It's Sunday morning and I've been staring at Liam's diary on my study table for a while now. I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do, opening his diary and invading his privacy.
But whatever. I'm just gonna do it. He lost his diary and he has no idea that I have it. He'll never know that I'm gonna read it.
I feel a bit guilty about what I'm about to do because it's personal and it's his secrets written here, but what can I do? I want to know what's inside and I want to understand him better.
I take a deep breath and open it. The pages are filled with handwritten notes, sketches, and doodles. Sorry, Liam, but I'll only read one page and then I promise I'll stop. Just kidding, I can't promise anything.
'Who would have thought that someone like me would ever write a freaking diary? It feels so girly, but guess what? I don't have a choice. I just need an outlet. And a diary is a perfect fit because it won't judge me.
So, I saw my ex, Hailey, with her new boyfriend. I thought I wouldn't be affected, but I realized that I still love her. It hurts, you know? It hurts so much. If I hadn't made such a stupid decision in my life, it would have still been me with her that day. I should have been the one by her side, the one she loves, the one who makes her smile, and not that ugly guy.
I love her so much, and I would trade anything just to have her back.'
I quickly close the diary and put it down. As a crazy girl who's head over heels for him, I can't continue reading. I'm hurt by what I've learned. I already know that this was not a good idea. I shouldn't have done it. I didn't expect to read something like that so soon. I just uncovered some inner thoughts about his past love. I knew Liam had exes, but I never thought he had truly loved someone. I thought it was all just a game to him.
I wish I was that girl. Her ex was lucky to be loved by him.
When I come downstairs, Mom is already eating, but Briana is nowhere to be found. I scan the entire dining room with my eyes, but she's not here. "Where's Briana?" I ask.
"She left early. She went to her house to get some things she left behind."
"I just wish she never came back," I whispered to myself, but it seemed like Mom heard it.
She paused mid-bite and looked at me. "What did you say?"
I quickly shook my head. "Oh, nothing. I just said I'm hungry, so I'll start eating." I took a bite to avoid saying anything further. I didn't want to risk saying something else.
Honestly, it hasn't even been a week since Briana came to live with us, and I'm already struggling to pretend that everything is okay in front of Mom. I don't want her to find out that Briana is the reason why Chris and I broke up.
She also thinks I'm doing great at school. But she's wrong. She doesn't know that I'm also one of the kids who get bullied there. Thankfully, it's not as bad now because I have Jhea and Sophie to protect me. Rhian is the only one who still tries to ruin my day. I don't know what's up with that annoying girl, it's like it's her daily routine. And honestly, it looks like Briana will join her. I can already feel that they'll get along well.
———
I decided to hang out with Jhea and Sophie because I didn't want to spend all my time reading Liam's diary. It was driving me crazy and I didn't want to dwell on it too much. I took a taxi outside the subdivision and passed by some people moving into a new house two houses away from ours.
"New neighbor." I muttered to myself. There was this guy helping with the moving, and his back looked so familiar. It felt like I knew him somehow. He was about to turn around, but we passed by too quickly and I couldn't see his face.
Once we arrived at the mall, I headed straight to the bookstore. I looked around and bought some books while waiting for Jhea and Sophie. I knew they would complain about me buying more books and suggest that I buy new clothes instead. They think they know everything. Maybe they should try reading a book to expand their minds a bit.
After I finished shopping, I met up with Jhea and Sophie at our usual cafe hangout. "Books again?" Sophie greeted me as I sat next to Jhea.
"Yep." I replied with a smirk.
She was about to say something, but she just sighed. "You won't listen to me anyway." She shrugged.
"So what's our plan?" Jhea changed the topic.
"Let's watch a movie. There's a new one showing." Sophie suggested, and we all agreed.
After ordering our drinks, we were about to leave when we bumped into Rhian and "Briana?"
"Oh hi there, dear cousin." She said in a voice that instantly irritated me.
"What are you doing here? Mom told you to go to your house to get your stuff." I asked.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I did. I just had the driver bring my belongings home first. Oh wait, why am I even explaining myself to you?" She sounded annoyed.
"So she's the loser cousin you've been talking about? I can't believe that's Mira," Rhian chimed in, laughing.
"Yes, she is. Don't tell me she's the annoying loser you've been talking about? I thought Mira had changed a bit because of you, but I guess not. You're still a dumb loser." She smirked.
"At least she's not a stupid b*tch like you!" Sophie defended me.
"Wow! Look who's talking," Rhian said.
Sophie chuckled. "At least I don't steal boyfriends." She looked at Briana. "And I don't force myself on guys who don't like me." She glanced at Rhian.
