-
"Man!" Exclaimed a man leaning on a pillar of the school's entrance. All the buttons of his school uniform are undone, showing his underneath white shirt. "Why do I have to study? Why do I have to go to school? School sucks!"
His group of friends snickered.
"Adler, dude," another man said. Unlike the other, he was not wearing his school uniform at all. "Suck it up! There's no way your family is letting you run off. When you are the only child of your family, you have no other choice but to inherit the business."
"You have it hard, Adler." Another one said with laughter evident in his eyes.
"The only heir. Sucks for you."
"Shut up!" He angrily shouted at the two.
They laughed at him. Adler also laughed along. He and his unfortunate life.
To many, being the successor of a big company is a blessing, but to those heirs, it's a long and painful task.
"But Tyler, you have it hard too, don't you?" Everyone turned their head towards the person on the topic.
Of all the heirs that they know, Tyler is the only one who has to inherit many companies from both sides of his parents. His mother is a very big fish in the business world, not to mention his father.
Although his parents are divorced, both of them didn't build their own families. So, technically, he is the sole heir.
The four of them can't help but sigh mentally. Such wealth it is.
Tyler, who was sitting languidly on the stairs while chewing a lollipop (yes, chewing) and gazing blankly towards nowhere, turned his head towards them.
The four of them can't understand the girls screaming and shouting for this bastard's name every single time they see him. Sure, he is smart. Sure, he is undeniably handsome. Sure he has the body to die for. But why?
Why can't they see this bastard, lazy, womanizer side of him?!
"We were talking about the future." One of them said, dismissing the topic.
"Hmm."
"He's right."
"Absolutely."
Tyler laughed and thought, 'Being surrounded by idiots sure is fun!'
"Well-" he stood just before he finished his sentence. The other four were startled. "Sorry- goodbye!"
"Wai- where are you going?!"
"To my future!"
Their mouth was left hanging with his words. They turned to see what he was referring to and they couldn't help but sigh.
They just watched him sprint towards the library, chasing the figure that had just entered it.
It seems like the era of Tyler bringing a womanizer is coming to an end.
-
Althea's lessons for the day are over. She wanted to retire early and go back to her apartment and rest, but the exams are coming up. With a tired mind and heart, she went towards the library.
'It's even a miracle that I graduated from middle school. With an honor at that,' She nonchalantly said in her mind whilst taking out her notes and books.
Undeniably, she's smart. Undeniably, Althea is the only one who doesn't notice. Or rather, she's too lazy to care.
The chair she was sitting on didn't even heat yet when someone sat in front of her. She wanted to groan in frustration.
Come on, can you please not bother me?
The library is not even packed with students. Many chairs are vacant, and they choose to sit in front of her. Who can do that?
Of course, none other than him.
"Hey!" Tyler greeted with a cheeky smile on his face. Althea thought he looked stupid. She was wondering why he can still act so lively at this time. "What are you doing?"
She didn't answer immediately, instead; she stared at him like he was growing another head or something.
They said that he's smart. But how can he not guess that I am here to study? Did he lose his eyes together with his brain?
"I'm studying." She said, instead of mocking him. It was a waste of time and breath. She still needed to finish immediately, and she had many obligations to do. Whatever it is, this need to end, fast.
He chuckled, knowing what exactly was on her mind. He leaned on the chair he was sitting on and inserted his hands in his side pockets. He stared at her intently.
"Studying, huh." He said. "I thought it was something else."
Althea squinted her eyes. "What are supposed to do inside a library aside from studying?"
"Sleeping."
"..." What the fu- "Who sleeps in a libr-"
"I do." He proudly said.
"..."
Forget that I asked.
She decided to ignore him. She decided to deduct his points. He originally has 100 points, but she'll deduct 100. Now, he has no points left. Maybe it will drop into negative in the future.
Tyler lightly chuckled and leaned forward.
"Hey." He called out, and as expected, she ignored him. "Hey, hey, don't ignore me."
Still, she didn't heed his call. Tyler squinted his eyes and leaned further. "Heeeeyyyyyyy."
"What?" she snapped.
"Why are you ignoring me?"
"I'm studying-"
"Stop studying and talk with me-"
"Why would I?"
"Because I am planning on impressing you."
"Wha-!"
"Quiet!"
"..."
"..."
They both shut their mouth as the librarian told them. The students near the two turned to look. Althea lowered her head in embarrassment. She bit her lips to stop herself from pulling his hair. She was so frustrated that she almost bumped her head on the table.
This guy- he sure likes to pull her into a very embarrassing situation!
