That Girl Who’s Always Alone At The Back

chapter iii – Post Tomato Syndrome

Almond eyes and dark hair shrouded in mystery. Dank memes and lewd whispers. It really doesn’t fit the profile. Also, I asked her if she knows any Mashed Tomato, yet she said none. She’s just a mysterious transfer student, not Tomato.

I thought as I was staring at Alistel from my desk. She’s just too…. Well. Not normal, I say. But she’s totally not Meme Lord material.

Alistel is like a miniature version of Marilyn Manson who’s slapped by some post rock dude and raised by an emo mom. I don’t even know what I am saying but you do get my point.

Then I felt a gaze from the girl who used to be alone at the back. She just looked at me then went back to her notebook, scribbling. Somehow, I think she’s mad at me. Probably because I’m staring at Alistel? Just, why? What’s wrong? I mean, I’m just observing if she’s Tomato.

“It is because she thinks you like the new girl now more than her.” Mark said as he took a bite on his hotdog. It had chili in it and just looking at how it was murdered with ketchup and chili sauce makes my tongue suffer.

“They’re both my friends. Of course I like them both.” I said as I gazed outside the window, sipping on my Sarsi. Not bad. It is actually my first time drinking this. No wonder Rianne likes it.

Mark looked at me like I was some sort of an air head. “Not that kind of ‘like’, idjit.”

“Romantic kind of like?” I said.

“Just how naïve can you get.” He let out a sigh. “Rianne likes you. In a romantic way.”

“I don’t feel that way towards her. And why on Earth would she even like me? We just met.”

“Echo, have you looked in the mirror lately?” He said, wanting to slap me.

“Why?”

“You’re so hot, dude.” Mark said in one breath. Our classmate that I do not know the name of, laughed. “No homo. I mean, you look good and all. But I’m Prometheus incarnate.” No wonder why Rianne dumped you without a second thought.

“That’s stupid.”

“Wanna know what’s stupid? Liking someone you’ve never seen before.”

“Drop the deal with Tomato. I love her. Not like. And I’d break the seals of hell just to be with her.” I said to him.

“Then why aren’t you two together?”

It is because she doesn’t want to be with me, idjit.

I don’t even know why I am asking for help. I’m just so tired of explaining myself to other people. Especially my parents. I mean, I hate it here in my uncle’s house. I can’t complain though. Free internet = free porn. And yeah, anime cartoons shit. Don’t forget Filthy Frank. I can’t wait for his new vids.

And then, Fallin’ played on my playlist. I let out a sigh as I was browsing a hentai doujin. Somehow, I’m not in the mood for this. I just stared at my Yazawa Nico wallpaper as I was listening. Just hearing the guitar and ZHIEND’s vocals is enough to paint that moment. The smell of smoke from the vehicles, cold night’s wind, a dark canvass filled with stars along with Rianne’s beautiful smile. Those dark brown eyes behind her spectacles were brighter than the stars above.

And somehow, whenever I am chatting with her, I can imagine Rianne’s face. When she says ‘LOL’ I could hear Rianne’s laughter. I think she’s Mashed Tomato. Not just think. I guess, I wish she’s Tomato.

I have talked to her multiple times and she’s really chill. Just like Tomato. Their writing styles, art style and meme styles (is there even such a thing as meme style?) are so different. microwaveable s h o u j o ‘s art style is colorful while Tomato’s are dark and cruel. Rianne’s love stories are far from Tomato’s tragedies. Why do I even compare them? And the similarities are not similar at all. It’s so messed up that I can’t process the thought completely. One simple thought and my brain fails to recognize it. Tomato is not Rianne. But… but why am I feeling the same thing for her? Why do I feel happy whenever I see Rianne? Like the same feeling I get whenever I am chatting with Tomato? Especially when Tomato tells me what I did at school. It was creepy. Creepily romantic. I am really fond of stalker girls. You know, yandere kind of girls.

Damn it. Damn it all. I can’t sleep at all with all these thoughts in my mind. They say that if you can’t sleep at night, it’s either a ghost is watching you or someone is dreaming of you. Knowing myself, I think a ghost is watching me. That’s when I realized that it’s already morning. I closed my eyes, and finally, I fell asleep.

“Echo.” I felt a tug on my sleeve. That voice. It was Rianne. She took my earphone like the other time and plugged it to her ear. “Clouded Sky?” She grinned. Her white teeth were showing. “I love the bass on this one. Like dandandan danttt dandan dantt.” Rianne’s smile looks nice alone with the afternoon sun. Except that it’s too damn hot.

“You’re an audiophile, huh?” I said as I continued walking knowing that she would follow suit.

“Music is in my soul, I guess. Hey.” She said, as she stopped. I stopped too, preventing the earphone to be pulled out of her ear.

“Hmmm?”

“Do you like Alistel?” She said to her shoes as if she was talking to them.

I looked at her shoes too. “As a friend, yeah.”

“Do you have someone that you like?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s nice.” She then hummed along the way to school.

They say that you’d likely find the formula for time travel than to understand what runs inside a girl’s mind. I think that’s true enough as I am trying to figure out how to make a time travelling machine. Or at least, a real light saber. That’d be so friggin’ cool. Call me Master Anakin, bitch.