The next day, the rain had stopped, but the weather was still not good. Shevonne suddenly woke up, checked the time on his phone, and saw that it was 6 AM, with school starting at 7. He noticed missed calls from his sister, Shaylene. Shevonne called her back, and a second later, she picked up.
"What the fuck, Shevonne?! Where are you? Mom and Dad are going crazy! You better come back home now, you idiot!" Shaylene yelled. Shevonne moved the phone away from his ear for a second before putting it back.
"Oh my, don't yell. Since when did they start to care anyway? It was raining last night, so I stayed at a friend's house."
"When did you make a friend, you idiot?! You better come back home now!" Shaylene yelled again. "Oh, is it Ehvermaia? She's the only friend you have. What did the both of you do the rest of the nig—" Before she could finish her sentence, Shevonne hung up. "Idiot," he mumbled as he stood up and left Ehvermaia's room. Noticing she was still asleep on the couch, he went back inside, grabbed a blanket, and placed it over her.
Shevonne then went to the kitchen and, after opening the refrigerator, couldn't help but feel pity. He noticed some eggs and potatoes. He boiled them, peeled the potatoes, and mashed them with a fork. He added fresh milk, butter, and salt, then mixed it all together. Finally, he sliced an egg and placed it on top of the mashed potatoes.
Once done, he put the bowl on the kitchen table and left Ehvermaia's house. Before closing the door, he mumbled, "That's what a ballet dancer should eat... I guess." And then he left.
A minute after he left, Ehvermaia woke up and noticed the blanket. She put it aside, stood up, and yawned. She saw the mashed potatoes with an egg on top on the kitchen table, sighed, and ate it before heading to take a bath.
When Shevonne arrived at his house, he saw his mother, father, Shaylene, and Lourenz eating at the table. He approached and sat down to eat.
Arthur looked at him with disgust. "Where the heck were you last night?"
Lourenz laughed as he ate. "Oh, he must have been with his girl. Were you scared when I told you yesterday I would steal her?"
Shevonne sat down with an irritated look. "She's not my girlfriend." He started putting food on his plate. Shaylene giggled but didn't say a thing. Shelle, Shevonne's mother, looked at him with a worried expression.
"Where were you last night, honey? We were worried."
"It was raining. I just stayed at a friend's house," Shevonne replied, looking down as he took a bite of his food.
After they finished eating, Shevonne went to his room with Shaylene following him. As he walked upstairs, he looked back and saw Shaylene behind him. "What?" he asked, continuing to his room.
Shaylene smirked. "What were you doing at Ehvermaia's house, huh? Tell me, spill the tea."
"For heaven's sake, we didn't do anything. I just slept there for the night, and that's all." Shevonne opened his room door and closed it, leaving Shaylene laughing outside. He then went to his bathroom to take a bath and get ready for school.
When Shevonne finished his bath, he changed into his uniform, gathered his skates and training clothes, and placed them inside his bag. As he left his room, he noticed Lourenz coming out of his own room. Lourenz smiled and approached Shevonne.
"Were you jealous that I can touch her and you can't? I suggest you not watch our contest next month because you might end up crying," Lourenz laughed as he walked away, leaving Shevonne upset.
As Shevonne left the house, he saw the car waiting for him, with Lourenz sitting inside, looking at him sarcastically. Shevonne shook his head, rejecting the ride, and began walking to school. As the car drove away, Lourenz stuck his head out of the window.
"You must want to walk with your girl, huh?" Lourenz called out. He looked at a person walking in the distance and then back at Shevonne. "Oh, looks like she's behind you."
Shevonne turned to look and noticed Ehvermaia, who wasn't wearing a uniform. He stopped walking to wait for her. When Ehvermaia caught up, they started walking together.
"Why aren't you wearing a uniform?" Shevonne asked.
"I won't go to class today. We're going to practice all day," Ehvermaia replied.
"Is that necessary? Why all day?" Shevonne raised his eyebrows.
Ehvermaia scratched her head, trying not to respond sarcastically. "We're going to practice for 10 hours. We are professionals, not some kind of joke dancers who practice for 20 minutes."
Shevonne noticed her thinking before speaking but wasn't a mind reader to understand her thoughts. "Can I watch then?" he mumbled while they walked.
Ehvermaia stared at him, confused. "Idiot, you have practice, and you're performing next month too."
"I'm a professional, not a newbie. Skipping one day of training won't kill me," Shevonne replied sarcastically.
A minute later, they arrived at school. Ehvermaia went straight to the ballet room, and Shevonne watched her walk away before heading to his classroom. Inside, he sat down at his desk and looked out the window.
