If Only You Knew - Story Pt. 2

Continued from If Only You Knew - Pt. 1

   Jeremy was still thinking of what to say to Mandy when they reached the music store. He called out to her. "Hey...Mandy!" Mandy turned with angry eyes. "I'm...I'm going inside," he gestured towards the store, "...to buy some CD," he stammered. Mandy's eyes were so cold they made his stomach flipped nervously. She followed him inside.

   A passerby looked quizzically up and down at Jeremy, causing him to feel uneasy. "What? I had a bad fall just now!" He was referring to his torn jeans. The man just walked away quickly, maybe afraid because of Jeremy's outburst. Jeremy shook his head and grumbled, "Aren't torn jeans supposed to be a fashion statement? Looking at me like I'm naked or something!" while looking at some Josh Groban's CDs. Mandy just giggled at that, making Jeremy a bit relieved because that meant Mandy was in a better mood then.

   Satisfied with Muse and Santana, Jeremy brought them to the counter. "What happened, Jeremy? Dog chase? Small tear in your jeans, son, but you were grumbling more than the Mayans when they ran out of calendar space while predicting the apocalypse. Heh." Burly but friendly Mr. Smith, the owner of the store greeted Jeremy. In response, Jeremy just shrugged with a half-hearted smile.

   On the way home, Mandy walked with anticipation. Each step she took almost had a happy little skip in it. Jeremy, on the other hand, was unnerved. What would his parents say if he brought home a girl that he himself barely knew? And how long is she going to stay? He couldn't just tell her to get lost, couldn't he? He didn't dared ask her anything for fear of it being a sensitive question. Suddenly, Mandy stopped walking.

"Jeremy? I had a favor to ask."

"What?"

 "Can you keep this a secret from everyone? Including your family."

"I don't know how on earth can I do that, Mandy. Someone's bound to find out. And I still can't believe that I agreed to let you live in my house!"

   Mandy laughed. "Don't worry. If you don't tell, no one's gonna find out. I assure you that I'm an expert in blending in and hiding. I've already done that in high school, remember?" Jeremy didn't quite understand what she meant by that, and her face looked discouraging although her tone was cheerful. Jeremy thought that maybe she also wasn't too sure of that herself. "Are you sure, Mandy? I'm not quite convinced. If this become known to the others, I'm the one who has to explain. You understand the consequences?" By that time, they had reached the front gate of his house.

"I do, Jeremy, I do. Pretend that I'm not there. I can handle myself."

"Pretend that you're not there? What nonsense! I don't know how the hell can you hide your-"

   "Jeremy! You're back. You're so late, dear." The door opened before Jeremy finished talking. He frozed, thinking that his mother probably saw Mandy. He didn't know how she managed to hide because he turned to see the door the instant his mother opened it, but luckily his mother had not said anything else. She ushered him into the house, and he didn't dare to look for Mandy. She told him to keep the secret, hadn't she? Well, he was doing her the favor now. Mrs. Dicken then went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"What's for dinner?"

"Roasted chicken and salad. Go upstairs and change, would you? Then come down here and help me to prepare the table. Your aunt is coming."

"Aunt Garrie?"

"Yes. Now go. And hurry a bit, okay?"

   Still wondering about the whereabouts of Mandy, Jeremy entered his room and turned on the light absent-mindedly. Then he turned to throw his bag on the bed...

...where Mandy had been sitting.

 - To be continued -

Continued in If Only You Knew - Story Pt. 3