Pretty Savage | 18+

Chapter 13

In the middle of the night, not for the first time, I was woken up by my sister. This happened quite often, so I learned to be patient. Living under the same roof with a mentally ill grandmother was nothing easy. Fortunately, after a dozen or so sleepless nights, I started to get used to it. My sister and I lived with my aunt, so we had to repay her somehow. Only then did I understand how many responsibilities are associated with having a family.

- Yongseok, get up! - I heard Nari's voice my younger sister, who had 13 years old.

     Especially today, I tried to pretend that I didn't wake up. In fact, it happened as soon as I heard screams from my grandmother's room. I hoped that she would calm down on hers own, but I deluded myself. And today I especially wanted to get a good night's sleep, because after all, a basketball game was supposed to take place today.

- I know you're awake - Nari muttered, and slapped me on the shoulder. - Get up, because I don't know what to do!

     I yawned long, almost falling out of bed, and Nari returned to the bedroom she shared with our aunt.

     On my way out of the room, I almost stepped on my best friend, who was lying on the mattress. He stayed with us many times, because his parents went on vacation. They didn't care about their son, who wanted to spend more time with them.

     I noticed a long time ago that while taking care of my grandmother, I learned to be more caring. So I reached for a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Taewon's forehead, then uncovered him from the waist up, trying not to look at his shirtless body. We had to keep the temperature warm at home so that grandma wouldn't be cold. Park Taewon had a hard time with high temperatures.

     When I found myself in front of the door to my grandmother's bedroom, I took three deep breaths. As soon as I opened it, a pillow thrown by my grandmother hit me. It fell to the ground, and I didn't even notice it. I got used to it.

     Ignoring my grandmother's screams, who thought I had come to hurt her, I quickly took out her blanket. I threw it so that it covered it completely. I used to be more gentle, but at night I lost my patience faster. Especially when someone woke me up.

     I just want to go to sleep. Please get calm or I'm gonna start going insane!

     I stared at my grandmother, who was covered with a blanket. As usual, she curled up and started babbling. Sooner or later, she calmed down. The problem was that she sat like that for the longest time all day. I left the room when she said something like "shitty creep", and I looked in the medicine cabinet. I put some sedatives in her glass of water and swallowed a sleeping pill by myself.

     After this type of action I usually couldn't sleep, and because of the basketball competition, I was particularly keen on it.

     When I got back to the room, Grandma seemed more composed, so I decided it was a good time to give her some medication. It prevented the attacks for the next 24 hours, and also improved the quality of her sleep.

      I gently sat down on the edge of the bed and whispered:

- Do you wanna drink something, grandpa?

     I didn't expect her reaction. Unexpectedly, she hit me so that I would fall off the bed. She started mumbling again. I sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, which I tapped my head against.

     Why exactly us?

***

     This day seemed good from the very morning. I got up earlier to calm myself up. My mother, not paying attention to me, left for work, and I didn't even know what Diego was doing. I looked great, and the first serious task was the basketball competition itself.

- Sunbae, do you have tissues? Chae-young asked me, and a moment later I hit a packet of tissues in her face.

- Sorry, I didn't mean to - I said, and she gave me an irritated look.

     I saw all those people who cared so much about this competition. I loved it when others were so stressed and I didn't have to. I agreed for this, because I thought I assumed that I would just look good. I smiled, and helped if I could.

     All the students were already seated in the stands, and I slightly increased the volume of the music. After a while, both teams entered the hall. I immediately cast my eyes at them. During the exercises, I tried not to do it. I was there alone with them, and it was just as I would have liked them. And that's exactly what happened, and I didn't want to show it to them. Now I could brazenly stare at them, because everyone did it. After all, I was watching the game, right?

     They looked so good. When I imagined my future boyfriend, he was always muscular, just like them. I looked at Yongseok. I will not hide that I never stopped hoping to see his muscular body at least one more time. And yet I couldn't brazenly look at him in the locker room.

     I smiled a little as they started the game. Thanks to this, I looked even more cheerful, and people evaluated me positively. And this was what today was supposed to be - I was supposed to turn out to be someone cool, and my mother was supposed to be proud of me.