"So, this is Rhaella and her quirky friends, and here we are," I remarked to Zabi as we settled on a bench near the entrance of the school gym, enjoying the last bites of our lunch. Filled with enthusiasm, I took out a pen and sketched a rather amateurish drawing of an evil Rhaella and the two of us in heroic suits, triumphantly overcoming her companions. Zabi couldn't help but silently laugh at my odd doodle, and her laughter had a way of lifting my own spirits.
Witnessing my friend's happiness brought me immense joy.
"And this expression... this is how they looked when they were disappointed. It seemed like they forgot that good people always prevail," I exclaimed, my excitement palpable as I drew sad, angry faces. The expressions on their faces as our teacher scolded them were etched vividly in my memory.
Just when I thought I was in trouble, my usually scatterbrained mind worked in perfect timing. I found myself grateful to my brain, which often failed me during exams. With a wide smile, I added angel wings to my drawing of Zabi, depicting her as a shining goddess. "Look, this is you, for always helping me with my homework," I said, beaming at her, and she responded with a written message.
"You're welcome, Miciela. You can always count on me," she replied, her eyes forming an upturned smile.
"Same here, Zabi," I responded, deeply moved by her words, and embraced her tightly. She was undeniably the kindest girl I had ever met. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony—our former friends had abandoned us, yet we had found solace in each other's company.
I hoped to find a way to repay her for everything she had done for me.
"Ugh, your friend really loves hugging. Zabi, you've given her a bad habit," a sudden voice broke our embrace. Confused, I turned my attention to the source of the interruption. It was Zabi's twin brother, accompanied by his friends.
There he stood, looking at me with disdain, his raised eyebrows reflecting his confusion about our hug. A blush crept onto my face, overwhelmed by shame at having forgotten that there were other people in the gym, even though their attention was solely on us.
I yearned to flee the uncomfortable situation. Why was Zabi's brother here? He had always despised me, even before I had a chance to feel any negative emotions towards him.
Zabi grabbed my wrist, preventing me from running away, and her gaze fixed on her brother as she scribbled a message on her paper. I strained to catch a glimpse of what she had written.
"We're playing," he explained as he read her message, pointing to his friend who held a ball. "What are you doing here in the gym?" he asked, his tone bored, as he looked expressionlessly at his sister.
Glancing at Zabi, who seemed equally devoid of emotion, I couldn't help but notice their striking resemblance and yet their contrasting attitudes. Where did Xayvion's personality come from?
As Xayvion's friends beckoned him to join them on the court, where his friend was dribbling the ball, I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that he hadn't escalated the situation further. However, my relief was short-lived as Zabi suddenly grabbed Xayvion's shirt, halting him in his tracks.
She released him and began writing rapidly on her paper. As I read her words, a sense of dumbfoundedness washed over me.
"I already told you yesterday that your friends are a bad influence. Stay away from them," she revealed to him. Anger flickered in Zabi's eyes, igniting a fire within her. Her furrowed eyebrows betrayed her frustration.
Xayvion, however, seemed indifferent, scratching the back of his head. "Zabi, it's just who I am—a nasty bully boy. So just deal with it," he excused himself, lowering his tone, audible only to us.
His response surprised me; he appeared to dismiss her concerns, explaining his nasty attitude towards others, though he disliked me because he thought it was my fault. But Zabi refused to let Xayvion walk away so easily. Determinedly, she seized his shirt and forced him to sit between us.
Startled, I looked up at Zabi, who had resumed her seat and was now writing frantically. I strained to decipher the vague words on her paper, struggling to read that she feared her brother might face suspension.
Tears welled up in Zabi's eyes, slowly streaming down her cheeks, and a sense of panic gripped me. It was the first time I had seen her cry.
"Zabi..." I called out her name, my voice laced with concern. I wanted to hug her and soothe her.
Suddenly, Xayvion enveloped Zabi in a tight hug, patting her back gently. "I won't cause any more trouble," he whispered.
Their bond is stronger than I had anticipated. It was an unfamiliar sight for me, as I had never witnessed siblings who displayed such genuine concern and tenderness towards each other. In contrast, my own relationship with my brother was characterized by playful punches and laughter, even when one of us was in tears.
I couldn't help but wonder what made Zabi and Xayvion's sibling dynamic so different. My little brother was far from being as caring as Xayvion appeared to be. It would almost be a miracle if he ever showed genuine concern for me.
Feeling somewhat out of place, I sat awkwardly on the side, silently observing the scene. Xayvion eventually released Zabi from his embrace, sighing as he spoke, "You always seem to be in need of a hug."
I watched intently as Zabi began to write, and my surprise grew with each word I read on the paper.
"Why don't you hang out with us instead?"
Zabiiii!
Xayvion responded, pointing directly at me, "No. I don't feel comfortable hanging out with a girl who suddenly hugged me out of nowhere."
A wave of shame washed over me. This boy was single-handedly destroying the peaceful atmosphere they had created. In that moment, I wished I could somehow make him disappear, but I couldn't ignore the fact that Zabi was his sister.
"I-It was an accident!! I already apologized to you," I stuttered, unable to meet his gaze.
I knew that this incident would be etched in my memory forever. It made me long for an escape, a way to disappear from this country. My dreams of traveling the world suddenly felt even more enticing.
Zabi playfully poked Xayvion's head, trying to defuse the tension. "Don't bully my best friend," she wrote on the paper for Xayvion to read.
"Anyway, I have to go before the bell rings," Xayvion said, quickly running off to join his friends. This time, Zabi failed to stop him.
