1 Julian 0.1

First day of the last exam week I would ever have in this morbid school. I had spent hours summarizing and rewriting my notes to ensure an A average on my diploma. The rain hadn't stopped since midnight, it actually helped me sleep through the anxiety. My heart was pounding loudly when I woke up and stumbled into the bathroom to get ready for school.

I could hear my mom making a ruckus downstairs and my older brother groaning about the hot water. It must have been about 15 minutes before I realized that I had promised to give a brief tutor for my best friend. Now I'm about half an hour late. She had been struggling with physics, even though I had told her to drop it from her finals. Her reasoning involved her being worse at chemistry cos Mr. Monroe's gorgeous 5 o'clock shadow disrupted her study.

I rushed through my morning routine and tied my hair in a ponytail, dressed in my 2-day old sweater and new pair of joggers. My socks might have been mismatched, but people nowadays call it fashion. As I stomped downstairs with my book-bag full of notes and stationeries, I caught a glimpse of a familiar shade of orange.

"Rachel?" I raised an eyebrow as I stopped in the middle of the stairwell.

"Hey Ms. "I'll help you pass your exam", I've been waiting for ages,' she took a bite of an egg sandwich.

"Mom?" I turned to my mom for confirmation.

"Don't look at me like that, you've been friends for ages now," she took a sip of her coffee as she disappeared to another room.

I was about to take another step down when a six-foot figure slammed me on my back and sent me tumbling down to the end of the staircase. He didn't seem to notice me until he looked down to watch in dismay before proceeding to take a seat on the dining table. He buried his nose in his Psych 101 book and munched on an apple from the fruit basket.

"Jake. Charming as ever," my bestie scowled.

"Yea, charming indeed," I stumbled to my feet.

"Shut up, shrimps. I'm only living here because mom told me to drive you until the end of high school. On your last day of exam, I'm outta here. So, you better eat your cereal in 5 minutes or I'm off without you," he said with his mouth full.

I chugged the milk from the fridge and eat my cereal from the box, put on my canvas shoes, and packed an umbrella from our colorful collection.

"C'mon p*ssy! I'm all packed," I pushed Jake's head gently.

He let out a heavy sigh and jammed his book in a torn denim sling bag. His car keys jangled as he walked into the garage. This was just like any other morning where we had a mild argument about how more significant his life is and I'm a burden to his social life. As if college males would think that it was lame to be seen with a high school student. Half of them wished they could, and the other half are into men.

I took a seat at the back of his black Jeep Wrangler, leaving the front seat for my unfortunate ginger friend. Being driven to and from school by your "good-looking older brother never really bothered me. He took good care of the car, he was never late, and his hygiene was commendable for a teen male.

Other than his constant yapping about his generosity for chauffeuring me, it was his driving skill that bothered me the most. I think he would make a decent F1 racer, good control under pressure and through any obstacle or courses. It always feels like high-speed police chase every trip. Front seat is not a recommended position.

"Hey! I sat shotgun the last time! It's your turn this time," our guest protested.

"Well, forget me tutoring only your most important exam ever."

She gave me a pout and complied. My brother gave a snarky smirk. He knew of his infamous puke-inducing skill. But his demeanor completely changes when our parents are in the car with him or within half a mile range. He has such a convincingly good attitude and behavior in front of them that they wouldn't believe me if I were to snitch. So, I just close one eye and endure the pain as a bargain for free rides.

Rachel and I reviewed through my notes during the ride to school. I always asked Jake to drop me off few meters away from the gate. I don't want any bimbos thinking they're worth his time. I mean, he just graduated high school last year and juniors still remember what a charming loner he was. Even then, I tried my best to not be associated with him. It worked well until my freshman year of high school. But that's a story for another time. I opened my umbrella and covered my bag within my sweater.

"Pick me up in 4 hours! I'm not walking home in this rain," I slammed the door before he could say anything.

We scuttled inside the school building and dried our umbrellas when my phone rings. The caller id showed my brother's name.

"What, Jake?" I huffed.

"Actually, I have band practice 'til 6 today. You owe me one for last time; I'm cashing it in."

"That's not how favors work, by the way. And mom and dad are away to Aunt Bella's for the week. Rachel's hitching with her boyfriend."

"Oh, f*ck. You're right. Expect my friends to be around tonight."

"Wait, what? What am I supposed to do? You can't just ditch me at school and invite your vampire friends for a party in our house."

"They're goths, Jade. Chill out! Join Rachel or something."

"I'm not third-wheeling anymore."

"How is that my problem, sis? Gotta go, there's a cop around the corner. Toodles," he hung up.

"Dammit!' I turned to Rachel, "do you have to hang with Rick today?" I put on a pouty face.

"You know it's our anniversary, Jade. He'll be upset if I bail last minute. I'll be with you on Wednesday, ok? Thanks for the notes though. I'll text you later," she walked on as Rick the quarterback swooped in and hooked her waist like a horny eagle.