Chapter 5 - Everly {July '19}
My alarm goes off at 4am and I regret everything. From making a bet in the first place to agreeing to work for him. I stop my alarm and check my phone. I have messages from Leo and I wish I had just gone out with him instead of canceling. I find my will to get up and start to get ready. I pack an extra bag with a change of clothes and grab my school backpack. I run downstairs and I see my dad getting the shop ready. I came home to them arguing, I just went straight to my room and fell asleep. I didn't have the energy to deal with whatever bullshit they were fighting over. The shop, each other, failed communication, it could have been him not using a coaster for all I know.
"Morning Eve"
"Morning papa"
He doesn't ask where I'm going or why I'm up so early. He probably assumes I go to school or just doesn't care at all.
"Here, I know it's your favorite," he says while holding out a bag of mini glazed donut balls and a surprise coffee drink.
"Thank you, also I'll probably be home late again. Leo wanted to go watch this movie and you know how he is."
My dad lets out a small chuckle and simply nods his head, "Careful mija and have fun."
"Always, see you later." and I walk out the door into the fresh morning air.
I walk towards the bus stop and wait patiently. I'm headed to the parking garage which is at least three miles away from my house but thankfully the bus system exists. I get off my stop and start walking to my car. Azriel's house is about a thirty minute drive from the school and there's no way I'll make it to school on time if I take the bus. So the car it is. I get inside and turn the key, bringing the car alive. I turn out of the garage and make my way over to Azriel's.
I'm already dressed for the job, black straight pants and a black long sleeve shirt. I'm about to knock on the door when it suddenly opens. His hair is disheveled and he's only wearing pajama pants, which are sitting low…
"Your early." he says and it cuts my attention back up to him.
"I have school in a couple hours so I wanted to get a head start."
He moves to let me in and I follow him to the kitchen. The memory of Kana on the floor floods my mind and I remind myself it's all for her.
"How's Kana?"
"She's doing well, just getting the rest she needs. Uh, I have a list of what you have to do."
"Yeah, just let me know where she keeps the cleaning supplies and I'll get on it."
He hands me a list and I'm shocked. You have your basic chores like cleaning the kitchen, vacuuming, sweeping, and doing the laundry. But then there's other things like washing all the cars, dust off the chandeliers, and of course on the top of the list are chores on Azriel's behalf. Prepare his breakfast, pack his backpack, make his lunch, clean his room, and of course a massage. God help me.
I look up and I see his smug smile, knowing I have to do all tasks before the end of the day.
"I'll let you get started on that while I get ready for school. I eat my breakfast at 7 by the way and I'm feeling fresh baked muffins, blueberry." he states.
I want to kick him in the ass. I almost ask him what he wants for lunch but he's already halfway up the stairs and I don't have time to chase him. I look at the list one more time and evaluate each task, guessing how long each will take me. I'm definitely not going to finish all of it this morning so I'll have to come back after my classes, which I already assumed. Smart of me to lie to my dad.
After spending thirty minutes finding the cleaning supplies I get started by doing laundry first. I then move onto sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping the whole house. It's almost 6:30 when I start baking the muffins. I had to look up a recipe online, the shortest one I could find, and then mix the ingredients. After putting the pans into the oven I start cleaning the kitchen. Doing the dishes, wiping down counters, and putting food away. I'm pulling out the muffins when I hear footsteps.
"Huh it actually smells great. Surprised you didn't burn down the whole house."
"Well I know a thing or two about baking. My family runs a donut shop."
"Really? I'll make sure to ask for fresh donuts tomorrow then." he says while grabbing a muffin.
I reach behind me and grab the bag with his lunch, "Here, it's your lunch and before you say something you didn't specify what you wanted so I just made it. You're welcome."
He grabs the bag and sets it down on the dinner table.
"And my bag?"
Shit I forgot about it, "Well I don't know where your bag is and I don't know what exactly goes in it so I haven't done it yet."
"It's in my room and it has most of my stuff in there. I think I'm missing my computer but that's on my desk. I have to go start my car though so just bring it out to me."
