“Call me when you get there,” I hugged my mom tightly. It’s been less than a week and they’re off to another trip. I let her go and smiled, moving to embrace my dad next. “Take care of yourself, Princess. We’re proud of you,” he whispered, kissing my temple. I smiled when I heard his words, squeezing him even tighter and trying not to lose my balance while standing on my tip toes. I kissed his cheek before I let go and watch them turn to walk into the airport. They turned to look at me for a final time and waved. When they disappeared behind the glass doors of the airport, I got back to the car, closing the trunk on my way to the driver’s seat. I’ve got a long drive ahead. An hour of continuous humming and singing, my throat felt parched and I pulled up into a convenient store to get myself something to drink. Locking the car, I jogged into the store under the light drizzle that had st
I woke up to the light buzz in my pocket and a sore neck. I reached around under me to find my phone and finally got a grip on it, answering the call without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?” My voice was groggy and raspy from sleep. I squinted through my drowsy lids and saw the sun just about to rise in the horizon. I didn’t dare straighten my legs, knowing that they’ll feel stiff from being folded all night long. ‘If my back is in this much pain, God have mercy on my legs,’ I thought silently with a wince while trying to stretch a little. “It’s me. I just wanted to tell you that we finally managed to calm the idiot, knowing you’re probably worried about him,” I heard Preston say into the line and I immediately perk up at that. “Is there a park nearby where we can meet up? I think it’s going to be better to not talk about this over the phone,” I replied and I coul
I was starving; full out roaring stomach style. All I could remember about the dinner I “ate” last night was the food that I barely touched before Adam waltzed in and kicked me out. Wow, I actually felt more offended by the fact that he kicked me out before I got to actually eat anything than the fact that he kicked me out, period. So there I was, sitting alone in a depressed looking corner of a depressed looking restaurant with a depressed looking table on a depressed looking chair, feeling depressed. My hoodie was covering my face from view and it gave me a sense of isolation and privacy, if that even made sense. A waiter came to take my order and I spent 3 whole minutes just going through the menu because nothing looked appetizing enough to eat. Goddamit stomach, make up your damned mind. Finally, I settled for a Bolognaise spaghetti and blanketed mozzarella with french fries on the side. What can I say? A girl’s gotta
“Next time, I’m driving.” “There will be no next time,” I growled out in annoyance. It wasn’t my fault Jake was pushing my buttons. He did, after all pop out of nowhere. Not to mention that he stupidly decided to bring Monic along. “Come on, Case. You can’t be mad at him, I bribed him to come with me and you can’t blame me for being worried. The last time we saw each other was during Carla’s funeral. Then there was that incident and you completely pushed everyone away. Is it wrong for me to want to spend some quality time with my cousin?” Monic ranted and I sighed, resting my hands limply on the wheel. “That’s not the problem, Mo. This could barely passes as quality time we are in a street-fighting competition, an illegal one, might I add.” She and I both knew that this is far from being a normal quality time between cousins. God knows how freaked out I was wh
Getting out of the car, I ignored Monic’s protests and questions. I remembered what Preston told me and it was enough to convince me that this wasn’t the Adam that we knew. “Jake, drive and don’t look back,” I told him sharply. He looked at me as if I was crazy. “What about yo-” I shut the car’s door before he could ask another question and I shot him a look that made him turn the car and drive away. This man wasn’t my Adam and I won’t let him hurt anyone I love. He was after me so I knew Monic and Jake would be safe as long as they weren’t anywhere near me. I narrowed my eyes at him, glaring at the man before me darkly. “What do you want?” I asked into the night, knowing he could hear me loud and clear. I was hurt and if he was going to pick a fight with me, I would lose in a nanosecond. But Bryant has always told me that if I’m going to go down, I shou
I veered around the big crowd, annoyed at all the elbowing and shoving. I grimaced in pain as another elbow dug itself against my bruised side. Damn uncivilized baboons. Two can play that game. I sucked in a sharp breath and dove into the pool of nauseating body odor. I kept my head down and elbowed my way, shoved whoever shoved me even harder. Annoyed Casey is not a very nice acquaintance. When I finally managed to eject myself from the rest of the crowd, I stopped walking for a while and took my time in catching some needed breath. The humid air surrounded me, sticking to every part of my exposed limbs, The smell in the air was contaminated with the smoke from car engines and the lit cigar of a near bystander who was leaning on a pole, talking on the phone while smoking on the cigarette he held between his fingers. The sound of an oncoming train filled the station and people hollered for each other in the midst of the crowd. They hustled th
