Sairenne Gomery’s Point of View
I sat at the edge of Mother’s bed while beside me stood Ruxe, my grumpy younger brother. I could only sigh as I watched her.
She’d been lying here for a long time. She used to work as a housemaid for a wealthy family abroad—she was an OFW. Her employer had a nasty temper and pushed her down the stairs. It was a miracle she survived, thanks to the money she’d managed to save.
But her legs ended up paralyzed. The money ran out, and we had to take out a loan.
“Mother, Ruxe will watch over you again. I need to go now,” I said with a smile as I reached for her hand.
“Renne, I’m sorry. You’re the one suffering because of this,” her faint voice said, and I quickly shook my head.
“No, Mother. As long as I can, I’ll fight for us. We’ll make it through this.”
“That’s for sure, Ate (Sister). And once things get better, I’m going back to school,” Ruxe said with a bright grin.
Among us siblings, I was the only one lucky enough to get a scholarship at a good high school. Everything was free, and I even received a monthly allowance.
We managed our day-to-day expenses because of that—and my four part-time jobs. But because of it, Sairuxe had to stop studying.
Still, I’m certain that someday, we’ll escape this situation. I’m close to finishing the payments for the loan we took to bring mother home.
“That’s why, this dear brother of mine promises not to get a girlfriend yet,” I teased, laughing. Ruxe smacked my shoulder hard in response. “Ouch!”
“Ate, that's not something I would say!”
I stood up and adjusted my glasses. My eyesight’s a bit blurry because I'm near sighted. Then, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and gathered my books. “I’m leaving him with you, Ruxe. I have to go or I’ll be late.”
“Yeah, yeah, go on. Sho!” I shot Ruxe a glare as he shooed me away, but I still stepped out.
“Take care of mother, or you’ll be dead to me if I find out you left her alone!”
“Yes! I know! Just go already… sho!”
I headed to our front door and stepped out. Since I needed to save money, I walked along the roadside toward school. I opened the book resting on my forearm.
We would be having a quiz today, and I needed another high score. The top scholar gets a reward.
After a few minutes of reading, my books slipped from my hands. I fell to the ground, too—and when I looked up, I realized it was Celestia I’d bumped into. She was sitting on the ground, her expensive coat now dirty. Thank goodness the heels of her shoes weren’t broken.
But… she was glaring at me.
The one thing I hated most. I already knew she’d start running her mouth again.
“Are you blind or something?! Are those four eyes of yours still not enough?” she yelled. I bit my lip.
I knew she hated me—and I hated her too. Sure, she was pretty and came from a rich family. But I was the top student in this school.
I smiled coldly. “You should’ve parked your car somewhere else.”
She stood up, so I did too, brushing the dirt off my clothes. My things were scattered on the ground, so I took a deep breath.
This was all that witch’s fault.
I turned to her; her glare was still sharp enough to kill. So I gave her a death glare of my own. Was she really going to show me again how insecure she was about my intelligence?
I noticed her hand clench into a fist, and she slowly stepped toward me. My feet froze. Was she planning on using violence now?
She raised her fist, and I shut my eyes tightly. I waited for her punch—waited for pain—but nothing hit me.
“Gallant! What do you think you’re doing?!” I opened my eyes and saw Gallant Jay Artazo—son of this high school’s owner—holding Celestia’s wrist, his face stormy with anger.
I fell silent. Jay was always cold toward me. He wasn’t my friend, and I didn’t want him to be, so why did he save me?
“I can’t tolerate violence in front of my school gate,” he said.
“That’s enough, Jay. You’re hurting Tia.” I turned and saw Xavier standing beside their car.
How long had he been there? I hadn’t even noticed him. He was probably thinking again that I was clumsy because of what happened to Celestia. Should I apologize?
Because of Xavier, Jay released Tia. It seemed the arrogant, selfish rich girl’s reign had ended for today. I kneeled on the ground and started picking up my things one by one.
Good thing none of my books were damaged. They were expensive. Celestia really didn’t care about what mattered to other people. Social butterfly? So what?! I hated her. I hated that social butterfly.
“Let’s go, Sivy.” Instead of following Celestia, Xavier bent down to help me pick up my things. When he finished, he helped me to my feet.
He really was such a gentleman. Too bad he ended up in the wrong hands. But even if he was Celestia’s childhood best friend—my mortal enemy—I liked Xavier.
“You okay, Renne?” he asked, and I nodded.
“I’m fine. Nothing hurts,” I replied, looking up at him.
Our eyes met, and he smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m sure Tia won’t take this too seriously. She won’t bother you.”
“Thanks for always helping me, Xavier.”
“No worries. I’m just making up for Tia’s mess. She’s my childhood best friend, after all. I know her best.” It’s true—they’d been together since they were little. Maybe it’s better if I just admire him from afar.
“Oh right, shouldn’t you go with Celestia?”
His eyes widened. We both turned to the school gate.
Celestia was gone. Not a single shadow of her left. She must’ve walked out again.
Was it because Xavier helped me? But what was strange was that she left quietly instead of causing a scene.