The First Rule

Chapter 14b: Start Anew

Inside, Cavill walks to the kitchen for a refill, pouring down one glass after another of his beloved kombucha. He drinks, losing himself in the rhythm of the party music. Catching his girlfriend’s sultry look, he nods to her flirtatiously—that’s when his gaze shifts to the window—to find two familiar figures by the pool, holding hands.

His eyes widen in disbelief, and a surge of rage consumes him. Unconsciously—more like instinctively—Cavill slams the red cup on the counter, causing the kombucha to spill, and stomps hurriedly towards the glass door, hand aiming to push it open! However, he abruptly bumped into a slightly drunk Liam.

"Bro! Let's play a game—" he yells as he attempts to initiate a hug, but Tyler struggles to push him aside with urgency instead. Confused, Liam follows Tyler's intense glare towards the window.. to see Dominic gently tucking your hair behind your ear. Overwhelmed with excitement, possibly also fueled by the booze, Wyatt spontaneously roars,

"Yooo! Guess who finally got the girl?!"

Tyler alertly snaps his head to Liam. Meanwhile, the vibe of the room is a different story—everyone follows suit, roaring in excitement. Feeling like there's a pair of piercing eyes staring into his soul, Liam slowly turns his head to the side.. to find Tyler's eyes, furiously aflame with rage. Retracting from the confrontation, he takes a step back, hastily stammering, "Uh.. I need to find Eve—Eve? Eve! Where are you, Eve!" Liam rotates his head left and right in a panic before swiftly running away.

Outside, from this pool area, you can clearly sense the commotion as several people now discreetly steal glances at the both of you. In hesitation, you ask, "Are.. are they cheering at us?"

Dominic switches his attention to you again with a chuckle. Tilting his head, he observes your face for a while, before he stands up. Then, he extends a hand for you to lean on him and says,

"Wanna go back inside?"

You give him a sheepish smile and nod, accepting his hand as you stand beside him. As you're about to release his hand, he adjusts it so that you're holding hands. You see him look down as he leads you inside, but you can catch his nonstop grin—and you follow him with a never-ending sheepish smile.

"Ok—I gotta hurry! They say he's arriving—” your dad implies before pausing to check on his watch, “soon! f**k, why doesn't anyone tell me? Does my staff hate me that much?!"

Mr. Winters rushes around like a crazy mosquito, getting ready in a hurry. Judging by the time, you can say he's pretty late for the office. You and your mom are already seated at the table, three plates of eggs and bacon in front of you. Your mom watches in confusion before exclaiming, "Baby, what's wrong? Calm down—!"

"Emilia. Janet."

With a tone of finality, your dad abruptly halts behind the two of you. You and your mom exchange perplexed and anxious looks as he takes a quick crouch down between you.. and grabs you and your mom's shoulders breathlessly. With wide eyes and raised eyebrows, you recoil from his face.. before carefully asking, "Dad.. is.. something wrong..?" Uneasy silence hangs in the air.. tension mounting as you wait for your dad to speak. Everyone freezes for a moment, exchanging surprised glances.. until your dad finally speaks—

"BRUCE WILLIS IS COMING TO MY OFFICE!"

"Holy s**t! What?!” in unison, you and your mom scream in full delight, making your dad jolt in his feet, caught off guard.

"Girls! Language! Ok I mean—now everything makes sense, right?! My profession, where I live, my degree—" your dad recoils and quickly turns to the window in an elated expression. Both hands rested on his waist, he roars like Mufasa giving his legendary speech, "No—my whole life makes sense now!"

Despite your mom's rolling eyes, you can see the grin she's been suppressing. To your surprise, your dad runs back to the both of you, connecting his head between your heads to shake them and roars,

"YIPPEE KI YAY MOTHERFUCKERS!"

The rooms fell silent for a second. But then, as if cutting through the deafening silence with a knife, you finally question in trauma,

"Mom, why did you marry him?"

Between your sticked heads, you can feel your dad's side glare at you—as your mom yells from the other side, "Hush! Emilia Winters!"

