Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Jade left, clutching the shirt she had scavenged. Upstairs, Vivian peered through the window, her gaze venomous as she watched Molly walk away. A smug smile played at her lips. "Molly, you won't be smiling for long." Back at home, Jade, who had never dirtied her hands with chores, surprisingly took it upon herself to scrub the clothes clean.

As dusk fell, Chad walked in to find Coleen recounting the day's chaotic events. "She turned your room upside down; spent an hour and a half scrubbing your shirts; had a shouting match with Mia on the phone, tearing into Vivian; chatted with a sleeping Henry for a good while; then, when she was angry enough, she ordered a massive serving of Buffalo wings and devoured it all by herself; talked herself weary, ate herself full, and went upstairs to crash. Oh, and she nearly set the kitchen on fire around noon."

Chad raised an eyebrow. "Didn't study at all today?"

Coleen sighed. "Didn't even crack open a book."

Chad trudged upstairs, heading straight for Molly's room.

Soon enough, Molly's room echoed with her loud apologies. "Bro, I know I didn't study, but I... Ah! I'm wrong, I'll get up and hit the books now, please don't be mad."

Coleen shook her head. It always fell on her son to rein in Molly's wild temper.

In her bedroom, Molly sat in her pajamas, hair haphazardly tied up, grabbing a random book off the shelf. "I swear, I'll burn the midnight oil tonight."

Chad pulled up a chair next to her, tapping impatiently on her desk. "I'm watching you study tonight! You're an adult; can't you prioritize your responsibilities?"

Molly hadn't even scribbled a word when she turned to Chad, "Bro, today I..."

"Study!"

Biting her lip, Molly pressed down on Chad's hands, which looked ready to strike at any moment. "I went to find... Ah! Studying, studying." Molly flinched as Chad raised his hand, then quickly settled down to her haphazard revision. Chad sat beside her, a scene reminiscent of their childhood when he would supervise her homework after she'd been caught watching cartoons instead of studying.

Shortly after, Chad's phone rang.

he could react, Molly's eyes darted toward the pocket where his phone

at his

turned back to her books, mumbling, "Back to

to the window to take the call. "Yeah, talk to me. I'm not busy, just overseeing Molly's revision. Finals are coming, and she's still acting like a kid. If I'm not sitting beside her, she

caller. "I'll send you Bob's number; he can

up, Chad returned to his seat and chided her. "Hands down,

"Okay."

could still hear him, even with

and by seven, it was pitch

two police

all except Molly, who kept eating

you looking

courteous. "Officer Chad, we need Molly to come

in her

accompanied Chad

Vivian's place caught fire?" Molly perked

shot her a look, and she

the station, she followed the investigation,

with narrow streets, complicating the rescue. Three were injured; two are at the hospital, and one, the tenant Vivian, is being questioned." Chad

When she came to, she claimed the last person she saw was Molly. And someone confirmed

with her brother outside, faced

recording. "You can call me 'big bro' off the record,

words. I was raised by the