Leni, you can come right now?"

"No, I know you tricked Kal to come to your place, I won't come."

I always wondered if I was an open book or what? Leni could always read through my plans. Maybe it was because she is really observant, it takes her a lot less time to understand the nature of the person than any average person. I still doubt its validity, had it been true, she wouldn't have left Kal when he needed her the most.

"Okay, now you know I tricked him, tell me how to fake illness." I laid on my bed, facing the white ceiling, as blank as my mind right now, regretting to lie to Kal. He is great at picking up lies, so who can give me better advice than the person who lied to him like a blink of an eye?

"Oh god, that'll be tough, can you get your mom's makeup?" Her words were punctuated with sighs and the strength she gathered to help me in this menace I called for. Even when she lied in front of Kal, she always feared being caught, the dread was crystal clear. At this point, I think it was Kal's fault to not see through her lies and stories when he could.

I leapt out of my bed and headed towards my parents' room. Earlene was still downstairs, making flyers for the Pets R Us rally they were about to commence right after the football match. Sometimes it scares me how much though she puts behind her initiative.

I sneaked into the room with my phone and pulled the drawer of my mother's dresser. There were a lot of items, I could only make out the contours and blush.

"Yup, what shall I do now?"

"Find a corrector."

"What? Why will I have a corrector in the makeup drawer-"

"Stupid, colour corrector, not the stationery one."

Had she been there, smack on my forehead was ensured. I rummaged through the junks and products, some even looked expired, until I found one stick.

"It says Bobbi Brown." I had placed the phone between the shoulder and my ears and hunted for the products with my hand.

"Alright, is it red in colour? I think your mother uses red."

It was indeed red, and looked scary, imagining that it was going on my face.

"Leni, I want to look ill, not pennywise."

"Elikai, right now, you look stupid, shut your hole and do as I say."

"Aye, aye captain."

She instructed me to apply it under my eyes and nose. The red shade was not meant to be matched, I assumed, but I don't know how my mother comes out and looks normal after applying this product. Leni asked me to smack some foundation shade on my lips and blend everything in.

I clicked a picture of mine and sent it to her. "You look like Jeffree Star." She didn't even try to hide her giggles when she said. "Yeah, that was the aim, remember?"

"Did you tell Earl that you're sick?" Leni always thought two steps ahead and I was forever grateful for that. Alex and I can't even think about things that happened a few seconds ago.

"Anyway, don't mention his past, don't ask about his dad and definitely," she paused, contemplating whether I should know this piece of advice or not," don't take my name."

"Then what shall I talk about?" I got out of the room after placing all the products neatly as they were. Mom didn't mind Earlene experimenting with her makeup but it will be rather fishy if she found out that I did it.

"I don't know, the weather?" I could hear Leni sipping her coffee right near my ear.

"Oh god, you're of no use."

"Screw your last chance to ever talk to Kal and then say that to me. Love ya!"

