At The End Of The String (Insomniacs Series 2)

30

Joaquin De Vera
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"We won't get along," I plainly said after taking my car keys from Kenzo's hand. I left it at his place the last time I visited him. Dalawang araw ko tuloy hindi nagamit ang sasakyan ko.

"I know." He laughed. "Don't worry, we got your back. If our sister will do something or is doing something reckless, call us three right away, okay?"

"Oo nga pala, nasa bahay siya ng kaklase niya ngayon, may gagawin, thesis daw. Alas dos pa ng hapon wala sa bahay 'yon. Hindi nagsabing gagabihin." Kel shrugged.

"You gotta need it." Keanu handed me a piece of paper with a phone number written on it. Definitely, her sister's. "It's her birthday by the way."

"Don't worry, we will be back after the business trip. You won't be looking after her forever," Kenzo laughed.

The three of them - Keanu, Kenzo, and Kelvin, they're like brothers to me since our families were business partners. I used to play with them when I was a kid, mostly with Kenzo and the other two looked like big bullies to me the first time we met.

They had been my guide through life specially when everything's getting tough. Isa iyon sa mga dahilan kung bakit hindi ko sila magawang tanggihan kahit pa tungkol sa kapatid nilang babae, si Keira. Madalas kaming mag-away noon. Ewan ko kung tanda niya pa 'yon. We're three years apart.

Hindi ko makakalimutang hinampas niya ako ng bulldozer truck toy sa noo. I cried so much that day and she wouldn't even say sorry. Good thing her eldest brother, Keanu, was always there to teach her a lesson. What a brat.

Tumango ako bilang pagsang-ayon sa kanilang sinabi saka sila tuluyang umalis. Pinanood ko ang tatlong sasakyan na parang nagpapaligsahan. At ang palagi kong inaasahan, nangunguna lagi si Kenzo - or should I say Kuya.

Inilabas ko na rin ang aking sasakyan dahil may susunduin pa akong pinsan na nasa inuman ngayon. Ah, I miss driving this beauty - Porsche. Speaking of my low tolerance dumbass cousin, my phone screen's already flashing his name. "Glad you're still alive," I answered.

He's too drunk to talk properly and the background was too loud I can't even hear him talk. "Stay put. I'm on my way." I started the engine and ended the call.

🏁

I stopped at the nearest gas station for a while. I took that little minute to have a bite of the vanilla crème brûlée Kenzo made for me. Just three bites and I covered the tupperware and had some water. "Look after her they say..." I let out a deep sigh. I got a little minute to check their sister's socials, too. It wasn't a surprise we weren't mutuals in any platforms.

"Keira Denise..." mahina kong sambit habang nagso-scroll sa kanyang Facebook profile. Nothing to see but alcoholic memes. The last thing I checked was her Instagram - her stories perhaps. I used my dump account so it wouldn't be obvious I was stalking her. As far as I remember, what Kel said, she's at her classmate's house doing a schoolwork. So why is there a pool?