Avoiding This Fucking Childhood Friend

Chapter 12

“Ring Ring!” The sound of the comical cliche alarm sound rang throughout the room, waking up Airis with a heavy groan, as she buried her face within her pillow more, reaching out her hand to shut it off, only to release that unfortunately, her charging port isn’t right next to her bedside drawer but a few metres away from her bed…

Typically, it was a good idea to put her phone charging port away from her, there were many reasons afterall. Such as, in case it were to explode, she won’t suddenly ascend to the heavens without seeing her beloved husband being released yet. Another, would be it prevents her itchy hands from going out and touching her phone and continuously reading novels. And that will end up with her having a sleepless night, and right now, is another fine reason why she had placed it far away from her. So she would force herself to get up and turn the alarm off without falling back asleep which has happened numerous times. Regardless, it’s not like she’s going to wake up late anyway.

Airis had decided she wanted to continue the habit of her waking up 2 hours early for school. Why? Why not! Yet, she regrets it every time she wakes up but still proceeds to do it for whatever reason there is…

It was the start of a new year. Turning 14 this year, likewise with Rajik. Nareik and Estorea had signed her up for high school that was a 5 minutes walk away. At first, they were worried about whether or not she could straight away go to school and asked her, but Airis, who was mentally 23 but still at the education level of a 15-year-old was also greatly worried but those faded away slightly when she took the entrance exam of the high school and had gotten in successfully.

Hearing that, Nareik and Estorea was still regardless worried, and reassured her that she could slowly take her time to adapt that it was okay if she failed any subjects and to come to them for help as they were both considered geniuses and still kept up with their academics, both of them, being a professor at an university.

Nareik is a business consultant for huge and well-known companies, he has made friends and been in contact with many famous business owners and entrepreneurs, while Estorea was a maths professor, she was also involved in the other departments due to her curiosity and is on friendly terms with almost everyone in the university she was teaching in. Her students graduated to be many well-known people, some coming from NASA, scientists, doctors, directors and so on. In short, both of them had lots of connections. 

Airis was horrified at finding this out, ‘They’re so scary…?’ Like she expected her new parents to be like some office workers or something, not one of them being two prestigious, well-known people??? One of them being a professor and another is a business consultant with lots of connections? And in their mid-20s!

She has also inquired about the reason for adopting her, and Estorea had explained that she and Nareik had wanted a child, but Estorea was too terrified to get pregnant and go through the excruciating pain of motherhood and opt to adopt a teenager instead. Airis nodded understandably, she also had the same mindset. Heck, she was already scared shitless by needles and injections, and you compare it to childbirth? She would probably faint midway out of pain in giving birth. And imagine all the other pains! Not being able to lie on your stomach, and having weird cravings for food, and mood swings and oh, there’s so many factors to include!

Besides, rather than having your own blood child, it would be just a really wonderful gesture if you were to give an orphaned child a chance in this world.

Just thinking about it gave her a headache.

Going back to the main topic, Airis was having a grudge and existential crisis against herself now. School starts at 8AM. And she had set her alarm for 5:30AM. Why? That’s because that was the time she had woken up for school as well back then.

Oh, Airis wanted to somehow just bury and sink herself into her bed. Unfortunately, with great determination, she managed to slither out of bed, onto the floor, and raised her hand to turn off the alarm on her phone, grabbing it at the same time. As she face-planted her face on the cold, wooden floor.

“Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…” She groaned so loudly, so displeased, only to remember that she’s the cause of it and shut up.

Anddd, she fell back asleep.

______________

“Airis? It’s 7AM, wake up.” Someone’s voice entered her quiet, blank state of mind. Airis slowly opened her eyes, to see Estorea, squatting down. Seeing that Airis was awake, Estorea gave a bright smile, which seemed to shine a bright light, it blinded Airis. ‘Her smile is too pretty for this world….’ Airis thought instantly, only to freeze when her thoughts went through the rational and common sense section of her brain.

‘Shining? Why is there a ball of light behind her??? Am I hallucinating?’ Airis thought. She closed and opened her eyes again. Nope, the balls of shining lights are still there. In the end, Airis came to a conclusion. ‘I must be sleep-deprived.’

After all that, Airis finally registered something in her hand. ‘7AM? 7AM? Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit.’ She started panicking, 1 hour! Normally, she would have 2 hours, this is an absolute disaster!!! In a hurry, she got up from the floor instantly and opened her closet. Pulling out some random shirt with a print of her recently found favourite game, and quickly took out a pair of denim blue pants with a little cherry print on the top left of it.

Airis quickly wore it, and rushed to the bathroom, splashing her face with water and brushing her teeth. “Estorea? Estorea, did you prepare my breakfast?” Dashing out of the bathroom to the kitchen with a toothbrush in the side of her mouth.
“Calm down! I did, no worries. School is just a 5 minute walk! I can even drive you there if you want.” Estorea burst into peals of laughter as she put down a round plate with some fried eggs on them and chopped scallions as garnish. She also placed down a glass of milk afterwards.

Airis froze at the sight of it. She… really doesn’t like milk. And neither was she used to eating anything dairy, seafood and eggs related food. Considering… She was allergic to all of them in her other life.

She sighed, well, she has no excuse to decline it now, unless her immune system decides to be a dick and go, ‘Hey! Let’s consider these harmful intruders and release histamine and make antibodies because I’m too blind to distinguish between bacteria/virus and healthy food, woo!’

Oh, does Airis wish she could give her immune system a nice punch and bring it to an ophthalmologist to get its eyes checked! Well, at least, now, hopefully… She isn’t allergic to these things anymore? Well, wouldn’t it be nice to find out?

Sitting down on the chair, Airis picked up a spoon and cut the fried egg open, scoop it up and put it in her mouth. “...” She didn’t know how to describe the taste, she could tell that it was slightly nutty? She doesn’t know! It tastes like an egg. Now, it was time. The milk.

Picking up the glass of milk in her hands, Airis’s nose scrunched up when her nose caught a whiff of the milky smell. Airis couldn't help but gag. She braced herself, brought the cup of milk to her lips, and let it enter.

She slammed the cup down and forced herself to swallow it down. It really didn't taste all that nice…

Airis groaned as she felt the milky taste on her tongue.

Good thing, she wasn't allergic but still, it really irked her taste buds. Blegh.