"I'll be there at 9, Soph."

"Ok then, see ya!"

I glanced at the clock only to curse underneath. It was already six o'clock, and Ethel would be there shortly. It was a Sunday, so I went for a jog to clear my mind. I headed to the track after changing into a white hoodie and a pair of matching shorts.

Ivy was dozing off, not from exhaustion or anything, but from a hangover. For an hour, she'd been complaining about a headache. I said my goodbyes by handing her an aspirin and a cup of hot black coffee.

Just a few people were on the track, so it wasn't packed. I jogged slowly down one of the lanes, smiling at the few passers-by who acknowledged me. Last night's event was already enough to cause drama in my life, but it seemed that few people were aware of it, which I was grateful for.

I was jogging down the corner when I screeched to a halt. 'Albeit he doesn't show us, but I know deep down somewhere, he too has feelings. It's just that he doesn't show it. ' Mysie's words came to mind as I watched the scene unfold in front of my eyes. As I watched Senior Aylwin play with the young boy, a silly smile danced on my lips.

Senior Aylwin stood by a black Range Rover with a nearly 16-year-old girl, a 3-4-year-old boy, and a tall young man with his back to me near the secluded area. Senior Aylwin lightly kissed the boy's forehead as he bounced up and down. The ginger-haired girl approached him and drew him into an embrace. Senior took a long, deliberate look at her before gently placing his hands on either side of her and kissing her on the forehead.

I was too preoccupied with grinning at them to notice when Senior caught me staring at him. His eyes found mine, which had been terrified. The girl followed his direction, meeting my shy gaze, as though feeling him spacing out.

Oh, shit! What am I supposed to do now?

So, I did what my mind told me to do: I immediately turned around and ran back to my dorms. Thank goodness no one else saw me!

I waited for Ethel after changing into a light floral dress. Ethel's crossover arrived near the entrance in a matter of moments. He jumped out and walked towards me, encircling me in a hug.

"Ready?" He asked, pulling apart. I nodded, smiling, "Born ready!" We hopped into the car and accelerated away.

We went inside an ice cream parlor after making a pit stop. There were a lot of people rustling around inside the shop. We took a seat by the window seat, which had a great view of the park across the street. I heard footsteps accompanied by a throat clearing. I let Ethel place my order because he was familiar with my tastes. I kept myself occupied by looking around the park, which was bustling with people walking, playing, and picnicking.

"Anything else, Sir?" The familiarity of the voice drew my attention. When I turned around to meet his eyes, the last person I expected to see was standing there.

"Austin?" He lifted his gaze from the order book to meet my surprised expression. His eyes widened, as though he hadn't expected to see me here. "Sophronia?"

"Are you guys familiar with each other?" Our stare down was broken by Ethel's intrusion.

I smiled and nodded. "Oh, indeed! Austin, this is my brother, Ethel, and brother, this is my friend, Austin." Austin gave him an awkward smile before rushing away to get our orders. Ethel gave me a puzzled expression.

"Well, he's not exactly gregarious." He nodded, as though he understood.

I went back, staring out of the window until I saw a certain black-haired guy with light golden hair. They were laughing as they sat on the grass. Senior Aylwin didn't seem to be laughing or smiling, but he did seem to be more composed and relaxing. The little boy abruptly jumped up and began chasing after him.

Senior Aylwin was everything a girl might desire. He had incredible looks, a tall and well-built physique, an authoritative demeanor, and rough-tough bad boy vibes. My eyes traced his every movement as he ruffled the hair of the young blonde boy. I could make out his gestures from this distance, albeit I couldn't understand or see his words or emotions clearly. He had an aura about him that easily drew people to him. It was difficult to avoid seeing him while we were in the same room. Not that I was into him or something, but I wouldn't mind having him as my boyfriend. To be honest, it was just the way he'd confined himself intrigued me to hell. Anyways, he and me? The thought alone made me laugh.

Austin's arrival interrupted my thoughts. "Here's your order. " I intervened when he was about to walk out. Ethel looked perplexed.

I said, politely, "Sit with us." He had a conflicted expression on his face, but he agreed otherwise.

He sat with us in silence before I asked, "When did you start working here?"

"Just a few days ago." he answered, his eyes not meeting mine.

"Are you okay? You seem a little off." He smiled and said, "Yeah, I'll be right back." He then walked away.

