chapter 4

When she entered her house she had her dinner and went straight to her room.

She fell on the bed and looked up at the glow in the dark stickers she had kept on her ceiling. She reached out and put off her lamp, throwing the room in darkness making the stickers seem brighter as they glowed.

Suzanne closed her eyes.

"Tell me the reason why you like Ryan."

Andrew's words came back to her.

She flickered her eyes open. Why did I like Ryan?  She wondered within herself.

"You just liked the idea of liking him, you never did like him."

Andrew's response echoed in her head again.

She sat up and turned on the lights.

She got off the bed and walked to where her vanity was placed. She stared at the different pictures of Ryan she had over the mirror.

"You're not sure," Andrew looked at her in disbelief. "You made a fool of yourself for a guy you weren't sure why you liked him."

Suzanne took in a deep breath and tore down the pictures.

She opened the drawers and brought out the others and dumped them on the pile. She grabbed out the love letters she had in her closet kept hidden in a box.

She used to write to herself and pretend it was Ryan that wrote it to her.

She threw the box of letters on the pictures. Then she carried everything and headed downstairs, out the main door. Shane followed her with a curious expression but she ignored him.

She dumped them on the drive and with her brother watching, Suzanne lit a match she had with her.

She watched as the flames danced on the stick.

"Who's that?"

She remembered when she first saw Ryan.

"That's Ryan Zintez, he's our new classmate," her seatmate answered and buried her head in her books once more.

"He's cute," Suzanne sighed dreamily as she watched the blue haired boy take his seat beside a quiet boy using a small laptop.

Suzanne threw the match down and at once the letters and pictures caught fire.

Shane stared at Suzanne like she had lost her head as she looked at the flames hungrily attack the pieces of papers and pictures.

Shane knew that Suzanne held those stuffs dear.

What's up with her?

He wondered.

Suzanne watched the flames leap and dance as what she formerly considered precious started burning to ashes.

Suzanne walked over to meet Ryan once it was break time.

"Hi," she smiled at him. "I'm Suzanne."

He looked up with a cold glare.

"Like I care about that."

Suzanne was the 20th girl to introduce herself to him in a flirty way and he was sick of it.

Andrew who sat beside him chuckled at Suzanne's woeful expression.

She glared at Andrew.

"Leave, girl," Ryan told her irritatedly.

Suzanne smiled as the last picture burnt to ashes.

"I'm leaving. I'm leaving for good," she murmured.

After she had cleared up the mess she walked back inside. Shane made sure to stay clear of her that night. She wasn't acting like herself at all.

Suzanne laid on her bed again, looking at the ceiling.

"And you Suzanne know nothing about liking someone."

What Andrew said popped into her memory.

"I'm done this time." Suzanne whispered as an image of Ryan sneering coldly at her floated in her head.

"I'm done for real."

~~~

The doorbell of Suzanne's house rang.

Shane who was eating chips while watching some football as it was Saturday groaned as the doorbell rang again.

"Go away!" He yelled.

He didn't want to get up and open the door, he couldn't even get up to grab the remote to change the channel away from the sports channel he kept.

He felt like watching documentary but due to his laziness her refused to get off the futon he laid on.

Though the remote was on the center table he was too lazy to reach for it.

He had a huge bag of chips opened beside him and a can of malt by the futon on the floor where he could easily reach it. A pizza box was lying on the futon as well.

The door bell rang again.

Shane groaned aloud.

He and Suzanne were the only ones around as their parents had earlier gone to a couples program and they were returning late in the night.

"Suzanne! Suzanne!! Get off your lazy butt and come open the door!" Shane yelled when the door bell was rung for the fifth time.

Suzanne as usual was still in bed, fast asleep.

Shane muttered under his breath how unlucky he was to be stuck with Suzanne as a twin.

Suddenly the door lock turned and the door was pushed open.

Andrew stood at the doorstep with a bored look.

"How'd you get in?" Shane asked not in the least curious as his eyes were trained on the TV screen.

Andrew closed the door.

"I have a device that can open any lock," he replied nonchalantly.

"Good for you then," Shane said and crunched a chip. "If not you'd still be outside till now cos I don't have the strength to stand up, at all."

"Suzanne?" Andrew asked.

"Upstairs, her room. Asleep."  Shane added the last part quite disgusted.

As Andrew turned to head up the stairs Shane called him. "Say Andrew," Shane said.

Andrew turned back.

"Could you pass me the remote?" Shane asked sheepishly.

Andrew rolled his eyes but did as he asked. He then walked to Suzanne's room.

He pushed open the door and entered.

He saw Suzanne sprawled on her bed, an arm over her forehead while she snored softly. Her hair was scattered all over her pillow and she was partially covered with her quilt. One of her legs was sticking out of her quilt, revealing her bare foot.

Andrew glanced at her brand new alarm clock that was on her bedside table.

She had just gotten it yesterday night. If not that it was weekend, the clock would already be in smittens.

"Suzanne," Andrew gently shook her.

"Huh?" She half opened her eyes.

"Get up Suzanne, we have to meet up with CIN," he told her, standing straight.

"Andrew?!" She was fully awake by now.

"Hurry and get dressed," Andrew said and turned to go. Suzanne yawned and stretched her hands. As Andrew wanted to walk out of her room he noticed her vanity and some of her walls.

He glanced back at her and saw she was rubbing he eyes.

"Hurry up," he told her again before leaving.

"Whatever! You know it's not normal to disturb people's nice Saturday sleep! I'm supposed to sleep in you know?" Suzanne yelled after him in frustration, hitting her pillow in the process.

Andrew nodded inwardly.

Well done Suzanne.

He thought as he headed downstairs to meet Shane.