Chapter 58: The Bet *Storyteller

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Chapter 49 *Storyteller*

~Sophia

“Do you really want to know?”

“How many times do I have to say yes?”

“Until you forget the reason why you’re asking,” Draky says amusedly.

Rolling my eyes, I sit on the edge of my bed. “You already said you’re going to tell me, and now you’re backing down.”

He gets the chair beside the desk and sits across from me. “Where will I begin?”

Smiling, I suggest, “Why not from the start?” I realize that I’m the one who’s always telling stories. Now it’s the other way around.

He returns my smile with a wry one. “Okay.” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “My father cheated on my mom.”

“What?”

“My dad had an affair.”

“I-I’m s-sorry,” I stutter, looking everywhere but him.

He sighs. “I’ll never know why people say sorry for the bad things that happened even though they didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I-it’s called sympathy,” I murmur, finding the floral blanket really interesting.

“He had an affair with my mom’s friend,” he continues, ignoring my explanation. “I saw him a year ago. He was with her.”

“How do you know they were together?” I whisper, looking at him behind my eyelashes. It’s hard to fathom he carries a huge burden. I feel guilty for hurting him with a game.

His blue eyes pierce through mine. “I just know. I even followed him before. The nights he didn’t stay in our house, he went to his mistress.”

“Oh my,” I breathe. My hands involuntarily clamps over my mouth. I’m sure my expression is filled with shock. I can’t believe his dad can do something like that.

“I was astonished to see him with another woman,” Draky says through gritted teeth. “I thought he loved my mom! I looked up to him. He was my role model, and when I saw him. . .” His voice is full of disdain and venom. His words are distinct from one another. Just by listening to him, you’ll know he kept this for long.

I put my hands on top of his, to comfort him. It’s hard to see Draky hurting like this.

“When I was sure he was cheating on my mom,” he continues, “I confronted him and told him that I knew. He was shocked. He said a lot of things to me but I didn’t listen. As if I’ll believe him again after what he did!” His mouth sets into a thin hard line.

“Are they still seeing each other now?” I whisper.

“When I talked to me he said he broke it off,” he says ruefully.

“What about basketball?” I ask, because I don’t know the reason why he quit. And I still can’t form sentences in my head regarding his dad.

“I didn’t like basketball at first,” he replies. “My father likes it. It’s a sport and a hobby he enjoys. And I want to make him proud of me so I joined. But when I found out about his affair, I lost interest. Its like: What’s the point of playing anymore? So I quit.” His hands are balled into a tight fists. Opening them slowly, I interlace my fingers with his.

“I think it’s not just your dad,” I say. “You grow to like basketball as well. Without knowing it.”

“I don’t know.”

“And why do you keep saying father instead of dad?”

He looks up at me and says, “Because I don’t think of him as a dad anymore.”

The way he said it, his voice is emotionless, his face blanks. The damage his dad gave him is bigger than I thought.

“Does your mom know?” Driana sure doesn’t know that her dad cheated on her mom.

“No,” he says after a minute. “No one knows but you and me.”

“Don’t you think they deserve to know?” I ask slowly. “They’re your family.” I can’t believe I’m the only one who knows all about it. Why did he hide it for so long?

“I don’t want them to get hurt,” he whispers, burying his head in his hands. “I don’t want them to experience what I’ve been through.”

“I understand your point.” I pause and think for a moment on what should I advise him. “Do you want to know what I would do if I’m in your position?”

He looks up and hesitates for a second. “Yes,” he says finally.

Taking a deep breath, I say, “I think they’ll be hurt even more when they found out you knew and didn’t tell them. They will feel betrayed.”

“Driana. . .”

“Yes, she’s your twin,” I say. “She’ll be hurt more.”

“But I don’t . . .”

I can see that he’s hurting too. It’s a burden he kept for a year, and now it’s taking its toll on him.  “If you’re not ready now,” I start, but he cuts me off.

“I don’t think—“

“You will be,” I state firmly.

“But. . .”

“I thought you’re the optimist here?” I remind him, “You said that you have a positive outlook in life.”

