Kapittel 3

Vanessa

I feel homesick and nostalgic at the same time. I didn't know why, but probably because I was starting to miss our old house, but I wanted to stay here too. Weird. But maybe I've gotten too attached to the people my family, and I had met and created friendships with at Washington, especially my clique. Not to mention that dad and I made lots and lots of what I consider the most remarkable memories that I missed badly. While here in Scarsdale, I've created a myriad of childhood memories and relationships that I had forgotten but badly want to revive, especially with Angie and Angel, my closest childhood friends and cousins. Sigh. If only I could live in two places at once.

Trying to kiss the morbid combination of feelings away, I raised my tired back, raised my arms, and stretched. Yesterday was tiring. We had a super long ride and had no time to waste unpacking and arranging stuff in the house. Good thing there was Aunt Rebecca and the twins, or else mom and I would have been a goner out of severe fatigue today. I looked out the window and witnessed the sun's golden rays seeping through the glass and admiring the breathtaking view outdoors. I rested my elbows on the window sill and admired the striking star's beauty, just like I always did back then. Just like I always did back then...

My lips slowly curled into a frown as nostalgia surged in my tightening chest. Not again. I groaned, slid my feet off the bed, and wore my fluffy slides. Standing up, I did a full-body roll stretch before fixing my bed and leaving the room, hoping that mom woke up earlier than me and had already made breakfast.

Much to my relief, when I arrived in the dining room, the delicious smell of bacon, sausages, and eggs invaded my nose as I laid my eyes on the table where hot and sizzling breakfast was already served. Mom was stirring coffee at the kitchen counter while Zach sat on his baby high chair, playing with his yogurt.

"Morning, mom," I greeted mom, sitting on the chair beside my little brother. "Good morning, baby." I pinched his puffy cheek and gave it a kiss.

He stopped playing with his food. "Mownin..." he struggled to say and reached up to give my cheek a kiss. Aw, this sweet boy.

"Morning, hon." Mom finally turned around and sat at the table with her mug of coffee in hand. She picked up her fork and knife, and we both had our fill, digging in harmoniously. "You know what to do today?" she asked me before chewing on a slice of bacon.

I raised my brows at her as I chewed my overly scrumptious breakfast. "Clean my room and sort out items, babysit Zach, find the forms that I need to present to the school registrar on Monday. After that, prep my stuff and self for a new day in school— as a transferee," I answered and turned to Zach to wipe off the yogurt on his cheek that I saw him smear through my peripheral vision, distracting myself from welling up again.

Since the accident, I had been absent from school for a month under the excuse of physical and mental recovery. I was not only physically scarred, the doctors then diagnosed me with acute trauma a week after I woke up. I spent the entire month coping with my sadness, blaming myself for the accident, and talking it to my therapist while recovering from my broken arm and legs. I missed dad's wake throughout the entire month and was only allowed to be released for a day, which was dad's funeral. That very day caused me another breakdown, and my stay in the hospital was extended.

Trying to get over everything, I thought I was gonna come back to school and be normal again, spend the usual restless days. But much to my disappointment, the day the doctors told me that I was good to go, I learned that we were moving out and I needed to transfer schools.

"Aw, my baby's all grown up," mom complimented, looking at me with starry eyes. I wanted to tell her that I was not. I was still depressed over dad's death, and talking to my therapist about all my dark, intrusive thoughts wasn't helping enough, but I didn't want to cause any more burden. I didn't want her to break and cry like how she did during the funeral. Aside from Zach, she was the only family I had left, and I didn't have any plans of losing them both. No. Never again.

"Think in the morning, act in the afternoon, sleep in the evening," I quoted William Blake with a smile and continued eating breakfast.

As was planned, after breakfast, I immediately set to work. I cleaned, arranged, and decorated my room. The work ended almost half a day, mostly because I was distracted by my old stuff while sorting them and getting myself sad while looking for the forms I needed to present on Monday. Honestly, it was very depressing for me since it was my last semester in high school and I was excited about graduating. Taking class pictures, asking my classmates and friends where they'd be heading for college if they would be going to college or not, preparing for the yearbook, and the like.

Sitting on the edge of my bed, I looked over to my closet, where my set of new uniforms hung. I got on my feet, walked over to the wardrobe, and grabbed my Monday and Thursday uniform. It was a long-sleeved dress shirt with a ribbon around the collar, layered with a navy blue coat with the school crest patched on the right chest and its lapel lined with white fabric. It would be paired with an above-the-knee plated, flannel skirt. The Tuesday and Friday uniform had the same skirt and dress shirt but with a shorter sleeve that had the hem lined with navy blue fabric, a flannel necktie, and a navy blue vest with the logo patched on the right chest. I gently touched the soft fabric of my uniform with my fingertips. I didn't have a uniform back in middle and junior high school since I went to a public school, so it felt weird and new having a uniform. I actually didn't think of wearing one someday. Sigh, Trinity Knights High School, please be good to me.

