LOGINJUNE;The mansion felt almost different after just a few days I had stayed away, and now I was back here. Head banging from the chaos I had just witnessed, and Natalie? Why was she there at the hospital? What if she alerted the press?Then a hand pulled lightly on my arm, it was Mariah. Her smile was the brightest when I met her eyes, her eyes glistening as she helped bring Ronan to his bedroom.And Selene? I wondered why she was still here. She had driven to the mansion behind us in her car. The moment she pulled up in the driveway, Mom stood there waiting for her to come down. My stomach rumbled low, twisted in that ugly manner. I looked away at once, my hand circling Ronan’s arm as we took him upstairs.Mariah pulled me into a warm hug, whispering into my ear, “Good to have you back,” then squeezed my hand a little.For a second none of us spoke. Ronan kept adjusting on his bed. I stood there watching him act as if he had truly lost his mind. Ronan was a stellar actor, Gosh!“I’ll
JUNE;The front porch of the hospital was unusually crowded with people. At first, I had no idea who was who, or what was happening, but Mom’s hands circled mine tightly as she whispered the press into my ear. My eyes went wide. They swarmed around Mr. Grayson, poking microphones and cameras into the air like weapons. Was this what he meant whenever he said the press would attack? They gathered like a swarm of bees, ready to sting.Mom tugged me harder, pulling me like some secret agent toward the cars parked in the lot. I had never experienced anything like this, my feet stumbled on the pavement as I watched the reporters almost lynching my stepdad to death with their questions. Flashes went off nonstop, lighting up the evening like fireworks. We moved fast, weaving between parked cars, it was only safer because Ronan was already in one of the vehicles. The nurses and the driver had helped pull him through before the swarm of reporters arrived.Mom exhaled heavily when we got close
JUNE;I turned to look. Selene stood in the doorway, her hands tightly crossed over her chest, her mouth pouting in irritation. The hallway lights cast sharp shadows on her face, making her look even more annoyed than usual.I scoffed, not wanting to create a scene right there in the hospital. I moved to step past her, but she shifted sideways and blocked the doorway completely, her shoulder bumping lightly against the frame. “I am not done talking to you, slum girl,” she snapped, her voice low but sharp enough to cut.Anger rumbled low in my belly, hot and heavy. I was tired and fed up with her insults. I wouldn’t have her humiliating me here, in this hospital too, after everything that had already happened today.“Look around you, Selene,” I found my voice, taking one firm step forward so I stood right in her face. My shoes squeaked softly on the tiled floor. “This is not your father’s palace, nor Westbridge Uni where you have your cohorts hanging around you. You will watch your nex
JUNE;I sat in the armchair available in the emergency room, the machines beeping steadily around us. Shortly after we arrived at the hospital, Mr. Grayson had gotten a call that required his attention and had hurried off, promising to return back soon. Mom had walked out to the pharmacy too, leaving me alone with the quiet hum of the monitors, and Ronan who had not opened his eyes since we got here. My head rested on my hand, propped up against the wall. I had barely gotten any sleep last night, and this morning we had rushed back here. My eyes felt weak and heavy, begging for rest. I was dozing off while trying to stay awake, my head nearly hitting the side of the bed when his voice reached me.“You should take a nap,” I snapped awake. It was Ronan. He was wide awake, watching me with those familiar eyes. “Not comfortable, but it would help.”My words hitched in my throat, refusing to fully form. The sleep disappeared from my eyes in an instant. Then he groaned, placing his hand t
JUNE; I sat quietly on the metal bench in the hallway, my elbows resting on my knees while both palms supported my chin. Every few seconds, another machine beeped from one of the rooms, reminding me that somewhere behind those doors, people were fighting battles no one else could see, my own battle sat heavily inside my chest. Mr. Grayson's words refused to leave my head. They replayed over and over again until I felt as though he was still standing in front of me on that balcony. "I'm not asking you to pretend, June. I'm asking you not to feel anything." How could anyone ask another person to do something like that? Feelings weren't clothes that could simply be taken off and folded away. And to top it all up, he had wanted to get me out of the mansion. Somehow, I made it easier for him. But somewhere within the past few minutes, he stood there at the balcony, pleading that I move back into the mansion, like I was a stone to be rolled in and out of a particular spot. I l
JUNE;“I… I am,” the answer stumbled out. The insides of my palm had grown damp, I rubbed it against the rough denim fabric of my shorts, the ones I had pulled on hurriedly after Mom’s call. “I am June.”“I see,” the older doctor nodded, pushing his glasses up a little. “It would definitely be hard not to recognize such a pretty face even in the worst case of TGA.” The doctor's lips parted softly, I saw what he did there. Our faces looked like the word tension itself, like the world was coming to an end, that man had made a mental note to soften the air just a little. But Mr. Grayson, my stepfather, wasn't having it. He shoved forward fast.“What are you playing at, Dr. Sterling? What's the bloody TGA you're talking about?” He grunted. “That's my son lying in there. And you're…. cracking jokes?” His voice was bouncing off the roof, my face fell to the floor. Doctor Sterling straightened up. “Calm down, Victor. I have been your family doctor for years now, you should…”“Exactly why
JUNE;The moment we reached the top of the wide staircase that led down into the party hall, my stomach dropped like a stone. Bright lights flashed before my face, low music in the background, and the air smelled quite expensive. Then my eyes wandered to the celebrant already standing behind the h
JUNE; Today was one of those days I would have preferred to just stay in bed, stare at the ceiling, or just watch my favorite shows while lazing in my house robe. In those days, the only thing that kept me going was Mary's company, either at her house or at mine. One thing I had in common with
JUNE; Such kindness? No! This was definitely new to me, no one had ever shown me that level of love and kindness. Did you see the tender way the huge boy took the sneaker off my foot? Like he was wiping away my sorrows too.For one hopeful second, I had caught that girl's face, the one who looped
RONAN;By the time I reached the classroom, only a few students had shown up. This school ran on clear rules I had no idea who made. It seemed to be the same even with students in their third and final year. Always moving in packs. At the top sat the golden circle, kids from old-money families, at







