Chapter 33 New Friend
ARDEN
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I continued dragging Owen away with no final destination in mind, muttering curses under my breath. It was only when he pulled his hand away that I finally came to a halt. I let out a deep breath and turned to him. He didn’t say a word, but I could clearly see the relief in his eyes.
“With that, I ran my fingers through my hair and closed my eyes, attempting to steady my breathing.
“Are you always this courageous?” he asked, breaking the silence that had settled around us.
A small smile crept onto my lips. “No,” I muttered, “not really.”
“That’s hard to believe,” he replied.
“You really didn’t have to do all of that, you know?” he added, “I told you–1 don’t need help.
“Let’s just say I didn’t do it to help you,” I clarified, “but because I was genuinely annoyed by Kieran.”
He sighed, crossing his arms defensively before turning to the side. “There’s no use arguing with people like him. It’s only going to make things worse. I promise he’ll come back even stronger than ever.”
My brows furrowed deeply in frustration. “We can report them to the administration. There’s something that can be done to seek justice.”
A scoff escaped his lips as he looked deep into my eyes. “It must be nice to have some kind of hope.”
“I’m afraid your mindset is far from reality,” he said with a dismissive tone. “So, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to help me anymore. I’m already having a hard enough time as it is
I pursed my lips, feeling a sudden sting in my heart. “I was just… trying to help.”
“You’re not helping at all, he snapped, anger suddenly filling his voice. Yet, even in that moment, he didn’t leave.
Despite the pain swelling in my chest, I made an effort to understand him. “Kieran is my brother,” I finally revealed.
He turned to me with wide eyes, disbelief seen across his face. I wasn’t entirely sure why 1 was sharing this with him–after all, he was practically a stranger–but something compelled me to let him in on this part of my life.
“He’s as terrible here as he is at home. We’re only a year apart, yet he has never treated me like a sister. Instead, he has turned me into a tool to make himself feel better–like he is better than me in every single way.
“I’ve tried standing up to him before, but it never ended well. My parents were always on his side, anyway, so I kept to myself and bottled up all my feelings.”
“This is the first time I’ve spoken up to him in what feels like a lifetime. Back then, I thought there was no hope: I believed I would be stuck in this situation forever.”
“However, even though my circumstances aren’t ultimately better, I finally have the courage to confront him about his wrongdoings”
“I’ve never lost hope, even during the most hopeless of times, and I truly hope you won’t either.”
I looked–up at him, noticing that his bloodshot eyes were even redder than usual. I could tell he was on the verge of tears, and watching him swallow the lump in his throat only confined my suspicion.
“Did you really break the vaser I finally asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
He swallowed one inore, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “No,” he muttered. “I went to the party by myself because they said everyone was invited I was standing next to it when Kieran and his friends were playing some ball game. inside the house”
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10:44 AM
Chapter 33 New Friend
“It bounced off my shoulder before shattering into pieces. Technically-
“So you didn’t do it,” I concluded, cutting him off. “It was their fault.”
“Don’t worry.” I reassured him. “I’ll see what I can do, alright?”
He didn’t respond this time, so I finally smiled. I had a feeling that Owen just needed a friend, too.
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I felt even happier than usual during my shift for two reasons: first, I finally stood up to Kieran, and second, Rowan wasn’t around to flirt with me.
Some students recognized me as the one who had confronted Kieran in the cafeteria, and while some looked at me with disgust, others offered their praise. I made a conscious decision to brush aside the degrading comments.
However, the next customers were people I simply couldn’t ignore.
“Welcome”
My words caught in my throat when I saw Sienna and Jaxon striding into the café, flanked by Sienna’s friends. They froze the moment they spotted me, and a smirk crept across Sienna’s lips. I tightened my lips and forced myself to remain professional, greeting them with a curt smile.
“What would you like today?”
Sienna chose to ignore my question and instead scrutinized me from head to toe, her friends doing the same.
“I heard there was a classy new cafe near our school. Someone must have gotten the memo wrong.” Sienna began with snarky tone.
“Now I understand why she made such a scene in the cafeteria. She’s clearly envious of what we have because she can’t even afford to study without working.”
I but my hip and glanced around, aware that I couldn’t create a scene in here–especially since I desperately needed this job. With a resigned sigh, I asked, “May I take your order?”
Sienna let out a sigh and finally relayed her order. I took it without exchanging any further words. Her friends followed suit, appearing disappointingly dejected.
I then turned my attention to Jaxon, but I avoided making eye contact It wasn’t that I couldn’t; rather, I simply didn’t want to.
“And for you?” I inquired.
Sienna looked as if she wanted to unleash another snide remark, but Jaxon gently restrained her, pushing her to the side. I wanted to laugh at the expression on her face, but I held it back.
Jason remained silent for a while, prompting me to let out a quiet sigh of impatience.
The door chimed again, and I absently greeted the next customers, offering a smile to the old couple entering the cafe.
“Welcome to Evermore,” I said cheerfully. Yet, my smile quickly Ladeid as I turned my attention back to Jaxon.
“I would appreciate it if you could share your order, sir. I wouldn’t want a line forming. I muttered, trying to maintain my professionalam
bull, he remained silent.
“You already know my order,” he finally replied, breaking the
I paused in my writing letting out a deep breath of realization.
A plain black Americano his sole order at any cafe, because he claimed that all the other drinks were foe sweet. I had a sw
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10:44 AM ch
Chapter 33 New Friend
tooth, but I toned it down when we were together because he didn’t like them.
I think you’re mistaken, sir.” I said, finally looking into his eyes.
“I don’t recall knowing your order.”
I’ve forgotten about you.
