Emily and Sol were standing at the bus stand, both in their white uniforms and grey-blue pants, their faces bright with the morning sun's shine.
Emily was fumbling about in her bag and avoiding his gaze, her answers to the questions he asked were also rather panicked. She was not her usual self.
Moreover, seeing the eyebags on her usually pristine face, he could see she had gotten no sleep.
"Emy, don't be so stiff." Leaning against the green railing, he said with a sigh. "It was just a kiss and it was not even that deep."
Flushing from neck to ear, Emily looked around. Then, she said softly, "Don't say that out loud. What if someone heard you? And why do you look as if you changed somewhat?"
As he saw the red bus coming from the far distance, Sol said, "I thought of it, nerd."
"About what?" Emily asked, regaining her wits, "So aren't you going to fail in today's exam?"
"Fail, I'll fail but whatever. I am talking about our relationship." He took her hand and she froze slightly. "I decided I want you to be mine. No matter what you say anymore, I decided I'll chase your skirt from now."
She was literally frozen on the spot until the bus came, and he had to push her into it himself. Luckily, the stop they entered the bus from was one of the first stops of the bus the morning, and they had plenty of seats to choose from; the sister got the window seat and just looked out without a word.
Her flushed face was a cute sight.
Her brother's hand clasped around hers before she knew it.
She asked softly, "Why did this happen so suddenly? Did I walk around naked or something?"
"You didn't and it's not so sudden."
"So what are you going to do from now on?" she just had to ask that.
Looking around and seeing no one, Sol smiled, and she had a bad premonition. The same thing that had happened yesterday repeated itself. He cupped her cheeks, his lips parted hers, and soon enough, she could feel his tongue slithering into her mouth.
But this time, it lasted longer.
It lasted all the way until the bus honked and came to a halt at the next stop. The fresh murmur of students and them entering into the class made him part from her and she hastily rubbed the lingering saliva off her lips with her sleeves.
"Ah, Sol!" a trio of students sat on the seat just beside them, and Sol laughed. But then, his face changed slightly before going back to normal.
Emily looked out the window and didn't bother with them. They were the most common of the common bunch and she had always hated the trio. They were Sol's 'friends' but they were not worthy of that title.
Even their names itself were so trash—Tom, Dick, and Harry.
Losers.
They were the reason her brother couldn't focus on his studies. And he even went along with most of their games. She scoffed slightly and focused on the trees that passed by. Yes, she had not been kissed by him again. And it totally didn't make her flustered.
But even she knew that where the trio couldn't notice, her hand was tightly clasping her brother's hand in a death grip. Her face must also be red, that should be why he was covering her face from the dumb trio's sight with his body.
"Sol, did you study this bullshit?" Dick asked. "Man, maths is so ass."
Sol rolled his eyes. "I am not a nerd. Of course, I'd have to take the re-examination next time and actually study. My Emily would teach me next time."
Just as the trio lost themselves in a conversation, Emily pinched Sol's hand and placed a book on his lap. "I prepared this for you—for you, not for them. It's the important points from each chapter. Just do a readthrough, and you should have enough marks to pass."
He tightened his grip on their hidden hand and began to read the book like a good boy.
Harry, a short boy with freckles all over his face, tried to check out what he was reading. Sol hid the book from him. "Sorry, I can't show you. Now get lost."
"What's the big deal? And—"
"Get lost, man; it's private."
"Are—"
"Get lost."
The boy walked away, seemingly embarrassed.
She smiled.
Serves you right.
…
While Emily was in her own thoughts, Sol was in his own. Right after he kissed her, something happened in the system interface.
[Divine Points: 0 —> 1]
This had stunned him slightly but due to the trio appearing out of nowhere and due to Emily's face being red, he had to hide that first before he could check this out. He had played around with the interface a lot and knew it could be manipulated with his thoughts.
He tried to add that new point in his body but nothing happened. The point couldn't be used. He sighed inwardly. This was not the time, she had prepared a note for him with so much effort, he should not waste the effort.
He began to read religiously but cursed at how hard it was all around. He was turning eighteen soon, and he was studying for his twelfth standard.
These were the final exams, and of course, they required him to have a solid foundation to pass that the other eighteen-year-olds would have built up throughout their life. But he had never given too much emphasis to studies—that was Emily's forte.
Having a weak foundation made even otherwise simple questions hard on him.
But his questions were all pointed out and cleared gently by his sister's whispering answers and somehow, he kinda built somewhat of an understanding in it. But this would probably not be enough.
Just as he was sighing inwardly, something happened within the interface again.
[Secret Arts]
[Standard 12th Mathematics: Initiated (+)]
He looked at it weirdly for a second before he used his mind to click the plus button. It was as if all the scattered knowledge inside his mind suddenly clicked and came together. All his doubts grew clear, and mathematics now made sense.
[Standard 12th Mathematics: Low]
Now the plus sign had vanished. He didn't have enough points.
Filled with doubts, he looked at his sister and she glared at him. "Don't waste time and study when you can or I will tell everything to our mom."
He nodded and tried to study again, but everything in the note now easily made sense, so before he got off the bus, he was already sure he would pass the exam. But now, he kinda didn't only want to pass.