Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live in a rich and respected family? Where you have to uphold the crown, that was attached to you from birth. Living by the standards that others have set and trying hard to meet the standards people have set against you. Demanded to be perfect and you will be left when you can't live up to other people's expectations.
***
The sun shines brightly, the wind blows and makes the leaves sway, even the chirping of birds becomes music to accompany the wind blowing. You can see a young boy sitting on a school park bench staring at a piece of paper which is a report on the results of a semester exam.
The boy looked not that happy even though he got an A even he sighed as if and his eyes were sad as if he was going to face big trouble. He looked so disappointed that his hands clenched into fists and crumpled the test results a little.
"Alex!" called a teenage boy as he walked over to Alex who was sitting on a park bench
Alex didn't say anything and only glanced at his friend Drake who came over to him. Drake looked so happy when he approached his best friend, but Alex didn't look so excited instead he looked like a student who got bad grades.
"What are you doing sitting here alone?" Drake asked, placing his hand on Alex's shoulder and sitting down beside him.
"Nothing …" Alex replied briefly then he looked back at the exam results with a sad look.
Drake also took a look at his friend's test paper and in contrast to Alex who looked sad, Drake showed the opposite reaction. Drake looked completely amazed with his eyes wide open as if his eyeballs were ready to pop out.
"Wow, you are great! How did you get this good score? The fruit does fall not far from the tree huh! " Said Drake with a big smile.
Alex just smiled with a corner of his lips in response to the words of his friend. Drake may not have noticed it because he was too excited, but Alex looked uncomfortable when Drake mentioned the proverb. Alex doesn't like that proverb because to him it's like a curse that's been tied to him since he was born.
Alex feels very tired of people who praise him by associating himself with his family. How could he not, Alex was always associated with his surname Maxwell as if he meant nothing without his last name. His father was a Supreme Court judge who was very famous for his assertiveness in giving decisions at court as well as with his intelligence so that everyone in his city had great respect for his father. And his mother is a professor of health who managed to find a breakthrough drug that is very effective and managed to establish the third-largest pharmaceutical company in the country.
As the first son of the great Maxwell family, he had to carry a very heavy burden. He had to pay attention to his surroundings before acting, thinking before speaking that even he had to put the honour of his family before himself. Often Alex also has to do something very contrary to him. He always has to wear a mask so that sometimes he forgets his face.
And today Alex starts to rethink what he wants. Even when everyone was praising him he didn't feel happy at all. He couldn't feel anything, he could only feel the emptiness in his heart because Alex knew his value was not something impressive but an obligation that he should have done.
Alex knows that everyone looks at him with amazement and even jealous because he was born in a very extraordinary family. But Alex doesn't feel proud or happy at all because he knows better what it is like to live in such a wonderful family.
With the name Maxwell attached to his name, he must continue to be careful in everything. He must not show his weaknesses and can only show his perfect side. He has to be someone everyone wants not to be who he wants to be.
At first, Alex felt that it was the thing he had to do. He tried hard to get recognition from his parents but no matter how hard he tried he would never get the recognition he wanted not even a single compliment he never got from his parents. And today Alex is getting tired, he goes back to thinking about what he wants. He wants to be himself but doesn't know what his real face looks like because he starts to forget his real face.
"Alex, what have you been thinking about since earlier?" Drake asked, bringing Alex back to his senses from his reverie.
"Ah, nothing. Just thinking about something that is not so important … "Alex replied, giving his trademark thin smile.
"Larie invited us to his house party. You will also come right? " said Drake, staring at Alex with sparkling eyes as if begging Alex to attend Larie's house party.
"Hm, alright. I'll come but just a moment. " Alex replied, feeling a little forced.
"Alright, then I'll pick you up," Drake said with a big smile
***
Time flies and now Alex is walking into his house with a heavy heart. With every step, he tried to catch his breath. He kept on walking even though his feet felt very heavy to move. As he stood in front of the door, he paused to take a breath as his hands grabbed the doorknob.
The worry that continues to haunt him makes Alex a little hesitant to open the door in front of him. But Alex knew he couldn't keep running away from what he had to endure. He also opened the door to his house. The whole room is empty and no one welcomes him.
At first, Alex thought his mom and dad would be home because that's what they always do every time Alex gets his test results. Alex also sighed and walked to his room, and then he threw his bag into the corner of his room. He also dropped his body onto the soft mattress while staring at the ceiling of his room which was painted plain white.