"Is he always like this or is today a special occasion?" Ethel inquired as he scooped his ice cream. "He isn't usually like this. I dunno!" I exclaimed, puzzled. We shared a few words here and there before I was hit by a thought. I turned towards him, who was engrossed in eating his ice-cream.

"Brother, how can someone mask their emotions so well?" I asked, and he stopped eating. Before facing me, he wiped his corner lips with his thumb.

"Asks the one who walks around with a mask on." This was not what I expected him to say. I smiled, nodding my head at him, "If façade brings you a new life, then it's best to move with it."

In denial, he shook his head. "Even knowing that at the end, it's going to destroy you? Break you?" He said, placing a palm on my cheek and softly caressing it with his thumb.

"Life isn't very appealing to me without a façade; sometimes we have to change our perspective to live again, even if it means being destroyed in the end; at least I'd be happy, even if it's for a short time; I'll be content," I said softly as I placed my hand on his.

"You're not living, Soph. You're just surviving, just surviving!" He exclaimed as he let his hand drop to his side.

"Let's go. I'm done!" I said quickly to change the subject. He nodded and straightened his shirt.

It was a soothing quiet in the car before his phone went off. I happily picked up the phone after checking the caller's ID.

"Hey mum!" My voice filled with excitement followed by Ethel's chuckle.

"Hello honey! How are you both?"

"We're fine mum. Where's dad?"

"A friend of his has met with an accident. So, he has gone to pay him a visit. By the way, Ethel, how's that girl? " Mom's sudden question startled us.

"Brother, you told mum that you were slapped by a girl? " I whisper-yelled Ethel.

He glared at me, "I didn't tell her, but guess what!? You indeed told her. Just great Soph, just great! " There was a hint of anger and irritation in his voice. I smiled sheepishly at him, mouthing to him, 'sorry'.

"Hey, what happened? Who slapped Ethel? Is he alright?... " I cut off mom saying, "Mom, you know how much of a mama's boy your son is, right? Still following Mama's instructions. So, he went to a restaurant, and there was a fight going on between the two girls. And my brother, being the saint that he is and a seeker of goodwill and nonviolence, told them to figure it out. They retaliated by slapping him. He's such a saint, my precious brother!" I said, brushing away a fictitious tear and suppressing a laugh.

Ethel whole-heartedly glared at me, killing me in different ways he could within his thick skull.

"My baby! My poor son!" I heard mum sob. "I'm so proud of my upbringing; you're doing a fantastic job, my son." Damn, my empathetic mother! Only if she was aware of what her 'baby' had done! The thought made me chuckle.

"By the way, mum, which girl are you asking about?" I inquired, puzzled.

"Ah, yeah! The one who was admitted to the hospital; the poor girl was sick, and Ethel brought her dates." My jaw hurt from laughing!

I didn't dare look at Ethel as he was so eager to kill me at any time.

"Huh! Sick, my ass! She got a new boy to take care of her somewhere in the club."

"New boy? Club? What are you saying?" Shit! Ethel smacked my head, glaring. Ow! I rubbed the sore spot.

"Mum, I'm getting calls from work. I need to take it. Will call you back." With this, he cut the call.

He came to a complete halt and turned to face me. Crossing his arms with a lifted brow, he said, "What was that? Saint? Peace lover? Seeker of goodwill?"

"My lovely brother. My best brother... " I said innocently, but he cut me off by raising his hand, "Save it, Soph. Sophronia goddamn Jasper, you're so dead!" I gulped down, knowing that side of him was really dangerous. Shit!

Except for the fact that Ethel was furious with me and I had to work my ass off to speak to him, the day flew by pretty quickly. You never know, he could be a real pain in the ass at times!

I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling. It was incredible how many unexpected events occurred that day. My thoughts were interrupted by a single individual who, despite doing nothing, managed to divert my attention.

I pulled out my phone and went straight to Instagram.

"Mr. Feelings once told me that he's not meant to mask. And yeah, from next time don't let Mr. Anger overpower you. You're too young to surrender yourself to Mr. Death. "

Gosh dang, did I do right? Well, it didn't matter anymore! He had a million followers to look after, after all. I closed my eyes and turned off the light, and Ms. Sleep visited me shortly after.

Even then, a small part of me hoped that he would see it and react in some way.

Just a small hope....