"What?" you exclaim. Your eyes’ both like magnets drawn to the center. Even though, subconsciously, you sneakily.. telepathically, making sure you're thinking the same thing.. Until both of you burst into massive laughter!

John releases your heads—in irritation, he bounces you and your mom's head together and gives you both a disgusted look—before he tickles the both of you. All of you break into chuckles when in haste, John kisses Janet on the mouth, making you roll your eyes. Then he gives you a kiss on the forehead, saying,

"Sorry I can't take you to school, Emily—wait, get that little brat to take you! You usually go together—what's he been doing?!"

At your dad's complaint, you shoot him a bored and irritated look as he rushes out through the main door without giving you a chance to reply. He doesn't notice, but Janet catches on, giving you a suspicious look. "Hmm, speaking of," she begins.

Hearing her nasty tone, you sigh as you already know what she's about to bring up. Bringing your head down, you stretch your neck—really not in the mood to hear his name. Still, the question drops like a bomb.

"You haven't been hanging out with Tyler?"

Cringing at his name, you sass, "Nothing worth the mention, just his egoistic, narcissistic self getting a new bully blonde dumbo bimbo girlfriend and all that," injecting a whole amount of saltiness into your words.

Your mom raises an eyebrow, sensing that there might be more beneath the surface. For the first time in forever, the topic of Cavill junior has become a touchy subject for you.

"Let me tell you one thing. Boys—they have phases. Come on, let me take you instead."

With your nonchalant nod, she takes the remaining plate from the table and places it in front of Tumba. His tail wags rapidly in joy as he eagerly starts enjoying the unexpected treat. "Looks like this one's for you, Tumba," she adds with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. Patting Tumba's head, you can't help but smile contentedly. Leaving a happy Tumba, who is already digging into the food, you and your mom prepare to head out.

However, a sweet memory surges through your mind.. causing you to break into a sheepish smile. Catching your expression, your mom's face lights up as she enthusiastically asks,

"Allrigghttt, Emily~ I know that look. Who is he?"

"Dominic. Hunt~ You're on fire, brooo~"

The bell rings, signaling the end of the class. Students start packing their bags, eager to leave for the day. Wyatt, eyes wide with excitement, nods repeatedly, expressing his overwhelming pride for his friend. "So is this the time when my bet finally be fulfilled?" he says, teasing Cavill from the corner of his eyes.

Sitting at his desk, Cavill pretends to be busy with his phone. Not even a glance at his grinning bro, appearing very sour. Also ignoring Wyatt, Dominic watches Tyler closely in a tilted head. On second thought.. Tyler hasn't spoken to him all day unless the conversation has to involve the three of them. From the back, he raises an eyebrow suspiciously, well—not like this is the first time either though.

"Cavill, if you could spare a minute of your time?"

Cutting the strange tension, Mr. Hall suddenly calls from his desk, breaking Tyler’s contemplative silence. Sitting up straight and looking around, he realizes that almost everyone has already left the class—until finally, placing his eyes on the center of the room, he responds, "Of course, Mr. Hall." Giving nods to Wyatt and Dom—who have been conversing—he grabs his bag and walks to the teacher's desk.

"So, have you made a decision?"

Caught off guard, Tyler cringes. "I.. sorry Mr. Hall. Honestly, it slipped my mind. I haven't talked it out with—"

"Tyler.. I have to send the names by next Friday—"

"Yes! I know sir—ok, I told my parents already and they said yes—"

"So that's a yes, then—"

"Monday!" Tyler eagerly proposes, wide-eyed. "I promise I'll give you the answer on Monday."

After a moment of contemplation, the teacher sighs and gives Tyler a patient nod. "Ok Cavill, I'm expecting good news on Monday, my boy," he says as he places a reassuring hand on Tyler's arm before adding, "you don't waste a good opportunity like this."

"Thank you—sorry for.. the inconvenience, sir." Tyler apologizes appreciatively, giving Mr. Hall a stiff smile. As he turns around, he notices Wyatt and Hunt grabbing their bags, ready to approach him. However, his mind is somewhere else—unsure of how to convey this news..

to you.