I hung the phone. "Love you too."

~~~

I swear the scene was tenser than Hell's Kitchen. Earlene sat right in front of me, still drawing her flyers by hand. The ticks on the wall clock timed well with the sweat racing down my back. One wrong answer and she'll cook up a story Mom and Dad would buy. As much as I loved her, she made it hard to live with her.

"You can draw one and print the rest of the flyers, you know," I suggested, trying to break the ice and cool the situation. My sick makeup wasn't helping me either.

"No," she didn't even raise her head to look at me and continued colouring the flyer, "That won't show my dedication. Plus, each flyer is unique as the person who would get it, so-"

"Most of them would crumble them and throw them." I bit my tongue the moment those words escaped my mouth, even before Earlene could fixate her death glares on me. Being with Alex only made me soak up his bad habits like a sponge, and I regret it thoroughly.

"I would have answered you, but that'll be a waste of time. Tell me, Eli, what is with this Instant Influencer face?"

"You have watched it? Who's your favourite? Mine is-"

"That's," She banged the table with her hand; the vase on it shook in fear I might have had, but she smiled instantly," not the point."

"Um, Kal is coming up. He wouldn't have if I didn't tell him that I was, um ill?"

"Oh, lies and conceit lace your relations, I see."

Before I could answer, Cleo circled around Earlene's leg, begging her to be put on the table.

The feral was the most amusing creature in our entire household. A physic friend of my mom believes she is the personification of our grandma and wanted to spend time with Earlene. It would make sense, considering how she made her disdain for mum's dressing sense very clear. The white fur with a black patch right around her eye reminded me more of a pirate than the snow or yin and yang Earlene wrote in her essay about her pet. She is a great listener though; she would always sneak out of my sister's room every time I felt like talking to someone but Alex was asleep. Grandma would do that too, she would read me short stories, most of the books on my shelf belong to her.

"From where do you learn all these shenanigans?" She very well spoke way beyond her years. It made sense, for her, it was the only way to catch dad's attention. She hadn't seen dad shower it unconditionally as I did, she wasn't around. Dad never blamed her as the birth of all his miseries, he can't even think like that, but with her wit growing faster than her height, it won't take her long to think like that.

"That doesn't matter," she caressed Cleo with her other hand as she continued colouring," what matters is that you should be in your room, sneezing a lot. I suggest sniffing some pollen."

"Thank you, your highness, and I expect you to direct him to my room?"

"Are you going to do things which I shouldn't tell mum and dad?" She looked at me, so did Cleo, with the most innocent face she could ever have, the same face which forced me to get food for Cleo.

"Come and watch it yourself." I winked at her; I love to make her uncomfortable.

"Ewe no, thank you." She covered Cleo's ears instinctively," let's get out of here, Bathsheba, it's not PG 13 in here." The cat yowled as if agreeing to what her owner said. Her pout scored a giggle, which was missing for a couple of days. Kal's suicide attempt just was hard for me to download and overwrite. I hope he is okay now.

Earlene saw me laughing, so she turned around to warn me off, "Don't get out of character too early, go upstairs, I'll take care."

~~~

"You didn't tell me you threw up 5 times and didn't come out of the bathroom for an hour! You just coughed on the phone!" Kal flung open the door and threw the packet of meds (I think so, he certainly didn't bring flowers) near my wardrobe.

I had either put the best makeup I could ever put in my life or Earlene just ratted in the most preposterous manner possible for Cleo and Kal to feed on.

I am placing my bet on the latter and oh boy, she is dead.

"You can have a seat, bring the chair from there." I pointed to the chair, trying not to stutter. I have found it difficult to keep a straight face whenever I lie, I don't know how this will be any different.

Although his eyebrows were knitted closely, his tight-lipped smile gave his annoyance. He definitely didn't like being here. I shouldn't have done that. No, I should have asked Earlene not to open her mouth. I should have locked her up in the basement, that would have been better. Maybe I should not have called him in the first place-

"Are you done overthinking?" Kal jeered, but he was sitting right next to me. He had put the packet of meds neatly on the end table. I crawled away a bit to make room for him. I didn't know who was uncomfortable, him or me?

"How did you know I was thinking about something?" I shouldn't have asked that, why am I acting like this? What's wrong with me?

"Because you look like someone has hit your face with a pan every time you think hard." his lips broke into an actual smile, and it was hard to make out if it was the blanket or his proximity that radiated the warmth. He definitely smiled like the ray of sun that reminded me how the darkest nights were followed by the brightest mornings. How can a person like him be engulfed in the clouds of raining misery? Alas, I may not know him properly. Maybe he is not the sun, he is just a lantern, and he is the darkness beneath the lantern.

"Enough," a cough here and there and the sickness is ensured, "tell me about the bucket list of yours." I had assumed that an unfulfilled life goal topped with no friends and a black bucket list might have fuelled the fire in the wrong place. I could start digging somewhere, the bucket list was the perfect topic. There must be a reason why he chose to explain it to me well.

