Chapter 2 Two

ALDREN

"Hey kid?" I supposed to go near the boy who were my sister is talking to but he is now preparing to go without listening to me, good thing i was fast and held his arm to stop him from going away.

"Hey! where are you going?" the guy looked at me

"ah, Good morning brother" this guy smiled at me nervously

"Brother? Is that a joke, are we close?" he was shocked, he was supposed to say something but it left him stutter "Don't mind that"

"It's okay, it's okay if you'll call me brother." I looked at him and raised my left eyebrow "Cause your handsome too, it's okay." he laughed nervously at my jokes, even though it not funny. He does that fake laugh thingy so he could escape.

"By the way Amanda's birthday today and we will celebrate it tomorrow, do you want to come?" I said "After all she's your friend"

"Wait, me? Invited to her birthday? are you serious-"

"Do you want me to repeat again? I have a microphone, that I can use so that you can hear it clearly"

"ah, I mean. I'm going, only if you want me too?"

"See you tomorrow then." he went to his house and i found out, that he was also one of special kind of people like me.

AMANDA

It's my birthday now all my relatives and friends are attending today, right now mom and my brother are busy preparing the event, while I am in my room resting while listening to music using the earphones.

"Manda!!"

"Amanda! My nails" I heard a familiar female voice around in my room, I turned to where the voice came from. I heard a loud and a little messy noise from the outside balcony, I guess. It sounds like someone is climbing.

"Who's there? "

"Here, help me. I'm here at the window, here get my stuff " I heard a loud thud in my room like she threw something heavy

"Uh, what was that?"

"Don't mind it, that was nothing" she said but I heard her grunting like she was climbing "Here grab my hand, help me get up. Your balcony is so tall, good thing I found a way to come up here" I looked for her hand and pulled her to climb up and she finally climbed successfully panting, she sighed and I heard her laugh a little.

"That was stressful, thank you for helping me. Also, Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you, I guess?" I went silent for a little and asked her directly "Uhm, who are you again?"

"Ah, maybe you forgot about me" she giggled a little, she really loves to giggle huh? "I'm Crystal, your most beautiful cousin."

"Ah, I see. I guess we met each other before am I right? Like when we are still kids or"

"Who cares, that was a long time ago."

"Thank you for coming" I gave a wide and genuine smile at her and she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly

"Of course, when it comes to food and party, I am always present in attendance" I laughed together with her until her I heard her laugh slowly disappears, I felt someone is with us. Crystal stopped laughing rather I heard my older brother laugh as if he was just forced to laugh and goes back to a serious tone

"How'd you got in?"

"Oh, come on!" she whined "Couz, am I the only one who wasn't invited to Amanda's birthday? for what reason, Aldren?"

"Aldren, you didn't invite her?"

"Not only that, Amanda. Earlier I called and knocked on the house's front door and he refused to let me in, he acted blind even though he saw me"

"You didn't let her in either?"

"Of course, I let her in, it's just she came in through your balcony"

"See! You heard him, he really locked me outside on purpose"

"Why?" I was confused and I asked my brother why would he do that to our cousin, I mean it's okay to play pranks but not too much, good thing Crystal didn't fall in the balcony while climbing earlier.

"There's something you didn't know about her, she's a monster when it comes to eating so I locked all the doors because all the food may be used up before we celebrate"

"What did you just say!?" Crystal raised her voice a little on Aldren "Can you say that again?"

"I said you're a monster when it comes to eating"

"Hey! For your information, I am the campus princess of my school and all the boys have a crush on me!" Crystal said

"I feel like I'm going to vomit, sorry but campus princess or what I didn't hear anything " Aldren said teasing Crystal. I laughed at the two of them, we are really cousins, there is no difference between Aldren and Crystal.

