HIS FAVORITE GINGER ✓

TWENTY.

"Oh, right." She giggles and pinches Alejandro's cheeks like those grannies would do if he was to step foot in a retirement home. Especially when he was still a kid, he had rather puffy cheeks sprinkled with freckles, taking the image of a muffin dusted with chili granules.

Alejandro pouts. "Hey! Cut it -"

"Is that my favorite ginger I hear?" A low bass voice shakes the room like a gigantic jackhammer has been planted into the house.

His ash-blonde hair is always styled backwards. He has piercing blue-gray eyes with a chiseled jaw and chunky muscles that flexed with every move. His persistent stubble only makes him look manlier. He is Thor before Alejandro's eyes. Mama Bale really has good taste.

"The one and only." Chuckling, he bounces into Taylor's large arms. Alejandro wonders if there were senior teenagers who still bubbles with their parents like he does.

"How ya doing, young sport?" Taylor ruffles Alejandro's already messy curls.

"I'm coping."

"How has been them boys business?" Taylor winks. Alejandro's eyes widen before he slaps Taylor's arm playfully.

"Where's Ambrose?" Freya speaks out of the blue as she shuffles some packages.

"Probably out or something."

After years of grieving over Alejandro's father's death, his mom met Taylor. They claimed to have attended this highschool in Seattle, my current school. They met sometime in Las Vegas when Alejandro was young. He's been told Taylor was once a married man and even has a child his age.

But unlike most step-children, especially Ambrose, Alejandro loves him dearly like a real dad. Although, he never stops thinking Taylor just married Freya to enjoy a slice of their financial cake. While Freya takes care of everything for now, he can still enjoy while he still can for all Alejandro care but when he and Ambrose finish college, they'll finally take what's rightfully theirs.

"So, any souvenirs from Shanghai?" Alejandro is thoroughly eyeing some Chinese weird looking gift bags as if he has the superpower to see past solid objects.

"Well, all yours." Freya gestures to them absent mindedly. She's already making out with Taylor before Alejandro without shame.

Alejandro will have to date Grayson if he gives two fucks about adults sucking their ancient germs. He is all over his booty in an instant. Dipping his hand into a large, purple one, he withdraws an fabulous silk robe. It was green with golden petal patterns and is fancily trimmed on every edge and hem. It has a distant tea smell.

"Ha, Shanghai silk. Marvelous."

"Taylor got it for you. He said it matches your hair." Freya places her hand on Taylor's chest and leers at him with longing as if she's just seeing him and the deceitful demon if love at first sight decides to torment her.

What? Alejandro shakes his head while he's already sampling the silk on his buttocks. He frowns a little seeing it doesn't quite fit his lean chest well.

"What is this? Some sacred cloak for saggy tittied bitches?" Alejandro chirps as he balls the dress into the trash. He gets no reply. The lovebirds left already.

The next stuff he brings out are large colorful fans with equally colorful flower petal patterns, again. Some had Sakuras on them, some had bonganvillea, others had others he does't know and care to know.

"Kara's." Of course his buddy must get something. It's not optional. Kara will skin him alive and use the rest as a car rug.

"Just about perfect!" Alejandro peers at a pretty pearl necklace that rattles in a quaint box. Alejandro suddenly feels like those spoilt princes in movies and books. Except, he's the queen.

Deep inside the bag, he notices chunks of some stuff. It seems deliberately hidden and I wondered why and what they were. Turns out they are numerous Winter Rabbit candy. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it is Taylor's deed. Freya would never ever let his diabetic ass taste a sugar molecule.

Alejandro is still deliberating on the type of movies the sweets would suit when a pair of identical bracelets catches his eyes. He picks them up and examines them. They are nothing his eyes has ever seen. They are built with heart-shaped jade stones, bold and green - Alejandro has to guess they are for lovers.

And ever so slightly and unintentionally, a picture of someone pops into his head. A certain platinum blonde asshole. Just because Alejandro thinks it's ironic he received something similar to this today.

A figure by the door interrupts the childish banter with his subconscious on how he shouldn't have rejected Grayson so harshly. It is Ambrose.

"Hey bro! Come check out this fabulous shit -"

He doesn't reply Alejandro. He just stares into space like there is an invisible television in the air playing a Malec scene of Shadowhunters. Curiousity gets the best of Alejandro and he peers to examine his older brother's features.

His shoulders are slumped and saggy like the ears of a sad puppy. His eyes are bloodshot red almost like his hair and the occasional sniffles he emits succeeds in resurrecting an uneasy feeling within Alejandro. Ambrose isn't one to cry. Though he can be a real big baby sometimes, scratch that, all the time, but Alejandro knows him well for his almost dead lachrymals since young.

"Ambrose, what's wrong?" Alejandro's voice shivers a bit. He braces himself for the worst while bracing his brother's impact on the floor. Ambrose sinks into Alejandro in apparent melancholy. Alejandro squeezes him in an hug, as if to wring out the bad vibes.

Ambrose's voice is dry and raspy as sandpaper. "Bailey. . .is dead."

⏯

This chapter is not only shitty but also unedited, filler-ish and boring asf. At least, I killed a character, yay for me.