POV: KATHERINA
Sometimes I really wish I was an only child.
“Arabella!” I screamed furiously as I started walking down the stairs with my chemistry notebook in hand.
“Arabella!”
“Why the hell are you screaming as if your damn ass is on fire?” Mom said, looking very much confused. She was serving Dad his cider while Dad was busy eating his veggies.
My sister, who was sitting in her big baby chair, looked down when she noticed what was in my hand.
“How many times have I told you not to enter my damn room, Ara?” I seethed while she continued eating her cereal, not a problem in her own little world.
“Oh, what did my baby do now?” Mom asked sweetly and took the book from my hand.
She gasped as soon as she saw the creative work done by my baby sister on my notebook.
“Damien,” she giggled, “I think you need to see this,” she said and gave my notebook to my Dad.
Dad burst out laughing, and so did Mom. My sister brightened after seeing them laugh.
“Don’t you dare, Ara! I’ve told you several times not to enter my room without my permission! Now, look what you’ve done!” I scolded her.
“Now, now, calm down, Kat. What she has done is really…creative,” Mom said, bubbling with laughter.
“Impressive,” Dad said. Then his laughter died out. “But dolly, the spelling is c-o-o-k, not…not what you’ve written,” he added, embarrassed a little.
“Let me correct that, Daddy.” She stretched her hand to take my notebook from Dad.
I can’t believe this family! My chemistry marks depend on that notebook, and here they are having fun with it.
“This is ridiculous. I’m pretty sure I’m living with a bunch of mental people here. I’m calling a mental hospital ASAP,” I said.
I stormed toward them and snatched the notebook from my mother, who was still laughing hysterically.
“Mom, stop it now, will you?” I said, my annoyance getting the better of me.
This little lady had drawn Dad with a straight line as the body and small lines for arms and legs, with a huge rainbow-colored chef hat on the amoeba-shaped head.
But that wasn’t the fun part. The fun part was what she’d written in a red crayon at the top of the page: My daddy is the best cock in the world, she had written in her clumsy handwriting.
Dad cooked grilled chicken last night, so to reward him, she had done this creatively in my book!
“I’m going to stick it in our room, Damien,” my mother commented.
“Maybe I could demonstrate it, my dear,” Dad said huskily.
“Dad!” I shut my ears, glaring at my parents.
“Come have your breakfast. Try to leave early today,” Mom said.
I gladly took my seat after taking a spoon of cereal from my sister’s bowl.
“Mommy! Ew, don’t lick my spoon. You’re so dirty!” she complained.
“Here you go,” I said and rudely threw the spoon into her bowl.
“Mommy. I want another spoon!” She made a disgusted face and took the spoon from her bowl as if it were covered in bacteria.
“Thank God my assignment is due next Friday, which means I can rewrite this,” I said, “but that doesn’t mean I’m forgiving you.
“I’m not accompanying you to the washroom in the middle of the night for a whole week. Ursula can have you.” I stuck out my tongue as I saw the color draining out of her face.
“Mommy—” she started to wail, but I shut her up by feeding a spoonful of cereal.
Once breakfast was done, I kissed my parents goodbye before tickling my sister and leaving home. I reached the school grounds way before the bell, and I was so happy.
As soon as I was done parking my bike, I heard Anna’s distinct voice calling me.
“Hey, Anna,” I said as I took my bag from the back rack.
“Problem. Big problem,” she said in a hurry.
“What problem?” I asked, concern masking my face.
“Isabella,” she said in a faint whisper.
My blood went cold, and I let Anna pull me along as we ran toward the washroom. My eyes quickly caught Isabella clutching the hem of her dress, her face etched with worry and fear.
“Bella, you all right?” I asked softly. “What happened?” I asked, looking at my best friends.
“The guy whose home we toilet-papered is Taylor,” Anna said.
“What’s that got to do with anything?” I asked.
“He’s here. He’s the new kid,” Isabella said with worry.
My worry was gone, and I giggled at them.
