[Spirit of Lust 2] Chapters 117 & 118. (Patreon)

Chapter 117: The ups and downs of life.

It was yet another morning waking up early. Yet another day to look forward to. I took my shower with a racing heart, anxious to be at school as soon as possible. That anxiety worked against me when I realized a little late that my shirt was turned over. I also had a hard time finding my belt, which was always right on my bed. I felt dumb and clumsy. Almost tripped on the way down the stairs. But you couldn't get rid of my smile if you tried.

I made breakfast again. It was becoming routine, and I had to admit I was starting to like it. Had to force myself to focus on the task, though, lest I burn myself while frying eggs.

Mom came down a few minutes after. She saw me and didn't say anything as she took her seat at the kitchen table, but she had a smile on her face all morning. It was enough.

Isabelle came down just as I had everything ready. She looked as drowsy as always and mindlessly had her breakfast.

"So? What are your plans today, Oliver?" Mom asked.

"I… don't know," I said, blinking. "I don't have plans, but… maybe someone will invite me to hang out?"

"You should try inviting them, too. Show that you're interested instead of only waiting for people to approach you."

That… made sense, unsurprisingly. It wasn't something I would've dared to do before, but now I had people I was sure enjoyed spending time with me. Why not be the one to start things?

"I might do that. Whatever happens, I'll text you."

"Good."

I think the rare event of a morning conversation between mom and I woke Isabelle from her usual drowsiness. She blinked, rubbed her eyes and looked from mom, to me, and back at her without saying anything.

I finished eating and got up. I left my dishes in the sink and got ready to leave.

"I'm going. Good luck at work today," I told mom.

"You too, dear. Remember what we talked about."

"I promise."

By now, Isabelle looked awake. She wolfed down the rest of her breakfast and rushed to follow me. "I'm going too! Bye mom!"

"Huh? Oh. Bye!"

I closed my eyes and grimaced as I came out the front door, my twin sister right behind me. I mentally steeled myself. Isabelle had no reason to leave so early other than to pester me.

"Hey," she started, walking beside me.

"Hm."

"Why have you been leaving home so early?"

How to answer without being confrontational and not telling the truth?

…

…

I can't. I couldn't come up with anything. Lying is too hard.

"I'm meeting my friends early."

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "Your friends?"

I sighed. "Mila, Grace and Sarah."

Her eyebrows shot up and she looked at me in disbelief. "OK, seriously. What's going on between you? Why are you letting them play you, Oliver? You're not stupid."

Lying doesn't come naturally to me. It's really fucking hard for me to lie, and even when I do, I feel like crap for it. But you know what's not lying? Misdirection.

"If I were you, I'd be more worried over the fact mom knows about you bringing your secret boyfriend home."

"W-W-Whaaat!? You TOLD her!?"

"I didn't." I shrugged. "You threw his underwear in the wash and tried to pass it as mine, didn't you? Did you forget mom buys my clothes?"

Isabelle facepalmed hard. "I'm screwed."

"You are. Why did you even do it?"

"...You wouldn't understand, Oliver."

"No, I think I do." I sighed. "Now, at least. I understand, but that doesn't excuse you from breaking mom's rules. And doing it while I was there? Right next to my bedroom? Were you that desperate?"

Isabelle's face burned with the strength of ten suns. "W-What would you know?"

I smiled wryly. I knew. I knew the feeling. I knew how difficult it was to hold back when every fiber of your body screams with need. I should be more understanding now because I knew. But… I could still hear her, and it… made me uncomfortable. I had no business meddling in my sister's love life, but I couldn't help the sting in my chest whenever I remembered. It filled me with petty resentment.

"Seriously, what's with you?" Isabelle asked, her voice almost a murmur. "You're changing."

"About damn time, too," I answered. "Or did you want me to stay a pathetic shut-in for the rest of my life?"

Her eyes went as wide as plates. "I didn't…!"

