"Is she coming?" Ariana asked eagerly as she placed a birthday cake on the dining table. Her daughter was beside the window, stretching her neck to get a good view ahead of the buildings to check if her sister, Jennie, was coming. She then shook her head.
"She is yet to arrive." She answered. Ariana sighed, placed two hands on her waist, and then looked at her husband. "Did she forget that it's her birthday?" Brown chuckled and wrapped his arms around her shoulders to calm her down. "Don't worry. She must be with Louis or maybe an emergency came up." "If she happens to be with Louis, I will make sure to cut off her legs. Louis wasn't there when I was struggling to push her out and even sent her to school so now he is delaying her when today is her birthday? Who does that? They are not even married yet." Ariana fumed. "She has arrived!!" Ashley yelled and flew over the couch with all her strength and everyone else got into position. Her parents quickly hid the cake and pretended as if everything was normal. The door was opened by Louis, a young and handsome-looking man in his late twenties. His hair was stylishly packed to a side and he seemed to have dyed his hair black again as that wasn't his natural color. Gauging his height to that of Jennie, the latter was taller than him but loved him either way. "We are home," Louis announces with a smile as his girlfriend took off her heels and placed them side by side at the entrance. "Happy birthday," Ashley screamed with all her might as if she had been possessed and then pressed a button on a well-built little machine that made quite loud a noise, and then glitters from nowhere gracing the happy event. "Oh my world, Ashley..." Jennie was surprised. "Happy birthday, sis." She smiled and Jennie pulled her in for a hug. Although she always did this every year with her family, she was at least grateful that they were all alive to witness this which was such a great privilege. Her family hugged her one after the other with happiness. "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs Brown." Louis finally had the time to greet them. "I thought that you already caged my daughter with you. I was about to call and give you a piece of my mind." Ariana eyed him before walking away. Brown laughed when he saw the terrified look on Louis' face. The two of them had not been on a good term ever since Jennie and Louis started dating but slowly, Ariana started opening up to him and accepted him fully. However, Louis was still scared of her because when they were still teenagers in high school [ that was when they started dating], Ariana accidentally discovered that they were dating and almost killed him not to talk about the fact that Jennie's father was a cop/Detective. "Ashley, you are cleaning up the mess you created after this whole thing comes to an end." Brown pointed at the glitters on the floor. "Like come on!" "No one sent you to do it. It wasn't part of the plan." Ariana supported her husband. Just then, the doorbell rang. "Are we expecting any guests?" Ariana asked them. "Yeah. The usual." Ashley replied and hopped towards the door. She opened it and her two friends walked in. "Happy birthday." Josh blew her a small trumpet. Ashley rolled her eyes. "The birthday girl is right there." She pointed at bed sister. They glanced at her. "Happy birthday, Jennie." "Thank you." The celebration started among them, the underage were given milk to drink while the adults went with a little alcoholic drinks. It was so much fun for them and memorable as well. ~~~~~~ "Ah." Ashley fell on a bed with a deep sigh. She was tired from doing all the chores tonight. Her friends went home after they helped out. She was just too tired to even want to bathe or watch a series. She reached out for her diary and put down a few words. She smiled as she felt happiness. "This is great." Then she remembered him - the guy in a black hoodie. Her eyes kept moving from one part of her socket to another as she thought about him. She flipped the next page of her diary and wrote a few words about him. Just when she was still thinking, she saw Daniel's name in her diary alongside a small picture of it. She instantly forget about Alex and smiled like a little girl as she fantasized about him for the night before going to sleep. That night, she dreamt about being rescued by Alex again. ~~~~~~~ By the time Ashley got to school, the thought about Daniel was what was inside her head. She didn't have the boldness to confess her feelings to him but she was sure that one day, she would be able to tell him how she felt. Thankfully, he wasn't a promiscuous type so definitely, she would be able to get his attention. However, what she heard next almost made her ears bleed. She had to take a few steps back just to eavesdrop. "Listen, Amelia, my heart yearns for no one but you." She heard Daniel say. Ashley was in shock and her throat ran dry. "Hmm...you never really focused on me whenever I looked at you so why are you begging me to accept you?" Amelia, the school-named Belle said as she toyed with Daniel's shirt. "Listen, I needed to focus on some really important things but then when I thought about it again, I realized that if I don't be with you, I would be the loser and I don't want to be a loser. Well, if you don't want me...then let me leave." He turned around with a sad face but Amelia pulled him back. "No...no, I was only joking. You don't need to go. We can be very close maybe not as boyfriend and girlfriend because I have someone in my mind now but I just can't let go of you." Ashley couldn't believe her ears. She had to touch them to make sure that she wasn't bleeding because of how hot they were. She walked away from the premises with heavy legs as she imagined her precious heart getting shattered by