"So..." Bernie dragged under his breath, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Huh? Me? No, why?" Nadia replied, slightly frowning at the sudden question. She looked up to find Bernie staring at her, an expectant brow raised, "I mean, yes, okay, you got me, I bought the cupcakes. I didn't bake them, but you see, no body asked if I baked them or not," Nadia shrugged her shoulders, "And I didn't tell." She grinned a smug toothy grin.
Bernie rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets, shoulders deflating. In moments like these, Bernie wondered why Ryker was always staying back for extra practice.
"I hope no one else was able to tell," Nadia puffed her cheeks and pouted. They were on their way back home, walking through silent streets as the sun set behind them.
"Yeah? Like Ivan?" Bernie urged, earning a glare from Nadia.
"What was that about?" Nadia snapped, narrowing her eyes at him.
Bernie shrugged his shoulders and raised his brows, "I dunno, you seemed to be very self-conscious around him...just saying," he mumbled under his breath.
"Self-conscious? Me?" Nadia snorted. Her right foot kicked a pebble and she twirled on her heel to face Bernie and walk backwards, "I mean, he's so handsome, like, so well kept, you know what I mean? He looks so— clean, I don't know, so fresh...I guess I cannot help it." Nadia shrugged.
A hearty laugh escaped Bernie's chest. He placed his hands on Nadia's shoulders, the laugh echoed from his bones to hers. "Waaaaah, to think I lived long enough to witness Nadia Paisely being insecure, wow," He scoffed, "Over a simpleton like Ivan no less!"
"He's not a simpleton!" Nadia protested, "He's so beautiful!" She reminicised. Her eyes caught the setting sun sparkling like the true star it was.
Bernie flipped Nadia by her shoulders as they reached the intersection, "Look ahead," he said before crossing the road. "What's so pretty about him? Ivan, that is," Bernie asked.
"Hm...I dunno, he's smart —" Nadia began.
"So am I," Bernie interrupted.
"He's good with words—"
"So is Ryker," Bernie shrugged.
"He's kind and helped me with the club—"
"Marilyn helped more," Bernie added with a shrug.
"The point is!" Nadia snapped, sending a pointed look Bernie's way, "He's just all of it together."
Scandalised, Bernie widened his eyes, flared his nostrils and placed a hand over his gasping mouth, "Are you...are you looking for a replacement... for us?"
Nadia rolled her eyes and spend towards Mr. Henry's shop.
"You cannot do this to us, we will haunt you, know that the sins of your actions— no no, actions of your sins, no, wait, I was correct, the sins of your actions won't be washed off easily!!" Bernie wailed dramatically, following Nadia.
"I guess I shall live a burdened life now," Nadia shrugged her shoulders, "Thank you for giving me a cherished past. It is time to let go now," she sniffled dramatically and placed the back of her wrist over her forehead.
"Nooooo," Bernie wailed with moderation (they were still in public), "Don't give up on us!" He cried and kneeled on one leg.
Nadia climbed the steps to Mr. Henry's shop and held out a hand, "I'm afraid it's too late. You're far out of my reach," she shook her head and buried her face in the elbow of the other hand— pretending to sob uncontrollably.
"Sad," Bernie said and got up, "Icecream?" He patted his thighs and asked.
"You bet," Nadia grinned and walked into the store. They greeted Mr. Henry as they walked past him and beelined to the icecream counter. Nadia a picked pistachio and chocolate cone for herself and Bernie chose an orange bar.
They walked back to the billing counter and Nadia grabbed a handful of green apple lollies for Ryker.
"Ah, let me check, I promise I kept it— I don't know why it's like that, I did keep two hundred, yes," a girl said as she rummaged through her school bag.
There were two books placed on the counter and Mr. Henry tapped his fingers over them, waiting for the girl to give him the money.
Her eyes were wide and panic laced her face as she procured a 50 note and placed it over the books.
"50 more," Mr. Henry said.
"Yes, yes, yes," She nodded and continued to rummage.
Bernie nudged Nadia's shoulder and urged her to pay first. Nadia nodded and kept a 100 note on the counter. "Thirty-five for me, fifteen for him and fifty for her," Nadia said and acknowledged the girl with a smile and a nod.
Bernie frowned at the sudden decision, visibly staring at Nadia's bad math.
"Okay," Mr. Henry took the money and kept the books in a paper wrapper, "Here you go girl."
"Oh thank you! Thank you so much! I will pay you back later! Can I have your number, please? I'll text you when I find my money," she said and smiled, "I'm Kailee," she introduced herself.
"Hello, I'm Nadia, sure you can have my number," Nadia smiled and added her phone number in Kailee's phone.
"Thank you once again!" Kailee said and rushed out of the store.
"Her mother's sick, dunno what the father does, she's a hardworking good girl," Mr. Henry said, "I'll let you have the lollies for free. You forgot to pay for them."
"Oh! I did!" Nadia laughed, "Thank you so much Mr. Henry!"
"Mhm, come again," Mr. Henry said and waved them off.