Many things crossed his mind, about himself, his life and even about his dreams. He started to think back to how he had lived his life all this time. Since childhood, he tried hard to fulfil the expectations of his parents. Bearing the burdens and responsibilities of being the eldest.
Son in the Maxwell family, he strives to be a son figure who perfectly meets family standards and sets an example for his two younger sisters.
But is that really what he wants? Although he has tried hard to become the perfect son, he has never received praise from his parents once. Not even once did he feel happy with all the results he got.
"I live my life or the life of my parents …" murmured Alex while staring closely at the ceiling of his room.
***The sound of knocking on the door filled the room, Alex who had fallen asleep unconsciously opened his eyes again. Alex slowly wakes up from his sleep, the voice of his sister Gina who calls out to him makes Alex wake up completely and removes the lingering drowsiness. He opened the door and Gina immediately jumped at him then hugged Alex tightly with a face that was very happy and excited."Big brother! Brother managed to get another A! " said Gina very excitedly.Alex smiled and hugged his sister because he was very happy with the praise given by his sister. Alex is always close to his younger sister Gina because Gina is a cheerful girl who likes to follow Alex and also invites Alex to play with her. Gina is also the only person who always asks Alex to talk even for trivial things,
"No, I'm not that good at dancing anyway," Alex replied refusing the girl's invitation politely."Oh yeah? my name is Helena." Said the girl while stretching out her hand.Even though he was a little annoyed because he was approached by a girl he didn't know at all, Alex still smiled and shook Helena's hand while giving a faint smile. However, Alex has to maintain the good name of his family because of that he must always be friendly and polite. Even though he doesn't like it, he still has to hold back all his emotions and only shows the good side of Alex Maxwell."My name is Alex…" said Alex introducing himself when he shook Helena's hand."I already know your name,
When everyone just saw her quietly, Gina immediately jogged and with her tiny hands she hugged Drake. The warmth of Gina's hug made Drake couldn't hold himself anymore. Drake immediately burst into tears and gave off all the flavours he had endured.***Several days have passed, the orange rays of the morning sun have become Alex's favourite beautiful sight since he was hospitalized. Since opening his eyes again, Alex has liked to sit alone on a park bench just to see this beautiful sight. Even today he is willing to wake up very early just to see the sunrise. The sound of birds singing became the music that accompanied his morning.Alex loved the morning sunshine he saw so much that he couldn't stop smiling. He was so focused on the beautiful scenery that he didn't realize that a girl his age was watching him and walked over
Do you believe in fate? Believing that God has Written everything about your life, Then what if there is no coincidence in this world. Maybe everything that happens and everyone we see is predetermined and always has some meaning in our lives even if it's a brief encounter or just passing through on the street?***The dawn sun was shining again, the birds were singing sweetly, welcoming the dawn. The wind was swirling gently, whistling and shaking the leaves of the tree. Alex sat on his hospice bed staring out the window. It focused his eyes on the dawn sun as if he had been reborn upon seeing the soft orange rays of the dawn sun.After several days of being treated in the hospice, today Alex will return to his home. His parents took him home, but they allowed Alex to enjoy his own whil
Alex doesn't know why, but he can't forget Ruby's face, even though he tries to brush Ruby's image and forget it but it still comes back to fill his mind until he is lost in his thoughts.***Time passed and several days passed. After he had completely recovered, Alex returned to school. Coming back to school after not being in school for a long time made everything feel great. Wearing a school uniform felt so amazing even though it was just the uniform he usually wore. Even just standing in front of the school gate made him pleased.Perhaps it was because he missed school so much after several days of not being able to attend a school that the air he breathed at school also felt completely different as if there was a sweet scent when he inhaled it.For th
They arrived at the sacred tree and Ruby was very excited to make a wish. While Ruby was thinking about what she should ask for, Alex, who didn't believe in anything, just wrote on the coin he was holding and just threw it away.From a distance, a pair of envious eyes looked at Alex and Ruby who were together. That person is Helena, the beauty queen whose position as the prettiest girl is being rivalled because Ruby looks close to Alex, the man almost all girls in school want.Jealousy was clear in Helena's eyes, and she hated it when someone touched her target. The flames seemed to radiate from her views so that her friend Natty could tell just by looking at his views. Natty, who was curious about what her best friend saw, until she looked very annoyed, approached Helena and look at the window to catch what made Helena so upset.
