I Am Unpredictable (Book 3)

Chapter One: A is for Absence

Thump, thump.

I slowly look towards my bedroom door as my eyes open after a deep sleep. My room is dark, the house is quiet, that is, except for these obnoxiously-loud thumping sounds.

Thump.

I wiggle my left arm out from underneath my warm blankets to check the time on my phone, which is resting on my nightstand. Pressing the home button on my iPhone, I am practically blinded by the screen brightness.

6:09 in the morning.

The thumping sounds have abruptly ended, making me feel confused. I'm not sure what the hell it is that's making this sound, but I really wish it would stop so I can fall back asleep. I have at least half an hour of freedom left before I have to get ready to go to school.

I'd rather sleep in altogether and miss my first class. I wouldn't have to present my Portuguese project that practically screams "procrastination".

I would be happy.

"GODDAMMIT, RICHARD, WAKE UP!"

My bedroom door rapidly opens, shining a tremendous amount of light in my room. I reopen my eyes as the light causes this sharp pain in my eyes. I see the silhouette of what seems like your average athletic seventeen-year-old.

It's Tyler—my weird, funny, annoying, yet somehow lovable older brother.

Tyler flicks the nearby light switch with his index finger, turning on the main light in my room. "Good morning, handsome."

For some unknown reason, he's already dressed and ready to go—his hair is neatly combed, his backpack is on his back, and other than the fact that he is dressed in a pink polo shirt (something he never does), he kind of seems out of it.

I lift my arm up and sway my hand back and forth, trying to shoo him away. "It's too early."

He steps closer to me, staring into my bright green eyes. "Come on, I have places to go, things to see, and people to talk to."

"And I have places to stay, essays to avoid reading, and sleep to catch up on." I bury my head back into the blankets, shutting my eyes.

Out of nowhere, he hits me. "Get up, you freaking lazy bastard! Preguiçoso, you are, PREGUIÇOSO!" He grabs onto my blankets tightly, then rips them off of the bed, leaving me to shiver in the freezing cold.

Sometimes, I can't stand him.

My blankets are scrunched up into a messy ball on the floor. A part of me wants to slap him back for doing that to me. Now I have to deal with making my bed completely instead of doing the simple "fix the blankets" routine I usually go through after I get up.

But no, Tyler has to make everything complicated.

"Seriously?" I tightly clench onto my memory-foam pillows. I give him a cold glare. "Touch my pillows and I'll kick your ass."

He rolls his eyes with a bright smile, picking up the blankets from the ground and throwing them back onto my bed. They land right on top of me, hitting me in the face. I push the blankets off of my face, making it possible for me to see Tyler again.

"Just get up and you won't have to worry about that." He pulls his white iPhone 5C out of his side pocket, checking the time. "You've been bitching and complaining for four minutes. I will never get those four minutes back in my entire life, Richard."

I innocently smile. "Hey, at least you spent those four minutes with the person you love the most."

"Think whatever you want, Richard." Tyler giggles, shoves his phone back into his pocket, and then walks out of my room. He gently shuts the door behind him, leaving me all alone.