PHILLIPS ACADEMY: THREE HEIRS ONE HEART

6

Shocked. Confused. Gaslighting. I was back in the dorm, lying in my tiny bed, staring blank at the stale ceiling; with lights, dimmed. I can’t believe how my first day at the academy went this way. It was really, really good in the first few hours, but after I saw that disgusting man, it pretty much went downhill. Why would he be doing that in the academy grounds? He’s so repulsive. I can’t believe all the rumors about him are true. He’s indeed unlike his brothers. He looks like a demi-god but acts like a disgusting, immoral demon – he’s still hot though.

I was busy thinking and recollecting the memories of my first day at the Phillips Academy of Arts. Oh, my goodness! How can I describe it? It was one hell of a ride. A whole lot of things happened. How do I even begin to describe it in full detail? To summarize what happened, I was in a state of shock after I saw Sid earlier today; then I got late to my next class – I had to sing a song as punishment; I got scolded by my professor on the last subject, because I could answer his question. It started so well, but everything pretty much went against my favor.

Anyway, as I was still processing what I saw in the back of the choir room – pretty much the sole reason that ruined my day, I heard the voice of a girl singing monotonously. It’s my friend, Jenna – did I just say, my friend?

She opened the door, asked me as she went straight to her bed, “How’s your day, Gayle?” She added, “I can’t help but be jealous of you. You literally met two of the Phillips brothers. Not just met, you actually interacted with them.”

Why is this girl saying that as if it was a freaking blessing meeting those men? I mean, Alvin and Karl were nice, at least, based on my impression, but Sid? No freaking way. I thought at that moment, I wondered if I would tell her what I saw, but on second thought, knowing that Jenna’s a blabbermouth, I think I might get sued for defamation.

“Oh, my day’s fine. It really went well.”

“Then why do you sound so bothered?”

“No. It’s nothing. I’m just tired, I guess.”

“Come on Gayle, I think you’re hiding something.”

“Stop overthinking Jenna. I’m good.”

“Okay, but if there’s something bothering you, just tell me, okay?”

That’s really sweet of Jenna, but I can’t tell her what I saw. She’s right. I’m definitely hiding something, I mean I have to. If you’re asking, what really happened at the back of the choir room? Oh, it’s unbelievable.

*FLASHBACK*

I remember, inside my head, it is fighting curiosity and fear. I remember when Jenna told me that Sid falls on the rebellious side of the personality spectrum; simply, a man with a bad reputation. I wanted to prove if it was true. There was only one way to find out.

As I walked slowly and quietly – just like a lone detective catching a criminal. Just way before I reached the back of the choir room, I suddenly heard a girl squeaking. Uhm. I asked myself as curiosity in me reached its peak, what is going on back there? I stopped the eavesdropping and went to a place where I would see what was happening without being noticeable, and I – “What the fu-”

I covered my mouth in fear of being noticed. It was the Sid – the man with chiseled jaws, shiny black hair, a pale-skinned, purple-eyed young man with body proportions like a demi-god; the one I saw in the limousine with Ms. Josephine and Karl. Sid was making out with a random girl at the back of the choir room. He was the one groaning all along. It was so disgusting, but why am I in heat? It’s not like they’re fully naked or anything, they’re actually making out fully clothed. He was groping her, and the young lady was so into it. Shush! I think they’re almost done; or, is it because one of them heard me as I was lurking?

Sid signaled the girl to leave. Like a puppet. She left, running away with a smile on her face – what’s to smile about indecency? I didn’t notice. I stood up and followed the girl with my eyes. I turned around and saw Sid with a sharp gaze towards me. Oh, my, is he mad? Why would he? It’s not I’m the one having to make out in public.

I took a deep breath, walked towards him, chin up, I don’t care. I was only here to follow Alvin’s request. He was smirking at me – I’m not going to lie, this man is seriously so attractive the closer I get to him. With every step, I feel the rush of heat inside me. Could it be nervousness? No! What is this!?

Anyway, as I walked close to him, I heard him laugh so suddenly. He sounds like he's from the mafia – if that makes sense. His voice is so deep, I can’t even deny, despite his disgusting and immoral actions, I still find him really attractive. How would I describe him? He looks like an anti-hero that everyone roots for. A villain that gets everything he wants; it makes sense why those random girls succumbed to his dangerous yet enticing aura.

“How is the view? You liked it?” He said to me. Why is he so over-confident and self-absorbed?

“No. It’s so. It’s so disgusting,” I stuttered yet still managed to deliver conviction.