“Thank you for believing in me,” he says gratefully.

“No problem,” I say, waving it off. “I should be the one thanking you for trusting your secret with me.”

I can’t believe he’s hiding something like this. Suddenly, I feel bad for doing this to him.

And I can’t help but think if he ever feels bad for playing a game. . .

It’s hard, with these confusing emotions.

“Sometimes it’s nice to have a bit less pride,” I blurt out. “You never know when a person will be gone. And remember, regrets come at the end. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I know the meaning of that sentence based from my own experience,” I say.

“And what is it?”

“It’s like contemplating if you’re really going to think about it or not.”

A sad smile appears on his face. “We really have a lot of things in common.”

I smile wryly. “I just want to help.”

“You’re already helping by listening to me. I know I can trust you,” he says, squeezing my hand.

“Thank you,” I murmur.

He leans down and kisses me on my forehead.

So we can kiss each other now without permission?

“Have you seen Andre?” I ask, changing the topic and ignoring the wild beat of my heart.

“Yes. He is Hercules,” he says, startled at the sudden turn of our conversation.

“What about Driana?”

“I haven’t seen her yet,” he replies. “Why?”

“She’s Megara.”

“Who is Megara?” he asks, confused.

“She’s a fictional character,” I say slyly.

“Cartoon?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” I say, my lips involuntarily forming onto a small smile. I can’t believe he doesn’t know her.

“Let’s go downstairs and join the party,” he suggests.

“Are you sure?” I ask hesitantly.

“Yes,” he replies. “I’m okay. More than fine. Actually, I feel relieved because I told you my secret. It’s like something big lifted off from my shoulders.”

“I’m glad,” I say, smiling slowly.

“Let’s go now?”

I put my hand on his outstretch arm and together we make our way to the loudest party you can ever imagined.

The living room is crowded so we go to the front porch. Fortunately, there are just few people loitering here.

“I was looking for you!”

Whipping around, I see Driana with a worried expression on her face.

“I’m sorry,” I start. “I got—“

“Distracted?” she finishes for me, a silly smile on her face.

Looking at Driana, I can’t help but remember what Draky and I talked about earlier. I should wipe my face with emotion; someone might know something is going on.

“Your costume is familiar,” Drake says to his twin.

Driana blushes on cue, and she looks embarrassed.

“Who are you again?”

“Megara,” she mutters.

He frowns while thinking who the character Megara is. “Aren’t you supposed to have snakes instead of hair?”

“That’s Medusa,” I say, laughing.

He purses his lips and looks again at Driana. “You’re not from Pocahontas, are you?”

“Nope,” she replies, popping the P sound.

Nice, he knows Pocahontas but not Hercules.

“What about Aladdin? Oh, wait. That’s Jasmine, right?” he says, glancing at me.

“Yeah, Jasmine is from Aladdin,” I say. It’s fun to watch him guessing where Meg is. The look on his face? Amusing. It's very different from the guy I saw earlier. He was full of pain then. Now it's almost as if he didn't pour his heart out.

Suddenly, Andre comes, sauntering to where we are.

“Hercules,” Drake greets him. Like a light bulb switches in his head, his eyes narrowed. Realization finally dawns in. Turning to Driana, he asks, “Why are you dressed as Hercules’ love interest?”

All color leaves Andre’s face. “I-it’s just a-a coincidence,” Andre stutters, looking panicked.

Two for a night?

“Is it?” Drake asks, glaring at his best friend.

“Why do you care so much?” Driana scolds, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Because I want to know if there’s something I should know about my sister and my best friend!”

Several pairs of eyes glance at us. They all look hastily away when Drake shoots them a glare. I’m afraid his emotions earlier are resurfacing.

It’s hard to see Driana, a strong girl, biting her lower lip and about to cry. I can see that she’s controlling her tears from falling.

To the rescue, I say, “It’s probably a coincidence.”

Draky glances at me. I can’t help but notice his hard look softens when his gaze lands on my face. I don’t know the meaning of that. Suddenly I feel bad for lying to him. But wait. I’m not really lying because I’m not sure what’s going on. I’m just making guesses. And so far I think I’m right.

