Chapter 5 "Cheating"
1779 Words
Neil arrived home to an unusual sight—complete darkness.
All the lights were off, and it made him curious. 'Was it really Papa Bong who texted me?' he wondered, feeling a tinge of suspicion.
Suddenly, a faint light spilled from the direction of the kitchen. It was coming from the refrigerator. He cautiously approached and froze at the sight before him—Elise, his little sister, rummaging through the fridge, her mouth stuffed with chocolate ice cream.
“Elise!” Neil exclaimed, startling the girl.
“Oh my god, Big brother! You surprised?” Elise shot back, clutching a tub of ice cream like her life depended on it.
“I should be the one asking you, lil sis. What are you doing?”
“Sorry! I got hungry, okay? You know, period problems. Girl thing, duh!” Elise turned her back and waved him off like it was nothing.
But Neil wasn’t letting it slide. He picked up their father’s phone from the counter and held it up. “And what’s this? Care to explain, lil sis?”
Elise turned around, flashing a cheeky peace sign. “Kuya, I don’t want you, ending up with that flirty girl. She’s just going to hurt you, promise!”
Neil groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Lil sis, you’re judging people too quickly. What you did was wrong! Tsk. I’ll tell Mom. I was this close to scoring! Too bad!”
“Score?” Elise raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused. “You’re playing basketball at this hour?”
“Never mind!” Neil sighed, exasperated. “Give me Papa’s phone, go to sleep, and stop meddling with me and Andrea. Mom’s right—you need to have a boy crush of your own so you’ll stay out of my business!”
Elise pouted, stuck her tongue out, and stomped up the stairs, making sure her brother could hear every step.
-----
Morning came, and Elise found herself in class, already bored. But her boredom vanished the moment he walked in—Marky.
With his slightly long hair, fair complexion, and charmingly chinky eyes, he looked like a dream. 'My dream', Elise thought, staring at him as if he was the only one in the room.
Her heart raced every time Marky moved, and she couldn’t help but steal glances. You're so cute, Marky. I hope you'll court me and proposed to me someday so that I'll stop middleng over my brother and her flirty girlfriend, she mused.
“Class,” the teacher’s voice broke through her daydream, “get one-half sheet of pad paper. We’re having a surprise quiz in Math.”
Elise quickly tucked her pad paper away. She knew the drill—everyone would ask her for some, and she’d run out before the day ended. This time, only her closest friends would get some.
But her plan faltered when Marky approached her.
“Hey! I saw that! Can I have some, please?” he said with a wink, his smile making her heart skip a beat.
“Don’t, Elise!” her friend Khien whispered, but Elise was already melting.
“Come on, please I beg,” Marky added, his charm impossible to resist.
Elise hesitated but eventually handed him a sheet, her cheeks burning as Akira and Angel teased her mercilessly from their seats.
Marky smiled as he took the paper. “Thanks, Elise. I owe you one.”
And just like that, Elise’s day was happily made.
When Marky took the paper Elise handed him, he gave her another request. “Elise, can you also give sheet of papers to my friends—the boys?”
Elise blinked. “How many of them?”
Marky grinned. “All the boys!”
Elise clenched her jaw, trying to stay calm. With a forced smile, she distributed papers to all the boys in the class. This made the girls eyebrow raised .
“Wow, look at our top 2! So selfish! She only gave papers to the boys. What about us?” one of the girls complained loudly.
With no way out, Elise reluctantly handed papers to the girls too, depleting her entire pad. She sighed in frustration but didn’t say a word.
“Are you okay, besty?” Akira asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Elise forced a smile. “Yes.” But deep inside, she was far from okay.
The quiz started, and the classroom fell silent. A few minutes later, their teacher stood up.
“Class, I need to step out for a moment to take a phone call. Continue working on your quizes. I’ll be back shortly,” the teacher said before walking out.
The moment the door closed, Marky was back at Elise’s desk. “Elise, can you help me out? Just answer number one for me, please!”
Elise’s heart pounded as Marky leaned in close. She could feel her cheeks heating up. His face was inches from hers, and it made her head spin.
“Uh, okay,” she stammered, unable to refuse him.
But it didn’t stop with Marky. One by one, their classmates swarmed around Elise, begging for help with their quizzes. Torn between standing her ground and keeping her crush a secret, Elise gave in and helped them all.
