101 Days of Heartbreak Series Book 1: Letters of Heartbreak

Chapter 2

Dear Kamita, 

Eight long years.

For eight long years I had declared you dead or at least... a product of my overly active imagination.  

I had to. I didn't realize early on how much our first meeting had made an impact on me. And when I did realize, I just had to do something. I couldn't erase you so I had declared you dead. 

And fictional. 

And then you fucking pulled a Lazarus. 

--- 

She went home to an empty penthouse again, but she preferred it that way. It felt better to go home to an empty place, which has been originally empty instead of to an empty place that was supposed to be filled with familiar voices. The flat was big as what was expected for a daughter of a family like hers. It was a modern, three-bedroom penthouse (four, including the smallest room serving as maid's quarter), filled with luxurious modern appliances and furniture already suited for a small family. 

Ateera convinced her parents, or most likely Demi (her older sister who's studying college abroad and who goes home only for really important occasions), to let her live independently. There was a slight fuss from their mother and a small grunt of annoyance from their father at first, but in the end, they agreed as long as she will pass high school with flying colors. They found her a penthouse in one of the high-rise condominiums in Legaspi Village (event though she insisted for a studio type) and made sure her nanny of almost ten years will stay with her at least until she's legal enough to drive. 

It's the most independent scenario she can have at the moment. As a sophomore in high school, she doesn't want to demand a lot from her parents yet because for Ateera, she doesn't have the right yet. 

High school. It has been the cause of another painful confrontation between her and her parents. Money was never a problem in their family so her parents wanted her to attend the same exclusive school in Greenhills her sister attended, but she didn't want to. Instead, she looked for a still-decent, but not so popular exclusive school and stubbornly declared to her parents that she'll go there. As the usual scenario, they had a fit at first, but since they were both busy to stay angry (her father being a business tycoon and her mother being the perfect socialite), they grudgingly agreed.  

The situation was so cliché she wanted to yawn right in front of her parents' faces. 

Ateera plopped down on her expensive fluffy couch, face first, and reached for the remote control of her huge flat screen TV. She settled on a local station-- it will air her favorite anime in ten minutes and no one gets between her and it. Some of her classmates thought she's a bit childish still for watching anime at 15, but Ateera doesn't care. Watching anime is a whole lot better than gossiping about how good classmate x was in using her finger or what seductive method can be applied to teacher x, which her hypocrite classmates do every day. Such are the things being talked about in an exclusive school no matter how the nuns running it deny. It's an exclusive school for girls; not for saints. 

Ateera's rather filthy thoughts were disturbed by the sudden ringing of her doorbell. She frowned. She doesn't expect anyone today. She sent her nanny on a day off so she can have a day off too from her consistent doting. 

The doorbell wouldn't shut its mouth. With a displeased groan, Ateera stood up to get the door. She peeked through the hole and groaned some more when she saw who is or rather, who are on the other side of the door. She opened the door reluctantly, only to be smothered with a huge bear hug. 

"Did you miss me?" 

Ateera wanted to reply, but her face was buried on the person's chest. 

"Gene, stop smothering her," a voice commanded. The guy called Gene released her, but not without a whine.