I woke up early today because Mom had to go somewhere. Being the good sibling that I am, I decided to cook for them. Just Pancit Canton, but hey, cooking is still a skill, right?
I showered first. After that, I didn't put on my uniform yet because I still had to cook. Once I finished cooking, I woke up my sister and brother.
I woke up my sister first. It's harder to wake up my brother, so better to save my energy for someone who's totally useless in the morning.
My sister and I share the same room, so I didn't bother knocking. We don't really have privacy. Whatever secrets I have, she knows them too.
When I opened the door, she was already awake. Focused on her laptop and even a little teary-eyed.
"My groupmates are so annoying! They're totally useless. And we're even dean's listers!" she complained.
I sat next to her. Maybe I could help out a bit. I looked over at the paper she was working on.
"Use updated sources, preferably within the last five years. Then change the title, make it more specific so it won't be confusing," I said.
She looked at me and smiled. She even hugged me.
"Thanks! The advantage of having a smart, nerdy sister."
"I just got that from the internet," I replied, laughing. Her smile vanished real quick.
"Is your research done?" I asked.
"There's still a lot left," she sighed.
I stood up and grabbed my pocket notebook from my bag. That's where I write my schedule. I was free later, so I figured I'd help her out. Poor sis. She's doing the research all by herself while her groupmates are busy posting thirst traps.
"I'm free tonight. I'll help you," I said.
She smiled wide. "Really? Thanks!"
I put up a hand stop.
"I'm not doing this out of kindness. There's a price," I said.
She looked confused. "What is it?"
"You have to help me with Isamara," I said.
"Oh, that's all? Deal!" she agreed instantly.
While we were eating, I suddenly remembered—I hadn't woken up my brother yet.
It was 6:25!
I rushed to his room. I didn't knock. No time for politeness. I opened the door and found him smiling in his sleep. Probably dreaming about unlimited rice.
I went straight to him.
"Brother! Wake up!"
No reaction.
"Oh, you don't wanna wake up, huh…"
I grabbed his foot and started pulling. Instead of waking up, he kicked me. In the stomach!
"OW!" I cried, doubling over in pain.
My sister came in right away and attacked him with a pillow.
"KHAIRRO! WAKE UP!" she shouted, whacking him with the pillow.
Finally, he woke up.
"Big guy, tiny brain," my sister muttered, shaking her head.
"Let's go, Laz. Let's eat," she said. I just nodded.
After eating, we said goodbye to my sister and headed to school. We got there quickly.
"Sorry, Lazia. I'll treat you to some munchkins later," my brother said before we entered the building.
"Munchkins that never happen?" I replied with sass.
I was about to enter our building when I ran into Isamara. I greeted her, and she immediately smiled and came closer.
"Good morning."
ACK? THE ASSURANCE?
"ABM will have volleyball practice later. They said we'll be the ones to handle them."
THE WORDS OF AFFIRMATION?!
I laughed. It felt like someone was tickling my back.
"Lazia?" she called.
"Oh, sorry. What was that?" I replied, a little flustered.
She shook her head and rubbed her face, but she was laughing too.
"I said, we'll be the ones to handle the ABM team later at the gym."
I nodded quickly.
"Sure, sure, sure!" I answered like I was in a commercial. I smiled so wide my teeth were probably sparkling.
When I turned to the other side, I saw my brother. Still standing there.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Isamara asked, pointing at him.
"What? No! He's my brother," I replied immediately. That had to be clarified ASAP.
Isamara just nodded.
"Alright, I'll go ahead," she said, waving. She's so pretty, seriously.
I noticed my brother still staring off into space.
I pushed him toward their building. His actual building.
"Go inside. Off-limits. She's taken," I told him, then walked back to my building.
After our first subject, our team captain called me.
"Good morning. I'm excusing Ms. Silvano for a bit," she said from the doorway.
I stood up right away and grabbed my PE uniform from my bag.
"Ate Soleil, I'll change real quick," I said. She nodded.
"Sure. Also, grab the ball from the stock room, okay?" she told me.
I nodded again and went to the restroom to change. After that, I headed to the gym. But before I could enter, I remembered Ate Soleil's request, so I went to the stock room.
When I entered, the crocodile Zaydrian was already there.
He saw me right away.
"Aren't you going to apologize to me?" he asked.
I frowned at him. The nerve.
