Chapter 10: 9 | the civil rival
It had been a sleepless night of tossing and turning and multiple breaks to the bathroom. Tiredly stirring my coffee, I wondered if running the drowsiness off at a gym or going back and have another try at sleeping in.
A familiar throb reminded me why I was unable to sleep and aided me in choosing the gym instead of a comforting bed.
With the decision in mind, I put my coffee away and made an energy drink with a light breakfast to start off my day. It was almost 6 in the morning and the walk to the gym seemed perfect to warm my body up.
A light click of the door took my attention and I gave Sebastian a suggestive smile when he quietly walked out of her room. "Hey, morning." He yawned loudly before slapping his mouth and looked back.
Apparently Rebecca had issues waking up with a hangover, no matter how many she drinks, the hangovers were always bad. Bad enough to come out of the room when woken up out of any noise to attack anyone close by.
"Morning. I'm headed to the gym. Coffee's in the pot." I whispered back before heading to my room, making sure to be as quiet as possible when I passed Rebecca's room.
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I was cooling off in the sauna from an intense workout session when a familiar face opened the door and let herself in. It was Monica Sullivan, one of my biggest competitors in the music industry. Monica had an hourglass figure, something I was sure she was born with despite her arguing that it was the regular 5 a.m. workouts she does.
"Hey you. I haven't seen you here in awhile." Monica smiled as she took a seat across from me.
Letting out an awkward laugh, I shrugged and leaned my head back against the wall behind me. "Yeah. I've been slacking off."
Monica only responded with a quiet hum before making herself comfortable. Her towel slipped and it gave me a quick view of her breasts before she tightened it, her cleave evident. Groaning loudly to myself I gave her my dejected stare.
"You have such a lovely body." Stretching out the body. Monica only laughed before grabbing a handful of her breasts. "These lil thangs?" She teased.
Rolling my eyes I gave her a pout and proudly flaunted my assets as well. It was a short moment of competing against each other before the door flung open and we scrambled to cover ourselves.
Laughing more to ourselves, we decided to lean back and relax, properly this time.
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After the misfits and the cold shower, I smiled at my reflection. My mind was clearer after the workout and the steam. Taking a long breath, I smiled to myself again before packing my things and waited for Monica.
We had decided on getting brunch together and catch up after our last meeting. In the recent piano competition, Monica had taken the lead with me following close behind only for me to snatch the first prize at the finals. It was her competitiveness and mine that fuels me to work harder.
It was also her dedication to the piano that increased my respect and admiration for her.
Once, I had given her the free win because I was tired of the constant comparison and harsh words said about the two of us and she had thrown a tantrum. Refusing to accept an easy win, she asked for a rematch and made me promise to allow her to be my strong rival.
Ever since I've never made it easy on her. Monica would probably never know this but, she was also one of the reasons I had managed to move on from my sister's death sooner than anyone would've thought.
"Sorry, putting on my wig took a little longer than it was supposed to." Monica apologized as she stumbled by my side.
"You're good. So where to?"
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"So why the sudden visit to the gym?" Monica asks after the waiter picked our empty plates.
Biting my lips, I contemplated whether I should confide in her. We were never really close since it seemed that she and Rebecca had a little rivalry going on.
Apparently, as a kid, Rebecca had taken Monica's wig off and made fun of her natural hair before the two stumbled into a well from fighting each other. And as an act of revenge, Monica, knowing Rebecca's crush on Sebastian, pulled Sebastian in and stolen his first kiss on Rebecca's birthday.
I honestly think the two secretly harbor a crush for each other. Or that they were just being childish.
Sighing, I took a long sip of my drink before looking away and admiring the view. There was something about watching the streets filled with people that calmed me down.
"I was just wondering if you could really run and hide your past." Pausing to myself, I stole a quick glance to see if she was listening. And she was. Biting my lips, I decided to give her a short overview. "I suppose everyone has their secrets. I think I just prefer mine hidden and tucked away. It's... something that I've always been ashamed of, I guess."
Monica placed her hand on mine and looked down when I averted my eyes to face her. "Everyone does." Even then, I could tell her smile was forced before she exhaled and looked at me again.
"But your past is a part of you. It shapes you into who you are now. And I don't think that's something to ever be ashamed of. I genuinely think you're an alright kinda person."
Smirking at her version of comforting me, I squeezed her hand, feeling a little better than before.
"I guess you're right."
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John stared at the equation on the board, figuring out the different approaches he could take and wondering which would give him the more accurate answer.
The phone ringing knocked his attention away. Grumbling he wondered if he should leave it before the ringtone ends and begin again.
Sighing, he walked over and noticed it was his mother. "Hi dear. Just checking up on my favorite son."
He smiled at her tone before responding that he was fine and working on his assignments.
"That's nice honey. I was wondering if you were interested in going for dinner sometime next week?"
"Sure. Just us?" He asked. Although he had an idea that someone else might be coming along.
"Well. I might invite my friend's daughter-"
John groaned and refused to attend another blind date, especially one arranged by his mother.
"But I'm worried! You haven't shown any interest in any woman at all. You do like... women?" He heard her ask, her tone filled with peaked curiosity.
He only muttered a gruff no before hesitantly mention that there might be someone. "It's new, and I just want to see how it goes. So mom, please don't arrange any more setups."
Unable to tell if her son was telling the truth or lying, she reluctantly agrees hoping it was the latter and hanging up on her son with a silent warning that there will be future prospects soon arranged by not her, but his father.
John silently stared at his phone, wondering if she was actually serious about his father. Clicking his tongue, he went through his phone and decided to risk it.
A soft feminine voice answered.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone