For The Stars Have Sinned

I sighed. I didn’t pick up the phone because a guard already did that. “Just throw it away,” I said as I entered the mansion.

I lied down on the bed and thought of Lyndon’s smiling face. Is that man happy that I cut ties with his cousin Kervy? My two eyebrows met.

The next day, I entered the University for another set of exams. The result can be obtained on the same day so I got it by afternoon. When I receive the paper and saw the score, my eyebrow raised.

“Eighty over hundred? From whom did you copy?” Reun asked suddenly when she glanced at my paper.

I laughed at what she said and jokingly hit her on the arm. “You’re really mean to me. I did study before exam, okay?” I said and rolled my eyes at her.

“Study?” Her eyes narrowed, and she looked at me from head to toe. “Rishell, you’re not the kind of person who reviews lessons.”

I looked at her for a few minutes before snorting. I don’t really like to study lessons but since I failed the exam, I realized that I should study. The Naval Architecture course is not something to be taken lightly. It takes effort to pass the grade. Just stepping into retention is fine for me.

“People learn lesson, eh. Okay?” I said and left her. She just laughed and shook her head as she returned to her seat. Reun was just like that, she would approach and then return to her chair. She only comes near me to gossip.

I put the paper with my score back in the folder. I walked to the front and placed the folder on the professor’s desk. Looks like Prof won’t come in today.

I just waited for dismissal time. Then, I went straight to the canteen. I even met Jamaica in the hallway talking to someone on the cellphone.

“Couz? I don’t know either. Maybe you should send her your love letters?” She laughed. “No, I can’t. Just book a ticket now, okay? I don’t want to see them.”

She didn’t even look at my direction and just passed by me. I didn’t chase her either. We’re not that close even though she told me what happened to her sister. Without minding Jamaica, I bought snacks and waited time for my next subject.

Later that afternoon, Gerard drove me home. My parents and I ate together before I went upstairs. I studied for a while before I stared at the ceiling when I remembered something — my books and merchs! I sighed, tapping my forehead, before taking a deep breath.

My things are at Lyndon’s house. Now that I’ve just rejected Kervy, it seems awkward to call Lyndon just to retrieve my things. But do I have a choice? My face is not thick enough to leave my things in someone else’s house. What if Lyndon retaliate in behalf of Kervy by burning my things? Well, I can’t sue him for that trivial matter, right?

Looking at the my things on the bedside table, I knew that I don’t have a phone to use. I was going to use the landline but I don’t have Lyndon’s number. I snorted.

“I’ll just ask father then,” I whispered as I left the room.

I went downstairs and into the living room and looked for Papa. I saw him watching television and his back on me. The television was on full volume so I knew he couldn’t hear me walking to him. So when I stood behind him, I poked a finger on his back.

He immediately stood and turned around to face me in shock, “Rishel!” he exclaimed.

I raised my eyebrows at Papa’s reaction and my gaze went to Mama sitting comfortably on the sofa. I just realized that Mama’s head was on his lap earlier, so when he suddenly stood up, Mama almost fell off the sofa.

The corner of my lips twitched. I don’t know whether to laugh or not. Mama’s face was red while Papa looked like he saw a ghost.

Mom jokingly pinched Dad’s side and frowned. She whispered something to Papa that I didn’t hear because the volume of the television was loud. Mama reached for the remote control and turned down the volume.

“Why do you look like that?” I whispered. When I noticed that Papa didn’t hear me very well because of the loud volume, I just cleared a throat and raised my voice. “Do you have the number of Engineer Lyndon, Pa?”

He reached for the phone on the center table. “Don’t do that next time, Rishel,” he said and handed it to me. “Why do you need the Engineer’s number?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Some trivial matters, Pa,” I said and accepted the phone he handed over. My eyes squinted. “If you and Mama didn’t do any miracles, you won’t be too surprised,” I whispered and I ran towards the stairs.

“What did you say, Rishel?” he asked with a raised voice which made me smile.

I went straight to my room and opened Papa’s phone. There is no security so I can quickly browse contacts. I was at a loss of words for few seconds because Papa has a lot of registered contacts that I knew was from his business partners. One wrong text and it will affect the company. Fortunately, there is a search button so I didn’t have to browse over these contact numbers.

I tried searching for the name Lyndon but nothing came up so I just used his last name. One number came out so I quickly memorized it.

Actually, it’s okay for me to use Papa’s phone, but I don’t want to use his number to call Lyndon. Papa told me that I can’t use his number for casual calls because that phone number is only for business. He might be confused earlier that’s why he handed me this phone. Anyway, Papa trusted me a lot.

After I memorized the number, I drew out my sim card and inserted it to Papa’s phone. That’s the sim card from the broken phone. Although that phone was broken on the road, I asked the guard to retrieve the sim card before throwing it. That way, I won’t lose my contact.

I called Lyndon’s number. The other line rang for three times before the attempt call was rejected. My eyes narrowed and I dialed again the number I had memorized. But the other line of the call wouldn’t answer.

If that’s the case, I couldn’t do anything but to send a message to that shameless engineer!

To Lyndon: Don’t hang up on me!

A few seconds passed when I received another text from him.

From Lyndon: I don’t have time for brats like you.

The corner of my lips twitched when I read his text. What is the problem with this man and why his message so mean? Such shameless engineer!

No matter what my message is, he doesn’t answer me properly at all, so I just keep on calling his number for nth times. I thought he was going to hang up on me, but on the fifth ring someone answered from the other line. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“What is your prob —”

He cut me off. “Stop calling me or I’ll sue you.”

I was stunned by his warning and raised an eyebrow. Why, does this man still have the urge to big talk?

“What’s your problem, huh? I just want to get my stuff that I asked you to hide. Do you believe I really wanted to call you? Bah! If not for my stuffs, I won’t spare time to contact you, old geezer!”

The other line was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. “Do I know you?” he asked.

“You forget me?” My eyes squinted and my teeth gritted. This man is so annoying! I have wasted time for his unreasonable words. Why won’t he admit where he hid my things and not waste both of our time, huh? “It’s Rishel!”

He was silent for a moment before he cleared a throat and spoke. “Rishell, the friend of Tiden?”

I frowned. Lyndon knew Tiden? How did he meet my friend? And why did his voice seem a little different today? My eyes squinted. Lyndon seemed different or I was just imagining things? “Yes, it’s me. When are you free? I’ll go get my things.”

“I’m sorry. I think you’ve mistaken. It’s Levi.”

Levi?

My lips pursed into a thin line. “What the heck. I’m not kidding. You — stop blabbering! Tell me when you are free or have you burned my things that’s why you’re pretending? Mr. Engineer, I don’t but your lies!”

I was more annoyed when I heard laughter on the other line. “You’ve really mistaken me for someone, Miss. I’m not the person you’re looking for because it’s Levi, the Vine’s vocalist. If I’m not mistaken, you must be Rishel? The one I’ve kissed under the sea?”

My lips parted to say something but I couldn’t find my voice. Levi? Kissed under the sea? My eyebrows met. I was silent for a few moments as my brain processed what he said.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

That Levitus Yushen, the vocalist of Vine? If he’s not Levi then how come he knew what happened between Levi and me under the sea?

“Levi,” I whispered. “Is this really you, Levi?”

He chuckled and said yes. “How did you get my number?” he asked.

I took a deep breath and tapped my forehead. “I think I mistyped the number I was going to call,” I answered him.

“I see.”