“Nan, I’m off!” I announced and she came out of the kitchen in lightning speed with a pout on her face. She was holding a cloth, wiping cream off her hand. “Already?” I nodded and walked up to her with my backpack slung over one shoulder. “I’m sorry but I only have two weeks to train and I don’t think it’s going to be enough so every second counts. Thank you for letting me spend the night.” I kissed her cheek and gave her a hug. “Not even for cookies?” I hesitated but shook my head. The cunning woman knew that was my weakness. Dammit. “Alright, you be careful then. You’re taking the bike right?” I nodded once more before hugging her and opening the door. “See you, Nan!” I shouted over my shoulder and shut the door behind me. I jogged to the small garage beside the house and took out the bike that I used to ride on whenever I visited. My f
An hour later, I finished setting my things in a corner of the cabin. It wasn’t dusty so that’s a plus. Mr. Huang gave me a thin cushion as a makeshift bed, a pillow and a blanket to sleep with. It may not sound like much but it made a comfortable bed. After I finished getting settled, I stepped out of the cabin to meet Mr. Huang in the middle of the empty land. Trees surrounded the place and there was no trace of civilization nearby; perfect for some intense training for a couple of weeks. The sun was shining brightly over us since it was still 9:00 am. I had tied my hair up and I changed into some black leggings and an oversized sleeveless shirt that I tied up just above the waistband of my leggings. I was barefoot and was praying to God that there were no sharp twigs or thorns that were going to pierce my foot. “There are 6 things that you have to master. The first thing is the faith you need to keep within you. Believe in
The car had toppled over and had landed on its side. Casey was under me. I could feel the liquid that drenched my eyelids, preventing me from cracking my eyes open. I felt the pressure on my arm that laid under Casey's head to protect it from the jostling that happened as the car swerved and fell sideways. I couldn't feel my lower half either but from the movements that Casey made under me, I knew that I've successfully cocooned her.Through the blinding pain, I heard Casey's cries and screams over a faint hissing noise. Every movement she made that nudged any part of my body would flare a new set of pain that threatened to knock me out. But amidst the unbearable pain, I felt relief in my heart.My little sister was okay. She was alive. She was moving.That was all I needed.
I pulled up at the spot where I dropped Casey off earlier and got out of the car. I jogged to the front door where Casey stood, one of her friends hanging a few feet behind her with what looked like my sister's purse in her hands.I locked eyes with Casey and she started walking. I couldn't read her expression as she looked straight ahead and power walked towards me. I slowed down, ready to spread my arms to give her a hug, but she stepped past me and walked towards the car instead. I turned to look at her back as she continued walking before turning back to her friend, handing me Casey's stuff.Casey's friend gave me a look and shook her head, tipping me off on how bad it went. As I took Casey's bag from her and ran after my little sister who was already walking towards the car, I watched the drag in her steps, as if they were the heav
"Yeah, just drop by any time you feel like it, Bryant. I've got no plans tonight so I'll probably be home. I'll text you my address." General Reeves said through the phone."Thank you, General. I'll call you when I'm on my way there." I spoke into the phone before hanging up.It's been a few days since I last heard from Dom. If our fight the other day didn't happen, I wouldn't have thought much about his silence since we weren't the kind of friends who had to talk to each other every day to stay close but how we left things off the last time we met made me worried.I checked his social media account to see if he was active or had made any posts lately but found nothing that eased my worries. Maybe I was too hard on him..But wha
I shut the front door and locked it before taking off my shoes. Casey was laying sprawled on the living room couch in her pajamas, covered by a layer of blanket. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, head resting on a pillow propped up against the armrest and hands holding a spoon and an ice cream tub. The TV was playing one of the episodes of 'Salvation' on Netflix.When she heard me stroll into the living room, she raised her head and craned her neck to look at me. "You're home early," she commented, looking at the time displayed on her phone screen.It was only 6 p.m. so technically it was early. After staying for a few hours in the park, watching the sunset together, I told Maddy what I was planning and she understandingly agreed without any objections or complaints. I was lucky to have a supportive and understanding girlfriend.
