The Brightest Stars

Julia

I have a terrible headache. I groan as I look down at my notes and sigh. Nothing is helping right now. Not even my brother who's sitting in front of me in our booth. He also has notes to study for his finals and I'm drifting off.

"We're not even an hour into this night and you're already stressed out?" My brother gives me a teasing smile and I shake my head. His expression softens and says, "What's on your mind that seems to be bothering you?"

Everything is on my mind right now. My parents breathe down my neck every single moment I enter that mansion. The fact that I may just lose my last name if they find out I'm still meeting with my brother. School and finals. The Dance Show. My future. A future my parents have already planned for me.

Diego. My heart shrinks every time his stern look turns into a shining smile of sunshine. So genuine and so peaceful. I can drown in those brown eyes forever. But then it all goes back to my parents...

I sigh at all of this and put my head down. My brother softly laughs and pats my head lightly. "It's alright. I know finals can be overwhelming sometimes, but you're smart enough to actually not cheat and still pass!"

"How are you not like me? Dad and Mom literally kicked you out of the house." This time I look up and let my shoulders fall. I let down that perfect posture for a moment.

Sebastian takes another bite from his burger and nods. "You see." He takes a few quick munches and continues. "I've learned that life isn't worth regretting or worrying about. They kicked me out. So what?! Julia. You need to learn to relax for once in your life."

"You still don't understand what I'm going through."

"But I do," he says with his perfect smile. "And look at me now! Am I dead yet? No. Am I starving? No. Am I broke? Yes. That's why the pretty lady over there will be paying for our food tonight." He gestures toward a young waitress taking an order from another table. She catches eyes with Sebastian and he gives her that cocky smile he's so good at. She returns it with a flirty smile and walks off.

"Oh my gosh," I say. "You. Are. Unbelievable." I shake my head at him in disappointment. "Don't worry. I'll pay tonight."

"Hey. Don't worry about it! It's the little perks that Dad and Mom handed to us. Natural beauty is very hard to maintain. You should try." He takes another fry from his plate.

I sigh and move my spoon around in my cup of tea. Diego comes to mind again and I'm back to square one.

"It's that boy, isn't it? Diego?" I look up and for once, he doesn't seem his jealous self. Instead, he has this sad look in those blue eyes. "Hey. It'll pass, kiddo. You know I went through the same thing."

"Do you regret letting her go?"

Sebastian stays quiet for a long moment. Now it's his turn to look glum. But his sad eyes find the strength to say, "Every day. But there's no sense in grieving when I know she's better off far away from me."

I remember that year. It was his junior year of high school. I remember the night my father threatened Sebastian with hurting her.

They met on a business trip in Argentina. It's one of the few trips my brother attended to. I helped him keep cover while he sneaked out and enjoyed the city. Even back then, I was the one to clean up his mess. He told me the story of that night. Among the city lights and uproarious crowds, he saw a girl with long and curly dark red hair. What stood out to him was her beauty the moment she turned a little, and he could see the glimpse of dark blue eyes and her light beige skin.

My brother, being stupid as usual, followed her into a club. In there, he struggled to find her. His search was over the moment a pair of hands held him from his shoulders and another hand covered his mouth. They took him outside as they recognized him as the son of the biggest drug lord in Argentina. The scene wasn't pretty the moment they started hitting him. A preppy boy like him isn't the type to know anything about fighting. So the moment this red-headed girl stepped in to help my brother, it was enough for him to fall in love with her.