My Firsts With You

Chapter 5

RACHEL'S POV

Yesterday was fun with Jessica. When we received our orders at the sushi bar, we tasted them one by one and it was amusing because of the foreign tastes we experienced. Jessica nearly threw up from eating too much sushi, but it was great and appetizing overall. After having a tasty afternoon meal, we roamed around the mall for a few more hours until we got tired. I think we have entered 80% of the shops at the mall already.

"We're having a what?" I asked my mom as I ate a spoonful of my favorite cereal. It's lunch, by the way, and yes, I am eating cereal. My mom was gone the whole morning and she had just got home, so I simply went for cereal instead of putting my stomach in trouble with my cooking skills. "We're going to have dinner with the Harrisons and this time, it's here in our house," mom answered as she watched me eat my cereal. "But dad is not here," I said. "James is not around either," mom retorted.

When my father and Kenneth's father are around, sometimes they just intend on having our families eat dinner together. I don't know why, I guess our parents are just as close as Kenneth and I are. "Mom, you just want to hang out with Kristina, don't you?" I straightforwardly asked and my mom smiled. They have been best friends since high school. Our fathers are not as close as them, but they could be considered close friends. I guess Kenneth and I are meant to be friends as well.

"Either way, we're having dinner with them tonight, so please wear something proper, okay?" mom informed me and I nodded as I ate the last spoonful of cereal. I got up and cleaned the bowl and spoon that I used. Once I was done, I kissed my mom on the cheek and went upstairs to my room. I plopped down on my bed and took out my phone as I entered my room. Did I tell you I want to become a model? Yeah, I did. I already mentioned how I want to maintain my "model" figure. Why am I even saying this? Right. It's because I spent this weekend mostly in bed and it doesn't show that I want to be a model. Don't worry, though. I have a schedule for my workouts.

'You guys are coming over tonight?' I texted Kenneth with a straight face. Look, I'm not sure what to do right now and I'm not even drowsy, just lying down.

'Yeah. Mom said we're having dinner,' Kenneth replied after three minutes. Fun fact: we bicker in public, but we talk normally when texting.

'Oh, right. You didn't tell me how your date went yesterday. Thought I'd never ask, eh?' I teased him. After a while, he sent a sticker of an adorable character facepalming. He thought he'd get away from my interrogation?

'Fine. I'll tell you later,' he replied and I ended our conversation with a ''kay 'kay'. I turned off my phone and turned on my side. Now what? Am I just gonna look out the window?

== EVENING ==

I spent the whole afternoon doing anything I could think of. I played games on my phone, watched movies, meditated, and I even had a "private concert" just singing and dancing around. I looked ridiculous, to be honest. What can I do? My mom went grocery shopping in the afternoon to buy the ingredients for today's dinner and I was too lazy to come with her, so I did what I did.

Now it's dark outside, which indicates that it's already evening and my mom is now preparing everything for dinner. I don't know why she's putting so much effort into tonight when we can just go to some restaurant like we always do at family dinners. "Rachel!" mom called from downstairs. I left my room and walked just to the top of our stairs. "Yes?" I responded. "Why aren't you getting ready yet? Just wear something you usually do but make sure it's appropriate for tonight," mom said from the bottom of the stairs. She is wearing a pretty purple apron and a serious look on her pretty face. She likes purple and bought a lot of purple things. "Fine," I agreed and went back to my room.

I grabbed my towel and went to my spacious bathroom. I love my bathroom so much that I even made sure to maintain its cleanliness and freshness. I'm gonna skip the bathtub for now since my mom seemed to be rushing and I entered the shower room. I turned on the heater to make the water warm and when the water hit my skin, I instantly felt relaxed. It was like all the thoughts I had were thrown away as I felt the warm water from the shower. Unfortunately, I can't take long in the shower, so I just did my shower routine as fast as I could and left the shower room.

When I left the bathroom, I went straight to my walk-in closet. Tell you what, all the clothes that my eyes laid on are here and I'm sure that I didn't miss anything. I almost bought a whole store one time because all their clothes were so lush that I couldn't stop grabbing them. I walked in and scanned through the racks of clothes that I organized neatly by their color and by the occasion they are suitable for. I went to the section where I put all the clothes I wear at dinner and no, they were not labeled. I just labeled them mentally. I thoroughly scanned the clothes and spotted the dress I bought last weekend, so this will be the first time I'm wearing it. It's a red midi dress with long sleeves and a cute bow design for the neckline. It stops mid-thigh and I fell in love with this dress at first sight. The dress was not from a famous brand but it's equally gorgeous as those branded ones. We are wealthy, yes, but I also enjoy shopping for non-famous brands, especially clothes.