"Aldren, you and Amanda have come down, I have to show you something" Mom called

"Yes mom, let's go" my older brother supported me holding my arm to guide me and crystal also went downstairs

"Crystal? You're here." Mom gave her a hug and smiled widely at crystal being here at my birthday "That's right, I'll give you some taste that I made" Mom took a plate and sliced some piece

"What did you make auntie?" Crystal hopped on the chair at the kitchen counter wearing those sparkling wide eyes, she brought such a happy aura in this house.

"Here, taste it if it's delicious"

"Woah cake, Wait is this for me??" she asked and mom nodded and signals her to try it on, there was silence, I only heard the spoon beside me which Crystal was using and about to put the spoonful of cake to her mouth but suddenly Aldren stopped her hand from going to its mouth.

"Just want to remind you that mom said 'taste', not 'eat' it" Aldren said in a serious but a little joking tone

"Hey, she told me this is mine"

"Mom, can I have some cake that you baked?" I asked, mom immediately held my hand as a sign for yes, I waited while I listened the quarrel with these two.

"yuck, do you know how many calories a cake has? If you'll eat that, you'll gain some weight, and you don't want that right? I'm not scaring you; I'm just trying to remind-"

"Hah! Even if you scare me, I'm not scared of gaining weight, this cake is too delicious to be avoid eating it"

"Aldren, that's the last cake, don't take some anymore. These are for the guests later."

"It's mine." I suddenly heard the plate a little loud thug from the table

"Hey! The cake is mine!" Crystal exclaimed

"You can't reach it, cause you're pretty tiny."

"Give it to me!!"

"Aldren, just give it to crystal "

"Wait the cake-" they suddenly fell silent

"Why, what happened?" I asked

"Fell" they both replied

"Aldren, you wasted the cake!" Aldren let out a guilty giggle

"Just eat later, there are many more for the guest. You're still considered as a guest anyways"

"Ewe, why did you return it to the plate?!"

"So that it would not be stepped on by someone, hold on let me get a rag to wipe it" Crystal sighed

"I miss my cake already"

"Don't worry you'll have much later, Okay?" I heard someone entered the door and there it was a guy's voice with those footsteps walking towards us here in the kitchen counter

"Hi Crystal, you came earlier as expected" he said with a teasing voice to Crystal, I also heard Crystal's sighed as he speaks to her. Do they really like teasing her?

"Besides, how did you get in here? Aldren didn't let you in here, sometimes, right? "

"Long story, Lance" she said "and to answer your question on how do I got inside here is that I climbed, got it?"

"Hi lance, how are you?" I greeted him

"Amanda! Happy Birthday." I felt his hand tapped me at the head "you grew a lot now"

"Is this yours? I'm really a bit hungry right now, can I have a bite?"

"W-wait! d-don't!" Crystal stopped him

"Here is the rag" the surrounding was quiet for a while but Aldren broke it "Wait– something's missing, who ate the cake on the plate?"

"Lance, did you eat the cake that was on the plate?"

"Uh, yes why? Is there any problem? I was a bit hungry while ago and no one wants to eat it so I did, why?"

"That cake fell on the ground cause me and Crystal were fighting over it while ago, you did not eat the cake, right?"

"No, I really ate it. Would you guys stop joking, you knew I hate dirty things" i heard lance laughed nervously, Lance is the guy that doesn't like dirty things like dusty or anything that is time consuming to clean it. He's a clean guy, he sometimes visits us here hearing him telling my brother to fix his room.

"You dumb, you guys were joking, weren't you?" there was silence "You guys aren't answering"

"They're not" I respond between the silence "The cake you ate, really fell on the ground" Again there was silence, until I heard someone wants to puke

"Dude, I didn't know you eat dirty" Aldren jokingly said to Lance, hearing him running towards the back and hears a loud thud which I think is the bathroom.

"Now you know? You should ask first about the food, before you put it on your mouth, you can easily get poisoned by your actions!" Crystal said but her voice was slowly fading, seems like she followed Lance by the bathroom door. All I hear was my brother's laugh and Lance's puking at the back while Crystal's life lesson lecture kept on going while Lance is busy puking. I cannot see, but hearing their laughter like this made me happy, feels like I'm not alone.