"I was like— woah, is Nadia gonna shoplift today?" Bernie snorted as soon as they were out of the store. He opened his ice cream and licked the delicious orange bar, "Mhm, so good!"
"I really did forget about the candies," Nadia whined, "And honestly, I think, if I hadn't picked the lollies in front of Mr. Henry, we would have gotten away with it!" She exclaimed in a comspirative tone.
Bernie laughed at that.
"There's a criminal hiding inside you, Nadia Paisely, Saint Bruno is so judging you right now!" Bernie pointed a finger at the gigantic statue in the middle of the square.
"Good that I'm not from here then, eh?" Nadia grinned.
Bernie nodded and they licked their ice creams under the shadow of Saint Bruno's statue. Unlike the seventeen foot long shadow of the immobile object, Ryker's shadow was comparibly smaller and racing against the wind to be by his side.
The gap between him and his teammates was a good fourty meters as they struggled to keep up. Running came naturally to Ryker, he had realised when he was in middle school. His feet were light as feathers on the track, making him feel like he was flying against the wind, tearing apart from the destined momentum and breaking free.
The sweat on his forehead, neck, armpits and chest would act as a coolant as he ran; the muscle burn left tangible memories of his achievement and each new record was a step closer to success.
There was not much Ryker enjoyed doing. For Nadia it was cooking or watching movies and for Bernie it was watching dramas or studying. It was something that they truly desired for. Though, for Ryker, he was unsure what he truly desired until he won the first prize for racing 100 meters in fourth grade.
His brother's proud eyes and loud claps echoed in his ears everytime he would come closer to the finish line. Aaron's big proud smile would flash in front of his eyes as Ryker would cross the finish line and pant his victory away.
"Father would be so proud of you!" Aaron had said.
'One day.' Ryker thought.
"Okay, catch a break and one last lap before going home!" Their coach said and clapped to alert the boys.
Ryker exhaled and took a seat to drink water. He fished his phone out of his bag and texted his brother.
Ryker: Hey, wassup, you good ?
A minute later, Aaron replied.
Aaron: yeah, we gud, wht happnd?
Ryker: ew, why are you texting like that ?!
Aaron: lik wht?
Ryker: LIKE THAT "lik wht." WHAT IS THAT.
Aaron: I'm with dad Cant txt prprly wrk U gud
Ryker stared at the message longer than he intended to. Something went heavy in his chest and restrained his response skill for a moment. Ryker did not understand what he felt but it was there, very present, an urge to get up and run.
Ryker: nothing, gtg, break's over.
He shoved his phone back in his backpack and got up. He placed the waterbottle back on the bench and stretched a little before propelling into a run. Ryker was a fast runner. He liked running so fast that the wind would start piercing his eyes. He liked going fast enough that the only thought in his head would be to breathe evenly.
"Breathe in. Don't trip. Breathe out."
He liked running because it took random implications out of his head. The image of his father's hand on Aaron's head. The image of Ivan looking at Nadia when he slyly said, "Yes." The thought of Aaron and Nadia walking away, leaving him behind — Ryker sucked in a breath and moved his hands to run faster. 'He was being ridiculous!' His brain thought.
Right?
Running was the best.
Nadia twirled on her swivel chair, going round and round instead of doing her homework and studying. She stared at her empty ceiling for a good few minutes before placing her foot on the desk to stop the movement. The chair instantly halted and Nadia leaned in, tore a paper off her notebook and picked up a pen.
Dearest Arabella,
Did you know that you were probably 14 when I first fell in love with you?
How could I not? Your smile was effortless, your voice was enchanting and you, as a vision, were breathtaking.
It's hard to imagine...but I do wonder, how were you so brilliant at 14?
I am fourteen now and nothing like you.
I don't understand how you stood that big of a stage and commandeered the hearts of thousands.
How were you so sure of yourself?
I don't even understand how I feel most of the time. I think it makes me not think at all. I just end up doing things and I don't realise things until it's too late or someone points it out for me.
Maybe I like you so much because you were one of the instant realisations I had.
It's so hard, not knowing anything about yourself when you're supposed to be figuring out the world. Bernie is so smart and Ryker is so athletic. Marilyn is rich and I wanted to start a club but it's already set to doom.
Caleb was right. Awful, is it not?
See, thinking sucks. I don't like thinking all that much. It makes me feel bad.
Were you like this when you were 14?
With much curiosity,
Nadia Holmes.
Nadia smiled as she kept the pen down and folded the paper. She slid it in between the pages of her mathematics book and jumped off the chair. She made her way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to have a look at the ingredients.
"Are you going to cook?" Ms. Paisely asked. She was working on the living room sofa and turned to look back when the kitchen lights were opened.
"Yeah, is there something you want to eat?" Nadia asked.
"Huh? You're not making cookies? Bernie's birthday is coming up," Ms. Paisely reminded, brows raised in surprise.
"Oh! Oh my goodness! I forgot!" Nadia gasped, eyes widened, "Oh my, thanks mumma! I'll — oh my, it's the day after, is it not? I should text Ryker and Marilyn and cook— yes! Thank you!" She rambled and ran back inside, having left the lights open.
