Ayshe
"...you are worthless! Driving me crazy!"
I woke up to another round of fighting.
"Now I'm worthless, am I? Let me ask—is it you who has to hide his face in public!?"
"As if I'm not doing the same! I am starting to feel like a ghost in the town my ancestors built!"
Ahhh. So annoying. Always the lost fortune with those two.
I sat up and checked the other bed, but my sister must've already made her escape. I checked my phone and saw a few missed texts from Stuart. I smiled, reading them.
(BANG... SMASH...)
There go the plates.
I better get in front and play peace guard.
I changed into something comfortable and walked outside and down the stairs.
"What are you planning, Hassop!? Tell me where you are going to live once they take the house as well? Huh!!?"
I slowed to a crawl, hearing my mother's voice.
"We cope..."
"We cope, he says... Good Lord, help me finally!"
I decided there wasn't a good time to step in, so I might as well do it now while they were silent.
"Good morning. I see we're continuing the family tradition of acoustic plate destruction."
They looked at me a little embarrassed and pulled it together quickly.
"Morning, sweetheart. Breakfast?" My mother asked, turning around.
"Come here, princess. Sit here with me." Father tapped the chair beside him.
"Some coffee is fine, mother. I'm going out to the library." I said, taking a seat.
My father smiled proudly. "My life... you study hard. Never let anyone tell you what you can—or can't—afford."
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
My mother probably misunderstood, but after taking a look at my father's face, yeah, he meant it for her. I took the coffee from her before she did something mean, like burning her husband.
"Your hearing must be off, woman! I'm tired of you always reading into things." he waived her off.
I sighed as another round began. Just as I was ready to jump in, my sister's arrival did it for me.
"Where were you, Marie?" I asked her before they had a chance.
She gave me a pointed look.
"Walk. I'm focusing on free activities now. Since 'membership' is a luxury we can no longer indulge in."
She immediately regretted saying that. It was a general rule: don't bring up things we can't do now.
It was true my family used to be well off. Wealthy in a way. His ancestors somewhat did build the town we lived in. It bore our name, and he was still paid a lot of respect for that. But he never had a head for business, and when my grandfather died, he couldn't quite make it work.
We lost the shops one by one as he continued to invest in things he had no business investing in.
So, needless to say, our family experienced a sharp downfall in quality of life. We did our best to try and keep the image of wealth alive in the eyes of our neighbors, but it became increasingly clear that we couldn't keep up the facade.
"Alright, people. Calm down and have some breakfast." I stepped up and got busy putting some fruit on everyone's plate.
"What are... are these canned?" Marie asked, picking up a piece.
I gave my sister a look.
"Okay, fine..."
We spent the morning in silence as I kept checking my phone.
[ Good morning, my love, I'm waiting at the library atrium. Kisses... hopefully soon. ]
Idiot.
[ On my way. ]
"I got to go study, enjoy your breakfast, and please keep the fighting to the minimum?" I asked.
"Don't worry, princess, you just go and do some work." My father smiled gently.
"Stuart?" my sister whispered as I walked past her.
I didn't answer. Obviously, she wouldn't get me that easy.
On my way, I ran into my grandparents.
"Morning, little one. Where to?" asked Granny.
"Just studying... got to run!"
I placed a quick kiss on their faces and ran outside.
I wasn't even a minute into my journey when the most unpleasant of surprises tapped my shoulder.
"Marie... why follow me?"
My sister managed to change clothes and do makeshift makeup in the time it took me to reach the end of the street.
"Pfft, as if. I'm meeting the girls there."
"Aha, so it's not just for the free drinks?" I smiled.
I knew she and her friends kept some socially awkward kid on the hook who works there.
"What is it to you, Miss perfect future doctor? If only Dad knew..." She walked past me.
"Hey, I'm going to study! Just with Stuart."
I wasn't ashamed, but I would be sent off to convent school if my dad found out.
Our town wasn't anything special, but it had character. The people kept greeting us, offering things, asking about Dad, and we both secretly loved being fawned over.
"I wonder how long the neighbors keep the respect up. When the headlines hit, and they realize the Konore name is just a fancy kind of debt." Marie remarked.
"Hmm. I don't really care. Just want to get into college in the capital and..."
"Hahaha..."
"Marie!"
My sister bent over, laughing at my dreams.
"You're still dreaming of the capital? That's not optimism, Ayshe, that's delusional. We can barely afford the bus fare to the state line, let alone university tuition."
I wasn't amused.
"I will get a scholarship, Marie. I'm not going to let Dad's bad investments define my future. And Stuart is just a friend." I stood by my words.
"The baker's son? You think Prince Charming is going to pay the Konore family's tuition bill? You are incredibly naive, Ayshe."
I knew she was trying to misdirect her anger about our finances. She had plans to go overseas to study music. Now, those dreams were truly dead. She spent most of this summer just doing whatever her friends came up for that day. She was lost.
We walked inside the air-conditioned library and split up. She was heading for those pack of jackals she called friends.
And I found Stuart waiting with some pastries in hand in front of the young adult section.
"Morning."
He tried to lean in for a kiss on the cheek, but I didn't let him. He was sweet and I liked him fine, but there was something about other people touching me. It sent a shiver down my spine, and not in a good way.
"G'Morning, Stuart. Thanks for that." I took the custard one.
"Did I see Marie with you?" He asked, looking after where she disappeared.
"Yep."
"Trying to sponge off Carl?" He asked.
"Yep."
We shared a smile and sat down, studying.
---
Marie
"Your sister is something else, getting the baker kid to buy her stuff."
