|| Arabella ||

'God, I hate Theo. He is a stupid, brainless, idiotic, dunderheaded jerk, who needs to be obliterated from this planet," I cursed as I hurriedly opened my locker in order not to be late for my first class.

Coral, my best friend, arched an eyebrow in amusement. 'I know you love Theo, but what's with the sudden raining compliments?"

I frowned. Coral always teases me about Theo, knowing it annoys me to no end. She was friends with him since they have a few classes together. Thankfully, I didn't have a single class with him this semester. 'He didn't let me eat my breakfast and made me late," I complained.

Coral laughed. 'Since when was your aunt kind enough to let any of your acquaintances steal your breakfast?"

Oops.

I didn't tell her about what happened yesterday at all, starting from my aunt kicking me out. I just sent her a photo of my short hair last night, which sh

|| Arabella ||

The next morning, I woke up around noon. I had slept after taking some painkillers. My back was still sore, but the ice had considerably reduced the pain.

My luggage was still unpacked, so I called Theo, who barged into my room with a ringing phone in his hand and an annoyed expression.

'Now what do you want, my queen?" he demanded sarcastically.

I giggled. Since yesterday, I have been making him do all my work after guilt-tripping him for my back pain. I even made him carry me back to my bedroom, though it took quite a bit of argument. 'I can't bend down. Get me some clothes out of my luggage."

'You are really treating me as your slave, huh?"

I nodded happily.

'I hate this." Theo frowned and kneeled in front of my luggage. 'You really want me to go through your luggage?" he asked in disbelief, and I nodded again. 'You sure?"

'What, are you afraid to find my bra an

|| Arabella ||

I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar blue ceiling and jolted up.

Oh, right, I am not staying in Aunt's storeroom anymore.

I sighed and looked around the moderate-sized room in blue shades. It used to belong to Ian back when he still used to live here. The room was already decorated enough, only needed to be filled with my things.

I glanced at the time which read six-thirty in the morning. I yawned and got down from the soft bed. I kneeled down in front of my luggage and took out my clothes for today, which were a pair of denim shorts and a white embroidered top.

I always have to take a shower before starting my day, otherwise, I feel disarrayed.

Even though the room was great and even had a balcony, the only problem was, it didn't have an attached bathroom. I had to share the outer bathroom with Theo, whose room was right across mine—just one of the many things I was dreading.

Grumpily, I opened the door to my room and walked sluggishly to the bathroom before placing my hand on the knob to open it, only for it to land on another hand.

'The hell?" I heard Theo hiss and looked up.

'Oh, no, now my day is ruined," I exclaimed dramatically. The first face I saw at the start of my day was Theo's. No matter how handsome his face was, it was still ominous for me.

'Your day is ruined? God, I feel like I could get hit by a truck today," he murmured.

I glanced at both of our hands on the bathroom knob and suggested, 'You won't if you let me use the bathroom first."

He scoffed. 'You can expect me to do that the day when pigs start flying."

I rolled my eyes. 'Shouldn't you have the etiquette to let a lady use the bathroom first?"

'Shouldn't you have the knowledge that I don't care for etiquettes when it comes to you?"

I sighed. 'Look, I can't function without showering in the morning."

'I'm the one who needs the shower first. I just came back from my morning run and I stink with sweat," he said, and I looked down at his outfit. He was wearing a gray T-shirt and black joggers, his face and neck coated with sweat. But that didn't have to matter to me—I was a selfish snob in his case. I had to get my business done first.

'Don't care. I'm going in first because it's my first day here."

'But I grabbed the door knob first."

'It's not a restaurant where you would have a ‘first come, first served' system."

'Okay, fine. Then how about we settle this fair and square?" he proposed.

I arched an eyebrow. 'How?"

'Let's play rock-paper-scissors. Whoever wins gets to use the bathroom first," he explained.

I twitched my lips for a wandering moment before nodding my head. It sounded like a fair idea. 'We can use this everyday if we get to the bathroom at the same time."

Theo nodded and let go of the door knob along with me.

Both of us prepared our hands to start the game when a figure brushed by us and entered the bathroom. Theo and I blinked in shock for a minute.

'What the hell?" We both shrieked.

'What were you guys doing standing in front of the bathroom like a couple of warriors about to engage in a duel?" Wyatt hollered from inside the bathroom.

Theo banged on the door loudly. 'Dude, why the fuck are you using our bathroom? You already have your own!"

'The water temperature sensor went bonkers. The shower was sprinkling boiling hot water," Wyatt said.

'But still," I protested.

'I won't take that long. I have an early class today at 7:40," he said.

'And mine starts at 7:30!" Theo and I hollered at the same time.

'Oops, then."

We groaned and stomped to the living room and plopped down on the couch.

'That sneaky bastard," Theo cursed.

I let out a deep breath. 'Wanna finish the game for who gets to use the bathroom first after Wyatt comes out?"

Theo nodded.

Once again, we prepared our hands in a fist. 'Rock-paper-scissors," we said simultaneously before throwing our hands. I opened my fist for paper, which was a big mistake, as Theo took out scissors.

I groaned. 'But no problem. It's a three-match game."

Theo shot me an incredulous look. 'When was that decided?"

I exclaimed in fake astonishment. 'How do you not know? Rock-paper-scissors is always played in three rounds." I didn't know if it was true but it was worth a shot.

'Oh. Never heard of it before." He prepared his hand again. 'Two more times then."

Wow, Theo is surprisingly gullible sometimes.

'Rock-paper-scissors!"

This time, thankfully, I won with the scissors.

