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LITTLE IRIS'S POV

I walked along with Theo towards their car and saw Zephyr seated inside playing with his phone. I know it's called a phone because I have seen daddy use one and my aunty Jenny has one for herself too. She lets me play with it sometimes as well.

Theo pulled open the car door and he and I took our seats. Zephyr was clearly not happy with my presence around himself.

"Why is she coming with us anyway? Aren't KG classes supposed to start at 9AM?" Zephyr asked Theo in anger.

"She's getting admitted to class three Zeph. She'll be our classmate. Uncle Martinez and Uncle Rodriguez have both asked us to take care of her at school." Theo replied him calmly and then smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Please! She doesn't know a thing about the third standard and it's textbooks. She'll be the dumbest kid in our class. I'm not lowering my integrity talking to her before my schoolmates. I don't want to be embarrassed." Zephyr said and glared at me. Spooked by his glare I clenched Theo's arm to seek some sort of comfort.

"Yeah, right! Like you are worshiped or something at school anyway." Theo rolled his eyes at Zeph and then turned to look at me.

"Iris, since you're skipping a lot of classes in between and directly going to std three, you may not understand anything that's being taught at school, but don't worry. I will teach you everything you need to know from basics to advance. I promise." Theo smiled and I gave him a happy nod.

"That's not fair Theo. When I ask you to tutor me, you say you don't have enough time and that you have to study yourself for better grades and now you're going to teach her, that too soooo many things?" He said emphasizing on the word so for a lot longer.

"She does needs my help Zeph. You just waste my time. Besides, you just want me to tutor you so you can get time to play your mischief and get away from your dad's scoldings."

"Whatever" Zephyr rolled his eyes.

Theo started to talk to me after that completely ignoring the presence of Zephyr in the car. He was telling me how a typical school life looks like and what I should expect and prepare myself for. I guess Theo talking to me somehow angered Zephyr, so, he crossed his arms against his chest and started to look out the window of the car.

It was then, when the car door opened again and Zephyr's elder brother joined us in the car.

"Zee? Why are you here?" Theo asked brother Zee.

"Dad told me to get done with all the admission formalities needed for Iris." He replied and smiled at me warmly. I returned his nice gesture and smiled back at him happily. That meant daddy would not join us and I was really happy about that.

"Why did he ask you about it? Why is she suddenly so important for dad? I mean nobody knew she even existed until yesterday, and now she's all everybody can talk about." Zephyr yelled irritated at Zee. I knew he didn't like me. But seeing his hate go live before my eyes made me so very sad.

I really wanted Zephyr to notice me. To like me. To talk to me nicely or even smile at me once? Am I so unlikable? Is that so hard?

Theo giggled hearing Zephyr's irritated voice, "Looks like somebody is missing being the center of attention to everyone."

So Zephyr was jealous of me? I looked at Zephyr.

Zephyr watched me looking at him and then yelled at Theo, "Shut up Theo!"

Zee laughed and then tried to explain Zephyr in a very calm and explaining tone, "Come on Zeph. Stop being such a baby. And as far as Iris is considered, she is important to us from now on. Think of her as dad's another child."

"You mean... Dad adopted her to be his daughter or something?" Zephyr asked.

Brother Zee said chuckling, "In a way... Yes. But, technically you are too young to understand what has happened and how Iris became so important for all of us."

Zephyr went speechless after hearing that and started to look at me. As for me, I was already completely smitten by Zephyr's charms, unable to take my eyes off of him.

"Iris, you will have to work very, very hard. You will have to forget about playing and study all day long in order to cope up in Theo's classroom. Are you sure you still want to be admitted in third standard with both of them or you can even start from the KG classes and learn basics first." Brother Zee asked me genuinely concerned.

"I am sure. I will work hard." I said, determined. I don't want to be anywhere else but near Zephyr.

"Alright then." He said and then ruffled my hair with a comforting smile. I really liked the way he just petted my hair. Nobody ever did that to me, "I'll get you enrolled in the third standard. You can go sit in the classroom with Theo and Zephyr, okay? After school, come back home with Zephyr. Theo can teach you everything from the beginning in my room."

"Okay, brother Zee." Theo said immediately and upon hearing him say that to Zee, I too chose to address him like that.

"Okay, brother Zee."

Brother Zee immediately started chuckling, "Call me Zee. Don't call me brother."

"Yes, he is MY brother, not yours." Zephyr said annoyed, and I looked at both of them confused.

"Just call me Zee, okay?" Brother Zee said looking at me affectionately. The love and warmth that he held for me, I wish daddy could love me like that.

I remained silent and just nodded my head slightly. He then yet again played with my hair making it untidy but making me feel good and comforted.

Soon, the car came to a halt and Zee, got down.

"All of you go to your classroom, I'll go to the administration office. I'll hand over your admission documents to you after school, when you return home, okay?" Brother Zee commanded.

"Okay" I chirped happily.

"Okay?" Zee then asked Zephyr being a little persistent but Zephyr didn't say anything and acted all annoyed.

"Zeph, don't create troubles for Iris." Zee said Zephyr pulling him close to himself and then turned to Theo, "and Theo, take care that Zeph doesn't pull any sort of tricks on Iris."

"Aw, come on!" Zephyr yelled annoyed and walked into the building leaving me in the hands of Theo alone.

"Okay, see you two after school." Said Zee ready to leave.

"Okay, brother Zee."

"Bye bye, Zee."

I chirped along with Theo.

