Warming a Frozen Heart

Deliberation

CHAPTER 24

Deliberation

-JC-

"Luke, you just don't get it. This is supposed to be 'x' and that other corner would be 'y'," I groaned, tapping the triangle in irritation. "If you misplace those two, you'll get the whole formula wrong."

"Okay..." he said, his voice melancholic. "You and Erin used to study together for the finals, am I right?" I asked.

"Seriously, are you reading my mind?"

I gave him a smile. "I'm not. It's your eyes that I'm reading."

"Hey, JC, would Kyousuke's departure still bother you?"

"I guess not. I'm a bit disappointed in him, you know?" I poked him with the pencil. "Anyway, do it all over again. We still have History and Music to study for."

"Two more hard subjects..."

***

-Luke-

JC, after a few arguments with me about who's right, decided to move into my room. We then learned that Erin moved into Kyousuke's room the second all her things were gone.

Of all guys, seriously, why my best friend?

After one whole hour of studying, JC chose to unwind by listening to music, while I just sat there watching her. It's kinda boring, but seeing her at peace relieves me a bit. "Hey beverage fetishist," she called, catching my attention. "Want to study again?"

"I-it's just been five minutes!" I retorted, gesturing to the clock. "Can't I at least get a thirty-minute break? You don't need to study, anyway! You always ace them all without reading a single word from a textbook!"

She gave me a smirk. "And that's exactly why I'm teaching you. You're the type who needs to read straight for five hours. Plus, it's the finals. You know how hard the exams are."

"I can always borrow the study guide from my mom..."

She threw the pencil at me. "That's cheating, you big idiot."

"That way I can beat you in the rankings!" I teased, imagining myself ranking first while she gets second. All she ever gave me was another smirk. "How can you beat a perfect score, Luke? Score one point higher? That's impossible."

That's right. JC never gets a mistake in her exams, even in Math, which she claims is her weak area. That's why she always ranks first. "Don't ruin my daydreams..."

"I ruined them already."

I let my eyes examine her figure again. I know to myself that I prefer small girls like her over busty women from all the films I've watched, but I often restrain myself because I keep in mind that she's my sister, even though that bond only exists in my head. When my mom took her in, she never really suggested the idea of legally adopting her, and she constantly reminds me that "JC is still a girl", and that "She's not really your sister, she's a totes unrelated stranger living in your home." Simply said, my mom wants me to make a move on this enigma.

She was wearing a skimpy shirt that revealed some skin on her shoulders and on her back, and her legs weren't covered by one of the huge shorts she keeps in her wardrobe. I can't even understand why she's still flawless after what happened in her past, and she's too damn gorgeous.

JC was lying on her stomach and swinging her lower legs in the air, stopping once or twice to roll around and stretch. She definitely looked like a procrastinating cat with her movements. Each time she rolled around, her shirt would reveal her slim stomach and slightly show the area near her hipbones. All she needed to do was meow, and one would mistake her to be imitating a cat. "Meow," she said, snapping me out of my thoughts. She then smiled playfully at me. "That's what you wanted, right?"

"Your understanding of me is reaching psychic levels, JC."

"I told you, your eyes are spitting everything out. My perception is just picking them up and handing them to my brain." She started chuckling. "Seriously. All your perverted thoughts about me is just... plain disturbing, Luke."

"They're not perverted," I defended, crossing my arms.

"You know, I read a novel about a middle-aged man's obsession over a young girl. If I recall correctly, it was by Vladimir Nabokov, titled 'Lolita'. I can seriously picture you as that man."

"H-hey, I just prefer a lolita over a busty woman."

"Pedophile."

I gave her a smirk. "A pedophile is sexually attracted to children. So that means you're a child," I teased. JC doesn't like it when her features are misunderstood to be children's. "I'm not!" she shouted at me. "I'm just--"

She was cut off by a knock. Standing up, she went over to the door and opened it carefully. "Oh, good morning, Headmistress."

Mom?! I immediately stood up and went behind JC. "Hey, Mom."

She gave me a teasing sneer. "Why isn't she undressed yet?"

"What the hell are you talking about? We've talked about this already. I'm not touching JC." She just giggled in reply and forcibly entered the room. JC watched her like she was her dinner. Sitting on the bed, she said, "Nina told me about the fight in your circle of friends. You lied to me just so you could hide the fact that you kissed her and so her lover gave you a beating?! That's so hopelessly romantic!" She cupped her hands on my face. A normal mother would probably scold her son for lying, but who said mine was normal?! She's an alien, I tell you!

"We're not together, Mrs. Voix," JC butted in.

"But that's exactly why I came here!" She clapped her hands to emphasize her point. "Since I spread the rumor about you two being an official couple throughout the whole school, it won't be a problem for you guys to act it out!"

"Restrain me, Luke, before I kill this woman," JC growled. Mom just laughed and waved her hand dismissively. She pulled out several papers from the envelope she was carrying. "One more threat and I'll post that thing like promo flyers everywhere."

JC grabbed the papers from her hand and read them in just one sweep of her eyes. "Pictures?! From the past few years?!" she demanded, throwing the sheets at me. "Don't tell me you dug for them!"

She clicked her tongue playfully. "Exactly."

I told you my mom is some sort of an alien. "Mom, why are you doing this?"

"JFF!" she cooed, then left the room with a skip. JC ripped the papers to shreds. "What the heck is JFF?"

I sighed. "Just for fun."

"Now everyone in school thinks we're together. Argh!" She messed her hair in frustration. "Most mischievious mother ever!"

"It's natural 'cause she's an alien."

"So what now?"

"I think we should just act it out like it's real. We don't have a choice, and you won't feel awkward about it anyway."

She gave me a quaint smile. "Since you told me I'm one of the best liars, let me prove it to you. I'll have to play it differently. We'll start by doing that."

***

A/N: On computer readers, on the right (media) is how JC looked while reading. >>

For iOS readers with the updated watty app, it's on the top of the chapter where the media is located.