Chapter 7: harsh coldness

Larissa's viewpoint

This life is just so unfair. Some people are just blessed, too blessed. While some lived comfortably, some did not. While some struggled for two square meals, some could go a day without food because they didn't have one. And some, they were just wealthy and could buy whatever they wished for. An example of a rich person is Zayne's family. He was born with a diamond spoon and he was already making money while I didn't even have a job. His family house was huge, so freaking huge!

I couldn't hide my awestruck expression. I walked with my mouth wide open, my eyes almost popping out of their sockets. Everything in the house fascinated me, everything was worth wowing over. I loved the house and would do anything to marry the floor. But, the floor was probably more expensive than any item in my house.

Zayne, on the other hand, was playing it cool. He had to, it was the house he grew up in anyway. The first thing he did when he stepped into the house was carry whining Rihanna upstairs for a bath, commanding Jewels to do the same. I was left alone in the living room to ogle all I wanted. But I made sure not to touch anything. Usually, that would be when I break something expensive. I'm a disaster that way.

"Larissa!" I clamped my mouth shut and cleared my throat, to pretend I wasn't too amazed by their home. I smiled warmly and turned, seeing Jewels bouncing towards me with Zayne behind her, Rihanna imprisoned in his arms… But from the look of it, he was the one imprisoned by the sassy little thing. "Sorry, we made you wait. I hope it isn't a bother?" Is that supposed to be a question?

"It's okay, I enjoyed staring at the wall," I gave Zayne stinky eyes. He instructed me not to touch anything, including the TV remote. He shrugged, still walking towards me. "Are we going to start on the project now?"

"No," he sighed, "I have to prepare lunch, our cook is ill and retired. Then I must make sure Jewel and Rihanna eat—"

"I can feed myself," Jewels protested.

"With your recent loss of appetite, you only take a little and throw the rest in the trash can. We are monitoring your eating, case closed. Then I have to force them to take their drugs—"

"Awwn, are my babies sick?" I said, taking Rihanna from Zayne. I dropped her on my thighs and cuddled her to my chest, resulting in her profuse giggling.

"Jewels had a terrible sickness a few weeks ago, she is still recovering. She cannot," he glared at her, "miss one day of her drugs, so she can get better on time for her play."

"I only threw the drugs away that one time," Zayne raised a brow at her, "okay, six," she murmured shyly. I chuckled. When I was her age, I flushed all my drugs in the toilet and almost died. Yeah, those cool days.

"Riha just recovered from a cold as well. Anyways, after they have both eaten and taken their drugs, I have to assist them with their school work, make sure they nap, and then we can start—"

"By then, it'll probably be five or six. It's 3 pm already,"

"3:26, learn to be precise," I rolled my eyes. "I know, that is why I said we might not have the time for tutoring yet, just the project. You'll have to make time. I'll have one of the drivers drop you off after we are done, or I can just do the assignment myself, I don't need another body—"

"Mind," I corrected, "you don't need another mind to assist you,"

"No," he sneered, "I meant body. Your mind will only slow me down," Wow, that hurt. He walked away just like that. I knew he was cold but facing it firsthand was harder than I thought

"Sorry about that, Zayne is very cold and over-serious with his studies, and most things. It's just his way of taking control of his life and everything around him. He loves being precise, aware of everything, and… Well, he's not as bad as Big Zee, but he's bad in his way. Please, pay no mind to whatever he says," Jewels apologized pleadingly, which isn't her job. Why should she apologize for something he did?

"He just indirectly called me a burden and a dumbass, and I should take that lightly?" I scoffed, still glaring at the place he disappeared to. "Why is he so, so… I don't know, robotic? He doesn't have to be so stiff and accurate with everything,"

"Life situations change people, Risa," I tore my gaze away from the passage, looking at her. She was arranging her books on the floor, her face lowered so I couldn't see what expression she had on. "I don't remember very well, I have a poor memory, but I do remember that Zayne used to be the happiest of the quints. He lived so nonchalantly, mindless of the evils in the world. He was carefree, buoyant, and lucid, he was a kid living his age. Something happened then that made him more serious but still cheerful, just didn't trust most people. Then after grandma died, he went into this state and has never been the same—"

"He was closer to her?" She nodded. It didn't add up, something was missing in the story I knew she didn't know. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I believe you are a nice person and for him to accept to work with you proves it. Zayne will never be with someone he doesn't feel comfortable with, and he can never be comfortable with someone he knows has negative emotions or can harbor them. He just has a problem being nice when he starts getting too close, and a problem keeping friends. I want him to have a friend and live a little, and he can only do that if he doesn't actually drive you away," I pursed my lips. He did seem a little bit too mechanic to me up close. He wasn't this cold when we met five years ago.

