Sibling

Mareili felt cold shivers tickle her spine when she felt Joachim look at her and worse... he was glaring at her with so much coldness registered on his face. 

She began to contemplate, did she do anything wrong? Did her mouth mistakenly slip, making her say something that may have displeased him on the phone? Or... was her dress embarrassing? Did she arrive late? No, she was sure his plane just arrived now so there wasn't a possibility that she arrived here late. Then what must have brought this icy expression from him? 

She moved her feet, taking Leon's wrist and leading him slowly toward where her brother sat. But Joachim didn't wait for them to reach him, he stood up and walked over to them, handing his bag over to Leon. Mareili immediately knew why he was staring so coldly and something wasn't right. 

Leon took the bag quietly, he seemed to have known from Mareili, the type of person her brother was, He stepped back a little when Joachim came in between he and Mareili, staring him in the eye in a challenging manner. 

"Mareili who's this?" Joachim asked, his eyes never leaving Leon, Mareili scratched the back of her head. 

"Uhm... He.. He is Leon" she stuttered.

"I don't care about his lame name, I want to understand what he is to you"

Leon wanted to reply *I'm her boyfriend*, but he kept silent, knowing it may put Mareili in grave trouble and he wouldn't want that, it was best if she replied on her own. 

But when Mareili didn't answer, he replied instead. "I'm a friend of hers, Sir. I'm Leon, she's always talked well about you" Leon said said moving back and stretching out his hand for a handshake, Joachim smiled and took his hand. 

"Oh, now I understand everything. I never knew Mareilli had a secret friend who claimed to be a friend, but actually made her forget her academical responsibilities and making her fail to continue her education" 

Leon frowned and Mareili gasped, he actually said the last part loudly and the people around now looked at them. 

She saw Leon look around with a smiled at the staring people, she knew he was embarrassed but Joachim didn't seem to be at all, he still rocked Leon's hand, looking at him with a mischievous smile. "A good friend you are indeed"

He then turned to Mareili and gave her a warning look. "I know this guy's more than a Friend to you.... and you're not even ashamed of flaunting around with him, you should grow up girl, you're life has been ruined enough already" he said and walked away, leaving the both of them dumbfounded. 

Mareili turned to him and glared at his back as he left, was her life really that ruined?, she always thought that she had missed a step in life but for her own brother to tell her that her life was ruined then... 

Leon covered the space Joachim had created between then and he hugged her, he knew her brother's words had gotten to her.

"He didn't even ask how I'm faring?" She muttered on his chest as she tried to restrict the tears that threatened to fall. Leon rubbed her back and shushed her, stopping her from letting out whatever she still planned to say. 

         They all boarded a cab home, Leon sat at front seat while Mareili and Joachim occupied the back, Joachim was busy with his cell phone, he had an Earphone on one ear as he hummed to the tone of a music Mareili didn't care to know.          

Finally, they arrived home after few seconds and Joachim got down the car immediately. 

Leon helped her out and followed her up the doorway but Joachim stopped on his tracks and turned to look at them. "Don't you have a home to go to?" He asked brazenly, referring to Leon. 

The latter understood what he meant and gave him a greeting nod before turning to Mareili, "Bye, I'd call or text you" he said and Mareili took the bag from him and waved him a goodbye. 

Leon left. 

Mareili stood and watched her brother while the latter urged her to go ahead and open the door. 

She moved and walk passes him, reaching for her keys and opening the door, she walks in and Joachim followed after her, sniffing in the scent of the place. 

He was impressed with the way the lounge looked, he had always known his Mom to be a clean and hiveled woman so he didn't think twice when he saw that the designs of the lounge had changed and it looked as clean as ever. 

Without minding to change, he walked over to a couch and had his seat, his eyes still fixed on his phone. 

"Your room's ready, Bro. I think you should have a rest after the long trip" Mareili suggested, still standing beside the door which was literally beside Joachim. 

He craned his neck to look at her and shook his head. "Nah, make me lunch instead" 

He returned his gaze to his phone and Mareili makes to leave but his voice stopped her. "I just you took the culinary skill of our Mother" he said without looking at her, Mareili paused in her track, shook her head in disbelief and made her way to the Kitchen. 

She was certain that if she lived with this brother of hers for a month, she'd go crazy. it had always been her Mom who was there to speak for her. 

Those days when Joachim returned home on Holidays and childed and taunted her to no end, Mom had always been the one to answer for her, scold Joachim and make him stop. 

But now that she was no more, Mareili could only imagine what could happen. 

Not getting a scholarship wasn't really her fault, After the separation of their parents, her Mom and them had, had less to feed from and they had to starve for many hours of the day. 

Luckily, Her late Mom was a writer, a good one. She put her talent into action and with the little she gained from selling out her books, she was able to feed themselves and pull the children through highschool. 

As years went by, Mrs. Mateo, along side with an Author friend of hers, worked together to build a Minor book cooperative Company, But Mrs. Mateo wasn't getting much from there and her book selling was no longer enough to take her children to college. 

Fortunately, a scholarship came across them and they immediately applied for it, Mareili had tried her best, she had tried to balance editing through several of her Mom's work and Reading. 

At the end of it all, Joachim got the scholarship but Mareili didn't and since then, he had been using this to taunt her, claiming to be more times better than her... 

     "Mareili!" 

A voice yelled from behind and Mareili was startled with a shock, she found her brother standing beside the door of the kitchen, all ready to scream at her, she saw it with the look on his face. "I've just realized that its been 45minutes and you're yet to even start your silly cooking" He scowled. 

"I'm sorry" Mareili could only say ans brought her head down, she ran round the kitchen, frantically trying to get things together. 

   Lunch was served, White rice and Vegetables. 

The siblings had just settled down on the dinning, Mareili dished Joachim's meal before serving hers. 

"This is definitely just not what I was expecting to eat but uhm.... If there's nothing else. Anyway" Joachim muttered to himself but loud enough to be heard by Mareili. 

Mareili ate as she watched him eat, she noticed a frown slowly build up on his face and she itched to ask what was wrong but dared not, It didn't take long before Joachim complained. "I can see you didn't even learn how to cook, come on, Marreili, this is what every woman shoukd learn to do.. This food is just too salty for my liking"

Mareili stopped eating and just watched him as he ate, he kept spurting out several complains that Mareili began to think if some of the complains even existed. 

Disgust plastered on his face, but Mareili shook her head with a sad smile and returned to her food. 

Just then, her phone beeped on the couch where she had dropped it. 

Joachim saw the excitement written on her face and she immediately left the dining to go get her phone, he creased his brows as she looked into the phone and chuckled, she ambled back to the dining, eyes still stuck on the phone screen and lips still smiling. 

She received a message from Leon along with an image of him attached to it, Mareili sat back on her seat, unaware of the piercing gaze of her brother who wiped his mouth and cleared his throat. 

Mareili's attention was turned to him. "Give me the phone" he suddenly ordered and Mareili shivered with shock. 

She just stared at him without a reply and it seemed to rile him up. "I said, Give. Me. The. Phone" he emphasized with clenched jaws and Mareili handed the phone to him. 

He snatched it from her hand and stood on his feet, "This shit remains in my custody until the day I leave to school" He said with a grouse voice and walked away. 

Mareili just shook her head and turned her gaze to the fireplace in the lounge, she just blinked twice, not knowing how to react, she knew that if she confronted her brother, there may be a heated argument which will result to him raining thousand insults about her failure on her.