BROTHERS IN LUV

Chapter 3: Enrollment Day

Agad akong napadilat ng mga mata ko nang makarinig ng malakas na tilaok ng manok. Kumunot ang noo ko. Bakit may manok na tumitilaok?!

I sat up and leaned against the headrest of my bed, blinking as the morning light filtered into the room. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko ng makita si Kuya Phoenix na nakaupo sa sofa habang may speaker sa gilid niya kung saan nanggagaling ang tilaok ng manok. He grabbed his phone and tapped the screen. Tumigil ang ingay ng tilaok ng manok na nagmumula sa speaker.

"Goodmorning, sleepyhead." aniya ng may malapad na ngisi sa mukha. Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin at agad kong hinablot ang unan ko at binato iyon sa kaniya, sinalo lamang niya iyon at saka siya humagalpak ng tawa.

"Kuya Phoenix!" singhal ko. He loves throwing pranks at me.

"Relax, little sis. It was just a harmless prank. Just be thankful na isang 'PHOENIX THE ACE' ang bumubungad sa'yo tuwing umaga. You don't know how many girls dream of being in your position right now." he proudly smirked at me. Here he is again, being overly proud of himself. Parehas na parehas sila ni Kai.

"Fine. Fine. You can go out now, Kuya. Maliligo na ako." I pouted.

"Make it quick, you know Kuya Lysander hates being late." lumapit siya sa akin at inabot ang unan na binato ko sa kaniya kanina. He leaned in close and gently kissed my forehead.

Agad akong kumuha ng towel at dumiretso sa banyo ng kwarto ko. It's been three weeks since Mama and Mr. Tanaka got married. Now, I'm living in the Tanaka family's home, located in an exclusive subdivision called Emerald Heights.

Ngayon ay araw ng pag-eenroll ko sa panibagong paaralan na papasukan ko, ang Summit University. Mr. Tanaka insisted that I should transfer to a new school para daw kasama ko ang mga kapatid ko sa iisang paaralan.

After fixing myself, I decided to check my phone. It was flooded with text messages from my friends, former coach, and former teammates. Lahat sila nabigla nang malamang magtatransfer pala ako ng school. Even I got shocked at first. Hindi ko naman aakalaing ganito ang magiging twist ng buhay ko.

Mahigit dalawang linggo na akong naninirahan sa iisang bahay kasama ang mga bagong kapatid ko. Mama and Mr. Tanaka went overseas for their honeymoon. Isang buwan raw sila sa Italy kaya naman naiwan ako sa poder ng mga kapatid ko. Unti-unti na akong nasasanay sa panibagong lifestyle na mayroon ako bagaman ibang-iba ito sa kung anong nakasanayan ko. We now have maids and helpers. May transportation service. Hindi na ako gumigising ng maaga para tulungan si mama sa bakery. Wala na ang ingay ng mga kapitbabahay sa tuwing lumalabas ako.

Inside those two weeks, hindi pinaramdam sa akin ng mga kapatid ko na iba ako. They welcomed me wholeheartedly. Pinakang naging kaclose ko si Kuya Phoenix at Kai. They're giving me the princess treatment. I found out that Kuya Lysander is the eldest son, he is 21 years old already, the second son is Kuya Phoenix which is 2 years older than me, and almost same age lang kami nila Kai at Jiro. Kai and Jiro are twins but fraternal kaya hindi parehas na parehas ang kanilang mukha, they're still both good looking, nonetheless. Actually, all of them are good looking.

Sa maikling panahon na kasama ko sila, unti-unti na rin akong naging familiar sa mga ugali nila. Kuya Lysander is uptight and disciplined, a perfectionist who exudes a natural leadership aura. He insists on everything being in order and well-organized.

On the other hand, Kuya Phoenix is childish and somewhat of a brat. He always gets what he wants, no matter the cost or effort involved. Madalas wala siya sa bahay due to his sched as a celebrity, He has a condo, but he prefers to come home instead. Madalas siyang kumakatok sa kwarto ko at sabay naming papanoorin yung interviews, shows, commercials, or guestings na kasama siya. He is now insisting that I'm his number 1 fangirl.