Failed Resignation Attempt

"7 am, Saturday morning. Health status, healthy." Nancy muttered in her bed, sitting upright after spending the entire night trying to program herself in various ways.

So far, she was a clock and a thermometer. A search engine and an information basket. However, information was limited. She realized what she knew was already discovered by the world in one way or another.

Just like the composition of water molecules from last night, she didn't discover it. Neither did her chip aid her in doing so. The chip merely showed her the components on a molecular level. It was almost as if Nancy was a chemistry teacher, and the chip was her student who just submitted its report on the water molecule.

Not too cool.

If it was going to be like accepting reports from students on the facts available to anyone, she would rather not take the risk. Or so she thought.

Her curiosity would interfere. Ah, yes, curiosity!

No one would know she spent the entire night trying to debunk programming while being a business student, right? That didn't matter. The knowledge in her mind was vast yet limited.

It wasn't limited to the world, and she could safely be called a prodigy. However, for Nancy herself, it was never enough. If it was the things everyone already knew, then what was the point?

She wanted a bigger fish. Her curiosity baited her for a bigger fish.

Samuel.

A little smirk emerged on her face when she pictured him, fulfilling her wishes and satisfying her curiosity.

She was afraid of him for many reasons. But when it came to her curiosity, she was ready to get kidnapped several times. What could go wrong?

"Nancy?"

Ah, the imagination! She didn't want the glory. Neither did she want to be noticed. She just felt as if she needed to know. The drive for knowledge seemed to move her around subconsciously. Though it was dangerous in its ways, Nancy wasn't scared.

"NANCY?!"

Until… Her mother called her again.

"I've been calling you! Can't you hear?" Laura said, full of concern.

"I'm fine, mom." Nancy bluntly replied before getting up from the bed. "I'm going for a walk. Can you call Samuel while I change?"

With that, she flew to the bathroom like a bullet train, not giving her mother the slightest chance of finding another fever somehow.

Health status was shown healthy by the chip. So, it shouldn't be a problem, right?

Laura sighed deeply, deep enough so her daughter could hear it in the bathroom. She left the room and gave Samuel a call. But unusually, he didn't pick up.

She called him several times but in vain.

Nancy ran out of her room, looking as fresh as ever.

"Samuel's here, right?" Nancy asked, blinking her eyes in anticipation.

"He's not picking up."

Nancy scoffed before dropping her handbag on the ground sarcastically. Samuel was in trouble, considering Nancy dropped her branded handbag.

Nancy sulked and sat down in the living room, waiting for him to call back. She wasn't going to be let out on a walk alone. Neither was she going to walk with either of her parents.

Not when the ulterior motive of her walk was to study Samuel.

Most parents could be proud that their children had the drive to learn themselves. But Nancy's parents just wanted a break at this point.

Sometimes, Nancy thought about how she would ace in a traditional Asian setting.

"Your fault for making him uncomfortable with all your questions." A voice from her left emerged. "I bet he's resigning." Nina scoffed.

"No, he's not." Nancy confidently replied.

Samuel can't resign. Nancy wouldn't allow him to.

"Bet?" Nina smirked.

"Bet." Nancy took the challenge.

"You're not going to interfere in my business ever, that is if he's resigning. I won't interfere with yours if he stays."

Nina hated Nancy. And it was sibling rivalry. Their story just had more Nancy and less Nina. That infuriated her.

Since Nancy always caused trouble while trying to feed her curiosity, she had always been the spotlight for her parents, in a good or bad way.

Nina hated that. She excelled as a student, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. She was the perfect example of the perfect middle schooler.

Yet, it was Nancy taking all the spotlight by just existing.

A bodyguard for Nancy? What a joke.

Nina wished he would call back with a resignation notice.

Nancy hated Nina for thinking that way. It wasn't like she asked for the spotlight or anything. She just happened to get it somehow. She hated that Nina blamed her for it and looked at her as a rival. Imagine competing with your siblings. What a joke.

It wasn't like Nancy's parents weren't attentive to Nina.

It was their way of addressing that made the kids think that way.

"Nancy! You're always making your sister late for school!"

"Nancy! Did you get into trouble again? Learn something from Nina!"

"Nancy! Drop Nina to school!"