I took advantage of the rest of the time to finish decorating my room since mom would be starting her new job next week, so she'd be in charge of Zach in the meantime. After finishing my final touches for my room, I took a small break before switching spots with mom taking care of Zach, and the rest went on 'til evening. I made myself busy by surfing the internet while watching my little brother play in his crib when I heard mom's voice calling my name from the kitchen.

"Vanessa?" I fumbled on the sofa, changing my position before answering, "Yes, mom?"

I heard her footsteps coming closer and closer. Anticipating her presence, I turned my head and faced her behind me. She was holding a long list of God knows what, a wad of cash, and her Cruze's key.

"There's a grocery shop the two blocks away from here. Drive my car and kindly empty this list," she said and handed me the long list with the cash and car keys she was holding. I took it and read the whole content.

"Wow," I whistled. "Are we having an advance Thanksgiving, mom?"

Mom laughed at my joke. "No, sweetheart. Rebecca and the twins are going to have dinner here with us. You know your Auntie and cousins. They're not really fond of cooking."

I playfully rolled my eyes when she said the last phrase. "Right," I muttered in agreement. Auntie Rebecca wasn't really fond of cooking, and just as people say, like mother, like daughters. The twins have also acquired that trait of hers.

"Okay," I took a deep breath, took the cash and keys, and then placed them in my pocket.

"Can come?" Zach volunteered all of a sudden, which stunned us both. He was raising his arms at me with a hopeful look on his face.

Mom walked over to the crib and leaned toward him to kiss his forehead. "That is if your sister agrees," she said, which rendered the little rascal to look at me with huge puppy eyes. Don't look at me like that, little boy. You're melting my heart!

"Of course, you can," I walked over to them and messed his hair. He giggled, causing saliva bubbles to froth and pop out of his mouth, and he hopped on his spot to reach my neck, his arms still reaching for me. I leaned toward him and scooped him in my arms. Mom looked at us lovingly.

"We'll be back in a bit, mom," I told her and walked to the door.

"Bye-bye, ma-ma." He waved his hand at mom. I opened the door and made my way out, spotting mom's car nearby. I hear mom shouting from indoors, "Take your time!"

"Yeah!" I shouted back. I halted my steps when I reached the car and pressed a button on the key that caused the vehicle to make a small sound and the child lock to unlock. I opened the door and carefully placed Zach, who was busy playing with his saliva, on his signature booster seat. When I ensured that he was securely strapped, I sat down on my throne, a.k.a the driver's seat, and inserted the key in the ignition.

The whole car was filled with my younger brother's laughter when I turned the ignition on. I turned to face him and saw him look at me with the most amused expression I've ever seen. "Fasten your seatbelts, big boy," I said before hitting my eyes on the road and stepping on the gas pedal with much force, driving off.

Softly humming, I looked at the car's stereo before switching it on and turning to my favorite radio station, Fresh Grooves FM. I've been a recent fan of their weekly top 20 tracks. Their staff usually chooses songs carefully, whether the song was famous or underrated. They had been a contributor to some artists' fame.

Thankfully, they were still playing their top 20 track. They were on Johnny Stimson's Gimme Gimme. Instantly hooked on the beat, I began moving my body slightly while going along with the song. I was lost in my own world.

All the melancholy strapped within my chest yesterday vanished like thin air. Every little thing heavy that was hanging onto me was gone. I was in bliss. I wanted this to go on like forever.

"Gimme gimme gimme that loving. Want you to lemme lemme lemme lemme lemme get a cherry on top.

I've got this feeling in my chest a thump a thump thumpin'," I sang and banged my head negligibly.

"How are you doing there, big b– oh my god!" I gasped in horror, and my dopamine-induced happiness became lost in the adrenaline rush when I saw what Zach was doing. He was munching on the seatbelt! I mentally facepalmed. Dang it, I forgot to bring the pacifier!

Panicking, I tried to reach an arm out to him. He was holding on to the thing tightly with his chubby, saliva-stained hands and was gnawing in his mouth like it was some kind of delicious candy. "Baby, baby. Stop that. Stop munching the seatbelt!"

I turned to face him and busied myself reaching for the seatbelt and Zach that I had forgotten about facing the road. The little critter was adamant about nibbling on the stupid thing, and I couldn't reach him!

"Zach, hand it over," I said and stretched on my seat as my arm went closer to him. Just a bit more. A bit more...

"Gotcha!" I celebrated in delight when I finally caught the belt and threw it aside. All innocent and gullible, my younger brother thought his candy was taken away and wailed, much to my aggravation. Now the relaxing and fun atmosphere I created earlier was gone.

