Chapter 5 - Harper

I squint and look at my brother as I scoop some of my chicken noodles to my mouth. I don't like seeing Henry in this state, who despite having in front of him a plate full of ravioli stuffed with meat, his favorite dish, he does not stop moving his fork and turning his food, without even taking a little mouthful. He takes a deep breath and lets out a sharp sigh.

“Okay,” I mumble. “You're going to tell me, right now, what the hell is wrong with you?” I cast a quick glance in the direction of the kitchen, where our mother is. We've ordered take-out at Henry's favorite restaurant, but anyway, my mother can't sit still until the kitchen is sparkling clean.

“Nothing. I'm fine,” my brother muttered, not bothering to look up at me.

“You're not fine or anything like that. I could tell in the way you looked at Chris when you left the auditorium, I also noticed the way he looked at you. Something happens between you. I saw him with those guys, who I know, they are some idiots who pissed you off last year.”

“Leave me alone, Eun-Yeong. Nothing happens. I'll get over it in a couple of days.” Henry waves his hand in the air.

“And what are you supposed to get over if you don't have ‘nothing’?” I draw the quotes in the air.

“Chris and I had a fight two months ago, because he and Katie became boyfriend/girlfriend,” he whispers.

“What?”? I can't help yelling.

“Lower your voice.”

“But what's wrong with that fool?” I return to my normal tone of voice. “Friends don't do those things. The friends…”

“I don't want Mom to find out we're not friends anymore, please. She is very excited about having that party and...”

“You lost your mind if you think I'm going to allow you to undergo that psychological torture. I'll talk to mom, so that instead of giving a ‘party’, where you have to see the face of that pair of idiots, we go camping for the weekend...”

“Camping? Really, Eun-Yeong?” Henry gives me a sidelong look. “I am no longer a twelve year-old child. Also, if I'm going to take a year off before I go to college, I can't go around doing kiddie things.”

“Oh, come on! You like camping. We could…”

“I don't want to go camping,” he answers roughly, but without raising his voice. He stands up. “I just want to be alone. Okay?” He adds and turns, walking away quickly.

“Surprise!” Suddenly exclaims Mom, who appears with a tray in her hands, where you can see three succulent chocolate volcanoes. “And Henry?” she asks, taking a quick look at the surroundings.

"He said he was feeling very tired and went up to his room to sleep."

“He ate almost nothing.” She observes that my brother's plate is almost intact.

“He wasn't very hungry, either,” I shrug. This lying to my mother, to cover for Henry, is something that I do not like at all, but it is white lies for a greater good. My mother already has too many head problems to burden her with more.

“I made him his favorite...”

“Save it for tomorrow. For sure he’ll eat it for breakfast.”

“Do you want yours?”

“No,” I shake my head. “It is too late to put so much sugar in the body.”

“I'll keep them, then,” my mother whispered.

“Let me go and I'll help you finish washing the dishes.” I stand up, pick up the utensils from the table, and follow my mom into the kitchen.

“You should talk to your brother,” she says. “He has been behaving very strange, in recent days.”

“It's adolescence, Mom. It's the side effects of puberty,” I tell her, winking at her.

“EUN-YEONG!” A scream from the upper floor makes her jump.

“Go see what your brother wants,” my mother whispered.

“Would you like me to tuck him in and kiss him good night?” I joke.

My mom smiles.

I nod and head toward the stairs. I walk up with long strides, my brother is not very expressive and if he has had a fit and wants to talk to me about how he feels, I will not miss the opportunity.

“What is it, monster?” I yell as I climb. “Do you want me to read you a bedtime story?”

I don't get any response, so I keep walking until I reach Henry Kwan Hadwin Sang's room.

“What happens?” I ask as soon as I push the door.

“You have a call," he answers and extends his arm in my direction, to hand me his phone.

“A call? For me?” I frown and glance at the gadget. “Who?”

My little brother holds the cell phone to his ear.

“What did you say your name was?” Silence. “Okay!” He says after a few seconds. Again he extends his arm towards me to give me the gadget. “A certain Daniel,” he shrugs.

What? I feel my heart jump and start beating like crazy inside my chest. My cheeks must have turned red because I feel like they are burning. Henry raises an eyebrow and looks at me questioningly, waves the phone in his hand for me to grab it.

I grab the cell phone with shaking hands, and they suddenly start to sweat, I put it to my ear.

“Hello?" I answered inertia, turning around and walking towards the bedroom door to get out of there.

“Hey!" I hear my brother exclaim from behind me. “Bring it back to me when you finish talking.”

I turn slowly and nod my head.

“Hi Harper, how are you?" The voice on the other end of the line makes an idiotic smile rise from my lips. “I just noticed one thing,” he continues. “I did not return your sim card, so I am calling to tell you that I have it... and I would like to... give it to you.”

The normal thing is that fate, the cosmos, or whatever it is called, is not so merciful to me, but damn it! This time she's paying me back in an amazing way. My smile widens and my heart races faster.

“Hi, Daniel,” I say the name as if I'm savoring a succulent delicacy.