Why Does Love Hurt?

Even now, what the two of them talked about still plays in Mariely's mind. She couldn't ask her sibling.

At that moment, while lying in her bed, she was deep in thought.

My brother has always been worried about me because I get weak when other men talk to me. All she could say to herself was a sigh.

She needs to leave her comfort zone. She can't talk or chat with a man. Only her brother and her father make her comfortable to speak with. Mariely is just shy around men. She doesn't know why.

Her older brother also knew that she had difficulty interacting with men. She only engages with her childhood friends. If they are her age or older, she has difficulty.

I need to try too. My brother is always worried that that will happen to me. Will I love him? Will I be able to love him? The question was all that came to her mind at that time.

Because she was thinking so much, she fell asleep on her bed.

***

"Frank!" His mother called, and he was squinting again because of earlier.

"Mom, calm down." He just smiled at his mother.

"Oh my goodness, you're such a child!" Becca immediately shook her head and picked up her purchases.

"I didn't really expect us to meet there, did I?" He explained.

"You know, what you're doing isn't helping. Behave yourself, Zean." It said that he was being stared at intently.

"Mom, I was just checking in on Nathan's sister. What's wrong with that?" He said, shaking his head.

"How? Checking? Really? Oh my! I'll really give you a beating." Her mother said while she's in the kitchen.

He just shook his head, then went to his room and got dressed.

Frank immediately read his cousin's message. He's inviting me to go to the bar.

He immediately refused because he was exhausted from accompanying his mother. He also saw his former classmate, who hadn't changed at all.

But he's interested in his sister. He just smiled. He still remembers when they first met in high school; he didn't pay her any attention because she was young. But now. He will get to know his classmate's sister very well. 

Nathan is very protective of his sister. Frank remembers it.

That morning he immediately saw Faith being escorted to her brother. He knows Nathan's character; he is aware of his plan. 

The journey won't be easy. He thought to himself and even smirked, but excitement welled up in his body at the thought of how he would be Nathan's sister's temporary boyfriend.

Frank even saw Nathan kiss her on the forehead. Faith just smiled then. It's really like the two siblings are like lovers, the way they treat each other. It's amusing to think about, and at the same time, he's jealous of Nathan because he has a sister who's always there.

Well, I'm a spoiled brat. He just said to himself at that moment. He approached the two siblings.

"Hey, good morning, you two." He split it in two.

The two were slightly surprised by that. He even saw Faith look at her brother. The two didn't answer. He knew Nathan's meaningful gaze was directed at him.

"Be careful. Wait for me this afternoon. Okay?" Frank even heard that Nathan reminded his sister.

Mariely just nodded. It immediately walked then. He's kind of blocking the way. 

"Excuse." She said it quietly. Mariely immediately avoided him and walked into the campus.

At that moment, Nathan was about to return to the car.

"Your sister is already big, Nathan. So why did you treat her like a child?" He asked Nathan directly.

Nathan stopped then, still standing. "Yeah, she's not a child anymore, but I am obligated to keep her safe." Frank received a blunt and direct reply from Nathan.

He just smirked then. "Did you allow other men to take care of your sister?" He asked that question.

"Nope. I don't want other men to take care of my sister." This statement was answered straight to the point. 

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll take care of your sibling myself." Frank said that back then.

Frank saw the threatening look in his eyes. Nathan approached him. "I don't care how many women you've made cry and hurt. But, Frank, don't you ever touch or make my sister cry. I'm telling you this: even though we were classmates back then, I won't forgive you." Nathan said this firmly, and it was threatening.

"But, you know that we had that little relationship when she was in high school, right?" He remembered back then that Mariely is his other girl. "Oh, she didn't remember all of it because you instilled in her mind that it never happened to her." Frank mischievously smiled at Nathan.

Frank meets a sharp gaze from Nathan. "Don't you ever dare mess with my sister's life again, Frank. I won't allow it again." Nathan's words were full of threat.

He was familiar with this individual, and he was confident that the man standing before him was a trustworthy individual.

He only smirks at Nathan. "Well, let's see what will happen." 

Nathan didn't respond, and he immediately got into the car and started the engine.

He watched the vehicle recede. He couldn't help but smile. 

It's exciting. He was filled with excitement. He became even more interested in his sister. He wants his plaything back at him again once more and to play it again.

He left immediately then, because he was also needed at the office.

***

"Good morning, class." Mariely had greeted her student back then.

Only a few people answered that. But when she entered the classroom, it was a mess again. The people assigned there didn't clean again.

She was breathing deeply then. "Who's assigned to clean today?" Mariely asked the class authoritatively.

"It's tiring to clean." The student answers her.

"Oh? Who do you think you are that you don't clean the classroom? Would you like me to take care of the cleaning for you?" She asked, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

"It's you who wants to clean this classroom, after all. So just clean it." She heard again and answered her rudely.

These children truly put Mariely's patience to the test.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, someone picked up the broom and dustpan.

Neil and Rodel are the first ones to clean.

"We should clean up too; our room is really messy." She heard Rodel saying it.

She smiled slightly at that.

"I'm not doing this for you, okay? It's just messy." Rodel said she was looked at.

She just didn't answer that.

"By the way. If no one helps clean, you can't enter this room, and if you do, you'll be fined 100 pesos." Neil said so.

She even heard someone complaining that even though others didn't want to, they just grabbed brooms, dustpans, and other cleaning supplies.

"You too, Ma'am, will also help." Rodel said so.

She just laughed. "Sure." He also said this. 

It's so nice to be called Ma'am. She said happily to herself. He was actively participating in the cleaning process.

They finished easily because they helped each other clean.

"Please maintain cleanliness tomorrow. The room is bright when it's cleaned." She said to her students.

"Because of that, you all get extra points! You know, it's also your responsibility to clean to avoid illness." Mariely said to the children.

"Do we understand each other?" She asked the children.

The others just sighed. "Yes, Ma'am. You're so annoying," said the different student.

She just smiled then.

Because of the cleaning, she didn't finish the lesson, so she just gave the students an activity to present tomorrow.

"Faith, your room was so clean earlier, huh?" Veron expressed his amazement to her about how clean her classroom was.

"Ah, they cleaned it earlier. I was even included in the cleaning." She just laughs about what happened.

"You're truly exceptional." Veron said, and they just laughed then.

She waited for her brother. She was thinking that she had been teaching at this school for a week. She was pleased that a week of her teaching went well.

I want to know them all. She said to herself.

"Hey, you can come with me." She heard someone say behind her.

Mariely immediately recognized the man. Ma'am Becca's child. She just said it to herself.

She just shook her head. "I'm waiting for my older brother. He'll pick me up." She answered immediately.

Frank immediately smiled at her. "Well, I can't help it. I won't force you; we'll take care of it." He said those words and immediately got into the car.

She just nodded.

"See you next time. Next time, I'll take you home again." He also said to her.

The car was immediately driven away. Mariely just watched it walk away from that man.

Suddenly she immediately heard her brother's car horn.

She got off right away.

"Brother!" She happily said it when she saw her brother.

"Shall we go? I'm sorry if your brother took so long." It also said.

She immediately shook her head and got in the car. So they can go home.