Zephyr had already left for the classroom so, I had walk with Theo. Theo was being super sweet to me. He kept showing me around the campus as we walked towards our classroom.

"And since you don't have your textbooks, and notebooks yet, you can share your seats with me and I'll help you catch up." Theo continued to prepare me for my first day at school. "Do you know the basics like A B C D or 1 2 3 4?"

I looked at him perplexed unable to understand a word he was saying. He looked at my clueless face and then facepalmed his head. "Looks like I'll have to work hard with you as well."

I smiled at him and so did he. He tried holding my hand while we were walking, and I didn't resist. Soon, we were entering the classroom.

"This is Class Three B. And there is Zeph."

He said pointing his finger at Zephyr seated on a corner bench besides a pretty little girl. As soon as he saw Theo holding hands with me, he got angry and started talking to that girl seated beside him.

This made me annoyed at that girl.

"Who is she? Why is Zephyr talking to that girl?"

Theo looked at me a little confused and the next thing was that we were both standing near the two of them, i.e. Zephyr and that girl.

"Umm... Iris, this is Rhea. Rhea, this is Zephyr's sister, Iris." Theo introduced us.

"Sister? Zeph, you said you had only two brothers. Where did a sister appear from all of a sudden?"

Rhea asked Zephyr immediately at which both me and Zephyr replied in unison

"I'm not his sister!"

"She's not my sister!"

Rhea looked at both of us confused and Zephyr continued.

"She is the daughter of my father's friend. We met her at the party I had at my house yesterday."

"Oh, okay." Rhea said and extended her hand towards me in order to shake, "Hi! Nice to meet you. I like your hairpin. It's pretty cute."

She said complementing my hairpin to which I blushed and shook hands with her.

"You're pretty as well." I said, complementing her back, "Were you not in the party last night? I didn't see you there. Are Zephyr and you close?"

I asked her immediately. It was making me annoyed watching how close Zephyr was to this girl. I wanted to have that kind of bond with Zephyr instead.

"Zephyr and I are just school friends. Our families aren't close. So, I wasn't invited."

Theo pulled me in the corner after that and whispered into my ears in secrecy.

"Because Zephyr's dad is a mafia, Rhea's parents want her to maintain distance from Zephyr. Rhea's parents don't know that she and Zeph are friends at school and the two of them want things to continue like that only."

"I see."

All I could understand was that Rhea was close to Zephyr only at school, meanwhile I will be spending all my time at Zephyr's home. This way, sooner or later I'll be closer to Zephyr than she is.

That works for me.

Anyway, I like her, except for the fact that she is closer to Zephyr than I am, she is really sweet and nice to me. We'll make great friends I guess in future.

"Anyway, since Zeph is seated with Rhea, you can sit with me right? Besides, we promised to share books together?"

I chuckled when Theo put it like that. "Of course I will sit with you Theo. Besides, I don't think Zephyr would ever want to sit with me." I said pouting, making a sad face.

"Don't feel bad. Give him some time. He will come around. Zeph takes a lot of time to make friends." Theo replied.

I saw how Zephyr was happily talking to Rhea and mumbled to myself, "Looks like he's close to Rhea in no time."

"They have known each other for the last five years. You think Zephyr befriended her in one moment? It took him three years to befriend her."

I looked at the two of them talking and then sighed. "That is a lot of days..."

"Yep. But don't worry. You're friends with me and I'm friends with Zephyr. Also, Zephyr is weak in studies. If you work hard enough and manage to outshine him, he will definitely start to like you."

"Really? You think so?"

"Of course, Iris. The only problem he seemed to have with you was that you didn't know the stuff a seven year old kid should know. Once I teach you everything, Zephyr won't have any problem with you."

After I heard Theo say that, my mood lifted up and got a lot better. I liked Zephyr a lot and I would do anything to be his friend. Closer than Rhea ever was to him.

"Okay." I chirped.

We settled down on a desk behind Zephyr and Rhea and soon, a blonde haired woman entered the classroom with some textbooks in her hands.

"Alright everybody, settle down. Let's have your roll calls. Andy?"

And she started calling out random names from one of the books she had in her hands and the students started to respond to her voice one by one.

Zephyr's name was called, Rhea's name was called and so was Theo's.

"Is she going to call out my name too?"

"Worse. She's going to make you go there and introduce yourself to the entire classroom." Theo whispered back to me and his words made me scared.

"What? But how am I supposed to-"

"Alright everybody. I see a new face with us. Looks like we have a new friend joining us at school today? Yes, dear? Why don't you come up here and introduce yourself to everybody?"

She said pointing out to me suddenly and never let me finish what I was saying to Theo.

"What am I supposed to say?" I whispered to Theo while getting up on my desk.

"Just tell everyone your name and hobby. Be yourself. It's okay. All the best." Theo whispered back to me while I was walking away from my desk towards where Mrs. Paul, our supposedly class teacher was standing.

"He-Hello, everybody?"

I said in a surprisingly low voice waving my hands towards everyone. My eyes met with Zephyr's and as soon as they did, Zephyr rolled his eyes and said something.

"Can't she ever be audible?"

Theo was right. If I have to make Zephyr like me, I have to work hard. I have to be confident and become better so Zephyr could see a friend in me as well.

So, I cleared my throat and tried to be as audible and confident as I could possibly be. I wanted to be charming. I wanted Zephyr to like me, exactly the way I like him.

"I'm Iris Rodriguez daughter of Rhys Rodriguez. I like playing in the rain. I just moved here and hope to become friends with everyone."

I said in one breath earning a lot of whispers from my fellow classmates.

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