Driana gives me a grateful smile.

“Maybe you need a drink,” Andre suggests.

“Yeah,” Draky mutters, “Sorry about that.”

“No problem,” Driana murmurs.

“See you later,” Andre says, steering Draky away from us.

When they are out of earshot, Driana slumps to the nearest chair. “Thank you so much for saving me from the wrath of my brother,” she says, sighing in relief.

“That’s nothing,” I reply.

“That’s everything. If you didn’t interrupt him, who knows what would happen?” She shudders at the thought.

Taking the seat beside her, I get her hand and give it a squeeze. “What are friends are for?”

She grins. “You’re right.”

“So . . .”

“So?” she says, cocking her eyebrow.

How can I start this conversation? “Uh, about you and . . .”

“And?”

Clearing my throat awkwardly, I say, “Andre.”

“Oh.”

To my surprise, her cheeks start to redden.

“Oh my,” I breathe, “don’t tell me—“

“No, no,” she says quickly, shaking her head. “It’s not what you think!”

Gotcha! “What do you think am I thinking?” I ask innocently.

“You little—“

“What?”

“Detective,” she mumbles, tearing her gaze away from me.

“Was it good?” I ask slyly.

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad.” I grin. “I planned to be a private investigator someday.”

“You’re kidding,” she says dubiously, giving me a funny look.

“Yup,” I admit, laughing.

Rolling her eyes, she asks, “How did you know?”

“I’m not sure,” I answer. “Maybe because you’re my friend and because I feel that there’s something going on between you and Andre. The way you act when you’re together. Something like that.”

“You’re really intuitive,” she comments.

“Haha thank you!”

“How come Drake didn’t figure it out?” she wonders aloud.

“Um, maybe the thought visited his mind before but he chose to ignore it,” I say thoughtfully. “He probably thinks it’s close to impossible.”

“Maybe,” she says, but I know she doesn’t think so.

“Since when?” I ask. She knows what I mean.

“A few weeks ago.”

“A few weeks ago?” I repeat incredulously.

“Yes,” she says sheepishly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Um, it’s not official,” she answers, biting her lip. “We’re just dating, and um, we decided not to tell anyone.”

“Even your best friends,” I say accusingly.

“Yeah. Sorry about that,” she says, a sad look crossing her face. “But we’re planning to tell you.”

“When?”

“When it’s official.” She grins. “When we’re finally together.”

“And when is that?” I ask, raising my eyebrow.

“I don’t know. And we didn’t tell you because we’re afraid of your reactions,” she admits.

“Especially Drake,” I say. “Because you’re his sister and Andre is his best friend.”

“Yes. Are you mad?” she asks slowly.

“Of course not!” I say, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m happy as long as you’re happy.”

She gives me a hug. “Thank you so much!” She leans back, a huge smile on her face. “I even imagined that you’ll be angry at me for keeping a secret to you.”

“That’s okay,” I assure her. “Everybody has their own secrets.” And I’m sorry because I can’t tell you mine.

“Do you want to go to the library?” she asks, glancing around us. More people start to come outside, and the air becomes too warm for my taste. “We can’t really stay here and talk.”

“Agree! My head is pounding in beat with the music,” I complain.

She laughs and links her arms with mine. Together, we make our way to the library, not in the least bit interested with the people inside the house. When we stop outside the door of the library, I remember that it’s locked.

“Dri, we don’t have a key.”

“We have,” she says, producing a single key from her pocket.

“Where did you get that?” I ask curiously.

“Andre.” The way she said his name, I know that she cares about him. “He gave it to me because he thought I might like to have a quiet time,” she says defensively.

“I didn’t say anything,” I say bemusedly.

She puts the key and twists the doorknob. We enter and then closed the door behind. The smell of the books greets us. I missed going to this place! The peace and the comfort of books that will envelope you in a warm hug - it's haven to me.

Driana and I sit on the couch across from each other.

“Tell me about you and Andre,” I say. Well, it’s more like an order.

“What?” she asks, nervously fidgeting on her seat.

