Chairey hung up the long-connected call unwillingly, she stared at the phone screen for a while with a small smile. The teenage girl with brown eyes looks so happy because she has a new friend.
Outside of that, Chairey felt Zen and Rei were friendly and kind. She doesn't understand how other people could be friends like her classmates, but now she has them, which makes Chairey feel like she's not alone anymore.
"Chairey? Chairey are you inside?"
The sound of the man calling her made Chairey a little surprised, immediately she turned her head towards the door and put away her mobile phone. Move slowly to find out who came looking for her.
"Yes?"Chairey replied briefly while finding out the source of the sound. Chairey opened the door, staring at a man with dark brown hair and a height of one hundred and eighty standing before her with a small pink pouch.
"Brother Joan! Its you who's looking for me, what's up? Come in, I'm doing nothing," Chairey exclaimed with a big smile. Now Chairey opened the door wide to let her guests in. Joan is an old neighbor of Chairey who she considers her own brother, considering that Joan is also close to her adoptive parents and also often helps her do things that Chairey cannot do alone.
Joan's house is located not far from Chairey's house, only four houses away. So that makes Joan more frequent visits to see the condition of the girl who lives alone.
"Oh? Relax? So relaxed that I have to call you so many times, what are you doing? Read a novel?" asked Joan with a frown. Joan stepped inside, locked the door and gave Chairey the pink bag she had been carrying.
"Hm? What is this? It's cold, " Chairey muttered with curious eyes. Joan giggled to see Chairey's reaction, slowly her big hand rubbed Chairey's hair until Chairey's hair was messy.
"Ice cream, your favorite. I saw that the store was giving a discount, so I just bought it for you and I also want to stop by here. Eat before it melts, oh yeah, what about your plumbing? Is there a handyman coming?" Joan walked towards the kitchen of Chairey's House as usual. The young man who was almost nineteen was staring around the house making sure nothing else was broken or had to be repaired.
"Nothing. It doesn't really matter, the only thing that is damaged is the warm water, I just cook the water and then mix it with cold water to take a shower. Not a big thing." Chairey replied lightly. Chairey doesn't really care about such little things when he can find other solutions, although adding to his work even Chairey doesn't mind. Chairey sat on the sofa and was ready to enjoy her favorite ice cream.
"What? How can you say that? Oh, my god, this kid, if you do that, you're just gonna waste your time and add to your work. Anyway fixing it doesn't take long, how about that … hah, come on, let me fix it. I wonder how you can survive in this cold weather, " Joan grumbled with a slow exhalation. His head shook slowly as he heard Chairey's answer. Joan knows if Chairey is a unique girl who is not like most girls, Chairey doesn't know fashion, doesn't have friends, Joan has never seen Chairey bring other people to her house at all. Be it schoolmates or other friends, the teenage girl was only seen in and out of the house to buy ice cream or groceries.
"No, I'm fine, really. Most importantly, can you fix it? Maybe you shouldn't call a plumber? Haha." Chairey chuckled, corners of his thin lips that are full of ice cream was attracted to the berserinya face. Joan who was preparing the equipment could only shake her head slowly because of Chairey's words.
"Are you mocking me? All right, just you wait. I'll get back to you. After I finish the pipe, I'll finish you too." Joan spoke half-shouting because of the distance they separated the dividing wall between the vestibule and the kitchen. The house that Chairey's adoptive parents left was not so spacious, it only had two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen combined with a dining room. However, their backyard is quite spacious. There are many ornamental plants and flowers that Chairey planted there. Chairey has his own passion with plants, she loves gardening, planting many types of flowers and caring for them wholeheartedly. Chairey's mood will be good all day if she sees her plants grow lush and good.
"Oh yes, how was the plant that Uncle Albert gave you yesterday? Did you plant it?" ask Joan again so that there is no silence between the two of them. Chairey nodded even though there was no Joan there, then cleaned up the rest of the ice cream on her lips.
"Already, I plan to visit Uncle Albert later to ask about the plant. Whether it needs special attention or just planted as usual, I don't have any experience growing it, I don't want the plants you gave me to die or wither." Chairey replied excitedly while clearing the ice cream box that he had spent. "Brother, you know what? I have new friends, and they are very nice to me. We will meet later, they said if they are not busy, they will take me to meet at the downtown café."
There was no answer from Joan, Chairey tilted his head because he was surprised why Joan did not respond to his words. Not yet had time to open Chairey voice he had heard footsteps approaching.
"Who? Them? Men?" Joan suddenly appeared in front of Chairey with a serious face as if Chairey had just got into trouble. Chairey nodded, how could Joan know that her new friend was a man she thought.
"Right, how did you know? It's great, like a fortune teller!" exclaimed Chairey with a giggle. Joan exhaled his little breath because Chairey was laughing.
"How to get acquainted? They … didn't do anything to you, did they? Or did they ask for your money? Send them something? Or they ask you to take pictures in revealing clothes and in strange poses? Or did they ask for your home address? They know you live alone?" asked Joan without letting Chairey answer a single question. Chairey blinked her eyes slowly in confusion with the series of questions Joan asked her. Chairey laughed again, this time it was Joan who was confused.
"Why laugh?"
"Because Big Brother is like a policeman who is questioning criminals, haha. Like in the movies I used to watch, hmm, sorry. No, they didn't ask for anything from me, they also refused the address I wanted to give, they didn't ask me for a picture, they didn't ask for anything. They're not bad people, really, they're good. We just talked on the phone, then promised to meet later," explained Chairey with a light face. Joan didn't believe it at all. Joan knows how rotten men are, he too often sees a lot of irresponsible men who cheat teenage girls to their advantage. What's more, Chairey includes an innocent girl who is unsuspecting of many people, and a girl whom Joan secretly likes.
Joan breathed again because of worry, fear and jealousy that began to rise slowly by slowly. Joan did not want to tell Chairey about her feelings yet, she was afraid that Chairey would feel uncomfortable and put some distance between the two. Joan did not want that to happen, she and Chairey had been closely related and became bloodless brothers and sisters for a long time.
"Don't trust men so easily Chairey, I've told you over and over, right? Those mens have so many ways to trick young girls, they have a thousand and one ways and even ten thousand ways to make girls believe and then deceive them for their own benefit," Joan pressed with a serious face. Chairey smiled slightly and pointed towards Joan with her thin index finger.
"Is Joan the same as me? Because I trust you, I'm sure you're a good person and won't do anything bad to me. Isn't that true?"
"Of course I don't have any bad intentions towards you, I don't mean all men, but most men are like that," Joan added. There are countless times Joan exhaled because of Chairey's naïve behavior.
"Well, not every man, right? Since I've met brother Joan, I also believe that Zen and Rei are just like you. They don't have bad intentions towards me, but, if you're worried I'll be careful. I always remember brother saying, I'll bring pepper spray just in case. If they start messing around, I'll spray their eyes and run like hell, I'm good at running!" said Chairey with a big smile. The two brown eyes full of confidence and self-confidence made a pair of dark eyes that Chairey looked at melt and could no longer say anything.
"Well, I believe you. Not with your new friend, now tell me how you met. And what was their name again? Zen and Rei? Aren't they from here?" Joan grabbed Chairey's body and led him into the vestibule.
"Want to talk now? What about the pipe? Delayed first?" Chairey looked at Joan and walked after the young man who was older than her and looked very anxious without resisting.
"Yes, later. It's been delayed, because I need to hear how you guys met. Afterwards I want to hear where you will meet and what Zen and Rei will be like. If I feel bad, then I won't let you go alone."