Chapter 10: Best Friends and Unpleasant Experiences
“Rise and shine, Aki!”
I rolled over in bed groaning and flailing my hands around on the bed to find my damn blanket. Just when I found it, it was stolen from my hands. Again!
“Not so fast, beautiful.”
Who on Earth was talking to me this early in the morning? Who was in my room? Did that annoying cocky bastard come back?
Damn! Too much pressure on the brain was giving me a blasted headache! Didn't they know that I was up almost the entire night, thinking about that blasted teacher?
“Hey, sexy PJs! And your butt looks so cute in it!”
That got me sitting up so fast, it gave me a whiplash. I pried my swollen eyes open and finally looked at the intruder.
“Oh, my god! Nick? How did you get in? When did you get back?” I was wide awake instantly.
“Whoa! Slow down horsey!” answered my bestest friend in the whole wide world. “I got back last night. It was really late so I didn’t call you. I came over directly to surprise you! And... your mom let me in.”
“Oh? They must be starting late today, but that’s not my concern. Come here!” I opened my arms wide for him.
“God, I missed you, Aki! Three weeks without you and I’m at my limit.” He wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug.
“Aww!” We separated and he sat on my bed beside me. “I missed you, too. How was it?” I asked, laying my head on his shoulders and rubbing his arm.
Nick D’Sena was another one of the school charmers. He had dark brown hair and beautiful grey eyes. He was about 6’1”, towering over me like most men in my school, but thankfully he wasn’t a player. He dated a couple of girls before, but he said he was waiting for a perfect someone he could date and ultimately marry. He and I had been friends ever since he saved me from a bunch of bullies back in kindergarten. We had been inseparable ever since.
Unfortunately, Nick’s parents were divorced. He lived just a couple of houses away from mine with his mother, who was a famous cardiologist. His father was a psychiatrist and lived in Canada with his new wife. Too bad they got divorced. They made a really good couple. But it wasn’t adultery or anything that caused their divorce. They just fell out of love. So Nick now visited his dad twice a year, that’s why he’d been away for three weeks.
“As usual. He’s busy almost all the time while I sit alone at home. Well, we did have dinner together sometimes.” He sighed, placing his head on top of mine. “I don’t know why mom keeps insisting that I go visit him every year. He seems to have moved on. She needs to move on, too, Aki. I can’t keep lying to her that dad still asks about her. It’s been nearly six years!”
“Hey…” I petted his head with my other hand before we broke away. “It’s not that easy to move on when you truly love someone. Give her some time. Maybe she hasn’t met the right person yet?”
“You’re right.” And there it was, that gorgeous dimpled smile that had my lips curving up. “And ewww! Aki, you stink of morning breath.”
My jaw hit the ground!
“Alright! Out! This instant. I’m going to pretend you never showed up and go back to sleep.” I huffed and took the covers again to throw them over me, but Nick stopped me.
“Sleep? We have school. You should be the one getting up. Get ready, I’ll wait downstairs.” Nick concluded getting up from my bed and heading tout the door. I groaned.
Someone please shoot me now. Why couldn’t my school start from 12 p.m.? Instead, it started at 8:30!
Reluctantly, I got up and went inside the bathroom to get ready for school. I still had about an hour to get there so there was no need to worry. School was only fifteen minutes away, so Nick and I could have a nice long chat as we walked, before the girls start chasing after him. I honestly didn’t get why getting the hottest boyfriends seems to be the biggest achievement in some people’s lives.
After bathing and changing into brown cargo pants and a full sleeved bottle green shirt to keep out the early October chill, I found Nick chatting with my mom and Eva in the kitchen. “Morning, mom, Eva. You guys didn’t go to work today?”
“Mom’s taken the day off so we can spend some quality mother-daughter time.” Eva answered instead of mom.
“Yeah and I’m the neighbor’s pet.” I deadpanned, to which the three of them burst out laughing. Nick, you traitor!
People who didn’t know our family had a hard time believing the fact that Eva and I were actually siblings. She looked completely like my father, from looks to hair to eye color. The only thing she got from our mother was her height of 5’2”, while I looked exactly like my mom. But it was from dad that I got my height and eyes from. He was really tall at 6’3” with blonde hair and blue eyes, while my mom was 5’1” with red hair, a shade darker than mine and green eyes almost similar to Ethan’s. I say almost, because nothing could compare to the molten emerald.
“Don’t mind her sweetheart,” mom said her voice huskier than usual. “I’ve caught a cold from staying in an air-conditioned room all day, so Evelyn is taking me for a checkup at her hospital.”
“Then why are you in the kitchen? Shouldn’t be in your room resting?” I went over to the counter to grab some pancakes while Nick devoured his beside me.
“She’s right, mom. You’ve done more than enough for today, go rest. Your appointment’s for this afternoon.” Eva said to mom.
“Alright, fine!” Mom huffed. “Aki, Nick, get to school safely and remember to lock the doors and windows properly at night. Your father and I are heading to grandma’s for a couple of days. Your grandpa’s not doing so well so we’re going to check up on them.”
“Okay.” Eva and I said in unison.
After gulping down my breakfast, we headed out to school, walking the short distance while listening to stories about Nick’s vacation.
“You’ve got a nice tan,” I complimented him. The dark olive shade went well with the blue jeans and orange-y pink V-neck he was wearing. I’m jealous. I always get fried like a prawn every time I try to get a tan.
“Thanks.” He blushed. He really couldn’t handle compliments. “So how have you been keeping up with everything while I was gone? Anything interesting happen?”
My heartbeat sped up. That was one question I did not want to answer. Not even to my best friend.
“Nothing interesting. But I think we might have a new teacher. Saw him yesterday with Ethan Whitmore.” And why did I feel breathless just saying his name?
“Your dream character, huh? How’s the man-whore?” he asked bitterly. Nick never liked Ethan, especially because of the rumors that circulated around the school. Guess I was the only one who thought him like a fairytale character. His true feelings were still a mystery to me. Nick’s the only one, apart from Mr. Whitmore, who knows about my writing career.
“How would I know? Whoring around, probably,” I answered casually. I’d tell him about my relationship with Ethan as soon as I figure it out myself.
But school, however, was a completely different story. Almost everyone turned their heads to look at us, specifically me, as soon as we walked through the gates. Some had awe in their eyes, some hatred, and some disbelief, while others just flipped me off.
“What’s going on?” Nick asked, worried.
“That's what I’d like to know,” I said, hurrying over to the entrance hallway.
But when I reached there, my breath was punched right out of me, blood turning ice cold. If it weren’t for Nick’s presence at my back, I would’ve collapsed.
There, written on the bulletin board in bold printed letters were:
AKIRA SANDERS IS MISS OG