Chapter T3

It's the 19th of December, which means today is Saturday today, and I have no idea what to do.

The only thing that is coming up to my mind is the school library, since I haven't been there for quite a long time.

I did my usual morning routine. Brush my teeth, take care of my skin, and change clothes.

Today, I'm wearing a casual black hoodie and baggy jeans.

Before going to the library, I must first submit the application paper to the Photography Club.

As the hour struck 9:15, I finally made my way over to the photography club room. I felt a lump in my throat, both from the excitement of submitting my application and from the nervousness that came with it. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door, entering the room with a steady stride.

Even though it's weekend, the room was still filled with students discussing their latest projects. The clatter of cameras and the hum of editing software were heard. I scanned the room, looking for a familiar face, for someone who could guide me to where I needed to submit my application.

Finally, I spotted someone at the end of the room. It was the club president, Skylar, whom I had talked to when I was thinking about joining this club. He was engrossed in a conversation with another student, a camera in hand, and a small smile on his face. I waited until he was finished, not wanting to interrupt him.

When he finally turned his attention to me, I took a deep breath and held out my application paper to him. With a quick smile, he nodded and took it from me.

"Thank you," he said, adding the paper to a stack of applications on his desk. "We'll take a look at it as soon as we can."

I nodded, feeling both relieved and nervous at the same time. I had finally taken the first step in pursuing my passion, and now all I could do was wait.

After that, I went straight to the school library, which isn't very far. It's just a few blocks away from my dorm.

The school library is a quiet and peaceful space, filled with the smell of old books and fresh ink.

The shelves are filled with rows upon rows of books of all sizes, genres, and ages. The desk is well-stocked with pens, pencils, and erasers, as well as notebooks and folders.

The chairs are comfortable, and the light inside the library is soft and soothing. The atmosphere of the library is perfect for reading, concentrating, or just daydreaming.

I sat on one of the available chairs and began to read the novel Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. People were recommending it to fantasy lovers. So why not give it a try?

As the time ticked by, I was lost in the pages of the book I was reading, oblivious to the world around me. Suddenly, I sensed a shift in the air next to me, and when I looked up, I was surprised to see that it was none other than Raven Peňaz sitting next to me. He was reading the same book as me. Is this a coincidence or not?

I unintentionally stared at his face for a long period of time.

"Wee, am I attractive?" He asked.

"Excuse me?"

"You were staring at me the moment I sat down, you know."

"Well, obviously, I didn't expect you to be here. What are you even doing here?" I asked, wanting to know the reason.

"Huh? Are you telling me that I can't read books?!" Raven protested.

"I never said that."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

Annoyed by the interruption, I rather shut my mouth and turned my attention back to the book.

"Let me tell you a fact you do not know. The name of our band Four Crows is actually inspired by the title Six of Crows. The reason is that we all love this book." Raven annotated.

I was acting as if I didn't care. But in reality: Tell me more, tell me more!!

"I like this book so damn much that I try to forget what happened and then read it again." Peňaz continued. "What about you, Wee? Do you like fantasy books?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I indeed really do love the fantasy genre, Mr. Peníze."

I really thought that calling him Peníze would make him mad, except he wasn't at all. He looked more amused than furious.

He raised his eyebrows. His hazel orbs were intently staring at me.

This is giving me deja vu.

"Peníze? Do you know what that means? Do you speak Czech? Do you think Prague is pretty? What's your favorite Czech food? Or Czech influencer?" The raven hair bombarded me with questions, while his eyes were sparkling just like when a little kid gets a present they wished for on Christmas.

"It means money if I'm not mistaken."

"It's true!! I'm surprised you actually know that, Wee." Raven passionately said.

I chuckled. "Well, I didn't know what it meant, until I googled it."

It's more like I was finding him a nickname, and google told me to call him Peníze. I didn't know what it meant, so I translated it.

"You're very cool, Wee."

"If that's a compliment, thank you." I tried to keep my cool.

Raven smiled at me. In that exact moment, the world seemed to pause for a moment. The smile seemed bright and comforting.

Once again, I went red in the face.

Raven grinned, and he made his way to exit the library. "It was great talking to you, but I've got to run," he said, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "I'm having lunch with the band, you know."

Before I could respond, he flashed a quick wave and was out the door.

For a brief moment, my heart skipped a beat. His warmth and friendly personality had left me feeling giddy and happy. As I watched him disappear down the hallway, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to spend more time with him.

With the last book returned and the last page indexed, I closed the door of the library and started down the hall, the click of my shoes echoing as I made my way towards the exit. But not even a full minute had passed since I left the library when, to my surprise, my phone began to ring, catching me off guard.

It was my younger sister Amari.

"Aki, send me some money."

"Huh, why? I gave you half of my savings last month."

"You fuckin- Look, that woman who is supposed to take care of me didn't make me lunch. So if you don't want your sister to starve to death, send her some money."

"The money I sent should be on your bank account. Please take care." I worried.

"Yeah, whatever, thanks."

The call ended.

It's true that my eleven year old sister might be impolite, but I personally think that it's not her fault. She's been acting like this ever since I left for high school here in Avanian, which is two hours away from Washington, our home. She told me to go to high school in Washington, but I refused.

The purpose of her ignoring me is due to the fact that she thinks I wanted her to suffer just like I did back when i was her age. She thinks that that's why I left her all alone in that household. Which isn't true at all. I just realized it too late.

When I was applying to the high school, I was selfish. I didn't think of anyone else but me. I was happy that I'll finally be leaving, not caring about my younger sister at all.

I feel bad for her. Really bad. The thought of not being able to apologize for my past actions is really difficult to deal with. I really do wish to have a heart-to-heart conversation with her, where I'll apologize for everything, but that's something that can only happen in my dreams.

But I don't understand. My mother told me that she would take care of Amari if I paid for it, and I did. That bitch is just too lazy again, I guess. As always.

With a sigh, I dragged myself to my dorm room, kicking off my shoes and collapsing onto the bed. I let out a long sigh and buried my face in the pillow, exhausted from the events of the day. I wanted nothing more than to escape into sleep and forget everything that had happened. I couldn't help but hope that tomorrow would be a better day.

The flashback of me and my sister when we had the best time is coming to my mind again.

I reluctantly dragged my sister out of our house, as I could already hear our parents' heated voices echoing from every room.

"Where are we going brother?"

  "Our special place, Amari."

We made our way to the Washington Airport, our special place, where we settled down to planespot the big planes flying overhead.

"Hurry up, brother! Hurry up, they're big planes!" She shouted excitedly as each plane passed by.

I smiled despite it all and joined in her excitement as we watched the massive aircrafts take off and land.

"Which plane is that, Aki?" She asked, her curious brown eyes scanning the big jumbo jet.

"Wow! That's the Airbus A350-900, the aircraft that has an eyeliner. It's huge!"

I explained while I was taking pictures with my camera.

Even in the midst of all that chaos, this was probably the best moment I had ever had. I just couldn't but smile. I still remember those happy smiles we exchanged.