I always thought he was just quiet. He always had this small smile on his face and a gentleness to his voice that gave no hint of his character. The way he walked, the way he talked, the way he stared back at those who stared. He wasn't pretending. No one had ever gotten the chance to get words out of him except when he spoke, and that was only to teachers and not more than a few minutes; usually to answer questions or read what he was told. When with his brothers, he barely listened to them speak except if he was being talked to specifically, and the least he did was nod, hum, smile, and speak a few times. He was always reading, drawing, or with his phone. No one knew him personally, and no one had gotten close enough except me.

I have never lost anyone to death, people just usually leave. My paternal grandparents died when I was a child so I don't remember what they were like. My maternal grandmother died when my mother was a teen and she fell out with her father after he remarried, so when he died a year before she abandoned us, I didn't feel bad for him. I didn't know the man after all. I didn't have many loved ones to lose anyway. So in conclusion, I had no idea how losing your loved ones to death felt like, but if my mother leaving could hurt that much, then death would be worse.

"It's okay, he would have to try harder if he wants to get rid of me. Riha, we'll have to see your collection another time, okay?"

"Sure, just don't hate Bunny Bunny," I nodded. I dropped her on the very soft couch, stood up, and stretched to the tip of my toes. I bounced on my feet and marched towards the direction he went. I tried not to pay attention to the beauty of the house, just my mission to make things clear to him. I'd never been one to take nonsense from people, the reason why I couldn't keep a job for more than two months. I wasn't about to take it from someone just a year older than I am. Cute crush or not.

"Verlice!" I called extra loudly, barging into the kitchen. I paused my movement, temporarily getting caught up in how sumptuous the kitchen was. Wow, my life wasn't enough to buy everything here. I shook my head quickly to get out of my trance and looked at the boy who was kneeling on the floor, grumbling as he packed shards of broken ceramic. I knew my shout must have startled him into dropping the plate. Good. "Verlice!"

"Please, my ears are sensitive, take it easy with the shouting," he groaned. I slammed the door closed aggressively, smirking to myself. He calmly, like creepily-calmly lifted his head and looked at me, a look that sent a freezing shock down my spine to my knees. I'd never seen a look that scary before. I unconsciously pressed myself to the door, my heartbeat accelerating but not in a loving way. "May I know why you are here and what need is there for the unnecessary increase of your voice's pitch?" He asked, still giving me the spine-freezing, knees-quivering, gaze. I gulped drily, finding myself smiling awkwardly.

"W-w-well…" Wow, now this is humiliating. I came to give him a piece of my mind but instead, my words were frozen in my throat. I couldn't look him straight in the eyes, not anymore. So I looked at his rolled-up sleeves and the cute pink apron he had on. My courage returned to me instantly.

I cleared my throat. "Well, since you are very good at helping me break things, you will be generous enough to clean it up yourself,"

Now who does he think he is to tell me what to do?!

A sudden anger boiled inside of me, and with that anger, I looked him straight in the eyes, glowering at his stupid face and everything that made him physically attractive. "As your what? Maid? Listen here, you motherfucking asshole, I don't know what crawled up your ass but you will not pin it on me. Take your bad attitude and swallow it because if you dare talk to me the way you did in front of the girls and just now, I swear on everything I stand for, I will smash a bottle on the useless thing you call a skull and kick your groin until you can never use them again. I don't bluff so you better be careful with me," I ended my enraged threat. I gave myself a pat on the back because of the shock on his face. Maybe no one has ever spoken to him that way, or maybe he wasn't expecting me to, don't know and don't care.

Trying to preserve my dignity, I stepped away from the door, opened it, and walked out. I stomped into the living room, startling the girls with my angry, thunder stomp. "Girls, I'm leaving, your brother is too much of an a…nt." I stopped myself from swearing because of the four-year-old sitting on the armless couch.

"B… but you promised to see my collection," Riha pouted, her eyes watering up. "How would we meet again?"

"And you promised to be my new friend whose name is Larissa. How can you leave?" Jewels cried.

"I'm trying something, girls," I whispered, glancing at the hallway. They blinked for a few seconds before muttering an 'O' and smiled. They are smart, as expected from the Verlice bloodline. "I'll be back tomorrow." I picked up my bag, threw it on, and continued my angry stomping.

I mentally palmed my face when I remembered I didn't bring my wallet. I usually never bring it because Starliss and Neo are always buying everything for me and Neo or Starliss usually drop me off after school every time, and when they can't, they pay for my cab. It has always been like that. I could never ride with Odette because her family forbade her from using any vehicle for fear of losing her. So she didn't have a car and still found a way to make riding a simple bicycle deadly.

There goes my dramatic exit.