7-Bandages and Hoodie
Editing completed…
Chapter 7
KEHLANI HAD TEXTED HER BROTHER during the period before break, and he responded immediately, asking her to meet him during break. And immediately the bell rang for break, she stood up and left to meet her brother.
She had told him not to buy any food from the cafeteria, as she had made lunch for them both. Going to the garden behind the library, she met her brother Santiago.
Santiago was older than Kehlani by a year. They were incredibly close, that is, if you ignore his frequent absence. They both had similar hair dye, with Kehlani's hair being black and white and Santiago being just white.
Not only that, but they both had the same three ear piercings on both ears and had the same ring, but on different sides. Kehlani's was on her right index, while Santiago's was on his left index. They both wore the same set of earrings. Anyone that saw them will be convinced without a doubt that they were siblings.
Or else, their sights weren't functioning well.
"Santi!!!" She yelled once she sighted her brother. Completely forgetting her wounds, she jumped into her brother's arms with contentment in her heart. She had missed him so dearly. But the excitement was short-lived as she was reminded of the wounds she had. Wincing to herself, she pulled away from her brother. But she didn't know that he had caught her pained expression.
She placed the lunch boxes on the table, opening it up for her brother.
"I made Mexican rice" she said excitedly. "Isn't that my hoodie?" Santi questioned his little sister. He threw his head sideways, making his bleached white hair fall across his eyes- to scan the hoodie on her.
"Oh yes. Mine was in the washing machine" she nervously lied through her teeth. She looked away from her brother to the lunch boxes and kept her attention there.
Meanwhile, Santiago wanted to ask why she had a dark shades on as it was getting to winter, so there was no need for it. The hoodie was understandable.
"Are you listening to me?" she asked, shoving her face to his view.
"Why are you wearing shades, Lani?" Her brother asked without touching the meal that was placed in front of him. Kehlani flinched at his question.
"Why don't you try it?.. It's being a while since you ate my food and also—"
"Just one week I haven't eaten it… don't avoid my question, Lani. Why are you on shades?" he repeated. Leaning back in his chair, he stared at his sister, who looked too nervous to answer his question.
"Just ignore it. It not that important" her response didn't come with any confidence.
Santiago looked at his sister with suspicious eyes, he raised his brows and kept a dead pan stare at her.
Kehlani didn't dare meet her brother's eyes, as she knew his suspicion heightened the more with her silence.
"Your lunch is going to get cold at this point" she warned, clearly trying to change the dry atmosphere"
She didn't know why she was hiding this from him. He could per usual just beat up her father in return for her. But right now she didn't want that. He wasn't around when it happened, so, she was just going to let it go and do nothing about it.
"Alright then… if It's too hard to answer—" He started as pulled himself from his chair as he leaned forward on the table. "Lani take the glasses off"
"I um- you see—"
"Lani I am really not telling either am I commanding… I am asking you to take it off" He said "Or I will take it off" Sighing she knew she had no choice but to take it off. As she lifted her head up to look at her brother. The air suddenly became dark and gloomy.
He made threatening steps towards her as he pulled her up, but the squeeze was painful on her wrist as she had bandage on both wrist and stomach. His eyes widened as he pulled her sleeves up and lifted the front part of her hoodie.
"That f****g old man… I will kill him" He fumed in rage shoving all their things into one bag as he carried their school bags, pulling her to the office direction. With her bruises, they had a legit reason to leave school on time.
🌟
THAT FATEFUL MORNING IN JOAQUIN'S HOUSE.
"Quin?! Quin!!" Santiago called out as he roamed the house casually in search of his friend.
'Did he already leave?' he thought to himself as he closed the door to Joaquin's room. Heading to the kitchen to have his breakfast. He got to the kitchen and made pancake for him and Carlos.
"HEY!! Carlos, your breakfast is ready!!" Santiago yelled. A few minutes later, footsteps were heard coming down from the steps.
"Good morning" Carlos greeted lazily as he slouched himself on the dinner chair. "What about Quin? Isn't he eating breakfast?" He asked, collecting his plate of food from Santi. He poured the syrup all over the pancake, literally drowning the pancake in the syrup, and he would have continued if Santiago didn't pull the bottle away from him.
Glaring at him, he replied "I woke up but didn't see him around" shrugging his shoulder "he probably left for school" Scrunching his nose in disgust at the word 'school'
"I wonder why he goes to school, it's not like he needs the degree or something" He said while he was struggling to get the syrup back from Santi. Eventually giving up and just eating his 'not sweet enough' pancake as he sulked.
"Not everyone wants this type of life" Santi whispered to himself.
"Hmm? Did you say something?" Carlos asked. Santi just shook his head.
"And besides—" Carlos started talking again, "Hasn't he being going to school early since yesterday?" he finished as he swung his fork left and right in demonstration.
"Maybe he has something to do" Santiago defended. After cleaning up, Santi was ready to leave while Carlos was already on the PC ready to game the day away.
Hopping on his bike, he rode to school. While still dialing his sister. It was 9:15am, which meant that he was 45 mins late, Hence, there was no difference rushing since he is already late.
BACK TO PRESENT AFTERNOON.
Dragging his sister to the reception table. They passed the Joaquin and Xavier, but they took no notice of the two boys, as Lani was trying to calm her brother and at the same time also match his pace.
While Santiago literally had nothing but rage in his eyes. But them not noticing the boys, did not mean they didn't notice the siblings. They also noticed the bandage around her wrist and plaster on her forehead.
"Lani?!"
"Lani?!"
Both boys simultaneously called out to her. Looking at each other in surprise as they were surprised that they knew the same girl.
"You know Kehlani?!" They both asked at the same time.
Shutting his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "How do you know Kehlani?" Joaquin asked quietly, he was annoyed at the fact that Xavier knew Kehlani. He just didn't like the gut feeling he was having at the moment.
"{nod} She was the one that babysat my younger siblings the other day, oh yeah she was also the one my parent called worthless" He reminded.
He should have just left the last information out, as Xavier suddenly felt bad vibes coming from Joaquin. He began muttering and rushing his words. But Joaquin wasn't paying attention, he was busy putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
Santiago was clearly her brother, there was not mistaking that. The familiar shirt she wore yesterday was for Xavier. That means she slept over at his house. Again that gut feeling appeared with Xavier.
"How do you know her?" Xavier asked, easing himself away from Joaquin's hold.
"She is in my class"
"Oh, the girl you said you played and teased with?" Nodding his head. Suddenly, their phones buzzed. It was a text message from Santiago.
'I won't be available for any job from the day after tomorrow' His text was short and bland.
What the hell happened?
Snatching the permission slip from the secretary as he stomped himself and his sister to the park. Climbing unto the bike, he placed his only helmet on his sister's head as he sped off with full speed.
"Hey!! Santi wait a minute" Kehlani yelled through the wind because of the speed he rode. But he didn't respond, either because he genuinely didn't hear or he ignored her pleas. And it was most likely the latter.
Arriving their house that failed to feel like a home every passing day. Locking his bike, leaving his sister there.
"Santi!!!"
*EDITED*