"All right, all right. I'm sorry, baby. Shh," I tried to shush him down, but it caused him to cry harder. Oh God, what should I do?

"Hey! Stop the car! Stop the car!" I heard someone shout echo in my ears from nowhere.

"What?!" I shouted and faced the front. "Oh my God!" like it was out of instinct, my leg automatically pressed on the brake pedal.

The car was actually approaching a pedestrian lane, and on the side was a fire hydrant with a dog peeing on it! I shut my eyes and hit the breaks harder while shrieking, hoping that the vehicle would stop sooner.

"What the heck, are you crazy?!" I heard the same voice echo once again, and I turned my head to the left side, seeing a guy's figure from the other side of the road was approaching the car. "I was shouting for you to stop, didn't you hear me?! Why didn't you stop sooner?!" he asked as he came over.

I shrunk in my seat. So much for getting my driver's license on the first try. It wasn't my first time driving, but I believed I had been an excellent one since neither my friends nor mom complained about it whenever I took the wheel.

Anyway, I had been inattentive the whole time. I was too busy panicking about Zach and the seatbelt that I forgot to park. It was like I was at my wit's end– actually, I was at my wit's end.

If it hadn't been for the person approaching right now, I would still be driving without looking at the road, and we could've hit somewhere without me knowing it. If it did happen, there would be casualties that'd bring mom trouble. Zach too, he might have been hurt if I hadn't stopped, and an accident actually happened. And if he did, I would never forgive myse–

"Hey! Can you hear me?"

I gasped in surprise when someone snapped their fingers on my face. I popped out of reverie and realized I was face-to-face with a guy's tan face. He was looking at me with his eyes full of concern, his nose huffing since he ran all the way here from the other side, and his lips slightly ajar as he panted vehemently, his lips releasing a minty scent.

"I... I'm sorry. I was tending my younger brother. He was getting a bit messy," I apologized and pointed at my younger brother, who was suddenly quiet. He followed my thumb, and his gaze softened when he laid eyes on my brother. "Anyway, is the pupper okay? I almost had a heart attack." I unlocked the door, and the guy made his cue to step back as I exited the car.

I walked to the bumper to see if I did hit the dog or not. Much to my relief, the dog was okay. The cutie had its eyes gleaming, tongue out, and tail wagging at the car in excitement. Thank goodness. I wouldn't bear it if the car didn't stop on time and hit the poor baby.

"Thankfully, he's fine," the guy behind me said, and I turned to face him. "You stopped on time," he added before striding past me and picking it up.

"Thank God," I said and sighed with full relief. It was my first time driving recklessly, and the consequences would have been harsh if it weren't for this guy. "Are you his dad?" I asked, thinking that I needed to compensate him. I almost hit his dog, of course. I needed to make up for that mistake. Hopefully, he wouldn't ask much, though. I only had the money mom gave me earlier. "I'm so sorry about what happened."

"No." He shook his head, which rendered me confused. "I'm just hired to take him on walks. I've been telling his owner that his leash was a bit old and needed to be replaced. He never listened to me. Now, look at what happened." He shook his head again. He was acting like a parent finally seeing the consequences after a few warnings were given to their child.

"I... I can bring you guys to the nearest store to buy him one!" I retorted nervously. What the hell, Vanessa. Why would you offer a stranger a ride?! Surely, I made a mistake, but I shouldn't have gone that far!

He raised his hand and shook his head again. "No need. Thankfully I bought one beforehand since I knew this would happen someday," he said and fished out a brand new leash from his pocket. What a resourceful guy! "Also, you wouldn't be likely to want on having a stranger in your brand new Cruze that has your little brother inside. Also..."

He began to look around, then said, "Thankfully, there aren't cameras in this area too, or you'll be sued. This little guy's owner's a bit of a scrooge. He'd sue anyone that did him even the slightest wrongness against him for compensation money," he said, turning the dog on his other arm and carrying it like a baby, then scratched its stomach. My heart almost melted at how the pupper closed its eyes and shook its legs, looking relaxed and happy.

Once again, I made another sigh of relief. "Anyways, thank you. If it hadn't for you, the worst could have happened."

"No problem. The worst-case scenario didn't happen anyway." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you sure there isn't anything that you want? I mean, you almost had the dog you're hired for a walk to get into an accident," I said, crossing my fingers from behind that there should be at least a small favor he'd ask. I'd feel guilty if I wouldn't do anything to compensate for my wrongdoing. "I'm really, really sorry."

"I told you, it's cool. Supremo didn't get the slightest scratch and doesn't look bothered at all. You're apology's good." He looked over behind me. "Also, I think you should get going. Your little brother's nibbling the seatbelt."

