“Oh, Davi, where's the orange penguin you made last week?” her mom asked as she came down the stairs with a laundry basket that had Davina's clothes in it.

Davina looked up from the kitchen table where she sat, doing her homework. “I gave it to a friend. His name is Leo.”

“The same friend who caused you to sprain your ankle?”

Davina shook her head. “No, that was Damian. He is Leo's friend.”

“Damian is not your friend?” Her mom asked as she sat on the chair beside her.

Davina looked up to think. Was Damian a friend?

“He's someone I talk to because I like talking to Leo and he's always with Leo,” Davina said slowly. Davina never felt particularly compelled to talk to Damian. She occasionally wished him away.

A person is supposed to want to talk to their friends, right?

Her mother nodded understandably. “Oh. Like an unavoidable acquaintance?”

“Yes. That's a wonderful explanation, Mom,” Davina said, very pleased with her mother's reasoning.

Her mom beamed. “I am an English professor after all. Aha. That reminds me. Have you decided what you want to study in college? There's math or you could do something in fashion or busi–”

“Computer Forensics,” Davina said, interrupting her mother.

Her mother blinked stunned for a moment and then suddenly teared up. Davina began to panic while trying to figure out how she had made her mother cry. “Mother, why are you crying? I apologise for whatever I said.”

Her mother shook her head and wiped her tears away furiously. “I just can't help but think you're growing up too fast. A few years ago, you would have never even thought of college.”

Davina's chest warmed at her mother's words. There was no one that had sacrificed more to make Davina comfortable than the woman opposite her who, despite all, stared at her with so much love in her eyes. Never had Angelina Miller treated Davina differently than she treated David and Davina was going to be eternally grateful.

The front door opened and their eyes whipped to the newcomer. David stood at the door with his grey hoodie draped over one arm and a smoothie in the other hand, staring at them with narrowed eyes. “What's going on here? Mom looks like how she did when I told her that I got a job.”

Their mother suddenly let out a cry that made the two younger Millers jump in surprise. “My babies!!!”

“I told her I'm studying Computer Forensics,” Davina said.

David nudged her with a proud smile. It was common knowledge even among extended family members that Davina had a hard time picking a career. Davina could hardly explain her sudden decision. It had only come to her when she was watching an Asian drama with Jaiyana whose main character was a detective.

“Let me guess. She said that we were growing too fast,” David said. Davina nodded and he burst into laughter.

Their mother pouted, looking at them with watery eyes. “S-Stop laughing.”

“Yes, mother,” they chorused.

Just then, Davina felt a vibration in her sweater pocket. She pulled out her phone to see that Leo had sent her a text.

It was a selfie of him smiling widely in front of a zoo with his family. The caption was: I so do not want to be here.

Davina
Make a good excuse and leave.

Leo
Tell me an excuse my mother would believe.

Davina
You've not completed your homework.

Leo
…How do you know that☹️

Davina
You always do them right before class but you borrow the wrong notes and end up getting half the answers wrong.

Leo
That's cold, Davi😔

Davina
Is this one of those times I don't need to apologize for hurting you?

Leo
I guess so. Not that I would really mind the apology😉

Davina paused, staring at Leo's last message. It seemed like one of the others that had some secondary meaning that Jaiyana told her about. But Jaiyana wasn't there to ask.

“David, is there a secondary meaning when someone uses a wink emoji in a text?” Davina asked.

David ran his hands through his hair while thinking—a habit he had gotten from their father. “Well, it depends on who it is. It could be a casual fun kind of stuff or it could hint a dirty meaning. What kind of person is she?”

“He's a handsome, self-centred flirt who swears a lot,” Davina said without thinking.

“He?” David asked in shock.

Their mom slapped his arm. “She's almost eighteen, David.”

David scoffed. “Tch. He's definitely a scumbag. Block him.” He reached for her phone. “I'll help you–”

“No,” Davina said and pulled her phone to her chest, glaring at David.

David narrowed his eyes at her defensiveness. “Are you in love with him already?”

“I don't think so. Leo's nice to me.”

“Great! We have a name. Tell him to stop flirting with you.”

Davina
Stop flirting with me.

Her phone within the next minute. Davina smiled excitedly and ran up to her room to take the phone call amidst her family's protests.

“Hi,” Davina said, her voice barely above a whisper as she picked up the phone call.

“Davi, why do you sound so shy now?” His low voice said. Beneath his teasing words, she could feel something else in his voice. It was something that she couldn't identify but it made her heart speed up.

“I'm not being shy,” Davina replied. “I just don't want my mom and brother eavesdropping.”

“Do we have something to hide?”

“I guess not–” He remained silent on the other end of the phone for quite a while that she felt inclined to complete the rest of her thoughts. “–but our conversations feel private for some reason. Do you know why that is?”

“You just don't want to share me.”

Davina's smile drooped. “So I'm being selfish?”

“I suppose but we can be selfish about things like this. I'll be yours if you want to be mine.”

Davina hummed in agreement. “That sounds like a fair deal.”

Leo laughed. Davina smiled at the sound. “I know. You love those.”

“I really want to see you,” Davina said.

Leo was silent for a moment and let out a strangled sound. “Don't say things like that, Davi. You might make a poor guy like me go crazy.”

Davina couldn't quite decipher the mood fo the conversation but she knew she liked it. However, she was stuck on how to respond. For once, she held off the first answer that entered her head and opted to think about her possible options. Finally she decided on one that sounded the most abnormal to her. “Is going crazy such a bad thing?”

“Screw it. I'm coming to you, Davina. Text me your ad–” There was a sudden crash and a yelp of pain. “I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” a female voice said. “I'm fine. Actually, I'm new to this town. I'm Kendall.”

“Oh. Nice to meet you. I'm Leo.” There was a slight pause. “I'm sorry. I gotta go.”

“Oh,” the girl said, sounding disappointed. “I guess I'll see you around.”

Leo made a hum of agreement and returned to the phone with Davina. She could hear him take rapid steps away from Kendall. “Davina, send your address.”

“Why?” Davina asked, rubbing her chest to dispel the clenching feeling within.

“I recall someone wanting to see me,” Leo teased. “I want to see the said someone too.”

Just like that, Davina's chest loosened and she smiled. “Enjoy your Sunday, Leonardo. I'll see you at school tomorrow.”

As Davina ended the call, her smile dropped and she threw the phone carelessly to the bed. Half of her head was filled with the thoughts of Leo with his arms wrapped around another girl.

The other half was wondering why she was so angry about it.