Loneliness. It's the word that bounded me. The flood of feelings that conspired me to step out of the entry of my birdcage and had me thinking that I was no less than an unfortunate girl just like the others. It's the term that contained me inside my room, the moment when I burst out crying, realizing no one knows how unhappy I was. A time when you feel like you are drowning under the Austral Ocean while you see everyone around you breathing so effortlessly. But the odd thing is, the person who had heard my cry is the only one who dragged me up for the first time. The only person who had given me ship to sail beyond my known limitation. That's the one who brought me up to this point. The smell of breakfast, the faint sound of the cracking oily meat of the bacon under the fire while the AM radio announced that it was already time to gust out of the house and go to school. To spend my day with my peers, attentively listen to the teachers speaks, meet up with my best of friends at the
"Where's my alfredo pasta?" Khloe asked innocently once she stood up from the floor and walked closer to me."I'm not your bitch!" I retorted, narrowing my eyes at her."But I'm hungry," she complained with a pout on her lips."Your fucking problem, not mine," I muttered, putting the silver key into the hole and unlocked the door of my art studio.Entering inside the room, I welcomed the familiar smell of paints and the sight of walls covered with artworks I had made so far. My white converse shoes made a squeaky noise against the wooden floor as ceiling lights automatically turned on, recognizing our arrival.As being one of the investor of this school, they gave me this private space at the fifth floor of our school administrative building, which I had furnished as my own art studio. Most of the time, I would spend painting on a blank canvas after school or during days I'm in the mood to create the vision revolving inside my head. It was no secret that I loved art so much. But they
*trigger warning*"Oh c'mon, don't be such a clamjam!" Khloe teased loudly, causing Xander and Alec to holler along with the heavy metal music. I cringed when Xander banged his Mohawk head like a lunatic as he clenched his fist up, singing along with the incoherent lyrics.Listening to them made my head spin."Why am I here with all of you, crazy?!" I tried to pull out the aux cord but Khloe stopped me by restraining my arms and she was giving me a warning glare through the front side mirror of Alec's truck. She broke contact once her boy toy ushered her closer to his body and kissed her on the cheek.I rolled my eyes, irritated. I heard them laughing at the back of the car while Alec sang so loudly and out of tune. He better keeps his eyes on the road or else our plan would backfire.Getting tired of their animalistic behavior, I pulled out the cord, immediately killing the music and their wild antics. "That freak might wake up if you guys don't stop this!"All of them chuckled."C
"Is this enough?" Khloe asked to Tiana as she gestured her hand out to Timothy. The bastard was knocked out inside an open-rusted container truck. He was blinded with a fabric on his eyes, topless and with a wood ply lynched around his neck. It was labeled 'I am a sinner.'"I already sent the photos to the school community," Maggie mused as she pointed to the dummy phone she was holding."And it's not a really good sight," James added with a smirk on his face."Tomorrow is going to be eventful," Alec commented, shaking his head.I sighed, already worn out from this whole prank. I glanced at Tiana and I knew that she was thinking that this wasn't enough. However, she made a promise to Bailey that she wouldn't do anything to lead her in a dangerous situation. Zoey pointed that out once she realized that her best friend didn't want to stop beating Timothy. It was the first time I'd seen her like that. To be honest. Girls are wild when they needed to be."Time to go home," Xander urged, a
I woke up as my alarm went off at seven in the morning. Rolling on my bed, I blindly took my phone from the bedside table and killed off the sound. Honestly, I had no energy to stand up because I wanted to stay on my bed and sleep until I had enough. Khloe drove me home at four because I didn't want my parents to know I was not in my room for the entire night and I was at Khloe tree house, hoping for sex.And I had school so without any choice, I pushed myself up and headed to the bathroom to do my morning routine. I had no time to ponder about my outfit today or even choose which lipstick color I would put on my lips. I just wanted to come to school, listen to the daily drama, finish my classes and -Shit!Oh my God! I forgot that I rescheduled our cheerleading practice today."Damn Khloe!! Why are you ruining my life?" I whined as I threw my towel in my laundry basket. After I fixed myself for the day, I stomped my feet downstairs, greeted my parents lazily and had my breakfast.I was
"DARE!!!" Chad repeated our answers, causing the partygoers to celebrate. I think all the people in this party were already here to witness the war between Khloe and I. Obviously, we got all their attention and I was going to make sure that I'm gonna win. Or else, she would get all the credit. We were throwing this party to gain more popularity— for our cheerleading team to be the talk within the district and it would be ugly for our reputation if I lost.Clenching my jaw, I gave my opponent a piercing glare. She tilted her head a little and then winked at me. How annoying!The game was simple yet severe. First, you had two choices: Truth or Dare. If you choose TRUTH, you're going to be the loser automatically, the crowd will mock you for the rest of the night and the opponent will have a one day privilege of being your master.The TRUTH of being a total loser.However, if you choose DARE, a sequence will commence. There were a lot of sequences, actually but the crowd screamed for 'Ch