Shevonne watched birds flying in the sky and pondered for a moment, "What if humans had wings? Would there be a sport of flying?" After a while, their class started.
When Ehvermaia arrived at the ballet room, she entered and noticed Lourenz putting on pointe shoes. She sat down, as she took her own pointe shoes in her bag. Lourenz noticed and couldn't help but giggle. Before he could say anything, Ehvermaia stared at him. "Please stop giggling. A dog's breath is better than yours," she said sarcastically as she stood up.
After practicing for an hour, the bell rang, signaling recess. Lourenz and Ehvermaia stopped dancing. Lourenz looked at her and smirked. "You don't sweat, huh?"
"Let's just say my body prefers to stay dry and dignified," Ehvermaia replied. She walked away, opening the door, and glanced back at Lourenz. "I guess my body just doesn't feel the need to shed tears like yours does."
Ehvermaia closed the door and headed to the canteen. As she walked, people noticed her, some murmuring, "Isn't she the one who painted something so real?" "What if she cheated?" "She's also a ballet dancer?" "She's so pretty, but she's so mean."
Shevonne noticed her and approached. "Geez, why are you heading to the cafeteria, Ms. Ballet dancer?" He handed her a bento box. "You should eat this instead. Don't eat something from the canteen; it's not good for a ballet dancer like you."
Ehvermaia was stunned and a bit disgusted by the offer, feeling like he was flirting, though he clearly wasn't. She reluctantly took the bento box, glanced back at him to say thank you, and walked toward the ballet room. Shevonne followed. "I'll make sure I see you eat that," he giggled as they entered the room. Lourenz noticed the door open and looked at Ehvermaia, smiling. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
Shevonne glanced at Lourenz, who gave him an annoyed look before turning away. Ehvermaia heard Lourenz but ignored him, knowing there was tension between Shevonne and him. She sat down, and Shevonne followed her as he also sat down. Lourenz noticed Ehvermaia's indifference and chuckled as he sat down facing them both. "So, what were you two doing last night?" he teased.
Annoyed, Ehvermaia looked straight at Lourenz. "Probably figuring out how to make you mind your own business. It's complicated." She opened the bento box and found a salad with some protein. She sighed and glanced at Shevonne. "Thanks for the healthy lunch. Now I feel like a goat eating grass," she said sarcastically as she started eating.
Lourenz laughed and stood up. "Good choice, bro. Didn't know you could make a meal fit for a ballet dancer."
After finishing her meal, Shevonne stood up and waved goodbye to Ehvermaia as he opened the door. Lourenz called after him, "You should watch us dance today. Our performance is pretty emotional."
"It's not," Ehvermaia shot back. She then pushed Shevonne out of the ballet room and closed the door, glaring at Lourenz. "You're crazy, you know that?"
Lourenz chuckled as he glanced at the time and turned his attention back to Ehvermaia. "So, are you and my brother dating? I thought he was with Valerie a long time ago," he teased, leaning against the wall. Ehvermaia tried hard not to laugh at Valerie's name but couldn't help being curious about Shevonne and Valerie's past. "We're not dating, smartass. But I think Shevonne and Valerie were together at one point, though I'm not sure," she replied, standing up and doing a pirouette before looking at Lourenz.
Lourenz abandoned the wall, joining Ehvermaia in a pirouette. He held her hands as they began practicing together. "I heard Valerie was just a fan of his at first. Shevonne saw potential in her and started teaching her figure skating, and they ended up dating. But who knows if that's true," he added. They continued practicing.
After finishing, Ehvermaia checked the time and saw it was 5 PM. She thought, "Shevonne must be practicing now." Packing up her things, she hesitated briefly when Lourenz suggested they walk home together. After a moment's thought, she agreed.
As they walked, Ehvermaia contemplated visiting her father again. Lourenz noticed her deep in thought and chuckled, "What's on your mind? Care to share?" Irritated, Ehvermaia snapped back, "Why do you always pry into things like that?"
Lourenz laughed at her response, sarcastically remarking, "Well, I wouldn't need to ask if humans could read minds, right?" He playfully wrapped an arm around Ehvermaia's shoulder, teasing, "You're so short, or am I just tall?" Annoyed, Ehvermaia swiftly removed Lourenz's arm, growling, "You're so annoying. I just want to visit my dad, so shut up."
Intrigued, Lourenz persisted, "You don't live with your dad?" Ehvermaia glared at him, nearly ready to explode, "Why would I live in a mental hospital with my father, you idiot?"
Lourenz persisted, trying to convince Ehvermaia to let him join her. "Come on, let's go visit him now. I want to come with you, and it's still 5 am."
