Zach Brewer | Textrovert AU

4. Already Trouble?

:: chapter 4::

Already trouble?

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Zach

Zach ran to his room. He understood his mother's secret code.

Quickly grabbing the basket in the corner of my room I threw all my clothes sprawled on the floor in the basket.

Just when he was giving a few final touches, there was a harsh thud on his door. He opened the door to see Mira balancing all the food mom piled on the tray.

Did she kick my door?

As I grabbed the tray from her hands, Mira spoke rubbing her hands. "Thanks Zach, you're a charm." But it sounded more like sarcasm than an actual compliment coming from her, then she grabbed a chip from a bowl and popped it in her mouth. The crunch resonated in my ears as she walked in my room like she owned it.

I followed her inside, all my attention at keeping the glasses upright, so words tumbled out naturally. "You don't need to say. I know." I put the tray carefully on my bed-side table.

I heard her groan before I even turned around. "Don't you ever get tired? Just accept a compliment as it is, no need to add your much needed side of narcissism." I could already imagine her rolling her brown eyes.

"Lets get to it then?" I finally faced her and gave her a sickeningly sweet smile. I saw her grimace.

Heh.

I pulled out a small folding table from under my bed. It was from when I was still a baby, so I expected the snort that came from Mira.

"Let's get to it courage."

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Mira

An hour into our study session and I was ready to pull out all my hairs out.

Biology is easy as long you don't have to explain it to a boy who constantly makes dirty jokes about it. I was already dreading the Reproduction chapter.

"Let's try one more time." Mira sighed. He was a pain when it came to remembering the actions that occurred in each phase of mitosis. Guess his knowledge only stretched as long as you don't get scientific. "In which phase is DNA copied?"

"M phase?" His answer sounded more of a question than a fact.

Mira sighed once more. "S phase." Cell cycle was as much of a mystery to Zach as was the reason why dinosaurs disappeared from earth. "Define meiosis?" This was a basic definition, surely he can't get this wrong right?

Feeling confident, Zach quickly answered, a smug look coating his features gave Mira hope for the first time since they started learning. "It is the process in which 4 haploid cell divide to form 2 diploid cells."

Mira threw the book on the old folding table, challenging it's hinges to uphold the upcoming wrath of Mira Montogomery.

"That's it Zachary Brewer!" I screamed. "One diploid cell divide into four haploid cells!" I plopped my head on the table, it's plastic moving, dreading a fall that never came.

Zach covered his right ear. "Calm down woman."

"What did you say?" My menacing voice shook Zach to the core. One wrong word and he'll have to face my inner demons. "What. did. you. say." It was no longer a question but a threat.

When he didn't answer, I pulled at the ear he was covering. Twisting it to the left, I impersonated his voice. "Calm down. How do you want me to calm down?"

"Mira!" Zach shrieked.

In that moment Keeley burst through the door, wide eyed and frantic, just to see her tough brother getting dragged like a kid throwing his tantrum. All of us stopped, my fingers stilled at Zach ear- who also stopped struggling- as we both looked at Keeley as if children got caught stealing candy.

A moment later, several things happened. Keeley barked out a loud laugh that echoed loudly in the house, my hand left Zach's ear, who huffed and crossed his hands in front of his chest like an overgrown toddler having a sulk.

"Stop laughing Keeley. She was abusing me."

"Excuse me?" Exasperated, I justified, "You are the one who is verbally abusing my brain. I'm starting to have a migrane, any sane person would." The look of disgust he gave me was something I was strangely used to.

And maybe acknowledging that fact, that even Zach was capable of such hostility, made me burst. On the wrong person at the wrong time.

Or maybe it was just my pride getting to my head.

"Actually any sane person wouldn't even bother to spend ten more minutes in your company."

Just like that, I threw my biology book in my bag and stood up. Huffing, I was about to make my way past Keeley, who was standing in the doorway, flabbergasted at the sudden shift of mood. When a hand grabbed my wrist. I turned around,"What?" It came out harsher than I intended.

Zach, frustrated bit his lip and avoided eye contact. "Look I need to pass Biology in order to get a football scholarship. " When I looked at his hand at my wrist once more, he let it go and passed his, now free, hand through his already messy hair.

"I really don't want to waste my time in detention when I should be in football practice. So p-please cope with me." He threw in a charming smile that most girls won't be able to resist, but I was more amused by the voice crack when saying please.

The anger dissipated as quickly as it came. Then I mentally tried to justify my over-reaction.

If he lost the final season game against Crosswell High and anyone got a whiff that it's because he was in detention due to my unrequited crush on Sunghoon, the whole school will be out for my blood. And I don't want to give Crosswell the satisfaction anyway.

Only and only because of my heated school spirit I agreed.

All jokes aside, I didn't want a month's worth of detention either. "Atleast try to make an effort. It feels like I'm talking to wall most of the times." I sighed and rubbed my temple, the backpack slowly slipping down my arms.

"I couldn't have said it better." Keeley, who I forgot was even here, agreed with my last statement. "It does seem like I'm talking to wall." Both siblings shared a look I wasn't quite able to comprehend. Twin thing I guess.

"What's happening guys?" Mr Brewer inquired.

Great the only thing left was for the parents to show up.

At hearing his voice, an unreasonable tenseness entered me. It was another thing screaming at Zach in school versus in his own house. I could get kicked out right now.

Before giving me a chance to explain myself, Keeley spoke up. "Mira was just having a little disagreement with Zach."

"Yeah sure." Zach mumbled.

"Really because I heard someone shouting something about meiosis." Wow. Just wow. Even Zach's old man knew about meiosis and Zach didn't. Talk about difference.

This time I spoke up, "As you know all is fair in love and war. Zach was just having a hard time memorising some things so I chose war."

"It was amazing, having someone put Zach in his place." Keeley said aloud, still in daze about how perfectly I handled Zach Brewer.

Mr Brewer looked at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Do anything you want with him as long as he passes and gets to college."

The magic word.

I think I just hit a jackpot. I'm sure my face lit up as bright as the sun. Heck I must be glowing. 

"Sure will do, Mr Brewer. Anything to have Zach pass his exam."

I said the last sentence looking directly at Zach, a promise on my lips to not make it easy for him.

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źimi
25.03.2021.