Sapphire.

Chapter Four

SAPPHIRE'S POV

I groggily hit the snooze button on my alarm. I sat up on my bed. I stretched my arms, brought my hands to my eyes, and began rubbing the sleep out of them. When my fingers met my cheeks, I felt something sticky on it. I began touching everywhere on my face and I realized i've been the victim of a classic prank.

"Zaara!" I yelled. That girl would never change.

With a groan of frustration, I slowly rise to my feet and make my way over to the nearby mirror, already bracing myself for the worst. As I approach the mirror, my heart sinks at the sight that greets me: my once-pristine features are now covered in a wild array of red lipstick marks, each one more exaggerated and ridiculous than the last. Even worse, my typically well-groomed brown hair now resembles nothing so much as a tangled bird's nest, with stray strands flying in every direction.

I walk to Zaara's bedroom and then swing her door open. She's snuggled up in her bed and I walk over to shake her awake.

She wakes up groggy-eyed, her hair a mess of tangled curls as she blinks blearily at me. At first, her expression is one of confusion, but as she takes in the anger on my face, her lips twist into a mischievous grin. Without missing a beat, she begins to laugh, her laughter ringing through the room and bouncing off the walls. I can tell by the way she's looking at me that she already knows what this is about - that silly prank she pulled last night with the red lipstick. In that moment, all the frustration and annoyance I'd been feeling melts away, replaced by a grudging sense of amusement at her audacity. Despite myself, I can't help but crack a smile, knowing that this is just one of the many ways that living with her keeps life interesting and unpredictable.

I hate that I fell for it. I'm such a deep sleeper though, and she gets me every damn time.

"You pranked me. Again," I said, glaring at her.

"Good morning to you, too." she said sarcastically.

"When did you come back home, I thought you were going to come back around 8am since you spent the night at Tanner's?"

She doesn't answer. She just glares at me and then stands up and walk away.

"I arrived around 4am this morning," Zaara said walking towards the kitchen. "Tanner and I had an argument."

I follow Zaara into the kitchen. She opens the fridge and lets out a bottle of soda. Who drinks soda first thing in the morning?. Zaara. Zaara does.

I hate that Zaara pranks me every time. I should have gotten used to it since it's now a routine. She calls it what again?. Yes, "a way of cheering up the house". But for God's sake, she's a damn grownup.

"You and Tanner argue all the time. Geez." Kai chimes in.

"Jesus, Kai. Put on some clothes," I roll my eyes. Kai is fond of showing off his abs after his morning workouts.

"Can we have a silent morning for once in this house?" Astrid walks in, her voice ringing out with a touch of exasperation. She's wearing her signature sage green pajamas and flip flops, her hair pulled back into a messy bun. Despite the weariness in her eyes, she seems to radiate a sense of energy and vitality that is uniquely her own. As she glances around the room, taking in the chaos and commotion of our morning routine, I can see the frustration building in her expression.

We all ignore her. Mornings can never be silent. Not in this house.

But then, with a quick shake of her head, Astrid seems to shake off the irritation, replacing it with a warm smile and a playful glint in her eye. "On second thought," she adds, "maybe a little noise and chaos is just what we need to start the day off right!"

Just then, Kai and Astrid notice my face and they both burst into laughter.

"So guys, let's get serious!" I ordered. "I've been working on a new song and I thought I'd sing it to you guys at dinner. I want your opinions before I go perform it this weekend."

"No problem," Zaara says "I'm sure it'll be great."

"We already know we'll love the song as usual." Kai adds.

"I'd be making dinner tonight though." Astrid says, biting into an apple. "I just learnt this new recipe from Youtube."

I've always wondered how close we all got in a span of two years. We all treat each other like siblings. Zaara. Zaara Malik was high-spirited, sort of all over the place, talking to this one and that. She laughed easily. Zaara was outgoing and friendly. Zaara is kind of my favorite out of all three of them -don't tell the others.