Pitbabe S2, Chapter 12 pg8

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 12 pg8

   “You don’t know Charlie at all,” Phii Alan shook his head, chuckling softly like he found Willy’s cluelessness endearing. “Don’t mess with his stuff. It’s not worth it.”

   “For real?” Willy tilted his head, looking around at everyone for confirmation. He seemed unwilling to believe the Charlie in his head could be so different from reality. “That Phii Charlie?”

   “Wanna try him?” I asked. “I’m not getting involved, though.”

   “What, you’re scared of Phii Charlie too?”

   “I’m not scared,” I said firmly, but North and Sonic burst out laughing and started slapping each other’s arms. “I just can’t be bothered to argue with him. I lose every time.”

   “No way.”

   “Why you so obsessed, huh?” I said, chewing on boiled peanuts like a fifty-year-old uncle. “Just leave Phii Babe alone, and it’s done. Acting like you’ve got a crush on him.”

   “Or maybe you do?” Phii Alan narrowed his eyes.

   “Crazy, no way!” Willy waved his hands frantically in denial. “I just look up to him as an idol.”

   “And if Phii Babe was down?” North asked excitedly, while I just sat there quietly listening to them talk about me, unsure how to chime in. I was also starting to get a bit annoyed that Charlie still hadn’t shown up. “If he was single, would you shoot your shot?”

   “Uh…” The foreign kid looked deep in thought. Not sure if he was mulling over the real answer or hesitating about what lie to spit out. “Well… maybe.”

   “Whoa…”

   Willy’s response drew a round of teasing cheers from the group. Everyone’s eyes darted between me and the foreign kid. Right now, it felt like we were in some kind of inter-university blind date circle, even though there was already one couple here and a taken guy like me in the mix.

   “What about you, Phii Babe?” As the conversation got livelier, Sonic fired off a question to amp up the excitement. “If you weren’t with Charlie—no, scratch that. If Charlie didn’t exist in this world, would you date Willy?”

   All eyes turned to me in unison, no coordination needed. I thought sitting quietly would keep me out of trouble, but apparently not. The expectant looks from everyone made me feel like I should at least play along. I glanced at Willy sitting next to me, scanning him from head to toe while imagining a world without Charlie. (Just the thought was depressing as hell.)

   If Charlie didn’t exist, huh?

   “Well… maybe.”

   The cheers were even louder than the first round, and it only hit me after I’d spoken that my answer was identical to Willy’s, word for word.

   “I mean, like, just a date. Maybe a one-night thing,” I quickly clarified before everyone got the wrong idea, like Charlie once did when we had a huge fight over a misunderstanding. “But for something serious… nah, I’m good.”

   “That kinda stings,” Willy said, clutching his chest dramatically toward North, acting like he was genuinely heartbroken.

   “Tough luck, kid. If your name’s not Charlie, it’s gonna be rough,” I teased.

   The drinking circle’s conversation rolled on—racing, cars, love, and a mix of serious and pointless life stories. Everything came paletted in the flow of thoughts and words. Laughter erupted now and then, each person eager to share or listen, but I felt oddly detached from it all. I kept staring at my phone, waiting for a reply from Charlie, who’d been silent for hours. I tried calling him again, but no response. None of the lab folks—Phii Touch, Liu, or even Chris—picked up either. I’d tried everyone, but no luck. I couldn’t shake the worry that something bad had happened to Charlie. He’s not the type to just vanish like this.

   I stared at my phone screen, willing it with telepathic force to make Charlie reply. Whether it was coincidence or I actually had psychic powers, a notification finally popped up.

   [Babe, sorry.]

   [Got caught up with an urgent thing at the lab, couldn’t reply. All sorted now.]

   [I’m on my way.]

   The first feeling that hit me when I saw Charlie’s message was relief. At least I knew he was safe, not caught in some disaster like I’d feared. But the next thought wasn’t so pleasant.

   Another urgent thing.

   There’s always something urgent at that lab. But my stuff? Never urgent for him.

   The chatter around me used to feel like a relaxing melody, but today it was just noise—irritating, like a flock of sparrows gathered in a single tree, chirping in a chaotic chorus since sunset. It was incoherent, just annoying “cheep cheep” sounds, getting louder and more grating until I couldn’t take it anymore and had to walk away.

   I walked out to the front of the house, loudly telling Dad I was going to call Charlie. Otherwise, he’d definitely follow me out of concern, and I didn’t want to ruin the mood by complaining about Charlie or how they all seem like chirping sparrows. The best thing was to slip out quietly like this.

   “You seem quiet today,” a voice said.

   Looks like one sparrow broke away from the flock.

   “Sad about getting older?” Willy, who’d followed me out without me noticing, spoke in a casual tone. He tilted his head, looking at some tree Phii Alan had planted in front of the house. It made the place feel shady and nice, but at night, it also made the house a bit creepier. Especially where we were standing, it was pretty dark, and the tree’s shadow gave me slight chills.

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