if by chance | ✓

06 | go against the tide

[ 06 ]

C O R A

✦

"The chicken is really delicious!" I comment as Aunt Vanessa passes me the salad plate.

"You should have tasted the first time she cooked a meal when we joined college." My uncle, Ian teases, earning a glare from Aunt.

"What? That is indeed the truth." He laughs and this time she joins in, her pale cheeks flushing crimson.

Out of every member of my family, Aunt Vanessa is my favorite. It might be because she has this certain enigmatic charm or maybe because she gives the best kind of advice. Ironically enough, she says she used to be the last person to have a say in 'advisable' matters.

"So how's college?" She asks me, dark brown eyes keen to know.

"Uh...fine I guess." I flash a smile, feeling quite like a deer caught in the headlights because now everyone at the table is looking at me.

"You guess?" Mom frowns.

It makes me tenser than I already am, especially because she always expects a clear statement.

"She is still a bit tensed about the new semester." Dad comes to my rescue almost immediately, ruffling my hair.

I exchange a look with him, that typically means : thanks for coming up with the excuse.

Noah shifts in his seat, a small smile playing on his lips that tells me he enjoys being unnoticed while people shoot questions at me. So I decide to kick his feet, making him yelp.

"What's wrong with you twins?" Uncle Ian asks, eyeing the both of us.

"Noah might want to say something about college." I giggle and he scowls like a wild cat.

"Don't listen to Cora." He elbows me, following which we both erupt in laughter.

Everyone pauses for a moment to look at us as if we are toddlers and I know that we certainly behave like it, but it makes both me and Noah embarrassed. To aid the situation, Vivianne clears her throat, ready to announce her plan. According to her, dinners with family are meant to be awkward.

"Um, if y'all don't have any problem, can I have a sleepover night with Cora?" She suggests, her bright blue eyes expecting a green signal from her parents.

"Sure, why not? Ian shall drop you off tomorrow." Aunt Vanessa smiles warmly.

I look at mom, to ensure she is okay with the idea of a sleepover. She shrugs casually, as if she had completely forgotten about the Spain fiasco. A wave of relief washes over me when she nods, which means she is risking to take another chance with me. Though I know she will make sure Aunt Vanessa keeps a close watch on us.

✦

"How's sophomore year going?" I ask Vivianne as soon as we are in her room upstairs and out of the vicinity of elders. The question I asked was typical cousin-talk for 'how's your love life going?'.

"Archer and I broke up." She sighs with a far-off look in her eyes.

By Archer, she means Archer Morrison, Amber's brother and our senior in college. He and Vivianne had been dating for almost year now, and when my cousin says that they broke up, it comes off like 'we had a small tiff.' What I mean to say is, they are inseparable and the thought of them breaking up (for real) is a pretty big news and it will certainly take me some time to digest.

"Why? Because he forgot to call you last night?" I joke, a part of me still hoping she isn't serious.

"Cora, I'm not kidding." She blurts, her lower lips trembling.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" I ask, studying her face that's going red because she is about to cry.

"Um, not here. Like, can we go get some ice cream? We can talk on the way ─"

"Ho no no no no no! Now you must be kidding, Anne! Mom's gonna kill me!" I freak.

"Hey come on, nobody will know. We sneak out and sneak back in with ice cream within twenty minutes." She pleads and I hesitate.

On one hand, I really wanted to go. I wanted to listen and help her through. But on the other, I was scared that mom would not approve.

"I'll get you strawberry caramel flavor." Vivianne says in a way that is too tempting to decline, so I have no way but to give in.

"Fine. But mind you, twenty minutes."

✦

Dancing Cones is no doubt the perfect ice cream parlor in Westminster borough. And this is one of those blissful, exciting moments that you share with people you love. So was I, chatting about the most random things with my cousin when the abrupt entry of the hazel eyed boy puts a fullstop to it.

I was about to ask Vivianne about Archer, figuring it was the best time but the way Rhys Crawford storms into the ice cream store, just puts me off guard.

His hair was disheveled and there was this perturbed look on his pretty face.

"Do you know him?" Vivianne asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Uh....um, not exactly know know him. But, yeah, acquainted." I say, staring at the caramel strawberry sundae that has begun to melt around the edges.

Rhys moves over to the counter, asking for two chocolate scones. And then he looks around, the first thing he notices is two girls seated in one of the tables, at 1 am. The second thing ─ my eyes.

"You again?" He chuckles, the tensed muscles in his face relaxing a little.

"I should be asking you the same. Are you stalking me?" I frown. Vivianne snickers.

"You wish, Miss Caroline!" He rolls his eyes.

"Hey! It's Coraline. Calling me Caroline is like calling Rachel ─ Raquela!" I flare my nostrils, but inside I laugh at the 'Friends' reference I made.

"You're funny, you know that right?" He snorts, hazel eyes shimmering.

"Thank you very much!" I scowl.

Vivianne kicks me gently under the table, which means it's time to return home before my mom finds out I'm out past midnight once again.

"You're leaving?" Rhys questions as he pays the ice-cream store guy.

"Duh."

"I wonder why you're at the most random places, at odd hours." He comments, mostly to himself.

It makes me giggle, the way he says it like I belonged to some alien species that apparently look like humans. When we reach the glass doors to leave, I turn back to answer him.

"Because I prefer to go against the tide."

✦

a/n : how's this story going? is it interesting so far? these are just the introductory chapters. we shall move into the main plot real soon. :)