Chapter~4

FRIEDA: 

I went to my normal hideout, where everyone avoided. The storage room was my personal space, where I hid from everyone and everything, even my books. I was exhausted and needed some sort of rest. My eyes were itchy and my body, heavy. 

I set up several alarms before lying down to sleep. That spot was my comfort place, where I usually lay my tired body almost every day. My bed barely saw me, especially during weekends. Not when I was either studying or—

I felt a tap under my foot. Nobody had set foot in the old storage room in ages, not even the janitors. Maybe I was still dreaming. 

The tap came again, forcing me out of the sleep realm. My eyes were still heavy but I managed to open them. Who was it? 

I sat up, holding my head. It was as though it wanted to fall off due to migraine I was having. I didn't even eat before sleeping. 

I could only see the feet of the person who had woken me up. I couldn't lift my head properly without feeling dizzy. 

"Are you going to sit there all day?" 

That voice... It couldn't be. 

Despite my headache, I shot my head up, my tired eyes meeting Eli's own blue ones. 

"What are you doing here?" My voice came out unusually soft. "How did you even get in here?" I got up painstakingly and rolled up the sheets. I couldn't let anyone see through my pain, especially not him. 

"Is that your way of saying thank you?" I could sense the chill in his voice. He was only cold like that when talking to me. Not that I cared. I was already used to it. "You would have missed classes if I weren't here. And now, I'm late because of you." 

I grabbed my phone. I had missed all four alarms I had set. 

"I didn't ask you to." 

"Yeah, you didn't. I just had to play the good guy. What a joke." He scoffed and walked away. I heard the door open and close. 

He was gone. Phew. 

How did he even know I was here? 

I tossed the phone and my books inside my bag. I grabbed my lunch and started eating. I couldn't risk getting distracted during classes. After that, I raced down the hallway, praying in my heart that the teacher wasn't there. 

I hurriedly opened the door, forgetting that the door made funny creaks when opened in a hurry. All eyes turned to me, teacher and students included. I wished the ground would open up and swallow me at that point. What did I do to deserve such embarrassment? 

"Miss Frost," Miss Rita stopped writing and looked at me. "Why are you late to my class?" 

"I'm sorry, ma'am. It won't happen again." I gulped. The intensity of her gaze was enough to drive me insane. I almost opted to leave the class when she spoke again. 

"You're pardoned, only because this is the first time. I will not be so merciful next time." 

"Thank you, miss." I breathed and hurried to my seat. I tried my best not to look at my seat partner. I didn't know how to face him after what happened upstairs. 

I didn't take my medications because I was rushing out. So, I bent my head and slipped it into my mouth, swallowing with regret. I hated drugs. 

After that, I felt quite all right — or so I thought.

 Miss Rita taught chemistry, one of my best subjects. But as I took out my book to write, my fingers were shaking. My eyes and my body still felt heavy. I couldn't concentrate in class. I was dozing off and waking up, and before I knew it, my eyes closed completely. 

By the time I woke up, Miss Rita had already left the class. 

What? I thought I had slept for like five minutes? Why didn't anybody wake me up? 

I sighed, accepting my fate. But how do I get the note? I didn't trust anybody's notebook, not even my best friend Chloe. 

"Great. Extra study." I packed my book as the bell rang for closure. It was Friday and luckily, I had an early shift. Which meant, I would be visiting my bed for tonight. 

The excitement of proper sleep wiped out every disappointment about missing the class. 

Eli got up abruptly, probably going to the ice rink for practice. I didn't even thank him properly; instead, I was rude to him. Well, serves him right. He's only getting a taste of his own medicine. 

But that was the first time he had talked to me for so long. He had never said more than five words max to me. 

And why does it make my heart feel warm? Stupid heart. 

A book dropped to my desk and before I could speak, the culprit walked away in haste with Zayn. 

It was his chemistry book. Was he lending it to me? Or was he setting a trap? He might tell people that I stole it because I missed the class. 

Well, since he dropped it, I might as well look at it. I browsed through it, gradually getting to the topic we had learned that day. It was well-detailed, more than the previous notes. 

It was so easy to understand. Thank goodness, I didn't have to go back home empty-handed. I took out my phone and snapped the pages. After that, I went out to look for him but he was nowhere to be found. 

I was almost late for my shift. I decided to go to work and after that, I would return the book to his house. It was a good thing I knew where he lived. 

***

By 9 pm, I was done with my shift. It was hectic and mentally exhausting but what exhausted me most were the two activities I remembered I had to show up for. 

First, I had a frat party to attend. 

I know... A stellar student such as me shouldn't be attending parties but I promised Chloe and I wasn't one to go back on my word. Besides, it was on my bucket list to attend one. I was going to kill two birds with one stone. 

And second, my mother's boyfriend was coming over. 

The thought alone made my stomach churn. I wanted to throw up so badly. 

But over the past few weeks, she had been a lot happier and was always putting effort into how she looked. 

Not crying over that 'father' of mine every time. Her eyes were brighter and her figure fuller. As long as she was happy, I was too. And Damien would have someone to go with on the forthcoming Father's Day at his school. It was convenient for both of them. 

I saw two cars parked in front of the house. 

Wow, he's really rich. I wasn't expecting that. No wonder our grocery stock had been on the rise. Her boyfriend seemed loaded. 

The smell of fresh fried chicken hit my nose as soon as I stepped on the porch. And I could hear happy chattering from inside. I could also hear Damien's loud laughter. 

"Way to start the party without me." I rolled my eyes and opened the door. 

"Good evening, Mom," I greeted while removing my shoes. I picked them up and headed to the dining room, only to meet a full house. 

My mom, my brother, her supposed boyfriend, and...

"Eli Rayes?!"