Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: 15: Taking advantage of the circumstances
Rika’s day passed quickly. She was busy doing her stuff (browsing the internet and passing the time) when her phone rang.

Startled, Rika’s hand instinctively reached for the phone, her eyes not even glancing at the caller ID. The suddenness of the call piqued her curiosity, leaving her wondering who could be on the other end.

“Ugh…Rika, are you…thereeeeee…fuck…D-Damian, slow down…”

A suspicious moan came from the other side of the phone, almost causing Rika to drop it.

However, she quickly recovered and realised what was going on.

“Emily, are you calling while in the middle of…doing the deed? Did you accidentally call me? I will cut the call now.”

Rika’s face flamed when it registered what happened and who called her.

“D-Don’t cut the phone! I want to hear your voice…Ugh…Damian, slow down. I can’t concentrate…”

The more Rika heard that call, the more she wanted to cut it off and forget this experience.

But her hands felt glued to the phone, and she could not bring herself to cut the phone off. She felt charmed to keep listening to what was happening on the other side of the phone.

She could hear Emily’s heavy panting and Damian’s grunts.

‘I should cut off this call right now. It is making me feel weird. I-It is too much.’

*knock knock*

“Sorry, Emily, I got to go. I hope you feel better soon.”

Rika quickly cut the phone off before she threw it away into her covers. But her face had turned red, and her eyes bulged due to what she just heard over the phone.

Her flushed cheeks and her rising temperature all pointed to Rika being aroused right now. But she knew in her heart that she was not aroused.

The desire to touch herself and be touched was not there, and Rika’s body cooled quickly as well.

“Rika, I am entering your room now. If you don’t want me to, then tell me.”

Her mother knocked at the door, and Rika quickly allowed her inside.

The atmosphere was awkward as the conversation from lunchtime reared its head inside her mind.

She was sure that her mother was thinking the same thing as her.

“Rika, I apologise for getting heated up during lunch. You know us, alphas! Sometimes, our emotions improve, and we say things we do not mean. Please don’t take my words to heart.”

It was rare for Rika’s family to apologise for anything, and even rarer for them to apologise to Rika.

She knew it was supposed to be an emotional moment for her, but all Rika could do was blink at her mother with a hollow expression.

‘Ah, my mother is feeling guilty. I should use this situation to get her agreement to move out.’

Rika knew she should feel guilty for playing with her mother’s emotions, but she did not feel half as guilty as her mind told her.

“I understand, mother. I am not angry at you. But can I ask you a favour?”

Her mother’s eyes lit up instantly at Rika’s words, and she looked delighted.

“You want to ask me a favour? Of course, I will listen to you. Tell me what you want to buy, and I will do that in a heartbeat.”

Her mother’s excitement took Rika aback. She had not realised how much her mother wanted to make up to her.

‘Well, it works out for me. I need to ask, and I am sure Mother will agree with me.’

Rika looked at her mother blankly, but she doubted her mother noticed her mood or what she was planning.

“I would like to move to my university accommodation as soon as possible. I need time to get used to a new place and new people. Would sometime around next week be good?”

Her mother’s expression was worth examining. She looked taken aback by what Rika had asked of her.

The iron was hot, and Rika knew that she needed to strike it to ensure that her mother would not back out now.

“Mother, it will be fine. It would also be better for Mark and Suzie. Since I have a lot of free time right now, I will likely hang out with my friends. You know how they both always complain about Emily and Damian’s pheromones. You should think about them as well.”

Rika reminded her mother, and she knew the second she got through to her mother.

That harsh alpha expression softened, and her mother sighed in regret. Rika could see that she was getting to her mother.

A little more push would be all she needed.

“I managed to find a beta-only dorm where I can stay during the academy, but I must ensure it suits my needs. Being out of the house will be mutually beneficial for everyone. Even Mark will be free to do what he wants without worrying about my insensitivity.”

Rika reminded her mother as she tried to appease her practical side.

It seemed as if her mother was also considering this because of how she was frowning her eyebrows.

“Fine! I guess you are right. It won’t be a bad idea for you to go out and explore the world a little. But I am still not convinced about your living situation. Why don’t you stay at one of our family-area apartments? It will be safer for you.”

Her mother suggested that Rika see what she wanted to do, but her mother tried to force Rika to go her way without saying anything.

But for this, Rika already had a solution.

“I don’t think it will be a good idea for me to live in a space dominated by alphas and omegas. I won’t be able to tell when I am in danger because I cannot smell pheromones. And any beta-dominated area of our territory is a war zone.”

Since their family was into underground business, it was common for them to be attacked. And the first casualty of this attack was betas.

Even the business side of their family was not safe from this threat.

*Sigh*

“I guess you are right. It does seem like you have thought things out properly. You are much more level-headed than either of your siblings. You are somehow the most qualified out of you; you were not a beta…. not that there is anything wrong with being one.”

Her mother quickly caught her mouth before slipping up again.

Rika did not like how her mother looked like an apologist but was unaware of why she needed to apologise.

‘Calm down. It’s fine! There is no need to feel hurt. You got what you wanted from this, so it’s good for you.’

Rika managed to mask her hurt quite well. By the time her mother left, it did not even feel hurtful.

After that, everything was silent, and Rika breathed a sigh of relief. She could feel the silence enveloping and overwhelming her.

All she wanted to do was to lean into this silence and let it take over her senses.

Rika did not realise when she fell asleep, but she was awakened by her phone going off.

It was buzzing too much, and Rika was afraid that this was an emergency she was not ready for.

“Hello.”

Rika picked up the phone, but no one spoke to her from the other side. There was a loud disrupting noise, almost like the wind blew past her ear quickly.

She pulled the phone down to see who was calling her.

Emily’s name flashed across the screen, and it felt like she had accidentally called Rika.

But as soon as I cut the phone, it rang again. Emily was making it clear that her first call had not been accidental.

Rika picked up the phone again, but this time, the sound of wind was not evident in her ears.

Emily’s voice was low and subdued, but Rika recognised an order when she heard one.

“Come down right now. I don’t care what you are doing; I need you to drop it and meet us.”

Rika did not dare defy the order she had been given.

Emily was known to be reckless and do things she was not supposed to. And having Damian with her only encouraged her recklessness.

‘I guess I am going to meet that couple. Should I take scent maskers? Knowing what those two were up to a while ago, I don’t think I should meet them without it.’

But then again, Rika doubted that she could smell anything either. There was no point in her trying to block out anything.

In the end, Rika ended up. Grabbing the bottle of scent marker and going down. She knew that she would need it when she came back inside.

‘Knowing my luck, I will run into Suzie while returning, all marked with alpha pheromones. Her condition will deteriorate, and I will end up getting blamed.’

Rika kicked herself as soon as these thoughts swam in her head. She should not be acting so negatively. But she could not help it.