I then chose my favorite black high heels to match the dress. For my makeup, I only did a simple look and finished my overall look with the necklace my mother bought me when I was 12. It's a silver necklace with a small infinity pendant. As I was done preparing, I heard the main door open and the voices of women. I guess they're here now. I heard a knock at my door and when I opened it, I saw Kate, Kenneth's younger sister, looking at me with a smile on her face. I also have a younger sibling who is a boy, but he is in New York with our dad.

"Kate!" I greeted her with the same smile on my face. Kate is so adorable and she is the sweetest. "Hey, Rachel! You look pretty," she complimented me and I fully went out of my room and closed the door. "You hungry, cutie?" I asked and she giggled while nodding her head. We went downstairs together and I saw Kenneth with an impatient face. "Can we just eat now? You don't have to make your stairs a runway too, you know," he complained and I rolled my eyes at him. The three of us continued to the dining room where a tasty meal was waiting to be fed.

After exchanging greetings with Kenneth's mom, we settled down and started to dig in. Kristina and my mom are having a chat that only they could understand and relate to while the three of us are eating quietly. "So, does Rachel have a boyfriend?" I heard Kristina ask and my ears became so focused. From beside me, I saw Kenneth stifling a laugh and I immediately glared at him. "Oh, you know Rachel. She's so gorgeous and sweet, but no one's taking her home yet besides Kenneth," my mom replied.

"She's making me her driver, but never pays me," Kenneth said in an offended tone and I scoffed at him. "But it seems impossible that Rachel is still single. There's probably a long line of boys waiting to be noticed by her," Kristina complimented me and I just gave her an embarrassed smile. "Well, it seems, but it's not because Rachel here is not as approachable in school as you think," Kenneth proudly said and for the second time, I scoffed at him. "Thanks," I sarcastically replied. Kristina and my mom laughed at us and we all continued with our meal.

== AFTER DINNER ==

Our mothers are currently washing the dishes, Kate is in our home library, and I'm hanging out by the pool with Kenneth. You might think that we're gonna end this night well, but trust me, this guy will always have something to say that will annoy me by the end of the day.

"So, how was your date yesterday?" I asked Kenneth as I let the cold water on my feet. "I was worried because of your "magic", but I enjoyed it. She was cool about it, so we just carried on with our date," Kenneth responded and nodded in satisfaction. Huh. I thought Sabrina was picky even when it came to her date's outfit. Or at least that's what I heard from others. "It went well, then. Congratulations," I plainly said.

"How about you? When will I get to hear about your date?" Kenneth seriously asked while looking at me. I hummed as if thinking carefully about his question. To be honest, there are brave guys in our school who asked me out before, but as expected, I rejected them. "I don't know. After college, maybe?" I answered, looking at him and he scoffed. "Your life is boring," he said. "YOU are boring. I mean, youth is not all about dating someone you won't even be with for long, so why would I bother doing it?" I argued. I told you, he would say something annoying and nonsense.

"Maybe because you rely on me too much?" he said in an obvious tone and I rolled my eyes. "Since when were you reliable to me?" I questioned him. "I drive you to school and back home," he proudly answered. He's cocky, eh? "You just got your car recently, so don't be dramatic about it. Also, if I were to answer who is more reliable between us, it's me, okay? Just shut up," I sassed and he raised both his hands in defeat. I shook my head at him.

After that, we kept quiet for some time and just played with our feet in the pool. "How long have we been friends?" Kenneth suddenly asked. We are now looking at the night sky with a few stars on it. "13 years. I've been keeping up with your cockiness for 13 years," I exaggerated and I think I know how he's going to react. "Hey! I hadn't been cocky since 5. Well, you've been feisty since 5 and you can't deny that" I knew he was going to say that, but I have no objections. I know that I've always been a "feisty" girl since my younger days, but it doesn't mean that I am rude all the time.

"I guess we can keep counting our years of friendship. I feel that I'll get to see your face a lot more in the future," I remarked and he laughed at my statement. I guess today ended well with my friend. We may bicker a lot, but I care about him as much as I care about my younger brother and he's the same about me. It's just that we don't show it as much as other childhood friends do.

END OF CHAPTER 5