I go upstairs and there's so many doors. I had to walk through at least five before finding his room. It's a normal sized room but with a private bathroom. His walls are covered in band posters and a large collection of mini cars. A king sized bed sits in a black frame, placed into the left corner of the room. He has a nice view where you can see a good portion of Tokyo. He has a large carpet rug that sits under his bed. On the other side of the room leads to a door which I assume is the bathroom and closet. On top of his desk is a whole PC gaming set up and a bunch of random papers. I move them around to find his computer when one catches my eye. It's a bank statement for the month and I notice about three million dollars was deposited. I take a closer look at the other papers and it's more statements but from at least four other banks. Does he seriously have that much money?
"What's taking so long?"
I grab more papers to act like I was looking for his computer. Shit, how long was he there for? How come I didn't hear him come up?
"Well you have so much shit on your desk that I haven't found your computer," I turn to show him the stack of papers I had to move and he only shakes his head. He grabs the papers from my hands and puts them back on his desk. He then turns to his bed and moves his blankets around until a gray computer surfaces.
"My bad, it was on my bed." He picks it up and grabs his backpack from my other hand, shoving the computer in it.
"Alright well I gotta go so just lock the doors on your way out. I don't think you've finished the list so I'll see you later." he says with a grin.
"Unfortunately." I remark back.
We walk downstairs and he leaves through the door. I hear him rev away and now it's just me. I turn to the clock and it reads 7:26. My classes don't start until 8:30 so I do what I can.
Afterwards, I change into my regular clothes and hang my cleaning pair in the laundry. I grab my bags and head out to my car. I make sure the door is locked and make my way to school.
It's finally my lunch block and I already see everyone at the table. Leo greets me first and I can already tell he has so much to ask me. Now is not the time nor the place. Our friends know we go to car meets and they probably assume we do more than just walk around, but they don't need to know about the bet I made. Leo doesn't even know about the latest agreement and I want to keep it that way.
"So have you decided if you're coming to Osaka?" Ophelia askes with hope in her eyes.
Shit I forgot about that too, " Well I don't think I can stay the whole break, but I can go visit every now and then."
"Oh come on Eve, when was the last time you actually spent a vacation without studying or working? You need a break and this is the perfect chance!" says Victoria.
I look at her and I can tell she really wants me to stay the whole break but I can't. Summer break is next week and I have too much going on. Leo leaves in four days, I still have to contribute to the donut shop, study for finals, AND be a maid for at least the next week or so.
"Listen guys, I can't stay the whole month. Believe me I wish I could but I have a lot going on right now. However, I promise that I will stay for a couple days, maybe even a week." I say cheerfully.
Victoria's smile wavers but she just nods her head in agreement. Ophelia has always understood and she simply says, "You're welcomed anytime."
"You definitely have to come to the party though," Nathan points out.
"Party?"
"Tell her Lia, it's gonna be the party of the summer. She has a pool at the house already so all we need is a good dj and some alcohol." says Nathan.
"My parents aren't gonna be there, they have a trip to Europe planned instead. So they said I could have Osaka all to myself and I thought it'd be cool to throw a party. Don't worry though it's at the end of summer so you have time to plan for it." Ophelia says excitedly.
"Oh, I'll definitely be there then," I say with a smile.
The three talk about who they'll invite and what DJ to book. I turn to Leo who is staring at the others and I can only imagine how much it hurts him. I haven't come up with anything yet but I also haven't given up. I simply reach down and grab his hand. He looks down and then at me, giving me a reassuring smile. Lunch is over and Leo walks me to my next class.
"Hey so what happened the other day?" he asks.
"Sorry I flaked, an emergency came up and I couldn't leave."
His eyes go wide and he's probably thinking something serious happened to my mom or dad. I quickly assure him everyone is okay and that no one is hurt or dead.
"Oh thank god, I wouldn't leave you if something did. I'd sleep somewhere until they were okay."
"You could just stay with me, you know, it's the easiest option and my parents wouldn't mind at all. Really, they love you too much."
He lets out a chuckle, "True, your dad would probably adopt me," and I can't help but laugh because he isn't wrong. My dad sees him as another son and Leo has always been respectful towards my parents so of course they love him. Who wouldn't?
