The police officer pointed towards the open door.
Jae struggled. He forced his head to look away. He wished he could have done more. The pain Skye experienced was just the icing for what she did to him, to Logan and to Alex. He doubted that she’d ever understand that immense amount of suffering.
Cursing her in his head, he left the room.
She got what she deserved so far. He could only rely on the law to do the rest. He really hoped that she wouldn’t take this attitude of hers in her adult years. He wondered if they’d keep tabs on her from now on?
When Jae entered the other room, he saw Alex pull away from her aunt. She wiped off her face with the back of her sleeves. He sent another curse under Skye’s name. She never deserved a friend like Alex nor she deserved a boyfriend like Logan.
She had good people in her lives but they came second for her own interests.
It made him sick.
“I think we should go home,” Lilly said, caressing her niece’s head, “Your parents should arrive soon. We’ll still have to wait for Skye’s representatives anyway.”
Officer Williams cleared his throat, “If you need a ride, I’d be more than willing to do so.”
He had his thumbs tucked in his belt again. He rolled his shoulder, stretching his chest muscles. He craned his neck from one to another.
Jae squinted. Was this how adults flirted? Or was he just seeing things?
Lilly looked over her shoulder. Her gray eyes stared at nothing, “I’m more than capable of driving. Thank you for your assistance. We’ll be going now.”
She grabbed Alex’s arm and led her towards the exit. Her niece had a second to wave goodbye at Jae. Then, their backs disappeared down the hall. The door slowly shut itself.
Its lock clanged together.
Jae pressed his lips together, hopping from foot to foot. He scratched his head and pointed a thumb over his shoulder, “Well… I guess I should head back to school now. Thank you for your services. I’ll be sure to tell Lauren about it. And… yeah, see you around, Officer Williams.”
He didn’t wait for a response. His feet instantly headed for the door and retraced the route back to the front desk. He wasn’t sure if he saw but… he wasn’t about to act like he did.
He would just bury it and let it vanish, never to be opened again.
The receptionist paid Jae no attention when he reached the end of the passageway. Alex and her aunt were also nowhere to be seen outside. Not wanting to get into more trouble, he took his car back to Woodlands Academy. He probably should drop by the Principal’s Office first.
His father would have a thing or two to say about his reckless driving.
The sky had a rich blue color with a sparse amount of clouds. Rubber wheels screeched against the asphalt road. The steering wheel tugged them at a sharp turn. The chairs thudded against their hinges, their back rests jerking back and forth. It almost felt like a mini earthquake.
Alex clutched the roof handle above her. Then, she snapped her head towards the driver seat, “Are you okay? What happened between you and Officer Williams?”
Lilly kept her eyes on the road. She clicked her tongue and replied, “You caught that, huh?”
“I don’t think you really made an effort to hide it,” her niece smirked quietly.
“Don’t find this entertaining.”
Alex merely shrugged, glancing out the window, “It just made me wonder how many guys have shown interest in you—even when you claim there wasn’t anyone.”
“There isn’t anyone” her aunt remarked with a firm tone, “Things like that don’t count.”
“What about Atty. Peyton then?”
“What about him? Our relations are business related. Nothing else.”
“I was just asking…” Alex pointed out, using a breathy tone, “No need to be on the defense. It’s not like I mentioned your agreement with grandma.”
Lilly scoffed, “That is not an urgent matter. I don’t think we should talk about something irrelevant right now.”
“I know grandma didn’t even give a deadline. Just saying that she might if you take too long…” her niece trailed off, “Hm, a lawyer or a police officer? Wonder who is a better match for you…”
“Hm. Logan or Neal? Wonder who is a better match for you?”
“How did Neal come up?” Alex asked. She hadn’t said anything about meeting him at Freccia Prep. Why was he suddenly significant?
“Oh, so that means you’re on Team Logan?”
“I said nothing of the sort.”
“I’ll drop it if you do.”
“Deal.”
The rest of the drive went by smoothly and silently. It only took a short amount of time before they reached the house. Alex unlocked the front door and went to her room. She left it hanging for her aunt to come in. Somehow the ambiance of the place had changed.
Or was it her that did?
Alex took a shower and changed into black yoga pants and an oversized white shirt. She had just pulled down the shirt’s hem when her bedroom door opened. Her head turned towards it reflexively, her eyes widening in surprise. She beheld the sight of her mother’s worried expression.