"Nancy! Nancy! Nancy!"

Yeah right. Nancy.

As the parents failed to express their love to Nina by continuously mentioning Nancy, the troublemaker, Nina became more and more vulnerable.

Amidst the rivalrous thoughts, the doorbell rang.

Laura opened the door and let Samuel inside while Nancy stared at him down.

"You guys can go for a walk in a bit. Let me get you all a cappuccino first. It's almost done."

With that, Nancy scoffed at the thought of sitting there with a 'bunch of nerds.'

"I apologize for my unpunctuality. However, I-"

"Blah, Blah."

Nancy retreated to her room to avoid his apologies. Her excuse was simple; 'I have to change my handbag.'

Samuel sat down on the couch opposite Nina.

"Greetings, Nina." Samuel diligently said.

"Hi," Nina replied. "Are you not resigning?"

"Why must I?"

Nina sighed. She no longer had the right to converse with him now that she lost the bet.

Because he was considered 'Nancy's business', she must not interfere.

"Something seems to be troubling you?" Samuel caught on.

"It's fine," Nina replied.

Laura walked out of the kitchen with the cappuccino mugs and placed them on the table, offering Samuel one herself.

"Nancy!" She called, "Come down at once!" She added before walking back to the kitchen.

Samuel brought the mug closer to sip, only to stop midway when he saw Nina sulking and frowning, almost seemingly trying to stop her tears.

Samuel placed his mug back on the table, stood up, grabbed the other mug, and offered it to Nina when he realized she felt left out.

When she noticed his thoughtfulness, a little tear fell on her cheek before she quickly wiped it up and accepted the mug with gratitude.

"Thanks," Nina muttered.

"You are welcome," Samuel replied. "Is it okay if I share a few words?"

Nina looked at him in anticipation, then nodded.

"I apologize for stepping out of line but as someone who is adopted, I believe it is fine to guide you a little, no?" Samuel said in a friendly manner, receiving Nina's attention completely. "You must feel wronged even after trying your best to excel as a daughter. Why does Nancy have to receive all this attention? Why can I not receive it instead? You are not in the wrong for thinking that way. Neither is Nancy for receiving attention. Then who is wrong?"

Nina moved her eyes in thought.

"Are you saying Nancy is adopted?" Nina concluded.

Samuel passed a light chuckle. She was a middle schooler, alright!

"No. I am asking you, who could be in the wrong for making you feel this way?" Samuel elaborated.

"You said I'm not wrong… Neither is Nancy. That leaves mom and dad." Nina concluded once again.

"Why do you think they are wrong? Just because they are the only ones left, or do you have a justification for the accusation?"

Nina narrowed her eyes. This man meant business.

"I honestly don't know. I don't know who to blame. I don't know what to do." Nina honestly answered.

Samuel slowly nodded, receiving her answer with attention and perceiving it thoughtfully.

"It is okay to blame parents," Samuel muttered. "Sometimes, we end up thinking that parents cannot do wrong. Why? Because they are more experienced in life than we could ever be. That leaves us in the maze of wondering if we were always in the wrong. However, parents are humans. And humans make mistakes."

Nina carefully listened.

"It is their fault for not noticing how hard you are trying to please them. It does not mean they hate you. They just fail to notice. But how can they notice? If we think rationally, they must look after the house, the business, and a daughter who just survived neurosurgery and is in a vulnerable state right now. Then how do you think you can make them notice?"

"Um…"

"It is alright. State your opinion. Opinions are what make you an individual. Your opinion cannot be wrong. It can either only coincide with or oppose someone else's opinion."

"I think… I have to… Talk to them." Nina hesitantly answered.

"If this is your wholehearted opinion. Then it must be right for you and you alone. Go for it."

"What is your opinion?" Nina asked out of curiosity.

"I think your parents just trust you more than Nancy. They know you are mature enough to handle yourself. So, they do not bother grooming you like they do for Nancy. However, I do agree that talking to them will open new ways for everyone. If you cannot state your issues with the ones you are closely related to, then I think you are not close to them at all."

"Thanks, Samuel." Nina smiled brightly.

Just then, the tyrant Nancy appeared, quickly sitting and gulping the cappuccino down her throat swiftly.

"Let's go." She sternly uttered.