TCOTRB: The Case of The Red Bubble

🔵 Chapter I: Circa III

Chapter I: Circa III

Malik stood three inches above the young boy.

He wore a bright emerald shirt bearing an intricate image of a seahorse in lime tint, grey sweatpants and brown sandals.
His thick chestnut hair hovered above those deep-set eyes. He had the same olive complexion as Kaira.

"I'm not letting you cross the other side unless I have a word with you," he clicked his mouth.

Milo kept his gaze on the taller boy's chest. He was afraid of locking eyes with this guy. His mother once told him that it's rude to stare.

"You're here to flirt with my sister, aren't 'ya?" he questioned.

Milo quickly denied this and told him that he is just a new classmate of Kaira's.

"Your sister was kind enough to accompany me since my house is just across the street," he mentioned.

"She can be too friendly and it's my duty to make sure nobody takes advantage of her," Malik said.

He then lowered his eyes on Milo's school ID. For some reason, he bore an odd grin on his face.

"Since you're a pretty nice guy, I want you to do me a favor," he slapped Milo on the back.

"You're going to be Kaira's personal bodyguard from now on."

"B-Bodyguard?" Milo stammered.

"That's right! It's your job to keep her safe."

"Um ... Aren't her brothers supposed - " Malik quickly placed a finger over the young boy's lips.

He then explained how impossible it is to keep an eye on her 'round the clock due to their situations.

"Our dad and I both work at JollyBuzz's* Café every day," he said.

"How about the others?" Milo asked.

"The second brother, Chirag, is unable to visit home thanks to art school (Creative Arts Institute)," Malik followed.

"The twins, Ejaz and Feroz, are both attending senior high school. It's expected that they'd be home at seven in the evening."

Milo wouldn't be surprised at all if the other brothers turned out to be weird as well.

"It was nice knowing you. Remember what I told 'ya," Malik slightly pushed him away.

What was up with that?

[Dinner at the Sidaris household. 7p.m. ]

"Milo! Dinner's ready," Gladys called downstairs.

Milo turned off his holographic laptop and left the room. Hades followed behind.
There is skordalia, fried tilapia, brown rice and a pitcher of ice water at the table. Jason is proven to be a good cook in the household.

"Your cooking is the best!" Milo licked his lips.

"Oh, stop that! You're not a cat," Gladys snapped at him.

"Sorry, mom," he uttered.

He sliced a portion of tilapia to give Hades. The cat meowed as it eagerly consumed the morsel.

"How was the first day of school?" Gladys asked.

Milo thought about his encounter with Malik, but wished to avoid worrying his parents about it.

"I saw the group photo you sent us this afternoon. It seems you're able to make friends," his mom brought it up. He told them about Kaira and her family living nearby.

"You mean the Faez family?" Jason asked.

It sounded like he knew them already. He spooned some rice into his mouth before continuing his sentence.

"You better watch out for these guys, especially Malik," he warned. As a typical Greek parent, he is obliged to ask Milo about Kaira and her background.

"She's a really nice girl," Milo responded. "Also, she told me that her brother wouldn't get into a fight unless provoked."

"You've heard how their family had to leave their old town after the lad got into an altercation with a business lawyer's son? He even landed in juvie, for heaven's sake!" his father expressed.

Milo always believed that everybody is capable of change regardless of their past.
Besides, he has taught himself to take the old man's word with a grain of salt considering that his dad is known to get things wrong.
He tried telling his parents about what he thinks but his mother immediately cut him down.

"You listen to your father, Milo! Now you better head to bed early if you don't wanna be late tomorrow," she suggested.

* NOTE:
JollyBuzz is a parody name for the popular Filipino fast food chain "Jollibee."