Good girl, bad boy

CHAPTER FOUR; PART TWO

Kendall hurried to her room as soon as she and her brothers had arrived home from school. She didn't even stop to greet her mother and stepfather who were curled up in one couch. Riley glared at them, showing repugnance for their acts of intimacy as he walked by too.

"Have you been well...mother and father?" Miles asked, curtsying elegantly.

"Yes, Miles. How was school?" His stepfather replied with a smile. From the very beginning, Mr Doyen had taken a liking to Miles. The latter was the only one that seemed to care about him sincerely.

"School was challenging but, I took care of my tasks diligently"

"I have full trust in you, son" His step father replied. The man was an old fashioned business guru, teaching his adopted children the old ways of mannerisms when it came to language and conduct; and from what he could see, Miles had learned well although this could also be attributed to Miles' great skill of adaptation. He fit in well in every situation, environment and place; and this is why he got along with alot of people. His inability to see class and status in others gave him a leeway to learn about the world from others' perspective, doing away with the prejudices of the powerful elites.

"What happened between those two? Debra, their mother asked.

"They haven't been seeing eye to eye for a while now but. It's not something they cannot handle"

"Your brother can be ill- tempered and immature sometimes but deep inside, he is sensible. He won't let the feud come between their bond" Mr. Doyen chipped in, reassuring them.

"Father is right. It's just a petty issue which can be dealt with in a jiffy"

"I shall trust you to deal with it..." Debra said.

"Yes, mother" Miles curtsied before leaving them.

"Sometimes, I mistake Miles as the eldest. His maturity is highly admirable" Debra remarked.

"Riley doesn't hide his resentment for us; Kendall is loving although never relentless to show her occasional displeasure but, Miles is closed up; he keeps his pain to himself and looks out for others instead. Perhaps he is the most miserable..."

"Isn't that maturity?" Debra asked confused.

"A human being cannot be an angel all the time. Sometimes, once in a while it is important to tell others of your pain and displeasure" Mr Doyen sighed, leaning back against the arm of the couch, weary. Debra pondered on what her husband had said. He was probably right on one thing; Miles neither complained nor got angry and it was quite unusual for human beings to behave this way when they are inherently infested by emotion.

Later in the evening, Miles knocked on Kendall's door. The latter walked to the door, opening it fecklessly.

"May I come in?" Miles asked.

"You are already here..." Kendall said as she walked back, flopping in the nearest seat as Miles followed her inside, taking a seat near her. "I really don't want to talk about it now." She added. Her voice was hoarse from crying.

" If not now then when?" Miles asked her confidently. "If you keep things inside, you might explode"

"What about you? Aren't you keeping things inside too?"

"Things like what?"

"Things like Riley going after the girl you love. Why does Riley keep hurting us like this?

"Emily has the right to choose whom she wants to be with".

"Honestly, she doesn't deserve you"

"Just like she thinks you don't deserve her brother"

"At least I love her brother but, she only has eyes for someone who is going to hurt her so badly she won't recover"

"Riley isn't a bad person, Kendall"

"He is...You just can't see it. If he is hurting us like this, imagine what he could do to an outsider" Kendall sobbed. "I have lost Eugene because of him and you will lose Emily too".

"Like I said, Emily has the right to choose whom she wants to be with." Miles hardened his voice, trying hard to remain calm and collected. "The issue about Eugene isn't Riley's fault alone. I took part in it too. We were trying to look out for you"

"And now Eugene is in love with someone else. You should see how smitten he is with Sue; going to the extent of doing things she loves to please her"

"I am deeply sorry, Kendall but, Riley and I were only protecting you"

"How will you feel if Eugene told you to stay away from his sister?"

"Bad; terribly bad but, I wouldn't disobey his wish. Just like me and Riley, he is the protector of his sister"

"Someday, you will see Riley for who he really is; he is self-centered. All these years, he had carried himself as a victim, hurting deeply but, what about us? Don't we hurt too? Father wasn't his father only. We are also devastated by his death. How could a person change so suddenly?" Kendall wailed. "I just wanted to be happy for once"

Miles closed the distance between him and his sister, embracing her as she wept uncontrollably.

"Hush now. Time will tell us what's really important, Kendall" Miles' voice was shaky. He had suddenly become emotional as well but Kendall wails were far from over, crying herself to sleep in Miles' embrace; and sweeping her off her feet, Miles laid her down on her bed, covering sheets over her body. He sighed deeply, unable to contain the river of emotions burning inside him; he was cumbered by mixed feelings of anger, pain, sympathy and understanding over his brother's behavior. Switching the lights off, Miles walked to the door, glancing at his sister one last time before leaving, gently closing the door behind him. Surprisingly, Riley was standing outside. The former was unsure about whether the latter had eavesdropped on his and Kendall's conversation but he couldn't ask.

"She's sleeping now. You can talk to her tomorrow" He said coldly as he tried to leave.

"Do you also think I'm a bad person? Am I selfish and bad towards you and Kendall?"

"Not now Riley. I am not in the right frame of mind. Let's talk tomorrow" Miles replied, coming to the realization that Riley had heard everything he and Kendall had talked about.

