chapter 5 -Tangled in Fears and Family Games
1474 Words
As soon as I stepped out of the car, Jean immediately pulled me away—far from the crowd, to a place where it was just the two of us, away from prying eyes.
Once we were secluded, she turned to me with panic all over her face. Her eyes darted around, her hands were trembling—it was like she was afraid of something so intense that my brain cells rattled from the sudden tension.
“Hey, Jean. You're panicking,” I said gently, pulling her into a hug to calm her down.
She was stiff in my arms, her body rigid with fear. I rubbed her back soothingly before whispering, “Girl, you’re acting crazy. What happened?”
“J-Jane... I-I saw Patrick earlier,” she stammered, her voice quivering. “He was holding a gun! I don’t know if it was real, but he saw me. He—he smirked, like he was threatening me... like he could do anything. Anything to hurt me.”
Patrick. Oh, that guy. The one who used to be psychotically obsessed with her. That freak. Ever since Jean rejected him, he spiraled—joined a frat, messed up his life. What an i***t, he even dropped out of school just because he got turned down. Psycho.
“Just ignore him,” I told her, trying to sound confident even though I was feeling a bit scared myself. “Remember the last time he tried to force you to meet with him? He ended up in jail for six months. He just got out. He wouldn’t dare try anything again.”
But deep down, I wasn’t sure. Whether the gun was real or fake didn’t matter much—just the idea of it was terrifying.
“But... my mom…” she whispered before breaking into sobs against my chest. This was my role in her life. Jean may be loud and outspoken, but when it comes to emotions, she’s fragile. She had always seen herself as someone weak—probably because she used to be a nerd, and until now, she still carried that insecurity.
She had once dated Patrick, thinking he was a decent guy since they were both nerdy back then. But she was wrong.
Luckily, after some comforting, she finally calmed down, and we made our way back to the picnic area where her family was enjoying the gathering. When they saw us return, they immediately made space for us. It helped that I’d already covered her teary face with a quick touch of makeup, so no one noticed she'd been crying. We told her parents that Jean just showed me something important to avoid any questions.
“Did you know, Jane?” her mom suddenly chimed in, smiling. “When Jared was younger, he had the biggest crush on you. He used to say he’d wait until you grew up so he could court you.”
I nearly choked. Jared, who was now sitting across from us, was frowning while chewing on a sandwich—his brothers looked just as annoyed.
Ugh, Auntie! She just had to bring that up. Honestly, I’ve been torn since this morning—trying to figure out whether my crush is the flirty Henry or the family-oriented Jared. It’s so hard being surrounded by good-looking guys. I feel like I’m being shuffled between heartthrobs.
“Mom, that was six years ago!” Jared protested. “I have a girlfriend now, and Jane is like family. She’s practically a sister.”
Ouch. Okay then—Jared is off the crush list. Henry, you stay. Or maybe... Hendrix? He's always helping Jean and me with our projects. If he were my boyfriend, he’d be so useful—wait! Crush lang muna!
“Sis, you're blushing!” Jean whispered, wiggling her eyebrows like a maniac. “Mom might notice you’ve got a thing for one of her sons!”
“Let’s just play a game, Tita!” I said quickly to change the subject. “It’s still early. I’ve got something fun in mind.”
Everyone agreed.
“So the game is called True or False: Mind Game Edition—great for bonding and learning.”
“Game!”
“Cool!”
“Shut up, let’s start!”
“Okay,” I said, laughing. “I’ll ask questions, and you all just have to answer True or False. If someone answers wrong, I’ll correct the statement. The one with the most correct answers gets a prize—three wishes from me. But if I win, I get a wish from each of you.”
“That’s so unfair!” they groaned.
“Fine,” I grinned. “There will be two winners. That fair enough?”
They agreed.
“First up, Jean.”
I cleared my throat.
“The Academy Awards are the most-watched single telecast in the U.S. annually. True or False?”
“False, of course,” Jean said confidently. “The Super Bowl has been the most-watched annual broadcast in the U.S. for years. Who wouldn’t know that?”
“Correct! And make sure to defend your answers like that—it counts.”
Next was Hendrix.
“The La Brea Tar Pits, useful to archaeologists, are located in Los Angeles. True or False?”
“F-False?”
“Wrong!” Jean and I shouted together.
“It’s True!” Jean explained. “Excavations in the Tar Pits revealed bones of prehistoric animals that got trapped in the sticky tar.”
Henry suddenly cut in. “Wait, this game’s totally rigged! You two are brainiacs. Why don’t you and Jean sit this one out?”
“What? How’s that unfair?” I pouted. “Fine,” I sighed. “Jean will explain, I’ll ask the questions, but only you guys can win the prize.”
We locked eyes, Jean and I, then let out a deep sigh. As if we had a choice.
“Okay. Everyone will answer together, and whoever gets it right earns a point. Highest score wins. Deal?”
“Deal!”
“Warts can be caused by touching animals—especially toads. True or False?”
“What’s a wart?” Henry asked, looking like a lost puppy. So cute.
“Just answer True or False, kuya,” Jean snapped.
“False,” Mr. and Mrs. Gornel answered. The siblings all said, “True.”
Jean and I exchanged a heavy eye-roll.
“Correct answer is False! Warts are caused by viruses called human papillomaviruses—not by touching animals,” I explained.
“And warts are like pimples, but they’re usually skin-colored,” I added, mainly for Henry’s benefit.
“Next! In World War I, guns were the deadliest weapons. True or False?”
The brothers all answered, “False.”
Mom and Dad said, “True.”
Jean shook her head. “Seriously, kuya? Even you, Hendrix? You’re a professor!”
“The African elephant is the largest carnivore on land. True or False?”
Before I even finished, the brothers proudly shouted, “True!”
Even Mr. Gornel couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “My sons, really?”
“Dad, what? That’s right!” Henry defended.
I just sighed. These three… if this was a game of who could be the silliest, they’d win hands down.
“The answer is False!” I said. “Elephants are herbivores. The largest carnivore on land is the Kodiak bear!”
Jean looked like she was about to explode, so I held back teasing her more. But deep down, I was enjoying myself.
This—this warmth, this laughter—I never had it growing up. My parents were always working, always too busy. Our version of family bonding was eating dinner together in silence.
“The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to America. True or False?”
“True!”
“True!”
“False!”
Jean and I closed our eyes in despair. “Your brothers are seriously messing with us now.”
“Kuya, come on! It was a gift from France to commemorate the 100th year of American independence!”
We all burst out laughing at Jean’s frustrated reaction. She always said it offended her intelligence when people pretended to be dumb—especially when they knew the right answer.
“Sorry! I forgot!” Hendrix said sheepishly.
“Next question—Bangalore is known as the Silicon Valley of India.”
“True!” everyone finally answered correctly in unison.
“Thank God,” Jean muttered. “Bangalore is India’s third-largest city and a global hub for information technology. Finally, my brothers are using their brains.”
The family burst into laughter again... And there's me, laughing with them even though jealousy and envy are creeping inside of me.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD