Day 104

4/4/2016 - Monday - Ishizu's Birthday

PART I

It's my sister's Birthday today!

Also today is the NCAA championship game, which is uh basketball...? Vanessa, my Tumblr friend has cards for two good seats but I told her I can't today. Because I'm meeting Ishizu and Rishid! Hahh, I'm so excited! Even more so, because I'll be seeing Rishid today for the first time since I ran away from home!

Bakura is mumbling in his sleep. It's noon and he hasn't been to school. Spring Break is over, isn't it? Still, he's here, drooling on his pillow. Aw, cute.

I shower, grab Ishizu's present and get dressed because in an hour I'm meeting Rishid and Ishizu in the city!

It's cloudy today. I put on Bakura's coat, since mine is not dry yet. This feels weird but strangely, also comfy. He trusts me so much as to lend me his coat! Okay, maybe not that much of a trust proof. It's just a coat. But it smells like him, heh.

I exit through the window, then rush down and fold the coat's collar up. Only when I'm on the ground I put my hands in the pockets and find cigarettes and a lighter in them. Damn it, Bakura always forgets those in the coat! They don't fit into the pockets of the jacket he wears now. I'm too lazy to go back upstairs. And also if I take them with me, Bakura might refrain from smoking until I come back.

It sure is warm though in his coat. I walk to the 'rich boulevard' and am ten minutes too early. I can't wait to see my family again!

Ishizu has picked Rishid up and will park near the boulevard. I didn't even know that she has a car or that she took driving lessons. Must be Seto who payed for all that. I wished I knew where they'll park but since I don't, I sit down a one of the benches in the middle of the boulevard, put Ishizu's present next to me and observe the people passing.

Finally, I see my siblings arrive. They turn their heads, searching for me. I jump up and wave. "Hey! Rishid! Ishizu!"

"There he is!" I hear Ishizu say. She points to me.

We meet halfway. Well, kinda. I'm more running then going and fall into Rishid's arms before he can fully open them. I don't know why, but suddenly there are tears in my eyes. I never thought I could miss my brother so much! I start sobbing a bit and he strokes my back. "Good to see you too," he chuckles. Ah, how I missed his voice!

When I pull back and wipe my tears, I see Ishizu smiling at me. "Aw, Marik." She wears her hair in a braid today that hangs over one ear and one shoulder.

I chuckle embarrassed, then step to her to hug her too. "Happy birthday, Ishizu! I missed you!"

"I missed you too," she replies.

We pull back. "I got you a- oh!" Fuck! "I got you a present!" I say and turn around. "I forgot it, it's on the bench!" I run to it and my siblings follow. Luckily, it's still there. "Phew!" I turn to Ishizu. "Here."

"Oh Marik, you didn't had to." She takes the poorly wrapped box.

"Sorry about the christmas wrapping," I say. That's all I could find in the storage room: Green paper with Jesus Christ on it.

"I don't mind that," Ishizu laughs. "I'll open it when we sit down."

Rishid leans closer to take a better look at it. "Jesus paper," he comments.

I let out a snort. "Where do we wanna go? The same cafe as last time?"

"What about that ice cream parlor?" Rishid points to it. It's in the corner of the street and seems full.

Ishizu frowns. "Mh, I'd rather have breakfast now, to be honest."

"They have waffles!" I reply. I always wanted to try those.

"Alright, that sounds good."

It's the first birthday that we're celebrating outside of our home. I'm sure Ishizu had been having gatherings with her school friends after school, but those had to be quick and in secret. We never got to have a party or a sleep over at our home.

We walk over. God, it feels so good to walk next to my siblings, I didn't know how much I missed that! Ishizu keeps shaking her present. The box I which I put the thermos in is way too big, but it was the only one that didn't had sticky labels or holes. Ahh, my family is so pretty and smart! I love them so much. Ishizu looks very beautiful today and Rishid looks just like your typical IT guy: baggy jeans plus sweater. His baldness has progressed, while his hair got longer. That's not actually looking good to be honest.

We chose to sit inside the ice cream shop. Ishizu leaves us to use the bathroom and Rishid pulls out a card.

"Here, write your name under it," he says, giving me a pen.

"Mhm!" I do that, then look at the card: A basket full of kittens, below the text 'Happy Birthday' in rainbow colors. I chuckle. Bakura would give me the nastiest look if I'd hand him such a card.

A waiter comes and we tell him that our sister has birthday to which he suggests a small cake accompanied by a song. We agree, then hush him away, because Ishizu is returning.

