ᖇ4Y : ᔕᗩTEᒪᒪITE

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“Look at your numb face! Did the interview not go well? Or are you just embarrassed because of today’s snowfall?”

As I returned home with a numb face, I found Vi beaming with excitement over her anticipated vision. Fine, it did snow today. It was all over the evening news, leaving the entire town bewildered. I’m confused, too. I bothered her a lot earlier, and now I feel incredibly ashamed.

Intentionally, I changed the subject. “I’m hungry. Give me something to eat!”

“Switching topics? How rude!”

“Yes, I was wrong! I apologize for calling you a fool.”

“Hehe. I forgive you for the confession. How was the interview, though?”

“Nothing special. The professor told me I have a 99% chance of being accepted.” Of course, I won’t tell her about the negative feedback. I’m too embarrassed.

My sister lights up with delight at the news. Then she remembers I’m hungry. “You came back so late. I thought you had eaten out.”

“Not yet. I wandered around trying to borrow money to pay your tuition fees.” Not really. We actually have enough for her tuition fees, but we need more for our monthly expenses. The landlady is kind, but the charges are steep.

Suddenly, Vi’s smile fades. “Honestly, you don’t have to go through so much for me.”

“I only have you in my life. If not for you, who would I strive for? A puppy?”

“I might not have a chance to repay all your debts—"

“That’s right. After you graduate and start job hunting, you might get tired of me and run away or whatever. But for now, open the fridge and make something for me to eat. Make sure it’s something I won’t have to chew, like eggshells. Serve it in my bedroom because I’m eating in bed.” I snap my fingers to get her back on track. “I’m tough, right? Phi Jattawa is a brutal big sister!”

“Tough, but I love you so much.” Vi’s face lights up with a wide grin.

As she moves to wrap her arms around me, and I’m too tired to appreciate it, I raise my hand and motion for her to carry on with her duties. Then I head upstairs to my bedroom.

I toss my shoulder bag onto the bed, now filled with my sister’s notebooks and art supplies. As I mentioned before, Vi loves drawing. It seems she’s trying to capture someone’s facial features through her sketches.

I couldn’t care less about it. I move them to her side of the bed and lie down on the other side.

What happened earlier today is such a blur.

“What are you looking at? Are you a P.E. student?”

I just looked at her face—why did she have to get so angry? What’s wrong with P.E. students? Do I look like an athlete? No, not at all.

Suddenly, I sit up and mutter, “Could she be crazy?”

It’s possible. My thinking is quite logical.

“No. She looks wealthy. Her shoes could be as expensive as Vi’s tuition fees.”

And who am I debating with now?

I push Phi Four, that rude person, out of my mind. I promise myself that even if we study at the same university, I won’t run into her ever again. No more eye contact. She isn’t a law student, based on her conversation with those two girls. She’s a senior studying International Business in the Business Administration department. Our chances of meeting are less than 50%.