[quick author's note: This chapter is full of happy banter- maybe even a little bit of Joaq being JEALOUS AF, HAHA, I WONDER WHO HE'S JEALOUS OF, does another guy like Iri ;)- so I hope you all will enjoy it!

Now a more serious note... to my readers from Vietnam and France, please don't be offended by the brief mention of the Vietnam War. It was personally one of the hardest chapters for me to learn and memorise due to its complexity that's why I chose to have Irina mention it. I am sincerely sorry if any of you are offended by my mentioning it, it is unintentional.]

"OH MY GOSH, how am I supposed to memorise the full of Vietnam's long, complicated history in two days??? The test is in TWO DAYS, JOAQ! What am I going to do?" I tear my hair out as I try to remember which countries invaded or colonised Vietnam was mostly from- France and....??? France and...? Damn it, I can't remember even though I just made new notes for this particular chapter.

"This suits you," Pat says while she ruffles my hair, making it even more unkempt in the process.

"Being stressed suits me? Gee, thanks." All thoughts of memorising the heavy content of Vietnam's history flies out of the window and I shoot daggers at Pat with my eyes.

"A little. But the fact that you are being stressed because you want to do well for something you are passionate about learning about well, that's commendable. And it suits you best." I almost smack my friend when the true meaning of her otherwise seemingly callous and cold-hearted remarks sinks in.

Pat Sils knows me so well that she's like a walking, living tome titled "How to Get Irina Pan Under Your Thumb". She really is the only one who can reel me in and play with my heart. In a good way.

I trust Pat with my life. She will never do anything to harm or hurt me.

She's my sister, one that is not related by blood or any familial ties, and that is another factor that makes our bond even stronger. The two of us hang out so often that people have mistaken us for real sisters to even lovers (lmao) and our periods never fail to be in-sync every time. 

Joaq and I are girlfriend-boyfriend, Pat and I are soulmates.

There is no Irina Pan or Patricia Sils if one does not exist. The two of us are the complements of each other and are never truly ourselves if the other partner is missing. It's like having PB&J without the jam- something will feel amiss, something is amiss, and you may eat the bread with just peanut butter alone, but it won't be the same.

You will miss the jam, no matter how much you try and placate and convince yourself that you are fine.

"You two... there's a tension in the air. Sure you two aren't madly in love with each other but just refuse to acknowledge it?" quips Lae with her manicured hand on her chin, winking suggestively at us.

"Oh, what makes you think we haven't?" Pat blows a kiss to Lae and flashes her a coy smile. "We've acknowledged the platonic love between us. We're madly in love, except that is platonic and romantic."

"Ayy," Pat and I high-fived roughly and we cheer together in celebration of her smart comeback. "Good one, Pat!"

A pair of familiar soft lips lands on my mouth in a passionate show of claim and jealousy. When we break apart, my face is flaming red as I have never been kissed in that way by Joaq. I should make him green with envy more often.

"She's mine," Joaq clasps my hand as if actually worried that I will leave him. "Mine. We're Irim."

Pat and I shoot each other a knowing look via our telepathic communication. But we are the ones who created the ship name Irim, didn't we?

Pat shakes her head. No. Don't mention that, babe. Or maybe you should. I want to see the possessive beast inside of Joaq.

I groan aloud and sigh deeply. You are an idiotic ignomarous.

Pat winks. That I am, babe. That I am. I love you too. 

An infuriated growl oozing masculinity is elicited from Joaquim and he carries me bridal-style, grabbing my History textbook with his left hand. "We. Are. Going. To. Study. Together. No Pat."

Rendered speechless, I gaze at my boyfriend for a moment and burst into silent laughter at this new, unforeseen side of him. I love this.

___

"Analyse this part of 'Jane Eyre' for me. Do you think Bertha is the woman Jane wants to be? Is Bertha's main role to reflect Jane's deepest, twisted desires?"

My boyfriend glances up from the book and smolders at me. "I am a blessed man. My girlfriend is so darn intelligent- I honestly never thought of her that way."

Currently, Joaq and I are holding an earnest debate about the role that Bertha Mason plays in the classic book 'Jane Eyre' to help me out with my college essay on her. Joaq was more than willing to help me out and was even more eager when I promised to have more dates with him than I do with Pat as a reward. The catch is, he must have a better argument than me, the Literature prodigy, to receive it. 

"Good. The only woman who should be on your mind is me." I give him a peck and return to my Literature book. It is a true honour for me to analyse Charlotte Bronte's pure genius of a book as my homework. Thank you, Gracilius College!

