「 s e v e n: "Let me avoid human interaction for once!"」
It was Monday, the end of the spring week and the start of school again. Katie looked in the mirror, tightening her ponytail. She admired her shoulder-length brown wavy hair, realising that it had grown a bit longer. She noticed a loose strand that fell out of her ponytail, but she didn't bother fixing it. She had chosen to wear normal black jeans and a checked shirt, above her usual white canvas shoes. She yawned.
"Katie!" Jake shouted from the hall. "Do you want me to drop you off?"
"Sure!" she yelled back, swiftly picking her sling bag and pocketing her phone. "Ask the twins, too!"
"You ask them! I have to eat! Let me avoid human interaction for once!"
"Even I have to eat!"
"Text them or whatever!"
"Ugh. Fine!"
"Kids!" their mother shouted, "Stop yelling!" Katie rolled her eyes at her antics.
"Even you're yelling!" Jake shouted for no reason. He was downstairs already.
"Don't shout at your mother!" she scolded back, humour present in the words. Katie was glad she was a pretty laid back person, but strict when necessary.
Katie skipped down the stairs, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She pushed Jake away from the kitchen's doorway as she passed him, earning a scowl. She replied by laughing. Her eyes glittered as she entered the kitchen.
"Food!" she half-ran to the dining table, looking at the eggs and bacon in delight.
"How dramatic," Jake said as he took a seat beside her, purposely dragging the chair since it annoyed her. She shot him a look and he grinned back, satisfied.
"Shut up, loser," she said, a sarcastic smile on her face. The sarcasm dropped as she looked at her parents. "Morning," she greeted them.
They nodded back, her father looking up at his newspaper. He folded it up as her mother sat on her chair.
"Let's eat!" Katie said. "Thanks for the food!"
Just as she picked up her fork and knife, the bell rang. Katie groaned.
"Really? Right now?!" she whined. "Jake, open the door."
He looked at her, mortified. "And what? Associate with actual people?!"
Her expression fell flat. "Yes, because that is oh-so-terrifying, isn't it?"
The bell continued ringing. "For me? Yes!"
Her answer was interrupted by more ringing, followed by River's loud voice. Katie groaned, facepalming. Brielle laughed.
"That kid doesn't know any manners, does he?" she said, shaking her head.
"Nope. and he doesn't even bother hiding the fact."
The ringing became unbearable and Katie got up, but not before eating two bites of the egg and taking a sip of her orange juice. She stomped up to the door and opened it, expecting to see the blue-eyed boy, but saw the red-haired girl instead.
"I see he's becoming a tad bit smarter, huh?" she said, narrowing her eyes at Rose.
Rose's face morphed into confusion. "Who?" she asked innocently.
Katie gasped. "You two have a strategy against me! Don't defend him, ginger!"
"Defend who, Kate?"
She pointed an accusing finger at Rose. "Damn it! He's got me this time!" She made a face, stomping her foot. "Well, not really. I can see through his plan like it's transparent. I see you've teamed up with him, though. You betray me, ginger," she declared, faking tears.
It was Rose's turn to roll her eyes for once. "Cut it out, Kate."
"Whatever," Katie replied, sniffing. "Unless you can do a falsetto so high that it can match River's voice, I know it wasn't you at the door."
Rose snorted, hiding her laugh. A gasp was heard, and River came into sight, looking highly offended.
"My voice is not high!" he exclaimed, proving a bit otherwise.
"Isn't it, though?" she asked, leaning against the doorway, crossing her arms.
"No!" he exclaimed. "Rose, back me up!"
She pretended to think about it. "Um... now that she mentions it..."
River gasped dramatically, almost on the verge of tears. "No! I'm doomed! Doomed to hell! Why, Adams, why?!"
He continued his whining and the girls ignored him, silently entering the house.
Katie frowned. "My food! It's no longer hot!"
Rose took an empty seat beside Jake, sighing. "I can't believe I have to deal with two dramatic people."
