CHAPTER 7
1489 Words
“BUTCHIII!”
She joyfully shouted as soon as she got home from 7-Eleven, but instead of her cat running to greet her, it just gave her a sharp glare.
“Butchi, how are your babies?”
She sat on the floor and played with the kittens, while Butchi continued to give her the cold shoulder. Where else would they inherit that attitude? Of course, from their beautiful owner.
“Sis, got anything for me?”
She looked up to see her brother, Wes, who had just arrived. She handed him her bag.
“There you go, my balikbayan bag. Just find your stuff in there.”
She said with a laugh, but Wes only rolled his eyes and slammed her bag on the sofa.
“Do you have school tomorrow? I have a game.”
Wes plopped onto the sofa and started scrolling through his phone, while she removed her shoes and quickly put them in the shoe rack.
“Thursday, right? Wait, let me check.”
She frowned and opened her phone to check her saved schedule.
She sat next to Wes and stretched her legs out on the couch. Leaning back, she began scrolling through her saved photos to find her schedule.
“No class tomorrow! What time is your game?”
She excitedly asked, eager to watch some cute basketball players. It was time to have a new crush!
Wes glanced at her with a furrowed brow, seeing his sister getting giddy. Leyie covered her mouth, grinning widely. She even flashed a peace sign at him, but Wes just rolled his eyes at her.
“I’m telling you, Salvador’s taken.”
Her smile faded, and she kicked her brother as he stood up. Wes retaliated by throwing a pillow at her, but she just smirked while checking her social media.
“Seven p.m. game. Watch, okay?”
He said before leaving, dribbling a basketball as he walked away.
“Wesley! I told you to eat dinner before you play again!”
Their mom called out from the kitchen. Wes looked over and raised an eyebrow.
“What’s for dinner, Ma?”
She asked, pouting, because their 30-minute journey home with Line and Rins had left her starving.
“Adobong utong. Go change, I’ll get dinner ready.”
Her mom said as she returned to the kitchen, leaving Leyie confused.
“Huh? What’s adobong utong?”
She asked, furrowing her brows, while following her mom into the kitchen. The smell hit her instantly.
“Yes! Adobong sitaw for dinner!”
She pumped her fist in the air and rushed upstairs to shower and change.
After her shower, she slipped into her silky purple pajamas. She didn’t bother combing her slightly damp hair since she was too hungry.
When she went downstairs, she saw her dad already eating.
“Enrico! My handsome father!”
She grinned as she sat down at the dining table, smiling even wider when she saw the food.
“Dad, pass me the adobong utong.”
Her dad handed it to her with a judgmental look. She raised her eyebrow and mirrored his expression as she scooped some food onto her plate.
“What nonsense are you girls up to now?”
Their mom walked in from the kitchen, carrying a pitcher of cold water. But instead of answering, Leyie just started eating.
“Honey, where’s our youngest?”
She heard her dad ask. She just shrugged, letting her parents talk in front of her as she continued eating.
“He’s playing again.”
Their mom answered, sounding stressed. Leyie glanced at her, biting her spoon, and gave her a cheeky grin.
“What are you smiling at, Poklay?”
Leyie quickly smirked, hearing the nickname her mom knew she hated.
“I’m smiling because my smile is your stress reliever. Also, stop calling me Poklay, Mom.”
She pouted as she poured herself some water and took a sip. She had finished eating and started devouring the bananas her dad brought home.
She coughed while drinking the water, causing her parents to stop eating and look at her. Her mom raised an eyebrow while her dad gave her a teasing smile.
“Oh, careful with your heart. You might cough it up too.”
Her dad teased, making her roll her eyes.
“Take it slow when drinking.”
Her mom handed her a tissue.
“My throat’s been itchy for a few days now, Ma.”
She made an excuse while wiping her mouth.
“It’s from all the shakes you’ve been drinking. I warned you, didn’t I? I told you to stop drinking those or you’d catch a cold. Now look, you’re coughing.”
Her mom lectured her, so she looked to her dad for help, but he just grinned at her while sipping his water and stood up to wash his hands.
“I have ginger tea. Make yourself a cup before bed, alright?”
She pouted and nodded, watching her mom clean up the table.
“I’ll do the dishes, Ma. Go rest.”
Her mom nodded, following her dad to the living room to watch TV together.
But before doing the dishes, Leyie grabbed her phone from upstairs and played some music while she washed up.
She played “Sweetener” by Ariana Grande, and when the music started, she began washing the dishes.
“When life deals us cards, make everything taste like it is salt Then you come through like the sweetener you are To bring the bitter taste to a halt…”
She sang, swaying her hips to the beat. When she finished the dishes, she said goodnight to her parents and headed upstairs.
Before heading to bed, she cleaned up her desk and Wes’s, frowning when she noticed he hadn’t unplugged his laptop charger again.
After tidying up, she climbed onto her bunk at the top of their double-decker bed. Since she was the eldest, she got the top, and Wes had the bottom. With just the two of them, it was perfect.
While scrolling through her social media, her Messenger notification rang. Someone needed help.
She quickly answered when she saw Mayue’s face.
“GIRL, WHO WAS THAT GUY?!”
Mayue shouted right away, making Leyie wince.
“Which guy?”
Leyie asked, confused about what her friend was talking about.
“The guy you bumped into earlier! You i***t, why aren’t you checking our group chat?”
Mayue exclaimed. Leyie quickly opened the chat and saw what they were talking about. Her eyes widened when she saw the picture Line had sent.
“Oh my gosh! HE’S SO HANDSOME!”
Mayue squealed, but Leyie just rolled her eyes.
“HOW DID IT FEEL, LEYIE?!”
She cringed at Mayue’s excitement.
“What? How did what feel?”
She asked while backreading the chat.
“BUMPING INTO MY FUTURE HUSBAND!”
Mayue exaggerated, so Leyie hung up the call on her.
She sent Mayue a message and climbed down from her bed.
“He’s mine!”
She sent an angry emoji, but Mayue just laughed at her.
As Leyie headed downstairs to make ginger tea, she ran into her brother, carrying a cup.
“Ginger tea?”
She asked, looking at him.
“Yeah, Mom made you some, in case you forgot.”
He handed it to her, and she smiled, thanking him.
Wes didn’t say anything and quickly went back to their room. Leyie, meanwhile, went outside to sit by their small store, where a bench for the neighborhood gossipers stood, though it was empty tonight. No overtime for the chitchat crew—everyone had gone home early.
“Aunt Joy! Waiting for your baby?”
She teased when she saw her aunt fanning herself with a Selecta ice cream lid outside.
“He’ll be home later.”
Her aunt replied sweetly, while Leyie sipped the hot ginger tea, grimacing at the spicy burn in her throat.
“Ugh, this tastes awful.”
She complained, making a face as she set the cup down on the bench.
“Why are you still outside, Auntie? It’s late.”
She asked, looking up at the dark sky and pouting when she couldn’t see any stars.
“Just cooling off out here.”
Leyie glanced at her aunt, finishing off her tea.
“Cooling off but still fanning yourself?”
She asked, frowning, and took another sip from the cup.
“Well, duh, because of the mosquitoes, you idiot.”
Leyie just smirked at her and quietly finished her tea. When her aunt went inside, she sighed, realizing the mosquitoes were biting her too, so she decided to go back in as well.
After washing her cup, she headed back upstairs.
“LEY! WHY DID YOU SHUT DOWN MY LAPTOP?!”
She froze when she heard Wes shout.
“DON’T YOU KNOW I’M UPLOADING MY ACTIVITIES AND THE DEADLINE IS RIGHT NOW?!”
Crap.
- Writer
