"Aren't you planning to get up?" he inquired. "I might take a little stroll; my legs are feeling numb."
"Are you serious?" the girl asked with a hint of alarm.
"No, just kidding," he replied sarcastically. "I came here to promote second-hand clothing."
I burst into laughter, and Juliane dashed into her room, slamming the door rather firmly. Grace and I exchanged glances and joined in the laughter. It seemed like quite some time before we managed to regain our composure.
"She's cute," he commented once we settled down. When the laughter subsided, I wiped the smile off my face and raised an eyebrow in surprise. What was that about just now? Flirting?
"Didn't you notice?"
"But my sister is way prettier," the brunette smiled. "She has a beautiful smile when she's genuinely happy... you know, for real."
"Plus, she has those cool, brown eyes. And when she looks at you, you could either die or faint," I added, looking at Grace, who gave me a disapproving look. "I know that's not true, though. I'm trying to befriend her, but it's not working. Or maybe I'm just lost and exhausted. Time flies so fast, and I still haven't achieved anything."
It felt like a pang of pain struck my heart. I felt so sorry for the brunette, for his futile efforts. I even felt a bit angry at his sister, although my anger wouldn't change anything. His feelings were all too familiar to me. A couple of years ago, I also didn't know what to do. With my mother's condition and my sister. I remembered how anger and guilt held me captive. I was so angry that my mother, who should have been on her feet already, was still lying there, unmoving. I was around 7 or 8 years old, and I had to deal with school and carry that burden alone.
"Don't worry, you'll manage to befriend her. You seem to be getting along fine," I patted his shoulder.
"Seems so..." Mort grumbled.
"Come on, don't be like that," I nudged him. "You're well-known and a great actor."
"Oh, you know, better keep quiet. I guess supporting people isn't your thing."
"Then leave," I got irritated and gave him a shove. He groaned, and we started playfully wrestling.
We continued talking for a while, and then he left. It was clear that our conversation had struck a chord, especially when it came to his sister.
When the door closed behind my friend, Juliane dashed out of her room. I gave her a dismissive look and headed to the kitchen. The blonde followed me.
"Has he already left?" she asked with a touch of sadness. I turned to her.
"Can't you see?"
"Oh, what a shame. I wanted to show him something."
"You should have shown him earlier. Do you think he would have been interested?"
"Oh, Juliane, you don't understand anything," the girl huffed.
"You're attracted to him."
"What are you talking about!? How could I be attracted to him?! He's from the mafia!" my sister squealed and blushed heavily. I chuckled, satisfied that I hit the mark.
"Girls, seriously. Whether from a bad gang or a dumpster, what matters is that he's good-looking."
"Well, you know, better keep quiet. You just find anyone good-looking," I said and circled my sister, heading to my room.
In my room, I finished my homework and lay down to sleep. I hadn't even closed my eyes when I heard a melody. I quickly rummaged around my room, looking for my phone. It was an "unknown number" calling. Out of habit, I picked up the receiver.
"Hello? Who's this?"
"Hi, it's me, Lisa, your classmate," a silence hung in the air. I waited patiently, though I wanted to throw the phone away and crawl back under the covers.
"I see, so what do you need?"
"Oh, right, could you please give me the homework for tomorrow?" I was surprised because they still had a whiz kid Charlie, but I didn't intend to ask any questions.
"Sure," I replied shortly and proceeded to ask her everything they were assigned for tomorrow. "And I think that's all," I finished.
"Alright, thanks."
"You're welcome." I hesitated. "Oh, did you want something else?"
"No, nothing."
"Then, until tomorrow," I nodded and was about to hang up.
"Wait! I wanted to talk about today."
"I'm sorry,but I don't have any desire to talk about anything. Until tomorrow," I replied, turned off the phone, and tossed it aside.
"So annoying," I thought, lying down on the bed. "It's weird why she's so insistent. I'm sure I won't be bored tomorrow."