When The Rain Fell, So Did I

Chapter 1

"Do you really not know him?"

***

SAMANTHA

"Kristoff! You're so slow! Ugh!" I whined at my brother, who was leisurely applying gel to his hair.

He had the audacity to take his sweet time, while I was practically losing my voice yelling at him to hurry up.

"Move faster! You're fixing your hair like you're some model when you just look like a mosquito!" I added, which only made him laugh.

Apparently, he gets annoyed when his bangs fall into his eyes, so he insists on styling his hair every time.

But me? I'm annoyed with him! Ugh, I still need to ask Mich to help me with my math assignment. If I don’t understand it, and the teacher calls on me to explain it, I swear I’ll shave his head so badly that even Rica won’t love him anymore!

Honestly, I didn’t even want to wait for him, but he has a car, so I figured I’d hitch a ride. Better than walking, right?

It would be a waste of effort—and his car—if he didn’t give me a ride.

"Do you have plans or something?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he continued styling his hair in front of the mirror. "Or are you meeting your boyfriend early today?"

His grin widened after asking, and he even struck a pose in front of the mirror, which was my cue to deliver a solid smack to his arm.

"Ow!" he yelped. "Why are you so defensive—ow!" He winced as I hit him again and again.

Serves you right, Kristoff. Serves you right.

"You're so annoying! I don’t have a boyfriend, okay? I have assignments!"

I shot him a glare, but my irritating brother just grinned. Ugh, I wanted to pull his hair out!

Then he turned to me with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"No boyfriend, huh? Then who was that guy you were kissing last night? Imagine that—someone actually kissed you even though you look like a skeleton!"

He laughed loudly at his own joke, so I smacked him again. He deserved it.

"You’re the worst! Ugh, I’m telling Rica!" I threatened, pouting like a child.

Honestly, I probably looked like a kid who just had their candy stolen by their sibling. My brother really knows how to get under my skin.

By the way, Rica is my brother’s girlfriend. Can you believe someone actually fell for this annoying brother of mine? I honestly thought no one would ever love him since his love language seems to be irritating people.

"Oh, really?" he teased, raising an eyebrow at me before laughing even harder.

His laughter only made me angrier. Grrrr!

"Fine, I’ll tell Rica about your antics! I wonder what she’ll think when she finds out you’ve been bothering me!" I shot back, glaring at him.

Ugh, okay, fine. He wins.

My cheeks suddenly heated up as I remembered last night—the kiss with that stranger. It was... sweet. Okay, maybe even thrilling.

Ugh! What am I even thinking? Why am I blushing over a kiss from a stranger? This is so wrong!

"You're blushing, Colline," my brother noted, poking my cheek with his finger.

I rolled my eyes at him before storming out of the house and heading to his car. Knowing he was watching, I grabbed the steering wheel as if I were about to drive.

Wanna bet he’d come running in five... four... three... two...

"Don’t you dare drive, for goodness’ sake!"

The car door flew open, and my brother quickly climbed into the driver’s seat, shoving me over to the passenger seat like I was some fly intruding on his throne.

Pfft! I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

He was panting heavily, clearly having sprinted from the house to the car. He looked like he’d just finished a marathon.

“Phew,” he sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

I couldn’t help but laugh, earning a glare from him.

“Relax,” I said seriously, though my voice still held traces of laughter. “Even though you keep teasing me, I won’t do what I did to your car before.”

I couldn’t help but recall the time we had a fight, and I took his Lamborghini out of spite. He kept teasing me, saying I looked like a corpse, so I stormed off, got into his car, and sped off dramatically like some soap opera lead.

But I forgot—I don’t know how to drive. So, I crashed his car into someone’s house.

“W-What did you do to my car, you little gremlin!” he nearly cried back then, pointing at me while tears streamed down his face.

Meanwhile, I laughed so hard at the snot dripping from his nose.

I know it was wrong, but I couldn’t help laughing.

After that, he declared that I wasn’t allowed to have my own car. So, I ended up walking home from school most days.

Maybe it was his revenge, but wow, what a petty guy.

Then he bought a Ferrari and wouldn’t even let me hold the keys. Back then, I was in charge of keeping his car keys safe—but earlier, I managed to grab them because he was moving too slow.

And now? He even uses a different car to drive me around.

I smiled at the memory. I kind of wanted to see his reaction again, just for fun—especially since he’d been teasing me nonstop.

“I don’t like that smile, Samantha,” my brother commented, eyeing me suspiciously.

I’m sure I looked like a mischievous witch at that moment.

I just gave him my sweetest smile—though I knew it was anything but sweet—and he grimaced before starting the engine.

“Seatbelt,” he reminded me, pointing at my waist.

“Yes, boss!”

“We’re here. Get out. I need to pick up Rica,” he said flatly as he opened the door.

Sometimes I wonder if he even sees me as his sibling—or just some mosquito in his life.

“Fine, go have your lovey-dovey time!” I quickly got out of the car, waving at him as he drove off.

“Bye! Remember, there’s no such thing as forever!” I called out with a grin.

I’m sure he had his poker face on again after hearing that. Whatever.

Happily, I walked through the school gate. My classmates greeted me warmly as usual.

“Good morning, Sam!”

“Hi, Sam!”

I returned their greetings with a polite smile and continued walking toward our classroom.

I noticed a group of girls staring at a guy and furrowed my brows. Hmm? Was there a new transfer student?

“What’s going on, Icia?” I asked one of my classmates.

“Chester just transferred to our school, and he’s in our class!” she replied excitedly, clapping her hands.

Chester? Who’s that?

“Who’s Chester?” I asked, confused.

Was he famous? An actor? A gangster?

She slowly turned to me and raised an eyebrow. I was even more confused.

“What?” I asked.

“Do you seriously not know him?” she asked, blinking twice in disbelief.

I shook my head. “Who is he, anyway?”

“Join the Theater Club, and you’ll find out!” she said with a grin.

Her answer left me speechless. I tried to sneak a peek at whoever they were looking at but changed my mind.

“No way! What is he, a chick magnet?” I scoffed, making her laugh.

Nah, I’ll pass. Tsk, there’s nothing to gain from knowing who this Chester is, anyway.

***

But moments later, I found myself asking Icia for a form to join the Theater Club. I didn’t even notice when my curiosity got the better of me.

When I realized what I was doing, I grimaced. What the heck? Why was I getting curious about Chester the transfer student?

Before entering our room, I took one last glance at him.

To my surprise, I caught him looking at me. His gaze was piercing—like he could see right into my soul. It was... intense.

My cheeks heated up again. Oh no, why?

I quickly looked away, but moments later, I sneaked another glance. He was still looking at me. Then he smiled before going back to whatever he was doing.

He caught me! That was so embarrassing!

But… why is that smile so familiar to me?