed.

Philip was the introvert in their class since. He was like a camelion whose presence you couldn't place and as such could easily miss.

Rachel was embarrassed because she just realized this was not the first time she had knocked something off his hands. And of all those times, she had been so absorbed with some other enterprise (boy's of course) to bother or even be aware of what she had done. Once however she had helped him pack up his books; absentmindedly, of course. 

But why now? Why not then? Why was he so intoxicating now? It was so strange.

What was so fascinating was how introvertive he had been so that she never expected such spiritedness from him as of late. It was most definitely this new part of him. He was funny and open and good with words and...

           FOUR

      Late-coming 

She only realized she had fallen asleep when she woke up late for school the next morning because her dreams were like her thoughts: Philip, Philip, Philip.

She felt new in her own skin.

Walking thought the corridor on her way to class, Rachel had to stop and feel her own head just to be sure whether she was actually fine. Why did she keep bumping into people?

Taking in multiple deep breathes, she set off again. And the moment she took the corner to the particular class room, she almost raced back.

She didn't know why her legs weren't moving. Philip was there, before the door, seeming to be contemplating his own late coming.

It was too late. He had seen her.

"Subjective?" He said, with a cute smile.

Rachel gulped hard and moved on towards him.

His longsleeve was perfectly pressed, a rhyme with his plain. His wristwatch was rich, too, she noticed.

"What a coincidence," Rachel said, getting some grip on herself. She avoided his eyes. They were so... 

"Yep," Philip said. "It's a good thing though. I've been short of a perfect excuse. Two heads are better than one."

Two hearts too... Oh Rachel concentrate.

"Yeah... " Rachel said and felt blank in the brain. Hence the two faced the door, Rachel supersensitive. Philip however appeared calm. His fresh scent seemed calm, too.

After long, Philip cleared his throat and turned his eyes on Rachel who felt instantly like she was being baptized with its force. Her neck was about to catch up in flames.

"I feel like that was something personal to you," Philip said. "So I was thinking of apologizing."

"E... what? I mean for what?"

"Well," he said and faced back the wooden door, "first for my comment on your jealousy of the male characters," he laughed softly, "Second, for trying to get to you through your friend, Bookie. God, that girl is strict.

"It wasn't easy getting her introduce you to me. I had to promise her my whole book shelve. And she sucks at introductions."

Rachel laughed. It was irresistible.

"So... " she said, feeling the lightness of the atmosphere.

"Yeah... " Philip said to whatever she wanted to say which she didn't even know but was steered to by his response. After a while he added, more jokingly, "Kevin is my friend. I can get Abigail to apologize.... And oh, he's never dated one out of 2346475 girls."

Rachel laughed freely this time. Philip too. Both went rigid when the classroom door opened.