Painful Smiles

Claudia walked home from the hospital with a slopping shoulder.

Their family’s doctor had discharged her but she felt bad that her mom couldn’t come to see her all through the week and she was now returning home.

Worse still, her mom told her she’d have to walk home as she couldn’t pick her up and was very busy.

“I hope my life gets better here on” she muttered to herself.

A car revved behind her and she jumped forward to avoid it splashing water on her.

“Hey, drunkards, watch where you are driving!” she screams at the numerous boys in the car.

One of them screamed out, “You dare talk to us like that, we ain’t dating ya then” and the rest began laughing.

Claudia eyes widened. That was actually the normal line of Wright’s twins brothers.

Wright had told her that since his brothers think they’re basically every girl’s dream guy, they threaten to never date any girl to force the girls to do their bidding.

As much as it was stupid, Wright added that it usually worked as the girls reluctantly did as they wish.

Just then an idea struck Claudia and she started running after their car.

“Hey, Doni, Dani, Micah, Mark, Josh and John! We meet again” she sighed after that, she was really surprised she still knew those names.

They slowed down a bit and she caught up. They began rolling their eyes at her as she came closer.

“It’s me, Claudia, Wright’s friends. You guys are awesome crazy drivers. Might crashing me at my home, I’m tired” she said with pleading eyes.

They stared at her for a while, perhaps trying to guess where they knew her from.

“C’mon, Wright, friend, Classmate, Claudia. I came to your house once to pick up Wright from school” she emphasized.

Doni began nodding and whispered something to his brothers. They began shaking their heads as well.

Claudia wasn’t sure if they recognized her but they told her to enter their “van”, she was glad and did so without hesitation.

“So you are Wright’s friend? Do you know any boy named Larabee?” One of the boys narrowed his eyes at her.

“Um.. No. Is there any boy named Larabee that Wright talks about?” Claudia could sense where they were going but she rather not clear them up.

“Hmmm… if you don’t know Larabee, virtually the only friend Wright claimed he had before that Michael boy, then I doubt you are a friend with Wright” he replied.

Another one quickly added, “Maybe just a classmate tryna steal a ride home”.

Before Claudia could defend another one shouted, laughing, “Or trying to seduce us in the car, baby I’m ready”. They all began laughing and Claudia was visibly pissed off.

“Jeez, Doni, stop with the sassy talks. I’m not those your sexy video game anime characters you play all the time” she sighed and folded her arms. They all fell silent and scrutinized her.

“You’ve seen me playing my games?” Doni looked shocked. She nodded, proudly.

Dani, who was driving, pulled the car to a halt, surprising both Claudia and his other brothers.

” Wright wouldn’t have talked about Doni’s games at school cos he hates Doni’s video games filled with sexy anime girls” he licked his lips quickly making Claudia cringe.

“You must have come to our house to have seen Doni playing them. Question one is, where you invited or came by your own will? Question two is, if you came by your own will, where we aware you came or you came in as a burglar?”.

He was now frowning but his brothers burst out laughing. Claudia would have laughed too if not for the serious face he was having.

“You think she would sneak into our house without us knowing” Doni smiled.

“Yeah, and what’s M-twin’s dogs for?” Someone said, presumably Josh or John, since M-twin’s were Mark and Micah.

Dani still had his serious face, waiting for his answer. Claudia was really enjoying it but she decided to clear things up to continue her ride home.

“Don’t fear, Dani. I’m the Larabee. I don’t how Wright gave you guys the impression that I’m a boy but I’m really Claudia Larabee” she showed them a picture of she and Wright on their last year graduation and her student ID with her surname.

She asked them to call Wright if they doubted but they quickly claimed they remembered.

“I can’t believe you guys have so thin a memory but I guess you see tons of girls everyday so would easily forget my face” she shrugged.

Dani still looked unsure but Doni and the rest seemed calm.

“I guess I remember you though, I don’t know. I’m Micah by the way. Official youngest, second to Wright only” Micah said.

Claudia just smiled. She wasn’t ready for a full introduction by all of them but they still gave it.

She could catch that while Doni, oldest, Dani, second eldest, were the video game experts and lawyer respectively.

The rest were all into different aspects of Engineering. With Mark being the only one in the medical department.

Their ages surprised her but she guessed that maybe that was why they were so random.

She thought they’d be much older since Wright seemed to respect them a lot much that he said he rarely called them by their names.

The first set, Doni and Dani were just twenty-three. Next set, Josh and John, were twenty-one. The last, Mark and Micah, were nineteen.

“We are all adults” Micah emphasized on the adults, making his brothers laugh. She simply told them she was seventeen, not like they asked, not like it mattered.

But so they’d know they’re dealing with a minor and never make dating threats.

She also added that she was a twin herself and showed Clara’s picture.

She was surprised when they, unlike other boys, didn’t gush over Clara’s beauty and just nodded. Mark adding that “Twins are the best”.

“So, you’re the Larabee Wright said tossed a boy twice your size down at another student?” Josh asked suddenly.

Claudia face slammed. That was something that happened at her grade 8, she barely knew Wright then. Had he been always fangirling her?

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