"You moved on, Isabelle. You made your choice. You decided to make your own friends over staying with me. It's hard for me to blame you, but I won't say it didn't hurt to hear you call me lame just to be on your crush's good side."

Isabelle flinched and her step faltered, making her lag behind me. "Y-You remember that?"

"Huh. So do you, it seems. So you know exactly what I'm talking about."

"That was… I was a dumb kid, Oliver."

"And you're still a dumb kid now?" I shot back.I stopped and turned around to face her. I felt like I was trembling inside, my hands felt shaky and so did my legs. And yet, despite the fact that Isabelle and I were practically the same height, I could've sworn I was looking down at her. "You distanced yourself from me because you thought I was lame, because your 'friends' told you I was lame. And you know what, they were right. I would've accepted that from anyone, Isabelle, but from you?" My voice was a few words away from cracking. "You were the only person I could trust, and then you went and did that. I can accept criticism from anyone, but not from you."

Why was I saying all this? Why now? Did it have anything to do with what we were talking about? I didn't know anymore, but the gates had opened and I simply let everything out. Things I'd been bottling in, things I thought I'd gotten over but clearly hadn't. My heart was racing painfully. I didn't like this. Despite saying exactly what I wanted to say, I hated it.

I expected Isabelle to say something back. To shout something at me. Excuses, reasons, to tell me her version of the story, to tell me I was wrong and she was right. But she didn't.

Her pursed lips quivered. Her shoulders shook. Her eyes glittered with the threat of tears, yet her brow was furrowed in… anger or frustration. And instead of blowing up in my face, she stomped her way past me towards school.

I stayed there for a long moment. I didn't want to follow her. I took my phone and sent the girls a text, saying I might be a little late.

There went my good mood.

************

Chapter 118: Intermission - Mistaken.

Isabelle walked to school with heavy stomps and blurred eyes. Her chest felt so tight it hurt, her lips were pursed and her teeth bit on the inside. The further she went, what had started as a faint dizziness grew into a strong headache.

She went through the school gates and found no one around, for which she was thankful. She went up the stairs all the way to the fourth floor, but once in front of her classroom, she turned away from it. She didn't want anyone to see her like this and ask what happened, so she escaped all the way to the rooftop, or rather the locked door to it, and sat down on the cold stairs.

What would she answer if someone saw her and asked? That she had a fight with her brother? That wouldn't be correct. That wasn't a fight in the slightest. It was… It was… Isabelle knew well what it was, and it wouldn't leave her mind.

He wasn't supposed to hear that, but he did. She wanted to be friends with these people, but they didn't like her brother. Isabelle made her choice then, because after all… After all…  Oliver wasn't going anywhere. Her brother would always be there, so what if she stopped playing with him for a while?

She trembled in her seat and gripped hard on her knees. The thought wouldn't leave her. Her brother… Oliver…

Before she knew it, the bell for first period rang. Then, just as suddenly, the first period ended. A few people approached, asking her if she was feeling well, saying that she looked pale.

"Just feeling under the weather today, I'm fine," she dismissed with an easy laugh.

"Hey, Isabelle," a male voice spoke from the door to her classroom. Ignacio, her boyfriend. "Let's go," he said, pointing back with his thumb. Of course, he wanted to go somewhere else, somewhere more private, but Isabelle was seriously not in the mood for that.

"Sorry, I need to do something right now. Mind if we talk later?" She asked, smiling apologetically. Ignacio looked taken aback, even offended. He made a 'humph' sound and walked away. He did that a lot, now that she thought about it. It irked her.

Whatever. She didn't have the energy to deal with that. What she wanted to do, what she needed to know was…

She needed to be quick. Her brother tended to disappear in the first couple of minutes after the recess bell rang. Yet she found him immediately, not near his classroom, but near Thomas'. Oliver was standing in front of the basketball star and two other guys, both taller than him. Kevin and Benjamin, she knew, even if she wasn't well acquainted with either of them. Isabelle kept her distance and listened.

