Chapter 8
We finished picking up those trash in one whole hour without resting, not even drinking water. The heat of the afternoon time was beginning to irritate my skin. It was burning. Not only I was fucking white and the redness of the heat was visible, but the sweat was making my body to itch. I was used to sweat because I was an athlete, but sometimes it still makes my skin to itch. My mother would buy me a body soap and body lotion highly recommended by her dermatologist and also got me some vitamins for my skin. I am sensitive I knew it. There were also times when I got to eat raw foods, rashes would come to kill me. And I meant it.
I didn't say anything much as I quickly held my bag up to my shoulders and exited out of the whole campus and took a taxi back home. When I got in the living room, I saw my sister with her best friend doing some make up.
“Hey, Mich!”
I rolled my eyes. My nickname is Michu, not Mich.
“Hey, Missi,” I said and kissed her forehead before I rushes upstairs to my room.
Before I could finally shut the door, I heard her best friend said, “When would he gonna notice me, Missi?”
My sister just laughed.
I smirked as I undressed myself and walked towards the bathroom. I quickly turned the shower into a hot water to help me relieve the itchiness of my skin. After I was done, I went out of my room and opened my closet as I searched for my favorite gray sweatpants.
Our parents aren't still here, probably busy at work. I shrugged it off because honestly speaking, we are so used of it. That's their line of work so we, their children, must understand their situation. Plus, they didn't lack to show us their love. We are also lucky in the aspect of financial. And when our parents has a free time, they would spend it to us wholely. We couldn't ask for more.
As I found comfort under my thick blanket, I reached the remote control and turned the TV on. After awhile of scrolling through Netflix and remembering some movie recommendation from Lyra, I finally found the one I will be watching tonight.
All the while watching, my mind was also thinking about what happened earlier. And the supposedly fun night went dark as I slowly drift off to oblivion.
Morning came quickly and I felt quite good.
But my stomach aren't.
Grumbling, I made my way towards the kitchen and complained at my mom. “I'm hungry, Mama.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “I told you not to forget to eat dinner, Mighty!” she scolded.
I pouted my lips as I wrapped my arms around her from behind and rested my chin on her shoulder. “Ma, I'm hungry...”
She sighed and flicked my head. “Fine. What do you want to eat?”
“Can I have bacon?”
“Hmm,”
“Then egg. Want it scrambled, Ma.” I kissed her cheek. “Morning, mother.”
“Morning, my boy. How was your day yesterday?” she asked, her voice softening. She's always like this whenever I act baby around her.
“It was...” I tried to knot the right word to say. But I found none. So I just answered plainly. “normal.”
She rose a brow. I pulled my body away and sat on the stool chair instead, watching her as she opened the cupboard and took something out. I just watched her as she opened the fridge and pulled out bacons and eggs.
“What do you mean by normal? I swear to God, Michu. If you got into trouble again, I won't be fixing your problem anymore.”
“...she said that for a hundredth time already,” I mumbled.
“What? Did I heard you speak?”
I shook my head quickly. “Nothing, mother.”
She nodded her head and continued what she was doing. Minutes later my father and my sister went down. My sister kissed me in the cheek while dad messed my hair.
Missi was already dressed in her uniform. Plain white, long sleeve top and a below the knees pink skirt. Her hair was tied half-ponytail and it was curled into a big volume. I hardly remember the last time I saw her wearing her favorite mickey mouse ribbon. She has grown up... a bit.
“Good morning, Michu! How was you sleep? Good. How was your dream? Can't remember. How was your—” I cut her off
“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes and so did she.
Mom kissed her daughter's cheek as she placed our breakfast in the breakfast table. It was only six seater table. We have different dining table, a long and huge one we often use when we got visitors or when the dinner strikes and we're complete.
“Big bruh,” she called me after awhile. I glanced at her and rose a brow. She gracefully wiped her mouth through the napkin before she spoke. “I have already talked to mom and dad. You're going to babysit me.”
