I'm Not Trash

An Old Friend

Bill looked stunned for a moment, before he finally came to his senses and recognized the woman who had just called him excitedly and was now in front of him.

"Joana?" Bill murmured doubtfully.

"I thought you didn't recognize me anymore." The woman said cheerfully as she hugged Bill briefly.

Bill was stunned without knowing how to respond. This meeting was too sudden and unexpected for him.

Joana was Bill's childhood friend. They were both residents of an orphanage on the outskirts of Arden. However, when they were in junior high school, Joana had to leave the orphanage because she was adopted by a couple from out of town. Joana went with her foster parents, which meant she could no longer be friends with Bill. The two of them really had no communication after that.

"How are you, Bill? Gosh, I really didn't expect to see you here." Joana chattered again while continuing to show a cheerful smile.

"Well. I didn't expect to see you again either. I haven't heard from you since you left the orphanage." Bill finally said, still a little stiffly. Of course he felt awkward. Joana's appearance before him now looked very different from the Joana in his memory. She was no longer an innocent little girl with a simple appearance, but had become an elegant and charming mature woman.

Hearing Bill's answer, Joana's smile instantly faded and she sighed a little harshly.

"Yes, that's right, I admit that I just disappeared, but everything is not without reason. It's a long story." Joana said.

"By the way, what are you doing here?" Joana's gaze then fell on Bill's hand holding the luggage handle. She also realized that her childhood friend's appearance looked a bit messy at the moment.

"Um, that's ... I was waiting for someone to pick me up." Bill lied. He looked a little self-conscious as Joana scanned his appearance from top to bottom.

Joana paused for a moment, seemingly unable to believe what Bill had just said. She was just happy to have accidentally reunited with the childhood friend he missed so much, but it seemed that his friend's condition was not very good.

Suddenly Bill's stomach was heard to rattle very loudly, making the man's eyes widen slightly in surprise at the sound of his own stomach. He was really embarrassed and immediately looked the other way to avoid Joana's gaze.

"Um, Bill, it might be a while before your pickup arrives. While waiting, would you like to join me for lunch?" Joana asked then with a little caution. It was obvious that she didn't want to make Bill feel offended and embarrassed.

Bill himself seemed hesitant to accept the offer, although it couldn't be lied to if his stomach was really very hungry at the moment.

"Come on, we haven't seen each other in a while. Consider it an unplanned reunion." Joana coaxed again.

Bill lifted his face to see Joana's current expression. There was no contemptuous look on his friend's face even though Bill was well aware that his current appearance must look very pathetic. Instead, Joana looked very hopeful that Bill would accept her invitation.

"Come on, Bill, please--" Joana pleaded.

"Okay." Bill finally nodded and agreed to Joana's invitation. The man then got up from his seat.

"Let's find a nice, pleasant place to eat. Come on, my car is parked over there." Joana pointed to a fairly luxurious car.

Bill followed behind Joana. For the first time in his life, he felt so low and insecure to walk side by side with someone who was his friend.

"Hurry up a bit, Bill. I'm hungry." Suddenly, Joana turned around and put her arm around Bill.

Bill glanced back at Joana. Because he was treated so warmly, he felt warm too. He smiled unconsciously.

"Your car is nice. You must be rich by now." Bill said as he got into Joana's car.

Joana started the engine and chuckled.

"It's not my car. I just borrowed it for a while." Joana said.

"Really?" Bill looked incredulous. He was sure that Joana was just trying to be modest with him.

"Yes, it's a friend's." Joana said again as she drove away.

"That's very nice of your friend. If he's a guy, he must have a crush on you." Bill muttered.

Joana laughed again. She looked so happy.

"What are you in the mood for?" Joana asked and then changed the subject to cars.

"Anything." Bill replied. He wasn't in a picky eating situation. Of course he would eat whatever was served to him.

"I happen to have a restaurant nearby. Would you like to try eating there?" Joana asked again. "I haven't eaten there in a long time."

"Yes, you can." Bill said. Eating anything was fine as long as he didn't have to pay for it. He was not a stingy man, but if he had no money at all like now, it seemed like he could only endure the embarrassment of being treated by a woman.

Not long after, Joana parked her car in the parking lot of a restaurant. Bill looked out the window for a moment before opening the car door. Inwardly, he was relieved that the restaurant Joana was referring to was relatively simple, not a fancy restaurant as he had previously thought. That meant Joana wouldn't have to spend too much money to pay for their meal later.

"Come on, Bill." Joana once again put her arm around Bill, before walking into the restaurant.

Bill could only surrender. He followed Joana without arguing. It was the same when Joana ordered so much food for the two of them.

"Oh my God, Bill. I went crazy and forgot I was on a diet. I'll ruin my diet if I eat all this." Joana said with a slight grimace when she saw how many dishes were on their table.

"Since it's already been ordered, you have to help me finish it, Bill. Otherwise, you're a bad friend." Joana continued.

Bill just smiled. It turned out that Joana had not changed even though a lot of time had passed. She still likes to pretend for Bill's sake, just like when she used to pretend that she didn't like candy and chocolate because she wanted to give her candy and chocolate to Bill.

"Okay. I'll eat them all." Bill finally said. "But you have to remember, I'm only doing that because I don't want you to think of me as a bad friend."

Joana chuckled at that. She nodded her head in agreement with Bill's words.

Bill and Joana ate in a warm atmosphere. For a moment, Bill forgot about his sad situation. Until then, his eyes fell on the diners who had just entered the restaurant, a man along with a woman who seemed to be walking so intimately.

Bill's eyes widened slightly. The woman who was with the male patron was Miranda, the wife who had the heart to kick him out of the house.

"Thank you, dear." Bill could hear Miranda's words as the man who came with her pulled out a chair for her. The man returned Miranda's words by gently kissing her cheek.

Bill's blood instantly boiled. Before, he never thought that Miranda kicked him out because of another man. He thought she was just tired of the situation.

"Is that so, Miranda? All this time, it turns out you've been cheating on me? What you said you were tired of was just your excuse, huh?" Bill muttered angrily with a hardened jaw.