The Best Revenge

Chapter One

Chapter One



The cold morning breeze blew, kissing my skin and making the loose strands of hair dance. I slid the window glass open to get a view of the outside. Everything was still dark, as it was just 4:45 AM. 

I then closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, as I stretched my arms widely to embrace the atmosphere. At some point, I felt like I was Rose — a character from the movie ‘Titanic.’ A Jack-less Rose loves wearing an oversized gray hoodie, pink unicorn pajamas, and a pair of fluffy white bunny slippers. I chuckled. The uncoordinated color palette of my outfit perfectly represented my take on other people’s opinions; I couldn’t care less.

This is how I start my day — I’d set the alarm to make sure I’d wake up early to witness the sunrise. I used to do this with my mum before, but she passed away due to cancer. Slowly, I released a sad sigh as I was reminded of those beautiful days. 

“No.” I took a deep breath and shook my head, trying to shake the thoughts away. 

‘You have to be tough, Anna,’ I uttered in my thoughts. ‘You’re the only one that your Dad can count on.’

“You’re watching us from there, right, mom?” I whispered to the wind as I gazed up in the sky. 

“I’m pretty sure you are.” I nodded before diverting my attention to the book that sat on my favorite chair. I might as well just read the book while waiting for the sunrise then drown myself in heartaches. It’s been five years since mum passed away, but there isn’t a single day that I do not miss her. 

Soon, the sky was slowly tainted with the orange hue; the sun began to rise from the east. Then the sound of Mang Jerry’s Rooster echoed throughout the neighborhood.

“Good morning, Mr. Sun.” I smiled as I closed my book to focus on the beautiful golden scenery. Despite witnessing this view for the whole eighteen years of my life, I still could not stop myself from being mesmerized by its beauty. The sun will always be the same star in the center of our solar system, yet every sunrise is different from the other. 

I took a few moments to admire the sun before I headed my way to the bathroom to freshen up for school. 

Next, I dressed myself up with the school’s prescribed uniform and then headed my way downstairs to eat breakfast.

“Good morning, Anna,” Nana Helen greeted me the moment I stepped inside the kitchen.

“Breakfast will be ready in a minute; have some toast for the meantime,” she said.

“Thanks, Nana.” I smiled in reply before taking a triangular piece of toast. And just when I was about to bite into it, I noticed that something was missing – freshly squeezed orange juice.

“Do we still have some oranges, Nana?” I asked as I inspected the contents of our refrigerator.

“Sorry, dear. We’ve run out of oranges.” Nana sighed. “I went to Mila’s fruit stand yesterday to pick some up, but there was a delay in the delivery.” She explained.

“Don’t worry about it, Nana.” I shook my head and smiled. 

“I’ll just have some milk with my toast,” I said as I took the milk gallon out from the fridge. I also took a mug from the cupboard before I went back to sit on my spot.

“Nana, did dad go home last night?” I asked as I began to munch on my toast.

“Yes, he did.” Nana nodded. “I was going to tell you right when he arrived, but you were already asleep.” She chuckled.

“You dozed off while reading. It was your dad that carried you to your bed,” Nana added.

“Dad’s back must have probably hurt because of that,” I said, and we both burst into laughter.

“Hmm . . . are you saying that your dad’s too old to carry you now, young lady?” I immediately shut my mouth when I heard Dad’s voice from behind.

“I never said that!” I turned around. “How can you be old when you’re just twenty-one, right?” I chuckled.

Dad then shook his head and laughed with his baritone voice.

“Right, I’m just twenty-one!” He nodded. “And the gray hair is a fashion statement.” He then straightened his posture to stand tall.

Back then, I wasn’t really close with my dad. My partner in crime was mum because dad was always overseas attending some business meetings. But everything changed when we learned about mum’s condition.

I could not forget that day because it was the first time I saw my father cry. Dad and I may have been distant with each other, but I never hated him because I understood that he was doing it to give mom and me the best life. At some point, he even blamed himself for what happened, and I think he still does even up to this day.

-

“Have fun in school, hija.” Dad waved as he rolled the car window down.

“I will, dad!” I waved back. “See you later! Love you!” I threw a flying kiss at him before walking my way into the university.

As usual, I headed straight to my classroom located on the 2nd floor of the high school department. The clock had just struck seven, so there weren’t a lot of students yet.

“Good morning, Mr. President,” I greeted Henry as I placed my bag down on my desk.

“Good morning to you too, Anna,” he greeted back.

“Uhm, by the way,” he spoke again. “I heard from the book club that they’re looking for members,” he said.

“You love books, right? You should join.” He encouraged me.

I then shook my head and gave him a small smile.

“Clubs aren’t my thing.” I shrugged, and he chuckled.

“Right.” He nodded. “I forgot that you love your alone time,” he laughingly said.

Henry and I talked for a while as we waited for our other classmates to come. We’ve been classmates since elementary. And we share many things in common; we both love reading books and watching movies.

Sometimes, I’d like to believe that he and I are soulmates. To be clear, I don’t have any sort of feelings for him; we’re just friends. He’s one of the two people I can vibe with; the other person is my best friend, Scarlett Yu.

“Good morning, bestie!” Speaking of my best friend, here she comes.

“Looks like you finally learned how to set the alarm.” I chuckled.

“Ya! Stop making fun of me!” She glared at me.

“Can’t I be early for a change?” she bitterly asked.

I paused for a while and surveyed her look from head to toe. 

“Nope.” I shook my head in reply. I have known Scarlett since kindergarten, and she has always been late ever since, so having her get to school early definitely means something is up. 

“You still look like you, though.” I looked her in the eye. “No injuries, or whatsoever,” I said.

“So, what’s the catch?” I asked

.

“Nothing!” she denied.

At the back of my head, I thought. “Hmm . . . something’s definitely up!”