I literally choked. The food in my mouth flew across the table.
My sister grimace. “I mean, I was allowed to go out nightclubbing with my friends but you have to be there and look after me. Not really... babysitting.”
Dad interfere, “You have to watch your sister, Mighty. This is gonna be her first time to go out,”
Mom nodded, seemingly excited to the idea of having her daughter go out and enjoy her puberty years.
“And what am I going to get if I come look after her? I will only stand boring there with no friends at all!” I whined.
“Bring your friends then,” Mom said nonchalantly, as if it was the easiest answer to all the problems.
I looked at her in disbelief. Was she really considering to the idea of watching my sister over a club while she was having fun with her friends, or probably her boyfriend? She wouldn't get to enjoy the night if I was there surely. And I might only punch guys who will try to come closer to her. After all, she's my sister. Yeah, I love her, but socializing with other people around with her are so damn awkward. I would be conscious and stiff, and definitely as well as she. That just how it works. For me, though.
“I’ll give you whatever you wish on your 18th birthday,” dad said, as if he's making out a deal with his potential business partner. Minus the fact that he's a doctor and not a businessman.
I shook my head. “Geez, dad, mom...” I whined.
“You're always like that, Michu. Are you ashamed of your sister or what? Tell us.” Mom's brows knitted.
“You don't understand,” I said and sighed. I looked at my sister who's now chewing her food slowly while her eyes fixated on her phone. “Fine. I'll think about it,”
Her head snapped up and her emerald green eyes met mine. “Really?” she excitedly asked.
“When is it? Make sure it isn't weekdays I swear I couldn't come even if I wanted to.” I have some hours of practice and by the afternoon time, I will have to do my punishment in school. I was even thankful our coach hasn't arrived yet or else I have to wake up 5am and has to arrive school at 5:30. Knowing our coach, he's strict when it comes to time management. He wants us to join class after our practice and didn't want us to spend too much time in basketball more than our lessons in the classes. And I'll probably be torn out when I already got in home. Eat, shower and sleep. That'd be absolutely was about to happen.
“Saturday night, don'cha worry.” She giggled.
“What kind of a club it is to allowed minor to go in?” I asked.
“Ops, I forgot,” she said and her eyes widened. “I meant by nightclubbing was attending into a house party.”
That's why mom and dad approved...
“Okay,” I replied, dismissing the topic. I faced mom. “Mom, can I drive—”
“Nope,” she said, popping the 'p' and then she waved her hands in the air. “I'll give you 25 dollars today, fit yourself.”
I groaned in disappoinment.
I tried to quicken my breakfast, knowing that I won't be able to use one of our cars today and I have to fucking take a taxi to go to school. It will usually took me 20 minutes to got there but in this state, one hour of preparation are needed.
I was already running towards our huge gate when dad called me and handed me some bills. I grinned at him and said my thanks, looking at the $100 he had given me.
Dad is the best.
Just in time, I arrived in school.
I immediately saw Trisha at the first subject of the class, sitting on her usual seat while talking to someone over her phone placed in her ear. She smiled at me when I sat down.
When she finished the call, she turned to me. “That was my boyfriend.”
I nodded and stretch my neck. “Mornin'”
“Morning, too!” she beamed. “So, how's your... afternoon with Riri?”
The excitement of her voice made my brows to knot. What's so interesting of being with the boy I hate the most?
“I think it was fine,” I said, unsure.
Her smile widened. “Ship...py. Shippy.”
I rose a brow. She just laughed happily and shook her head in her own silliness. What was she thinking anyways?
“Mighty, our teacher said we're partners na,”
“Na?” I uttered. “Do we have a subject Na?”
Her eyes widened and she burst out laughing. “No, no!” she said between laughing.
“O...kay?”
“It's a word Filipino people often uses,” she said.
“What does it mean, then?”