“I fucking saw him in our grounds with his schedule in his hand, searching for his first class!” Bella continued.
I fell into fits of laughter. This day keeps getting better.
“Stop laughing, moron. If he sees me, which of course he will, then I’m dead!” Isabella said.
“Calm down, Bella. He’s not sure it’s you, so calm down,” Anna said.
“Of course he is!”
We heard the bell go off for our first class.
“Stop being dramatic, Bella. Stay away from him. That’s all you can do. Come on. We gotta go,” I said.
“Kat is right. Even if he finds out, we’re ready to face the consequences together, as always,” Anna grinned. I grinned back while Bella sighed with relief and dropped the topic.
We went to our respective classes, searching for Taylor on the way but didn’t find him. There’s only one period we three shared that day, and that’s language, right after lunch.
Bella and Anna headed to their classes as I went to mine. The teacher entered the class a few minutes late. She wasn’t alone. There was a new guy following her behind with his bag hung on one side.
Taylor
All the girls in the class started adjusting their hair and pulled their dresses a little lower, revealing their cleavage.
He didn’t even glance at any of them as the teacher went on blabbering about him, her hand frequently patting his back. His eyes took in the whole class, watching only the boys.
Is he gay?
If he is, I’m gonna be jealous because, to be honest, he looks hot. Hot guys are always either taken or gay.
He moved a little away from the teacher, ignoring her hand on him. We all noticed that. After all her blabbering, she finally let him take a seat.
He took the last seat in the corner, next to Henry, the cameraman of this school. Henry flinched when Taylor placed his bag on the table. The boys looked the exact opposite of each other.
By the end of the class, I felt the temperature rising though the fan was on. Most of the girls’ lips were now a darker shade, and they sat in such a way as to display their bare legs for Taylor.
The guys looked at Taylor with complete distaste as all the girls’ eyes were on him. I couldn’t control my smile as I watched the scene unfold.
Clearly, no one was listening to the teacher.
This was his first day, first period in this school, and he already had a spell on the girls. I couldn’t imagine where this was going.
The bell rang loud and clear, but all the girls were glancing at the corner, watching him gather his books and bag.
Usually, everyone rushes out when they hear the bell, but it seemed like no one wanted to do so. Unaffected, I got out of the overheated class.
The other periods passed faster than I expected. I didn’t see Taylor, nor did we share another class, for which I was glad. I was already stinking with sweat from the first class.
I walked to the cafeteria, and as usual, both of my best friends were already there. I told them everything that happened in first period. They were grinning like idiots all the while.
“Whatever. I’m just going to stay away from him,” Bella said. We all agreed.
Since the football team had to practice even during lunch hour, neither Chris nor Kevin was with us.
It all went well for almost fifteen minutes until we felt a presence.
All the three pairs of eyes lifted up slowly. Bella’s burger fell on the plate from her mouth, and Anna coughed awkwardly and tried to bury her big head in her lunch box.
Taylor stood right in front of us with a tray of food in his hand and a smirk plastered on his handsome face.
“Do…do you need anything?” I asked, stammering.
His head tilted toward Bella.
“I know you.” His deep sensual voice came out gentle.
Bella’s eyes almost popped out of her sockets as she looked at him with fear. She tried to talk, but nothing came out of her mouth.
“Bella,” Anna hissed softly, and what Bella did next left us both in fits of laughter.
She stood up and started singing “The Best Song Ever” by One Direction. Anna and I just stared at her. We didn’t know what else to do.
She turned around with her plate and started walking like a robot toward the trash can, her voice growing louder as she reached the chorus.
She dumped her lunch in the trash and walked out of the cafeteria, singing the song so loudly that everyone in the cafeteria was looking at her.
I looked at Anna’s waiting eyes, and slowly my lips pulled into a smirk and then into full-blown laughter. We were laughing so hard and didn’t release that Taylor was still standing rooted to the spot.