If there was another way around to keep my self-control, I would delightedly take that prospect. However, the circumstances at hand was so revolting to the extent that I wanted to just turn to dust and crawl through the gap of the door to escape this reality. The unforeseen pause due to the astonishing turn of event entombed my capacities to think straight. Some universal force must be punishing me for leading me into this small room with the girl who made my high school life so problematic.Why?There were a lot of reasons why I detested this girl and what was happening this night fired up the rising emotion within me. The alcohol in my system was not helping at all. I really had a lot and that was not a good indication. Usually, I would distract myself from drinking too much because I always had to take care of my girls. They were always my responsibilities and you could say I was the mother in the group. Bailey would be the father for handling us in terms of life and knocking wisdo
Those flashback drizzled out of my mind once I parked my car on our house garage. The machine of my Jaguar died down and the silence reborn in the surroundings. The air became so thick and cold in solitude. I assumed my parents were already on their way back home with news about Tiana. I dreaded to hear any possible outcome from all the raids which occurred all over the town.But it was very weird.... It was odd that I was reminiscing about Khloe during this severe moment. It might be due to the level of insanity of the events. It was nothing of ordinary and it reminded me of her. That must be it.After the promise I had made after the party, I went to a mission to prove her that I wasn't a bad kisser. However, each of our encounter resulted to the same exclamation - that I'm truly the worst kisser. Which contradicted the make out session inside the girl's bathroom during third period. The tongue-tied war between us inside the guest room of the Valentine's Italian mansion after their
Extraordinary.The day had become extraordinary since I'd met the person who completed my half-empty canvas. My life had changed so drastically as love and struggles forced us to bloom into a broad picturesque of a happy family. Khloe and I were led to a life of imperfect yet seamless routine. Our life opened up to countless possibilities and we created our future together through ups and downs. We both aspired to be a better individual, not only for ourselves but also for each other.After 'the incident', Khloe suffered greatly from trauma and we didn't have a choice but to seek help. I was traumatized too so we went together and helped each other to get healed from the past tragedy. Years had gone by and so we'd grown. Now, I was already the art director of a private museum, the Caslary Art Foundation, that was being financed by Quinn Blackburn for already two years. Not only did it showcase talented new artists, but it was also established for a cause, and that was to help the chil
The harmonious chirps of the birds lurched me out of my daydream, illuminating the polar night before my eyes. The painting had an emotional value in my heart. It was a hidden gem hanging inside a wooden treehouse, an art which was denied from the world. For me, this was more authentic than any art I have ever seen. Because it seen memories and growth. It was seeing the fruition of my existence through the age of time. Its original painter was no longer in this world, and yet every time I stare at it, it would always make me feel alive. Now it was watching me about to step closer to another chapter of my life."You need me?" the familiar voice asked, causing my eyes to avert from the magnificent painting.Mad stood a few feet away from me. And I looked at her dashing presence. She was wearing a long burgundy velvet dress enlightening her feminine persona. Her medium short curls were braided in style. However, I could still feel her menacing presence as she sat on the couch, next to me
*trigger warning*The rain poured out of nowhere, causing me to bolt into the cab in a hurry. Once I was in, I placed the box of art material beside me with a smile. I was certain that Hilary was going to give me an earful of rant for buying her another set of brushes. Last month, I had surprised her when we went to an art gallery of her favorite modern artist. She was so ecstatic to see those modern arts with me. She even managed to buy one of his masterpiece as a keepsake for attending a launching event for the first time.All I ever wanted is to make her happy. Since we moved in together three months ago, our relationship got stronger. Although there were some arguments, we wouldn't let it pass midnight and would just talk it out like a mature couple. We shared our dreams with each other and we adjusted our flaws according to our individuality. We both struggled to manage our schedules because she'd started her part-time job in a library near the university just two weeks ago while