“Na means already. Though it depends in your sentence.”
“Hmm,” I hummed. “You’re a linguistic?”
She shook her head. “I only knew a few. My dad wants us to learn different languages so we have to transfer and study here instead. Your school is amazing, huh? Every student probably loves literature. Almost all of our classmates has already written a book by themselves! God, I really love this school...”
I smiled at that. The thing I love about this school aside from their rich of sports is that we are also not lacking in Literature. A lot of students here knew how to write and has a great vocabulary in their minds. I was even thinking of writing a book. Science fiction and mystery/thriller are interesting to read, my favorite genres.
The teacher came and cut off our little conversation. It was once again boring time I wanted to sleep so bad. I yawned quietly. And as soon as the class finished, I stood up and walked out of the class, leaving my classmates behind. I planned to go to the rooftop and sleep there as I listen to some music of Taylor Swift.
But my plan broke when I reached there and saw another person sitting on the edge of the rooftop, her heels are hanging in the air. Her short, blonde hair was being washed my the wind. Her hands was resting on the either side where she sat.
I was kinda worried she might fell.
I slowly took a step closer. Unsure if I would show myself up and interrupt the peacefulness around her. Or I'll just leave and find another spot. But before I could even stop myself, I saw  myself sitting beside her. She didn't even flinched when I did.
She turned to me. Her jet black eyes met my green ones.
“Hi,” I said and flashed a smile.
“Hi,” she replied shortly. A sigh escaped her lips.
“Are you always here?” I asked silently.
“Hmm,”
I moistened my lips. “You might get slipped. Aren't you scared? You're in the hundreds feet above the ground.”
She shrugged and didn't say anything. She's kind of unfamiliar to me. I didn't seen her before or heard about her. Even in her side of view, I could tell she's beautiful. I do have a taste, and when I said she's beautiful, I meant it.
“Why are you here?” I asked again, trying to build a conversation. Something about her pushes me to speak. I felt a hard pull to talk to her and I don't know why. It just felt weird.
I saw a small, sad smile appeared in her lips. “The world is beautiful, isn't it?”
It took me a while to answer her. I nodded my head and looked over the view before us. “It is...”
“There are millions of people who are lucky to see it and got the chance to feel it. But only few people appreciates the beauty of life and world,” she spoke. “People are full of themselves and thinks they are superior to all kinds. The humanity are getting greedy and toxic...”
It got me muted. She's right.
“It made me wonder how the hell could they throw the opportunity away to live and enjoy the life that was given to us by God? There are people who are much more deserving to live but doesn't have the chance to live longer... So why people has to waste their lives with such petty reasons?”
She's talking about suicidal people, I suppose.
I don't know what to say. Simply because I haven't encountered people who was suicidal, and also it didn't really slip in to my mind that there are people with that kind of situation.
“Just look at the world in front of you. Aren't it already a reason itself for you to continue living? It is just so beautiful, why can't they s-stay?” her voice slightly shook.
I honestly doesn't know how to reply. So instead, I hang my arms around her shoulder and pulled her against me. I didn't know her, but I could somehow feel her pain and understand her feeling.
It seems like she's emotionally hurt and mentally exhausted. I could literally feel it.
We stayed in that position until she calmed down her heavy breathing. She was leaning on my shoulder and I just let her, she didn't complain nor utter anything. And I was thankful at that for some reason.
“What’s your name?” I asked after the deafening yet comfortable silence.
“Siria... Siria Laurel.”
“Nice... name.”
“Yours?”
“Mighty Styles.”
She pulled herself up and smiled at me. And here I thought her eyes were black, but it was actually an amber. The pupils was dilated. Her eyes lashes are long and thick. She's a beauty.
“I'm so sorry for the drama.” She laughed.
I shook my head and smiled kindly. “There's nothing to apologize about. It's okay,”
She nodded and a sigh escaped her lips once again. “Hays, when am I gonna die?”