He despised his puberty phase with a burning passion sometimes. It ran amok in his body beyond his control, and he hated anything that was out of his control. Body hair grew anywhere they liked, as did body odor, and the one he hated the most was a random erection out of nowhere anytime his dick wanted. He had it under control for the past years, but everything was ruined a week ago because of a little kid. He knew better. Renata was only a year younger than him; however, her look was so young that he felt like a pedophile these days. Right at that moment, he was sure puberty hated him back.
As tempted as he was at the moment to jack off, he couldn't stand for her image to be tainted with his depravity. No porn materials either; he didn't want his perversion to take a sudden downturn more than it already had. He conjured up some grotesque photos he had seen in his life to distract himself. It worked, for now.
Renata was the only girl Wilson had ever felt comfortable being friends with. He wouldn't believe such a cliché as falling in love. Perhaps falling in lust, which was the reason not to dishonor her. Sure, his mind sometimes, at least once a day, wandered to her small face (his large hands could easily cover it completely), or her goofiness (she shamelessly farted near him once just to prove a point that girls also fart, and who would hold a pencil between her mouth and nose while thinking). She might not be the smartest girl around him, but she was not stupid, more like an airhead (Lyle was to be blamed). Her eyes shone brightly every time she talked about girly stuff, though he didn't quite grasp the concept, but she was entertaining in explaining it to him. She was not boring to be around.
And above all, he dared to say that she was humble. Most girls in his school loved to brag about their new expensive stuff, often, if not daily. Some even brag about their nip-tucks or their recent shags. Renata, on the contrary, was most certainly richer than those girls but still confidently wore a $60 wristwatch and an $80 anklet. His sneakers were probably more expensive than hers; his birthday watch easily cost his father around $500 last year.
Wilson turned off the shower after he sneezed several times. He threw his clothes in the washing machine as he dried himself. After he put on some clothes, he started to clean his mum's apartment. He was perplexed as to how she could live in such a disorganized environment. She couldn't do any housework, yet her things were expanding and piling up everywhere. His foot always knocked on or stepped on something here. Photography books, hers or other authors, magazines, and camera stuff littered every corner of this small apartment. Living with his father must be a torture for his mom. Maybe that's another reason why they were getting a divorce, aside from Naoki.
He was wondering why the shower water was so much colder than usual earlier when the corner of his eye caught falling white dust outside the window—it was snowing. Wilson rested his vacuum and watched the beautiful sight. It wasn't heavy, but everything was still covered in the white beauty. Though it was cold, he loved winter the most. He used to play in the snow with his late little brother when they were in New Zealand and at their home in New Jersey. How he missed him dearly. Next April will be two years since Naoki left their family. If Naoki was still alive today, he would be the same age as Renata. It would be whimsical to see Naoki in the same class as her.
Wilson put his melancholy mood behind him and continued to tidy up the place. As he was about to put away the garbage bags, his phone vibrated. James sent him a message, and he didn't notice that he missed messages from Renata.
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Renata : SNOW!!
(✿ŎヮŎ)
.:*ﾟ;+⸜₍⁽ˊ▽ˋ⁾₎⸝.:*ﾟ;
- Picture received -
- Picture received -
- Picture received -
The first two pictures showed snow in her front and backyard, her dog was in the pictures, digging in the thin snow. The last picture was a cup of hot cocoa with lots of marshmallows on her kitchen counter, perhaps. A wide grin on his face pulled him out of his bitter mood.
Wilson : I see you plan to buy another pair of trousers; how many of them have you ripped so fat?
Wilson : Sorry, I meant to say so far, not so fat.
He was waiting for her usual angry answer, but her answer was different than usual.
Renata : Am I gaining weight lately?????? Did my cheeks look chubbier than usual the last time you saw me????
But before he could reply, she had already replied.
Renata : Holy cocoa, damn cocoa. I just checked my scale, I gained weight!!! I'm fat!!!
(9 >̣̣̥ ⌒ <̣̣̥)9
Wilson : You are not fat; I was just joking with you. Calm down.
Renata : My height is 163cm, I weigh 57kgs, according to the site I should weigh 49-52 kgs.
I did gain some weight, 2 kgs, even though we just got off from school 3 days ago.
(╥︣﹏╥᷅)
Wilson : What site? Not everything on the internet is true. You are not fat, Renata. I was just joking.
Wilson swore he would never mention weight or anything related ever again; he was having a cold sweat. A girl like Renata could have insecurities about her body image? That was the first time Wilson learned about it. Was it because of the perfect image she always had to have? The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. Renata might not have a typical model body, but she was not fat. When he touched her arms, he could feel a tight muscle underneath her softness. Her activities at the equestrian and squash clubs had to be the reason.
Renata : This site about healthy bodies [https://primhealthybody.com] said so.
Wilson might have accidentally slipped something onto that damn site—a virus or malware, potentially. What kind of site was that? He would definitely visit this site later.
Wilson : Renata, if you really are concerned, which I don't understand why, you could consult a VALID nutritionist.
NOT just any random site. You are perfect as you are.
Renata : Are you serious? or are you just sweet-talking me?
( ≖.≖) hm
Wilson : I don't think I could gain anything by sweet-talking you.
Renata :
(ﾉꐦ ⊙曲ఠ)ﾉ彡┻━┻
What are you doing for a week off?
Wilson was relieved; Renata was back to her usual self. However, he was wary of telling anyone about his family, so he only told her about staying at home and doing some housework. As he was replying to her, he checked what message James had sent him earlier. He asked Wilson to help him in a new PC online game, COD. He replied to James that he would join him in two days. While he turned on his Macbook Pro, he scrolled through James's previous messages.
Few weeks ago, James sent him a photo of Renata standing in the school bus. It was the day she went on a date with Lyle. He didn't understand why James sent him, but he also didn't understand why he saved it to his laptop later that day. She looked cute, pretty, radiant, and happy. Nothing special about her. Many girls were cuter than her in school; some were even beyond gorgeous.
As he stared at the photo, realization dawned on him. Renata looked like this for Lyle; she made an effort to look beyond nice. Was there no other guy than Lyle? Sure, he was handsome and rich like her, but his personality was not as good as his looks. He put his phone down and started to work on his laptop, as he was annoyed. What was Renata like from Lyle? He remembered the night before they went on a date, Renata was over the moon talking about Lyle. Was her criteria for a boyfriend just a good-looking face and body? What about their personalities?
How could she be so blind? Wilson had told her before that Lyle never stuck with a girl for a long time. She was so upset about Lyle-Meghan, even though it was just her speculation. No solid evidence about them hooking up on that day, and yet, Renata was bitter for a week. Her feelings for Lyle had to be strong, as evidenced by her jealousy. Otherwise, why would she be bothered, why would she be jealous of Lyle? The thought irritated him further but soon turned into dread. What if Lyle never had any relation with Meghan? Would she desire Lyle again?