He drops me off at my class and I promise we'd hang out tomorrow. He agrees to go on a mountain run. He wishes me luck on my test and walks off. I watch him down the hall before he turns out of view. I walk into my class and finish the test early. Studying does pay off.
I drive back to Azriel's when the school day ends. I knock on the door and a minute passes by, no answer. I look to the driveway to make sure his car is there. It's parked next to the porsche so he has to be home. I knock again and ring the doorbell for good measure. The door finally opens but it's not Azriel.
"Uh hello, can I help you?" asks Charlie.
What the hell. What is Charlie doing here?
"Um yes sorry, I'm here taking over for Ms. Kara while she's on leave."
Charlie looks at me more confused than ever. Believe me I'm just as confused bro.
"Wait what happened to Kara? Wait, how do you know her? Who are you?" he says while surveying me.
"My name's Everly and I just met Kara a day ago. She had an accident while I was over here. So I'm here to cover for her while she's away resting."
"You only knew her for one day and you're taking over her job?"
I notice a hint of rudeness in his tone and it makes me want to turn back around and drive away. I've only seen Charlie from afar at the car meets, so I've never actually talked to him one on one. He's always looked like the type to murder someone and I'm starting to believe he actually might have. I feel like his eyes are going into the depths of my soul, in a very creepy way.
"Listen, I know it sounds crazy," I say wearily, "but I promise it's the truth. I would have you ask Azriel, assuming he's home, but I'm starting to think he's not."
His eyes only harden at the mention of Azriel's name.
"How do you know Azriel? I've neer seen you around before. He would have also told me if someone was replacing Kara."
"I also met him only a couple days ago, at a car meet actually. I even raced him in his skyline over there." I say while pointing to the car.
I turn back to Charlie and he still doesn't seem to trust me. He looks past me and notices my car.
"Is that yours?" he says while walking out the door, closing it behind him.
"It is actually." I say following him as he makes his way to my car.
He circles the car and examines it. He's probably estimating it's worth and how much money I probably put into it.
"Why this, an FRS? Besides making it pretty you really can't do much. You can tune it all you want but it's not going any faster than 200."
"Oh, but mine does." I say with pride.
Charlie shoots me a skeptical look. We hear an exhaust and both turn to where the sound is coming from. A black 370z, white rims, and a wing in the back. It's simple but clean. The car parks behind mine and the driver gets out. Azriel. Finally. He can explain to Charlie the whole situation.
"It's done. He said he'll let you know." Azriel says to Charlie, tossing him the keys at the same time.
Charlie catches them and simply nods. He turns to me and looks back at Azriel, "Hey, so what's up with Sobo? I heard she had an accident?"
"I was gonna tell you yesterday but you didn't even come home last night. I'll explain everything once we're inside," Azriel says then nods towards me, "She has a lot of cleaning to do and make dinner."
Dinner? I'm sorry what.
Both guys walk towards the house and I follow, explaining to Azriel that dinner wasn't part of the deal.
"Technically it is. You said you would take over for Kara and she always had dinner ready by 6. I want spaghetti with meatballs by the way." he states and Charlie only laughs.
"Am I cooking for two?" I ask. I don't know how Azriel knows Charlie but I definitely want to find out.
"Yeah, he likes chicken alfredo though. So you'll have to make both." Azriel says.
Lovely.
I finish doing the rest of the tasks and I get started on making dinner. I start boiling both pastas and cutting the chicken. Both guys walk into the kitchen and sit at the island, finishing whatever conversation they were having.
"Next week I need you on Wednesday." Charlie tells Azriel, who confirms by nodding.
"So is it ready yet?" Azriel asks impatiently. He looks at the stove and then see's me cutting the chicken.
"Does it look ready?" I replied.
"I don't know, that's why I asked darling."
There he goes with that darling crap again. I might just overcook his noodles and give him cold sauce.
I ignore his comment and start talking to Charlie, "So how did you guys meet?".
Azriel starts laughing and Charlie let's out a small chuckle. I don't get it though, it's a simple question.
"Uhm, well, I was at home and suddenly my parents walked through the door with this asshole."
"Wait what! Are you saying you guys are related?"
"Brothers actually. There's four years between us." Azriel informs me.