The deadly silence of the room enamored the scene underneath my sight. I couldn't hear anything but I was seeing his bare body towering over me, his hands around my neck. The dark shades of his orbs were the roots of evil, anger was prominent as they stared at mine. The air was so rare, serenity was nowhere to be found. My lung wasn't functioning as it tried to seek even an ounce of life.He had a mad smile on his face, relieving himself using my damaged soul. It was sickening, how he moved against my body. I wanted to shut my eyes and just take all the illusion away. I was aware that this was just a nightmare I had no control with. The nightmare that could possibly happen afterward, if all else had failed.At least, there was no pain. But only deadly silence. And once I finally found a chance to breathe, I screamed at the top of my lungs, knowing it would be my key to reality.Once again, I jerked up and raced for a breath of air. Then I quickly moved my eyes to Hilary, but this time
I didn't want to admit it but I was saddened by the news that Mad was gonna leave today. Her job here was already done. Even though I'd only known her for a while, she'd already made a huge impact in our lives and someday, I would have the chance to pay her back for saving my life, that's for sure. Despite her assurance that we were going to be safe from now on, still, I was holding this poisonous threat in my heart. If I was to decide, I wanted Hilary's personal bodyguard to stay with us, like forever. I'd finally considered her as our friend already, despite my irritation towards her the first time we've met. She grew on me along with her insightful advice."Are you sure you don't want us to drop you off at the airport?" Hilary asked Mad, hugging her tight.As usual, Mad felt awkward at the gesture, causing me to smile endearingly at them. "You're squeezing her so hard, waltz. Let her breathe."Hilary stepped an inch away while pouting at her bodyguard adorably. "I'm gonna miss you,
"Are you sure about this?" Quinn asked, glancing at me curiously."I need this closure," I said faintly. It was still early in the morning and yet, the dark cloud was already blocking the rays of the sun. The weather seemed to match my mood at this moment— dreadful and dark. The wind caressing my hair and skin from the open window of my sister's car greatly sent the aroma of the cold daybreak.We were on our way back to our town. I had to do this so that I could see him with my own eyes— that he's gonna be there, confined with his life rotting away. My rage for him was so palpable but somewhere in my heart, I pitied him. In the first place, he was mentally damaged because of the life that was forcefully shoved into him. That Malum tortured and brainwashed Jet's whole existence like a trained lion in a circus. However, we all have choices and Jet chose to be consumed by his own insanity. He let others systemize his own beliefs and his own life. And those choices nearly called upon the
"Hey, you're still staring at your portrait? You love it that much, huh?" Hilary questioned, hugging me from behind. She gently swayed our bodies together side by side, toning the atmosphere into the essence of sweetness.With an unbreaking smile, I eagerly nodded. We were standing in my study room and I'd been gawking at the painting of mine since I came home from my last class of the day. It astounded me to the core that someone painted me for the first time.This work of art that Hilary had given me for my birthday was the best thing I'd ever receive as a present in my whole life. Aside from the fact that it was from perfect her, I was also overwhelmed by the smudges of bright acrylic dyes covering the grudges area underneath my whole feature. It was an absolute abstract of my face tinted with sophistication and beyond."I love it so much. I can't stop staring at it every time I come here," I said, beaming happily.Hilary giggled, kissing me on my shoulder. "I'm glad you do because
A soft caress stirred me awake from unconsciousness. Gently, I opened my eyes to see my gorgeous masterpiece who was holding my hand tightly on her cheek. Her eyes were already submitting to sleep but she was trying to fight it. I was about to reach out for her but a sudden pain at the back of my head halted me."My waltz," I groaned out, breaking her subliminal state to abrupt panic. Hilary blinked as if she was just dreaming. I squeezed her hand tightly to emphasize my presence while I lifted my other hand to touch my head. However, Hilary was quick to stop me, pushing my arm back down."No, Klo. They just put a bandage on your wound," she said, her tone was full of concern.That was my cue to scan the surroundings and I could tell that I was in a hospital room. My memories charged back in my head and it instantly produced a fear within my system. Pushing myself to sit up, my girlfriend carefully guided me as she stood up from her seat."W-What happened?"Hilary sat on the edge of t
"Happy Birthday!! Make a wish!"I timidly smile at them while Hilary raised the cake in front of me. I closed my eyes and only wished for the happiness of all the people I love the most. It was something general but would be worth it anyway in the long run. Opening my eyes, I blew off all the ninety candles and Hilary smeared my face with coffee frosting. I chuckled, giving her a warning look, to which she responded with a wink.Arisa and Quinn clapped as they seated on the other side of the table. We were in the VIP room of the dining restaurant that Hilary had booked for us. The place was already an old restaurant but just renovated months ago so the sophisticated interior looked fresh in the eye. It smelled like a scented paint mixed with the aroma coming from the kitchen. It seemed a popular dine-in stop as I noticed that the area was almost already full. I wondered how she had managed to reserve this private space, knowing that she had already spent half of her allowance for the