Chapter 290.
<strong>Chapter 290. An Insidious Trap. (7/8)</strong>
<span style="font-weight:400">When I finished the song, Jass was the first to speak up.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Bro, you’re a traitor. What do you mean you can’t sing? You sang just fine.”
<span style="font-weight:400">I ignored him, raised my legs up on the couch, and hugged them with listless eyes. That was too embarrassing. Why the hell did I have to sing such an embarrassing song for a guy? What sort of twisted new form of inhumane torture was this supposed to be?
<span style="font-weight:400">“I thought we were in the ‘bad at singing’ club together. Could the reason I can’t win a girl over be because I suck at singing? The hell, it must be that. You can sing and have Rosa and I lost to a guy that can sing well. I lost to two guys who can sing. The world isn’t fair. Wait, actually. Alicia, your boyfriend, can he sing too?” Jass suddenly turned to Alicia with hopeful eyes. If she said he couldn’t, then he would probably have some hope left.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sadly, the clueless Alicia said, “Uh… he can, I guess?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What! No way! Three for three? Damn, do I need to start taking singing lessons? Should I join the school choir or something?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Corrtion doesn’t imply causation, dumbass. It’s just a coincidence.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“No, there must be some merit to this theory. I definitely have to get better at singing to get a girl.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, you might as well use this chance to practice then, right?”
<span style="font-weight:400">I tossed the microphone over to him. It was the perfect chance to weasel out of singing the next song.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Huh? Hehe. Did you think I’d forget if you do this? You’ve still got another song to sing,” Jass grinned at me maliciously. Damn it, Jass! Why’d you have to remember!
<span style="font-weight:400">He stuffed the microphone back into my hand.
<span style="font-weight:400">Huddled up on the couch, I was subjected to another round of humiliation. I sang the song Alicia selected for me with dead eyes. If someone looked at me, they definitely wouldn’t be able to associate the singing voice asing out of my mouth. Without a doubt, they’d think I was lip-synching and someone else was singing in my ce.
<span style="font-weight:400">I could only curse my young and naive self for being in the school choir in elementary school and band ss in middle school. I’d rather suck at singing like Jass so it would match my gloomy image. Why couldn’t I be born a pitiful tone-deaf musically disabled sap without this stupid ability I never use?
<span style="font-weight:400">I’d take knowing how to dance over knowing how to sing any day of the week. At least something like break dancing looked cool.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Man, I seriously don’t get it. Why do you look worse off than the guy who can’t sing at all? Where’s the justice in the world?”
<span style="font-weight:400">I looked up at Jass and scoffed monotonously, “Heh… there is no justice, there’s only pain and suffering.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t say that with such a dead-serious look, it’s creepy.”
<span style="font-weight:400">With a sigh, Iined, “Haaaaah… those two sure are taking their timeing back. Do you think they skipped out and are doing it in the washroom or something?” I diverted the topic away from myself and back to the missing duo that had yet to return.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Doing it… in the washroom? You think that would... really happen?” Jass asked hesitantly.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure, why not?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“There’s no way. Right?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I could like totally see it happening though. Seeing how pitiful Zale looked on his way out, maybe she’ll feel guilty for being the cause and put out or something.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Rosa, you shouldn’t say bad things like that. It’s not right to specte about such things,” Alicia scolded.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Uh… I’ll be right back. I’m going to take a leak.” Jass stood up from his seat and opened the door.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Everyone sure likes going to the washroom,” I couldn’t help but joke on his way out.
<span style="font-weight:400">When the door shut I nced to my left and right at the two girls to my sides and said, “Well, it’s only been about twenty-five minutes since the three of them showed up and it’s back down to just the three of us again. Your attempt to hook Jass up with Izora looks to be failing horribly, don’t you think?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“We may have lost the battle, but we haven’t lost the war. We’re ying the long game here. It’s pretty obvious things aren’t going to seed in the short term since she’s liked Zale for years now and Jass has only be acquainted with her today. Expecting an overwhelming victory on day one ispletely unreasonable. If you ask me though, Jass did pretty well. He came out of the gate pretty strong, but unfortunately, Izora’s defenses were a bit too sturdy.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What do you think those two are really doing right now?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“They must be talking about something together,” the oh so innocent Alicia gave her opinion.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Talking? No way, Alicia. They’re definitely getting down and dirty right now.” Rosa winked and made an okay gesture with her left hand as she poked her right index finger between the o.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No way, they’re definitely talking. They wouldn’t do that sort of thing here. There’s an appropriate time and ce.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You’re still naive Alicia. It’s exactly because it’s not the appropriate time and ce that makes it all the more thrilling. If you don’t believe they’re doing it right now, how about we make a bet?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“A bet? What does the winner get?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“How about the loser has to act as a lookout for the winner.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“A lookout? Lookout for what exactly?” Alicia asked quizzically with a clearck ofprehension.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You just need to stand outside the door and give a heads up to the people inside the room when someone’sing back.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Huh? Why would…”
<span style="font-weight:400">Rosa made the same gesture as before.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Rosa! Hold up! Wait just a damned minute.” I couldn’t sit on the sidelines when she was trying to make this sort of arrangement in front of me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What’s the problem?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alicia won’t be part of this bet. I’ll take up the bet in her ce. I bet they’re just talking.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What! No way! You can’t go and do that. Thatpletely defeats the purpose.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alicia, you have no problem with an arrangement like this, right?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Huh? Uh… I guess it’s fine.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well then, we should find out what they’re really up to now. I’ll go and check, you two can wait here and sing some more.”
<span style="font-weight:400">I stood up only for Rosa to follow suit andtch onto my arm. “I wanna check it out too~ why go alone, let’s all go see together~ besides, you might just use this chance to escape if we don’t keep our eye on you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Damn, she saw through my real objective. I thought I’d done well up to this point, but she still hadn’t let her guard down.
<span style="font-weight:400">The three of us exited the room together and first checked the washrooms. I entered the men’s washroom while Rosa entered the women’s. Alicia stayed outside, obviously to keep me from escaping.
<span style="font-weight:400">When I opened the door the first thing I heard was the sound of a running faucet. I only came across Jass inside, there wasn’t any sign Zale had been here.
<span style="font-weight:400">Jass was currently standing in front of the sink with his hands t on the counter to support his weight as he stared down into the sink. He was nkly watching the water as it spiraled down the drain. He seemed down.
<span style="font-weight:400">It seems like it’d be a pain in the ass if I said anything to him.
<span style="font-weight:400">I snuck by behind him and looked inside the two open stalls. There was no sign Zale had been in here, it didn’t smell like anyone had used the toilet recently. Since I was here I figured I’d take a quick leak. I stood in front of a urinal and unloaded. When finished, I zipped up my fly, flushed, then washed my hands in the second sink.
<span style="font-weight:400">I turned around ready to leave when Jass suddenly spoke up, “How cold man. You’re not even going to say anything?”