Rhian's face showed her annoyance at Sophie's remark. She seemed so irritated that she even seemed to forget how to speak.
"Is that how you greet your brother's ex-girlfriend, Sophie?" Briana said.
Sophie let out a sarcastic laugh. "Ex-girlfriend? Are you kidding me? As if he loved you the way he loved Mira. He never loved you. Get that through your thick skull! You're just a flirt who tempted my brother."
Briana was even more infuriated by what Sophie said. She was about to slap Sophie, but Jhea caught her hand. "Try to hit her and I will break your face." She warned.
"That's enough. Let's just leave. People are starting to stare." I intervened, trying to calm them down.
Jhea let go of Briana's hand with force, and we left them standing there.
I have to admit, the satisfaction of seeing their faces as we walked away was priceless.
——–
I got home late, and there was Yuan, my awesome dog, playing all by himself in the living room. I got so pumped up, changed my outfit, and decided to join in on the fun. But when I went downstairs, Yuan was nowhere to be found. I searched the whole house and asked everyone, but no one had seen him. Then I noticed that the gate was open. Oh shoot, I totally forgot to close it earlier! Yuan must have slipped outside.
I stepped outside to look for him. It was dark and kinda risky, but I had to find my furry buddy.
Yuan was a gift from my dad before he passed away. He's the only thing left that reminds me of my dad, so losing him would be devastating. It had been a few minutes, but I still hadn't found him. Tears started welling up in my eyes as I walked and searched. I felt like such a fool, calling out his name over and over, but still no sign of him.
"What are you looking for?" Someone behind me asked. I turned around and was shocked to see Liam.
"Are you okay?" He asked again.
"M-my dog is missing. I'm just looking for him," I replied, ready to leave. But then he spoke up again.
"Do you want me to help you search?" Did I hear that right? He wants to help me? No way. I can't trust him. He's a bad boy, after all. Even though I want to accept his offer, I can't risk it.
"No thanks. I can handle it." I said.
"But Mira—" I didn't wait for him to finish. I just walked away.
I ran away from him. I don't know why, but whenever he's around, my anxiety goes through the roof. Even though I want to ask for his help or be close to him, my body just wants to stay away. And besides, what is he doing in our neighborhood?
I kept searching for Yuan. It had probably been half an hour, and still no sign of him. Because I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, I bumped into someone.
And for the second time today, I didn't expect who it was. "Chris?" Why am I so unlucky today? First Briana and Rhian this morning, then Liam, and now my ex-boyfriend Chris.
Since our breakup, this is the first time we've seen each other again. So, needless to say, it's pretty awkward. Scratch that, it's super awkward. "Mira, I'm sorry about what happened back then." He started.
"Chris, let's talk about this later, okay? Right now, Yuan is missing and I need to find him."
I didn't hesitate when Chris offered to help. I really needed his help at that moment. I know him better than Liam, so I felt more confident that he could assist me. As we searched for Yuan, I could feel the awkwardness between us. He kept glancing at me as if he had something to say.
Time passed, and we still couldn't find Yuan. Chris eventually escorted me home because it was getting late. I didn't want to go home yet, but he was right, my mom might be worried about me.
My mom was surprised to see Chris when he dropped me off.
"Are you two back together?" She asked me.
"Mom, no! He just escorted me and helped me look for Yuan, but we didn't find him." I said sadly.
"Someone already found him." She said.
"What? How? Who found him?"
"He's inside. Go in and thank him." I followed my mom's words and went inside.
I immediately ran to Yuan when I saw him and hugged him. I felt a huge sense of relief when I saw him.
"Where have you been? Do you know how worried I was? I was so scared." I scolded Yuan.
"Mira, aren't you going to thank him?" Mom interjected. Oh right, I forgot there was someone else here. I was so excited when I saw Yuan that I completely forgot.
I quickly looked to see who found my dog. My eyes widened in disbelief when I saw who it was. "Liam?!"
I was shocked when I saw him standing in front of me next to my mom. "You know each other?"
"He's my classmate." I replied.
"Oh really? what a small world."
"Thank you, Liam. It really means a lot to me." I said, feeling embarrassed. I had rejected his offer to help earlier, but he was the one who found Yuan.
"No problem." He said modestly. Then he turned to my mom. "I'll go ahead, ma'am."
But before he left, I was surprised by what he did. What happened to him? Why does he seem so kind? First, he offered to help me but I declined. Second, he found Yuan and brought him back home.
And third, he smiled at me. A genuine smile that I had never seen before.