0 8| t h e w r e c k

A A R O N

"Oh, what happened? And where's your car Hermia Jones?"

I couldn't stop my chuckle when Pimpo couldn't say a word against her mom who probed her as soon as she opened the door.

So she's really the girl from my childhood.

Hermia...

"I—itt got damaged..." She stuttered and cautiously walked around her mom.

I could imagine how pale her face must look. Her mother scrunched up her nose and immediately stopped her. "Hey!"

They were both unaware I was watching the scene unfold.

"Mom... Sally is unconscious. Let me just tuck her in, huh?"

"Er..." Though I couldn't see the expression on the face of either of them, I sensed her mother realised she was right and stopped probing further. "Alright..."

When Mrs. Jones was going to shut the door, I got my cues to leave for my own home.

"Aaron?" Hermia's mom called me all of a sudden. I stopped in my tracks when it dawned on me she must've caught me staring.

Shit.

"Hermia? Did that sweet boy drop you guys off?" Her mother asked.

Reluctantly, I turned around before Hermia got more questions to provide answers to.

"Hi, Mrs. Jones." I greeted with a curt bow.

When I raised my head again, I couldn't decipher why Hermia's mom was smiling so brightly at me. "Hi, Aaron. It's been a while!"

I nodded and gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah ma'am... We just moved back recently, ma'am."

Mrs. Jones nodded fervently, indicating she understood what I meant. That was when my eyes swivelled towards her.

Hermia’s jaw tightened, her lips pressing into a thin line as her eyes dart between I and her mother, a mix of disbelief and silent protest flickering across her face.

I felt a smug satisfaction beneath my polite smile, thoroughly enjoying the rare sight of her looking so cornered.

"Oh I hope you don't mind some snacks? Do come on in!" Her mother's request passed by in the air.

Hermia's eyes lock onto mine, sharp and unyielding, like a blade pressed just close enough to draw blood.

For a split second, the weight of it steals the air from my lungs, wiping the smug look off my face as if she’s dared me to breathe under her scrutiny.

She squinted her eyes at me and nodded in the negative repeatedly. Her lips push forward in a defiant pout, the slight curve betraying both irritation and an unspoken challenge, as if daring me to agree to her mother's request.

"Ah... Goodnight Mrs. Jones. Some other time, I guess." I stuttered out.

"No..."

"Oh—Actually my dad must be waiting for me. I have to go in." I jabbed my finger in the direction of my own house, anxiously.

Just one more time...

One more time, I wanted to be sure Hermia was at least relieved I'm leaving now.

My gaze traced the tension in her face, from the stubborn set of her jaw to the fierce amber of her eyes, glowing like molten gold in the dim light.

There’s a wildfire in them—untamed, smoldering, daring me to test her patience.

For a moment, I forget myself, caught in the way the soft glow flickers against her irises, making them look like embers burning beneath a storm.

Her eyes widened after remembering something and she suddenly locked eyes with me. "Goodnight Aaron and thank you. "

I paused two beats before replying her.

"Uh, no problem at all. Goodnight! And you too ma'am."

"Ah yes. My regards to your dad."

"Hmmm." And I turned around.

Mrs Jones was still throwing questions at Hermia before I got into our own apartment.

_________

So, Hermia was the girl whom I used to see around and stalked. It's suddenly so strange now, that we're neighbours again after so many years.

It's still vivid in my memory, that night I saw her running out of her house in tears, yelling.

It was our birthday and none of our parents were back home from work. Noah and I were playing games when it started to rain. I got up and went to shut the windows when I saw her.

I didn't know much about her but I knew it was dangerous to be caught outdoors in the rain. Noah asked me what I saw but I couldn't respond to him. Instead , I put on my jacket and headed out of the house with my mobile phone just in case something could go wrong.

Noah stopped me and I told him I had to fix something outside. He was too engrossed in the video game to be hesitant.

I stalked the girl while she ran further into the nearby forest, screaming incoherent words in anger.

'So much anger?' I wondered, watching from a safe distance.

She did something unexpected. She stopped right in front of a lake and dived into it. My heart skipped a beat. There could be moss in it or any untamed animal.

I wanted to go after her when she suddenly brought her head out of the water.

Fascinated by how beautiful she looked, I watched her stay in the lake for seconds, turning into minutes, into hours.

The silver glow of the full moon caresses her delicate profile—high cheekbones, a softly curved nose, and lips slightly parted as she breathes in the cool night air.