I raised my head to look him in the eyes. I wont let his demi-god of a charm make a mess in my head. He’s undeniably tall, smells so good just like his brothers; but I won’t let him dominate me. I fooled myself into thinking he would never make me crumble.

“Are you Gayle? My annoying brother brought you here to give me something.” He delivered with such confidence and playfulness. He sounds so manipulative, like for real.

I grabbed the flash drive in my pocket, gave it to him, and immediately planned to leave.

“Here it is, Mr. Sid.”

I then turned around and left. But before I had the energy to do so, I felt his huge hands grabbing my arms. It was still morning, yet I got so scared like I was lost in the middle of the night. His shadow devoured mine, he’s so huge.

“Where do you think you’re going? Aren’t you satisfied with my presence?” He told me with such narcissism. Not going to lie, this man’s level of being self-absorbed is just absurd. I knew he thought I was easy-to-get. I felt his hands gently slide from my arm to my shoulder. He then leaned, with his cold breath, he whispered, “Can I play with you too?”

I turned around, the queen's energy inside of me was triggered, it awakened, I slapped him in the face. I knew it was something that I was going to regret later, but this man needed to be humbled. Before I left, I told him with confidence that tried to match his, “I’m only here to give you what Mr. Alvin entrusted. I’m sorry for slapping you. Touch me again and I’ll punch you and your perfect teeth. Next time, I won’t apologize.” I plucked his gigantic hand from my arms, turned around and left him.

Because of him, I was late for my next class. Do I regret slapping the child of the academy owner? Definitely. Do I regret slapping a disrespectful man? Never. I gave Sid the benefit of the doubt despite his ugly reputation. What a waste, as he’s a freaking downgrade compared to his brothers.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

I met the three of the Phillips brothers on my first day at the academy. All of them managed to leave a lasting impression. The oldest one is bright, charming, and passionate; the youngest one is shy, humble, and empathetic; the middle child is narcissistic, manipulative, and aggressive. I can tell the story of my encounter with Alvin and Karl to Jenna, but I just couldn’t do the same with my encounter with Sid. I guess it’s better for me to stay silent. There’s one question in my mind though. Will Sid come after me? I just knew that it wouldn’t be the last of our encounter, knowing that I literally saw him and his ability for indecency.

On a less stressful note, that night, Jenna and I prepared ourselves for sleep. I’m impressed how Jenna managed to perform a full-blown skin care routine while I only washed my face. She’s so high-maintenance, I’m actually jealous of her. She went to sleep after fully pampering herself. Me, on the other hand, I’m still busy scrolling through my phone, using Insta-book – a popular social-media platform.

My username is @GaylexKittens, a public account with a few followers. I love scrolling on Insta-book. I don’t post anything, but I love watching cat videos to kill time. Cats are my therapy, they’re everything good in this cold and miserable world. I’m definitely overreacting, but cats are genuinely the thing I obsess myself with. Wait! I have two new followers. Who could they be? I clicked the followers button and was shocked when I saw the accounts of both Alvin and Karl. Alvin’s username is @therealalvin, a public account with twenty-two thousand followers, an account filled with school related posts; Karl’s username is @karl_bunny, a private account with two hundred followers. Private accounts have a “request follow” option, so I clicked ‘request follow’ on Karl’s account.

Now to think of it, maybe Jenna’s right. I’m indeed so lucky. Two of the Phillips heirs followed me on my Insta-book account. As I was busy watching cats, a notification sound captured my attention. Someone just sent me a message request. Who could it be? Could it be Alvin or Karl? I clicked and was surprised, it’s not just one, but two – it was not who I expected, it was Edith and Sid. Sid’s username is as self-absorbed as he is, @Emperor-Sid. A public account with thirty-nine thousand followers, an account filled with thirst-traps, makes sense why he’s the most popular among his siblings. Edith’s username is @edithyyy. She’s pretty popular too – thanks to her sexualized goth thirst-traps, she has fifteen thousand followers. To think of it, why is Edith obviously obsessed about Alvin when she and Sid literally have the same personality spectrum? They are both weird and crave attention; I dislike them but I actually ship them; they look good together, not going to lie.

Shush! Enough talk. Would I entertain them? I’m thinking I’d give Sid a read, since he could literally file a lawsuit against me if I ever told anyone what I saw earlier in the back of the choir room. But about Edith? Obviously, it’s going to be about Alvin, so I won’t pay her any attention. Whatever, I’m going to sleep this one out!

-TO BE CONTINUED-