Chapter 3 "Jealous"
1563 Words
Bong dropped Elise and Neil off at school.
“Bye, Papa!” they both said, kissing their father on the cheek.
“Take care, my kids. Study hard, and don’t forget to be good—good boy and good girl, Elise and Neil!” Bong smiled as he waved them off.
"Yes! We will, Papa," Elise beamed. Neil, now in Grade 12, gave a half-smile, still a little embarrassed by the way his parents coddled him.
As they walked toward the school gates...
“What did Mom tell you, little sis?” Neil grinned, teasing his younger sister.
“Ahh! It’s a secret! Mom said it’s for girls only, so behave!” Elise shot back with a wink.
“Hmmm... okay! If you say so,” Neil chuckled, not pressing further.
Just then, a group of Elise’s friends passed by.
“Hi, Kuya Neil!” they all greeted in chorus. Angel, Khien, and Akira—Elise’s closest friends—waved cheerfully.
Neil’s friends soon appeared as well—Marcus, Patrick, and Neon—accompanied by a girl.
“Hey, bro! Let’s cut classes later!” Marcus called, grinning.
Elise’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t be a bad influence on my brother! Try it, Kuya, and I’ll reportyou! And wait—who’s this?” Elise look at the new girl from head to feet, a stern look on her face.
“Whoa, chill, Elise. We’re just messing around. You’re worse than a mother with dozen of kids! By the way, this is Andrea. She’s a new friend of Kuya Neil of yours,” Patrick explained.
Elise raised an eyebrow at Andrea, clearly not convinced. Andrea feels the tension, she stepped forward.
“Oh, so this is Neil’s little sister? But you don’t look alike. Neil’s mestizo, but you’re not?” Andrea smirked.
Angel nudged Elise. “See, Elise?”
“Enough already! Let’s all head to the flag ceremony together, so the teachers don’t catch us!” Neil suggested quickly, trying to change the subject. Elise, however, fell silent, deep in thought.
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After the flag ceremony, everyone returned to their classrooms.
"I really have a crush on your brother! He’s so charming!" Akira said, practically swooning.
"Right? His smile alone is enough to melt you! I swear! I wish I had a boyfriend like him—handsome, tall, smart, and varsity player! Too bad he’s the campus heartthrob. So much competition! Haayy!" Khien added, teasing Elise by pinching her arm.
“Okay, okay, enough! We’re still so young, aren’t we?” Elise protested.
"We’re thirteen now, and we’re all young ladies—except for you, Elise!" Angel teased, poking her.
“I just got my period yesterday,” Elise said quietly, still processing it. “But what’s strange is that Mom said we can’t be in the same room with Big brother Neil anymore. She said I’m a young lady now, and there are limits. I have to start doing my own laundry, ironing my clothes, my uniform... everything.”
“Hay, Elise! Can’t you see? You’re not a kid anymore! Your brother’s not going to baby cuddle you forever. Or maybe the rumor is right—that your brother Neil is adopted, that’s why he looks different, and your mom doesn’t want you two always together, now that you’re hitting up the adulthood,” Angel teased, but Akira elbowed her to stop.
“Don’t be silly! Why would he be adopted? We have Spanish blood, that’s why he looks more like half blooded europian,” Elise quickly defended.
At that moment, their teacher appeared, and the girls rushed to their seats, the conversation forgotten.
Ms. Yawa entered the classroom teacher, her usual serious expression on her face.
“Class, the results of your exams from last week are in,” she announced.
Elise’s heart skipped a beat. She was aiming for honors, and the pressure was weighing on her. She could feel the familiar knot in her stomach as she waited for the results.
The teacher began calling out names, handing back the test papers one by one. Elise held her breath, silently praying that she would be the first—or at least have the highest score.
When the teacher called out the second-highest score, Elise’s stomach twisted. She squeezed her hands together tightly, her knees shaking. Her skin felt cold with sweat, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to steady her nerves.
