Started To Interfere

"Uncle?" I was surprised to see Uncle Matthew with a furrowed brow in my room, opening the curtains of my bedroom window.

 

"You should get up now because there are some things to do," he said as he walked towards the door after opening all the curtains.

 

I was even more surprised by his words. "What do I have to do?" My forehead scrunched up, looking at him. Instead of answering, Uncle Matthew continued to walk out of my room.

 

I snorted in annoyance. I didn't know what I was going to do today. I still wasn't in the mood to do anything, let alone go out. It feels so lazy. I still felt an overwhelming sadness inside me. I touched my chest, which felt painful and tight. This heart still couldn't accept the fact that my parents were gone.

 

"Are you still on the bed?" Uncle Matthew's voice standing in the doorway made me startle again. He was like a ghost, suddenly appearing to startle me. "No one will bathe you, so hurry up!"

 

Oh my. That guy pissed me off. I roughly flung the blanket aside, moving quickly towards the bathroom. I made my footsteps slightly stomp on the floor out of annoyance at Uncle Matthew. I watched him as he entered the bathroom, then closed the door so roughly that it hit the frame quite hard.

 

I exhaled roughly as I looked in the mirror and slowly undressed. I remembered how Uncle Matthew's eyes looked at me when I walked into the bathroom earlier. His eyes looked sharp and cold.

 

I turned on the shower's faucet, starting to drench my entire body with warm water. "He looks even creepier than Mom. How annoying."

 

How she looked at me was so different, like there was something she couldn't explain. I don't know. It just felt weird. I shook my head, quickly cleaning myself up before Uncle Matthew got angrier. It would be scarier than this.

 

I breathed a sigh of relief as I put on a kimono towel. My body felt fresher after taking a shower. I let my wet hair down, opened the closet and picked out some clothes. A white short-sleeved t-shirt, navy-coloured jeans, and a white shirt. I tucked the bottom of the shirt into the pants, looking neat. Now, it was just a matter of drying my hair with the hairdryer.

 

"Already done." I looked at my reflection in the dressing table mirror. My hair was already dry. My hand stretched out, picking up a coral lip cream to give my lips a little colour so they wouldn't look pale.

 

I grabbed my bag and put my cell phone in it. Uncle probably wouldn't like it if I waited any longer than this. I hurried out of the room and descended the stairs slowly. Down there, Uncle Matthew was standing with his arms folded across his chest.

 

"Are you done?" he asked me. I only answered with a nod of my head. He grabbed the car keys on the table. "We have to go out to do something."

 

My forehead scrunched up. Do what? I wanted to ask, but it was useless. I wouldn't get any answer from him, just like before. I quickly followed Uncle Matthew, walking behind him out of the house. After reaching the yard, Uncle Matthew opened the car door for me. Lazily, I got into the car, throwing my body roughly on the front seat beside the steering wheel.

 

Uncle Matthew got into the car and drove the vehicle out of the yard. Where were we going? He didn't tell me what we were going to do. The vehicle continued to drive without any conversation between us. We had been driving for fifteen minutes. During that time, I just stared out the window. The car stopped at a red light. We were already in the bustling centre. Many people were passing by. I don't like crowds like this.

 

I exhaled while watching the traffic lights that had changed colour. The car was moving again. "Uncle, where are we going?"

 

"You'll find out later." He answered without looking back at me. He was too focused on driving the car.

 

I leaned against the back of the seat and closed my eyes, trying to sleep. I'll know where he's taking me after this car stops.

 

My body moves slowly as the car turns and passes over speed bumps. Finally, I felt the car slow down and stop. We must have gotten somewhere. I opened my eyes. The sight in front of the car made my eyes widen in surprise.

 

Suddenly, I immediately turned to Uncle Matthew. "Why are we here?"

 

"You have to go to college," he replied, looking at me coldly. 

 

I didn't expect him to do this to me when I was still grieving. "I don't want to. I didn't even bring my college supplies."

 

"I've prepared everything you need." Uncle Matthew moved his head slowly towards the back seat, which made me look in the same direction.

 

My eyes rounded. It turned out that he had prepared my bag and college books on the back seat. I couldn't believe it. My breath caught a little, feeling heavy. Annoyed, I picked up my bag and textbooks and exited the car. Like it or not, I finally had to go back to college.