Katie gaped at her and the others laughed. She huffed and gobbled down her food. Her mother asked Rose if she wanted something to eat, but was replied with a polite, 'no, thank you, Bree.'
"Who's wailing so loudly outside?" Katie's father asked.
"Who do you think?" Katie replied and rolled her eyes. She realised that eye-rolling had become a habit now, but didn't bother doing anything about it.
"Oh. Okay. Call the boy inside, we don't want to leave a bad impression on the passers-by."
"Who cares about the passers-by?! Let him whine all he wants," Katie exclaimed, earning a chuckle from Rose and her mother. Jake grumbled something too low to reach Katie's ears.
They quickly finished their breakfast and Katie got up, kissed her mother on her cheek and saluted goodbye to her father. Jake was already getting his keys. Rose followed Katie after saying goodbye to the parents.
"We might be late today," Katie's father said.
"Come home soon!" Brielle instructed them as if they were four-year-olds. "Don't talk to strangers, don't accept sweets from strangers-well, except if they are chocolates. Never say no to chocolates!"
Jake facepalmed and Katie drawled out, "Mum."
Rose snickered behind her and was soon joined by Katie's mother. Katie rolled her eyes. Jake slung an arm around her shoulders. "Let's just... go."
"Yes. Let's."
They walked out and Rose closed the door behind her. Katie passed River but didn't hit him for the first time in forever, instead, gave a look that said, 'come quickly or you'll have to walk to school'. Luckily, he got the message and he climbed in the backseat of the car.
"So many humans in one car," Jake grumbled.
Katie laughed. "Stop it. You're just exaggerating. You know you love us."
He shook his head but a small smile coated his face. "Whatever."
She shook her head and leaned forward to switch on the radio or whatever that was available at the moment. Before she could on it, Jake smacked her hand away.
"My car, my rules. You're not going to play anything."
"What kinda psycho does that?!" River exclaimed from the back. Rose replied with a small 'shut up' and apologised to Jake.
"He always does this," Katie answered. "Never allows me to play anything. He says he likes to drive in silence."
"You're talking like I'm not even present here," Jake said, removing one hand from the steering wheel to flick Katie on the forehead. She muttered an 'ouch' and rubbed her forehead. "And even she," he pointed at his sister, "always does this. She knows I like peace, still, she tries to put on a song."
"You both are weird," River said. "Rose and I are anytime better than you."
At this, the Adams siblings started laughing. Rose snorted, shaking her head. River furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, asking, "Did I say something funny?"
It didn't cease their laughter. Jake's grip on the wheel loosened and Katie warned him to stay focused.
"Your friend is very funny, Kate."
"I know, right?" Katie replied, still chuckling. River was confused all the while and huffed and looked away.
A couple of minutes later, they entered through the school gate and Jake parked the car at the back. He didn't want anyone to scratch it, so he decided it was better to park at the back. It also made them walk for longer.
Jake met his friends near the cycle-parking area and he joined them, saying bye to Katie and the twins. They replicated the greeting and made their way through other students.
"We have homeroom first with Mrs Watson and English again with her, as usual," Katie said. "Meet ya there?"
The two nodded and they separated. They walked to their respective lockers, keeping and taking some books. The twins' lockers were on the first floor. Katie's locker was on the ground floor, but at the end of the middle corridor. She reached her locker and saw Lillian talking to Julian about something. Lillian's locker was three lockers away from her, and Julian's was opposite theirs.
"Morning," Katie greeted them, giving the two-finger salute. Julian smiled and waved at her, and Lillian beamed.
"Buenos Días!" Lillian greeted back.
Katie kept the books inside her locker and took a pencil case out, inspecting the stationery she had. Satisfied with the stuff, she zipped it and kept in her back. She closed the locker and walked to Lillian.
"You have homeroom too, right?"
"Si," she replied, nodding. "What about you, Julian?"
"Chem with Frankenstein," he groaned. "I don't wanna attend it."
