Chapter 03

VANCE'S POV

"What? Rumor has it on campus what happened to Steven and me? Did the news spread immediately?" I asked in surprise.

They all turned to me, wondering why I didn't know that.

"I'm sorry, I don't know because after what happened I went home right away. My cellphone broke earlier so I can't update what's going on that I should know."

Earlier when Steven punched me and I fell to the ground, my cellphone broke because it was inserted in the back pocket of my pants.

They nodded.

I turned to Wena, one of the writers of our Publication on campus.

"Well, that's one of the things we're talking about right now on our freedom wall on campus and on social media.

Because a lot of people are worried about Steven," Wena glanced at me for a moment, "and of course you too. Those guys who's reacting are people who likes you. But more of them likes Steven and his frat members are angry because of the false news they received about what happened."

"What?!" I said in surprise.

"Can you guys tell me first what happened? I need details," Braxton said turning to me.

My foot tapped Wena's foot then I motioned to her when she looked at me.

I don't want to tell a story, I'm tense. I may be wrong in what I should say.

Even though Braxton is a fraternity man, most people on our campus look up to and fear him.  He hates having a fight and hurting us the most.

Although Wena was skeptical, she detailed what happened including my story when I chased Steven. That I apologized and offered three thousand as damages when I punched him. I think Steven felt I was insulting him so he punched me too.

"Why do you seem to be defending Steven in your tone?" Braxton's eyes narrowed at Wena.

"Im not ?!" Wena immediately refused.

"I told you what I saw and heard-"

"I mean in the part that Vance chased Steven. It was unbelievable what they talked about."

I got nervous.

They all turned to me because of what Braxton said.

Im helpless, why do they find it hard to believe what I say?

"It's more convincing that Steven punched you because he really has a habit of not accepting mistakes. What you did to him he will do to you but before he does that, he will tell you first so that you are ready.  That's not in your story," Wena continued.

I didn't expect that.

"If he didn't tell you early that he would punch you like you did to him. It means, his reason is mysterious and it won't end like that. Also, I don't think what you said will insult him. He's not like that. He's not easily offended," she added.

I felt like cold water had been poured on me by what I heard. Now, I understand why they reacted that way to my story.

My mind was debating whether to tell them the truth or still stand by what I said first. If I were to tell what really happened, how would I start?

"Did he scare you?"

I gasped at Braxton's baritone voice.

"No!" I shake immediately.

Those in front of me looked on.

"Okay," Braxton nodded.

"What is the false news spread about what happened?" I remember asking Wena.

She just smiled sparingly at me and then she and Braxton looked at each other.

"Don't worry about that now. Just rest first," Davion said.

"Let's talk again tomorrow," Braxton said as he turned to Wena.

Wena nodded, "Delsie and I are already sorting out the details."

I'm nervous. Delsie is the investigator of the Braxton fraternity.

Before I could worry, Wena turned to me and smiled.

"Don't worry, everything is okay."

I nodded. I ignored the negative thoughts I had.

That’s where our conversation about Steven ended.

Even I feel like they don’t believe me. I still stood up to myself to keep quiet.

Our topic changed immediately. We are like that, because we talk a lot. We are not used to talking about a topic over and over again but sometimes we can't avoid it.

Unlike before I was talkative, now I just quietly listen to them. Laughs when someone is funny. Nodding, I pretended to understand what they were saying.

While all I think is about Steven. 

THEY have all left.

It's time to go to sleep but I'm not sleepy yet.

I'm out on the balcony now.  Drinking milk, meditating, savoring the charming ambiance of the night and noticing the beauty of the full moon in the sky.

I took a deep breath when Steven image entered my mind.

The joy I feel now is strange, now I just feel it again.  That feeling that something good will happen to me in the future.

"Did you hear me? I want you," I remember Steven telling me.

No matter how hard I try not to believe, I can't stop myself from dreaming that he's not pretending.

Not to brag but I am one of the men who are called heart throbs at our University.

Sometimes the four of us, Braxton, Calvin, and Davion, walk up to Wena. Suddenly, a group of our female schoolmates screamed and shuddered.

I almost screamed and shuddered too because when they screamed it was as if handsome men had suddenly fallen in front of them.

Then, I just realized that I was one of the ones they were targeting. They don’t notice that I’m really a woman inside and I’m only able to act like a woman when in front of my friends.

I'm used to being flirted with and confessed to by women who likes me. But that effort and the word "I love you" doesn't matter to me because I want a man.  

So I just make friends with women and I don’t accidentally dislike them for a serious relationship as much as they like me.

I can’t count how many slaps I’ve received this year from women hoping for my love.

Sometimes I don't receive a slap but a scene that turns my stomach upside down.

There were women who couldn’t help but undress in front of me.

I was stunned.

Shit! they have beautiful bodies

I could not move for a moment. I stared not because I was attracted or wanted to possess that body but because that's how I wanted my body to be if I was born a woman.

The first one to undress in front of me was accidentally witnessed by my friends.

I was shocked by that disgusting opportunity so I suddenly left and ran away.

I wasn't prepared for that. I do not know what to do.  

Fortunately, Wena was there, covering the woman's body from the other eyes.

By the way, that's one of the great thing of having a woman in our group because there are things that only women can really do.

Back to the topic, after what happened my friends and I discussed such an incident.

I asked them what should I do in such situations?  Because they didn't like that I ran. They also knew that woman so they felt sorry for her.

Calvin said, It's okay for me to do that since its my first time I experience that but the next time something like that happens, he told me to try not to run away from the woman and think about what I can do in such a situation.

I couldn’t help but ask them if they had ever experienced that and what they had done.

Calvin said, when someone undressed in front of him.  He approached the woman and then he took off his jacket and covered the woman's body. 

Then he carried her to his room! 

Well, it's because the woman his talking is his girlfriend!

Davion said, on the other hand, he used to seeing a woman's naked body.

Because he is an artist. He pays the woman to go in front of him and paint. So when someone undressed in front of him. He approached it and covered the body. I remember that I arrived just after he covered the woman's body. I heard what he said to the woman.

"Don't do this again. Keep your femininity and personality in front of others especially if you're not sure that he loves you too. You should just give yourself to the man you love and loved you."

After a few weeks, he courted the woman. Actually, on the day that the woman undressed in front of him, he really planned to court that woman. Until now Davion has not been answered by that woman.

And the last one, Braxton. If I only knew which woman was planning to undress in front of him. I'll warn her right away! Because Braxton is barbaric.

We were at a resort then, we attended a party.  Calvin and Davion and I enter a room where we plan to have a drink.

We caught a glimpse of Braxton speaking to the woman who had already undressed in front of him.

"Why don't you dance a little to entertain me?" he said to the woman, insulting in tone. "I'm sorry, your body isn't beautiful to attract me so if you dance I might be entertained a little."

Actually, the woman have a sexy body.

The woman noticed us before Calvin and Davion turned their backs on us.

"So- sorry!" I immediately shouted. "We didn't mean to! We thought-"

"It's okay," Braxton interrupted me, "Maybe she'd prefer that many know the lowliness of what she's doing in front of me."

We were all stunned when Braxton left and left the woman crying.

But that night, I noticed that Braxton and his girlfriend locked in his room for a long time.

So with the next women undressing in front of me, I already knew what I was going to do. I take a covering over their bodies and then I apologize that they did it for me.

I can’t say that I never thought I would want to taste their body.