It was around 9:00 p.m. by the time I arrived home. It was well past the time when my family would have dinner, but I had already eaten, so it wasn't too big of a deal.
I quietly opened the front door, though I knew it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Almost as if to confirm that, the moment I stepped inside, a familiar, obnoxious yet childish voice called out to me from the living room.
"Ah! Welcome home, Son! What were you doing out so late today?" Dad said as he did his usual stretches.
We both knew that 9:00 p.m. wasn't that late. He was just asking to start a conversation.
"I was just out with some friends," I replied as I took off my shoes.
"Is that so? I hope you had a good time, then!"
Dad continued with his living room stretches after that. Whether it was because he stopped caring or was being considerate of me, I didn't know.
As I entered the living room, a soft, soothing voice resounded through the entire room, stopping me.
"You've been getting home pretty late recently, Son."
A tinge of authority sat beneath the depths of her voice.
The owner of that voice loomed within the shadow cast by Dad.
Dad stepped to the side, revealing a graceful, dignified figure lying on the couch. She lifted her gaze from her phone and stared straight at me with her usual angelic smile.
I spared her a single glance before turning for the stairs. I was halfway up when her voice followed.
"Were you hanging out with your friends again?"
"Yes," I replied flatly without looking back.
I didn't even get a chance to take another step before she spoke again. "Don't you think you've been hanging out with them too much? Aren't exams coming up soon?"
I let out a sigh. "What else do you think I was doing out so late? I was studying with them."
"Reallyyyy?"
The air in the room suddenly felt thick with static. My body wanted to tense, but I maintained my detached exterior.
Mom took a deep breath, then spoke slowly. "Don't you think you'd be better off studying yourself? You always get at least the top two on the exams, so wouldn't it be better if you studied alone? Aren't you just goofing off?"
A sharper edge crept into her tone.
Looks like I can't just walk away from this one…
A quiet pang of heat that made my finger twitch bubbled in my chest, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.
My facial muscles adjusted themselves, and I began to turn around. But before I could, a different voice spoke in my place.
"Don't you think we should just trust him? He's seventeen years old now, and he can handle himself," Dad said.
While there were still traces of his obnoxious, childish tone, this time, there was a hint of resolve.
The heat in my chest eased slightly, and in its place was something... warm.
Dad was… defending me. Most of all, he was defending me from Mom, of all people.
His words from a week ago, which I had been avoiding, resurfaced.
"I'm proud of you."
My eye twitched, and I bit the inside of my mouth.
Yes… I've known. I've known all this time.
I quickly turned away and climbed the stairs once again.
I know… that Dad isn't the same person he was back then.
I put my hands in my pockets and clenched them tightly, the blood draining from my veins.
I don't believe that people can change, and yet… he did. Or was trying to.
I heard Mom and Dad talk about something downstairs, but it was all just muffled noise in my ears.
...But that's what makes it all the more difficult.
I closed the door to my room.
I can't forgive, and I can't forget.
I grabbed a change of clothes from my closet and headed for the bathroom.
But at the same time… that's hard. Really hard.
I turned the shower on, the cold water running down my body.
So, I'll keep doing what I always have.
The sound of the water pelting against the floor filled the bathroom, drowning everything out.
...Because I don't care.
I stayed in the washroom for the next hour.
***
I was sitting in my bed, carefully drying my hair with a towel. It was hard to get my hair the way I wanted it, so I always took this process seriously.
Suddenly, the door to my room burst open with a loud *BANG*. My gaze was level with the ground, but I already knew who it was.
"What do you want, Lily?" I asked tiredly.
Lily let out an offended scoff. "Why the hell are you talking like that for? You should be happy that I want to see you!"
Without waiting for an answer, Lily barged in and helped herself onto my bed. I got up, letting her have it to herself, and sat down on the chair next to my desk.
Lily took a few seconds to get comfortable before she began her ranting and complaining. In the middle of her rant, she switched the topic.
"By the way, your bed is comfy as hell! Wanna switch rooms?" she said.
I replied with a flat, "No."
Lily pouted, but shrugged shortly after. "Well, whatever, I sleep on your bed all the time when you're not home anyway."
For the first time in the Lily-rants, I turned my full attention to her with a flat stare. "What? You come into my room just to sleep?"
Lily nodded innocently. "Yeah, what are you going to do about it? Get mad for sleeping on your bed when you aren't even here?"
Well, if it were anyone else, I wouldn't care, but because it was you—I had to.
"Just make sure to watch your back," I said somewhat threateningly.
Lily's face paled. "No! Don't do that! You know I get scared easily!"
She lunged out of the blankets. I didn't have any time to react as she grabbed onto my legs, her nails digging into my skin with a desperate, frantic grip.
"Say you won't do anything! Promise me you won't do anything!" she pleaded.
The moment she touched me, without thinking, I grabbed both her hands. Just as I was about to pry them off, I realized the way my hands gripped her small wrists.
I sighed, then let go. "Okay, okay! I won't do anything!"
Lily stuck out a trembling pinky. "Say you pinky swear! I won't believe you unless you pinky promise!"
"What are you, five?! Can't you just trust my word?!" I shot back.
She shook her head stubbornly. "No! You always lie! So hurry up, or I won't let go!"
I clicked my tongue. "Alright, fine!"
I stuck out my pinky and curled it around hers. It was only then that she finally let go and crawled back into my bed.
I didn't believe in pinky promises, but if it was for Lily, then I would.
"Anyway," she continued, as if nothing had just happened, "you won't believe what happened today!"
I pulled out my phone, using her little story time as background noise as I opened the romcom I had been reading recently.
"Yuka and I went to the mall after school just to hang out and stuff, you know, the usual—"
Hearing Yuka's name sent a shiver down my spine.
You need some new friends... I thought to myself as I continued reading.
"While we were at the mall, these people approached us—"
I arrived at the page where they finally kissed after three hundred and fifty-six chapters.
I sighed.
About time.
Just as I was about to click on the next chapter—
"They were five dudes, and they asked for directions—"
My thumb paused midair.
Did I just… hear that right?
Luckily for me, I didn't need to wait for an answer as Lily continued talking without noticing anything.
"When I gave them the directions, they thanked us and began walking away. Before they did, though, they asked me for my number–"
Before I even realized what was going on, I had already put my phone away and snapped my head toward my sister.
She yelped and lurched back in surprise. "W-what are you–"
"What the hell did you just say?"
I couldn't have heard right. I had to have heard wrong, just like how I didn't hear Luna earlier, because there was no way…
...Someone is hitting on my little sister!