Favored by Indivia

19

Chapter Nineteen

In which she tries to escape responsibilities.

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[Ross Pagette Monstine.]

I turned my phone off.

While I know I was pissing everyone off, I could not believe that getting Clara’s phone number would bite me in the ass. She had been texting me non-stop, trying to make me guilty by backing away from everything. Even if I mentioned that I will continue being in the competition, she continues to act as if it falls in my responsibility if she couldn’t help Matthias.

Frankly, while I do feel bad about ending the lesson—I knew it was for the better.

Keeping Matthias by the side would hurt Ryli in the long run. Even if I didn’t feel like I was planning to steal him from my sister, it would hurt to see the end goal of whatever I had planned.

“Are we packing these, too?” Ryli’s voice rang in the living room, ushering my brother to visit her bedroom to help her pack.

There is one exception to which I am forced to stay close to my sister, and that is today—and the weekend that follows. We are all coming back to visit our parents since it’s my stepmother’s birthday tomorrow. She expected that we’ll miss the day, seeing that we have our own schedules—but we are all willing to miss our Friday and Saturday schedules to visit her.

After all, it had been a while since we got home.

We all needed some pick-me-ups.

“Ross,” Ryder walked back to the living room, checking on me. “Do you have everything packed? We’ll be leaving in an hour or so, maybe even later if Ryli continues to f**k up her—”

“I can hear you!” Ryli hollered back at him.

The situation that I had met yesterday still sits in the back of my head. Ryder and I never doubt anything that is going on in Ryli’s life. Of course, we both knew that we had little to know, as she never really bothered to tell tales of her daily life. Ryder once mentioned how he was worried about her, but not once did we ever do anything.

Now that we are in this situation, I truly wondered if there is something that we needed to know. I wanted to tell Ryder about what I noticed, but I don’t think tonight is a good time for us to share this information.

“I don’t think we need this,” Ryli walked to the living room, showing a box of chocolates to my brother. She seemed really confused, “It’s not like we’re overseas. We’re only a few hours away.”

“It’s not for home, that’s for you to eat while we’re driving. You’re cranky when you’re hungry.”

“I hate you.”

She doesn’t act off, and I don’t think there is a piece of visible evidence that she was having some issues. Not once in the years that she had spent here did she seem like she was worried about something, or had she ever been in trouble. Ryli lived her life well—on top of her class, and gathering everyone’s attention. I hardly think that she has a problem.

But why this Joaquin and that woman seemed worried for her?

And where was she yesterday?

When I got home, Ryder did not seem worried that Ryli was not in the dorm. In the events that Ryli was absent—in his knowing, might I add—she had always been lounging around the dorm, obviously covered with a blanket and blowing through a napkin. Since she only misses her class when she is sick. Both Ryder and I were under the impression that she had impeccable attendance records since she always leave on time.

So... did Ryder not know that she had been missing some classes? I think so.

“Ryli, I have a question.”

She looked in my direction and offered the same smile as she always does. It made me remember how Sadie acted, wondered if my sister knew of that. “Yeah? What is up?”

“The…” I paused, unaware of how to phrase the words. “Yesterday, I uhm…” she didn’t look bothered by the words. She still has that same smile and expression on her face, so I reckoned that it wasn’t that bad. “I just—well. Samantha seemed really late yesterday. Did an event happen at your department?”

I saw Ryli shake her head. “No, I didn’t think so.”

“Really? She mentioned that there were banners everywhere yesterday,” I lied. I didn’t know why I wanted to make sure if she’ll say it on the school grounds or not—but it feels like my mouth was quick to act before my brain could process what was happening.

“Yeah, I am sure,” Ryli agreed, chuckling a little. While I could see that she did not seem bothered about the question—probably because the conversation was anchored to a friend of mine—there was a flash of panic in her eyes. It only lasted a second, and I couldn’t even verify it for I think I was simply looking for a reason to pin something on her. Adding fuel to the fire, she continued. “If there were banners everywhere, I would have seen it yesterday. However, the buildings seemed fine. Nothing that could be celebrated.”

Now, that was a lie.

This was the first time that I knew that Ryli was lying. Ryder entered the conversation, asking if she was even aware of what was happening in the department, yet Ryli simply laughed it off. She was talking as if she was present, but I am sure that everyone that I met mentioned that she didn’t attend the class that day.

Even when I exit the building, Joaquin mentioned that she wasn’t there.

Why is she lying?

I didn’t know if she was planning to hide the fact that she wasn’t in class yesterday in order not to let Ryder be informed that she was missing them when she was leaving the house every day—or something else. Frankly, there was no telling with Ryli.

Her life is a mystery to everyone in the house.

.

.

I hardly had time to think about Ryli’s situation.

Ryder would be driving for the whole eight hours, probably taking a break and a few rest stops for a while. I still haven’t got a chance to get my driver’s license, and Ryli didn’t sleep enough last night to drive. That being said, the twins take turns at every rest stop—but it seemed like it wouldn’t be happening now.

“I’ll take the passenger seat.” I quickly informed Ryli, who is a few steps into opening the door. She looked confused, as it was new that I would let anyone else seat in the backseat. I liked the space that it provides, and I usually sleep during the whole eight-hour ride. However, I could see the bags in Ryli’s eyes. “You need some sleep.”

