Rachel woke up to Fiona screaming at the top of her voice the next day.

"-cat was licking my hair!"

"Oh, calm down. You'll wake Rachel up." Jared said back.

Rachel opened her eyes, rubbing them to see what was going on.

"Good morning!" Jared beamed. His eyes were bleary and had dark circles under them, indicating he hadn't slept well. His hair were all matted and disheveled and there was dirt smeared over his left cheek.

Fiona was standing at a distance, her face contorted in annoyance, her nostrils flaring and eyes gleaming furiously. Her limbs were bent, like she was struggling against gravity far more than anyone else.

"Can you believe we slept on the street yesterday, like homeless runaway teenagers? People even left us money!" Fiona told Rachel as she stood up from the ground, shaking the sand off her clothes.

Rachel looked down and sure enough, there were pennies piled near her feet.

Jared extended his hand to pick a paper up from the ground.

"It's a brochure. Of an orphanage!" Jared laughed.

Fiona rolled her eyes, her face flushed red. She picked up the coins from the ground and pocketed them, saying she would donate them to some orphanage.

"How do we get home, now?" Rachel asked no one in particular.

"Take a taxi, I guess." Fiona responded.

The trio fitted themselves inside the taxi and in about fifteen minutes, they were standing outside the door of their house.

"I'm so exhausted! I'm going to bed as soon as I'm done taking a bath." Fiona announced as she made her way towards the bathroom.

Jared was slumped on the couch near the TV, switching through channels for something interesting.

"Nothing entertaining is on." Jared remarked.

"We could watch Donald Trump talk. That's entertainment, I suppose." Rachel said.

Thus they sat together, listening to Donald Trump go on with his racists speeches till Jared yelled,

"THE PROJECT!", startling Rachel.

"Is this the time where we yell whatever comes to our mind? I'll say FLYING PURPLE COWS, then."

"No, the project Rachel. The Greek mythology project."

Rachel looked at Jared, her eyes wide, like she was actually looking at a flying purple cow.

"Damn! What if we don't submit it on time?"

"We fail."

"Then we have no time to waste. Let's begin."

Jared's shoulders slumped.

"But Donald Trump is entertaining." He said with pleading eyes.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"We do it right after school tomorrow. At Starbucks."

"No acting like a crybaby if you meet Anastasia there again?"

Jared looked at Rachel sourly but made no comment.

______________________________________________________________________________

The next day at school, when Fiona, Rachel and Jared were making their way out towards Starbucks, they came across Timmy. He completely ignored Rachel, curtly nodded to Jared's enthusiastic "hello" and walked with Fiona to the side.

Still ugly, Rachel thought.

Jared and Rachel could not hear the two of them talking, but anyone could tell by their facial expressions that Fiona and Timmy were arguing. Timmy was looking at Fiona in annoyance, who kept shaking her head.

"Do you think we should go and ask what's going on?" Rachel asked Jared.

"You stay here. I'll go." Jared said as he made his way towards the arguing couple.

"Is there any problem?" Jared questioned.

"Stay out of this, will you?" Timmy said in a curt voice.

Fiona pulled on the end of Jared's sleeve, saying, "I'll handle it."

"But I can help." Jared offered.

"We don't need any. Now, do you mind?" Timmy said, his nose scrunched up in annoyance.

"Actually, I do. I mind the way you're talking to my sister like she's shit. I mind the way she can't be her condescending self in front of you and I mind the way you order her around." Jared spat, crimson with fury.

Fiona had a blank expression on.

"I told you to stay out of this. It isn't any of your business." Timmy said, through his clenched teeth, balling his hands into fists.

"She is my sister and you have absolutely no right to talk to her like she's your property."

Fires of rage burned behind Timmy's smoldering eyes, but before he could say something, Fiona raised her hands up at him.

"Don't Timmy. Just don't."

"Why don't you tell that douche bag brother of yours to shut up?" Timmy yelled.

That does it, Rachel thought as she moved forward and slammed her copy into Timmy's face. The impact sent him hurtling backwards and his head collided with a wall.

Rachel felt her knees wobble as she saw the first drop of scarlet dripping from the back of his head.