The moment Ella sent the text message was the moment she also regretted sending it. Yes, she was damn serious asking who the heck this 'Charlene' was, yet at the same time...she felt like she just interrupted his privacy to even ask. But then, hey! It's still well just his fault why she was feeling curious. He was the reason behind this keeping-his-cell-phone-with-her thing and she so doesn't get it.

She was having real difficult time defining the stirred up emotions going about her head. Most especially the having feelings for him part that she wanted to tell Selina for peace offering, perhaps. Ella knew Selina would like it, even make her pursue with it and maybe be a fan of the pairing, heh! For a fact, she was thinking that it was gonna be a long day tomorrow and a long day tomorrow it will be...

Just as she woke up, the first thing she did was to check whether or not he’s replied or not at all. She was rather disappointed finding out that there wasn’t a reply. So after a while waiting for his reply, she sighed, thinking that it was just absurd and it was for more better for him not to reply. So instead of prompting and even getting him to answer her question by calling him much with curiosity, she walked downstairs to find Selina looking like she was waiting for someone as she turned pages of a magazine.

”Sel…” Ella began, whispering.

Selina then looked up at Ella, pondering on her thoughts whether or not she would reply to her. Even before anyone else could answer though, Hebe came entering the scene from the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in hand. She was looking back and forth at Ella and Selina, knowing full well the situation of the two and how things got a little hot the night before.

”Hey, I’m sorry,” Ella said again, sitting just beside Selina. With that, she hugged Selina from behind and kissed her cheek. “Hey, I’m sorry for venting out my anger on to you yesterday night, lao po.”

Hebe could just watch the scene happening before her. She knew this was all too familiar, having to have experienced this before with her on Selina’s shoes. Sure, this wasn’t the first time Ella lost her temper, but it sure is the first time she vented out her anger out to Selina - Moreover, to her friends. Actually, having to recall all their past memories as friends, she kind of thought that this was the first time Ella vented her anger out on them. What more… on Selina… who was a bit over dramatic when she’s being vented out anger on. Selina was over emotional, that was a fact, and she would easily cry. It was actually a miracle she didn’t see her crying her heart out the night before that she entered Ella’s crib with a duplicated key.

”No, actually, I’m not mad at you,” Selina sighed upon replying. “I’m actually mad at Chun Wu for making you like that.”

”Chun?” Ella asked.

”You see… he’s changed you,” Selina started. “That night when I read the name ‘Charlene’ from his cell phone screen, I was actually pondering on my thoughts whether or not I should tell you, most especially because you told me not to, but then I insisted, and then you kind of got all worked up just for that. Gosh, Ella, he turned you to a jealous mad woman.”

”What!? What jealous mad woman?” Ella outrageously stood up on the couch and raised a brow up at Selina. “So you’re telling me that…that…I-I’ve…no, uh… That I like the jerk?” Ella continued, now with her arms crossed, looking away from Selina and then changing places just as she sat beside Hebe now who was sitting across from Selina. The only gap that’s keeping them from pulling out each other’s hair now was a small coffee table.

”See!” Selina exclaimed then. “I told you. Ellie, you’re purely in denial! Just…you know…admit it…that-that you like him! For heaven’s sake, Ella, it isn’t a crime to like someone.”

”B-but…” Ella stuttered, but then soon after smiled upon starting her sentence. “I really don’t think I like him. I…actually…kind of—“

Then there came the sound of a cell phone ringing… *ring*

”Oh crap!” Ella exclaimed, immediately retrieving Chun’s phone from the small coffee table right in front of her. “It’s him! What should I do?” she continued out of panic.

”Give it to me,” Selina suggested.

”No!” Ella exclaimed, every so often going back and fro from the kitchen to the living room where the girls were in. When the ringing subsided, after a few minutes of waiting, it rang again and just as Ella was about to answer it as she walked back to the living room, she slipped off her last step, the ringing phone sliding onto hardwood.

”I told you!” Selina lectured Ella, biting her lower lip as she looked at the cell phone in pieces.

Hebe who didn’t know what to do then just chose to bring Ella up to her feet instead and kept quiet. She then assisted Ella back to the couch and made her lie down on it.

”Does it hurt?” Hebe asked in worry, checking her friend for injuries.

”No, but I think I just misplaced a joint,” Ella said in a forced laugh.

”Where?” Selina asked, on hold of Ella’s leg.

”On the knees, Sel,” Ella replied, forcing herself to calm down.

”Got it!” Selina then held onto Ella’s right foot and bent it back and fro once.

”Aa—“

”Better?” Selina asked.

