Crystal

Chapter 05

Crystal arrived at her house, she was riding her bike in the yard to go to the workshop to keep it. She saw a new green sports car in the workshop and her brother was standing beside it while talking to their father. Their father was standing in front of the green sports car while smiling happily. He looked satisfied. Her brother walked around the car and tapped the roof of the car. Crystal moved her eyes to see the car again, a new green sports car. She remembered that she had heard that her brother wanted a car like that. Yeah... her suspicion was right! That car was her brother's new car. Her brother had just graduated from high school that year and he also registered for college that year so easily with their father's privilege.

"Huff..." She exhaled while walking to the main house after parking her bike. She didn't want them to see her attend there and create an awkward situation for her. She didn't know if a pair of eyes were looking at her. Yup, they were Mars's eyes. He as the witness how their father treated those siblings so differently, so contrast. He wanted to run to hug her. He really, really wanted it. He thought at least their father should buy a small city car for her. A bike and a sports car were a big gate and her bike was not an expensive bike. It was a shabby bike before. She had been using it since she was in middle school. It became yellow because it was painted with the rest of the paint from the car that had been repaired in the workshop. Mars didn't know if the reason she worked was to get money to continue her studies. Maybe he would get mad if he knew about it.

She went to the main house through the workshop office. She saw the messy kitchen when she opened the connecting door. It made her a little bit pissed off. It should be her brother to clean that mess. He never gave any contribution to the family, but he got everything. She continued walking to her room, she didn't want to worry about the kitchen. She turned on the music after she closed the door and then threw her body on the mattress. She wanted to sleep, taking a nap to kick her bad mood.

"Uh..." She stretched her body. She just woke up when the day became dark. She didn't know what time it was. She felt fresh and her mood was better. The rock music was still on, filling the air in her room. She heard borborygmus, her stomach growled when the room was silent in transition between songs. It made her remember that she hadn't lunch that day. She felt hungry and wanted to go to the kitchen, but she remembered the messy kitchen that needed her to clean. It made her want to take more time on her bed, but it didn't take a long time. Starving didn't want to wait anymore. She turned off the music before jumping out of bed to go to the kitchen while tying her hair. She opened the door of her room and she heard the television sound from the living room. She was sure that her father was watching it in the living room. She ignored it and walked to the kitchen to start cleaning it. She threw any garbage into the trash bag.

"May I help you?" Mars just came out of the connecting door.

"Oh, Mars. No thanks. You're not going home?" She glanced at him to make sure the familiar voice's owner was Mars, while closing the trash bag.

"I'll go home. I want to get some water before it." It was only an excuse. There was a water dispenser in the workshop.

He was standing beside her and looking at her. He hoped that he could help her. He didn't stay at the workshop anymore. He had stayed there for several months from the first time he worked for Crystal's father, until he bought a motorbike. With a motorbike he went home every day. It was hard to reach his house by public transport.

"It's okay. I can handle this." She shrugged her shoulders while talking to him.

"Let me do this." He took the trash bag from her hands and took it out of the kitchen. Actually, he wanted to help her more, but he must hold it. He didn't want his boss to notice he loved his daughter.

"Okay, thanks." She let him take the trash bag and glanced at him until he disappeared behind the door. It was a little help from Mars, but she felt it was a big care for her when the other male in that house didn't care anything about her. She continued her routine while cooking for dinner. She put a big bowl of pasta on the dining table after she finished and then walked to her mother's room to let her mother know that dinner was ready. She walked through the living room to reach her mother's room. The edges of her eyes caught her father. He was sitting on the sofa, watching television. She didn't offer him dinner, she didn't want to waste her energy on it and she was sure that her mother would do it. Her brother? She didn't see him, she was sure that he was hanging out with his friends and showing off his new car.

"Knock.. knock..." She knocked in her mother's room.

"Mom.. dinner is ready." She yelled in front of her mother's room.

"Yeah, I'll be there..." Her mother yelled from her room. She turned back to the kitchen after hearing the answer. She took a plate of pasta and then walked to her room. She felt better getting dinner alone in her room. She put the plate on the table when she got into her room and then walked to the window, she wanted to open it. She wanted to let the fresh air get into her room. She felt the fresh night air touch her face when the window opened. She closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation of the air.

"Hmm..." She took a deep breath, let the fresh air fill her lungs. She felt so relieved.

"Hmm..." She took a deep breath again, but the aroma of pasta touched her nose, made her open her eyes, reminded her of dinner. She took the plate of pasta from the table and then sat at the window. She wanted to eat dinner while enjoying the night air. After she finished her dinner, she took a bath and wanted to go to bed, but she felt thirsty so she went to the kitchen to get some water.

She heard the main door was knocking on someone when she was walking to the kitchen. She stopped, canceled to go to the kitchen. She walked to the main door to find who knocked on the door. She opened the door and saw a man in a gray suit standing in front of the door. She didn't know him. It was the first time she had seen him. She was sure that he was not her brother's friend or her father's friend because he wasn't in their age range.