The New me

Have you ever been in an absurd setting? Well, right now, I am in one. Some girl just went in and gave me a slap!

I held my cheeks as the pain lingered. My cheeks were probably burning red from the slap plus a mixture of anger. It happened so suddenly that I forgot to react, then when my consciousness came, my temper flared as I glared at her. It lasted only a second as I remembered who I was, so I changed my expression to a pitiful one, just like someone weak getting bullied.

It's funny how I'm now becoming a good actor. Hell, I can even try to work in the entertainment industry right now with how fast my expression changes.

What happened?

Two weeks passed since I have been going to work.

Those last few days have been tiring for me. It has been a continuous learning experience. A lot of problems arose that I had to deal with, and it put me in a great deal of stress. Whenever I look in the mirror, there were black bags underneath my eyes. Call me Panda.

Just when I was feeling deflated, Ms. He invited me for another girl's day out. She said that she doesn't have class, and I agreed as it was also my day off.

Ms. He is continuing her studies as she had enrolled in a university. She's taking a management course presumably because of her family. In comparison, "I" was given a corporate position right after graduating high school. Call it unfair, but my family must have thought it was for the best in regards to my situation.

I initially wanted to wear the skirt that I recently bought seeing as it is perfect for the weather- it was spring now. Still, I opted to wear a striped cut-out, above-the-knee skater dress that had a small knot between the V-neckline and cut-out. It revealed a little bit of the flesh, but it didn't look sl*tty.

When I saw the waiting Ms. He, I understood why I was feeling reluctant to wear the skirt. As it happens, she was wearing one right now. It wasn't the exact thing, but it was a tate, blue-striped, ruffle-wrap, maxi skirt. She paired it with a simple crop top. She honestly looked pretty.

We went to a mall that was larger than the one we met in before. The fountain outside was enormous, and the surroundings were very refreshing. It was like a small park. There were a lot of shrubs, flowers, and trees. It had a family-friendly atmosphere. It catered to the general public, unlike the first one we visited where the majority belonged to the upper class. What was deemed affordable there was expensive to the common people.

After a bit of walking and shopping with a bit of chit-chatting in-between, we decided to eat in one of the fast food chains as she said that she was craving it. Yes, even the rich know how to eat fast food.

I was very familiar with these kinds of places, so I volunteered to be the one ordering. I was patiently lining up when there was a little commotion from the line behind. I was curious, so I turned to look, but a loud slap greeted me.

This was the present situation.

A lady I assumed to be in her early 20's was swearing at me. I was honestly stricken, so when she swore, clawed at me, and pointed at me, I returned her glare. But like I said, it merely lasted a second.

"You sl**! Do you think you're pretty!?" She continued to berate me. Some people were watching while a few others stepped in to separate us.

'Yes! I am! You plastic monster! Who are you anyway?!' I yelled in my head. I did not say a thing in reality. Good thing I dodged her hand when she clawed otherwise there might have been scratches left on my face.

"You're such a wh***! Seducing someone who is already taken! You're cheap!" She yelled while struggling to get out of the bystanders' grasp.

"That's right! You're cheap! You knew that my brothers' already have a girlfriend yet kept clinging to him!" Her minion echoed.

'And you are? Are you the source of this misunderstanding?' I wanted to retort.

'Inhale and exhale. Now, think of these bit**es accusations' I told myself.

'OMG! Is it that guy, Luke?' But reasoning that he did not have a sister I dismissed it the thought.

If that's not the case...So it was a mistaken identity.

"Miss, you are probably mistaken." Ms. He softly shouted from the crowd. She can't get to where I am as a group of people surrounded me.

"Miss, you are mistaken!" I declared. To put the word 'probably' will cause misunderstandings. Did she do it deliberately?

"Do you even know who I am?" I then asked calmly. This time I held my head high and looked directly at her. Presently, the mall's security was also heading toward us.

"Of course! You are that junior of his! Don't you deny anything! We saw you coming with him in here." Reminded of the boyfriend, she scanned the crowd; "Where is he! Oliver—!" Her eyes stopped at someone wearing a black shirt and umber-colored mercer pants.

The minion followed her way of sight and called "Brother—!?"

They both have stupefied expressions. The guy was slowly slipping out of the area while holding hands with a petite girl. The girl was wearing a dress of the same color as me.

Seeing as to how all eyes had now fallen onto them, the girl gripped the guys' hand tighter and hid behind him. "Oh, my gosh, what a scene!" Someone from the crowd exclaimed.

"Now that was embarrassing, getting caught having an affair." Some snickered.

"Who's more embarrassing though? The girlfriend who caused a commotion or the boyfriend caught cheating?"

"You've got to include that other girl! She's acting all shy now but who knows what's on her mind?"

Discussions naturally formed among the masses. The situation lasted for more than thirty minutes before it died down. The security took all the people involved in a separate room for an inquiry. Ms. He went with me.

The girlfriend was genuinely apologetic towards me especially after hearing my name from the security team. The guy was also remorseful for what his girlfriend had done to me, and repeatedly asked the girl to say sorry without mentioning his misdeed.

I was in an unfair situation, and I wanted to break even. My inner demon kept telling me to hit the lady back.

"I forgive you," I said. "But please think carefully before you act next time." I decided to be magnanimous. This body was still delicate. I needed to do more exercise, so she- or should I say I- could deliver a powerful slap.

"Are you okay?" Ms. He asked me after all the drama ended. Currently, we were sitting outside on a stone bench near the fountain. It was already sunset and kids were running around.

"Of course!" I told her.

"You should have pressed charges. They needed to be taught a lesson." She said, her tone determined.

'The one who needs to be taught a lesson was you. What were you doing back there, my dear friend?' I wanted to ask. If the girlfriend heard and dwelled on what she said, then it could have created more misunderstandings. She said it in my defense but....forget it.

"They're not worthy." I simply said. "I was taught not to waste time on pointless things."

"You seemed different."

'Girl, I am!'

"I'm not. What are you talking about?." I denied. We chatted for a little while before deciding to separate.