CHAPTER ONE
My name is Christina de Silva.
Well naturally somebody at the back would shout, are you related to Suze de Silva? Unfortunately, she is indeed. She is my mother in fact. Not that I don't like her, it's just well, she attracts too many people. My mom is an author and I've seen her name on the paper a lot of times. My two brothers—Jake and Daniel—elder and younger, doesn't seem to mind all the commotion my mother made.
My dad was another. He didn't mind all of those things but it didn't mean he liked it. He's a doctor at the private hospital. His name is Jesse de Silva but most people know him as Dr. de Silva. He's actually the only one who could possible understand me in this household.
Almost.
"Dad…" I whined by the doorway to my father's study. He was writing on his notepad and his head bent over a thick book.
"Yes, querida?"
I'm actually taking French so I have no idea what that meant and he calls me and my mom "querida" always so I just went on.
"Jake took my book again."
My father sighed. "Again?" He stood up and headed to the living room. I followed him behind slowly. Jake is always taking my books and hiding them somewhere for me to find. This time, he took my algebra book again. When I reached the living room, my dad was talking to Jake.
"…Nombre de dios, Jacob. Act your age, return the book." Dad was saying.
"I told you it's not with me!" Jake trilled.
My dad muttered a few things in Spanish which I'm pretty sure that my seventeen-year-old brother understood pretty well. In the end, I got my book back and my dad returned to his study. I stayed on my place, shifting my weight on one foot and folding my arms over my chest.
Jake sat down the couch, his back at me.
"You're such a baby, Tina," He told me.
I scowled.
"Not to mention a big Daddy's girl." Jake continued.
"I am not!" I said.
Jake laughed mockingly. "Right. You're sixteen going six then?"
"Oh yeah? So you're seventeen going one then since it's you hiding other people's stuff, Jake that's so fourth grade." I snapped back.
Jake turned to look at me and said, "Bitch." Just as my mother was entering the room. My face heated up immediately and I could imagine them beet root red. The bookshelf on my left started shaking…and my thirteen-year-old brother, Daniel, came out of his tiny hiding place behind it. My mother was looking as furious as I am. She was rooted to the spot where she entered, her deathly glare focused on Jake.
"Jacob de Silva," My mother began. "Did you just call your sister a bitch?"
Jake paled. "What—mom, look—er..."
And just like that my mother, the ever great Suze, was shouting things at my brother.
"How dare you say things like that? To your own sister! You disgust me! You're grounded, Jacob, grounded I say…"
Daniel crawled back to his fort in efforts of not hearing mom's shouting. My dad was peering down again from his study a frown visible on his face. He leaned down the balcony to see who it was and saw my mother.
"Susannah," He tried to call. My father never calls mom Suze. Querida, yes but he always calls her by her real name.
And right now I wish my mom could hear him. Jake was rolling his eyes.
"Right, right, I get it." Jake was saying but my mother kept on ranting.
"Susannah," My father called again. My mom raised a palm in a wait gesture.
"Respect, Jacob. I hope you have that." My mom said lastly. I looked at her openmouthed. That was the longest speech I've ever heard from her. Jake stood up and headed to his room quietly. I heard my dad closing his study door, finally contented.
My mom approached me and kissed me on the forehead.
"Sorry." She said. I smiled and stared at her face. My mom made beautiful an understatement. She was forty-one and still gorgeous. She had waist-length brown hair and really clear, really green eyes. And well, still perfect. Really awesome too, except for the popular part.
I headed to my room a few moments and as I passed by Jake's room, I heard him muttering to somebody.
"…I know. But crap it's really hard to blend in with my frea—"Jake was saying when somebody, a guy, cut him off.
"I think you're just insecure."
I can imagine Jake rolling his eyes. "Liar."
"I am not—"
But whatever that guy was saying I didn't know because then I opened the door to Jake's room and…well, finding Jake alone. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees and was clearly talking to somebody.
I couldn't believe it. Jake was really alone. People can't disappear out of thin air can they?
"Look who's the one defended about respect and she comes bolting into someone's room without even knocking." Jake said.
I ignored him, looking around wildly. "Who are you talking to?"
Jake raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I heard you talking to someone a while ago. A guy."
For a moment, I thought Jake frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You were talking to someone…a guy he sounded. Earlier just now. I heard you."
"I was talking on the phone."
I looked at his phone which was sitting idly on the desk drawer which was far from his reach.
"And then you threw your phone perfectly in its case on the desk and are about five meters away. For so I know, you couldn't even throw at a perfect three meters." I said.
Jake scowled. And then something hit me.
"You're not bringing somebody here are you? Wait, are you even straight?" I asked.
Jake cracked up at that. He laughed loudly.
"You think I'm gay?" He laughed again and was probably choking on his laughter so much he forgot how to breathe. "You—"—pant—"—think I'm—"—pant again—"—gay? God, Tina! That is downright ludicrous you know what I mean?"
I frowned. "But I heard you talking to somebody a while ago. I swear."
Jake stopped laughing all at once. "I swear to you either no human was here."
And then he continued laughing anyway.
"She thinks I'm gay?" Jake was saying. "You're so lame, Tina. I'm not!" He continued laughing uncontrollably.
I guess I can't make him talk so I left him in his room still laughing loudly. As I was entering my room however I looked back at Jake's door and saw a guy about my age. He was leaning on Jake's door, his back at me.