I tilted my head up with my eyes closed, trying to just absorb the fresh air and let it cool my insides and help me relax.I opened my eyes and watched as the wind shook the branches of the tree we were sitting under. Fall was already here and winter was just right around the corner, approaching fast. The branches were already balding, giving it a bare look, making the tree seem almost naked without its green. The leaves that managed to stay on the branches had already turned colors, pulling different shades of orange, yellow and sometimes even a beautiful bright red. The sight made by the tree branches reaching out and creating a web right above us, mapping across the space between us and the sky, was entrancing, at least to me. I could never get enough of it.The sun was nowhere to be seen today, hidden behind some clouds. The air aro
"Leaving?" Casey asked me as she stirred her cereal and milk in a bowl for breakfast."Yeah, I'll be back by 10 p.m. tonight." I told her over the jiggle of my keys as I pocketed them. "Do you have any plans today?"Casey shook her head, "Get home as late as you'd like, I'm not a kid, I'll be alright. I'll just be chilling inside, binge watching netflix and enjoying my ice cream."I didn't want to argue with her about going home later. It was more for my peace of mind than anything else. For the past year, I've tried very hard to never let Casey be alone. Especially in an empty house late at night. Of course she didn't understand where my worries and anxiety was coming from but that's alright. I'll do the worrying and being the anxious one, she can live in blissful ignorance that comes
"You haven't forgotten what day tomorrow is, right?" Casey asked me while she dumped her things on the foot of her bed.I plopped on my bed beside hers and rubbed my eyes tiredly. I hummed in response to her question, laying my arm over my eyes to block the light streaming in through the window by my bed.When she didn't continue speaking, I raised my arm slightly and took a peek at her.Casey stood over me, staring me down with her hands propped on her hips."You totally forgot what tomorrow is, didn't you?" She asked again.I grunted in annoyance, prompting her to stop speaking in circles and just get to the point.I felt a slap l
I rang the doorbell and waited for a few minutes for Dom to answer it and let me in.I had the urge to look around to check if anyone was watching me while I was waiting but I didn't want to tip off the people watching if there were any. I didn't want to give them further reason to suspect that I was hiding something.Because I was, and they're not supposed to know that.It was a Saturday afternoon and it was way too shiny than I'd like it to be. The sun was beating down my back and it was starting to get uncomfortable, so I knocked on the door to rush Dom."Coming! Hold your bloody horses!" Dom cursed from behind the door as the door jiggled and swung open. Dom stepped aside once he saw it was me and let me in. "You're here."
We stepped into the restaurant and told them we had made a reservation under Johnson.A waiter led us to a table where a man in a collared shirt sat, talking into his phone.When he saw us approaching, he waved and said a few words into the phone before hanging up and stashing the device away, smiling widely at my parents."I thought you stood me up!" He joked, standing from his seat to warmly greet my parents with hugs.Dad slightly turned his body to let the man see Casey and I clearly."This is Bryant, my oldest." I smiled as Dad made the introductions, stepping forward and offering my hand.He took my hand and shook it firmly. H