Lotus

Ren - 5: Jealousy

“I wanted her to only be mine as I only belonged to her.”

     “Ouch!”

     Rina got up from her bed and stretched. Her neck and back felt a little stiff from sleeping in a fetal position the entire night.

     “Is this what seventeen feels like?

     It was the day of her birthday. She remembered that Jason had her phone, so she called him to ask him to drop it off. He happily agreed, and Rina decided to get dressed and wait for him outside.

     It was a bright, warm day. Rina sat on the marble bench by her driveway. She looked like a little princess. Her long, black hair was in a half french braid secured with a dusty pink flower pin. She wore a mauve colored dress and white sandals which contrasted with her fading summer tan.

     Ren was leaving his house to go buy some school supplies at the drug store across the street for his brother. Alex had left his pencil case and folder in his desk at school. As he was leaving his house, Ren spotted Jason’s car slowly driving by. For a moment, he and Jason met eyes.

     “What’s he doing here?” Ren asked himself. His eyes followed the car a few houses down. The car stopped in front of Rina’s driveway.

     “Hey Rina!” Jason shouted as he left his car.

     “Hello!” Rina replied as she ran to him from her seat. “Thanks for coming!”

     Ren froze, staring at them in dismay.

     “She invited him over? But I thought…”

     “How long was the drive? I’m sorry for making you come so early in the day,” Rina said to Jason. “Do you want to stay for a bit? My friends are coming over later on, so my parents prepared some food already.”

     “Really? That’d be cool,” Jason replied. “But I think you should invite Ren, too. If he found out that I was over your house without him, he might feel a bit left out.”

     “You’re right!” Rina said happily. “I wanted to ask him yesterday, but I totally forgot. I hope he’s awake, but he’s usually up long before I am anyways.”

     Ren was unable to hear the conversation between the two since they were so far away. Suddenly, he spotted them walking towards the direction of his house. Unsure of what to do, Ren began to walk to the drug store, secretly hoping that they would chase after him.

     “Is that him?” Jason asked. “I wonder where he’s going.”

     “Ren!” Rina shouted. “Hey Ren! Wait up! Ren!”

     She started running after him. Ren turned around, having heard the sound of Rina’s frantic footsteps coming up behind him.

     “Ren, stop moving!” she shouted angrily.

     He made a face at her and started running away. Rina, in her frenzy, was too fast for him and lunged herself onto his back. The two idiots both fell to the ground.

     “You’re a psycho!” he yelled.

     “Why were you running away?” Rina whined. “I wanted to ask you to come over for my birthday.”

     “Really?”

     “I was going to call you last night, but I accidentally left my phone with Jason. He was kind enough to give it back,” she explained. “I don’t remember your number from the top of my head.”