Chapter 6 "War"

In Kyle’s early ’20s, he experienced a lot of heartbreaks. All the girls he dated had the same reason for dumping him.

‘It’s because you are too kind.’

When Kyle dated Sharmaine, he thought he finally found a woman whom he will spend all his days with. But just like in his past relationship, she dumped him most miserably.

Kyle knelt, even begged not to leave him alone. Yet Sharmaine left him alone in the rain.

‘Ahh. Maybe I am not really a person who deserves love,’ Kyle thought.

The rain poured down. He stayed in his position, kneeling. He was so embarrassed that he did not have any strength left to stand and flee. Until someone approached and shed him shelter under an umbrella.

Kyle lifted his head to see who this good Samaritan was. Her eyes are small, and her cheeks are fluffy, making her look innocent.

“I am giving free umbrella,” she said.  “Go and get this.” After handling the umbrella in his hand, the woman turned her back and left.

Vincent and Slyvester told Kyle that he has emophilia, someone who tends to fall in love fast and often. Kyle would agree. Because if there’s really nothing wrong with him, then he won’t get interested in the woman who only gave her the umbrella after he broke up with Sharmaine.

‘I am really crazy,’ Kyle admitted.

Ever since he met that girl, she never left his mind. However, he was relieved that he won’t meet her again. Yet the one in a million chances happened.

Ryan came into the boarding house as his new board mate.

Was it really a coincidence? What if this his prayers were answered in this way?

“What is your ideal type?” Ryan read out the question that Kyle prepared.

It was he who wrote it, taking the 16% chance that she will pick it up. Kyle couldn’t stop the smile on his lips. He thought it was really his destiny to meet her again. However…

“I don’t have an ideal type,” Ryan answered, scratching her nape. “But I am waiting for someone.”

Kyle’s smile faded away. Based on Ryan’s answer, it’s clear that her heart already belongs to someone else. Therefore, Kyle chanted this spell on himself:

‘Why should I fall in love with someone who likes another guy? I’ll just hurt myself again.’

Since then, Kyle promised never to harbor feelings with Ryan.

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Yawning with disheveled hair, Kyle walked down the stairs. As soon as he arrived at the kitchen, which is the first place he goes to every morning, he saw the anti-social guy in the area.

“Good morning,” Kyle greeted the guy who was having a coffee and reading a newspaper.

He glanced at Kyle.

And that’s all.

No greeting, no hello, nothing.

Well, Kyle anticipated he wouldn’t get anything from the anti-social guy named Terban.

“Ahhh,” Kyle gasped as if remembering an important thing to say to Terban. “We make a schedule for those who will prepare the breakfast.”

“I don’t want to prepare breakfast for other people,” said Terban, then flipped to the next page of the newspaper.

Kyle’s lips twitched. There’s a limit to his kindness after all.

‘How dare he when he’s younger than me,’ Kyle cursed internally.

“Don’t mind him,” Vincent came into the scene. “I don’t want to eat the food prepared by a bastard like him.”

Terban placed the newspaper down. He looked at Vincent who called openly called him ‘bastard’ without filters.

“Did you just call me bastard?” Terban asked.

Vincent smiled at him and repeated, “BAS-TARD.”

Kyle quickly held Vincent’s shoulder. He whispered, “Vincent, don’t start a fight with him.”

“It’s too early to fight, guys,” Chaylen complained, entering the kitchen. He is half naked with only a Batman-printed boxer.

Terban shook his head at the horrible sight.

“Hey. Did you steal my ice cream?” Vincent accused Chaylen.

“It is yours?” Chaylen pretended to be innocent. “Sorry. I will just buy you a new one.”

“Next time don’t touch my things,” Vincent bickered.

“I apologized, okay? You should put labels on your things, next time.”

Kyle stayed silent. He wanted to nag at Chaylen because he clearly told him not to mess with Vincent’s ice cream, yet Chaylen ignored his warning. However, once it reaches Vincent that Chaylen deliberately stole his ice cream despite knowing the truth, Kyle feared that Vincent will cause havoc.

“It seems every day these cockroaches will be this noisy,” Terban whispered to himself, which reached the ears of the three.

They all looked at Terban.

“C-Cockroaches?” Kyle repeated in disbelief.

“We? Me?” Chaylen even pointed to his handsome face.

Vincent sneered. He approached Terban then…

“Oops,” he murmured before he bumped his hand against the sandwich on the table. It fell on Terban’s pants.

“F*ck!” Terban cursed, standing up. He wiped the crumbs in his pants and stared back at Vincent.

“Sorry,” Vincent said in not so sorry tone. “As a cockroach, I didn’t mean to do that.”

“You sh*t,” Terban murmured before he grabbed Vincent’s collar.

“Wow. This is entertaining,” Chaylen reacted as if he was watching a movie.

On the other side, Kyle went busy setting the two apart.

“Stop it, guys! Why are you bickering over a small thing? You’re not elementary students for Pete’s sake!”

“Just let them be,” Chaylen instigated. “Give them knives so they can stab each other.”

Terban and Vincent both looked at Chaylen and said in unison, “Shut up.”

“Woah,” Chaylen gasped. “After fighting each other, I am your next target?” He clapped his hand. Chaylen did add gasoline to the fire.

Slyvester came to the scene. His eyes were still closed as he walked towards the kitchen. Just like Chaylen, he is also just wearing a Spongebob-printed boxer. Maybe it slipped out of his mind that there was a woman in this house.

