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.

could react, Molly's eyes darted toward the

at his ever-curious

books, mumbling, "Back

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 won't study." Molly covered

behavior and continued speaking to the caller. "I'll send you Bob's number; he can help you guys

his

"Okay."

could still hear him, even with her ears

fell early in winter, and by seven, it was

having dinner when two

all except Molly, who kept eating as if it didn't

you looking for?"

Chad, we need Molly to come down to the station with

in

accompanied Chad

Vivian's place caught fire?" Molly perked

shot her a look,

the station, she followed the investigation, while Chad sought

an old neighborhood with narrow streets, complicating the rescue. Three were injured; two are at the hospital, and one, the

she saw was Molly. And someone confirmed Molly visited her in the afternoon,

with her brother outside, faced the

interrogating officer coughed to remind her of the recording. "You can call me 'big bro' off the

stole my brother's shirt. I went to retrieve it. I never said those words. I was raised by the people's servant; would I break the