Chapter one

Steve was laying on the couch with his legs spread apart, one was on the couch edge while the other was grazing the soft rug. He could as well have been the owner of the house, but he is just a friend. He has more confidence than my other friend who was sitting timidly on the other single chair, telling us a a funny story of how he failed his last geography test. I was sitting on the only extra single chair in the room, playing with a lock of my hair and occasionally laughing when things get really funny. My sister was upstairs locked up in a room as usual while practicing singing with a head phone pressed to her ear. She sometimes get too loud and I'd have to go upstairs to bang on her door, telling her to bring her voice down.

    "So, you didn't tell Mrs Smith that you had a spoilt sandwich for dinner was why you failed her test?" Steve asked.

    "I can't say that the whole class would just probably make jest of me, I had to keep mute while she kept repeating stuff of how she is going to give me an extra lesson if I needed" Pal explained raising his hands to his head in an exaperated way "That is even more embarrassing than admitting eating a spoilt sandwich"

     "How is it embarrassing?" I asked while trying hard not to laugh 

     "The whole class now think of me as an unintelligent idiot, even Fred told me it was his first time seeing a boy who wear glasses score zero" Pal said as he readjusted his glasses and ran his hand through his hair.

    "I'll suggest you cut off all the friends that think of you as unintelligent. I mean you've been scoring "A" since have known you, why would anyone think of you as unintelligent?" Steve said while rising from his reclined position.

   "I'll agree with Steve, you've got us we will always see you as brilliant" I said while winking at him.

   "Speaking of which, I've got more friends than those idiot" Pal said as he slide through his phone, then he turned his phone screen to us "see" he said as a foolish grin filled his face. On his phone screen was a girl that looks red in the face her mouth, nose and eyes looks too small for her face, her head was wrapped in a brown shawl that cover her arm and shoulder, her eyes were dark and a lock of her dark hair falls outside the shawl. I couldn't say I hated her on first sight, I would say a despise her and don't even want to meet her, and why? She looks like she was keeping a secret.

    "Beautiful" Steve commented

    "Bella, Can she stay here for the Christmas?"

    "I don't..." I was saying 

    "Of course she can, she is your crush, right?" Steve interrupted before I could say my mind, I watched unbelievably as Pal ears turn red at the comment about crush that Steve made, I knew at that moment that I would be a bitch to say No.

    "Tell her to come over tomorrow" I said, while smiling as fakingly as I could.

    "You can even propose to her during Christmas, you could get her load and loads of gift, you could..." I excused myself to the rest room, while Steve pour more and more suggestions into Pal's head.

    I splashed water on my face to rid the fury taking over me, I hate when I have to adopt someone I have a bad feeling about. The last time I adopted a girl I don't like into my volleyball team, the sluggish idiot ended up causing me a knee injury and now I've adopted another bitch in for Christmas, I only hope we all enjoy the Christmas, the bitch inclusive. 

   When I got downstairs again, Anna had settled everyone into dinner. She had assumed the role of a cook since mum and dad traveled to Rome to spend Christmas, so we had the fully stocked fridge and the big house to ourselves. It would have been more interesting if it wouldn't be jeopardized by the stranger, an awesome stranger who happened to be Pal's crush. 

    "Hey Bella, what's up?" Anna called 

    "I'm good," I said as cheerfully as my churning stomach would allow.

    "Shall we call Rose now?" Steve asked as he scooped his dinner.

    "Let's atleast finish dinner first" Pal said exaperated

   "You said you will call her the minute Bella shows up" Steve countered, he emphasized on "you" and "Bella"

   "Let's eat first" I said as I wasn't in any hurry to call her. I wished I could do away with talking to her, but how would I escape the call? I would just fake a stomach cramp. 

   "What do you think Bella?" Steve asked suddenly.

   "What's that?" I asked, I wasn't paying attention on thier line of conversation.

    "Would Rose want to share a room with Pal?"

    "I don't know" I replied carelessly while spooning food into my mouth.

    "Would you want to share a room with Pal?" Steve pressed

    "I wouldn't mind" I said shrugging.

    "Case closed, Rose is going to share a room with you Pal" Steve said while pathing Pal's shoulder. I ignored them.

   When it came time for them to make the call, I faked a stomach cramp, but unfortunately for me and fortunately for them, they shifted the call to anytime I was ready to talk to Rose.

     Two hours later, both Pal and Steve had gone upstairs to the bedroom. They made use of the guest room opposite Anna's room. I didn't  know why they decided to share a bed I only realised they did, when I came out of my room after the pretence of stomach cramp to hear thier whispering. I couldn't pick out thier words, but they stopped when they hear me pass, which gives me a signal that it's not the right time to pay them a visit. I desperately needed someone to talk to, so I went downstairs to the kitchen where Anna was doing my job of cleaning the plates. 

    "You didn't have stomach cramps, did you?" She asked, she must I've heard me walk up to the door.

    "I have a bad feeling about this girl" I said, not answering her direct question, I already know where the conversation was going, better not beat around the bush. I could guess that was what Pal and Steve were talking about when I passed.

     "You don't even know her, how could you be sure she's evil?" She turned away from the sink directing the all so familiar gaze of "are you crazy" that she always gives me. It starts with her right eye brow arcing upward, her nose wrinkled and her mouth pouted.

      "I'm not saying she's evil" I said raising my hand 

      "Then what's all this about?" Her eyes were downward and her voice was slightly raised.

       "I don't know" I sighed "the feeling is just there and I don't know how to explain it" I moved closer to her and picked up the towel. I started drying the plate mechanically.

      "Then let the damn feeling go. Any feeling you can't explain is not worth making you look hostile before your friends" She brought her voice so low while leaning towards me menacingly.

       "I can't, this is a guts feeling that something might go wrong, am I expected to just sit and watch?"

       "You know what? You are just being paranoid and that is making everything go wrong" She said while pointing her hand upstairs. I got the message that I am making everything go wrong with Pals and Steve, but that doesn't concern her. They are my friends not hers.

        "Can you tell me the goddamn reason why you are angry about this?" I banged the plate I was holding on the sink. 

  She stopped turn to face me, directing her full gaze on me. The way one will look at an annoying kid that always spill his food. "You know what they are saying?" She asked pointing upstairs again "They said if you are not comfortable with it, they'd just spend the Christmas elsewhere and when I say "they" I mean Pal, Steve and Rose" she counted them on her fingers "Belynda, you are going to lose your friends and for what? For some damn guts feelings" She stormed out of the kitchen leaving the rest of the plates unwashed. My back find the nearest wall to lean on and when my legs couldn't hold me up anymore, my back slide down and I was sitting on the floor. I felt so powerless, I felt the moisture on my cheeks even before I realised I was crying. At that moment, I hated my nature. Why do I always get to be the one that sees everything wrong with something? Why are my always the psycho with guts feelings? Why couldn't I like that girl the way Pal does or even the way Steve did on his first time seeing her? I sobbed loudly not caring if anyone heard me upstairs. I didn't remember sleeping off, but I remember waking up at 2:32 am and crawling upstairs to my room. No one even checked on me, was I that annoying?