She doesn't seem to have noticed him and sighs as she sits down. "Has the waitress come yet?"

"No," Rishid replies.

I grab one of the menus lying there and open it. "Hmm, I could go for waffles as well." Oh, right. I look up and add: "But one of us has to pay for me, I only got five bucks."

Rishid and Ishizu laugh. "No worries, I'm paying today," Rishid says. "You two can order whatever you want." He grabs the other menu and he and Ishizu take a look as well.

"I can pay for myself," Ishizu replies.

"Not today, dear sister, you won't."

Ishizu tilts her head and smiles at him. "Alright."

I grin at them.

Someone behind me clears their throat. Rishid and Ishizu look up from their card and I turn around. One empoyee carries a small chocolate cake with a candle on it and another one lights it up. She looks at us and takes an exeggerated breath. "One, two, three...!"

We start singing "Happy Birthday to you...!" and Ishizu laughs, then rolls her eyes in embarrassement. The people at the tables near us watch us. One older man sings along and the infant at the table next to us claps her hands and laughs.

"Only one more year to adulthood!" Rishid comments. Right, Ishizu's twenty years old now. It's a bit weird. She seems so more mature already.

The employee puts the cake in front of her. Ishizu blows out the candle. We finish singing, then one waitress goes to the back while the other stays. "Would you like to order now? Or later?" he asks, already being on his toes. He understandebly assumes that we might need a moment to ourselves for a bit.

"No, it's alright, we can order, right?" Ishizu opens the menu again.

She and me order waffles and drinks, while Rishid only takes a coffee.

As the waiter walks off, Rishid takes out the card and a small envelope and hands both to Ishizu. "Here."

I push my box over the table to her as well.

"Aw, thank you guys." Ishizu first takes the card and turns it around. "Cute." She opens it and reads the pre-written 'All The Best Wishes' message with our names under it. I would have written more, but Rishid had alread put his name pretty close under the text so there wasn't really enough space for more words.

"Now I'm gonna open this one first," she says and takes my box. "Can't stand not to know what's rattling inside!" We laugh. She tears off a corner, trying to destroy as little as possible of the Jesus paper. She opens the box and takes out the thermos flask. "Aw, that's a really thoughful present. Thank you, Marik."

"You're welcome!" I stand up and lean down to her for a hug and a kiss.

"This comes in handy," she says.

"Yes, good idea giving our coffe addicted sister a thermos flask," Rishid comments. "I can picture our next meeting already." He lifts his hand and shakes it excessively.

"Stop it!" Ishizu gives him a soft hit on the shoulder.

I laugh. "Hah, you're just jealous because my present was thoughful and useful! Let's see what you've got!"

Rishid gives me a look. Ishizu puts the flask down and grabs the envelope. "Surely not another thermos," she jokes. No, it is a coupon for her favorite jewerly shop. She smiles and hugs Rishid. "Thank you!"

"Fancy, but not very thoughful!" I say.

"At least it's not promoting adiction," Rishid counters.

"Aw, you two, stop it!" Ishizu laughs. "And you," she pokes Rishid's arm, "you're the one at this table who ordered coffee!"

"Aahh, you got me!"

We laugh.

Funny, Rishid has never been this way, friendly bantering with me or Ishizu. Though I wouldn't know. Most of the time in my life he was busy working. When I was little, he was taking care of me, but later when I grew old enough to keep momories, I saw less and less of him. Maybe it's the fact that he's alone with Dad and without us that made him change.

Our waffles and Rishid's coffee arrive. Mine are with blueberries and whipped cream while Ishizu's are with cherries. I wonder what Bakura's favorite fruit is.

"Where did you park?" I ask, grab the hot waffle and take my first bite. "Mmm, delicious!"

"In the car park 'round the corner." Rishid points to a direction, then takes a sip.

"Huh, what car park? Never seen one."

"It's nearby." Ishizu uses her fork and knife for the waffles. "So, how is it going at... at your workplace?"

"You can call it what is, 'Shizu," I laugh. "A strip club." Ishizu frowns to that and takes a few glances around, but nobody is watching us. "And I'm doing okay."

"How is Bakura?" she asks, a little grin on her lips.

I instantly pout. I hate that face people put on when we talk about him. Belittling me. Even with my sister it's not different. "He's..." He would say 'not good' as always, but I'm not gonna drag my siblings into this complex mind. "He's fine."