"What about it?" He leaned it, which almost caught me off guard, but he placed his hand on my forehead. "Dude, you do have a fever, did you use ice packs?" I nodded in response. I had put on a heat pack instead of an ice pack, anticipating this exact scenario to take place.

He must have sensed my body tensed up because he immediately took his hand away. I need to stop fixating over insignificant actions, he doesn't feel like that about me. He would feel awkward if he realizes why I am acting so strange. I need to be cool about it, I needn't worry. He probably won't even think much about sitting close to me-

"Snap out of your thoughts, El. I already told you enough."

"There must be more to it, I remember you telling me that you didn't do most of the things you wrote."

"You surely remember a lot."

Shit. Why did I say that? Now he'll think I am a creep who remembers a lot of details, he will think I am a stalker! He might be thinking that right now, he must be thinking I called him here for all the wrong reasons. Oh god, he already knows about the mob, what else does he need to know to embarrass me?

"May I read this to you?" I hadn't seen him but he was already near my bookshelf, going through a book. He flashed it in front of me, it was a short story collection by F. Scott Fitzgerald. "I think I can read the rich boy to you." he laughed at his own joke.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?"

"No, it wasn't." He sat beside me, again. "Mom read stories to Kassy every time she fell ill. It works, trust me. I don't believe in modern medicine anyway."

Because what's the use of saving your muscles from aching when you can damage your liver? He had once put forward this point in a debate. Thank god I didn't say it out loud, I can't afford to die out of first-hand embarrassment over and over again.

"Is your, how can I put this in a sentence-"

"You can say suicide."

"No!" I shouted louder than I usually do, startling both of us, but I took a deep breath to regain my calm. At least one of us has to think straight.

"Is there any correlation between your will to live and a complete bucket list?"

He scoffed, and I hoped it was on my weird word choice rather than the idea. "You're really your sister's brother. Maybe, maybe not."

"Then show me your bucket list."

"No."

"Why?" I know he was stubborn, but faking illness is actually making me feel sick. I don't know why.

"It's like asking me to show my diary."

"Then show me your diary."

"El," He raised his voice and also his finger, but something pulled him back, maybe my sickness but my misbelief wanted me to be the reason," I have let you in more than I could have imagined, I would appreciate it if you give me some space."

"Oh yeah? How? By jumping off the terrace, you'll have lots of space then-"

He held my hand, but I flung it without even thinking, I can't even imagine him still contemplating and not regretting what he did. How much fucked up you have to be to not think straight?

"Listen, you don't know why I am acting like this and it will be better for my sanity if you don't know. But if you think people won't be affected by your absence, then you're a fucking coward who can't accept the reality."

I crossed my arms, forcing my eyes to shut before I could process what I should have said to make it sound less harsh and better. My brain at 3 AM always does that, replaying old conversations to keep me up all night, there's no use doing it right now.

The silence was more comfortable than I thought it'll be. His constant breath and slight movements ensured that he was still there, maybe not as offended as he should have been.

"Rueben is my cousin, you know."

I still didn't open my eyes, and tried to fake annoyance." So?"

"It means, he too, never loses."

This made me look at him, and he was looking at me too, almost suppressing his laugh. Of course, he expected this response, how could I not make it out?

"We'll see, if your team loses, you'll show me your bucket list as well, and promise me you will not do anything for at least 90 days."

"That's too much to ask from a game."

"Okay fine," I shrugged," If Alex's brother wins a golden boot, you will not do anything to yourself for next 100 days."

"Deal. Can I read you Rich Boy right now, Rich Boy?"

~~~
Word count: 2590

A/N
Help me find typos because I have gone blind.
I am fighting anxiety, no more self-deprecation, I swear on Light Yagami(well he died so whoop).

Also, Rueben is my irl friend. We call him renu ben because it's an Indian pun and man, I miss him.

Thank you for reading this! Hope you enjoyed it!
(Press that star thing because I am desperate and I don't care if I come across as one but I'll love you if you do vote!)

Also, I am writing 8k in a single day because I procrastinated a lot, I wonder why.