Daniel with a hammer. How could he continue like that after what she just said? She was going to cheat! ~~~~~~~ Ashley was about to go to the Cafeteria with her friends when she saw Alex entering the class with his head bowed. After she saw him, her mood got better and she tried to speak to him but as usual, he just walked past her and went to his seat. Ashley stared at him in surprise till he placed his head on his desk. Ashley got dragged out of the classroom by Josh afterward. She, later on, told her friends about the sudden heartbreak. ~~~~~ "So, right now, you have no crush?" Jennie teased her sister after she narrated her ordeal. The latter eyed her and puffed her cheeks. "Awwn, my Cutie Pie got her heart broken for the first time." Brown laughed wholeheartedly. "I can't believe that you guys are joking about my problem." She whispered and drank a glass of orange juice. "Come off it, Cutie Pie. It's just a simple and not a good crush. You will get over it. There are more guys that you are going to meet later in the future so be patient. This guy just doesn't deserve you." Brown advised. "I support your father." Ariana nodded. Ashley pouted and tried to smile because Jennie threatened to take away her credit card. After she was done eating, she retired to her room and went to do her assignments. She was considered to be one of the best students in class and school, this was something that she was proud of and showed clearly so her main school was to never leave the top no matter what. After she was done watching a few online classes for about two hours, she went to bed to sleep however before she did, she didn't forget to cancel Daniel out of her diary for betraying her heart and killing her trust in me. She saw Alex's name written boldly just about two days ago, she stared at it for a while, sighed, and closed her eyes.It's been a few days since the event happened and things were finally going back to normal for Ashley except for the thought of Alex in her mind. She had already forgotten about Daniel and didn't place any focus on him with the help of her friends. She only found herself getting interested in Alex these days especially if he was asked a question in class, he wouldn't be able to give a correct answer. He was one of the least students with low grades in school which somehow surprised Ashley. She would always see him with books at every chance that he got, was he not really reading them and was just using them as a way to escape reality? She did that for some time too but he was becoming regular at it. "Hey, Ashley, throw the basketball over here," Sammie yelled as they ran around the basketball court for physical education practices. Ashley did as she was told, she was sweating so hard but didn't mind it. This wasn't her favorite sport to get involved in but then if it meant g
Alex stared at the book in front of him. This time around, he wasn't wearing any hoodie or clothing that could cover his face. He was just plain. His long shiny black hair was tied up into his favorite hair position - the ponytail. His sharp jawline could be seen clearly just fell a side view. In front of him were different books from different authors and at first, he looked like someone who didn't a get a thing that he was doing. He picked up the pen and got closer to the small table that was about his size - the sitting position and proceeded to read something. He tore a sheet of paper and wrote a few things but then stopped. He stared at it and squeezed the paper into a ball before throwing it away. He tore another one and tried to write a few words again but it proved abortive. Nothing was happening and he clenched his fist line and closed his eyes as many memories flood in, words from different individual greeted his brain. "You are nothing without me... without us. Nothin
Ashley knocked on the principal's door and entered when she was given the chance to. She bowed her head a bit to show her respect as she took her seat. "Miss Ashley, how are you doing? It's been a while, don't you think?" The principal smiled at her. "Yes, ma'am. I am great, thank you. How are you too?" "As you can see, I am glowing." "That's good." Ashley chuckled. "Anyway, I called you here because I need your help with something or someone to be precise and you are the only option I have unless you don't want to do it." Ashley raised her brows, "I can only decide that if you tell me, ma'am." "One of the students in your class needs help with his schoolwork. Alex." She revealed. Ashley's heart sank - not in a bad way but rather in a good way. Her heart raced after she heard that and she gave her lips a quick lick while adjusting her sitting position. "You must know him too, right? That secluded guy..." "Yes, ma'am." "Great. Some teachers that cared about him laid a few c
"Are you sure that you will be able to teach him? He looks like someone who is not interested in learning." Josh whispered as he stared at Alex who was sitting not quite far from them. Ashley also looked at him briefly before turning to her friends. She smiled. "He is going to be fine. I will handle him well. How hard can it be?" She shrugged and flipped the pages of her book for a quick review. ~~~~~~~~ "Okay, I give up. I know that I said HOW HARD COULD IT BE?" Ashley exclaimed as she slumped against the chair inside the cafeteria. She had visible lines on her forehead that showed how stressed she was just after a few days of teaching Alex. Josh reached out to her and smoothened the lines on her forehead. "Thanks." She collected her energy drink from Sammie and opened it so she could take a sip from it. "You haven't even started yet but you are already fed up, what type of a teacher are you?" Sammie laughed. Ashley frowned and ran her hands through her hair in frustration.
