CHAPTER 1

"Come in," Aira told me as she walked inside their huge house one afternoon after school. I looked at the huge entrance, it was so huge that I just couldn't believe that there were only a few people living inside. I always knew Aira's family is a big deal. I realized it when I first saw the car that fetched her outside the school one day.

Aira's family moved into this house a few months ago, not so long after, I met her and we became friends. With that very jolly attitude, you can't help but become close to her in a very short period of time.

I first came into their house in 7th grade, we played, watched TV, and talked about things that teenagers usually talk about. We had always been close since the beginning.

I always had problems with my parents and whenever I feel down, I come to their house. She'd cry with me and it makes me feel like she really does recognize my pain and understands me. That is why I always come to their house very often.

The huge house has been my second home, I always had fun there instead of in my own house. But one day, I came to their house and saw someone I never knew.

A guy with black hair and fair skin coming from the stairs asked who I am. I looked at him as he walk downstairs where I am currently standing. He is wearing black slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt. "Who are you?" he asked me. I was going to ask him that too. I have been coming here for 4 years but I have never seen him once.

"Uhm,," I almost couldn't talk because of his presence. "Is Aira in the house?" I asked. Usually, maids will come to me if I come here but I don't know where they went. I went in and the guy is already up the stairs and saw me,

"Are you her friend?" he asked. His voice sounds so good when he talks.

"Y-yeah,," I guess.

"Alright, come with me," though I already know where her room is located, I still followed him up to Aira's room. He knocked three times and opened the door. "Someone is looking for you," he told her, and moments later, "You can come in now," he said.

I looked at him as he walk back to where he came from. Based on how he looks, he must probably be someone older, I scoffed the thought off my head and went into Aira's room.

"You met my brother," she told me as she walk towards me from her bed.

"He's your brother?" I asked, I couldn't see any resemblance between him and her.

"Yeah, he's Dad's son from his first wife," she said, "Why are you here?" she asked,

I couldn't ask more about the guy, I can't even know his name because Aira changed the topic immediately so I couldn't help but say why I came.

When I was on my way out of their home, I was expecting to see him again but I didn't. When I got home, I always thought about him and I wondered why so I did my best not to.

A few days later, We had to do some research and she told me we need to do it in their house. Along with 3 other classmates, we came to their house to do the project. I wasn't actually expecting it but we saw him outside. We came almost at the same time, he went out of his car almost the same time as we did and my classmates get to see him.

He's wearing the same thing again with a coat on his arm, I heard the others react to what they were seeing.

"Woah, who's that?" Elaine asked, she's one of our three other group mates.

"My older brother," Aira answered,

"What's his name?' Elaine asked again.

"Zach," Aira answered casually as if she's used to being asked about his brother's name.

"How old is he? He looks hot."

"He's 23,"

"Elaine, not bad," Grace teased Elaine who just smirked at her, "He looks so young though,"

I stayed silent, So his name is Zach and he's 6 years older than us. Everybody kept asking Aira about her brother so I ended up being the one to do the research alone, but while doing so, I listened to what Aira is telling them.

"We're not that close, when I turned 5, he was already in France, I almost thought I am an only child. And when we went to France, he moved to Canada after 2 years,"

"Oh? So you never really bonded with him as brother and sister?"

"Yeah, he's always at school that time too,"

"I see, you must not know a lot about him,"

"Why are you asking about him?!" Aira asked them, "Go help Xhyrah with the research!"

We finished half of the research at 6 pm, Aira insisted that we'd eat dinner at their place but the girl's drivers came to take them and I was the only one left, I told my driver to come at 7 pm so it took him long to come.

Aira wanted me to eat with them and since my Driver is late, I had no choice but to agree.

I sat next to Aira as the dinner is served on the table, "Your parents are not around?" I asked her when I noticed we are the only ones at the very long table.

"Didn't I tell you? They had a trip to Switzerland, they'll be coming home in 2 weeks."

"I see," I looked at the plates on the table, there's one in front of us, he must be going to sit there later.

Aira and I talked about the guy named Cane at school, he's a guy popular with girls that we just can't understand why.

"I don't know, his head looks uprooted,"

Aira laughed hard at what I said, I just don't know why he's so popular with girls when his hair looks like that.

"You're right, I was about to say the same thing." we both laughed at each other and continued talking about the guy. A few minutes later, when we were about to finish our dinner, Zach came with normal clothes on. His hair is damp, he looks like he just came out of the shower.

But Aira continued talking as if he had never come to join us, I realized that they must be that type of siblings. I laughed and tried so hard not to be preoccupied because of him. I wanted to finish my food right away but Aira is eating very slowly.

She took out her phone and stalked Cane's social media, "Wait, wait look at this, this is him 4 years ago." she said and went silent, everything went silent while Aira is scrolling on Cane's profile.

I continued eating while waiting for her to show me the picture and glanced at Zach who seems like he doesn't mind us being very noisy in front of the food.

"Look at this," she said and showed me something, I glanced at Zach before looking at her phone.

I saw Cane's head more uprooted than before and I laughed loudly, even before I could stop it. Aira laughed hardly with my reaction too. I covered my mouth and looked at Zach, he was looking my way!!!

