01 - The Freshmen

Chapter 19

Annick is standing close to the stairs leading to the cinemas and I can't stop remembering my last movie night with Stephanie. She shouldn't have fixed the rendezvous in front of my friends, they are all waiting around her trying to catch her attention. At least, they remain good guys, they try to talk to her, but they don't touch her nor get angry because she doesn't respond to their silly way of hitting on a girl. She only smiles at me when I join her and she takes my arm to walk towards the Main Street. Alex, Oli, Mop, Yvan and others continue to play false serenades behind us not to mention their dirty jokes about what they suppose we are going to do. Somehow, I am watching around to see if Cynthia is there. How can I become so paranoid? It has to change.

Annick, like Stephanie, has the capacity to ignore other people completely. This is a great gift! I need to learn that too.

She takes me to the Vietnamese restaurant Kuong not too far from the Walloon Square and my friends don't enter. They just play fool at the window. Alex even leads a group that strips and presses their ass against the glass. I try not to laugh, but I find it very funny. As soon as we are seated, she says to me:

— It's not my favourite, but at least they can't come in here.

— I am sorry for my friends.

— No, you are not. You are enjoying them.

— Well, huh ... how do you ignore them like that?

— I hate idiots. I used to close myself when there are some around. But you, how do you manage to patronise them?

— We met before the beginning of the year. We became good friends. They are great guys even if they like jokes you don't appreciate. We are a great gang! If Stephanie told you a little bit about me, you should know that I am faithful to my friends and I don't mind social barriers.

— And Stephanie appreciates that in you.

— Really? She doesn't know any of my friends.

— You share a lot with her, Frederic, so she has not met your friends physically, but she knows them from your talks.

We receive the menus.

— I'm the one paying, says Annick in authority. Don't you dare take out money. I invite you. When you invite me, you will pay. Okay?

I smile casually at her. Anyway, I only have 50 francs left, I couldn't pay, I'm even happy to take what I think is my only meal for two days.

We order simple and quick dishes, the heaviest possible for me, with Perrier.

The Vietnamese waiter put a plate of this kind of chip you find in all Asian restaurants. Food! I fight with myself not to take one and show that I am starving. If I take the first one, I won't stop.

— Wondering why I invited you?

She cuts me out of my thoughts. I was wondering what I would have done if she was expecting me to pay: go to the toilets and jump through the window? Say that I forgot my wallet with all my money?

— Yes, I answer, after the slap and your cold reception on Friday, I'm surprised.

— I want to be forgiven. I should not have. After all the wrong you did to Stephanie, not just during the holidays...

— What did I do to Stephanie?

— You have a short memory. Do you remember the last party at the Berlaymont? The night of the Proms?

— What did I do wrong?

— What? You don't even know? You took her to the ball; you dumped her and went out with this stupid Nadege Potier. You left her alone at the ball to be laughed at by some stupid girls. Are you proud of yourself?