With a gasp, Gianna bellowed, "What the..." But her outburst was cut short for a while at the illuminated image of a mischievously grinning being. "What the hell did you do?" "Gave you a harmless shower." "You ba—" Sean's arm snaked her neck and from the back, he held her neck tightly and pushed her head toward his chest giving onlookers an impression of a profound hug to a returning lover. "Hey, now, hold that damn tongue of yours back, will you?" His voice was a still whisper around his prey's ears as his grip tightened causing her to wince in excruciating pain. "Unless you want me to do it for you my way." "I wasn't supposed to look for you after our last encounter in the sanctuary, remember? but you made me do it. As if that wasn't enough, you got yourself a guarding dog. I want you to get him out of our business and that stupid stammerer too, else they'll get hurt and I want to see you at my lunch table every day from next week. You should be obediently seated before my arri
"I-I've always felt tha-at girl had bad blo-ood but not to-to this extent." Gianna frown's deepened at a sticker on her notebook cover as if it had offended her more than Kelly's surprising breakout two nights ago. She'd narrated the entire story to Mimie careful enough to not mention the new light her mum viewed her in and of course Sean's threats lest it reached Adam's ears. But then, Kelly's attitude ached Gianna so much that she couldn't help but wonder why she said that. Perhaps she was too fast to conclude; Kelly could possibly have been under the influence of her brother. Blood is thicker than water. "I thought alcohol wasn't sold to minors." Mimie pulled out her glasses and rubbed a smudge away from them with the hem of her blouse. With her eyes squinted she said, "True. That's be-below eighteen or twenty-one in some ci-cities. Even though the t-town's federal drinking age is from twenty as stric-ctly decreed by the mayor si-since two years ago, do you believe Sean to b
"And you forgave her? Just like that?" Adam surprisingly interrogated as they walked through the congested corridor towards the exit. "Why, wasn't I supposed to? May I remind you that she was abused and threatened by her own brother." Adam scowled with a grunt. "I-I suddenly fe-feel bad for misjudging." "Me too." From afar, Gianna spotted a black familiar BMW. "Oh my, I almost forgot about this. Gotta go guys." Thanks to her father, her penalty had been deducted to twelve days, her visit to the city unharmed. Mimie and Adam went on with their journey home. Timider than before, Mimie preferred to wander her gaze around as she waited for Adam to initiate a conversation as it has been. She didn't know why, but whenever she was with him, her heart raced and only a while ago did she realize that she appreciated his company almost as much as Gianna's. Something that never occurred as far as the opposite sex was concerned. Never did she imagine that she will someday get this close to A
The journey to school was the most soothing and exhilarating in a long while; her father sat behind the steering wheel. He introduced an old game of theirs that consisted of guessing either a fruit or an animal with the opponent's given letter within a given time. Preferably within seconds. With Gianna leading, Petra promised to surpass her sister during their next encounter before walking out of the car. Finally alone with her father, Gianna took the little pause between them to ponder on the previous day. She would've loved to play the binding referee as soon as possible had it been Adam was in school. He alerted neither her nor Mimie about his absence. And when they made time to reach him, they kept falling into the answering machine. Mimie who had promised to check up on him in person returned with feedback from his auntie that he had traveled on short notice and will be back the next day. She was officially going to be sixteen on Saturday and she wondered how things will un
"Is there something going on between you and Sean that I should know of?" Elodie triggered. Perplexed and somehow insulted, Gianna snickered. "I don't understand you. What are you precisely saying?" Elodie approached her scapegoat. "What I'm trying to say is, are you seeing my boyfriend? Is there something more between you two behind this facade?" Gianna grunted, "facade? Because you think all this I've been encountering in the hands of 'your boyfriend' is some sick joke? Oh please," Gianna swung her bag over her shoulder. "Save your saliva and time if you do not have a tangible or realistic reason to hold me back next time. Excuse me." Her entire walk away was halted, with a hand on her arm, the very instant she walked an inch past Elodie. "I'm warning you, Gianna," she menacingly held Gianna's gaze. "Stay away from Sean. He loves me so stop wasting your time rubbing yourself on him." Gianna could not believe her ears. She brutally detached her arm from Elodie's grip and faced h
Saturday had finally arrived with the house as quiet as Cold Spring's graveyard. Apart from Mimie and Adam's midnight calls of boisterous wishes, there was nothing. Nothing else felt birthdayish. Disappointed, neither Seth nor Julia called or messaged. Vexed, her parents must have already left home without a word. Slightly surprised, Kelly messaged her, called, and even went the extra mile of changing the book donation group subject to 'It's our registrar's birthday.' That lashed chains of wishes from all seventeen members. Since the restroom talk, there hasn't been any major encounter, but the nanoseconds they casually met in the cafeteria and involuntarily in the corridors proved that she was recovering physically. She hoped mentally too. And she prayed for that day to come when she'll want Kelly to cool the unattainable itches on her back. Her apple wall clock read 8:50 a.m. She sighed and began to prepare for the first step into the most boring birthday of her life hadn't it be
"I'm so ashamed of myself. I don't like this. She has to know," Seth spilled through gnashing teeth, immensely ravaged. "Of all places, you think here and now's right for you to talk about it or tell her? Come on, you reason way better than that, Seth. Step up your game and do what you have to do. It's now or never." "Do what?" Gianna intervened after a long ride of searching. "You two just dotted out of the gathering without a word. Is everything alright?" Rigid to the marrow, Julia asked, "Have you been there for long?" "No, why?" "Thank goodness," she pulled her bewildered friend closer. "Seth has a special surprise for you. We're lucky it's not ruined. Go on Seth, don't be shy. With that, lovebirds, I'm out." Gianna shyly turned to Seth swinging back and forth on her heels and toes, waiting. Nervously. So far the most nervous moment of her life. Choked on her lover's silence, she went on with, "so...what is this 'special surprise'?" Seth dug his hands in his pocket and suck
Gianna was staring at the home party invitation card Elodie had given her before hopping into Gerald's car for home. With her name precisely inscribed on it, nothing bode well. She'd heard about Elodie Jones' house parties, "Hell's bait", organized almost every month and how top-notch, over man's expectations, they often were. Given the constant absence of her parents, Elodie made good use of the opportunity to throw irresponsible parties, regardless, absent or not she still had a party permit with the sole difference being parent's recommended upper-cruster's kids responsibly discussing over tea, cakes, patties, and hired violinists or pianists performances. Modest parties. What a bag of bore. But what she had never heard about was the distribution of invitation cards. Gianna glowered at the shimmery pink card on her study table. It terribly stunk of pungent intentions. Especially if she had to add the girl's uncertainties about her relationship with Sean. Gianna shuddered at th