5.2 - One Heart

It was just after 7:30 PM when I walked into Old Canal. There were six other customers who were congregated at the right side of the diner.

Sami was sweeping by the booths on the left. She perked up when I saw her.

“Hey there, Sami.”

“Oh, Vector—Uh, I-I mean, Jacen. Hello!”

“You done your shift?”

“Um, oh, yes. Just about done. Few more minutes.”

“Can we...talk about something?”

“O-Of course!”

We took a seat at the usual booth.

I went through my entire day with Vanessa, and explained how we went to the museum, then the waterfront, followed by the arcade, and ending with a pair of milkshakes from a food stand.

“W-Whoa,” Sami’s eyes widened as she leaned back on the booth cushion. “You—You gave her the whole package!”

“Hey!” I said quietly, folding my arms. “Don’t phrase it like that, will ya?! She was…It was a nice experience, going through all that.”

“So, you like her, Jace?”

My face felt warm. “L-Like her?! Uh, n-no way. No! I—…No, I don’t. At least, I don’t think so?”

Sami laughed, and I raised an eyebrow. For once, it felt like this was the first time we were being real with each other. Actually, this was the first time she and I really spoke amongst ourselves.

This was nice.

She sighed. “You don’t think so? Are boys really this dense?”

I blinked. “Wha—?! Listen you! I-I’m not dense at all! In fact, the only reason why I wanted to talk to you about this is because, well, I-I need advice—ah, f-from a friend—a regular friend of mine, um...who is a girl!”

She chuckled to herself. “I-I suppose you didn’t wanna ask Madi? Isn't she...way more social than all of us combined? I-I'm sure she'd have good advice.”

I shook my head furiously. “Oh, no, absolutely not! Madi would just make fun of me.”

My friend took a deep breath and exhaled. “All right, Jace, all right. Lemme hear it. What else?”

“Sami, I need you to swear to me you will keep what I say next between us, o-okay?"

Her eyes beamed. “Sure!”

“Shh!”

“I-I mean…” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Sure.”

“To be honest, I don’t know how I feel about Vanessa. But I…I know that I like Ela, but—”

Sami raised her fists to her chin and bobbed up and down. “I knew it, Jace! I knew it!”

“Shh! Q-Quiet! I, yes, I do like Ela. She…She’s helped me out through so much already, and she…Hmph. Well, I guess she’s pretty cool. With her damn magic and stuff.”

Sami placed her right index finger and thumb on her chin. “Eeeeh? Is my friend Jacen in looove?”

Her voice and demeanor changed as she teased me like an older sister. Wait, in fact—

“Hey, Sami. How old are you, by the way?”

“Oh, I’m 21. And you are…19, right, Jace?”

“That’s right. Don’t you live around here?”

“Ah, yes. I live in a temp apartment, actually.”

“Temporary?”

“Yes. I’m from out of town—ah, d-did I mention that before? Ah, guess I didn't. I-I’m just a college student spending my summer here on an exchange program. I technically...don’t have to work this job, since my university pays for my expenses with a stipend, but it doesn’t hurt to make some extra cash, right?”

“Can’t argue with that,” I nodded. “Wow, I…I didn’t know you’re also a college student.”

“Oh, Vanessa’s one, too?”

“Yeah...Yeah, she is." I took a sip of water. "So, what're you studying?”

“I’m double majoring in Biology and Psychology. Oh, and with a minor in History. I kinda...like that sorta stuff. Reading is nice, too.”

“Huh, that’s quite the academic lineup. What got you interested in all that?”

“Well, I just think it’s interesting to learn about how the human body operates. It’s also important to know our own limitations. Ah, with Psychology, I like understanding how people tend to think. I-It would be really wonderful if we could all put our differences as Normals and Abnormals aside. I just wish...the people in Ave Strata could be nice to each other, you know?”

I leaned back on my own booth cushion. “...Yeah, I totally get that.”

I glanced outside the window, looking from the cars with their headlights on and the people still walking along the sidewalks. Overhead, the tiny lights from a few planes moved across the darkening, late afternoon sky.

“I just wish…it were that easy.”

Sami took a sip from her water and rested her chin on her folded wrists. “Jacen?”

I turned to her. “Yeah?”

“…I really hope you and Elaina are able to stop this Doctor Molecruel person. From what you’ve told me about him, he really sounds like bad news—not just for Normals like me...but for all Abnormals, too.”

“Yeah, Sami. We will. I promise you. We’ll find him and figure out what he's up to. We'll put a stop to it.”

She smiled. “I’m very glad to hear that. Now then..." Her demeanor changed back to that of the older sister type. "...you successfully evaded answering my question, distracting me with this little side topic. Do you take me for a fool, Jacen Jacinto?”

I gasped. “Gah! I thought you wouldn’t notice!”

“Hmph! Just because I’m a Normal doesn’t mean I can’t sense if you’re being dodgy! Now, spill it, Vector!" She pointed at me with both index fingers. "Come on, come on! Do you love Elaina?”

“W-Why are you using the word ‘love’, Sami?”

“Oh?" Sami raised an eyebrow. "Am I wrong then? Do you actually love Vanessa? Even just after one date?”