-----
The same scenario played out every day for the next week. Marky would sweet-talk Elise into helping him, and she always said yes. But it didn’t sit well with her friends.
One afternoon, as Elise walked home with Angel, Akira finally spoke up.
“Besty, I don’t like what Marky is doing to you anymore. He’s taking advantage of you, and so is the rest of the class!”
“Let it go, besty,” Elise replied with a sigh. “I want Marky to see how much I like him. Besides, Mom told me I should get a boyfriend so I’d stop meddling in Kuya Neil’s love life. So, I’m doing everything I can to make Marky fall for me!”
“Speaking of boyfriends, look!” Angel suddenly exclaimed, pointing at a nearby corner.
Elise followed her gaze and saw Marky chatting with Khien. The way they were standing and the smile on Marky’s face made her stomach churn.
Her blood boiled as she stomped toward them. Without hesitation, she tapped Marky on the shoulder, her face a mix of anger and frustration.
When he turned around, Elise didn’t hold back.
“What the hell, Marky?!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the hallway.
Elise stormed toward Marky, her chest heaving with frustration. When she finally reached him, she didn’t hold back.
“Marky! What is this? Are you courting my friend?”
Marky crossed his arms and smirked. “Yeah. So what if I am?”
Elise’s fists clenched. “I’ve done everything for you! I’ve let you copy my assignments, your friends’ too—even the whole class—and this is how you repay me?”
Marky rolled his eyes, his voice rising. “Oh, come on, Elise! Have you forgotten? I never courted you! I only asked for your help with assignments and quizzes. That doesn’t mean I like you. Stop assuming things! I don’t like you—never did I! Look at yourself. You’re a nerd, your face is covered in pimples, and you don’t even bother combing your hair. Everyone knows your brother does everything for you. Stage brother! You probably wouldn’t survive without him!”
Elise froze, his words hitting her like sharp daggers. Before she could respond, Khien stepped in.
“Hey, Marky! Don’t shout at my best friend!” Khien glared at him. “For your information, you’re the one assuming things. Did you think I was hanging around with you because I liked you? No way. I was only trying to see if you were taking advantage of Elise. And guess what? I was right. Let’s go, Elise! He doesn't deserve you.”
Marky’s jaw dropped, and he quickly stammered out an apology. “Khien, wait—I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it—”
But Khien ignored him, gently pulling Elise hand away. The group of friends left Marky standing there, bewildered and alone.
As they walked away, Elise broke into tears. She clung to Khien, her sobs muffled against his shoulder.
“Sissy, don’t cry anymore. Always remember, we’re here for you,” Khien said softly, patting her back.
“I’m so sorry, Khien,” Elise sniffled. “I judged you so quickly.”
“Don’t worry about it, Elise,” Khien reassured her. “We would never treat you the way that guy did. Forget what he said. He’s not worth a second thought. To us, you’re beautiful. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
-----
Days passed, and though Elise had moved on from Marky’s hurtful words, a new worry gnawed at her. Her brother Neil had started acting strange.
Sitting in the canteen with her friends, she noticed Neil walk by without so much of a glance in her direction. He ignored her completely.
“Hey, sissy! That’s the second day your brother’s been like that. What’s his problem?” Angel asked, leaning closer.
“I don’t know, sis,” Elise replied, her voice heavy with concern. “When I try to talk to him, he’s cold and doesn’t even joke around with me like he used to.”
“Why don’t you try talking to him again?” Khien suggested.
Elise scowled, crossing her arms. “Maybe he’s just jealous because we’re now both top 1 in class. Well, if he doesn’t want to talk to me, then fine! I’m not going to chase after him. Let him sulk all he wants!”
Still fuming, Elise stood abruptly and stormed across the cafeteria. Neil was sitting with his friends, but Elise didn’t care. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.
“Big brother!” she shouted, ignoring the curious stares from the other students. “What is your problem? Just because my grades are higher than yours, you’re going to ignore me now? Face me! Don’t handle this by pretending I don’t exist!”
Neil’s face turned red with embarrassment, but Elise continued, her voice shaking.
“If you want to compete with me in grades, fine! But don’t treat me like an invisible! Sibling rivalry is okay, but this? This is too much! What happened to you, Kuya? What are you so angry about?”
Neil stood frozen, his eyes avoiding hers. Elise could only hope her words would break through the wall he had built between them.
- Writer