Katie and Lillian both made sympathetic faces. Katie patted his shoulder. "Sucks being you and your class."
Frankenstein wasn't the teacher's real name. His name was Mr Franks, and he was the worst science teacher anyone could ask for. He didn't relate to the actual Frankenstein, but anyone who looked at him would think that he would create a monster anytime.
Julian's shoulders slumped. "I should just skip it maybe," he said.
Katie shrugged, and Lillian gasped.
"It's the first period of the first day after a week's holiday," Katie told him. "Do you really want to bunk?"
"Ella está en lo correcto!" Lillian exclaimed and realised she should speak in English. "No bunking allowed, mister!" she scolded him, poking him in the chest. He flinched. He was a head taller than her, but it didn't bother her. Even though people stared at her, she paid no attention to them.
(Ella está en lo correcto!- She is right!)
He hesitated. He started to say, "But-" and was interrupted.
"No but's! You're NOT skipping the class. Is it loud and clear? ¿Lo es?" She shrieked the last sentence and it took all of Katie to not cover her ears.
Julian stepped back, alarmed. He raised his hands up, giving up. "Okay, okay," he said, defeated. "I'll attend it."
"Bueno," she said, satisfied. "That's like a good student." She patted his shoulder.
When she turned to search into her locker for something, Julian glanced at Katie and mouthed the words 'what is wrong with her?' Katie snickered and shrugged.
"I'll just..." he trailed off and pointed to his locker with his thumb. Katie nodded and bade goodbye to him. Lillian said bye, too, still looking in her locker.
"Yeah. Later, then," he said and turned away, meeting someone else at his locker.
The warning bell rang and a sudden rush began around them. Everyone hurried to go to their class, pushing each other. Some went at their leisurely pace, looking into their mobiles or talking to each other. Lillian closed her locker with a bang.
"Come on!" Lillian said in a hurry. "We don't want to be late!"
"I don't really mind..." Katie started but Lillian shot her a look.
Lillian speed-walked to the end of the floor and took a sharp turn to the stairs. "You don't need to walk so fast," Katie told her. "We still have 6 minutes and 20 seconds. It'll take us two minutes to reach the classroom."
"We have to take the best seat, though!"
"We are sitting in our usual places."
Lillian halted sharply in the middle of the hallway. Looks were thrown at them. She pushed her hair back, startled. "Que?!"
"Because the year is still going on."
"I didn't ask 'why?'. I asked 'what?'!"
Katie shrugged. "My answer is still the same."
"Ugh," Lillian groaned, slumping. Someone pushed past her and she shouted, "Hey! Watch out!"
She started walking again, slower this time. "That means I have to sit with stupid Mark!"
"Yeah, I guess," Katie said, walking head. "That sucks."
"I know, right?!"
They reached the class, and Lillian groaned from behind her. Mark was at his usual place, talking to his friends. Lillian huffed and walked to the third row, dumping her backpack on the seat forcefully. Mark looked at the bag and then at her, scowling. She glared back.
Katie caught Rose's eye and was waved over by the red-haired girl. She waved back at her. Shaking her head at Lillian and Mark, Katie made her way to the parallel row to Lillian's and sat, hanging her bag on the hook of the table. She looked around; few of the students had gathered. Some greeted her and she greeted them back with a smile, asking them how their week was spent. She also said hi to Mark and saw Lillian pouting at something.
Katie turned back. "Where's your boyfriend?" she asked Rose. The poor girl blushed to her roots, making her hair look redder.
"He's not my boyfriend!" she exclaimed. "And I don't know where he is..."
"Of course you don't," Katie snorted. "Why would you? It's not like he's your boyfriend or anything now, is he?"
"Who's not her boyfriend?"
Katie looked at the newcomer and smiled mischievously. "You should know, Warner," she told him. "You're the one we're talking about, after all."
Andrew's eyebrows furrowed. "Katie!" Rose warned her, flustered. "Don't be so loud; people can hear us!"
"Everyone knows already!" Katie countered. "Most of them do, anyway."
