"The way I see it is that some things are just meant to be the way they are."
— Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

My father always told me to think before speaking a word ever since the day I was very disrespectful in our family in a Cohen Family Reunion. I said words I should've thought first before saying. Words that will make you hate a person. Hurtful judgeful words. That day I was inconsiderate because it was the day my mom kept on bugging me to put my book down and chitchat with cousins. She confiscated my book before going to the car.

"A book is a conversation starter," I pointed out. "If one of my cousins wanted to talk to me, this is a hint. An opening."

Instead of agreeing, my mom confiscated my book. She told me to smile and have small talk with them instead. I gritted my teeth and furrowed my brows. Before getting in the car, I rolled my eyes and mummered, muggle. I slipped my hand in my back pocket and pulled out my phone. I smiled in victory.

Thank the gods e-books are invented.

A little later in the car ride, my mom figured out what my plan was and confiscated my phone too.

"Do I really have to go there mom?" I complained.

"Yes. And I expect for your best behavior. No reading," she said firmly.

I snorted. "Now I know how the african slaves felt. Being dragged from their homes by a white man," I mumbled.

"Are you seriously comparing a family reunion with one of the greatest tragedies in the history of mankind?" She asked, disbelief from my comparison.

"Yes," I simply answered.

After that, when my dad turned left and there wasn't any traffic, my mom exclaimed happily, "no traffic! It's like we're sailing."

"Yeah, like in a boat." I said. "Sailing from Africa to America." I muttered.

"Gwen!" my mom cried out. "That's completely inappropriate. You can't keep comparing yourself to a slave."

I looked at my mom. "Yes, Mistress."

When we were at the reunion, I was bored so I did what she asked me, but with a mood. I judged my cousins, told them very hurtful words and I was impolite to the elders.

After that day, my father talked to me calmly about it and I pointed my side of the story calmly too. I learned my lesson — I did because my father sent me out of the house to "play" with the neighbors and socialize — I was really careful with words and what I thought, until now.

"What?!" I said, a little to loud. Everyone was looking at me and I quietly said 'Sorry'.  And then I thought of, and that is why kids, you don't disagree with a teacher even though they're very wrong.

I know that my back story doesn't really mix with what I exclaimed but I just wanted to tell the story of how I was treated like a slave.

I dismissed Maxon being a Gillepsi too quickly becuse I got all my attention to Mr. Tiberius writing something in the Violation Report and dismissed the class when the bell rung. "The project will be further explained tomorrow, goodbye class."

I put my stuff back in my bag in a hurry. I don't wanna stay here and be stuck with Weasley boy. When I was done fixing my bag, I swiftly walked out the door.

❄️📚❄️💜❄️

Every once in a while, I see Luke walking with someone in the hallways, I always wave at him and he just ignores me like he can't see me. Am I wearing Annabeth's Yankee cap? Or Harry's invisibility cloak?
I gave up hope for him to notice me after a while and went to minding my own business. Students around me were still gossiping about the Christmas Party and called me Mary a few times. I was thankful for the book that dethroned reality.

After sixth period, when I went outside, Luke suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Gwen!"

Reflexively I shrieked. "OH MY GODS, LUKE!" I exclaimed. I put a hand on my forhead, rubbing it.

"Oops," he said. "I forgot that you're super, ultra sensitive." I rolled my eyes.

"I need to go, I'll be late for Lit, and that's my favorite. Bye." I said quickly and turned away.

I was free until Luke reached for my hand and led me in an empty classroom. "What the?" I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"Okay. Talk. Why are you so cold towards me?" Luke asked. Unbe-freaking-lievable. Me? Cold towards him? I laughed half-heartedly.

"Look, Luke," I chuckled because of Luk-luk, before continuing, "I have no idea what you're talking about. But I really need to go." I tried to push his hand away from me but Luke resisted.

"Talk. Now."

"You want to talk?" I asked him rhetorically. I should stop talking right now but I can't stop. "Leaving me alone was okay. I'm used with people leaving me. People around me leave all the time. But what hurts like hell is that you made me feel so damn special yesterday, then you make me feel so unwanted today! What the hell's wrong with you?" I said, nearly screaming at him. I quickly walked out the classroom after my burst out. I heard him ran after me so I went inside the nearest comfort room and slipped in a cubicle.

That was humiliating. He didn't tell me yesterday we were friends, so who am I to assume? I'm such a girl. I cannot believe I'm crying. Damn this tears. There are two types of anger. One is dry, and the other is wet. Basically, wet anger is when your eyes are watery and your voice shakes. I hate wet anger because it makes me feel weak and because I'm crying. I prefer dry anger better because your face is like stone and your voice is sharp. But I guess wet anger shows how you truly care and dry anger shows you that you're done.
Nevertheless, I still have no idea why the heck I am angry at him. I mean, I have no right to be angry at him, right? We weren't close or anything. He's just a guy I spent hours with yesterday. Just that guy.

I heard someone enter so I kept my voice down.

"Gwen?" Luke called out from outside my cubicle. "I'm sorry that I made you feel unwanted. I didn't know."

"It's fine I guess..." I tried to say but it was muffled with hiccups. I wiped my tears and went out of the cubicle. Luke was just standing outside, looking distorted.

"It's not fine. Look at you, you're crying." he pointed out.

"It happens," I said with a shrug, sniffing my nose. I continued, "I mean, I can't even go with the day without crying— you know, crying over fictional deaths." I try to lighten up the mood. "I guess you're just the first, oh wait, you're not the first real person I cried over. But that's a first for this year." I wiped my eyes again.

"You keep records?" he asked, amused.

"Yeah, I like to keep tabs whenever I cry over fictional characters and then, like after ten years or something like that, I'll open that folder and laugh at my old self for crying but when I read the description who I cried over, my future self will cry too." I answered, thinking about Will Herondale and I didn't bother that it sounded weird.

Both of us were silent in a minute until I broke it, "well isn't this awkward?"

"It's only awkward when someone points it out."

"Oh. Then now it's awkward because I pointed it out."

"Meh," he shrugged, "I was waiting for you to say it."

"Gwen, look, I'm really sorry that you felt that way. Whenever I was trying to come near you, someone talks to you," I laughed softly in the background because he of his statement, "or one of us gets interrupted." he finished.

"Like before second period, I didn't wave back because Kriss knotted both of my hands— a bet, don't ask— and when I was free, you were tangled up with my cousin," he explained.

Okay. That confirmed it, Maxon Gillepsi is officially a Gillepsi.
Yes, he's legally and biologically a Gillepsi, I mean like in my mind. I first thought that Maxon was like his twin brother. But not identical.

"Oh," was all I can say.

N/A: Because I have three days worth of free days, I have time to continue writing. I cannot wait for summer and this academic year to be over. Thank you readers for still reading my work, I really worked on this, like I'll make my project if I'm done writing a chapter. I'm that hardcore. Like always, I'd love to hear your thoughts below in the comment section. This is not edited so excuse any grammatical errors. See you in the next update! ❤️