Taming the Author

10: Do not get Jealous

So March 14 was my #JustWriteIt deadline, and I completed the draft offline. But it would make this chapter span more than just 4 pages if I uploaded the rest of the story so I hope you don't mind if I upload the rest of the chapters in parts, even past March 14.

(Yes, this story is going to take a while - but not - so much, hopefully.
So you have been warned. READ ON IF YOU DARE.
And if you do read on, comment so I can dedicate a chapter to you in thanks!!! ^ v ^ )

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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The first time I broke my heart – or at least I thought I broke my heart – was back in high school. See, unlike your usual hormone-deranged teenagers, I had taste. I didn't look at girls who kept their lips tinted and glossed, nor did I look at girls who made it a habit to expose their thighs.

I looked at girls who passed their exams and talked about more than just the popular boyband. I looked at Carissa. Simple, beautiful, friendly, and smart; Carissa was one of the few girls who was popular in the faculty room and in the campus. She was an academic achiever and a girl who didn't need expensive makeup or hairspray to be beautiful.

We had been best friends since middle school. I was her partner in crime – her assistant editor in the school newspaper, her trusted lab partner, her favorite project mate...

We were what romance novels typically termed as “a match made in heaven.” All I was waiting for was prom. I was on my way to ask her to the dance when I saw my own brother smack a kiss on her lips.

Apparently, my greedy brother decided she could be a good bed partner so he charmed his way to her heart. But she was smart enough to break up with him after three months – right after she caught him banging a cheerleader on the rooftop of ea classroom building.

Did my brother get his way with her? I didn't think so. He was so devastated when she broke up with him. If I remembered correctly, he lost a bet when she walked out on him.

The best part? She couldn't look at me the same after that. Whenever I tried to say 'hi' to her, she looked at me with hatred. I guessed after that incident, she started seeing my brother when she glanced at me.

I didn't know why I suddenly remembered my first love as I stood there, watching Calum hug Loramina after giving her a kiss on the lips. I also didn't know why something inside my chest was protesting, the way it did when I saw my brother kiss Carissa.

And I had no idea if I should offer the food I was holding to Calum or if I should put it back on the table and give them space.

“How are you?” Calum asked, affectionately squeezing her hands.

She bitterly sighed. “I'm stuck here,” she said.

He frowned at her. “You didn't sleep well last night,” he said, brushing his thumb on the gray patches under her eyes. “Were you in pain? Do you need painkillers?”

“I'm okay,” she answered, chuckling. “Heather came by this morning to help me.”

Heather, I mused, must be that hot girl I saw at the door. So she didn't live there with Loramina?

He sighed. “You should have just stayed with me in my place,” he said. “I was there the entire evening.”

I felt something inside me twitch. I knew about Loramina's hip problem yesterday. I had thought she would be alone in her house but I didn't think I was right. I should have offered to share my place with her.

—Wait—What?! I just met her!

“It was your day-off,” she said, smiling. “You needed to rest.”