"Mr. Zach, good day. " Ashley greeted the salesman as she entered the bookshop. A man who seemed to be in his early fifties came out from the backyard carrying a small laundry basket. His hair was white as a sign of old age but Ashley felt like it was just too early for a man in his fifties. "Ashley dear, you are here. Welcome, it's been a long time. What books do you need?" He asked her as he quickly dropped his basket so she could get his attention fully. "It's been a long time indeed. Do you have children's books? Books with virtual pictures? Elementary books or something like that?" She inquired while going through the different books on the shelves. Zach was amused, "Did your momma give birth?" Ashley was stunned, "Give birth? What do you mean and how is that related to this?" "I mean no harm, I am just wondering why you need an elementary book when you aren't even in that grade anymore." Ashley finally realized what he meant and laughed. "I get th
Jonathan entered the sitting room carrying a small bowl of popcorn that he had made that evening by himself. He gave some to Alex but the latter rejected it as he had no interest in eating. He brought out the children's books that Ashley had given him and set on working on them. This got Jonathan curious and amused at the same time. He looked at Alex. "What is going on?" He asked him. "I am reading," Alex replied bluntly. "A child's book?" "She said that it's good if I start from here." He answered. "Wow. She's a great observer and a good friend to be with. Don't you agree?" Alex was mute. He picked up his pen and started working on the exercises. Jonathan seemed pleased to have seen this because he had tried finding ways to make him study even though he really wanted to but unfortunately, he lacked the clues and ways to do so. "I told you that there will be someone out there who is gonna care about your state of living," Jonathan said proudly. Alex
Alex was sitting at a secluded spot with his usual hoodie on. He had his books in front of him and just like how everyone behaved, they walked past him, whispering about how weird and psychotic he was for not mingling with others. He didn't mind all these accusations but faced his books. He had been advised that somehow, if he continued on this path, he would be able to prove a particular person wrong and he needed to achieve that so badly. That was why he had to bear with a talkative and stubborn girl like Ashley. "Hey!" Ashley yelled from afar immediately after she got to see him. Well, speak of the devil! Alex sighed and closed his book as he heard her footsteps running eagerly toward him. By the time she got to where he was, she was already breathing loudly so she slumped to the ground to take a rest. After catching her breath, she turned her head in his direction and luckily got a full profile of his face. Her heart raced surprisingly when his eyes met
"Alright, students. Gather your things and get into line." The teacher blew his whistle so loudly and clapped his hands in the most annoying way that got the students frowning so hard about it. "I see no need for him to be here," Sammie mumbled while Josh chuckled. "Don't blame the bachelor. He is excited to go to the city so what do you expect?" He answered on the teacher's behalf. Even though the teacher had instructed and shouted at the top of his lungs that the students should get in, no one entered the bus because it wasn't time for departure yet and some of the paid students were yet to come. Sammie who was looking around aimlessly suddenly caught sight of someone coming and her eyes widened. Her mouth opened wide. "What's wrong with you? Why are you...?" Ashley was forced to stop talking when Sammie kept hitting her hard and forced her head in the opposite direction. Ashley choked on the water that she was drinking and was trying hard to stay on Earth rather than have a