I gulped and brought my poise back, I looked away and looked at Aira dying on the side. That was embarrassing.

We finished dinner at the same time, and he immediately went back to his room after eating, "He doesn't even greet me," Aira pouted. I looked at her immediately.

"What?" I asked her.

"Zach, he doesn't want to talk to me." she pouted.

"Maybe because you were busy laughing," I joked.

"No, he's always like that, he barely even looks at me," she said with bitterness in her tone.

I couldn't say anything. I don't know but she's right, Zach doesn't look like he likes to interact with Aira, I felt so bad about her. She wants to be recognized by him but yet, but he wouldn't.

My driver came shortly after and we bid goodbyes to each other, I thought about it at night again. I am guessing something but I hope it's not it. I sighed and found out I am staying up quite late so I decided to go to sleep. The next day is the second day of our research. We didn't see him outside when we went in but when I went out with Aira to get some snacks, we came across him. He's walking downstairs in normal clothes. He looked like he was going to a party.

Aira grabbed my arm as we walk with him downstairs, It'd be awkward if we'd stop so we walked along with him. She must be feeling bad again since he didn't say a thing to her though they came across each other.

"Annoying," she said.

"Try talking to him first," I told her

"It's embarrassing to be the one to talk first," she said while squatting down in their pantry to get some snacks.

"You can't talk to him if you'd think like that," I told her.

"You're right, I'll think about it."

We were about to go upstairs again when we saw a car coming in the entrance, it was Elaine's driver who has come to pick her up because they had an emergency at home. The other two didn't have a driver today so they needed to come with her too. In the end, the work was given to both me and Aira.

I had to stay at their house until 10 pm, I called my driver to go home already but.. "No, I'm already home, I thought you were going to stay there, you didn't tell me to stay, it's already past my duty time," he told me. I ended the call calmly.

This ain't happening to me, I panicked in no time.

"What's wrong?" Aira asked me,

"My driver went home," I said and ran my hands on my face because of frustration,

"You don't make your drivers stay in your house too? let's go downstairs to see if someone is available," we did so and found out that their drivers went home already.

We sat outside their house, we sat on the floor even if it was cold, "What am I going to do now?"

"Get a cab?" Aira suggested.

"Mom's gonna kill me," I said.

"I'm gonna walk you home, " she said.

"'Don't be stupid, Aira."

We sighed simultaneously, we stayed there for minutes doing nothing, "Why not just stay over?" she asked.

"No, there's school tomorrow,"

"What are we going to do now?" she asked as if I knew the answer. "Wait, I'mma go call Yaya Leah to come with you,"

She left me outside the house alone. This is my fault, I didn't say anything to the driver.

I ran my hands on my face again, this is frustrating, I should just walk home right now that Aira is nowhere to be seen.

I took my bag and walked outside their property, I texted Aira when I am a few steps away from their property.

'My driver came, I'm sorry we had to hurry, goodnight'

I texted her. I sighed and looked around, I have never done this before, the ride home takes 20 minutes, if I'm going to walk, I'm going to be able to come home in less than an hour.

I started walking, I checked the time a lot to see how long has it been. My phone blinked and rang multiple times, It was Aira, I know she was worried but I know I'm going to be okay. It's not that far and only a few people are in the streets.

I am walking in a place with a lot of cars coming through so I thought I'm going to be okay, If something is going to happen to me, a lot of people would come to help me.

That's what I thought at first but my mind started to think about pickpockets, kidnappers, and rapists.

I stopped walking and thought about going back immediately. I started to realize what I have done. I panicked and decided to run. But suddenly, a car started honking at me. My eyes widened, and after thinking about kidnappers, I started to panic.

The door opened and I was about to run when suddenly, I hear my name, "Xhyrah!". I looked back and realized it was Zach's mercedez-benz.

"Z-Zach,"

I didn't even know that he knew my name.

"Get in,' he told me. I had no choice but to come in his car.

"Why are you here?" I asked him.

"I went home and Aira was panicking because you went home alone," he told me.

I gulped, It's the dumbest thing I have ever done, He typed something on his phone and it started ringing, "She's here," he said.

It was Aira, she talked to her for a moment and later on, he handed me his phone. "H-hello,"

"You dumb bitch I swear I'm gonna kill you tomorrow, are you crazy?! Are you stupid?! What has gotten into you?!" she cursed me on the phone,

I spent 5 minutes calming her down, I didn't know what to say, I know it was my fault, I shouldn't have done that.

When I hung up the phone, I gave him back his phone and didn't know what to do. It was very awkward, I don't know what to say to him, I should've just sat at the back. He's also not talking and it makes the atmosphere even awkward.

His car smells really good, I didn't know what to do so I watched his hand on the steering wheel, it moves swiftly, he must be driving for years now. I looked at him and he glanced at me so I looked away from his direction.

I took my phone out there are 40 missed calls and 30 texts from Aira but I ignored them and scrolled on Instagram to keep myself busy. A few minutes later, we arrived home.

"Thank you for driving me home, I'm really sorry for the trouble," I told him before going out of his car,

"Don't do it again," he said with his elbows on the window, and his hands on his face, his fingers are touching his lips. He didn't even look at me when he said that. I gulped.

"Alright, thank you very much," I said and closed the door.

I screwed myself today.