Water clung to the ends of her dark, glistening hair, dripping in slow rivulets down her temple, tracing the curve of her jaw before vanishing into the hollow of her throat. Her lashes, heavy with moisture, fluttered as she tilts her head slightly, the shimmering lake behind her reflecting the quiet mystery in her eyes.

I decided to go near her and start a conversation when she abruptly turned.

"Who's it? " Her voice was loud enough to reach three towns away. I would've been worried she'd seen me but I already hid behind a tree.

My heart kept beating violently against my chest. I've never felt so anxious. I didn't know whether it was from the fear that she'd caught me or of the thrill of seeing such an innocent side of this girl.

I only just used to see her when dad picked us up for school. She was always frowning.

Her mother would greet my dad while she'd just stand there with her eyes fixed to the ground. She never interacted with us.

Noah used to call her the morose.

"Show yourself or I'd come there and take you down!"

I almost laughed aloud before I quickly covered my mouth.

She's so funny. How would she suddenly come out of the lake and face me? What if it were a wild animal in my place?

It was at this moment, the phone in my pocket beeped.

Dad: Where are you boy? Get back home now.

I bit my lower lip in regret. I really hoped I could talk to her tonight. But...

A silly thought came to my mind and I decided to peep behind the tree to see her one more time.

She had her back turned to me now, her hair still cascading over her shoulders in an angelic manner. I was mesmerised.

"This is so terrible... Really terrible. I can't..." The rest of her statement was said underwater because she suddenly dipped the rest of her upper body in the water one more time.

I was astonished. I was making a move to come out of hiding when the phone beeped again.

Dad: Kiddo?

"Shit." I muttered and turned around.

I quietly ran back home, my mind heavy with regrets.

I was expecting to be reprimanded but instead met everyone already setting up the cake for celebration. I quickly joined in and I was happy to see all of us together.

Noah was mischievous. He rubbed cake on my nose. Mom cautioned him and cleaned it off my face. I always knew I was her favorite child.

After dinner, our parents made a heartrending announcement that changed everything.

Our mom was leaving our dad and she's already made up her mind. She said she wanted to pursue her law career and having to care for two very lively boys at the same time was overwhelming. Our parents never hid the fact that they never planned to have us so early in their life but as fate would have it, we were twins.

Dad has always been a very busy business man. Mom had a hard time catering for us as a mother and still show up in court for her clients. She decided to get a maid but our dad didn't like the idea of a maid because of his upbringing.

Apparently, mom wasn't happy with the development and so decided to leave.

I figured that was why they both had been late to arrive home: they had been discussing the separation.

But things were much more serious than a six-year old me thought.

A divorce has been on for months now but they kept it hidden from us. The day before our birthday, the divorce was finalised. Mom just wanted to spend our birthday with us.

I remembered Noah and I pleading to her, in tears, not to leave. Alas, her mind was set. After her departure, Noah and I went to live with my paternal grandma who was but a very old lady, but the only one who could be a motherly figure for us.

It was tough on us. We had to change schools and adapt to a rural environment. Dad didn't stay with us as well so we used to fend for ourselves. Grandma couldn't really handle us. Noah picked up bad habits while I did all the chores.

When we turned thirteen, grandma died and Dad took us back with him.

Everyday, I used to long to see that lonely pretty girl whom head I wanted to get into to discover what was going on with her.

And now that I got to know about Hermia, it dawned on me that she's her! But, the 'her' then is totally different from the 'her 'now.

_______

After tucking Noah into bed, I intended to head towards my own room, lost in thoughts when I heard dad's call.

He was standing in the dimly lit doorway, the faint scent of soap and chlorine clinging to his skin, his damp hair tousled from the shower.

Dressed in a simple swimsuit, water still beads along his toned arms, trailing down to his prominent stubble, which catches the light with a rugged sharpness.

His expression is unreadable, yet the weight in his gaze makes it clear—this isn’t just any conversation; it's something I won’t be able to dodge.

"Hey dad. " I walked up to hug him and he gave me the buddy pat.

"Hmmm... " Dad pulled away and glanced at Noah from the distance. "He's wasted as usual. Anyways..." he turned his attention back to me. "I want to discuss some things with you. "

My gaze narrowed at dad's business mode face. Whatever he wanted to discuss was important. I remembered he has been acting strange these days and coming back home very late. His business trips have also become very frequent.

I hope it's not another blow.

"Sure. Right now?" I stepped out of Noah's room right after him and closed the door behind me while he jogged down the stairs. I followed suit and we settled at the dinning to have the discussion.

While I was sitting, he was standing with his back towards me.

"Yes dad? " I asked, impatient to find out what was up.

"Aaron, your mom—" I stood up abruptly.

"What? "