Living with the second most hated woman in the world, yet I have no choice.
I really despised that woman.
"I'll be fine from here.."
"I'm here already, so I'll just send you up to your house."
"No really.."
"Oh come on, it's okay."
I stared at the two annoying adults standing in front of my house. "What are you doing here, Yolanda?"
She flinched and glanced behind her, pushing off the disgusting old man from her. "Yvette!"
"Um, Mr. Trey, meet my cousin. She's under my care for the moment." The old man bowed before me, muttering a 'nice to meet you' while awkwardly scratching his oily head.
"Nice to meet you too." I can't help shoot an accusing look at this man. He awkwardly looks between me and my mother, then dashes away.
I immediately went ahead inside the house, ignoring the fact my mother has yet another man chasing after her. Usually gross perverts who has the nerve to hit on my mother, in front of her house no less.
"Damn, that old man is persistent!"
I heard her say as I entered my room to drop my stuff before coming back outside to the kitchen, preparing to cook rice.
"Waiting for me outside the shop! He's disgusting!" She continued to ramble. "Yvette, please give me something light to eat."
I pressed the cook button on the rice cooker. "Also, where did you go at this time of the night?"
Glancing at her, I gave a 'hmph' sound, staring back at the rice cooker. About half an hour to cook. "None of your business."
She slumped down on one of the chairs in the dining room. "You're right," she said as she lighted her cigarette.
Annoyed, I spoke unknowingly, "You know, you look like filth." I didn't know whether I meant it or not.
She owns a snack bar, and she was known there as "Mama." I live together with her as a "cousin." Of course, that wasn't true. She was actually the one who gave birth to me.
"Well, then, if you were born from filth, that makes you filthy too." She dared to smirk at me as she puffed out a smoke.
I got the rice ready after a while and placed on a bowl, then slammed the thing down in front of her. Fuming, I turned around, about to leave when she spoke, "You did that on purpose didn't you! What are you so on edge about?"
I stopped, hoping she didn't get it right.
"Ah! I know! You were rejected by a guy, weren't you?"
Unknowingly I snapped my neck towards her, "I'm going to bed!"
"Did I hit the nail on the head?" I heard her last words before I shut the door. It also annoyed me to no end that she could always read through me. Yeah yeah, I know that she's my mother and maybe that's why she could read me, but she has no freaking right to speak to me about it. I hate her as much as she hates me. No need to be a pretentious mom who needed to be concerned.
I plopped down my bed and thought of back then. A very long time ago, I asked my mother, just this once, who my father was. "What's papa like?" I asked. She gave me a blank look and thought for a very long time.
She dropped tons of albums on a table in front of me, and I was puzzled as to why she gave me those. "What are these..?!"
"In these copies, one of these guys is your father."
"What?" I stared at her with an innocent blank face. I was just a kid back then.
"You'll know right? Since you're connected by blood, it'll come to you." She smiled at me.
While not understanding completely what my mother meant, I also remembered a great sense of hatred. I definitely didn't want to become like that.
And that's why I've been cultivating one single love, so that in the future I can have a peaceful family. Or so I thought...
"I'm sorry."
The atmosphere of the restaurant was very vibrant, the stark contrast of my boyfriend of three years, looking solemn, fidgeting. Staring.
"What?"
"I'm sorry," he repeated.
I was confused. For a second I didn't know whether I should be scared or just joke on how much of a dork he is.
"Let's break up."
Ten minutes. Ten minutes of awkward silence.
The positive feel of the restaurant didn't excite me any longer.
"It's not that I've come to hate you," he said. "It's just..."
"I like another girl now, that's why."
Just like that. My unrequited love in the beginning of summer on the seventeenth year of my life was so cliche that I felt stupid rather than feeling sad.
"You broke up with Ken?"
I glanced at my best friend, who was minutes ago fixing his shaggy brown hair using a pocket mirror.
"Yeah," my eyes downcast, "He told me he fell in love with another girl." I was pissed. I was really really pissed.
"Three years Shane! Three years and in just twenty minutes, he ended it. Just like that!" I gritted my teeth.
"Uh Yvette, actually..."
"What?" I glared my eyes towards my best friend of three years, Shane.
"I also broke up with Sheila. In other words, I was rejected about a week ago."
"What?!"
"Yup. That's not all," Shane sighed as he ran his fingers through his messy hair. "It seems that Sheila and Ken are together."
"What?!" I shrieked. What the flipping doodle?
"Yeah." Shane had his brows wrinkled. "It's true. I've confirmed it."
"Then the other girl he liked was.." Oh no.
"Yeah. Sheila."