Ehvermaia shook her head firmly. "You're crazy. Why would I do that?" Lourenz scratched his head, visibly struggling to persuade her.
Minutes later, they arrived outside the mental hospital. Ehvermaia looked weary, wondering how she had ended up there, while Lourenz was smug about convincing her to visit. They entered and asked a psychiatric nurse for permission to visit someone. Once inside, Ehvermaia informed the nurse that Lourenz was her brother. Lourenz, trying to impress, whispered to Ehvermaia, "That was rude. How could she not recognize a professional ballet dancer like me?" Ehvermaia shoved his face away, annoyed, and retorted, "Maybe she's not interested in ballet. Now shut up."
They were led by the nurse to Ehvermaia's father's room. Lourenz was baffled when the nurse locked the door behind them. "What the hell? Why did she lock us in here?" he exclaimed. Ehvermaia's father, Chevon, made eye contact with them and threw a drawing book towards Lourenz, nearly hitting him. Lourenz jumped back in surprise, exclaiming, "What the hell?"
Chevon stood up angrily, ready to confront Lourenz, but Ehvermaia intervened, pushing her father back onto the bed. "What's wrong with you, Dad? He didn't do anything. Sit down!" Chevon shouted, "What is Arthur doing here?!" Ehvermaia pushed him again, correcting him, "He's Lourenz, not Arthur, you idiot. Now sit down!"
Chevon finally complied, sitting back on the bed. Lourenz, still recovering from the shock, managed to ask, "That was insane. Anyway, how does he know my father?"
Ehvermaia stared at Lourenz in confusion when he mentioned Arthur as his father. She sat down on her father's bed in disbelief. Lourenz noticed her expression change and was puzzled. "What's going on? I know my father is a hypocrite and crazy, but why did your face react like that when you heard my father was Arthur?" he asked, bewildered.
Realizing that Shevonne was also Arthur's son, Ehvermaia scratched her head and glanced at Lourenz. Feeling too tired and irritated to explain further, she decided to lie down instead. Meanwhile, Chevon sat on his bed, aware that he wasn't Arthur himself but Arthur's child. Overwhelmed with emotion, he burst into tears, declaring, "I won't forgive that man. I'll kill him."
"Kill who?!" Lourenz exclaimed in confusion. "For goodness' sake, explain something to me or I'll go crazy!"
Chevon stared at Lourenz again, repeating, "You look like him. You look just like him." Lourenz covered his face, fearful of what Chevon might do next. With the door locked, Lourenz felt trapped and unable to escape. Ehvermaia sighed as she sat down, looking at Lourenz. "I'll explain later. My father would explode if he heard it again."
Chevon stared at Lourenz again, struggling to control his emotions. "You look like him, you look like him," he muttered. Ehvermaia rolled her eyes at her father's confusion. "Of course he looks like him. His father is Arthur, you idiot. You should start thinking and stop drawing these ridiculous drawings," she retorted sharply. Chevon sighed and lay back down on the bed. Ehvermaia sighed and stood up, frustrated. "What does the therapy here do for you if all you do is draw instead of focusing on getting better?"
Meanwhile, Lourenz found the situation amusing and eagerly awaited the nurse's return to get answers. When she finally came back, they left the mental hospital together. Ehvermaia remained silent, still processing what had transpired. Lourenz, impatient and confused, demanded, "Why are you so quiet? Just tell me already. I'm overthinking this shit."
Ehvermaia hesitated, looking down before finally explaining, "My mother is dead, and your father was her first love." She proceeded to recount the story of her mother's past and the events leading to her death.
Lourenz scoffed at first, but as Ehvermaia continued, he began to understand. "That's not my father's fault, you idiot. It's not his fault she got cancer, and it was... my mother who pulled him away, which caused your mother to fall. Okay, I agree with you."
As they walked, Lourenz couldn't stop talking. "My father is always ridiculous. Everyone says I'm like a copy of him," he giggled. Ehvermaia stared at him, confused by his actions, and looked away. She thought, "Why is he acting as if nothing happened? He's crazy for sure." When they arrived at Ehvermaia's house, Lourenz bent down to look at her closely. "You're short, but not that short," he remarked, their faces almost touching. Ehvermaia was stunned by his behavior and pushed his face away forcefully. "You're so ridiculous. I hope a car hits you on your way home," she retorted sharply.
As Ehvermaia turned to enter her house, she noticed Shevonne, whose face showed shock and disbelief as he quickly turned and ran off. Lourenz chuckled. "Looks like he saw us with our faces so close. He might think we were kissing," he teased as he walked away. Glancing back, he added, "Looks like someone's in a bad mood because of me," before continuing on his way.