She blinked, nodding gently. “Thanks, Li—” there was a pause in her words, and she didn’t even bother to continue her words. Ryli simply slipped into the backseat, sinking to the seats without much of a bother. She already has her blanket to cover her fully.

“Is everything alright?” Ryder asked, upon seeing Ryli in the backseat. “Did she steal your place?”

I shook my head. “No. I slept well last night, and I don’t think she has. Ryli looked like she was close to passing out any moment soon. She needs some rest.”

“Huh.”

The words felt like a surprise to him, like he was expecting that I would say that. How he was reacting to this made me feel just how evil I had been with the whole thing. It was expected that in situations like this, someone needed to compromise. I never really checked if any of them had any sleep or needed some space to breathe.

From what I remembered, both Ryder and Ryli offered me all comfort. There used to be a time when I thought that they were just humoring me since I am an only child. But as the year progressed, I think they just genuinely wanted the best for me.

But I am too selfish to notice.

“We should get going,” I mentioned, walking to the passenger’s seat.

Ryli already seemed to settle in the back. If she was already asleep in the small seconds that she had sunk in those sheets, I think she truly needed that backseat. Of course, I wanted to take a rest myself. However, I have some responsibility. I needed to make sure to entertain my brother—since I don’t want him to doze off and effectively kill everyone.

“Ryls, you doing okay?” Ryder asked, looking back at the seat.

There wasn’t even a reply from our sister, and we couldn’t even see her face. She was fully covered and facing in a different direction. Ryli doesn’t particularly snore and isn’t one to roll around in her sleep. Not only that, but even if she’s awake—she wouldn’t particularly reply when she’s in that zone. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had AirPods on.

So there was no telling if she was asleep, or awake.

“Maybe she’s asleep,” I mentioned.

Ryder nodded. “I think she is.”

Ryder drives well, as he had good guidance when he was learning. I knew that I didn’t need to worry when he was the one behind the wheels. The only thing that I do need to make sure is to make sure he wouldn’t get bored behind them. After all, he did have a history of feeling drowsy when he’s surrounded by people who are all sleeping.

“Did we purchase a gift?” I asked, wanting to fill in the dead noise between us.

Ryder was focused on the road but managed to reply to my words. “She told us that she didn’t need anything. Ryli wanted to give her a bag, but we thought that she’ll probably have a lot of those offered tomorrow.”

That does seem true.

She’s a professional model, so there are many brands that give her free stuff whenever it’s her birthday. I hardly remembered anything that she truly wanted. Every time that any of us asked what she wanted, she simply mentioned how she wants everyone back at home.

Natalie is a good mother, enough that I could say that all the good things I had experienced in my childhood were a product of my parents. It was easy to see how much our parents took pride in their family, enough that despite their busy schedules—not once did any of us felt like we were abandoned.

They were both there when we needed them. No excuses, and no disappointments. I know that they both suffered a lot in order to give us that childhood, and we are all thankful for that.

“I bet Reid is jumping around knowing that Ryli’s coming back home,” I mentioned.

Ryder’s face turned a bit sour, which made me chuckle. Reid is our 8-year-old little brother. He’s always been attached to Ryli by the hip—especially since they were born on the same date. Ryder, who was only a few minutes earlier than Ryli had never been bothered that he was born at 11:59 am.

For years, he begged our parents to tell Reid that he was also born on the same date as them. He wanted to be included, as Ryder always wanted a little brother. But no matter how much he tries, Reid’s completely smitten with Ryli.

“I talked to him on the phone, and he can’t shut up about asking where Ryli was,” Ryder complained, which made me chuckle more. Seeing him act like a child had always amused me. He was always easy to handle, but we often see his guarded personality when we’re all on the campus. Maybe it was the fact that we’re all heading home, so he’s slowly coming back to the Ryder I knew best. “He couldn’t even ask if I was doing alright, or if we were coming back home. All he cared is if Ryli is coming.”

That does seem like Reid.

“Mother mentioned that he’s taller than me when I was eight, so I think Reid decided for himself that I am not competent enough to protect Ryli.” He sighed.

I let out a smile. “He always thinks that nobody is enough to protect her.”

There used to be a time when I was so jealous of the situation between Reid and Ryli. While it was a toxic thing to think about, Reid is the only blood sibling I have. He’s a product of my stepmother, and my dad. The one that ties us into being a real family. During the time that we didn’t have him, Ryder was there to follow me around.

Ryli used to be on her own and rarely stepped near me. So when Reid comes around, she was always all over him. She gave me the space whenever I visit him, but she did grow closer to him. Ryli helped our mother more than I ever did.

So it was expected that Reid would develop attachment to her since she basically played as the second mother of our sibling. The second I realized that I didn’t even feel jealous. I was just happy since it did seem like Ryli liked what she was doing.

“Maybe we’re bad with children,” I mumbled.

Ryder chuckled, nodding his head. “Remember how you made Steve cry at the last gathering?”

“That was you, Ryder. You only pulled me so I could take the blame.”

We both let out a laugh, remembering how our nephews basically run away from us. Of course, that was for a reason. Ryder used to be a naughty child, and he would have me around whenever he pulls some pranks.

That being said, it seemed like we traumatized our nephews.

“At least it was fun.” He says.

It was.

As much as it is f****d up to admit that traumatizing our nephews is one of the memories I treasure, it truly was. I could defend both me and my brother, and say that it was all some light prank—but everything could make a young child cry. That being said, even if it was not enough to get them hurt, most of them associate their crying with us.