"Bakura?" Rishid looks at me, then Ishizu. She gives him a look. "Oh, that guy."

I glare at my sister. "You told him?"

"What, is it a secret?" Ishizu laughs.

"Mhh, well... No. But, um I dunno..." I feel heat rising to my cheeks and take another bite of my waffle, so that I have a reason not to speak.

"Oh Marik, I just told him that you've found a friend. And... that you got clingy towards him, that's all."

Clingy. Yeah, okay, that's better than 'in love'. Rishid smiles at me. I feel the need to tell him the truth, even if he might have trouble coping with my sexuality. I gulp and take a breath. "Clingy is true, but actually, Rishid," I say, to make him look at me, "I'm... I have a crush on him." Then I look away and take another bite. 'Having a crush' sounds better than 'being in love', right?

"Haha." Rishid takes a sip of his coffee. "I had a hunch that you did that." That I have a crush on him or that I am gay, which one? "Not the first guy you got clingy about."

I pout. "Mhh. Why, I never did that..."

Both my siblings laugh. "Oh and how you did that!" Rishid says. "Already forgotten about your classmate Yuugi? You went earlier to school just so you could protect him."

Right, Yuugi. He used to got bullied by pretty much every bully in our school, because he's short and has that weird colored hair. He looks like a punk, yet he's small and shy. Huh, I really forgot about him. I hope he's doing okay without me.

"Mm, but I was never in love with Yuugi," I mumble.

"And you still got in trouble for him," Ishizu sighs.

"You sure have the right to scold me, sis, since you were such a good student, hm."

She takes a gulp of her orange juice. "That is not the topic of our discussion!"

I grin and Rishid laughs. "About school... Is it such a good idea to skip it for so long?"

I heave a big sigh. "Guys, we've talked about this enough! Yeah, I'm missing school, like literally and even actually missing going there and I'm overbearing when it comes to Bakura, but believe me, I'll be fine! I'm learning stuff there I couldn't learn in school. So," I grab my glass and put it at my lips, "stop trying to change my mind."

"It's no use, you're right," Ishizu says. "Once our Marik has found someone to protect, no one can't tear him off of him."

"Ghrr, it's not just about Bakura!" I say, almost choking on my water.

"Right, it's about Jaden as well."

"Who's that?" Rishid asks.

"Another good-looking guy."

"Ishizu!"

They ask me more about my job and I tell them about the cleaning and cooking, how demanding Mahad and how nice Mai is. Ishizu wonders about my coat and I tell her that I borrowed it from Bakura, which earns me another half-grin from her.

Next, it is Ishizu's turn to tell us about her life. She still has Spring Break from her college, but she has to write a lot of essays, so she spends half the day at home and goes out at evenings.

Rishid and I look up when she mentions this.

"Where do you go out?" I ask. Hearing her going out is interesting. I can't really tell why. She wasn't allowed to do much while she was living with Dad, so it's only natural that she would go outside as much as she can, now that it's possible.

She shrugs and looks down. "Just with Seto."

"Is he back from his work?" I grin.

"For now," she sighs. "But something else will come up, I'm sure. Always on the run." She lifts her hand and strokes the side of her glass. "But that's normal for a man in his position."

Who would've thought that a toy company has so many meetings. It's funny to imagine: A group of men and women in suits sitting around an enormous table, discussing what kind of squeeky sound their new toy should have.

"He's good to you?" Rishid asks.

Ishizu look up and nods, getting a frown on her forehead. Our sister doesn't like us to act protective around her. Rishid knows that too and nods back quickly, mumbling "good, good", then taking the last sip from his coffee.

There's more to it, I'm sure. I would have asked my sister and teased her, but her look is too sorrowful. She looks uncomfortable telling us about Seto, so I'll ask her later if I get the chance to be alone with her.

I also would like to tell Ishizu more about Bakura, especially about 'K'. I already know what she will tell me, but I still want to hear it.

But not as long as Rishid is around. It sounds mean, but he's not the one I would like to discuss my love life with.

Ishizu changes the topic and asks Rishid about Dad, which in turn makes Rishid sigh, look down and frown.

"That bad?" I chuckle.

He looks up at me and my grin fades. "Yes, it is. We're at home all the time. And always together. I told him that I need some time for myself, but he just kept knocking at my room, coming in and starting discussions." Another sigh. "It's... exhausting, to say the least. And also sad. I feel bad for going to work," he chuckles low.