Lifting up her hands, Alex backed away as Angie ran towards her. The impact of her mother’s tackle would have toppled her over if not for the arms that caught her.
“Geez, mom” Alex groaned, “It’s only been two week since we last saw each other.”
Angie pulled her daughter closer, gripping her with every bit of strength that she possessed, “Don’t be such a downer. Do you know how much your father and I had been through? Your secret revealed? By Skye? You knowing about her involvement all this time? You should have told us the second you suspected her! Your father is beyond furious—”
“Damn right I am!” Ethan grunted from the doorway. His business suit added to his intimidating demeanor. His gaze had one target and it hit the bullseye. The pupils in his eyes sharpened like the tips of arrows. They could pierce through skin with one look.
Alex flinched. She had her head rested over her mother’s shoulder. It gave her the full view of her father’s wrath. She almost wrapped her arms around Angie but her mother let her go.
Any chance to hide went out the window.
Her shoulders sagged defeatedly. Bowing her head, she waited for the scolding to come.
“Things wouldn’t have ended this way if you had told us from the beginning!” Her father continued, stepping inside. His booming voice echoed out of the room, “Preventive measures could have been implemented! Keeping this from us was irresponsible of you! You should have come to us with the truth immediately!”
“And then what? Be dragged back home?” Alex snapped, “Why can’t you see how important my life here is for me? The risks I took were only meant to keep what I still had!”
“And why can’t you see that we only have your safety as a priority?” Ethan sneered, “You deliberately chose your selfish reasons over your parents’ concern. None of our decisions were ever made out of bad intentions.”
“Well, I wanted to try, okay?!” His daughter sobbed to the air, “I wanted to give it everything as well as what I could work with. I couldn’t give up! Not unless there still was a way—”
“You could have done that without needing to keep secrets!”
“But you wouldn’t have let me stay here if I did!”
“Damn right, I wouldn’t! You can’t stay here!”
A chilling silence dropped from the ceiling. Both pairs of gray eyes glared, nostrils flaring underneath them. Father and daughter stood with their feet apart and rigid stances. Alex had her jaw locker while Ethan gritted his teeth. Their facial muscles stayed frozen, unrelenting expressions aimed at each other.
“Don’t discuss this while you’re both angry” Angie spoke softly. She rubbed her temple.
It pained her how her family couldn’t see eye to eye. Well, they could but no one was willing to back down. They would only argue in circles if neither of them acknowledged the other’s point. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
“Fine” Ethan spat, “We’ll continue this at home. Pack whatever is essential.”
He spun on his heel and headed for the door.
“I’m not going home” Alex replied in one breath. The scowl in her brows smoothened but her gaze remained hard, “I’m staying here.”
Her father halted, stepping to one side and twisting his torso. His face angled towards her, “What did you say?”
“I’m not going,” she repeated. Then, she crossed her arms over her chest, “I refuse to leave when things are a mess. Those students finally found out that I’ve been deceiving all these years. I can’t go knowing that I’ve done nothing to make up for it.”
“You have nothing to make up for” Ethan retorted, “Let them think what they want. It’s none of their business to nose about your life. Their thoughts are also none of your business.”
Alex shook her head, “It’s not about what they think of me, father. I know I can’t change their minds at will… but I won’t go down without a fight. Let them judge me for who I am—the person they didn’t know all this time.”
She let her arms drop and stepped forward. The harshness in her face faded into a pleading one, “Give me until next Friday, at least, to clean up the mess I’ve caused.”
Alex already made up her mind before she arrived at the police station. Once she recovered from her breakdown, she quickly assessed the situation. Whatever that lied ahead was still a blur in her eyes. The only thing she became certain about… was this.
Whether or not she would be able to keep her current life, she would not run away. Everyone at Woodlands deserved to know the truth. The contents of the flyers only touched the surface. They also contained opinions of someone else.
She needed them to form their own and not be influenced by another’s words.
“Next Friday also sounds like a better time to discuss Alex’s living arrangements” Angie backed up, hiding a smile. A subtle hint of pride glowed in her gaze. She felt the back of her eyes water.
It seemed like her baby had grown up.
Ethan’s angered look didn’t affect her. She simply answered it with a smile, “Let Alex experience what school would have been like if she was herself.”
She walked over to his side and grasped the crook of his elbow. She tilted her head, posing a gentle expression, “Come on. I’m sure Alex won’t mind if you added more security. We can also stay here if you’re that worried. You’d just have to keep up with your work online.”