”Yes, thank you,” Ella said, heaving out a sigh of relief. Well, other than the fact that she needed to buy him another cell phone unit that she most probably totally forgot right at the moment.

--

”Damn,” Chun cursed, heaving out a sigh of frustration as he ran a hand through his hair. “She won’t answer. Worst, it’s sending me to the call operator service, saying she’s out of reach.”

”Just give her some time,” Jiro said, turning off the television set while sitting down on a couch. “I guess the moment she sent the message to you, she’s regretted it. I mean, seriously, it’s kind of mean, y’know…what she asked about. About *cough* - Charlene – *cough*.”

”Wow, Jiro,” Arron began, butting in as he stepped in the living room from chilling in the kitchen. “I didn’t know you could talk some sense into this kind of matter. Oh, and Chun, isn’t Charlene the girl who you dumped with the ’10 Ways to Turn Her Off’ tactic? Good old days.”

Jiro could only glare then at Arron, now thinking about the little incident with Selina that he’s yet to solve and for the mean time wouldn’t tell the other guys: Calvin and Arron about.

Chun could only smirk with all the discussion the guys were talking about. He ignored Arron’s remark about Charlene and then instead sat beside Calvin, expecting silence at its best…even for just a while.

”So, Chun, man, the promise you made yesterday night,” Calvin started…just as soon thought he’d finally found a place of peace. “Aren’t you telling us who your girl Ella is?” Calvin raised up a brow much to Chun’s irritation.

Chun could only shake his head in frustration much to Calvin’s amusement this time.

”Fine,” Chun then said, heaving out a sigh. “You guys win. I’m telling already.”

And so he did, much to everyone’s amusement now. Just as he started, Arron and Jiro shut up and stopped their little bantering to listen to what Chun has to offer.

--

”Now what?” Selina started, out of pure boredom, facing both Hebe and Ella who were just sitting beside her with Hebe in the middle and Ella who was looking like she was reflecting upon something on Chun’s cell phone screen.

”Oh!” Hebe then gasped. “That thing you were telling,” she faced Ella and looked at her all smiles.

”Let’s just forget that for a while, okay?” Ella suggested or more or less likely questioned back than reiterate to what Hebe just said. She was seriously self-meditating by now, concerning the question, of course and is half-heartedly playing around with Chun’s cell phone that turns off by itself after 5 minutes or so after it slipped a little while lately. “I’ve something else to think about.”

”About?” Hebe asked in curiosity, getting Selina’s attention as well.

”Jerry,” Ella replied softly, biting her lower lip. “Chun’s actually asking about him. Ever since yesterday night, that is. I just haven’t told you guys. Hm, now…I really don’t know what to say. Like, you know…he may think that Jerry’s my ex-boyfriend or something.”

”Then just tell him immediately what his relationship is to you?” Selina suggested in question. “Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with two guys at the same time? What more, one’s a sin.”

”Hey, hey,” Ella stood up, pointing her accusing finger on Selina. “Whoever said I’ve fallen in love with my brother and…and… have I told you yet that I have feelings for Chun?”

”So you were about to touch on that topic lately before you slipped on the floor with his cell phone sliding on hardwood?” Selina questioned slowly in full details.

”Right, that you have feelings for Chun,” Hebe pressed on with a smirk, more like teasing Ella. “Oh, no, scratch that! That you’ve actually fallen for him.”

”So both of you are blaming me?” Ella asked. “Is it a crime that I’ve fallen in love with Chun Wu?” she asked, more like yelled her lungs out. “Happy now?” she then smiled at both Selina and Hebe, who were thinking just the exact opposite thing as to why Ella was acting that way – that she was perhaps angry, that they just pushed her buttons, but her actions just now proves so that Cupid just shot his arrow on Ella and it was contagious, it was like a truth serum.

Selina and Hebe just looked at each other dumbfounded. In their minds, they were saying, ‘She just admitted it!’ They couldn’t be happier than they are at the moment. All they could think of now is the ridiculous fact that Ella Chen has been finally tamed and for once, she’s falling in love. Even admitting it. It wasn’t very likely so they were shocked and speechless, all the same. They could only laugh inwardly, not letting the latter hear.

--

That very same day, only at night… Ella went out to pick-up the cell phone that she not too long ago purchased online. She got one from LG Motors, one with the QWERTY keypad - KS360 - colored metallic blue. It looked a little too girly for a male, but all the same, she bought it. As replacement for what she’s ruined, of course.

--

Okay, so, this was supposed to be The Finale’s Part I, but I figured that it’d be inconvenient if I still had a Part I and II for a Finale and I was supposedly going to post this early tomorrow. So…yeah. Surely, though, the next one’s REALLY going to be The Finale already.