"So yeah, I'm really sorry about leaving yesterday," Oliver said meekly.

"Dude, it's fine," Kevin said. "It was important, right? Just tell us, did it go well?"

Isabelle could swear she saw her brother blush. "Better than I hoped."

"Ugh, you bastard!" Thomas cursed and laughed, grabbing Oliver into a headlock and playfully swung him around. Oliver laughed, too.

"Alright, but which one was it?" Benjamin asked.

"Well…"

"Don't sidetrack him," Thomas said. "What was the other thing you wanted to say?"

"Oh! That, er… If you guys don't mind, maybe we could… do something today? To make up for yesterday?"

Was… Isabelle hearing this right? Oliver was asking other people to hang out after school? And having a proper talk, no less?

"Sorry, Kevin and I have practice today," Thomas said.

"And I have to go to the gym, too," Benjamin said.

"Ah. I see. Well, it's no problem." Oliver tried to hide it, but he sure sounded disappointed. Her brother still wore his emotions on his sleeve.

"But you know what? Remember how we told you we were invited to a party this Friday?" Thomas continued. "I don't really feel like going. Why don't we do something at my place? The four of us. Just drinking a bit, talking, chilling. You guys in?"

"I am," Kevin said.

"Don't you have a date on Saturday?" Benjamin asked.

"Yes, which is why I rather chill with you guys than party until 3:00 am."

"Fair. Okay, I'm down as well. Oliver?"

"... I'll have to ask, but I think I can."

"Cool. Text me when you know for sure."

…

Did Oliver just make plans for a Friday night? What on earth was going on? And what was that they were talking about? What happened yesterday?

She followed him again during the second recess. Isabelle exited her classroom and headed directly towards Oliver's, and this time, what she saw sent an unexpected chill through her chest.

Oliver was walking out with Milana, Grace and Sarah. She saw them all going down the stairs and followed, telling herself she wasn't stalking and simply going in the same direction.

"Hanging out with the boys on Friday, huh? Look at you," Sarah said in a teasing tone, poking Oliver's side.

"W-Well, he invited me. I'm not much of a drinker, but I do want to hang out with them."

"It's better that way," Grace said. "Nothing worse than a drunkard."

Isabelle flinched. She found herself agreeing, surprisingly.

At one point, Isabelle's excuse of going in the same direction held no weight. The four people she was… following from a distance made a strange turn on the second floor. That hallway led nowhere. W-What were they doing?

None of them said another word, which made them harder to follow. Isabelle had to keep a greater distance, but still kept a close eye on them. There was no one else around, and this side of the school was mostly unused these days. She walked the empty hall behind them until she saw them go into a classroom. If she remembered correctly, that was once the music room. They closed the door behind them and Isabelle thought she heard the latch being set.

W-W-What!? What was that? Why did they lock themselves in an empty classroom? And then she remembered their conversation that morning.

"You wouldn't understand, Oliver?" she said.

"No. I think I do. Now, at least," he answered.

W-What did he mean? Did he get what she was implying? Did he know what it was to want… it? Then…

"How did it go?" Kevin asked him last recess.

"Better than I hoped," Oliver answered.

"Alright, but which one was it?" Benjamin asked.

That, Oliver didn't answer.

He'd gone out on Sunday with Sarah, hadn't he? And went out on Saturday, too. Then there were the rumors. Some said those three were bullying Oliver, but most said they were… fighting over him. To Isabelle, the former seemed much more likely than the latter. It was her brother they were talking about. Soft-spoken, introverted, shy, a pushover, even.

…

But her brother wasn't stupid. He wouldn't be excited to be with them if they were being mean to him. And by God was it obvious he was excited.

…

Turns out Isabelle couldn't have been more wrong. Her brother wouldn't always be there. He was moving on, wasn't he?

…

Isabelle left with a sharp headache and an even sharper pain in her chest.