9 CHAPTER IX: OPERATION 'SAVE THE BRIDGE'

Her plan all boiled down to one thing: Interviews, Interviews, and more Interviews. As my knowledge of the bridge was deemed insufficient, we would inevitably lose if we didn't branch out. She wanted to know the actual story, no filtering, or any trash spewing nonsense, and we could go from there. The one person that I know is currently into cold silence with me, hence I am a stranger to them as they are to me. I never really did bother talk to anyone besides him and my family. Olivia's family might be a nice choice, but they were out of town, on a vacation to some country that immediately flew over my head when my parents told me about it.

I remember the day that I told her, the day after, we were both seated once again on the bridge. "I can't really give you more information that I already know. Me and my friend… aren't really on the best of terms right now." I had said, as I watched the crystalline blue like waves gently move along with the wind.

She amusingly smiled, I had felt a spark of irritation at that, and replied with, "Well, I guess that makes the two of us."

I stayed silent after.

I checked the wall clock across the room, only a few minutes left before class ends. I pursed my lips and brought my attention back to the notebook on my desk. I had originally planned to take notes from what the teacher was saying, but my thoughts were extremely against it. Slight embarrassment arose, I have never gotten distracted with any lesson. Instead, whenever I face dispute between my family and Caleb, the feelings of frustration made me indulge in the temporary comfort of books and research.

This was new to me, getting distracted to the point that every word that the teacher says goes in one ear, and one to the other.

I have also noticed, ever since I met her, everything felt new.

I did not know what to think of it.

"Hey…"

I looked across the room again, class ended already.

Caleb was at me, looking sheepish. His ears were a bit red, and I wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of our fight. But I wasn't going to give in without a few jabs, so I replied. "Hey… I thought that you were going to talk to me two days later, or did the pattern change again?"

His eyes widened that it looked almost comical. Much to my disappointment, it was instantly replaced with annoyance. "You're such an asshole. I shouldn't have borrowed a paper from you ten years ago. I should have just let my eight-year-old steal some toilet paper and use that instead."

"Ah, there it is." I stood up and immediately put him in a headlock. "Buy me a milk bottle and you're reinstated as my best friend forever."

Even as he was heaving for breath, he still managed to give me a disgusted glance.

I laughed. Loudly.

If students saw two boys jabbing and throwing small punches to each other while hollering insults that can make a sailor blush, it is no one's business but ours.

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"Now that we have all of the members for our 'save-the-bridge' operation, let's start talking about our plan—"

I raised a hand.

Eyebrows arched; she motioned her head to the direction of mine. "Why are you not addressing the fact we both have birds perched on our shoulders?"

A chirp from my left shoulder.

I gestured what the source of said chirp came from.

The way breezed past the question easily made me wonder whether the concept of normalcy was included in her dictionary. "Oh! They're also members of the operation! The one on your right now is Cookie and the one on mine is Mint. I think they're a couple, because when I saw them here, they were literally glued to each other's side."

The bird, apparently named Cookie, chirped once more and she giggled. Giggled. "I think it likes you."

I rolled my eyes, "Well I think not, so can you get him off me?"

And as if understanding what I had said, it went closer to my face and leaned its head at my cheek. I lean away, but it stood its ground and almost nuzzled my cheek with its feathers. She giggled in response to its actions, followed by Mint twittering. I examine Mint, the bird that was on her shoulder, and it stared back. I am sure that if it were a person, it would have been smirking at me right now. I put two and two together—

Were they, both her and Mint, making fun of me?

When I open my mouth to complain again, gesturing her more wildly to the bird perched on my shoulder, when she pointedly (and obviously) ignored me. "—as I was saying, now that I've introduced you to our other members, let's now start formulating our plan!"

I sighed. Why do I even bother?

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The plan was broken down into three simple steps. Simple, if the definition of simple was trudging into a deep, deep maze with little to no chances of escaping, then yes, it was. The first part that we were to talk about were the interviews. On a piece of paper, she had shown me a surprisingly detailed map of my town, complete with the layout of all the houses and parks. She wanted both of us to interview all of them.

Of course, I immediately refused. The day that we would even get to the next step was the day where both of us have wrinkly faces and grey hairs.

And so, what we decided, was that we're going to use my source (i.e Caleb) and ask him if he knew what house it was instead. She was a bit skeptical, but I assured her that Caleb can just ask people that he knew, as he was a breathing social butterfly. I had been on the end of those experiences, and safe to say was that I learned about things that should've been kept to themselves.

That was the end of it, and we are now sitting on the bridge again in silence. Mint and Cookie were now beside us, munching on what seemed to be bird treats that had been bought from a pet store.

"Thanks, cute boy." She spoke up, "for actually, you know, fulfilling the request I had."

I narrowed my eyes in response, "I thought that you already knew that I was going to agree?"

"Well, I thought that you would say no, because it was pretty obvious in your reactions." She tilted her face, examining me, to which I looked away. I heard her snicker, "I'm glad that you proved me wrong."

My knuckles turned white.

I wasn't so sure about that.