Twenty-Fourth Chapter: Bushes

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

A freshly out of bath Lia with her hair wrapped in a towel was loudly chewing some snacks (who knows where she got that) while resuming watching the girl recording herself.

She sat in a quite unladylike manner with her legs in an L-position; her upper body leaning on my thighs. I already changed the covers, so I'm fine sitting on the couch.

Seeing her so focused watching (actually she looks like she's bored to death), I decided to do the same … Though, Mama would not make that comfortable for me. 

"Alex, you're already 17, you can't just go around and walk outside shirtless—with just your bra! What if some other man sees you like that? You're a girl so you have to be more careful," said Mama with a strict and reprimanding voice. 

She also took a bath and was wearing her favorite plain green duster with her graying hair up in a bun. She doesn't really like heavily designed clothing since it irritates her to see mismatched shapes and deviating colors. 

Shifting my eyes from the TV, Ma was beside it, both her hands on her waist—trying to look intimidating, similar to a red panda when they put their hands up but, unfortunately for both the panda and Mama, it didn't really deliver its intended effect.

"No one was watching. It's okay."

"No, it's not! Alex, when are you gonna act your age already!" Mama was incensed by my answer as she seemed riled up and was about to smack me again with a who-knows-where-she-got-that rolled newspaper. 

Immediately, I grabbed hold of Lia—she was pretty light, and I'm pretty strong so it was like holding a rag doll for me—and used her as a shield, shocking her and making her spit out some snacks at the table from the sudden change of position.

My face contorted in disgust as I said with a disgusted tone: "That's disgusting."

"Well, no sh*t, try being held upright suddenly while trying to just watch peacefully!" a clearly reasonably angry Lia rebutted.

"Young lady, words," Mama scarily reminded, adding Lia to her disciplinary session.

Lia showed an 'oh crap' look as she tried to appease the angrier Mama. "Hehe, Ma, it was just an expression. An expression …" she trailed off her words as she saw … instead of appeasing Mama, it seems it made her scarier … 

Mama's eyes darkened as she opened her mouth …

.

.

.

"I should've just shut my mouth." 

Snip.

"Why is it so f*cking hot?!"

Snip.

"I want an Alligade!"

Snip.

She sprang up and threw the garden scissors on the grass!

"I can't do this anymore!" she exclaimed. "Hey, Alex, c'mon, let's go inside and apologize instead! I can't handle cutting sh*ts in this weather! And wasn't it raining earlier? Why the hell it's so f*cking hot now!"

Lia was grumbling, complaining, and throwing a tantrum as if she was a toddler. Her olive skin was glistening with sweat since, metaphorically, we're being burnt alive under the sun—it's that hot. 

Hopefully, I won't get sick from this, ugh, I don't want to feel sluggish all week.

"Rather than complain and shout over there, cut the bushes so we can head inside already."

"We've been doing this for hours! And yet, you keep on saying it's not even!"

I stood up and patted off some dust on my pants and said: "And because it is."

Lia made an exasperated expression and deflated on the ground. "We're never gonna finish this!"

"Stop being overdramatic, it's only been half an hour."

"It doesn't matter! It feels more than half an hour for me!" she retorted. "Ugh, I feel sick … Can we at least get an umbrella …"

Seeing her holding her stomach and bathing in sweat, I felt some semblance of pity for Lia … I guess it's okay to let her have an umbrella.

"Go get one at the back."

Suddenly, as if she regained all of her energy instantly, Lia sprang up and ran towards the back! She was as quick as a cheetah—chasing a deer for its survival. 

I just shook my head and picked up the tools again …

I made sure to measure the height of the bushes to make them even and perfect before and after cutting them. Unlike Lia, I'm more used to this since Mama can't really tend to the garden that much with her aching back and feet. So, it's Big Bro and I—mostly me—who tends to the garden.

While snipping and measuring the bushes and flowers, I heard a singsong voice approaching from the back …

"Ahhhhhh—I'm heeere~ with an umbrellaa~!" Lia came back, holding a black umbrella, while weirdly singing that in an opera-like voice—a bad one, for sure—skipping as she went.

"I'm back!" she hopped to my side, holding an umbrella, covering both of us from the afternoon sun.

"You're back."

"I'll hold this while you trim the bushes so you won't get too hot! Teamwork!" Lia slyly made an excuse to slack off and leave all the work to me.

Well, it works for me since, honestly speaking, Lia was making the work two times harder so it's a win-win situation, I guess.

Therefore, I nodded and focused on trimming the bushes so I could get this done. 

Bored and knowing I won't start a conversation, Lia spoke first: "Really, you're fam's full of quirks and special abilities."

Confused, I asked. "Special abilities? What do you mean?"

Snickering lightly, Lia explained. "I mean like Mama's great with money but has OCD, you are great at everything but are a neat freak," Lia said, slightly snickering at the latter part. 

Then as if she was thinking, she didn't immediately speak. "… As for your sh*tty brother, I guess he's the ugly duckling of the fam … except he's just ugly," she shrugged with mocking words.

I snorted amusedly at her words—not bothering to defend Big Bro 'cause I don't wanna.

"Agree … Though, I'm not great at everything."

Lia exhaled exaggeratedly while rolling her eyes. "Oh, please, stop with the humble act."

"I'm not, though."

"Yes, you are, compliment fisher!" she retorted with a teasing tone.

I pursed my lips and didn't reply.

Snip!