"Shut up. You know she's not like that."
I didn't like it when my sister was compared to... me. It was a depressing thought. Looking at the soda I was drinking, I couldn't help but feel this way.
"What's for today?" I asked, a little absent-minded.
"We can go to the mall later, there's a new movie playing." Lilly spoke first.
"Pass."
My friends shared a look and kept thinking of things... that didn't cost us money.
I still felt my chest tighten thinking how this summer was supposed to be spent. Shopping, hot summer parties, vacations at some sunny resort, and to cap it all off, I was going to New York in the fall and begin my own life.
All that was just a fantasy now.
I hated my life, but more scared than anything. My mind was going a mile a minute. What are we going to do now? My dreams are flushed, but now Ayshe will face the same reality just next summer. She will find it hard to get into school without tuition.
"...Marie!"
I woke up and looked back at my friends.
"Sorry. What was that?" I asked.
"Look."
They showed me footage from the capital, some up-and-coming street racing gang called G.O.D. A little bit much if you ask me.
They did do some cool things. For one, they streamed every race with super expensive drones that enhanced the experience quite a bit. They made a crypto called GC and distributed it to some poor people who lived in the capital. All untraceable and done for nothing in return, from the looks of it.
Plus, their driver... the guy was cool. Winning most races, always wearing that white mask that protected his identity, and authorities started to offer a reward for any information concerning his whereabouts.
"Look at this car. How can people like him exist just a few miles from us?" asked Lilly.
"I love their name as well. G.O.D. Very memorable. That's good branding right there if you ask me." Henny nodded approvingly.
She was inspired to work in fashion. I suppose she knows better.
After the video finished, it always ended with a bunch of super quick cuts from previous news segments around the world reporting on them. They were gaining quite a bit of fame worldwide.
"They exist on a different planet. We're thirty miles away, but they might as well be fictional. They're making a fortune with a crypto coin and a white mask, and we're worried about affording a gym membership. Our lives are incompatible." I said, a little robotic.
She put her phone away and caressed my hair. "Don't be like that, Marie, maybe you can miss this year and maybe next year..." She said hopefully.
I smiled and appreciated her encouragement, but even if I worked for five or ten years, with the money I could get, I could never hope to pay for it all.
"You are turning twenty-one in the fall. Maybe you can finish some programs like Henny here. Right, Henny?"
"Absolutely. I needed it for the salon. Although my dad did pay for it all..." She explained it a little shyly.
"Guys, I'm sorry for being moppy. No need to cheer me up."
Felt a little bad, always dumping my growing depression on them. They are supposed to enjoy their summer as well.
"Umm, girls..."
We looked and saw dear Carl with a tray of cold sodas, and he even went the extra mile and put some grapes there.
"You are adorable," Lilly got up and caressed his face, taking the tray. "Can you bump up the AC a little? We are melting here, my love."
Watching the guy giggle and run doing her bidding, I did feel a little bad for him.
We finished our tray and went for a walk. Downstairs, we ran into my sister and her wannabe boyfriend, thinking the same as us.
"You guys?" She asked.
I looked behind me, but the girls were glued to their phones.
"Getting a little too much AC. We're going down to the river. You?"
"Grabbing some lunch... at Stuart's bakery." She added.
Stuart himself just waved at me behind her.
...and she says we keep boys on the hook.
I immediately regretted coming out from the cool building into what felt like a furnace. The air was heavy.
We slowed to a crawl in the heat and even had to take shelter inside the shade a couple of times. Ayshe and Stuart didn't fare better, given that Stuart's father's place was miles from here. It didn't help.
We heard faint music... it was getting louder.
A lovely silver sport car pulled up and rolled its window down.
"Ahh... it's you, Slug?" Lilly stepped back, disappointed.
"Don't look like that, Lilly dear. You already missed my boat ages ago. Hello, Marie."
"Slug. New car?" I asked.
"Dad loves his boy," he tapped its side.
He bragged, I think. His father once worked for our company, but unlike my dad, he invested in smart things and made a decent amount. More than decent, from the looks of his son being in different cars every few weeks.
"Ayshe... is that you with the bread man?" He teased.
"Shut up, Slug. Do you have any water?" My sister changed tunes.
He just nodded and even got out of his vehicle to hand her some. We knew each other since we were kids. We even gave him the name Slug, which he proudly wore now.
"You guys should come to my killer party tonight."
I had a feeling that was the main reason he stopped by.
"I never say no to a good one. Free food and drinks... plus that pool. We're in." Lilly spoke for us.
I wasn't against it. Had to spend the time somehow.
"Ayshe and... even you can come, Stuart." He added with a little grimace.
Ayshe and his guy shared a look, but they both ended up nodding.
"Excellent. Please bring your own swimwear... and a little gift."
"What for? You expect us to gift you for the invite, huh?" I asked, smiling.
"No, dear heart. My cousin. She is the reason for the party. Comes from the capital, cool chick. You like her."
"Ohh. Yeah, sure. But we pool the money for one thing." I looked at the girls.
Lilly and Henny nodded with me.
"As you wish, my queens. Now, stay bad and see you tonight. Kisses."
He jumped back into his car and drove away.
"Could've given us a lift." Lilly broke the silence.
Yeah. That would've been a good idea.
Sigh. At least we can have some low-key fun, and meet Slug's cousin.
A girl from the capital, Marie thought. Someone who lives in the same world as G.O.D. and doesn't worry about canned fruit. It was a ridiculous thought, but for the first time that day, Marie felt a flicker of something other than dread. Tonight, she could at least borrow a better life.