Can I just punch him? Kick him? Pull his hair until he turned bald?
"I know a place where you can relax while studying."
"Hmmm?" Where is the other place that is peaceful and relaxing to study aside from the library? Tyler is the only reason why she can't relax and concentrate.
Tyler took her response as her curiosity being pricked.
"Come with me." He stood up and waited for her to do the same.
-
"So," she said. "This is the place where I can relax and study, huh?"
For annoying her, disturbing her when she was studying, and embarrassing her. This place is worth it.
Althea stood in the center of the flowers. It was a botanical garden. She never knew that a place like this existed in their school.
She was mesmerized by the beauty of the place, so she stared blankly for a minute, and gladly, no one disturbed her. She took her time to intake the view.
The garden was huge and vast. There are different pots for each plant and different sections. She walked to identify them.
Wha- There are herbs! Are they planning on creating their own medicine?
Even cacti! And what then? Why do they have to store many succulent plants? Is the school running out of water?
But above all, they have lots and lots of varieties of flowers.
She was tempted to pluck one of each, or at least bring back their seeds. Surely the caretaker will not know of it, right?
"You like flowers, don't you?" Tyler's voice sounded from behind.
"How did you know?" She turned and furrowed her eyebrows at him. She remembered that he even sent her flowers earlier.
"Well, knowing the person you are courting is one. But really, I just wanted to impress you."
"..." She stared blankly at him. "Spill the beans."
"... Actually, I saw your records in the library. You borrowed multiple books about plants and flowers." He confessed.
"..." She doesn't know what to say, and she doesn't want to talk to him anymore.
Is this the feeling of having someone stalk you? It's not good, but either not bad.
It was the first time that someone looked into her library record. Usually, people give her the label 'nerd'. No one cared what she was good at or what kind of books she preferred. As waves of emotion flowed inside, Althea felt something in her heart melting.
She turned her head back and walked towards the field of flowers. She crouched down and looked at the flowers in front.
"They are well maintained." After some observation, she said.
"Of course it is," Tyler replied. "Or else it will be a waste of money."
"Say, Thea." Thea? How dare he make a random nickname for her?
"What?" she asked. "Oh, and please don't call me Thea."
He ignored her last remark. "Are you free this Saturday? I want to show you something."
Tempting, but sorry. "I have a group project. We agreed to make it this Saturday."
"Where?"
Althea looked at her disapprovingly. "Why do I have to tell you?"
He grinned. "I wanna join too."
"... Fuck off."
CHAPTER EIGHT: Courting (2) – "Althea, can you do this part?" Althea read it and agreed. "Sure." "Great," Sheryl smiled at her before turning to one of their classmates. "You do this one." Althea silently typed on her laptop after determining what to do. She muted out the whispers of her group mates at the table and buried herself in her little world. Five days ago, Tyler brought her to a botanical garden at the back of the school building. In exchange, Tyler wanted to take part in Althea's group project. Instead of relaxing and having a peaceful time studying, she was pestered by him instead. Nevertheless, Althea still didn't tell him the place. She never had a peaceful four days after that. She sighed and leaned on her chair. The day had just begun, but Althea was already tired. School works after school works, everything seems so unending. She glanced at Sheryl, one of the beauties in their room. She's also smart and soft-spoken. Althea can't help but heave a sigh in her
CHAPTER NINE: Jealousy...?—"Althea, I like you."Of all the phrases that Althea wants to hear why he is still talking and flirting with her even though the bet has ended, why this?Receiving such a confession out of the blue is too much for her. Her brain short-circuited.Tyler watched her blankly for a moment before looking away, her ears red as cherries. Amusement danced in his eyes. This was one of the reasons why he kept pestering her. Her reactions are just too cute and precious. The urge to pinch her cheeks came again."Y—you—shut up… What a lie." Her words were faltering. Her mind gears were madly turning to think of any coherent words but it just over-heated.Tyler can't hold back anymore, he laughed that almost all of his body shook. "You asked! I answered! What's wrong with that? Why are you telling me to shut up suddenly?”"A—anyway!" She almost shouted that word, obviously trying too hard to change the topic. "How much did you bet?"She can't think of any topic that is wo
CHAPTER TEN: An Odd Girl—"Yes, I understand," Althea replied after listening to her mother's scolding through the phone. "I know. I won't do it again."Althea rested her head on the soft pillow then she couldn't help but sigh helplessly. On the other side of the line, her mother was still ranting. Althea was tired of listening to the point that the words entered and exited her ears without delay.Again, she sighed and looked up at the white ceiling, still holding the phone next to her ear. Currently, she's inside the school's infirmary. According to the school nurse, she fainted in the hallway. The nurse even gave her an earful, saying that if she felt unwell, she should have stayed at home. She was lucky that there was someone who saw her fainted and called for help to carry her or else she'll be there until the bell rang for a break.After that, her parents called her. Apparently, the nurse contacted them. The moment she answered the phone, her mother started cursing her endlessly