“What do you do when you’re together,” I suggest.

“We watch movies, eat out of town—“

“Out of town?” I repeat, surprised.

“Yeah,” she says somewhat shyly, “Because someone might see us if we eat here.”

I’m pretty sure that one time Andre told me he had a date, he went with Driana. “That makes sense. And?”

For the third time, she blushed.

“Oh my! Dri, I can’t—“

“Hey! What are you thinking?!” she exclaims. “We didn’t do it!”

“What it?”

“I’m not stupid.” She scolds. “I’ll wait after marriage, and so will Andre.”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” I say, smiling. “And I know you won’t do it. You’re too smart for that.”

“So you. . .” she narrows her eyes at me.

“What?” I ask innocently.

She stomps her foot on the ground. “Ugh! You’re making me embarrassed!” she groans.

Leaning casually on the couch, I ask, “How?”

“You asked that question but you already know the answer,” she accuses.

“The look on your face was priceless,” I say amusedly.

She grumbles something under her breath.

“And you blushed and in that instant I know that something happened,” I continue.

“It’s nothing,” she says evasively.

“Hmm I think it’s something that starts with a letter K,” I tease.

“Sophia!”

“What?”

“I won’t tell you the details anymore,” she says, scowling at me.

I pout. “That’s not fair!”

She sticks her tongue out. “I’ll tell you someday.”

“Someday?”

“Okay, tomorrow. Now, let’s talk about you.”

“What about me?” I ask, confused.

“So . . .”

“So?” I ask, raising my eyebrow. Is it turning table’s time?

“What about you and Drake?” she asks, a silly grin on her face.

“There’s nothing to talk about Drake and me,” I say wryly.

She just smiles mischievously and studies my face.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Not a bit.”

“But I’m telling the truth.” Sort of.

“Have you two kissed?”

“W-what?” I stutter, my cheeks reddening at the memory of our last kiss.

“You know, when two lips meet and—“

“I know!”

Driana looks at me excitedly. “So?”

Sighing, I say, “Yes.”

“Yay!” Amusement and delight glitters in her eyes. “When?”

“My birthday,” I reply.

Her jaw drops open. “He kissed you on your birthday? That’s so romantic!”

“Yes,” I agree with a nod of my head.

“Yes?” she giggles. “And you forgot to mention it to me?”

“What about you and—“

“Okay, okay,” she says quickly. “Can you tell me what happened then? On your birthday?”

Relaxing on my seat, I tell her everything that happened that day - the note from my locker, the drive on the outskirts of town, the small clearing full of lights, and the dance.

“I can’t imagine Drake doing all that,” Driana says after listening to me, “Drake, my twin, seriously?”

I laugh. “I couldn’t believe it either!”

“He must really love you.”

Love?

No, he can’t love me. He probably did it to make me fall for him. Which I am doing now. And I feel stupid! I don’t want to be lulled in his charm and get hurt in the end.

“I’m thirsty,” I say, needing so desperately to change the topic.

“Me too,” Dri says, putting her hand on her throat.

“Let’s go get a drink.”

We locked the door behind us so that unwanted passersby could not enter.

Driana and I sit on the bar stools in the kitchen while drinking our bottled cokes.

Suddenly, I have the urge to tell her about her dad but I know it’s not my place. Draky has to do that. Not me.

“How can these people listen to this loud sound?” she says after a moment. “I can’t even understand the lyrics. It’s pure screaming!”

She said sound instead of music. Typical Driana.

“No wonder a lot of people have poor hearing,” I chime in.

“Yeah.” And then, like she thinks of a bad memory, she frowns.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Her eyes, the same color as her twin, stares straight to my eyes. “I’m afraid of Drake’s reaction.”

“I heard my name,” Draky says, walking towards us, Andre beside him. “You want us to leave so you can talk about me?”

Oh, well. At least he’s back on his usual self. I can’t stand to see him hurting like before. I just can’t.

*****

The song is A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope. I found it because of TVD :) I prefer Damon over Stefan ♥

Banner by Fallingleaves18.

Thank you for reading my story! :)