First Encounter

"Wake up now, we need to hurry to the mart". That seemed like a familiar voice to me. I would have liked it if the day was different, but I somehow hated hearing her voice on weekends.

Yes, she is my younger sister, whom I lived with. Solely because I am too fond of her, to let her stay with our parents. Since we were young, we have been best friends, more than sisters. I have a younger brother too, but he is way younger for me to be close to him as a friend.

I wondered what disasters have occurred for Ellie to wake me up at 6 on a Sunday morning. "Get up, we are out of groceries, you said we'll shop for it today". Her desperation was visible in her eyes when she said this to me.

"I did say we'll go today, but it's still morning, let's go later, okay, let me sleep a little more." I tried to make it reasonable, but honestly, I was just lazy.

"Bro, just wake up already, you know I need to eat good food, to do well in today's contest" she pleaded with her cutesy. I almost forgot she has a singing contest today, she has been passionately working for it, from about a month ago.

"But there is still time for that to start, it'll start at 1 in the afternoon, so why are you rushing it. Just chill out girl". I didn't want to wake up, but I understood her excitement and nervousness.

"Let's just go, please-please", she kept on attacking me with her cute pleadings. I knew I cannot win against her so I gave in.

"Okay, wait for me outside then, let me at least wash my face". She followed my command for the first time in a while without asking any questions. I went to the washroom, washed up quickly, and showed up at the doorstep within 5 minutes. I am not the one to take too much time to get ready, and I hardly pay any attention to the details. I wore white track pants and white sweatshirts, and I tied my hair in a high ponytail, it was always difficult to manage my long hair, I would even get irritated by them sometimes, so I preferred them nicely tied, as for shoes I prefer my treasured neon sneakers; I don't know why I liked them so much but I just liked them.

Me and my sister we weren't much different, she also wore a tracksuit in blue, paired with green converse, and tied her hair in a braid. Truthfully, I envied her sometimes, for having straight and shiny hair, unlike me always struggling with my wave curls.

Anyway, we stepped out of the house with both of us having earphones stuffed in our ears. If someone saw us, they would think we were out for a good workout, but they didn't know we were too lazy.

As we were reaching the mart I asked her, "won't the mart be closed, it is still early?"

"No, last time when I visited the mart, it was written on the entrance that, the mart opens at 6 in the morning every day," she answered with a smirk.

"I see, that is why you woke me at 6:00 a.m., indeed you are my sister," I replied with a deep sigh.

It was 6:25 a.m. when we reached the supermarket. It was not much crowded in the morning. There were mostly people buying juice, water bottles, packed breakfast, etc., as it was only morning. There is a rule of me and my sisters we disperse our ways to look for the things we need, we don't tag along. That way it is convenient.

I took all things needed and groceries are mostly picked by me, Ellie is in charge of snacks. The reason is pretty simple she can't cook, she knows how to make coffee though, and it's delicious.

While I was busy dumping the things in my shopping cart, Ellie kept on calling me in whispers, "Bro-bro-shh-shh". I seemed to be engrossed in my shopping too much, I didn't pay any attention to her calling me.

"Miss Shiara Venedestine, would you mind coming here." She said my full name to just annoy me.

She knows how to grab my attention very well. "I told you not to call me by my full name," I replied with a scary look "you know I hate being called that."

She usually never called me by my name, because respect for elders is a must in our house customs. It was moral teaching given by my father, for us not to call elders by their names. But in my case, that is not the reason why I am getting annoyed by Ellie.

It is the surname that is the problem. It is long, unique, and has been the reason for me getting bullied in elementary school. Anyway, she got my attention, I went to her to look what the issue is. When I reached close to her, she pointed out in the direction of the entrance.

I looked towards the entrance, a tall, handsome figure looking like an unrealistic statue, crafted out in such excellence, with shiny-brown hairs slightly covering his forehead, his skin much paler than me, wearing a black hoodie, black joggers and a pair of black shoes. He was pretty much shining from afar. Seemed like a devil in all black just appeared from heaven. But again, if devils were this handsome, I wish to see them every day. Suddenly I did not regret my coming out, giving up on my sleep.

"What a sculpture! he is so handsome bro, look," her eyes were almost popping out when Ellie whispered this to me "I wish I see such a handsome man every day."

I pretended to be calm and unbothered after looking at the 'hoodie guy', I just randomly named him. We were still looking towards the entrance when we saw him walking toward us. To avoid misunderstandings, we went back to our shopping.

Suddenly, he came and stood next to me, I tried to be calm as much as possible. He probably came to take something from the same shelf. I told myself to forget about him and go back to work, and I am pretty good at focusing. I got back to my work forgetting about him. He probably went to the opposite shelf in the meantime.

I am now struggling in trying to get my hands to the sack of flour, which was kept on the uppermost shelf. No matter what I did, my hands are not reaching there. At that moment I felt my hand touch someone's hand. Someone tried to help me, but I was surprised without even looking at who was behind me. I tried to move in defense. I hit myself hard against the shelf, and it started trembling. Two sacks of flour fell from the top. The sacks got torn when they landed on my head and the guy behind me. We both tried to dodge and fortunately saved our faces from getting covered in flour, but our hairs were showered enough to compensate for our faces. We both lifted our heads simultaneously.

I saw who he was, he saw my face too, "the 'hoodie guy'," I recalled in my mind.

____________________