“Our highest score goes to… Shamcey!” Ms. Yawa announced, holding up the top paper. “Second place goes to Elise Cordovo. Congratulations!”
Elise’s heart dropped. Second place. Not the top spot. Her rival, Shamcey, had taken the crown once again. Elise wanted to scream, frustrated by how hard she’d tried and yet still couldn’t match Shamcey’s effortless brilliance. No matter what she did, it seemed like Shamcey was always one step ahead, always smarter, always the one everyone noticed.
She trudged to the van in silence after school, feeling the weight of disappointment settle heavily on her chest. Neil, ever the observant older brother, noticed her mood immediately.
“Little sis, why so quiet?” Neil asked, glancing at her with concern.
“Nothing,” Elise muttered, staring out the window, trying to ignore the tight knot in her chest.
“Really? What’s going on?” Neil pressed, not buying her response.
“I said nothing!” Elise shouted, her patience running thin. “Why are you so annoying?”
Neil, always the one to lighten the mood. He started teasing her. “Maybe it’s because you’ve got your period, right?”
Elise shot him a glare, ready to bite back, but then something inside her cracked. Despite her irritation, she laughed—a little at herself, but mostly at the ridiculousness of Neil’s attempt to make her feel better.
Neil grinned, clearly pleased with the reaction, and started tickling her. The tension melted, and for a few moments, they were back to their usual teasing, laughing together like they always did.
But as soon as they arrived home and showed their parents their exam scores, the mood shifted again.
“Elise, what happened? You let your rival beat you again? One mistake on the quiz, and you’re only second place! Look at Neil! He’s always the highest. Why don’t you just follow his example? He’s going to graduate as valedictorian,” Patricia scolded, her voice raised in frustration.
Bong, trying to calm things down, intervened. “Patricia, love, don’t be too hard on her. She did her best. We shouldn’t put too much pressure on her. You’re making it worse, believe me.”
But it was clear, Neil was also concerned about Elise. He reached out and gently grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the argument before it could escalate further. He didn’t want her to feel more hurt than she already did.
Once they were out of the place, Elise yanked her hand away from his with a sharp tug. “What’s wrong with you, Big brother? Don’t touch me,” she hissed, her temper flaring again.
Neil was taken a back. “Okay, Lil sis. But why are you so mad at me? Your mood’s all over the place. Just tell me what’s going on.”
Elise turned to face him, her eyes flashing with frustration. “You really want to know the truth, Brother?”
Neil raised an eyebrow, a little curious but mostly concerned. “Yes, I want to know. No secrets between us, right?” He raised his pinky finger, making their usual unspoken promise to share everything.
Elise took a deep breath, the words tumbling out faster than she could stop them. “Okay! I’m mad because of you!” she shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him.
Neil stared at her, completely confused. “What? Me? Why? What did I do?”
Elise’s voice cracked with emotion. “Because I’m so jealous of you! It’s always you! Always you that gets the praise, the recognition. Mom and Dad are always talking about how smart you are, how good you are at everything. And me? I’m always second. I’m always never good enough. I study hard, but it’s never enough. I’m just a failure! And yet you… you always win! You’re always the one they notice! It’s like nothing I do matters!” Tears welled up in her eyes as the words spilled out. She wasn’t just angry at him—she was angry at herself, at her parents, at the world that seemed to favor him.
Neil stood there, stunned. His heart sank as he listened to her. He hadn’t realized how deeply his success had affected her.
“I’m sorry, Bunso,” he said, guilt in his voice. “I didn’t know. I didn’t realize…”
Elise wiped her tears away, but the hurt was still there. “What do you want me to do? You really want me to feel better? Fine! I won’t study as hard anymore. I won’t try to be the best anymore. I’ll just let you get all the praise. Will that make you happy?” She glared at him, her face a mix of hurt and anger.
Neil’s eyes widened as she stormed off toward the stairs. “I hate you, Big brother! Aaah!” she screamed, slamming the door behind her as she retreated to her room.
- Writer