I instantly feel bad about the both of them too. Dad is exhausting, there's no doubt. When Ishizu and I were still living there, we could at least divide the stress. Now, Rishid has to take it all.
Ugh, I feel bad about Dad as well. We must sound like the worst kids in the world, always running away from our father. He's our father, goddammit! He deserves respect and love. But so do we. Still, it's not like he abused us, right? Just forbid us from going outside.

"Does he... mention us?" Ishizu asks.

Rishid laughs, but it's a sad laugh. "What do you think?"

Ishizu presses her lips together. "This makes me want to pay him a visit."

"Yeah, me too," I mumble.

Rishid's expression changes. "Don't," he says. "He needs this." We look up at him. He needs this? "He has to learn that we're not always gonna be there for him. He has to spend time alone, he needs to. We're the kids, not him." Rishid grabs his coffee cup and drinks what's left of it, even though the cup was empty some time ago. "Of course you have to visit him some day, but not yet. It's too early."

I put my elbow on the table and my chin on my palm. "It's been four months..."

Rishid shakes his head. "Too early."

I frown. We do sound cruel, don't we? But it's for the greater good. Dad has to suffer a bit for now, but maybe he'll snap out of it and will start living his own life instead of trying to control ours.

Why do I have the feeling that I'm the asshole then?

Ishizu finishes her waffle and pulls the cake closer. "I need some chocolate now." She takes the candle off and grabs the knife. We each get a big slice of chocolate cake.
There's no talk, we all stare at our cake slices and chew silently. How annoying! Dad isn't even here, yet he managed to make us all feel bad.

I clear my throat and look at Rishid. "How's work?"

His eyes clear up. "Oh, work is... good." He laughs. "I doubt you'd find my work interesting."

I pout. "Why not? Tell me more."

He smiles at me. "Does 'DNS leak protection' sound interesting?"

"Nah. I mean, tell me more about your colleagues! You never told me anything about them."

He looks surprised. "My colleagues? Well, they are nice people." He laughs. "I am not sure what you would like me to tell."

"Mmhh, aren't there any mean ones, or weird ones? They can't be all nice. Somebody has to have an affair with someone else, right?"

Ishizu laughs. "Oh, Marik! That sounds more like a soap opera than anything else."

"What, why? People have private lives..." I pout.

"They surely have," Rishid smiles. "And they keep them for themselves."

How boring. Rishid really doesn't seem to have bonded much with anyone. He describes the physical appearances of some of his colleagues and how one always takes four tablespoons of sugar in her coffee. That's the most interesting one that came to his mind! Kay, it's an IT company after all. Everybody's at their own desk working on their own tasks, I guess.

A bit later we go strolling around the expensive stores and look at things we cannot afford. Not Ishizu and me, at least. Though she does have Seto now, so... - Gosh, maybe Bakura is right, we kinda are rich. Not super rich, but our family can afford things.

I stare at a particulary attractive mannequin wearing a purple coat for $220, when Rishid comes up to me.

"Hm, interesting color," he says.

"Yeah, but look at the price," I sigh.

He clears his throat. "Speaking of money, you know, I have an idea for you."

I look up at him. "Hm?"

"I don't know what the status of your bank account is, but I assume it's close to empty, right?"

"Hm. Actually, I don't have my card with me," I mumble. My account is still close to empty, since I was practically spending every single dollar as soon as I got it. Phew, I sure miss buying useless stuff.

"Oh," Rishid says and frowns. "I can give it to you next time we see us. Where is it?"

"You're coming?" Ishizu yells at us from some distance.

"Yeah!" I yell back. Rishid and I move. "Uh, it should be on my desk, I think. Or maybe in the drawer in my desk."

Ha. I had trouble remembering my old desk there. What's on it? No, it's not as empty as the desk in the room above Bakura, it's full of books and pens, paper and... stuff. I honestly can't tell anymore.

"Alright, I'll look for it," Rishid says. "And I'm gonna give you some pocket money from now, seeing as Dad won't do that for quite some time, hm."

"Huh, wait what?" I blink and stare up to him.

Ishizu comes towards us and points at a shop. "Look, it's Victoria's Secret! Mind if we hop in there for a while?"

I bare my teeth. "And watch you shop for underwear? Nope, I'm staying outside." I can't imagine my sister wearing bras and undies, ew, no. In my head she doesn't do that. She also doesn't kiss or has sex with Seto, nope.

Rishid chuckles and nods. "Yup, we're gonna be here."

Ishizu rolls her eyes. "Okay, see you soon." She turns and goes into the shop, while we move to the nearest bench and sit down.

