CRAVING THEM

T W O .Dahlia.“Oh, leave her be. She must have been up all night using her phone.” I hear Mom sigh.Gee, thanks for the save Mom. And what does that have to do with my face being red? I swear, elders nowadays think cell phones are the culprit for everything. The question is, do I have a better excuse? Unfortunately, no. No, I don’t.“Yup, that’s it.” I nod and stretch my arms out with a yawn, to make it more believable. I closed my eyes, thankful I got to block out the two from my view. When I opened them, I didn’t expect what happened next. They all gave me weird looks. My brows furrowed, confused as to what they were looking at. My eyes moved to where Hades and Valerian stood, and their faces were the same. Their mouths slightly parted, and their gazes fell on… My jaw dropped and a gasp tore through me in an instant.“What the f—” “Dahlia!” Mom’s sharp voice cut me off before I could finish. I roll my eyes. I swear to the goddess, the woman could hear a pin drop fro

F O U R .Dahlia.“Earth to Dahlia!” She practically shrieks in my ear, making me stumble and almost fall face-first to the ground.“What?” Before I knew it, Lola was walking beside me.“What has gotten into you? Why did you run off?”Lola stared at me, her eyes demanding answers.“And what were you talking about with those guys?” she asks with a raised brow.I mime zipping my lips and she narrows her eyes at me.She clearly wasn’t satisfied, so I was about to tell her when someone brushed hard against me. This time, I really felt like falling face-first. Thankfully, Lola snatched me up and pulled me back to my feet.“Watch it, Lisa.” Lola hissed.Uh-oh. This is so not good.“Oops, my bad. Didn’t see you there, virgin.” She snorts, her eyes mocking me as she places her hands on her hips. Her two minions posed behind her. One on each side. They giggled at the name Lisa called me.My cheeks heat. “Can you believe it? My mate’s sister is a freak. The bitch is holding on

S I X .Dahlia. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing in the mirror. I couldn’t believe it myself, but there was some truth in what Lola said.The swimsuit fit me like a glove. I always wear baggy jeans and shirts to cover my entire body. I have always been conscious of my body. Contrary to the usual simple Dahlia who don’t even care if a hair was out of place before going to school, this was new.It emphasizes my full breasts and slim waist going down to my thick thighs. I know I’m not really fat. Fat is a strong word. Thick is more like it.“You don’t look too bad yourself, Lola,” I smile to my friend who smirks at me before she does a quick spin.Her two-piece green swimsuit with beads scattered on all the right places definitely showed off her curves. Her eyes are emerald green, and they go perfectly well with the swimsuit she wore.“Thanks. Now let’s go and give that big brother of yours the shock of his life,” she says with an evil grin on her face.What she said made me jump ba

E I G H T .Dahlia.I won’t forgive him. He is so ridiculous and out of reason! All I wanted was to have a fun night after graduation.It was when he mentioned Dad that I started falling apart.Seriously, I don’t know what his problem was. Or why he keeps pushing me around trying to control me. It all started when Dad died, and he started getting all overprotective over me.I don’t know what has gotten into his head, but what he said crossed the line.I slammed the door closed behind me. When I ran all the way here, I picked a random room upstairs where I hoped no one could find me. I knew Lola would come looking for me. She’s the best friend ever. That is precisely why she cannot see me break down like this. Not over my brother. It’s stupid, I know.I pressed my back against the wall, sliding down I hugged my knees and buried my head down. I cried and cried until I was sure I had no tears left to cry. When I was feeling better, I decided to head back. Lola must be worried sick about