CHAPTER 17: Chick Repellent

 

Jeremy Saint finished paying his bills and sat down on his bed. He felt utterly deflated. It had been 3 days since Bianca rejected his advances and it still hurt. It felt like a break-up although, to be fair, they were never an item. A few nice dates and the prospect of things going somewhere was all it really was. In a way it felt worse than a break up. At least with that he could pinpoint where things had gone wrong had they actually dated but this....he felt like he didn't measure up to her expectations and that he had some quality, unknown to him, that repelled her.

Now that new guy next door, John Action, he had the magic touch with women. He had Summer and Suzy eating out of the palm of his hand the other day. That guy had "it" and Jeremy...well, he was a "friend", that's all.

Jeremy went to the front porch of his house and considered going for a run when he saw Travis emptying the trash down the road. They saw each other and waved hi. Travis motioned for Jeremy to come over for a drink and, not wanting to wallow on his own right now, grabbed his house keys, shut the door and walked over to the BFF house.

"Hey buddy" said Travis. "Summer's putting on some coffee, do you fancy some?"

"Sure..." said Jeremy.

"Man, you look down. What's happened?"

"Does it show?" replied Jeremy. "It's Bianca..."

"Oh how's that going?" said Summer, perking up. "She's lovely. So pretty and with amazing hair as well"

"She....turned me down" said Jeremy, disconsolate.

"Awww, man, bummer" said Travis, wincing.

"Now why would she do that?" said Summer.

Jeremy shrugged "I don't know, I didn't measure up I guess"

"Nonsense!" said Summer with indignation "she's foolish! You're a definite catch...don't worry you'll meet someone who's right for you" she said, placing a coffee mug gently into his hand.

"Yeah, plenty more fish and all that" said Travis. Summer shot him a glance. Travis looked confused. Summer did a little cough and jerked her head towards Jeremy and mouthed something to Travis about being a friend.

"Oh...say buddy..." began Travis, finally picking up on Summer's less than subtle cues. "...how about you and me head into town for a laugh?"

"I don't know..." replied Jeremy.

"There's the flea market down in San Myushu" said Summer. It's a nice day and it'll take your mind off things.

Travis leant into Jeremy and whispered so that Summer couldn't overhear. "Psst...the flea market takes place at the Spice Quarter and there's this great bar down there. Wall to wall chicks, I'm telling you"

Jeremy winced. The thought of getting back on the dating scene so soon after being rejected didn't appeal to him. Travis persisted.

"You feel rough now but you can't afford to wallow. You need to recover quickly. I'm telling you there are some hot chicks down at this place and they'll love you"

"Really hot?" said Jeremy, shooting Travis a quizzical look.

"Oh man! You're in for a treat!"

San Myshuno, Spice Quarter

"I'm not sure this is a good idea" said Jeremy to Travis, as they stood outside the Waterside Warble bar.

"Get in the bar!" said Travis, shoving Jeremy.

They took their places at the bar and ordered drinks. Travis looked around "there's 3 or 4 pretty cool girls in the bar already...this is it, buddy boy...wait! Check out the girl in orange...your 2 o'clock." He pointed to a very pretty strawberry blonde wearing an orange outfit; the total look...where skirt, top, shoes and tights were predominantly one colour with a flash of white detail. "I can tell she's totally your type"

"Erm....well...she's too pretty." Replied a nervous Jeremy.

"No such thing...go for it! Say hi to her"

"I don't know..."

"DO IT!"

"What if she gets freaked out?"

As the girl walked right by them, Travis flicked Jeremy's arm up in the air as if he were waving to her. Then he jabbed his friend in the side and Jeremy let out a loud "hey!". That got the girl's attention.

"Hi?" she said, looking somewhat bemused.

"Oh, hello...erm...sorry...you look like someone I know" fumbled Jeremy.

"Oh I see" she replied.

"Actually, no." said Jeremy "But I erm....well you see....can I buy you a drink?"

"That's a kind offer but I've just had one and I must get to the flea market before it shuts...maybe later, if you're still here?" she replied.

"Sure. Hope you find a bargain!" said Jeremy. He slumped. "Man that was embarrassing!"

"What do you mean? She said she'll be back later!" replied Travis.

"And you believe that?"

"Sure...hope springs eternal...anyway, don't freak out or suddenly turn around because there's a seriously hot blonde giving you the eye and she's sitting right next to you"

Jeremy heard the woman say "hello there" and he turned his head slowly to face her. Once she saw his face, her expression changed to one of shock and she said "oh, sorry, thought you were someone else....must go...sorry to trouble you". She stood up and ran out of the bar.

"I knew it! I'm a girl repellent!" said Jeremy sinking his head into hands. Travis said nothing. "That's it! I'm going to the bathroom and then I'm going home...you're welcome to stay here, Travis"

Jeremy skulked off to the bathroom and when he returned had spotted that a beautiful young woman had taken his place and was eagerly chatting to Travis. That guy has all the luck, thought Jeremy. He shares a house with two women and now he's chatting up another one. Tsch!

He didn't want to interrupt Travis so he walked out of the bar and towards the subway station. The flea market was still going but he didn't find anything he wanted to buy. He considered getting something to eat here as he couldn't face the prospect of cooking either. Stopping by a food vendor he saw a familiar figure.

"Oh hello" said the strawberry blonde in the orange outfit. "I just finished buying something nice for my home and was going to head back to the bar. You?"

"I....erm...." began Jeremy, not wanting to say he was heading home "...came for a bite to eat."

"They do really nice Chinese food here" she said, enthusiastically.

"I think I'll try some!" said Jeremy.

Once served, the two sat down at a nearby bench to eat their food. "By the way, my name's Jeremy" he said.

"I'm Barbara, nice to meet you"

"I'm not that familiar with this part of town...only my second time here." he said, making conversation.

"I live nearby...it's pretty groovy here" she said. "There's the flea market where you can find all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff people just want rid of...and then there's the Spice Festival! If you love this kind of food, you'll love that! It's a really happening event"

They chatted breezily for about half an hour, the conversation unforced and friendly. Barbara seemed a happy, positive person. A bit like Summer but with more humour. He enjoyed her company and didn't feel awkward in her presence.

"Dang, is that the time?" she said, checking her watch. "I'm sorry, Jeremy, but I've got a work shift in half an hour and I need to get ready and not be late....another time? Remember, the Spice Festival; maybe I'll see you there? Bye"

And she ran off but this time Jeremy didn't feel down at all. There was, as Travis said, hope. Speaking of his friend, Travis emerged from the Waterside Warble holding a card. "Her phone number...the redhead back at the bar" he said.

"So, are you going to see her again?" asked Jeremy

"Tonight, as a matter of fact" said Travis. "Hey, in the meantime let's shoot some hoops...say, you look like you've cheered up"

"I have, Travis" smiled Jeremy.

Later, Jeremy went home and Travis went on his date. As he arrived home he saw the redhead leave the BFF house and hail a cab. Jeremy wondered what Summer and Liberty would make of that young woman. He smiled and went to bed, feeling a lot more content.

...until he remembered that he'd forgotten to swap phone numbers with Barbara.