"You want to give me money?" I ask Rishid.

"That's right."

"But-"

"Don't worry, I can afford it." He laughs. "What else am I supposed to do with all my money? So, how much did Dad give you actually? How much do you need in a month?"

He gave me $30 a week, which is $120 in a month. Geez, is that much. I don't need so much; I'd feel embarrassed to ask Rishid for such an amount. "Um, I don't know, you tell me. I mean," I sigh, "I don't want to take money from you, Rishid!" I look up at him. "Doesn't feel right."

"Why? I'm your older brother," he smiles. "I want to help you." Aw. We're the most peaceful family ever, aren't we?

I nod. Why stalling, when we both know I could use some money. "Alright," I reply. "What abooouut... Um, $50? Or $40?"

Rishid nods. "Okay, done. $50 a month."

Dammit, I should have asked for sixty. I smile and hug him, pushing my cheek against his chest. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." He puts an arm around me and pats my shoulder. "You'll need to wait until I get you your card though."

"Yes."

Fifty dollar a month is still more than Bakura gets from his Dad. Though I am highly sure that he has an additional source of money. Oh. No. No, it can't be that he gets money from 'K' and other guys... or does he...? Where do those stupid thoughts come from all of a sudden!

Nope. It's not true.

I gotta ask him.

As Ishizu comes back from Victoria's Secret with a big bag and a satisfied smile, I am a bit envious. I miss the days when I could buy a ton full of candy at the kiosk next to my school. Rishid notices my pout and tells me, that it's my turn to chose a shop and that I may chose a gift for myself. Aww, don't I have the best brother ever?

His smiles drops though as I tell them I would like to get weights for lifting.

"Pff, yeah imagine that, nerd!" Ishizu grins and nudges Rishid. "Some people actually enjoy exercise."

Rishid simply chuckles.

So we walk down to the 'Sport's Palace' down the street, which takes us about fifteen minutes, but neither of us mind. Walking around outside and together is something we clearly enoy.

And the time passes by fast with Ishizu telling us how one of her fellow students always shows off her expensive purses and jewelry. Now she can do it too! Rishid tells her that it's probably not a good idea to show everybody her bra in the class and I wonder why Ishizu would need to justify herself, since she's the girlfriend of a billionaire.

"I'm not gonna tell random people in my classes who's girlfriend I am," Ishizu huffs. We nod. I understand, it's better to keep it a secret. Otherwise she'll only attract false friends.

In the 'Sport's Palace' we seperate, as Ishizu wants to check out the women's clothing on the second floor and Rishid wants to see the smart watches. He puts twenty dollar in my hand, asking if it's enough. I nod strongly.

Yes, money! I ask a store clerk where the weights are and he guides me to them. I buy a nice pair of metal dumb bells which weigh 25 pounds each. Hell yeah, I'm gonna get buff again and impress Bakura!

I was quick; the others are surely still browsing. I have no idea where the smart watches are, so I take the escalator and go onto the second floor.

Ishizu is in the joggers' corner, looking at some pink puma sweatpants. "Those are ugly, aren't they?" she asks me.

I shrug. "The black ones look better, yeah."

"Are you already done?"

"Yup." I lift my plastic bag and grin. "I have my weights, I'm happy."

She smiles. "I had expected you to touch every single muscle development machine in the store and give loud exeggerated sighs." She leans closer to the pink pants and strokes the fabric with her thumb.

I laugh. "Nah. I'd rather not look at things I cannot afford."

Ishizu straightens herself. "Really? You used to throw your money away with both hands! Is your account empty already? Rishid told you about giving you a bit pocket money, right? Is living at the club expensive? Don't you get food from the kitchen?"

"Uh, ye... yeah." Ishizu is talking to fast and I have to wait until she is done sputtering out her questions. "Mm, I have forgotten my bank card at home. But Rishid will bring it to me, he said."

My sister gives me a critical look. "It's empty, isn't it?"

I look up and pout. "Yeah, it is!"

"Oh well, at least you'll learn the value of money while staying there!"

I already did. "Says you, who bought a ton of bras in the most expensive lingerine store ever."

She cringles her nose. "It's Seto's money, you know."

"That's not an excuse. Wait, that's even worse!"

Ishizu breaks our eye contact. "He spends a lot of money on me," she says silently. "And puts a lot of money onto my account, telling me I can buy myself whatever I want. It's his apology for not being there, I guess."