"That is your problem, Miles. You choose to keep quiet". Riley was grimaced and his eyes were red like the fire in the fiery furnace.

"I don't think you will be able to handle what I have to say to you..." Miles said, leaving immediately.

"Both of you have gone mad!" Riley shouted hysterically as Miles walked into his room, locking the door instantly. Debra rushed to Riley's side, frantic as her husband stood at a distance.

"What happened Riley?" Debra cupped his face in her hands. "Why are you shouting…."

"All of you are wrong!" He said, swatting his mother's hands off him as he walked away, rushing into his room and banging the door behind him. Debra was about to follow him but, her husband's words stopped her as he walked upto her, taking her hand into his.

"It's late already. Let's talk to the children tomorrow" he calmly told her as he led her back to their room.

Riley reached into his lower case drawer, taking out a bottle of wine he had hidden away. Opening the bottle, he put it to his mouth, drinking directly from it and gulping half of it in one drink.

"Everybody thinks i'm a bad person. I will show them what a bad person looks like from now on" he said to himself.

"Nobody cares about you Riley; nobody!" His inner voice pounded as he took more and more wine till he fell asleep on the cold floor.

Miles lied down on his bed, staring at the ceiling as Kendall's words echoed in his mind, tormenting him.

"You will lose Emily too" he heard her say over and over again; and brushing it off, he took his phone and dialled Emily's number. She picked the call immediately, greeting him excitedly.

"Hello. Emily" he said back, delighted to hear her voice. "...not sleeping yet?"

"No, not yet" she replied. "Why do you sound unhappy? Are you alright?"

"I am; now that I'm talking to you"

"Of course. I'm the only human endorphin after all" Emily grinned, feeling exulted.

"Your sense of humor is extremely eccentric" Miles laughed. "I really needed to talk to you; listen to your sweet little voice."

"Me too. Miles" Emily said happily. "I wanted to hear your voice just once"

"I don't know if I should believe you" Miles suddenly said, chortling although he knew there was a possibility she was just trying to make conversation.

"Why shouldn't you? I have never been dishonest with you before."

"No. Infact you have always shown me what you truly want" Miles told her. "I'm just too stubborn. I keep waiting…"

"I keep waiting too" the words came right out of her mouth even though they weren't meant too.

"Oh gosh!"

"There you go with your cute achilles heel" Miles laughed.

"You're the only one who finds it cute" Emily said, lowering her voice.

"I'm glad I am.." Miles said, feeling exulted. "I should go now. See you tomorrow, Emily"

"Good night, Eugene" Emily blushed even though he was able to see her.

"Goodnight, little Lilly" Miles told her.

"Little Lilly?" Emily blushed as soon as the call was disconnected, fidgeting excitedly on her bed.

"That's probably my pet name. It's better than cold blood, I must say. Miles is really something special; very special." Emily said to herself as she stared at Miles contact photo, his preeminent smile mesmerizing her but, she suddenly thought of Riley. She pressed on Riley's contact and waited diligently but, his phone went unanswered.

"I suppose he is sleeping" Emily comforted herself. "I wit text him instead"

Emily typed her message hastily before putting her phone away as sleep suddenly dawned on her eyes, making her yawn uncontrollably.

"Tomorrow is another beautiful day" She thought; and tucking herself to sleep, she peacefully closed her eyes, hoping tomorrow had beautiful memories in store for her.

***

The sun shone so brightly; mirroring its light on the gigantic glass windows of Chestnut High School, a sign that Summer had come, bringing to life the warmth of holidays. Sitting face to face in their class, Emily and Eugene made plans on how they would spend their holiday, writing down each activity in their twin diary.

"I would like to take brisk walks at the park everyday" Emily told her brother.

"You should go jogging too. I'll be going with you as long as you come to the basketball court with me too" Eugene bargained.

"No problem." Emily chirped. "Should we go for that camp you talked about last year?"

"Well. I'm not upto to it anymore" Eugene replied absentmindedly. He was thinking of taking Wang Sue on a date but he could not bring himself to add the plan in the diary.

"What if she says no?" Eugene thought to himself.

"A camp would be nice though" Emily interrupted his thoughts as she also daydreamed about going for an outing with Riley and Miles.

"Well, I want to spend some time with Sue". Eugene admitted shyly.

"Sue?....not Kendall?" Emily was flustered.

"I don't know when it started but, I think I love Sue" He looked back at Wang Sue before whispering into Emily's ear.

"Really?!" Emily loudly asked, unable to control her excitement.

"It seems you are happy" Eugene hushed her down.

"Wang Sue is a good girl; reserved, kind and selfless. I couldn't be more happier than this" Emily told her brother.

"She's small and fragile too." Eugene said, beaming uncontrollably. " She always makes me want to protect her"

"Is that why you walked her to the station that day?" Emily simpered. "Oh, It seems my brother is really in love..."

"Don't go telling her beforehand." Eugene said shyly.

