SUYEN
I stayed up all night reading the books Marcus had gifted me. I found myself spiraling back into that familiar sense of melancholy, flipping through the pages of Killing Stalking. There were also novels among the stack, so I dove into those as well. Before I knew it, it was 6:00 AM, and the world outside had started to brighten. It didn’t bother me too much, though—after all, it was the weekend, and there were no classes to attend.
But I realized too late that I had forgotten to submit my reflection paper. Damn it. I should’ve just asked Pauline to submit it for me. But no, Marcus had to drag me away yesterday.
As I stirred awake, I sat on the edge of my bed, rubbing my eyes groggily. The feeling that someone was staring at me lingered, and when I looked up, there she was. Sophia.
“What?” I mumbled, yawning widely. “I know, I know. You’re angry as hell. Can you save the lecture for later? Maybe when I’m actually in the mood to listen?” I glanced at her, unbothered. “Right now, I don’t have the energy to care about anything you’re about to say.”
Even with a full night’s sleep, I rarely have the energy to entertain anyone.
She rolled her eyes. “Geez, idiot. I’m not here to scold you yet. There’s food downstairs. Fix yourself up and go eat. Then you can go back to your precious nap,” she said, tossing a pillow straight at my face.
“Freaking hell,” I muttered under my breath as she turned and left the room. After sitting in a daze for a moment, I finally dragged myself out of bed, still yawning as I shuffled downstairs. Mom wasn’t around—probably out running errands again.
I flopped onto the sofa, groaning as Sophia moved about in the kitchen. “What are you even doing here?” I asked, my voice dripping with irritation. “I’m telling you now, I don’t have the energy to fight.”
She shot me a glare. “Stop being an idiot. This is my house too, remember? I’m here all the time.”
I ignored her and stared at the TV. It was playing a Taylor Swift music video on YouTube—August, to be exact. Of course. She’s obsessed with Taylor Swift.
“Taylor again,” I muttered under my breath.
Sophia’s attention snapped toward me, annoyed. “So? Cover your ears if you don’t like it.”
“It’s giving me a headache,” I replied, feigning annoyance. Truthfully, I liked Taylor’s music. I just wanted to rile her up enough to kick me out so I could go back to bed.
“Nice try,” she said sarcastically. “Now, just eat.”
With a resigned sigh, I trudged to the dining table. To my surprise, lunch was chicken wings. Then it hit me—it was already past noon.
And another thought crossed my mind. Yesterday was my birthday. I had completely forgotten. My parents had, too, apparently. Not that I cared.
“Hey,” Sophia called from the kitchen.
“I know,” I cut her off before she could say anything else. “It was my birthday yesterday. No big deal.” When she opened her mouth to say more, I interrupted again. “Yeah, I spent it with Marcus. Don’t worry; I don’t like him. Guys like him lose interest quickly when they realize the other person isn’t into them. He’s smart, after all. And I’m... Globe.”
She fell silent, her gaze lingering on me for a moment as if she wanted to say something. But instead, she returned to her food. That was fine by me. I wasn’t in the mood for a heart-to-heart.
Just as I finished eating, there was a knock at the door.
“You can go sleep now. I’ll clean up,” Sophia offered, getting up to answer the door. I stood and began heading toward my room, but when Sophia opened the door, I froze.
Our eyes met.
“Freaking hell,” I muttered under my breath.
Marcus grinned cheekily from the doorway. “Hey.”
Damn it.
Sophia didn’t seem fazed at all. “Come in,” she said to Marcus, adding with a warning glance, “But just so you know, she’s not in the best mood.”
“She’s never in a good mood,” Marcus replied with a smirk as he stepped inside, his gaze shifting to me.
I bolted upstairs without another word.
We were watching anime. Together.
And I wanted to scream.
It wasn’t that I disliked anime. In fact, I loved it. But I preferred watching alone. Yet here he was, sitting beside me, casually munching on popcorn as though this was the most natural thing in the world.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if he’d just stayed quiet. But no, he had to look over at me and speak. “Hey. You okay?”
I shot him a withering glare. “You’re in my room, and you’re asking if I’m okay?”
He chuckled softly. “I’m not doing anything. I’m not trying to make a move, you know.” He leaned back, lying comfortably on my bed. “By the way, nice room. Pink suits you.”
“And so?” I snapped, annoyed. “At least I don’t keep frogs as pets.”
“Frogs are fun,” he replied, unfazed.
“Fun to dissect,” I retorted with a smirk.
The smile slipped from his face as he frowned. “You’re mean.”
“Yeah, and I’m the worst. So maybe stop bothering me.”
But instead of backing off, he grinned. “Joke’s on you—I’m into that.”
I groaned, lying down as the soothing melody of the Spy x Family ending song filled the room. Silence settled over us, and for a moment, I allowed myself to relax. It was Sunday, after all, and school wouldn’t resume until Monday. Still, I couldn’t help but think: Why couldn’t I just get hit by a car tomorrow? At least that would earn me a break.
“What’s your MBTI?” Marcus asked suddenly.
“INTP,” I replied without opening my eyes.
“INTJ here.”
“Who cares,” I muttered, rolling onto my side to face the wall.
The last thing I remembered was the sound of his voice and the click of the light switch as the room went dark.
“It’s a tournament. For your PE class,” the professor announced. Normally, I’d zone out during announcements, but this one caught my attention for all the wrong reasons.
A PE tournament? Seriously?
“Who wants to join the volleyball team?” the professor asked.
Several hands shot up. I, of course, stayed silent, my gaze fixed out the window. I was determined to avoid participation until Marcus, who had conveniently seated himself beside me, grabbed my hand and raised it.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hissed, glaring at him.
“Suyen and I will join,” Marcus said with a confident grin.
“What?” I whispered harshly. “I don’t even play chess!”
“Yes, you do,” he replied nonchalantly. “I saw your chess sets under your bed. And your medals.”
My jaw dropped. “You went through my stuff?”
“Not really,” he said, smirking.
Furious, I tried to stand, but he pushed me back into my seat, covering my mouth with his hand before I could yell.
“I’m giving you a chance to humiliate me,” he whispered into my ear, his breath warm against my skin. “There’s a 95% chance we’ll end up playing against each other. Everyone expects me to win. I’m that good.”
His grin widened as he added, “What do you think?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, already plotting ways to make him regret this. “Fine,” I muttered, pulling his hand off my face. “But if I win, you’re going to kiss Collie on the lips—for three minutes.”
“What the hell, Suyen?” he exclaimed, his confident demeanor faltering for the first time.
“And if you win,” I continued, ignoring his outburst, “you can court me. You can hold my hand, buy me gifts—whatever. But no kisses until you finish the mission. What do you think?” I smirked, throwing his words back at him.
Marcus stared at me, clearly caught off guard. But then he chuckled, his confidence returning. “Start practicing how to get used to holding hands,” he said, leaning back with a smug smile.
And with that, I knew I was in for one hell of a ride.
****