“What’s up?” Slyvester asked.

“Good morning boxer buddy,” Chaylen greeted Slyvester and even offered a high five.

Though confused, Slyvester gave him a high five. He was in a daze, not until Ryan arrived.

“Good mor…” Ryan was about to greet them when he saw the two men wearing nothing but their thin boxers.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” She screamed and covered her eyes.

“Oh sh*…!” Slyvester gasped before he hid behind Chaylen, who also wears nothing but his Batman boxer.

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Ryan’s POV

“R-Ryan, wait. Hmmmm,” Slyvester uttered as he followed Kyle and me on the way to school.

Today is the first day of the college day. Sadly, my morning started with a shocking experience.

“I am really sorry!” Slyvester apologized. “It slipped out of my mind that there’s a woman inside the house.”

I looked at him;  at his rounded small eyes, pointed nose, well-defined jaws, tanned skin, and pleasing apologetic smiles.

Staring at him, I remembered the outcome of our game last night. The game ended with scores: Slyvester- 2 points, Vincent- 3 points, Chaylen- 6 points, Kyle- 3 points at me– 8 points, which means I am the loser and Slyvester is the winner.

Slyvester could not answer that one question given by Chaylen: “Can you tell us about your ex?”

That one. After seeing the question, Slyvester pursed his lips. Kyle and Vincent worriedly tended to his side, as if they know something behind his grimace.

Thence, now that Slyvester is here in front of me, begging so badly, I don’t have a choice but to accept it.

‘Be thankful, you’re handsome. Hmp!’

Well, Chaylen is also handsome. But there’s no way I’ll forgive someone as pervert as him. NO WAY.

“It’s okay, Slyv. I know you did not do it on purpose.”

“Yey!” He cheered. “I won’t do it again! Promise!” He then gave me two thumbs up.

“Poor Ryan,” Kyle sighed from the side. “What if she’ll suffer PTSD just because of you,” he teased.

“What is PTSD?” Slyvester asked innocently.

Kyle opened his mouth and then closed them again. He blinked swiftly before he said, “J-Just about trauma. The letter T stands for the acronym PTSD which means trauma.”

“Huh,” Slyvester scoffed. “Admit that you don’t also know the meaning.”

“I said I know!” Kyle shyly protested. “I just… forgot it. It’s at the tip of my tongue.”

“Really? Then show me your tongue.”

Kyle sticks out his tongue. It took him seconds to realize that Slyvester was just messing up with him. He brought his tongue in and murmured, “You are really annoying.”

Having these two around lifted my mood. If only the other three in the house were as friendly as them, then I won’t have a problem. Speaking of problems, an expensive-looking white car is parked by the side. When the car’s window elevated down, we saw the devil.

“You all will walk on the way to school? How cheap,” mocked Mr. Negative.

Slyvester placed his hands on his waist, shouting, “What! Chip?! We are not food!”

Kyle tapped Slyvester. He leaned closer and whispered, “Slyvester, he said cheap. C-H-E-A-P. Not chips.”

Slyvester gaped and laughed at his stupidity. “Ahhhh, it’s cheap? Lol. I thought he said chip.” He processed the word well and realized how rude it was. “What?! What cheap!?” Next, he pointed to the demon’s face.

Why are they wasting their time hanging out with this bastard? Tsk.

Since nothing good will happen if we continue staying together, I tried to stop whatever needs to stop.

“Just don’t mind him,” I said. “He’s not worthy of your time, guys.”

“What a waste,” Mr. Negative sighed. “I was thinking of asking the three of you to get on.”

Kyle, who was easy to fall, smiled widely at the demon’s insincere offer. “Really? You will let us in?”

But Slyvester stopped Kyle. “No. We won’t take a ride with someone as cheap as him. C-H-E-I… oh no. C-H-I…” Slyvester seemed to have forgotten the spelling.

Fortunately, Kyle went to the rescue. “C-H-E-A-P.”

“Right!” Slyvester nodded. “C-H-E-A-P! Cheap!”

“Tama!” Orij nodded. “C-H-E-A-P! CHEAP!” naiinis na sambit ni Orij bago tumitig ng masama kay Mr. Period.

“All right, I get it. It is indeed regretful to let you in after I just finished cleaning my car,” the devil answered.

Wait a minute.

Was he saying that we are dirty?

Seriously.

What is his problem?!

He came to us like an attention seeker and spoke nonsense like this!

When the car’s window was about to close, I placed my hand in between.

“Wait,” I halted.

He opened the window again and stared at me.

“What do you want? I told you not to touch my stuff again,” he told to me. The bastard got a tissue then he used it to wipe the part I touched.

‘So this is how I lost my patience.’ 

“Are you implying that we are dirty?” I asked, gritting my teeth.

“I did not say that you are dirty. However, if that is how you’ll interpret my words, then I can’t help it.”

Oh god.

I took a deep breath and smiled.

Slyvester, Kyle and he had this strange look on their faces while staring at my odd grin.

The demon watched my every move.

I grabbed something from my bag.

Seconds later, my perfume is already in my hand.

And the next thing that I did?

Well, I just sprayed them all in his face.

“Ohhhh!” he shouted and coughed. “Ugh ugh ugh!”

“Ryan!” Slyvester and Kyle shouted from the side.

“Ugh ugh! You!” The demon glared at me while coughing so hard.

“I apologized. It is because I am allergic to someone as stinky as you,” I said, smirking.

The war between me and Mr. Negative begins.