"Lower down, please," she almost begged.
"Fine," Katie huffed. She smirked, glancing at Rose. "So it wasn't a temporary crush, huh, ginger? Two-way crushes always end up in a relationship. It wasn't a mere crush when we talked about it. You simply liked each other."
Andrew looked at them incredulously. "You told her?" he asked Rose.
Katie shot him a look. "My three-year-old cousin can tell what's happening here!" Katie exclaimed. "It's so obvious!" She turned to Rose. "And you," she narrowed her eyes. "You didn't tell him I knew?"
Rose shied away, laughing nervously. She pinned her bangs out of her face with a pin. "I may have... forgotten."
"Huh, I see," she said with a flat expression.
Andrew fist-bumped her as their usual greeting, despite his discomfort. He settled beside her and turned to face her. He had a hopeful look on his face.
"So?" he asked.
"So what?"
"Do you approve? Of us?"
Katie bit back a smile, analysing him. Most of the people she knew from her batch had grown up together. Her group was just closely knit, so she knew Andrew very well. He was pretty good looking with hazelnut skin, black hair and grey eyes.
It was almost a miracle that he had taken notice of Rose. Even after all these years, she was hidden under River and Katie's shadow because she liked it that way. People didn't notice her at first sight, and it was a great thing that Andrew did and was willing to take time to get to know her.
Katie nodded. "We're cool, man," she said, waving her hand as if swatting flies away. "Just ask her out already."
He smiled momentarily before it faded away. "What about River?"
"Anyone can handle him," she said. "He'll react dramatically and hit you like a couple of times maybe, but it'll be fine nonetheless." She looked at the two. "And your hopeful expressions tell me I have to do it."
Before they could say anything, the final bell rang and all the students shuffled in, taking their places. Mrs Watson entered and Katie and Andrew faced the front.
"Good morning, everyone!" she greeted.
"Will you?" Rose whispered, leaning forward. "Will you talk to him?"
"It'll probably end up in a disaster," Katie whispered back. "You know I'd probably get mad at something he says."
Mrs Watson started blabbering about the normal schedule and exams. She told about the rules and discipline, nothing extra that they already didn't know.
"I'll tell him," Andrew said a while later. Katie glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. He had his own fixated at the corner of the room where River was sitting.
"Good," Katie said. "That's what I'd expect from you."
"His punches don't hurt, anyway."
Katie snorted, laughing into her fist. "Definitely not. He can only try, though."
"Yep."
They didn't talk much after that. Mrs Watson continued talking for the rest 35 minutes and they listened to her, at least they looked like they were. Some were whispering to each other in low voices, some were playing tic-tac-toe, some were scribbling aimlessly.
Katie wasn't focused either. She thought about Rose and Andrew, and how great they would look. She believed that they were perfect for each other, and felt that Rose would be brought a little bit out of her shell by him, something Katie wasn't able to do. All in all, she was happy. Happy for them.
❇ ❇ ❇
Note: Katie calls Rose 'ginger' as a form of endearment and nothing else. No need to get offended lol. We all call our friends by teasing names, and that's what she is doing. It isn't meant as an offensive joke. We cool? We cool.
Rose and Andrew? Lit.
Okay? Okay.
Hotel? Trivago.
There's the chapter! Special thanks to ellefury for pointing out several mistakes that had gone unnoticed by me! Thank you for that!
'When will my life begin?' Up there because who doesn't love a good Disney song at the start of the chapter.
I wanted to ask this question: should I add the translations at the end of the chapter or after the paragraph ends, like I'm doing now? I don't want to break the link by putting it in the middle, but it would be harder to understand if I put it at the end. What should I do?
QOTD: What is/was your favourite subject at school?
Mine had to be the languages- literature, mainly! but it depended on the teacher; if the teacher was great, I enjoyed learning it.
Also, I'd probably update chapter eight chapter soon, in the next 2 days or something! Stay tuned!
Love,
Cas.