Chapter 5 Beer Shower

Jayden Park

My worst fears came true. He liked. His smile didn’t lie, and for some reason, it was uncomfortable to see how she almost looked like a normal girl around the guy she liked.

"Yeah, I mean, it was no big deal," Rachel replied modestly.

"No big deal? It's the Golden edition. I can’t believe it! I don’t even know how to thank you." Jasper exclaimed.

"You don't have to," Rachel replied softly.

"Still, I want to. Look, I have to put my violin away, but why don't you grab a couple of beers while I do it, and we can talk more about this CD?" Jasper suggested.

Rachel agreed eagerly, her smile widening.

"What's your name again, by the way?" Jasper asked.

"It's Rachel," she replied.

"Okay, Raquel, I'll see you then," Jasper said, mispronouncing her name.

"I'll go and get the beers," Rachel nodded as if she didn’t remember how to breathe.

As Jasper walked away, she jumped up and down in excitement. She looked radiant, but as soon as she noticed me watching, her smile faded.

"Wow, that was pathetic!" I couldn't help but laugh.

"Shut up, you walking herpes!" Rachel snapped back.

"You've got a sharp tongue, haven't you? But seriously, the guy literally called you Raquel. He doesn't even know your name," I pointed out.

She went downstairs to get the beers, and I followed.

"He asked you to get the beers. What does he want? A waitress?" I teased.

"Get off my back, you devil!" she retorted.

"Then say you’ll help me, and I'll leave you alone," I proposed.

"Not over my dead body," she declared.

She grabbed the beers and almost ran back upstairs. I could see how excited she was, which only served to prove how innocent she was, as it was clear that Jasper wasn't interested in her at all.

"You're making a fool of yourself. You can't let the man think he can treat you any way he wants, or he'll only treat you worse and worse everyday," I warned.

"Shut up, devil's advocate. Look, today is the first time we've spoken. He doesn't know me. It's normal for him to act like this," she defended herself.

When we got upstairs, her eyes wandered, searching for him, but she couldn’t find him , until I spotted him kissing a blue-haired punk girl. Before I could stop her, she followed my gaze and froze on the spot. After a few seconds, he finally stopped devouring the other girl and seemed to notice Rachel’s presence. By then, she was already trying hard not to cry. He walked toward her, still holding hands with the punk girl, and grabbed one of the beers from Rachel’s hand, handing it to the girl beside him.

"Look, Kate, this is Raquel, the one who got me that CD I was looking for , the one I mentioned to you," Jasper said with a grin, as if nothing awkward had just happened.

Ouch. That one hurt, even me.

"Oh really? And why did she did that? Is she into you or something?" the blue-haired girl asked, crossing her arms and giving Rachel a smug smile.

Jasper blinked, clearly surprised by the accusation, then turned to Rachel for some kind of explanation. She stood frozen, unable to speak. Jasper’s girlfriend snorted.

"Aww, she’s got a crush. How cute!" she mocked, rolling her eyes.

Rachel’s breathing faltered. She looked around, desperate for a way out, like the walls were closing in.

"What’s wrong, sweetheart? Gonna cry?" the punk girl sneered, leaning closer with a cruel grin.

Rachel turned around to leave, but in her rush, she didn’t notice a guy carrying three full cups of beer walking toward her. She bumped into him, spilling everything on her shirt. The redhead looked down, drenched, as laughter erupted around her. I thought she’d break down right there , but instead, she ran.

"Rachel!" I shouted, pushing through the crowd.

"Leave me alone!" she cried out, her voice trembling with pain.

Her choked tone pierced through the noise as she stumbled outside into the freezing New York night. She kept running until she reached a quiet corner with no one around. There, she collapsed on a bench, letting her tears fall freely.

I hesitated for a while, wondering whether I should go after her. Finally, I sat beside her. She immediately slid to the other side, avoiding my eyes.

"For what it’s worth," I said softly, glancing at her, "I don’t think that guy with the beers did it on purpose. He didn’t see you."

"Of course not!" she snapped, her voice heavy with frustration. "Neither did anyone else. It’s like I’m invisible."

I chuckled quietly, shaking my head. "What are you talking about? You’re the smartest girl in the university. The leader of the debate club," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"And what good does that do?" she muttered bitterly, wiping her face. "I don’t have any friends. I’m completely invisible. The guy I’ve been in love with for almost four years doesn’t even know my name. I lost my job, and I was humiliated in front of everyone."

Her voice broke, and she started crying again. I sighed, helpless, then awkwardly wrapped my arms around her.

"Hey… it’s okay," I murmured.

We stayed silent for a few seconds. Just when I thought she was calming down, she spoke.

"Jayden?" she whispered, her voice low and shaky.

"You don’t have to say anything," I said gently. "Just cry if you need to."

"Jayden, I’m giving you five seconds to let go," she said through gritted teeth, "or I’ll kick you in the balls."

I let go immediately, hands up in surrender. She moved farther away from me, shivering from the cold. I sighed, took off my jacket, and held it out to her.

"Here, take it. You’re freezing," I offered.

"No, thanks," she shot back. "That jacket probably has, like, five different STDs."

"Damn!" I said, half laughing. "I’m trying to be nice here, but you’re not making it easy."

"You don’t have to pretend to be nice," she snapped, standing up. "I’m not going to help you. So you can stop pretending and go back to hating me."

She turned and started walking away. With every step she took, I could almost hear my father’s voice echoing in my head, calling me a disappointment, threatening to kick me out, reminding me of every failure.

When she finally disappeared into the crowd, desperation hit me like a punch.

"Rachel, wait!" I shouted, running after her, nearly out of breath.

"Give it up, Jayden! I’m not going to help you!" she yelled back, not even turning around.

"I’ll help you win him over!" I called, my voice cracking in the cold air.

She stopped abruptly and turned, her eyes narrowing. "What?" she asked, incredulous.

"I’ll help you stop being invisible, and get Jasper to notice you, and you help me with my classes," I said, panting as I caught up to her. It was my last desperate move, the final card I had to play.

I threw it into the air, hoping fate would make her catch it.