Chapter 6

“This is Dulce,” I answered. “Who’s calling?” “Hey stranger,” said a familiar voice. “Glace? I didn’t think you’d still have my number. What’s up?” I tried to sound casual, but my high-pitched voice betrayed me. Oh God. . . When will I stop embarrassing myself in front of this girl? “Nothing much,” she said. “I totally forgot to return your shirt earlier. I had it in my bag, but school was crazy, so it slipped my mind. Want to meet up instead? I’ll give you the shirt.” “S-sure,” I stammered. “Where do you want to meet?” A pause on the other line. “Come to my house, I’ll text you the address. Don’t bring anyone okay? I just bought the house and don’t want the paparazzi to discover where I’m residing. You cool with that?” “Of course. . . I’ll be there in a jiffy. Bye.” She didn’t reply and disconnected the call. Meanwhile, I did a small celebratory dance inside the car. We’re going to be alone in her house, I thought with satisfaction. Fine, she wasn’t lesbian, but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t enjoy her company. As promised, she texted me the address and I drove quickly to her place. I was so excited to see her twice in a day that I totally forgot about the fact that she brought my shirt with her at school. I reached her house in a few minutes. After I pulled over and parked the car on the street, I stood awkwardly outside her gate. Because it was surrounded by stone fences, I didn’t know what the property looked like. But I was definitely sure that the whole thing was expensive as heck. She was a celebrity, and there was no doubt that she could easily afford luxury homes like this. I felt self-conscious as I took out the phone in my pocket and called her back. She answered after two rings. “Dulce? Where are you?” she asked. “I’m ahhh, standing outside your gate. Mind letting me in?” “Oh yeah, my bad. I’m on my way there.” The call ended and I waited for a couple of minutes before the gate opened and her head poked out. She smiled widely when she saw me and beckoned for me to follow her inside. My eyes roamed around the property. The lawn was well-manicured and a huge rectangular pool greeted us in front of the main house. The water was illuminated with lights, which was kind of pretty because the sky was already darkening. I bet Glace had lots and lots of pool party here with her celebrity friends. I glanced at the modern-looking house. It was a two-storey tall building that was colored with white and had this huge floor to ceiling glass that replaced some of the walls. It looked like one of those homes you’d see inside a magazine. My nervousness doubled in an instant. We belonged in different worlds. Even if she was a lesbian, I just knew that I didn’t have a shot with her. How could I? I was normal and she was on a pedestal. Glace ushered me inside her home. Like the exterior design, the interior was pretty much modern. A bespoke chandelier in the middle of the receiving room lighted the whole place. We passed the living room which was dominated with white, grey, and black colors. The only splash of color I saw came from the contemporary art on the walls. The house screamed of luxury and I wondered what I was doing there. Glace interrupted my thoughts. “In case you’re wondering, I didn’t have a hand in designing this house.” She smiled sheepishly. “Everything was done with the help of a designer. So no, I’m not a stuck up bitch like you’re thinking Dulce. I’m actually a little uncomfortable with the place.” I waved my hands in front of me in embarrassment. “No, no I wasn’t thinking that. Everything’s just different that’s all. The design is very uhhh tasteful.” She gave me an amused look. “Oh really now? Hmmm. . . . Come to my room, I left the shirt there.” I nodded. “Sure, let’s go.” She led me to a flight of stairs and we silently climbed up. We reached the end of the hall where a white double door was located. Glace opened it and signaled for me to go inside. I entered curiously and looked around. I was startled to see that the room differed from the rest of the house. It was like a rainbow exploded inside. The first thing I noticed were the purple walls that had hand-drawn artwork of naked women hanging on a frame. I glanced quickly at Glace and stared at her with wide eyes. She lowered her gaze. “Yes I drew those, and yes those were real subjects. I’m a freak right?” Somehow, I was able to find my voice. “Not at all. . . It’s really good.” I walked to the artwork and carefully inspected it. I blushed furiously when my eyes connected to the breast of the woman in the drawing. “So this is your hobby or something?” I asked. She cleared her throat. “Kind of. . . I guess I just really like the silhouette of a woman.” “Me too,” I said in agreement. “But uhm, let me ask a question.” “Okay, shoot.” I searched her eyes. “Why did you bring me here? You don’t know me that well Glace. For all you know I can snap a picture of this with my phone and sell it to the media. From what I heard, you’re the type of person who doesn’t easily let other people in their life, so why?” She met my gaze with her coffee colored eyes. “I’m not going to say that there’s something different about you Dulce because that’s just bull. I’m not in love with you or anything. I don’t want to have a relationship with you either.” “Fair enough,” I interjected. “But like I asked earlier, why?” She ran a hand through her raven-black hair and stared at me seriously. “I wanted to show you this before I ask you something.” “Oh? And what is that?” “Can I draw you Dulce?” It was like someone pulled a rug underneath me. What did she say? Was she serious? “Draw me? Draw me what?” She smiled a little. “I want to draw you naked. It’s nothing personal of course. As I’ve said, I didn’t bring you here to hook-up. It’s purely for art purposes. When you helped me last week, I couldn’t help but notice your slender body and your beautiful face. It would be perfect Dulce.” I looked at her in disbelief. “Then what? You’re going to hung me up in your wall?” I shook my head. “This is crazy Glace. I’m sorry but I barely know you and I’m not ready to show you anything.” I quickly left her room, while she followed me behind. “See you in school okay?” I said before going down the stairs and running outside. This girl was completely, totally insane.