CHAPTER ELEVEN; An Awful Feeling—“…”“…”Both didn’t say a word for a while now. The unknown beautiful girl stared at her with wide sparkling eyes while Althea looked down at her with her pair of dead aquamarine eyes. To many of the passersby, they were having a staring contest. They were both amused and curious. They couldn't see two beautiful women staring and standing near each other every day. What’s more, they are nearing a corner. The two looked like they were having a serious conversation with the other, more serious and the other one was not. Some even thought that maybe they were couples thinking about their future plans, with just the one planning everything.Althea was unaware of the curious eyes and the crooked thoughts of the people. Her mind stopped at the conversation they just had. Like a broken tape, it kept on playing itself.“So, who is this fiancé of yours?”“Uhm, I think his name is… Ah! His name is Tyler!” And when her brain finally worked normally, her mind s
CHAPTER TWELVE: Nope, it’s okay! —He called at a great time. Althea smiled apologetically at the girl. “I’m sorry but I have to take this call.”The girl smiled. “No, it’s okay!”Althea excused herself once more and when she’s out of her hearing range, she answered the phone.[Why did it take you so long to answer?] Tyler asked right after she pressed the answer button. It was funny that she could imagine him frowning just from his voice. [Are you still unwell? I heard that they gave you the permission to go home early. Are you not home yet?]He did not give her the chance to speak, and Althea just silently listened. She can hear rustling noise on the other side of the line. Maybe he is already lying on his bed since it is already evening there.Tyler didn’t hear a reply and was welcomed by silence. Instead, he frowned and glanced at the screen and saw that the line was still connected. His frown deepened even more. He put the phone back near his ears and asked in concern. [Hey, are
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Say what?—Tyler stared at the blank screen of his phone with disbelief but there was amusement in his eyes.“Dude, what are you doing?”Tyler looked back to see his roommate looking at him with furrowed brows. He was silent for a moment before a low laugh escaped from his lips. His roommate heard it and can’t help but raise his eyebrows. He knows that Tyler is weird, but he just became weirder. Who laughs without reason?“Althea is mad at me.” He plainly said.“… Oh.” His roommate looked at him like he lost his head or somehow grew a tail. He laughed because someone is mad at him. “Is that even something you can laugh about? I thought you were serious with her.”“I am.”The guy is even more bewildered. “Then why are you laughing? Should you not clear or mend things up?”“Of course, I will. I can’t let my girl stay mad at me when I am away.”“…” Your—what? Tyler’s roommate was in shock. He can’t believe that Tyler used a possessive word! “Then why were you laughing?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Blue Hydrangea —Althea was at a loss about what to say at the sudden discovery. She stared at her dumbstruck. What was going on? Did she just misunderstand something? The girl, whose name is still a mystery to her, cowered under her penetrating gaze. She shrunk back her neck and darted her eyes everywhere but Althea’s.“U-Uhm, did I do something wrong?”Wrong? Did she do something wrong? No! It was Althea who misunderstood and jumped to a conclusion! She should have asked and clarified before snapping at him!Althea was forced to close her gaping mouth and turn the gears in her mind. Her head heated up when she remembered how she snapped and spoke at Tyler rudely. Not that she cares about speaking rudely at him because she has done it many times already, but—The way she spoke to him and the words she just let her mouth escape is a clear indication of jealousy!Althea was so ashamed that she wanted to dig a hole to bury herself in. She was wondering what kind of mal
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Ambrosia— “I am sorry if my bed is, well, not big as yours, but please do make yourself comfortable.”They spent almost the whole day planning what they had to do the next morning and before they knew it, the sun had partially sunken down the horizon. Althea realized it and because she didn’t want to be rude to her guest, she decided that they’d have dinner outside instead. The girl was delighted and she was even the one who dragged her out. Her reaction made Althea curious, as it turned out that she had never tried eating out before. She instantly regretted her decision and many dark thoughts entered her mind. If she hasn’t tried eating out before, won’t her delicate stomach reject the food outside? What if she gets a bad reaction and her family blames her? Her questions were left unanswered as they already arrived at a certain restaurant’s door. Althea can only pray for this young lady’s health. After that, the young lady was, for unknown reasons. had countless o