I kicked Anna under the table, motioning her to control her laughter. He was holding the tray tightly, and his demeanor was stiff.
“Sorry, we didn’t—”
“It was you three, wasn’t it? You toilet-papered my home,” he said curtly, not an ounce of emotion in his voice. I felt my heart racing, and I looked at Anna, who was staring at me like a hawk.
“I-I don’t know what you’re—”
“I tried to be nice, but seeing the little show your friend just put on, I guess we have to do it my way” His voice was calm yet threatening.
I gave him a look of ridicule.
“Listen, weirdo. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I suggest you leave,” I said in a dismissing tone.
“I called your friend a fat ass on a dare, nothing else. And when you guys toilet-papered my house, I kept quiet, watching the scene from my window that night,” he continued.
“You saw us from the window?” I asked quietly.
“Indeed. And I kept quiet because it was payback for teasing your friend,” he replied.
He said nothing for a moment but looked at Anna.
“I have a thing for brunettes,” he said, giving her an audacious wink. Then he turned and left.
I looked at Anna, stunned. She was crimson. She quickly looked down and resumed eating.
The rest of the lunch hour went incredibly slowly. Bella didn’t return, and neither did Taylor. We ate in silence though I made an effort to talk to Anna.
She’s the shy and sensitive type and hasn’t dated any guys. I know how insecure she can beat times.
“Okay, I’ll see you in language?” I asked, standing up.
Yeah, sure,” she said and rushed out of the cafeteria even though we had the same class after lunch.
I thought Anna would go back to normal by the time we got to class, but no.
“Anna?” I mumbled softly, sitting next to her. She acted as if she didn’t hear me and kept scribbling in her notebook. When was the last time she concentrated so hard on language?
“Anna, it was just a wink and a compliment, okay?”
“Stupid flirt!” she snapped, and I let out a sigh of relief. I can bear my friends shouting, yelling, crying, anything but silence.
“Yeah, he is stupid,” I said, looking at the board.
***
“Hey,” I said as I sat in between Chris’s spread legs with my back pressed to his front. He didn’t respond and continued staring at the grass.
The weather was good today, and I’m sure the coach tired them to the fullest.
I placed my hand on his bare thigh and started fidgeting with the edge of his shorts. His face was red, and beads of perspiration were visible on his face.
He was drenched in sweat, but I didn’t mind as I pressed myself closer to him and watched him silently.
“Who is that guy?” The words came out abruptly, and I quickly looked at him, confused.
“His name is Taylor Williams,” Kevin replied with disgust.
“You guys talking about the new guy?” It was Bella who asked.
“Yeah. He joined us today and trust me when I say he is good. The coach already chose him as a part of the team, and the fuckhead took it for granted and tried to beat me!” Chris seethed.
“It’s okay,” I said, rubbing his arm.
“No, it’s not. Who the fuck is he, anyway? He wants to be the quarterback! You know what he said, Katherina?” He finally looked at me. The look in his eyes told me he’s pretty pissed off.
“What?” I asked softly.
“He told the coach that in his previous high school, he was the star quarterback, and he wants the same position here!”
Football is everything to Chris. He loves football so much that he will sacrifice anything for it. If anyone tries to compete with him, he never backs off without playing a tough game.
He aims to be a football champion in the future, and he will do anything to accomplish that.
“It’s okay,” I said.
“Calm down, man. It’s not like he can beat you. He wasn’t that good, trust me,” Kevin said.
“I hate him too,” Anna murmured.
“You guys already met him?” Chris asked, looking at me, Isabella and Anna.
I chuckled and told the whole story. Bella hadn’t told Kevin about toilet papering his house, so he listened to us with pure amusement.
“Woah, baby girl, you really are a feisty one, aren’t you?” Kevin said, kissing Isabella’s cheek.
“Yeah.” She giggled.
“If he tries anything with you, let me know, Anna,” Chris said. Anna nodded silently.
“I think you guys need to leave,” Chris said to me.
“You’re not driving me today?” I asked, hoping he would reconsider.