"Let's be serious, Joaq. Jane has always been this solemn, depressed and plain girl throughout the book. In her aunt's home, she was bullied by her cousins, and when she was sent to that orphanage, her only friend died quite quickly in the book cos of TB. These are just one of the few examples of tragedies Jane experiences. 

Everyone wants to let loose and become their wilder selves when they feel lost. Bertha must represent Jane's inner desires. Jane couldn't be the demented woman Bertha is because of the rigid social codes that she must abide by. Moreover, Jane must be an exemplary example for Adele too as she is her governess. Bertha on the other hand, is basically a ghost. 

She's forgotten by the world so she has nothing to abide by. In a way, Bertha has freedom that Jane does not have. She's free to do whatever she wants and she doesn't care what people think of her. Thus, in my opinion, she serves as a representation of Jane's true desires." I end my lengthy lecture and smile when I see Joaq attentively listening to my argument. His gaze is a serious one and he strokes his chin while he comes up with an argument to debate with mine. 

After a while, Joaq puts his hands down and clears his throat. "Okay, you have a point. But hear me out. Another possibility is this: is Bertha a symbolism of women in that time? I mean, didn't Rochester marry her because he didn't know it was a scheme to get the Masons to inherit his wealth and not tell him that she's crazy? When he found out that she was insane, he locked her up in the attic and pretended that he is not a married man. So maybe she's a symbolism of women in the Victorian Era. 

Like, if you lose your worth, you are practically nothing. If your husband discovers you're disabled or insane, he's not gonna let any of his future kids carry your genes for fear that his family line will have his mad wife's madness. I mean, even now, in the modern age, everyone wants their kids to be healthy. The chances of a kid coming from someone not in their right mind is a 50% chance right? Who's going to take that risk? So maybe she represents women, well more specifically, the women who are carriers of a disease or mental disorders in that era."

I listen to my boyfriend's argument, and find myself agreeing to his theory. "It is possible. Bertha is so much more than just a murderous, dangerous and demented wife that she's portrayed to be. One really has to truly analyse her to really appreciate Charlotte Bronte's book."

A moment of comfortable silence sets in after our fierce debate. We just sit side by side, me sipping my Jolly Shandy beer and him, his coffee.

___

"So, who won?" Joaq queries later in the evening.

"One what?" Pat mumbles unclearly and bread crumbs fall onto my otherwise pristine table as a result.

"Don't eat with your mouth open! Lady Luck must be smiling on you. Laetitia literally just left moments ago, and if she was still here, Pat, you'll be six feet down now." Joaq wipes the crumbs into an empty cup and proceeds to clean up.

As if she's still a puerile kid, Pat sticks her tongue out, steps out of her chair and kicks his thigh.

"OEI YOU STUPID!" Joaq bellows and flicks water at her.

"Hey, you two-" I try to stop them as I can foretell a full-blown water fight coming, but my attempts are futile. Irritated by Joaq successfully getting her Chanel shirt wet, Pat smacks his head and grabs a cup half-full of water and throws it at his pants.

"You!" Joaq curses colourfully, and I watch in amusement as the chaotic scene unfolds in front of my very eyes.

I decide to retire from my role as a mediator and become a member of the audience instead. I sit back and relax, drinking from my beer as if all's right with this house and my kitchen is slowly drowning away. However, my tranquil state fades away when water hits me.

"KIDDOS! STOP THIS INSTANCE!"

Four words from me, the master of the house, and all is silent.

"No prizes for you, Joaq, and Pat... grow up. You two," I wag my middle finger at the mess they've made, "clean it up."

Then I leave the kitchen that is in a miserable state of disarray, turn a deaf ear to its weeps and pleas and head to my bedroom like a boss.

After locking the door, I jump into my bed and cackle joyfully.

Another tick off my 2020 bucket list: scold people in a grave manner for a minor issue and pretend to be furious until you're alone.

Mission accomplished.

Hey guys hoped you enjoyed this chapter!

I know it'll be tough to cross-off some of your 2020 bucket list items but making simple and even childish ones like Iri's will work for this year. It may even bring joy to you and those around you as long as it is a harmless prank HHAHA MY EVIL MASTERMIND.

the things we do when we're bored... 😂😂🤣🤣 ALSO GREAT NEWS- my first book on Wattpad, Power, recently won an award hosted by Awards_Love. I won 1st place in Adventure genre, and 'Best Four' category! I am so happy :) check out Power if you want to!

Hope you all have a slightly less boring day ahead of you! Thank you for all your love and support guys!!! Please let me know if you want another chapter that is similar to this!!