As soon as Nadia entered her room, she heard Bernie's father shout again. A scowl graced her face instantly. She took out her phone from her bag and called Ryker. He picked it up on the first ring.
"Hey, missed me too much?" Ryker greeted, cheekiness oozing from his tone.
"I didn't miss you dude but we almost missed Berns' birthday!"
"Shit!" Ryker snapped. There was shuffling on his end before he said, "Yes, it's the day after! What do we do?!"
"Hold up," Nadia scrolled through her contact list and added Marilyn on the conference call. Marilyn picked up, voice a hushed whisper as she greeted:
"Hello? Nadia? Is everything okay?"
"Marieeee, yes, everything's good! Can I talk to you for a bit? Is it a good time?" Nadia asked, frowning on hearing Marilyn's hushed voice.
"Yes yes, go ahead," Marilyn whispered into the speaker.
Nadia joined Ryker and Marilyn in a three-way conference call. "Hi, I'm back, there's Ryker, Marilyn and I on this call. Cool? Yeah, so, we need to plan Berns' birthday and we've only got tomorrow!"
"There was absolutely no need to add Marilyn into this," Ryker grumbled.
"Seriously, we'd be wayyy more productive without this burden you call Ryker," Marilyn retorted, voice hushed.
"Why the whispers, Keynes? Do your parents assume you're talking to boys?" Ryker snorted, laughing out loud.
"Ryker! Focus!" Nadia snapped.
"Burden," Marilyn sang.
"You know what, Marie and you are going to decorate the secret place tomorrow. That's the only way you'll get along together! I'll do all the cooking and everything," Nadia ordered.
"What! No! I do not want to work with that drag!" Marilyn protested.
"As if I was dying to breathe in your presence," Ryker snapped, "I can do the decoration by myself. Leave it to me, Nadia. I have been doing it for the last five years."
"That is exactly why _I_ should be the one to handle it this time. I am more creative and this one would be so much better!" Marilyn argued.
"He's _my_ bestfriend! Of course _I_ should be continuing the tradition!" Ryker argued.
"Yeah yeah yeah, I'm thinking, let's pretend to be drama characters. Or better, let's do a Hogwarts theme! What do you say?"
"Sounds lame," Ryker booed.
"Sounds brilliant!" Marilyn exclaimed.
"He'd like it more if we are inspired by Luna Lovegood or Snape," Ryker grumbled.
"Oh wonderful! You're both good! That's a deal then. You work on decor and stuff and I will make all the food he likes!!" Nadia exclaimed and hung up.
"What the heck," said Ryker.
"Don't get in my way, Cordelio," Marilyn warned.
"You better listen to be during all of this," Ryker scoffed.
"Only 'cause I don't want Nadie or Bernie to be disappointed," Marilyn clarified.
"Mhm, whatever, follow me after school," Ryker said and his eye roll could be heard through the phone.
"I cannot do afterschool, I have tutions, is there another time?" Marilyn asked, sounding nervous.
Ryker waited for a good three seconds for Marilyn to change her mind. She did not so he simply hung up.
"Ugh," Marilyn pocketed her phone and walked out of the bathroom. Outside her room, a train of maids waited to escort her to dinner. Her heart sank as she walked in front of the maids, silently went down the stairs and waited for the guards to open the door as she entered the dining table.
"Evening, parents," Marilyn greeted and walked up to the dining table.
"Evening, take a seat," Harriet replied and pointed at the seat opposite to her.
"Evening, daughter," Vincent greeted as Marilyn took her seat.
The head chef introduced the dinner, Vincent led the prayer and the Keynes family began eating after the food was served.
Dinner was always a silent affair at Marilyn's household but the constant shaking of her leg caught Vincent's attention.
"Is there something you want to ask?"
"Y-yeah...I have to do a survey tomorrow and day after, after school, can I go?" Marilyn asked.
Harriet looked up, wiped her mouth with a napkin and asked, "What sort of survey?"
"Ahh, just about the fertility of the forest," Marilyn lied easily.
"Just give me the details, I will get it done," Harriet said.
"No, mother, it is my work! I must do it myself!" Marilyn protested. Though, one sharp look from Harriet and Marilyn was looking down again. She played with the vegetables on her plate, waiting for the whole ordeal to end.
"Marilyn, you only go to school under obligation, attend your tuition under obligation and spend the rest of the time tapping away on your phone. You do nothing else and you're capable of nothing else so stop pulling that pathetic victim face and eat your vegetables," Harriet said in a low, sharp and cold tone.
Marilyn did not look up, nod or acknowledge the statement. She merely pierced the carrots with her fork and chewed on and on and on and on.
"Eat properly," Vincent scolded.
Marilyn merely nodded. The soyabean steak scratched her throat as she eat it, one bite at a time, chewing thirty-two times. She maintained a calm face, smiled and nodded as the maids offered more food and took away the empty plate in front of her. She said goodnight to her parents while they hugged her and walked back to her room with a train of maids following.
Her night-suit was laid on the bed. She entered, closed the door behind her and crouched in front of the bed. The ground was cool and comforting. Marilyn wondered how long her borrowed time would last.