The final round was going to be the decider of our game. I took a deep breath and decided to go with paper. 'Yes, I won!" I jumped up and started clapping my hands in excitement. 'You lose! Theo is a loser!" I booed.

Theo rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, you won in rock-paper-scissors. Big deal. Throw a party." He stood up from the couch too and put his hands in his pocket as he went back to his bedroom.

I stopped celebrating and went to check if Wyatt was still showering. Hearing the shower still running, I went to the kitchen. I decided to make some coffee and breakfast for myself so that I could have it after my bath.

I was a little light-headed due to not having freshened up yet as I stirred the instant coffee into a cup with hot water. Since Ian and Wyatt told me to use the kitchen like my own, I decided to look through the cabinets for something to eat. I found a box of cereals and granola bars.

'Yay, I love cereal," I sang to myself as I poured its contents into a bowl. I hate granola bars. Once I was done, I heard the bathroom door click. I hurriedly grabbed my clothes and ran to the bathroom as fast as I could before Theo could cheat.

Fortunately, I was able to use the bathroom after Wyatt. My nerves calmed down and my head cleared out as the soothing water ran down my body. After that, I dressed myself up before stepping out to find Theo coming out of his room.

'Took you long enough," he complained sourly. I shrugged in response, eager to go eat my breakfast before I lost my appetite arguing with him any further. 'By the way, you make nice coffee," he whispered in my ears slyly as he passed by me before entering the bathroom.

My eyes widened. 'No, you didn't," I warned dangerously.

'Yes, I did," Theo responded gleefully from inside.

'Oh, God, no," I cursed and dashed to the kitchen to find my coffee cup sitting empty on the counter. 'My cereals… where are they?" I murmured as I didn't see the bowl on the counter. I stepped further into the kitchen after hearing some meows. I gasped when I saw the bowl lying on the floor in front of Theo's orange pet cat.

The cat was clawing at the cereal bowl as it tried to feed itself. 'You bad kitty," I chastised, kneeling down near my cereal bowl. My breakfast… He fed my breakfast to his cat!

Eating that bowl of cereal was now out of the question. My coffee was gone too.

'Theo Benedict, I hate you!" I shouted loud enough for him to hear, which I'm pretty sure he did. Then I narrowed my eyes on the cat, knowing I would have to settle for a granola bar because of it. 'And you too, stupid cat."

The cat snarled at me.

'Wow. I have a great bond with you already, just like your owner," I said sarcastically and clicked my tongue at it.

Huffing, I got up and opened a random drawer to find something else to eat when a packet of balloons caught my eyes. Almost instantly, an idea popped into my head.

I grinned to myself dubiously and took out a balloon from the packet. I pumped it with my air and approached the bathroom sneakily after taking a safety pin from my room. I set my phone video camera on a shelf near Theo's bedroom door.

I could hardly control myself as I waited for Theo to come out, and when he did, I burst the balloon in his ears with the safety pin.

'Ahh! Mom!" Theo shrieked in horror and dropped his towel from his hand.

I roared with laughter at his momentary terrorized look.

'What the fuck was that?" Theo demanded as I clutched the sides of my stomach from laughing. 'Hey, you," he fumed dangerously, but I was too busy replaying his reaction in my head. It was too hilarious—the way he shrieked—and he said 'mom'.

However, my ecstasy didn't last long as Theo strutted to where my phone was and grabbed it.

'Oh, shit." I controlled myself and said, 'Don't do anything to my phone. I can't afford a new one right now." And it has the last photos with my mom—I left that unsaid.

Theo grinned, as if he was the most innocent child to ever exist in this universe. 'I won't do anything to it," he said and dashed to the kitchen, and I followed him. When I got there, I saw him putting my phone on the top of the highest cabinet, where my hand wouldn't reach.

Oh, no.

I would have to drag a chair from my room to get that down. I checked the time on my wristwatch and it was already ten past seven. I was running late.

'Good luck getting it down on time," Theo sang, passing by me. I glared at his back as he went to pick up his backpack from his room.

I should have burned his homework. Yes, maybe that's what I would do next time.

With that determination, I went to grab a chair from my room. Even though the dining table chairs were closer, they were heavier. When I was climbing the chair, Theo snickered as he looked at me while passing by. 'You're so gonna be late for classes," he rubbed it in.

'Don't laugh. If I'm late, you will be late too," I snapped.

He jiggled his car keys and said, 'You don't have to worry about that, Annabelle." He flashed me a last mocking grin as he left.

'Of course he wouldn't offer to drop me." I rolled my eyes and got down the chair with my phone.

I heard another pair of footsteps approach the kitchen. 'Ara, you want a ride?"

'Wyatt, you're a lifesaver," I gushed in overwhelming relief.

If I have a devil to deal with, then I now also have an older brother to help me out.

★★


|| Arabella ||

'God, I hate Theo. He is a stupid, brainless, idiotic, dunderheaded jerk, who needs to be obliterated from this planet," I cursed as I hurriedly opened my locker in order not to be late for my first class.

Coral, my best friend, arched an eyebrow in amusement. 'I know you love Theo, but what's with the sudden raining compliments?"

I frowned. Coral always teases me about Theo, knowing it annoys me to no end. She was friends with him since they have a few classes together. Thankfully, I didn't have a single class with him this semester. 'He didn't let me eat my breakfast and made me late," I complained.

Coral laughed. 'Since when was your aunt kind enough to let any of your acquaintances steal your breakfast?"

Oops.

I didn't tell her about what happened yesterday at all, starting from my aunt kicking me out. I just sent her a photo of my short hair last night, which she said looked astonishing.

'How's your mom now?" I asked to divert her attention. Coral's mom has b

Chapter 6: Bucket of Water