FYI, he's the one who bumped into me. Not even a single "sorry"—not even an "S." Now I'm the one who has to say sorry?
"Why would I apologize to you? You're the one who bumped into me, remember?" I snapped.
He didn't answer. I gave him a sharp glare and grabbed the ball. I was about to leave when he suddenly held my hand.
"Really? Or let's say you're just possessive and want to ruin my face?" he said.
What the hell. I was about to explode.
I got close to his face, then kicked him. Right in his tight hotdog. He crouched in pain, looked like he was about to cry.
"That's just the weak version," I said. "Next time you mess with me, I'll break it so you'll never have kids."
I stormed out, fuming. So stressful. Grade 10 but acts like he's never learned a single value in his life. I should just make my fists my warm-up routine.
I walked up to Ate Soleil and handed her the ball.
I started warming up too, but of course, I was still frowning. Still mad.
After warm-up, I sat on the bleachers. Isla was there. So I switched to fake smile mode.
Oh wait. Not fake. That was butterflies.
Worms, in other words.
I pulled out her favorite juice from my bag. I didn't want to admit I bought it just for her, so I had to lie.
I slowly sat beside her and handed her the juice.
She looked surprised.
"OMG, you bought this? For me?" she asked, flashing a big smile.
"It was buy one, take one," I said.
I thought it would end there, but she suddenly squealed with excitement.
"B1T1? OMG, where did you buy this?"
Crap. Here we go.
I gulped and answered, "Uh, my sister bought it."
"Oh, okay," she replied, taking a sip.
"Wait, ask your sister where she bought it," she added.
"Okay, sure…" I said awkwardly.
I turned my head away.
That juice was expensive.
We started teaching volleyball to the ABM team. There weren't too many of them, so we finished quickly. After the session, I grabbed my bag and headed to the exit.
Unfortunately, I ran into the crocodile again.
He was smiling at me, staring like he was plotting something. Creepy.
If we were the last two people on Earth, I'd rather marry a pile of garbage than him.
I was done with all the drama, so I went home. My brother would be staying late for research, so I went ahead.
When I got home, I took off my shoes, changed into house clothes, and sat in front of the laptop.
Time to watch a GL series. 50/50 Advantage.
How to get your girl crush? Let's take notes, self.
While I was watching, I didn't realize my sister had already come home. She passed behind me, and I quickly turned off the TV. The scene was about to get spicy.
FYI, I don't watch that kind of stuff. And no, I'm not in denial. I'm just not into those scenes in series. I usually skip them right away. I just panicked because she might tease me or tell our brother.
She noticed how nervous I got. She smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"Hmp... hiding something," she said as she slowly approached.
"No, I'm not. Didn't I say I'd help you with your research?" I said, trying to act cool.
"Aha. Changing the subject," she said, inspecting her nails like she didn't care.
"Then I won't help you anymore," I said and pretended to leave.
But before I could walk away, she grabbed my hand. "Just kidding. Let's go," she said, pulling me with her.
Hours passed, and she still hadn't finished even half the paper! Instead of her getting stressed, I was the one stressing out. Crazy.
I decided to go downstairs to cook since I hadn't eaten. I planned to make scrambled eggs. That's all I knew how to cook anyway, and I didn't want to risk burning anything else.
While I was cooking, the butane ran out. I turned off the stove and checked if we had a spare. After a while, I found the last piece. I grabbed it quickly because my stomach was about to unleash acid from the hunger.
But when I stood up, I screamed.
"AHHHHHH!"
"What are you screaming about?" my brother yelled.
It was him. He didn't even make a sound coming in? He looked like a chick from a mud puddle, and his face was lit up like a ghost.
"Oh, I thought you were a ghost," I said, scratching my head.
"If I were a ghost, I'd be the most handsome one," he said.
I instantly cringed. Not just because of how he looked but because of the smell. Like sweaty bagoong trapped in socks. And the nerve.
He even came closer.
"HEY, DON'T YOU DARE COME CLOSER. I'LL POUR THIS ON YOU, IT'S STILL HOT," I warned, holding up the oil.
"I'll come closer if you don't tell me the name of the girl you were with earlier," he said, dead serious.
"I can't. She's taken!" I snapped. And I left. I lost my appetite.
Even if he fed me fried rats, I would never say her name. He can deal with it.
Wow. Possessive? Are you two a thing?
No. It's still upcoming.
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