2 His Scent
My alarm was ringing by the bedside table that made me throw it while frowning.
"Stupid alarm!" I was about to went back to sleep when the mega microphone sounded from my mother's throat.
"RAIN! WAKE UP!"
"Rain, rise and shine!" And there, another muted bazooka from my older brother's mouth.
I planned to ignore it when I felt the wetting of my bed with its pissing noise.
"Brother! Are you urinating on my bed?!"
"Heck, no! It's Timmy's pee."
No. That's not gonna happen.
As if reading my mind, "It's true. He's about to release his---"
"…"
Without warning, I kicked off my brother outside my room with his dumb cat, and with my blurry eyesight, I slowly travelled my hands through my bedside table to retrieve my eyeglasses.
"Storm, stop teasing your younger sister!"
Footsteps from outside of my door were nearing as I was arranging my bed. It stinks! That dumb cat really relieved himself. Good.
The door opens and my mother walks with her wrinkled brows.
"Why's your room reeks with something unpleasant?"
"…"
"Just tell the housekeeper to clean this and hurry up before you arrive late at school," My mother said as she was fanning the stink away from her nose and she turned around to leave the room.
I walk inside my bathroom to do my morning routine and fix myself up. I can't imagine that I am now in college, the most hectic part of attending school.
I am Rain Mori Cabreza and I had an older brother who has a 'mental' problem and he's Storm Hosep Cabreza with his dumb cat Timmy who usually urinates/defecate at anywhere but his litter box. My mother is Marie Cabreza and a former fashion designer, now a housewife, maintaining the house and her garden. While my father is Joseph Cabreza, a famous explorer who's obsessed with weather that made our name like this.
Well, my family is just a normal well-off household but not that kind that we can spend money, wastefully. So that's it.
I get out of my room while carrying my bag on my back and fixing my thick-framed glasses. Obviously, I am blind without my glasses.
I sat on the chair counter to wait for my food.
"Here's breakfast, Rain," I looked at the lunch box with confusion and my mother sauntered me off outside.
"You're about to get late. This is your first day in college, Rain. First impression will last."
Right, other than it's a 'normal' well-off family, my parents are both strict and perfectionist that sometimes, it chokes me.
"Yes, mom."
------
The school is St. Merlin University as written on the welcoming gates of it. It's one of the prestigious school for the rich families so it's not unexpected to see students have personal drivers or have their flashy cars brought in.
Well, for me is, I have none because currently, my older brother with his dumb cat is waving at me while dropping me off to school. But I could pretend that he's my personal driver so maybe I am one of those rich kids.
The nervousness slowly crept up in me that made me stop at the entrance of the university and I hurriedly turned around to compose myself when my nose smells a fresh forest rain scent, a unique scent that made me want to follow it but a hand stopped me, that hand was on my face as the culprit of it pushed me off with force.
Did they need to be harsh on a girl?!
I brush the dirt on my butt while glaring on the retreating back of a boy with his dirty white sneaker shoes.
I'll remember those shoes.
"Miss, do you need help?"
A beautiful hand with distinctive slender fingers appears from my sight.
A woman's hand?
No. A handsome boy's hand.
I stared dumbly at the handsome man while he helped me up from the ground.
"What are you doing on the ground?" He chuckled and two deep dimples on both of his cheeks showed up.
The dumbstruck me snapped back from the holy ground of earth as the boy shook me back to reality.
"Yes. Yes. I'm okay."
"Your name's Okay?"
"Yes--- I mean no. I am Rain."
"I'm just joking. You got a nice name. I am Clark, by the way," he offered his hand for a handshake so I accepted it.
Clark smiles and turns to his wristwatch.
"Nice. It's about time, are you a freshman?"
I nodded in response.
"Oh. I am a sophomore though. I'll help you on your schedule because you are about to get late, young lady," he joked again and assisted me in my building as I was a fine arts student.
After he helped me, he bid goodbye and went off.
Now, back to reality. But he's so handsome! No Rain, you can't be swayed with flower boys again. Remember what happened in your high school.
Right, that time when I thought that handsome third year student had an interest with me as he handed me a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates just to passed it to my best friend.
Best friend?!
Where's that superstar best friend of mine?
Aria is a fine arts student, too. Let's see if she's in the same class as me.
I opened the door and the situation greeted me with my best friend being crowded by my classmates. She's not Aria if this won't happen.
Aria Song, a half Korean and half Filipino famous solo artist and now she's not active in the entertainment industry as she wanted first to settle off here studies before going back to the stage.
The eye detector of my best friend was one of the best as she immediately turned her attention to me when I went in.
She waved at me and gestured to sit on an unoccupied seat beside her.
"Sorry, guys but my 'mother' is here and she doesn't like people disturbing us so off you go," Aria then flashes her stunning smile that easily persuaded the students to go back on their seat.
"Mommy!"
"Daughter!" I said while imitating a British accent that made Aria laugh.
"You are almost late, I mean you are late now but early for the teacher."
--------
After listening to those lengthy discussions while my stomach was grumbling because I forgot to eat the lunch box my mother made.
Aria dragged me to the cafeteria.
"Aria, I'm going to order."
"No. I'm going to order, you just sit there and relax, I don't want to be flock by another round of people."
Point-taken.
"I just want the usual."
"Okay, got it," She ushered off to the food counter.
We ate, peacefully, while the other students minded their own business. Aria was talking to me with her mouth full of pizza that made me grossed out of her manners.
Sometimes, I think that this person with me is not a famous artist. Just look at that unrefined eating.
"Did you heard that there are handsome boys here?! They are sophomores."
"You mean flower boys, I met one."
Aria almost choke on her soda and with widened eyes, she asks, "Really? Who was it?"
"Clark."
"Clark Perez! The Vice President of the Student Council."
"Uhm, Aria?"
"Yes?"
"Did you perhaps stalked those handsome boys that you were saying a moment ago? 'Cause, you're more like a student here for two years."
"Duh.… you know me well! But let me change your terms, I did not stalk them, okay? I researched them."
I just rolled my eyes at her obvious bluffing and went back to my spaghetti. I already ate my mother's prepared lunch so eating another round is a no big deal to me because I don't get fat easily. The fast metabolism perks.
"But, did you really met Clark?"
"Yes."
"How is he?"
"He's okay."
"Really?" Aria suddenly looked at me intently and observed my expression.
Okay, she got me.
"He's handsome, cute, kind and funny."
"Then you were dumbstruck by your first meeting with him?"
"Yes."
"Is he tall?"
"Yes. A head taller than me."
"Handsome?"
"Yes, I already said that."
"Kind?"
What is she playing at? I went with her game. Sometimes, she would be this childish.
"Yes."
"Pleasing to the eyes?"
"Yes."
"Manly?"
"Yes."
"You like him?"
"Ye---"
I immediately glared at her. She laughed it off and went back to eating.
------
My older brother texted me that he would be an hour late because he had to bring Timmy to the veterinarian for a checkup. So with nothing to do other than sitting by the university's waiting shed as other students were being fetched by their drivers or left with their cars, I switched on my phone to play some games.
Then a familiar scent was caught by my nose and dirty white sneakers appeared at my sight.
