As Always (drafts; on hold)

CHAPTER NINE ♥ There's No Guy

"Pancakes for princess!" My dad says when I come down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"It's almost noon." I say, rubbing my eyes.

"But still, breakfast for you." He says, placing the pancakes on my plate.

I taste it. "Not bad." It has been a while since dad cooked for breakfast. I often just drink milk and grab a quick snack.

"I know, because I cooked." He grins. "Oh, I'll be out this afternoon okay?"

I look up from my pancakes. "Until when?"

"Not sure. I might not come back until dinner."

"Okay. Where are you going?"

"Uh, A parent-teacher conference. My student. Her parent wants to talk to me."

I just raise my eyebrows. 

"What?" He says.

"Nothing. Not a date?" I say sneering at him.

"No!" He says quite defensively. "Of course not. Just business. Nothing personal." My dad is a history teacher in other school. The school restricts special teacher-student relationships, either kinship or romantically. Well in this case, kinship. There is no way dad would fall to a kindergarten or third grade student. (Ew.)

"Whatever." I say and laugh. Almost three in the afternoon Cindy calls.

"Annie! Finally. Where had you been? I called you several times." She says in a rushed voice.

"Sorry. I, uh, my phone broke- I just got it fixed." I didn't check my phone for the entire day yestrerday.

"Really? I was worried. I thought something happened. But thankfully." She sighs. "Oh oh. Wanna come over? My aunt has something for you." She says cheerfully.

I’ve met her aunt several times. So we kinda knew each other, and her aunt also has a daughter, Cindy's cousin- that I get to talk to.

"I do not think―"

"Stop," she cut me. "She told me to force you to come. Come on."

"Okay, okay. I will." I say. "Be there before three." 

"Yay! And let's have dinner somewhere. They'll go somewhere later but I do not want to."

"Sure. My dad would be away too tonight." I say. Should I tell her?

"Kay. bye." She hangs up.

I change my clothes with a tank top and shorts. I live in a tropical country so the temperature isn't that low.

I just walk on my way to Cindy's house after I had lunch at home. Thankfully, I do not receive any more messages from Jillian. Now, I just have to deal with my best friend. Shall I tell her that I just kissed―possibly now in love―with her life-long crush?!

'Where r u now?' Cindy texts.

'Just left the house.' I reply.

When I reach her house, a three-story modern house, she and Justine- her cousin- are on the porch.

"Hey, Annie!" Justine says. She's about the same age of us, maybe a few years older.

She's beautiful and looks like her mom.

"Hi, Justine. How are you?" I ask. She welcomes me with a hug.

"Fine. You? You grew taller!" She says. I give her a smile. "I’m doing fine." I then greet Cindy. "Hi Cindy." I look at her.

"After one hundred years..." She says, kind of upset.

"Enough, Miss Drama queen!" I say to her, and we laugh.