I put the chicken in a pan and it sizzles as it meets the oil. I turn to examine the two brothers. Now that I'm looking there's actually a lot of similarities. They both have dark green eyes and pitch black hair. Even they're height and size looks even, although Azriel is taller by a couple inches. Charlie also has tattoos covering his arms, just like his brother. The only difference is they're skin. Charlie has porcelain skin while Azriel is more of a warm beige. Damn how did I not notice.
"Would you mind not mentioning it to anyone, I don't want people knowing I have a brother. As you can see why." Charlie says in a semi-serious tone. Surprisingly Azriel doesn't say anything back to him. In fact, he hasn't said one bad word to him. Charlie clearly has some type of authority over him, or maybe it's a big brother thing.
"I also have an older brother but he's way older. There's a nine year gap between us."
"Wait, you have an older brother?" Azriel asks.
"Yeah, and an older sister. We're actually like you two, just four years apart."
"Hmm, what's your sister's name? Maybe I know here." says Charlie.
"I highly doubt that. Assuming you guys went to private schools."
"Try me." he challenges.
"Lola Jordan."
He sits in silence and whispers the name a couple times. I raise an eyebrow and look at Azriel. He shrugs and just stares at his brother.
"Your family lives on top of a donut shop right?"
I probably look surprised because Charlie starts grinning and claps his hands.
"I do know your sister! Except I called her Lolo, we had a mutual friend. How is she?"
"She's good, still at home but she's looking for a place right now. She's an assistant somewhere."
"That's good to hear. She was always super chill…" Charlie says without finishing his thought.
I put the plates together and serve the brothers. While they eat I clean up the kitchen, putting away whatever I took out and removing the sauce stains left on the stove.
"This is actually pretty good. Not bad Jordan." compliments Charlie.
I smile with pride and take they're plates once they finish. I start the dishwasher and start packing my stuff.
"Thanks for the food. See you around." Charlie says and he walks out the door. I hear his car start and listen to the engine slowly drift away as he leaves the area.
"Not bad for day one," Azriel starts, "but I didn't get a massage."
"Sorry but I kind of have to go home. I have some homework to do and study for a couple tests."
"Where do you attend at?"
"Sakura"
Azriel stares at me and raises a brow, "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, it's my first year there."
"Weird."
"Why?"
"Because I also go to Sakura."
I'm not surprised, really. The school's body is made up of 90% rich kids so it would make sense. I'm surprised I haven't seen him around though, or his car. I would have for sure noticed that at least.
"How come I never see you or your car?"
"Well I only have morning classes and then I go to work after."
"Where do you work?"
"My friend owns a mechanic shop so I work there. It's in Setagaya, so it gets pretty busy."
"Of course you're a mechanic, I couldn't see you doing anything else."
"What can I say? I like cars." he smirks.
I'm suddenly reminded of Charlie and the whole car scene. I want to know why he didn't tell me.
"So is Charlie your only sibling or do you have more?"
"Nah, just him."
"How come you didn't say anything? I mean him being your brother is pretty cool. He started the whole car meet thing."
"There's a reason why we don't want people to know. Surprisingly no one's made the connection and those who know don't say anything. The whole car scene is cool and all but we like it for different reasons. I just don't want to be known as Charlie's brother. My racing and reputation is all on me, so there's no reason for us to let the world know." he says in an assertive tone.
I never thought that Azriel might get hate for being Charlie's brother. But I can see where he's coming from. People would see it as a privilege and just talk crap about him. There's always that group of assholes at every meet. Although I can't help but feel like he's not telling me everything. I don't want to push on the topic though, seeing he's sensitive about it.
"Well don't worry about me. I won't tell a soul."
"I was never worried about you. I don't know you a lot but I can tell you're not the type to do something like that."
"If I told someone a secret I wouldn't want them to share it. It's common sense, you know?"
"Yeah, too bad there's a lot of people who lack it."
I finally head towards the front door and Azriel follows.
"Same time tomorrow?" I ask.
"Same time tomorrow." he responds softly.
I'm at my car door when he yells something, "Hey! You should bring some donuts tomorrow."
I give him a thumbs up and get into my car. I then head home and during the drive all I can think is how we didn't argue.