Originally, when Gene called me, I had no intention of telling him about my rough day: Luca, Clarence, and of course my Math result. But in the end, I just kept complaining about Luca. It’s a terrible habit, really.But what surprises me the most is at the end of the conversation. Sure, he teased me a bit but he actually sounded panicky after an afterthought. I’m sure that's the case.Sigh, Gene won’t probably budge even if I probe him. It’s better to ask him that in person. Which is months away.But right now, I need to solve my problems one at a time. First to convince Clarence that Luca’s place is not an option. Second, is to wait for Yu to sign it for me. Lastly, to get a part-time job.Any decent job will do just so I can save up for my goals. Even if leaving Luca’s apartment is impossible.All this thinking is making me hungry. Well, since I’m not expecting to see Luca tonight for dinner, I might as well go out.To the Pizza place nearby the boulevard? It’s closer to th

NINA “Happy Birthday, Yu!” Yu stands there, stunned, trying to process his mind before he laughs. “Well, damn, it’s a huge surprise for me, indeed.” “Heather and Olliver were the ones who decided this party,” Luca says as he shrugs. Yu immediately nudges his side . "Okay, asshole, at least say that you are involved in this plan," Yu turns to face him with a smile.“But, I knew something was up when you decided to pick me up at the airport.” Luca’s jaw clenches as he nudges him back. “Well, they ask me, their boss, to pick you, my partner, to the airport.” They only laugh in unison as they keep cheering about their banter. “Welcome back, Yu,” the Japanese owner comes back to the counter, I unconsciously duck and hide under the stools. Luckily, the lights here are dim so they can’t notice me unless I make a sound. But as to why I decided to hide from them? T-that’s still a debatable topic I’ve been wondering about. “We prepared your favorites: Tom yum soup especially and

“What the heck is going on here?!” Unable to control my own temper, my bellowing anger stops my friends from their so-called fun. Some of my colleagues show utter disappointment and others finally realize the situation and are now guilt-ridden from my anger. Now, it’s utter silence. And they should be. I scan the room, glaring eyes as each of them mutters a sorry. “Now, who in the right fucking mind let a minor drink beer? What if she gets alcohol poisoning?!” Well, technically, I drank a lot more when I was her age BUT that’s not the fucking problem! “Yu?” I turn to see a dazed look of Nina as her lips curled into a grin. “Happy Bir’day, Yu! Cheers!” She says as she grabs the beer-filled mug next to her empty one and almost, ALMOST attempts to chug another shot if it weren’t for a hand gripping hers. Luca, who finally snaps from his thoughts, is gripping the kid’s hand. They stare at each other. Dazed brown eyes staring at the fierce grey eyes. “That’s enough, Nina.” Auth

NINA My head really hurts a lot. I regretted chugging down every last bit of alcohol when it was my first time drinking it. But it helped me a lot. As to why I was drinking alcohol? I don’t know...maybe I forgot about it. The taste didn’t feel great at all. In fact, it has this strange pungent scent that hits on my nostrils and I almost puked at my first attempt. But later on, people circled around me, they encouraged me to have a drinking competition and I dare to give it a challenge. After all, they were nice and supportive as I drank...how many was it? Three or five mugs? If I were my normal self, I would squirm and slowly run away but their cheers motivated me. I didn’t realize I was so easy to please. Halfway through the drinking game, I saw a silhouette of two familiar men. It was blurry, really. But when I heard that familiar voice, I immediately knew who it was. So, I greeted him for his birthday. I almost forgot to tell him that he was the best brother I ever had. Bu

I couldn’t remember what happened yesterday.When I woke up, the first thing that registered to me was pain. Excruciating pain in my head that has been throbbing until now.Then enters nausea, the worst kind. How do I describe it? I feel like bile is stuck in my throat but it isn’t actually there. But at the same time, I feel my stomach grumbling, reminding me to eat. Wait, have I eaten anything yesterday?Now I feel really thirsty. I groan as I slowly get up from my bed, the bright light illuminates the sky which is a rare sight especially during autumn, so I cover my eyes with my hand. Slowly, I get out of my bed, trying to find my phone on my bed. Then when I look at my own clothes which were from last night's clothes, my eyes widen.Wait, why haven’t I changed clothes last night? I always make sure to wear my pajamas before going to bed.“Ugh,” I groan again as I massage my temples. I think I need some water, first. And hopefully, something to eat. I thought to myse