“I’m sorry, baby. I can’t today,” he said, looking at me and kissing my knuckles.
I was disappointed, but I knew there was nothing I could do to change his mind.
“It’s okay. We’ll leave,” I said, standing up.
“What? You’re not going to drive me either?” Bella asked Kevin.
“Yeah. We have… practice,” Kevin said, scratching his head while Chris glared at his friend.
“What do you mean by practice? You guys just finished your practice,” Bella complained.
“Isabella, it’s…necessary for us both to practice. We are a little anxious about the game,” Chris said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you guys up to some mischief?” I asked, folding my arms.
“No!” both said in unison. This wasn’t good.
“Not at all, baby. Not at all,” Chris added. I eyed him suspiciously but decided to let go.
We left the boys on their own and took off to our respective homes.
Mom was already at home, as always. She picks up Ara from school and waits till I return home, which is just half an hour. Mom runs a small botanical store as she studied botany. It was her dream.
You can see now why so many of my classes are science-related. The business is even more successful than expected, especially if she gets big deals from businessmen for functions and such.
Dad is a manager in a small hotel outside of town, which is why he arrives home late every day.
I opened the door to be greeted by the rich aroma of cocoa. I walked straight to the kitchen to see Mom busy preparing hot chocolate and my sister sitting in her damn baby chair clutching a doll.
“Seriously, you should stop using that chair,” I said, and immediately the spoon fell out of my mother’s hand.
“Christ! When did you come in?” she asked with her hand on her beating heart.
“This is why I tell you to lock the door, Mom. Anyone can enter, and you wouldn’t know.” I shrugged.
She ignored me and continued her work. She placed a hot mug in front of me, which I gladly accepted.
Coming back from a tiring day and getting a mug of chocolate in this blissful cool weather, now that’s life!
I sipped the chocolate, humming softly as the sweetness explored every part of my tongue before sliding down my throat.
My sister imitated my actions and ended up covering her lips and cheeks with chocolate. I chuckled at her, and she grinned, showing me her chocolatey-brown teeth.
“Okay, girls, I’ll take my leave then,” Mom said and kissed us goodbye.
I rushed to my room, leaving Bella on her own in the dining room. I had lots of homework and assignments which must be completed by tonight at any cost.
I started working on my English assignment. There was complete silence for almost thirty minutes. Then I heard a loud noise.
I groaned and walked out of my room, already knowing where it was coming from. The song was blasting so loudly that I’m sure Arabella wouldn’t be able to hear me, no matter how much I screamed.
I looked at the door, which had a small note stuck on it with clumsy handwriting
Tips on how to enter my room:
1. Do not.
I rolled my eyes at the “tips” and started banging the door as loudly as possible. I kept on banging non-stop though my palms were burning. Finally, the door opened.
There stood my sister, wearing a black swimsuit. Her short black hair that reached her tiny shoulders was a complete mess, and her lips were colored bright red, some of it running north and some south.
Of course, she’d meddled with Mom’s cosmetics. I huffed in annoyance at her ridiculous attire and barked what I wanted to say so that she could hear.
“Turn it down!”
“What?” she screamed back.
“Turn it down!” I said louder, reaching for her.
“Turn it up?” she asked innocently.
“No, little lady, decrease. I said to turn it down,” I practically screamed in her ear, lowering myself.
“Why did you scream like that in my ear?” she demanded and went to the stereo.
This is why I had begged Mom not to give her a stereo as a birthday gift.
“Is this enough?” she asked. I raised my eyebrow, knowing what she had done. She’d pretended to turn it down, nothing else.
I walked closer and turned it down myself.
“Increase it, and I will inform Ursula,” I threatened her. She gasped and grabbed her teddy bear. She gets her bravery from that furry creature.
Feeling satisfied that the volume didn’t reach my room, I closed my door and resumed my work.
There was no noise pollution for a perfect two seconds then I heard again.
“Arabella Blackwood!”
