THE CHILDISH AND THE MATURE CHILD

I woke up with a sore arm from last night. As I glanced at the sofa, brother Khalil was sitting there, looking at my laptop.

"Hey, brother, what are you doing on my laptop?" I asked with a furrowed brow.

He just signaled for me to be quiet, so I stood up and approached him. I didn't know whether to laugh or cringe at what he was watching.

"Seriously? Mermaid Barbie?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Shhhh, you might be heard by the enemy; they might catch Barbie." He said, fully engrossed in what he was watching.

Honestly, I wanted to smack him. I could understand if someone in their twenties watched Barbie, but a thirty-year-old guy? It's tempting to give him a good smack.

"I can't believe this. Maybe your mom dropped you too hard in the crib, that's why you're like this." I shook my head and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

"The USB..." I quickly grabbed my bag, searching for the USB.

Once I found it, I snatched it from Kuya Khalil and plugged it into my laptop.

"Not finished yet," he complained. "Milk!"

"Shut up!" I snapped.

I inserted the USB into my laptop, and there was only one file. I opened it, not realizing it was a mistake.

"Stop! Ughh!!"

"Wahhh! My virgin eyes!!!" he shouted, covering his face and running out of my room.

That serves him right.

I sighed and took out the USB, putting it back in my bag. Who are those people in the videos? Is that Senator Mujeño?

"YES, MILO, THAT'S TRUE!! MILK IS WATCHING PORN!!!" Brother Khalil's voice echoed.

My eyes widened in shock. He was talking to brother Milo. I quickly snatched the phone from him.

"Brother don't believe him! I'm not watching porn! I just checked the USB's contents."

"Wtf, Milk! You almost died because of that USB full of porn!" Brother Milo said, and I ended up hitting my forehead.

"It's not porn videos on the USB; it's videos of rape. The men are killing the women after assaulting them. Think, brother, do you really believe I'm confronting these bad guys just for porn?" I argued.

"You have a point," he admitted. "But be careful, Milk, you're dealing with powerful people."

"I just need to find Marvin, and my problem will be solved."

"Why not report it to the police?" Brother Khalil suggested.

"One of the men in the videos is a senator; he could bribe the police to get the USB back."

"Then give it to the senator and let him pay you," Kuya Khalil proudly smiled.

I could kick him.

"Kuya, can't someone else watch over me? I feel like I'll die if I stay with Kuya Khalil!" I complained to Kuya Milo.

"He's the only one available; don't worry, he's capable even if he's like that. Call me if anything strange happens."

"Okay, Kuya." I hung up and handed Kuya Khalil his phone.

"I'm done watching porn. Can I watch Barbie now?" he teased.

"I wasn't watching porn! Just get out of my sight before I kick you!"

"How would you kick me?"

I was about to show him when he quickly ran into my room.

Early morning stress.

I made my coffee and prepared a sandwich, sitting down. As I was about to relax, my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Milk? Is Sofia there?"

It was Tita Fina. Sofia is one of my friends.

"No, Tita, why?"

"She hasn't come home since last night. I called Brandon and Ashia; they said she's not with them. She's not answering her phone either. Something might have happened to her."

"Don't worry, Tita, I'll call her."

"I tried, Milk, but her phone is dead."

"I'll look for her. I'll keep you updated."

"Okay, dear. Thank you."

I hung up, feeling a sudden unease. I stood up and headed to my room.

"Kuya Khalil, I'm leaving," I informed.

He closed the laptop. "I'll come with you; your life is in danger."

He was the first to leave, so I followed, not having the chance to change.

"Wait, where are we going?" he asked, puzzled.

Anywhere, as long as I find Sofia," I replied.

"Who's Sofia? What does she look like?" he inquired.

"She's my best friend." I scrolled through my phone to show him a picture of Sofia. "There's Sofia."

"That? I just saw her earlier--"

"--Where?"

"On Facebook. She was found dead. I think she's already in the funeral home."

My phone rang just in time.

"Milk, Sofia is gone," Ashia cried. "They found her lifeless earlier."

I broke into tears before hanging up.

"Why are you crying?" Brother Khalil asked, bewildered.

"Sofia is dead, and you're still joking."

He suddenly burst into tears. "Huhu, I'm a great fortune teller. Ouch, why!"

"You're celebrating when someone is dead!"

I was about to knock him down Brother