Saturday, June 6, 2009 // 4:18 PM
Episode 7: Trust
She put on her headphones to block out the sound from the world. Yet inside, she was a mess. She could not turn off the negative voices inside her. Frustrated, she began to run, faster and faster. Somehow, even the smoothing music could not slow down her pace. Ironically, it was a small stone that brought her to a halt. As blood oozed out, she felt her eyes blurred…
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“Ouch. Can you be gentle?” She pouted. As he looked at her, he couldn’t help but smile. She was so different from the others he knew. For a start, she hated shopping and never bothered so much about appearance. She was, well, just herself. And he loved her because she was Pei Yi.
“Who can you blame but yourself? I can’t believe you went all the way just to score it. Bear with it, I am almost done,” he pretended to chide her.
“But we won, didn’t we? So, it was worth it, after all!” And she flashed him a big wide smile, one that melted his heart. He was proud of her, the team captain of basketball. She was the soul of the team. In fact, she has proved herself to be better at the so-called guy game than some guys out there.
“Opps! Did I interrupt anything?” Cheryl said cheekily as she made her way towards the couple.
“Oh, please!” Josh and Pei Yi said in union.
“Wow! That’s some chemistry between the both of you!” She laughed. “Congratulations, Pei Yi!” She patted her on the shoulder and stole a look at Josh.
“Okay, I get it. I will leave you to some girls’ talk. See you later!” Josh walked out of the room.
Cheryl made sure that Josh was out of earshot before she turned to Pei Yi. “So, I figure that you haven’t found the appropriate moment to break the news to him.” Pei Yi looked away.
“But you have to tell him soon! You are leaving in another 3 weeks’ time! He deserves a right to know.”
“Yes, I will tell him later. Cheryl, can I entrust him to you? Please help me to take care of him okay? Promise me that you will inform me right away if anything happens? I want to be there for him, even if I am not here psychically. Promise me, will you?” Pei Yi pleaded.
“Don’t worry! If any girls ever dare to snatch him away, I will not hesitate to…”
“Cheryl Yong, I am deadly serious,” Pei Yi warned.
“I promise,” Cheryl said. They locked eyes and saw the trust in each other’s eyes. For that moment, no words were needed.
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Trust is an important element in all relationships. You can be asked for it or asked to give it. You can even believe that you are feeling it. But real trust has to be earned. And you will know only when it’s put to the test.
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“Amanda! I think she’s coming around. How are you feeling?” Pei Yi came around to a face filled with concern. She sat up and came face-to-face with a fair-skinned girl with petite features. Then she felt a split pain at her ankle. The world seemed to be spinning around.
“What happened?” Pei Yi asked as she lay down to cure her head of the spin.
“You can’t remember? You fainted. Amanda and I saw you on the ground and bought you here to the school sick bay,” The girl replied. “Amanda! She woke up!”
“Are you feeling better?” Amanda appeared out of nowhere. “Do you remember me? We met at the canteen that day. I saw you sitting with Cheryl. Remember?”
At the mention of the name, she sat back up. The remains of that day flashed across her mind…
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“I am Amanda! Pleased to meet you. I heard from Hui Hui that you are Cheryl’s childhood friend?” Amanda inquired with curiosity.
“Hui Hui must be very informative. Yes, indeed, we know each other from way back,” Pei Yi looked at Cheryl and smiled. Somehow, the smile made Cheryl cringe. She couldn’t figure out what the girl was thinking. She wished she knew. She wished she could make everything exactly as it was two years ago.
“Well, I see that you girls are in the middle of a discussion. I guess I shouldn’t hold you up then. I am meeting Wan Ting, Si Ting, Jing Yi, Hui Hui for lunch. See you then!” With that, she waved goodbye and was gone within minutes. Pei Yi turned around and faced Cheryl. The smile was wiped out of her face.
“You know that I am no good with confrontation,” Cheryl admitted, looking down.
“But we have to do it, somehow. Unless you feel that it is not important. Then fine, two can play at the game of pretence,” Pei Yi said firmly. She started to stand up…
“Please wait. You mean a lot to me,” Cheryl revealed, still looking down at her shoes. “I…”
“Forget it. I didn’t even know why I bothered,” Pei Yi said in a moment of anger.
“Please wait. He begged me. He begged me not to tell you. Josh wanted you to stay happy,” Cheryl forced the name out of her throat. She felt a sharp pain in her heart. She knew Pei Yi must have feel even worse. Josh was her best friend. But to Pei Yi, Josh was her everything.
“But you promise,” Pei Yi felt her lips trembling and willed the tears away. She failed. She ran to the ladies and cried her heart out.
When she walked out, Cheryl was waiting for her. She knew that she didn’t really blame Cheryl. She just wanted to hear it from her. She didn’t want her to feel bad. She wanted the trust back. She wanted the trust between them. The moment where no words were needed.
“How did you know about Josh?” Cheryl knew it was painful for them both but the question was necessary. She knew that they have to face up to reality that Josh wasn’t around anymore. Avoiding such questions wouldn’t make things better.
“He left me a letter,”Pei Yi began….
TO BE CONTINUED.
STAY TUNED.
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