I couldn't find the right words to comfort Zabi, so I simply patted her back, offering a gesture of solace.
As the dismissal bell rang, Zabi and Xayvion left together, catching a taxi to head home. Meanwhile, I walked to the other building of the school to pick up my little brother.
I spotted him playing hide and seek with his friends, his once-white shirt now stained with dirt. I picked up his bag, which had been carelessly thrown on the ground, adding to the mess.
"Let's go home, El!" I called out to him as he hid in a tree. Startled, he gestured for me to be quiet, shushing me.
I grumbled, expressing my annoyance at having to pick him up. "Michael Arilynn! Let's go home," I shouted, and he visibly showed his irritation, prompting a chuckle from me. His classmates ran towards the tree where he was hiding, ultimately revealing his hiding spot.
Protesting that it was unfair, he demanded another round. He was quite the handful.
I grabbed his wrist, ignoring the gazes of the other students. However, he wriggled and fought against my grip, determined to break free.
"Let's go home, El!" I said, my voice filled with annoyance and frustration.
"Let me go, stupid sister," he retorted, grabbing a handful of sand and hurling it at me. I released him in a panic, frantically wiping the dirt off my clothes.
"You little troublemaker," I muttered as I chased after him towards the school, juggling both of our bags. He truly was a mischievous little brother. I couldn't help but hope that someday he would show even a fraction of the concern that Xayvion demonstrated.
As my brother glanced back, his face twisted into an expression as if he were staring at a demon.
*******
"You didn't have to cry like that," Xayvion said to me as we arrived home from school, walking ahead of me. I couldn't quite tell if he was upset or not.
"Because you never take my words seriously," I replied, my voice trembling with emotion.
As we entered the house, we were greeted by an eerie silence. Xayvion opened the door, and we stepped into the stillness.
My name is Xavey Cyrillus, and I suffer from selective mutism. Earlier, I had struggled to communicate my thoughts and feelings to Xayvion, resorting to writing instead. It frustrated me that I couldn't express myself verbally in public.
"I was scolded by our mother, our teacher, and you. They are my friends now, Zabi, whether you like it or not," Xayvion declared, storming into his room and slamming the door shut. I stood there, staring at his closed door, feeling a mix of emotions.
I bit my lip, disliking the fact that my brother was being labeled as a bully and facing the possibility of suspension. Deep down, I knew that he wasn't like that, but had fallen under the influence of his classmates.
I wanted him to find true friends, good friends, like Miciela.
But were there any classmates in his grade who could be like Miciela? I hoped that such a person existed.
The next morning, Friday, I hurried down the stairs, following my usual routine of waking up early. As I descended, I noticed my brother, who was surprisingly early as well. He looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Why did you wake up so early?" Xayvion furrowed his eyebrows, taking a seat and eating a bowl of pork soup. I should have been the one asking that question.
My mother laughed, breaking the silence. "Xayvion wanted to beat you to it today. It seems he couldn't wake up any earlier. Tough luck, my baby boy," she teasingly said to him, before preparing my breakfast and setting it on the table. I thanked her for the meal.
"Why did you choose to be early?" I asked him, already knowing his intention. He wanted to avoid me. But I couldn't let him do that.
"Zabi, we'll be separated anyway once we enter high school, so let me be friends with them until the year ends," he sighed, clearly exhausted by the topic. He seemed unwilling to discuss it any further.
However, I knew how troublesome his current friends were. I had witnessed them bullying someone last year, and now my brother had received warnings from teachers and was on the verge of suspension.
"Xayvion, choose friends who don't harm others," our mother advised in a soothing tone, gently pinching his cheeks. "If you don't want to regret your actions in the future, you'd better apologize to the boy you punched," she continued, her voice firm but accompanied by a smile.
Both Xayvion and I couldn't help but flinch. When our mother smiled while scolding us, it meant she was truly upset. I watched as Xayvion hurriedly finished his meal, and I followed suit. Afterward, we hailed a taxi and waved goodbye to our mother before she disappeared from sight.
"You and mother are so alike," Xayvion remarked, leaning back in his chair. "I'm tired of all the nagging," he muttered, resting his head against the window as he closed his eyes. I didn't respond, and soon he drifted off to sleep.
As we arrived at school, I scanned the campus, hoping to catch a glimpse of Miciela again. I also hoped that she hadn't arrived early, so she wouldn't see the table cluttered with insulting notes from our classmates. Surprisingly, she didn't mention it at all.
The number of students walking around the campus was sparse. Then, Xayvion gently patted my shoulder.
"I forgot to ask, is my friend bullying you? Or is there any bullying happening to you again this year?"he abruptly asked, catching me off guard. However, before I could respond, something caught my attention.
Rhaella passed by us, a wicked smile spreading across her face. It was an ugly, evil grin that sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn't shake the feeling that she was scheming something. As I glanced at my brother, I noticed a blush creeping onto his cheeks as he stared at Rhaella's retreating figure.
Confusion and disgust flooded over me at the thought that he might actually like her. I wanted to ask him directly, but the eyes of passing students made me feel self-conscious, rendering me unable to voice my thoughts.
Instead, I clumsily gestured to him, forming a heart shape with my hands and pointing towards Rhaella, while glaring at him. It was my way of asking, "Do you like her?"
He didn't respond, but the flush on his face spoke volumes. It was evident that he harbored feelings for that ugly girl. Not only did he have a knack for choosing bad friends, but now he was developing feelings for someone who was bullying me.