Oh. I take a step fowards to her. "Ishizu, I-"

"It's okay. I mean, I knew that he's busy. And even if it sounds weird, I feel better when I do spend his money."

Alright, I don't understand this one.

She shrugs and smiles at me. "Whatever, he's here for now." And you still sound rather sad. "How's Bakura?"

She already asked. But now's the time I can give her a more honest answer. "He's grumpy as usual," I say. "Cause he's," I gulp and twitch my shoulders, "in love with somebody."

"Oh." Ishizu takes two of the pink sweatpants and puts them over her arm. "And it's not you, right."

I shake my head.

"But that other guy doesn't love him back?"

"Yeah. But still, he-"

"His heart is in someone else's hands, I understand," Ishizu sighs. She passes me and I follow her to the dressing rooms.

Ishizu tries on the sweatpants while I stand next to her dressing room.

"Haven't you lost your wallet?" she asks from behind the curtain.

"Yeah. So?"

"Luckily you didn't had your card in it when that happened."

"Yes."

She comes out and steps to the mirror, turning around. She doesn't look satisfied and pats her behind. "Mm."

"Looks alright," I say.

"I'm gonna buy the black ones," she replies. Ishizu goes back and tries on the same pants in a different size. Another lady steps out of her cubicle and goes to the mirror, turning sideways and around. Everybody always checks out how their asses look, heh. Well, asses are important!

I remember the reason I didn't put my bank card into my purse. Dad. He always told us that it's soo dangerous to take it with oneself. Guess he was right, since my wallet actually got stolen, but still. I don't want to be like him and be afraid of every single thing. I'm gonna put bank card into my purse as soon as I have it back.

Finally, Ishizu has decided on the size and color, so we go to the neirest checkout and meet Rishid on the way.

"Found everything?" he asks. Ishizu and I nod.

"Marik needs a wallet though," she says.

"Oh, I don't really need one," I reply.

"Come on, we'll get you one," Rishid chuckles.

I'm not gonna bother you with all the shops we went in afterwards. I find a few shirts and a cute purse in one of those expensive boutiques and Rishid pays for me. Ishizu says the purse looks girlish and I pinch her for that. It's not girlish! It's a purse in the shape of a pineapple!

Okay, it's girlish. So what.

Our meeting ends in the car park near the rich boulevard. I did saw the building before but never took a closer look. As we drive upstairs in the elevator, Ishizu clears her throat.

There's only one thing left to discuss and we all know what it is. Our visit to Mom's grave.

"You're going? It's a Thursday, right," Ishizu asks.

Rishid nods slowly. "With Dad. Took the day off."

Ishizu looks away and frowns. "Hm." She throws her eyes at me and smiles. "Guess we two will go then."

I nod quickly. "Yes."

It will be the first time we won't visit Mom all four together at her grave.

"I have to go to a few classes but I can be there at around noon," Ishizu tells me.

"I don't know yet when we'll go," Rishid says low. "But not noon then."

I nod. "Okay." I don't like to drive there all by myself and would prefer to meet Ishizu and go together. But her college is in a different direction; it wouldn't make much sense for her to pick me up.

We exchange looks but don't say anything. The elevator beeps and we step out.

"I can drop you off at Bakura's," Ishizu says, taking out her keys.

"Uh, I can walk, it's just ten minutes away."

"No, I'll drive you."

We approach Ishizu's car and she klicks on the key thingy. The lights of white mini cooper with black stripes flash shortly and the keys make a sound. "Wow, nice car!" I say. "Since when do you have a license?" I stroke the cold metal.

"Just got it."

"She's not a complete disaster," Rishid comments. "She actually drives pretty decent."

"Hey, watch what you're saying, or you're staying here," Ishizu counters.

We get in and fasten our seatbelts. Ishizu drives out of the car park and as far as I've seen, she's a good driver. I'm a bit sad though. She talked about taking driving lessons before christmas and how she would have to take them in secret since Dad wouldn't let her. Now she took them and I only know now about it. We don't see each other often enough.

Ishizu literally just drives out of the car park and has to stop at the end of the very next street. The White Snake is at the following street, so we're close enough. I do not want them to see the club, I am not sure why. It's still kind of like a secret. And some part of me would feel ashamed if my siblings saw the half-naked girls going outside for a smoke.

I climb out and we bid our good bies. I hug Rishid for a solid minute; Ishizu too. Then they drive off and I wave after them. Only when they are already gone, I start walking. They drove past the backyard entrance. I hope they didn't notice the club.