 

Uncle Matthew raised his palm with his usual flat face and cold eyes. "See you later."

 

I exhaled. Uncle Matthew drove his vehicle back out of my sight. How annoying. I wasn't even ready to face my lecturers and friends on campus. I glanced at my watch, which was already eleven in the morning. Why was it exactly the time for the first lecture? Unsteadily, I stepped onto the campus to go to class.

 

Everyone was watching me. The people in the classroom looked at me with pitying eyes. More or less, they must have heard the news about my parents' death. I didn't care, ignoring their stares. Soon, the lecturer of the first course came into the classroom, and we started the lesson.

 

I still wasn't in the mood for college. In all of today's lectures, I finished with a lethargic feeling. Finally, everything was over. I staggered out of the classroom. It feels like my body is tired. I wanted to go home immediately.

 

"Nyla!" someone called from behind me. I turned my head quickly, recognising the voice.

A young woman about my age walked over rapidly. She hugged me tightly as soon as she reached me. "Nyla, are you alright? I was worried about you after hearing about the incident from the lecturers."

 

I nodded while releasing her hug. "I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me."

 

"Ah, thank goodness. Sorry, I didn't attend your parents' funeral because I was at my grandmother's." The look on her face seemed to imply sadness. She was Selly, my best friend in college.

 

We had different majors. She was my first friend on my freshman day at college. Since then, we have become friends and have spent our free time together. She's a kind and cheerful girl. She couldn't attend my parents' funeral because her grandmother was sick.

 

I stroked the back of her hand that had been holding mine. "It's okay. How is your grandmother?"

 

Selly exhaled softly. "My grandmother is better." She pursed her lips forward. "Nyla, I'm sorry. These past few days, I've been thinking about you. Did you eat well? Are you resting well at home, too?"

 

I nodded my head, answering his questions as we walked together. "Everything is fine. You don't need to worry about me, Selly. I'm fine."

 

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." Selly smiled happily.

 

We continued to walk out of the campus while occasionally jokingly talking about what I had missed out on during my absence. I chuckled as she told me things. It turned out that there were some funny incidents that I didn't know about. She was enough to make me feel a little better.

 

"Oh my!" I was surprised when Selly suddenly stopped her footsteps. She covered her mouth with rounded eyes. "Who is that charming and very dashing handsome man? Gosh, I've never seen him before. Is he an athlete? His body is very athletic." Selly was so hysterical with sparkling eyes that she pointed her finger in one direction. "Look, Nyla. He's so handsome."

 

I immediately turned my head in the direction Selly was pointing. My eyes rounded wide. It turned out that the man who made Selly hysterical like that was Uncle Matthew.

 

"Nyla!" Uncle Matthew raised his hand, waving at me. Suddenly, Selly, beside me, turned her head in confusion.

 

"Nyla." Selly shook my arm. "Do you know that handsome man? Tell me, who is he? Is he your boyfriend?"

 

"Ah, come on, seriously." I exhaled harshly. "He's my uncle."

 

Selly covered her mouth with both hands. "Your uncle?"

 

I nodded. Seeing her reaction, I had a bad feeling that she would be even more hysterical than this. "Alright, see you later, Selly."

 

I quickly walked away from Selly, ignoring her call again. Quickly, I walked over to Uncle Matthew. Got into the car roughly. My jaw hardened. I felt annoyed with him.

 

I exhaled roughly, facing right at him with a sharp look in my eyes. "Uncle Matthew can't just show up like that on my campus. I don't like being treated like a child. I can go home alone without being picked up like this. "

 

I grumbled, complaining about what he was doing, but he kept quiet as if he wasn't listening. "Didn't you hear that ...."

 

I immediately stopped my babbling when he approached quickly, extending both his hands and fastening the seatbelt for me. We were so close. The scent of her perfume wafted clearly up my nose. My heart was racing. The blood flow all over my body heated up, feeling the warmth of her body. My whole face felt hot, too.

 

I quickly shifted my gaze to the other direction opposite to him, hiding my face that was probably already flushed. What's going on? My heart is still racing erratically.