"What?! Zach!" I immediately ran back to the car to apprehend him from eating the seatbelt. What a stubborn kid, gosh! I gently grabbed the seatbelt from his grip and tucked it in the seat's furthest corner so he wouldn't be likely to get it ever again, let alone have the slightest sight of the object.

"Be careful on your way," the guy said, patting on the car's door sensitively once everything was fine again and I had reclined on the seat.

"Right." I nodded, and a thought flashed into my mind. "Anyways..." I trailed off and grabbed a pen and paper from the compartment, scribbling in my name and contact number. I handed it to him. "If anything happens to the do– I mean Supremo after this, please tell me. I don't have much, but I could probably give even the least compensation."

He was hesitant for a moment and looked at me for a few good blinks. Quietly, he slowly reached his hand and took the paper. "Sure."

"Good." I nodded my head approvingly, hoping that nothing would actually happen to Supremo after this encounter. "I guess I should be heading now," I then announced.

He nodded. "Try not to hit more animals," he said when I sped off, and my face immediately flushed redder than a tomato.

Thankfully, opposite to what happened earlier, the rest of the trip was delightful and was filled with Zach's laughter. Seriously, he seemed to be rather amused than terrified after what happened. The sudden halt should have affected him somehow, or maybe it did happen when he suddenly stopped crying.

I parked the car on a curb once I found a grocery store near the county's outskirts. I didn't have the slightest clue if this was what mom was talking about, but who cares? As long as I buy what was on the list, I'm alive and breathing. I turned the ignition off and left the car before grabbing the little thrill-seeker out from his booster seat.

He raised his hand and shook his head again. "No need. Thankfully I bought one beforehand since I knew this would happen someday," he said and fished out a brand new leash from his pocket. What a resourceful guy! "Also, you wouldn't be likely to want on having a stranger in your brand new Cruze that has your little brother inside. Also..."

He began to look around, then said, "Thankfully, there aren't cameras in this area too, or you'll be sued. This little guy's owner's a bit of a scrooge. He'd sue anyone that did him even the slightest wrongness against him for compensation money," he said, turning the dog on his other arm and carrying it like a baby, then scratched its stomach. My heart almost melted at how the pupper closed its eyes and shook its legs, looking relaxed and happy.

Once again, I made another sigh of relief. "Anyways, thank you. If it hadn't for you, the worst could have happened."

"No problem. The worst-case scenario didn't happen anyway." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you sure there isn't anything that you want? I mean, you almost had the dog you're hired for a walk to get into an accident," I said, crossing my fingers from behind that there should be at least a small favor he'd ask. I'd feel guilty if I wouldn't do anything to compensate for my wrongdoing. "I'm really, really sorry."

"I told you, it's cool. Supremo didn't get the slightest scratch and doesn't look bothered at all. You're apology's good." He looked over behind me. "Also, I think you should get going. Your little brother's nibbling the seatbelt."

"What?! Zach!" I immediately ran back to the car to apprehend him from eating the seatbelt. What a stubborn kid, gosh! I gently grabbed the seatbelt from his grip and tucked it in the seat's furthest corner so he wouldn't be likely to get it ever again, let alone have the slightest sight of the object.

"Be careful on your way," the guy said, patting on the car's door sensitively once everything was fine again and I had reclined on the seat.

"Right." I nodded, and a thought flashed into my mind. "Anyways..." I trailed off and grabbed a pen and paper from the compartment, scribbling in my name and contact number. I handed it to him. "If anything happens to the do– I mean Supremo after this, please tell me. I don't have much, but I could probably give even the least compensation."

He was hesitant for a moment and looked at me for a few good blinks. Quietly, he slowly reached his hand and took the paper. "Sure."

"Good." I nodded my head approvingly, hoping that nothing would actually happen to Supremo after this encounter. "I guess I should be heading now," I then announced.

He nodded. "Try not to hit more animals," he said when I sped off, and my face immediately flushed redder than a tomato.

"Broom! Broom!" Zach cheered as I walked to the entrance of the store, carrying him in my arms.

The doors automatically slid open. I roamed my eyes around to find a trolley and found one near the cashier's counter. I grabbed it and placed Zach on it at once, ignoring the judgemental, disdainful stare of the middle-aged cashier was smearing on me. I flashed her a smile before walking to the aisles to do what must be done.

I made myself busy by reading the whole list when I heard Zach make a compliment, "Nice hiw."

I lowered the list to look at him and nodded in agreement. "Maybe moving back here isn't so bad after all," I said.

I released a grunt when something hard crashed against our cart, causing my stomach to hit on the handle. I shook my head and staggered a glare at the thing or person I bumped into, but my irritation soon melted like an ice cube under the hot sun when I saw those familiar pair of steel grey eyes.

Despite my dry throat and trembling lips, I managed to tell my brother, "...Or not."

A menacing smile ran across his face. "Hello, baby girl."

I smell trouble.

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