Laughing at my quiet figure, Lia went closer and asked: "When are you gonna be finished? I want to continue watching Dorothy. Moreover, the bushes' about to get bald with all the cutting and snipping you're doing over there."

I side-eyed her and said. "Just a bit more. Mama doesn't like uneven bushes."

Hearing my words, as if a mischievous thought passed through her mind, Lia smirked weirdly. "Can relate. Personally, I like my bush well-trimmed."

Somehow, I felt a weird vibe from her words but didn't pay it that much attention. "Yeah, I prefer that, too."

Her grin just got wider from my response as she said in an obviously fake shocked tone. "Really? I didn't know you liked your bush that way, Alex!"

I stopped. And looked at her suspiciously. I don't get her words but I feel like she's making fun of me. "Are you messing with me?"

Her grinning figure turned innocent in an instant as she said with a clueless look: "Eh? What do you mean? I'm just saying that we like bushes the same way!" 

"No, you're definitely messing with me."

"Oh, seriously, Alex? I'm just talking about our preference in bush—some like no bush, others a bushy bush, and for me and you, even Mama, we all like well-trimmed bush!" she paused. "But in the end, all bushes are the same and they are meant to be loved and shared …" Lia's voice shifted to a touching tone by the end …

However …

"Yeah, you're not talking about the bush."

I'm not buying it.

"Yeah, I'm not talking about the bush."

A complete 180, she said with a mocking grin and confident tone.

And as if she knew what I was about to do, she took off leaving behind the umbrella!

"Don't let me catch you."

"That's the goal!"

***

Dropping down the couch, I rubbed a dry towel on my hair again—I took a bath one more time from all the sweat from cutting bushes and chasing Lia … 

Sigh, I'm tired …

Thankfully, it's now my me-time 'cause Lia was dragged home by her mom—after seeing her here to ask for some calamansi. 

On another note, Ma has calmed down and is currently cooking dinner. I helped Ma earlier in cutting some veggies without getting scolded so she probably already forgot what happened earlier.

Looking at the time, my mind wanders to Rebecca … She's probably at home for quite some time now. However, just in case, I'll still ask her. 

I reached out for my phone and opened the Circles app—clicking Rebecca's name, but my hands remained hovering above the keys. 

How do I start a convo? Hi? Hello? Good day? 

A few minutes later, I looked at my message:

Me (draft): [Good day, have you arrived home safely? Also, I'd like to thank you for your time today.]

For me, I find it satisfying enough but I'd like some outside opinion for objectivity.

So I sent it to Lia. And it didn't even take a minute for Lia to see and send a reply.

Me: [Rate it.]

Lia: [Depends]

Lia: [Whos it for?]

Lia: [If its for my stuck-up teacher, congratz you get 9/10]

Lia: [Minus one since its missing a letter n a wax seal]

Lia: [Honestly if someone send me dat id fckin show it to everyone just for the giggles]

Lia: [Like who da hell talks like that to a classmate???]

Lia: [HAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHHA]

Reading her response, I thinned my lips subconsciously. 

Was it that bad?

Me: [Then how can I rephrase it?]

Lia: [idk just talk casually like a normal human being ig]

Me: [How?]

It seems Lia was speechless as her writing icon kept on disappearing and appearing at the moment.

Lia: [ლ⁠(⁠・⁠﹏⁠・⁠ლ⁠)]

?

Lia sent me a weird face. 

Me: [What does that mean?]

After I sent that, the read icon was visible but, as if she was really taken aback, it took her a while to reply. And her next message proved it.

Lia: [You know what just send her this like copy and paste it so d both of us can have peace of mind]

Lia: [Hi! Did you get home safely? I had fun today btw. let's hang out more often ^^]

Lia: [Copy then send it no need to thank me not all heroes wear capes after all]

Lia: [Sometimes theyre just gay and pretty~]

Subconsciously reading her message with her voice and even imagining her smug face in my mind, I faintly smiled and replied:

Me: [But isn't that too casual?]

Her reply came in an instant as if she was tired of my nonsense.

Lia: [Just. Send. It.]

Me: [Ok.]

I left our PM and pasted her message to Rebecca, modifying it a bit to suit my style. 

Me: [Hi, did you get home safely? I had fun today]

Hanging out often is too much of a responsibility for me so I removed it, and I don't really use emo … ticons(?) that much so I also took it out. I also removed the period at the end since Lia said putting periods makes it sound mad. 

It's just proper punctuation, people are weird for thinking I'm mad.

With all that being said, I'm still somewhat nervous since I still think it's too casual. 

"Why is it so hard to start a conversation?" I frustratingly thought out loud, scratching my head.

Anyway, it doesn't matter since I already sent it. I just have to sit and wait.

Holding my phone with both hands, my eyes were glued to the screen, waiting for that familiar tone to ring. However, even after several minutes had gone by, no signs of response from Rebecca arrived.

Shortly, my body pulled away from the couch to go back to my room. I decided to start doing my piled-up homework so I could slack off all I wanted during the weekends. 

***

Click-click-click.

Sounds of keyboard clicking reverberated in the room as I rapidly type my thoughts into words. Wordlessly, I put all of my attention into finishing this as quickly as possible without compromising the quality, of course. 

And that's when I'm on an overdrive and really motivated, a familiar tone sounded out from my phone beside the lamp. 

Ping!

My attention was immediately taken as I shifted my gaze from the monitor to the phone. 

I calmly picked up my phone, thinking that Rebecca finally replied but when I looked at the sender, I saw that it was …

"Sis Marga?"