Oh hell to the fucking no.
I slumped further in my chair. Looking around the classroom, it was obvious that only I and Shane were the gloomy ones. "For us four to meet was bad from the start, wasn't it?" I snorted.
"We're extremely miserable matches." Shane quipped.
--
"Alright guys!" A classmate of mine started to speak on a microphone as we all gathered in a karaoke studio. "We are holding a "Move on and Let Go of the Past" karaoke party!" A lot of guys whoo-ed and whee-d.
"The basic rules are easy." She looked around the room, catching everyone's attention. "Choose songs to remind these two of the love they lost," she winked and continued, "the person who manages to pain them the most wins!"
Again, a lot of people cheered. Great.
"Hold on a minute, are you trying to harass us with that?" I squinted at Anabelle. She really would do something like this.
"Talking about heartbreaking songs, its definitely Taylor Fast."
"Adeel is also good, right?"
My friends started picking their songs, much to my amusement.
"Don't forget Draco!"
"What the hell, you are all getting into this!" I exclaimed. I so feel the comfort from them. I glanced at Shane beside me, who was also searching for a heartbreaking song. "What the fuck Shane. Why are you looking at Rijana's page!"
After hours of horrendous yet hilarious singing and drinking of booze, I started to feel light. I was too far gone that I didn't realize I was spitting my guts out.
"...actually, after graduating," I slurred, "I already had a plan to move out and stay with Ken, you know." I smirked.
"And yet why," I sharply glared at my best friend beside me. "I'm talking about why your stupid girlfriend had to ruin everything!" I squinted my eyes at him, and I could see him slightly surprised.
"I know," he sighed, "but what about your guy?" He shot back.
"By the way Shane," I let my drunken self observe our surroundings. "Where is everyone?"
We both looked around. No wonder it was so quiet. It was only the two of us left in the room. All the trash and cluttered mess were the only things left aside from us two.
"Seems like," he paused, "they went back? I think," Shane slurred his words.
"Are you serious? We have like, another hour left," I grunted.
"Damn them." Shane swiped the songs list on the table, "we continue to sing to further put ourselves into misery, my friend."
I gave him what I think was a chuckle, and decided to search for a song as well. After a minute, I paused. Something just passed through my mind.
"You know Shane," I started, leaning back on the couch, "If I were to talk about the thing that shocked me the most when Ken rejected me," I slowly glanced at Shane, who was in turn trying to listen.
"I would say it was that I couldn't cry. Even though he was my first boyfriend, and even though we had been together for three years, tears wouldn't come out of my eyes."
I paused, my brows wrinkling on my forehead. "I wonder why."
"Wasn't it because of that?"
"Huh?" I rose one brow at him. What that?
"You just didn't like Ken that much at all." I blinked my eyes at him. Say what?
"But frankly speaking, it had seemed real right? Ken probably felt uneasy about it as well." Shane looked serious for a moment. "I've put in a song. Huh? Where's my mic?" He began searching around his seat.
I stared at my bestfriend. Was it really true? Was it really like that?
"Hey Yvette, can I borrow your mic?" Shane stared at my hand, which was clutching at my mic.
"No!" I glared at him whilst Shane struggled to steal my mic from me. "Give it back!" Because for some reason, I'm really annoyed.
He smirked, "If that's how it's gonna be..."
I shrieked as Shane grabbed my arm and pulled me to his lap. Trying to recover, I found myself dying in laughter as he tickled me with his might.
"I've known you for a long time Yvette, I know your weak spots!"
"Oh my gosh," I was literally dying, "I'm sorry I'll give it back!" I tried so hard to get out from his grasp as my body wriggled around his lap. He didn't listen and kept on tickling me. "I said I'll give it back!"
Shane gave me an indifferent look, "I don't trust anything women say anymore."
"Please stop, I'll die!"
Shane gave a pfft sound in response.
"I'll dieeeee! I swear!"
"Please Shane!" I was laughing so hard I didn't notice he already stopped. I took a peek to see his face and all I could read from him was...nothing.
He was staring at me blankly, or indifferently, I couldn't really tell. He didn't move, just simply looked at me, and I felt his one hand on my waist, and one hand on my neck.
I didn't even see it coming.
Shane raised my head towards his and let his lips touch mine. It was intimate until it got rough, our breathing ragged. Our kissing was too intense suddenly that it was hard to break apart. Everything was forgotten, until I heard my phone going off.
We stared silently at each other, both shocked. I was really shocked at myself. Did I really just do that?
For some reason, we started moving. We didn't speak, we didn't have to say it. We left and headed to a hotel.