"Cross my heart" Emily assured her brother, excitedly. This was the best news her brother had shared with her that day although she couldn't say the same about Kendall. The latter had been eavesdropping on the twins' conversation and Eugene's confession wasn't exactly the best news to her. Kendall struggled to act calm and collected as her mind yearned to confront Eugene and tell him she loved him as well. Sensing the tension brewing in Kendall's mind Emily turned to her brother, signalling him towards the former. Eugene nodded, sighing in understanding of what Emily was telling him to do.

"Kendall, can I talk to you after class?" Eugene said apologetically. Kendall nodded weakly as she knew what he wanted to tell her. Eugene was finally going to end it by telling her the truth. Freighted by jealousy, she turned to look at Wang Sue. The latter was busy working on a painting she had planned to gift Eugene, unaware that she had suddenly created an adversary over him. Eugene looked at her too, throwing a folded paper towards her. Wang Sue smiled before picking up the little piece of paper from the floor. Was it a love note that Eugene had written to her?

Opening it carefully, Sue saw three hearts on it with words that read:

♥️♥️♥️for a pretty girl like you

Sue smiled, blushing as she looked at Eugene, mouthing a thank you. Eugene nodded, scratching the back of his neck shyly before turning to his sister. Emily simpered uncontrollably as it dawned on her that Eugene was deeply in love.

Mrs. Poffert suddenly walked into class. With a few days left for schools to close, she had an announcement.

"Girls and boys, brace yourself for a week of adventure and fun" She said excitedly. "We are going for a summer camp!"

Suddenly the class was filled with great cacophony as the students ululated, happy about the news Mrs. Poffert had brought.

"I heard that Chestnut High School arranges the best summer camps." one of the students said.

"There will be other schools too" a girl near Kendall chipped in.

"This means there will be plenty of cute boys too!" Yet another added, excitedly. Emily looked at Eugene, disappointed. Their plans would not take place till the second week of the holiday. Eugene smiled, patting her shoulder fondly.

"Isn't this what you wanted? A summer camp with your friends" he asked her in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Is it for the whole school?" She asked not minding how loud she was.

"Yes, Emily" Mrs. Poffert answered her. It seemed she had heard her question even in the midst of clamor. "We will have no extracurricular activities today so, we can go home early and prepare for this summer camp"

"Yes, ma'am" the class replied in Unison.

"But, remember you are writing your quizzes tomorrow"

"Shoot, I forgot about that!" Werner said, disappointed.

"How could you remember when you were busy chasing after the comedian of the school?" Someone behind him commented.

"Clara is a beautiful girl." Werner said, unfazed.

"You are the only one who doesn't see how dangerous she is" another boy named Adam chipped in. "She's in and out of trouble every day"

"That's because she's Queen to the King, Adam." Werner said furiously.

"Dude, she doesn't even give you attention"

"Adam, Werner! We are in the middle of a conversation here." Mrs Poffert said, glaring at the boys. "I hope to see each one of you at the camp." Mrs. Poffert added before leaving.

Eugene cleared his throat as he turned to Emily fecklessly.

"You go on ahead with Sue. I will catch up after I speak to Kendall" he distressfully said to his sister.

"Alright, Eugene. Just be bold and say whatever you have to say"

"Sure thing Emily. At least now I know what I want" Eugene smiled at her as she took his bag for him.

"See you at the parking lot" Emily told him as she signalled Sue to go with her. Wang Sue sighed as she caught on the topic. Eugene was surely going to talk to Kendall again and the thought of this scenario pierced her heart deeply.

"I suppose Eugene is staying back for some quality time with Kendall" she finally uttered the words.

"Yes, he's sort of fond of her" Emily added, taunting her friend. " Why are you suddenly interested in Eugene and Kendall's friendship?"

"Well no. I just got curious…" Wang Sue shrunk back with embarrassment.

"Don't worry, Wang Sue. He will join us soon" Emily said as she took Sue's hand, leading her to the parking lot.

Eugene and Kendall walked to the Aquarium as silence lingered between them. Both of them were thinking about totally different things, walking in silence. Kendall hoped that Eugene would not say anything about Sue while, Eugene hoped Kendall wouldn't be mad about his decision. There was a time he had loved her but, it seemed that time had passed without him having to confess his feelings to her. Perhaps Riley's intervention had come at the right time, stopping him from bringing to life the fears of a brother.

"Kendall…" Eugene began as soon as they had arrived at the Aquarium.

"This place is beautiful, isn't it?" Kendall circumvented the topic tactfully as she avoided Eugene's gaze.

"Yes..." Eugene replied. "It's quiet too".

"How come we never came here till now?"

"Perhaps, we weren't meant to…..." Eugene tried reasoning with her, empathizingly.

"I wish things were different everyday." Kendall said as tears streamed down her face.

"I'm sorry, Kendall but, I hope we can be friends…." Eugene said, squeezing her hand fondly.

"I am sorry I just can't say I'm alright…" Kendall wiped the tears off her face, putting on a brave face.

"I don't know what else to say"

"I need to go now. My brothers are waiting for me" Kendall said, leaving before Eugene could say anything else.