DOLL

WHEN SOL came home, she found a disgusting set up in her room.

In the middle of her bed, she found red petals shaped like a heart. Her favorite teddy bear, the one where Yue put a spy camera, now had an eye patch to cover up for its missing eye that she got rid of to pull out the camera lens.

Aside from that, there was also a black box with a pink ribbon on top.

[What is it this time?]

She sat on the bed and opened the box.

Inside the box was a Model 367 revolver, caliber 38. The gun must have been customized because the grip was pink– her favorite color. But the barrel, ejector rod, cylinder, hammer, and other parts of the gun are in matte silver.

[Pretty cool, huh?]

She couldn't carry it around since she was pretending as a model student in an area that didn't belong to her family's territory.

[What a shame.]

She put the gun back inside the box. That was when she noticed that it had a letter attached to the ribbon. It was a printed letter that used the font that she hated the most– Comic Sans. Now she was certain that the letter was from her brother.

Yue knew how much she hated the font, and that stupid brother of mine liked pulling pranks on her.

["Baby sister, I took out all the spy cameras inside your apartment– except the one attached to the main door. If you bring a boy to your place, I'll kill him. Always watching you, your Kuya Yue."]

"Psycho," Sol whispered to herself. Then, she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. Dealing with Yue was exhausting. With that thought, her desire to get away from him intensified even more. "I have to win our bet."

***

["SEND me nudes."]

["Wrong sent."]

["Seriously, don't. It was an honest mistake, baby doll. Yue will kill me if you send me nudes."]

"As if I'll send you nudes," Sol whispered to herself while reading Cloud's messages. She was enjoying her French toast and hot chocolate when Cloud totally ruined her morning with another stupid message: ["Yue said he wants to see you in your new uniform. Send us pics."]

She could ignore it if it was just Cloud's request. But if it came from Yue, she had to do it, or else, her brother might sneak into her new school just to see her in her new uniform.

[How long do I have to indulge Yue?]

All she knew was it wasn't today. And so, she was forced to leave her breakfast and return to her room. Then, she stood in front of the full-length mirror and took several selfies using her smartphone.

Her new uniform was plain but neat: white blouse with navy blue ribbon, knee-length navy blue skirt, white high socks, and black doll shoes.

In her previous school, her uniform was fancy and it even came with a blazer.

[Anyway…]

She barely applied makeup on her face because she was aiming for the "model student" type for this mission. Still, she had to take care of her skin so she used BB cream with sun protection. Instead of her favorite red lipstick, she used pinkish lip gloss. And to complete her "innocent look," she put on a pretty headband.

A few minutes after sending her selfies to Cloud, she received a reply.

["Baby doll, you look so innocent!!!"]

She just rolled her eyes at Cloud's response.

[What a simp.]

She was on her way back to the dining hall when she received another message from Cloud's account. But this time, the message came from a different person.

["I want to lock you up in a display cabinet where I'm the only one allowed to appreciate your beauty."]

Ah, it was definitely from Yue.

Sol scowled at her brother's creepy message. "I'm not a doll, Kuya."

***

HYACINTH HIGH SCHOOL aka HHS was only a five-minute walk from Sol's apartment.

That was the reason why she was currently walking at the roadside. And she wasn't alone. Most students from that area wearing the same uniform as her were walking alongside her. But for some reason, she had become the center of attention.

She even received unwanted attention from cat-callers.

Since she was used to that kind of thing, she simply put a pair of AirPods in her ears and ignored everyone paying attention to her beauty.

[This is the only time I hate having a pretty face.]

Back in their "area," she didn't have to deal with cat-callers herself. If it wasn't Yue, Cloud and the other boys were there to stab the f*ck out of anyone who dares to look at her lewdly. No matter how f*cked up their area was, she was still sheltered.

Not that she couldn't protect herself. She just hated getting bloodstain on the branded items that she wore from head to toe.

[Be patient, Sol.]

The only reason she chose to ignore the cat-callers was that she was currently playing the "good girl" role. She had to endure for the sake of her dream of having a normal life.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

Her instinct suddenly kicked in.

Before she knew it, she had already elbowed the person behind her. She felt her elbow connect to someone's solid chest. It was followed by a painful groan. When she turned around, she was greeted by a familiar handsome face.

Dusk Quijano.

"S-Sol, it's me," Dusk said while clutching his chest. It was probably the area where her elbow hit him. Anyway, she noticed that Dusk was holding a light blue skate helmet. "Please don't kill me."

She would have laughed at his light teasing but she was quite shocked at the moment.

Dusk was wearing the male counterpart uniform of her new school: white polo with a navy blue necktie, breast pocket with a patch of HSS's logo, black pants, and black shoes.

"What are you doing here?" Sol asked when she recovered from the shock. Then, she pulled the AirPods out of her ears and put them inside the pocket of her skirt. [I know that my question sounds stupid but… this can't be happening!]

"Uhm, I should be the one asking you that," Dusk said, then her face turned red as if he was being shy again. "I live in the area and I've been studying at HSS since junior high, Sol. I was actually shocked when I saw you. I had to make sure so I got down from my scooter." Ah, that would explain the helmet. "I was calling you but you didn't hear me."

"Ah, I was wearing my AirPods earlier."

"I see," he said, then he smiled apologetically at her. "I'm sorry for touching you without permission. You were probably startled."

"I was," she said in a serious tone. "Don't touch me without permission unless it's a matter of life and death."

His face turned red as if he was embarrassed. "I get it. I'm sorry."

He looked like a puppy that had been brutally kicked by a mean person, making her feel guilty for venting out on him. It wasn't like she hated Dusk. She just couldn't get the nightmare that she had out of her mind.

What if Yue learned about Dusk's existence?

Now that made her wonder.

[Am I being protective of a boy I just met?]

"I'm sorry, Dusk," she said when she calmed down. "I was just a bit… startled."

"No, you don't have to apologize," he said while shaking his head. Then, he gave her a pure smile that almost cleansed her corrupted soul. "Sol, third's time a charm, isn't it?"

She just gave an awkward smile as a response. [You should stay away from me if you want to live a long life, Dusk Quijano.]

"I doubted if it was really you at first," Dusk said in an excited tone. "Our school uniform is bland but when I saw you, I thought you were a D–"

"Doll?" she asked, cutting him off with a frown. "I get that a lot, thanks."

"Uhm, I wasn't about to say "doll.""

"Huh?"

"I wouldn't compare to you a doll," he explained. "I don't find dolls pretty anyway. They're lifeless and creepy. You're far from that."

She was rendered speechless.

People around her often called her a doll because of her appearance. Cloud even called her "baby doll" on a daily basis.

Yue, on the other hand, called her 'doll' not because of her beauty.

[It's a reminder that he controls me.]

"You look like a Disney princess," Dusk continued shyly. "You have an angelic face but your eyes are fierce. I thought you were going to kill me when you turned around."

He was probably talking about the face she made when she was in "kill mode."

"Dusk?"

"Hmm?"

"Stop being cheesy," Sol said while laughing softly. Then, she showed him her arm covered with goosebumps. "Look, goosebumps."

Dusk blushed again, then he smiled shyly. "Sol, would you like to go to school with me?"

And she would find out later that she shouldn't have.

***

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