“N-No, I don’t feel anything about Vanessa! And, h-hey, don't call that a date! I was just being nice!”

“Being nice. Oh, Jace Vector, Jace Vector...” Sami shook her head as she chuckled some more. “You really don’t get how girls behave.”

“O-Ok then, genius. How should I take it then?”

“I think Vanessa likes you. So much so that she reeled you in to taking her on a date without you even knowing it.”

“You…You think so?”

“I know so!” Sami raised her fists with confidence. “In fact, I think Vanessa’s trying to have you all to herself!”

“H-Huh?!”

Sami puffed out her chest, confident. “Yup! But you, the man facing this situation, have a choice!”

She leaned forward, placing her arms on the table.

I perked up in surprise.

First her change in demeanor, now this?! I’ve never seen her act like this before.

She moved her arms in a diagonal motion, moving closer to me as she spoke.

“Now, Jace, as the most well-known Abnormal in town, you’ve got to pick one girl!”

“H-Hah?!”

Sami drew closer.

I pulled my hood over my eyes. “S-Sami, you’re getting too close! Too close, too close!”

Then, to my shock and awe, Sami grabbed the tip of the front of my hood and raised it up to look me in my sheltered eyes.

“Vector! You may be able to do funky stuff with trajectories and all, but one trajectory you’ll never be able to truly master is the direction of LOVE!”

She leaned back and nodded approvingly of herself.

I fixed my hood. “Y-You’re crazy! What are you even saying? Wait, are you trying to become a relationship therapist? No, you're trying to be a matchmaker!”

“To think, my friend Jacen…His heart is being pulled in two directions!” Sami posed in different dramatic fashions, which reminded me of Madi and Marcus's chuunibyou motto.

“S-So direct!" I blinked. "Did you learn all those poses from the twins?”

Sami held one hand on her chest and another danced in the air as she spoke. “On one side, there’s Elaina—the practically childhood friend of who has been with you through thick and thin against the Science Division!”

“C-Childhood friend?! Ela and I just met like…uh…almost a year ago! I mean, she’s pretty reliable and is nice to be around—Ah, b-but dating her isn’t on my mind right now! We’ve got more important things to think about!”

Sami continued. “And then, on the other side of his heart, there is Vanessa—a new girl who arrives on the scene of his life, where she is both highly attractive and clearly interested!”

“That’s a huge insinuation after just one date!”

Sami stopped her dramatic posing for a second and met my eyes. She grinned menacingly at me. “Oh, so you admit it was a date, then?”

DAMMIT! Did I…What is this? Did I fall into Sami’s trap? Oh no…Oh no, oh no! Is she gonna…tell Elaina the next time she sees her?!

The grin on Sami’s face widened as I thought to myself.

This girl, Sami…Is she…somehow…a GOSSIP QUEEN?!

Sami raised her left hand in front of her mouth and posed her fingers in a weird manner. “OOOHOHOHOHOHO! You fell for it, Jacen! Yes! It would seem you have admitted a vital piece of information to your diner waitress friend!”

I placed my gloved hands on my hooded head. “AAAHH! How could I be so careless?!”

“Now then, Vector, I have to ask you…”

“Eh…?!” I felt a chill run down my spine when we locked eyes.

“What do you think would happen…” Sami licked her lips.

“Gueh?!”

“…if I happened to…” She squinted her eyes.

“Huguegh!?

“…let this new bit of information…” She twiddled her index fingers.

“HUGUEGH—HUGUEGH!?”

“…slip from my lips…to tell Elaina?” She grinned maniacally.

“You wouldn’t dare!!”

I was defeated. Crushed. I felt my face get so absurdly warm. I folded my arms on the table and rested my forehead on my sleeves.

Sami drank from her glass of water and exhaled. “Relax, Jace. I’m not gonna tell Elaina.”

I raised my head. “Y-You mean it?”

“Of course. In fact, this is none of my business whatsoever!”

I squinted at her. “You damn bratty waitress…”

But Sami smiled. “I’m glad we were able to talk like this." She stretched her arms in the air. "Hmm! This is refreshing from all the work I’ve been doing lately!”

“Same here, Sami." I glanced at the clock on the wall across from us. "I—Oh! The time!”

“Huh? Late for something? It’s pretty la—Gah! Yeah, it’s late! I-I gotta go home and catch the new episode of Star Hunter!”

My mouth fell open. “Oh, wait. You watch Star Hunter, too? No way!”

“Ah, yeah, it’s pretty awesome.”

“Okay, how about we talk about that next time, all right? I gotta get home to cook dinner!”

The truth is, I scheduled a call with Vanessa tonight, so...

“You fool, Jace. You shoulda ordered something before our kitchen closed!”

“Sorry! Next time I’m here, I promise!”

“Y-You be careful going home now. Have a good night, Mr. Romeo!”

“You too! I’ll see ya later, Sami!” I left several dollar bills on the table and ran out of the booth.

“A-And remember!" Sami called after me. "One heart for Romeo, means there’s room for only one Juliet!”

I waved back at her. "Yeah, yeah! G'night, Sami!"