I was trying to call Dawn many times, but she didn't respond. That was new to me. I’m not used to not seeing her messages or chats with me every morning. A few days have passed and she is ignoring me. Especially at work. I was bombarded with death threats and curses when I opened my social media accounts. They didn't put me to sleep for weeks. During those same times I had no one to talk to. Javier has been exhausted. He was focused on Mom's treatment and I didn't want to add to his fatigue. I feel like Kyle is avoiding me too. I live with them, but he doesn't talk to me. I was alone. I only have me, but I don't trust myself either. Why am I really mad at Shawn? What's urging me to treat him like that? Shouldn’t I be happy and he has someone else? I knew Chloe was better than me. And I’m happy for them. I was so stressed right now. Aside from the fact that I was lacking sleep, there was a lot more work to do. My head hurts. It's like being squeezed. I would like
"Come to think of it, Shawn. Will your plan work?" I asked when he told me about his plan.A charming smile crossed on his face. It was a smile of assurance. He gripped my hands even more as if he doesn’t want to let go of me."Just trust me." He slowly moved my hair out of my face because of the wind. His sweetness was all over the place. I don’t know how to give Shawn back the tickle and thrill he’s making me feel right now. “I assure you, this will work.” Even though Shawn had already planned everything, I still couldn’t help but feel sad and pensive. With all the evil I experienced with him before, especially what happened at the mall recently, do I deserve all of these? “What’s wrong, Raine?” I shook my head and immediately averted my gaze.“C’mon, Raine.” His hot breath tickled my neck. I looked at him. I just stared into his talking eyes. “I know something’s bothering your mind. I can feel it.” “As much as possible, I don’t want to use other people just to get
"YOU REALLY are stupid, Raine!" I heard Dawn shout from behind. I accelerated my walk to the mall parking lot even more. "What the hell did you get into, huh?" The footsteps of her shoes quickened as she approached me. Dawn took a grip on my left hand. If I hadn't clung to her, I would have stumbled. "Don't turn your back on me, Best. I'm talking to you. What's the issue I watched in Andie's live video? Why did you pour coffee on Shawn?" I simply shook my head. I was not in the mood to listen to her sermons. "Boys will always be boys. And I hate them all." I pulled my hand away from her. "What kind of drama is this, Best?" I never dared to answer. I turned my back on her and continued walking to my car. Dawn followed me again. "You're really bad, Raine!" I heard her shout. I rolled my eyes. “I am no longer happy with what you are doing. Don’t you feel guilty for what you did to Shawn inside earlier? You made him go viral on the internet!”"He deserves it. T
I usually wake up at around four in the morning, especially on weekdays. I have to. I am now in my third year of college in the Business Management course, and unfortunately, the earliest schedule came to me. Seven in the morning is my first period and that was the subject of our terror professor from Understanding The Self subject. Akeala University is twenty-five minutes drive from our apartment so I really need to wake up early. I’m a woman, but I like heavy metal songs. I used to play one while doing my daily rituals. That makes my brother, Javier, sick. His bedroom is next to mine on the second floor of his rented apartment. He often knocked on my bedroom door and begged me to turn off the sound system, but sometimes he just let me get going. “Raine... Raine…” Gradually my eyes opened. I feel something shaking me. "What?" My voice rang out. "Aren't you going to school?" Javier asked. My eyebrows met. “We have prelims today. Why do you ask?” "Then why ar
"So is that how it really is, Best? No flash news?" Dawn asked. Earlier she asked me about what happened this morning, but my focus was not on that incident. I had a test to do, so I remained unspoken. I shook my head and continued driving the scooter. "Why do you want to know? That person made me look ignorant. Also, you heard everything we talked about over the phone. Unless, you ended it early." “That’s right, Best,” Dawn said. She was also busy driving her electric scooter. "Kyle is so dumb. He called me while you were having a drama with that American." "No, he's not a foreigner at all," I corrected. "Let's just say he's a bandwagon and he's trying hard to be one." "Maybe if you have to live there for a few years, I'm sure you'll look and act the same he's doing, once you return here." I grinned. "As if I plan to go abroad! I have a responsibility here in the Philippines, remember?" That was true. After our biggest downfall, I promised Dad I w
It was the last Friday afternoon of September. I was in the quadrangle, busy video calling Mom. She was outside the apartment. Maybe Hannah let her breath fresh air. Even though Mom is still crippled to this day, I can, somehow, see the smile on her lips. I can’t wait to see her back to normal again. I wanted to dance with her on my birthday. "See you later, Ma." I waved a goodbye kiss to her. "Best, even if you kill me for a few more years, I'll still tease you." A pair of human shadows appeared in front of me. The two are side by side. I took a deep breath and looked at Dawn and Kyle. "What? Are you going to tease me again about that moron? I already forgot what happened that day." I never talked to Dawn for almost three days. To this day I am still upset at what she did. She invited a man, who I hated the most. Too bad, she didn’t ask my permission. She pouted her lips. "Couz," Kyle called. "What?" I asked. "I'm confused with you two," he said in di
The symposium on motorcycle riding and traffic rules lasted more than an hour. It doesn’t seem like this month is for me. What happened to me was a mess. It all started because of Shawn Dawn tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to her. "Best, I'll go with Kyle." Many students, in various courses, came out of the entrance of the gymnasium, where the symposium was held. I barely heard what she was saying, but I nodded. "Are you sure you're okay?" Kyle asked as he snatched the key of his motorcycle from his pants pocket. "Yes." I smiled slightly. "I'll just call Javier and he'll pick me up." "No need, Best. Shawn has been texting me lately," Dawn said. "He is already outside the gate. He's waiting for you." "He doesn't need to do that." I shook my head. "He's just exhausting himself." "He’s so sweet, Best," Dawn insisted. "I don't find it sweet. It's a waste of time on his part," I said. "I told him to stop bothering me, but he's stubborn. Why is he botherin
I was supposed to enjoy my sleep. But Shawn was too excited. He woke me up at around five in the morning by knocking on the door many times. I didn’t want to show up for the conversation, but I thought it was a small thing I would do now compared to the help he was showing. He had been nice to my mom. He seemed to have good vibes with Javier. He was kind and gentlemanly, and yes, okay, I somehow forgot about the incident. I thought it was time to treat him fair. I opened the door and Shawn showed up to me already dressed. He had on his casual t-shirt, above the knee shorts, and biblical sandals. He also had just combed his wet hair with his fingers. He looked like a simple man, far different from the man I used to know. "Good morning." "Where did you get that outfit of yours?" I asked. Even though Shawn was simply wearing them, they looked expensive and it was impossible that they were my brother’s clothes."Oh, I always have extra clothes in my car." A wide smil