"We want to go to a place that kids our age frequent, but Alex doesn't seem to know much about that. You can show up and take us to nice places, right? I am happy!" said Ruby with a big smile as she stared at Helena."Huh? Will you not be disturbed if I join? " Helena asked as she saw Ruby's eyes with a suspicious look because she thought Ruby might cover up her genuine feelings."Eh! I am delighted that I can have lots of friends. What is your name?" replied Ruby with a wide and sincere smile."Helena ..." said Helena and with a confused look because Ruby looked pleased even though she was interrupting her and Alex's date and it felt strange for Helena."Helena, what a beautiful
No one knows when his heart was attracted and felt something he had never felt before. In the past, nothing could make him feel successful even when he was ranked first in his school. But now, accompanying Ruby home and walking the sidewalk after getting off the bus made his so delighted that he couldn't quit smiling.Every step he took with Ruby had so good that he could see his excited heartbeat. The cool night air was so sweet and warm that he felt at home going for a long while. Maybe because he was with Ruby, Alex became eager to break time or slow down passaging day because he wanted to be with Ruby longer.Then they stopped in the front line of the hospital where they first met. Alex was a little surprised when they reached the front line of the hospital because he didn't pay attention to anything else when they walked together and it was because he could only see Ruby all the way.
“After You’re Gone”Today is one year after you left. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been through 365 days without you. There’ are a lot of things I can’t believe, over the past year, there’s been a lot going on. Helena who’s always following now has someone else looking after her, that man named Jasper. He’s a free man and loves skateboarding, and he often wins skateboarding competitions. He looks like a punk, but strangely they seem to fit in together.Then Drake and Natty, they’re still together today. Although often quarrelsome and often want to break up, but they still end up together. They are still the same as they used to be in basketball, but recently Natty made online comics and comics very popular, even though at first she only did that as a hobby.And me? As you can see now, I’m even the same. I’m still the same Alex, Alex loves you and misses you. You saw me, didn’t you? I&rsqu
That afternoon as usual, Alex took Ruby to the park after Ruby underwent chemotherapy. Alex does that to cheer up Ruby because he knows Ruby loves seeing flowers blooming in the garden. Just looking at a blooming flower can make Ruby smile beautifully. However, Ruby asks Alex to do something she hasn’t done for a long time and that surprises Alex enough.“ What? Now? Why all of a sudden do you want me to do that?” asked a shocked Alex.“ There’s no other reason, I just want you to paint me because we haven’t done it in a while. I wish you to paint me again, can’t it?” replied Ruby with a squeal.“Of course I can do it for you, wait a minute, I’ll have someone deliver my painting material,” Alex said.Alex called his housekeeper and asked his servant to bring his painting equipment to the hospital. After waiting for a while, a waiter came with painting material and Alex sent the waitress home. Alex
“Alex, what are you doing here?” asked Ruby.Alex didn’t say anything, he kept quiet and then when the tears that were swimming on his petals fell Alex hugged Ruby. That sudden hug shocked Ruby. For a moment Ruby drowned in Alex’s arms and almost replied to Alex’s hug. But she came to her senses and tried to break free from Alex’s arms by pushing Alex. But Alex hugged her so that it was hard for Ruby to break away.“Alex, let go! Don’t hug me, let go!” said Ruby as she pushed Alex until Alex retreated a few steps away from her.“ What are you doing here? Have you forgotten what I said?! Please leave me and never see you again. Don’t ruin my relationship with Ricky. Please leave me.” Said Ruby looking at Alex with her eyes drenched in tears.“ No, I’ll never leave you. Why do you keep lying? I know that Ricky is your brother. Yes, I know, Ricky told me everything. Why? Why are you
But now when Jasper comes Helena smiles a little and her eyes are also shining. It’s easy to realize that there’s something Helena feels, even though it seems Helena herself isn’t aware of it. Aware of her friends looking at her with a suspicious stare, Helena introduces Jasper as her best friend to avoid the suspicions of her friends indeed though it won’t work because everything is already visible.They chose tents and other equipment together. Drake was so happy to choose with Natty and so did Helena who looked focused on choosing with the help of Jasper, only Alex who was alone and felt not so interested. Instead of pointing his gaze at tents and camping bags, Alex prefers to look the other way, as if he’s trying to find something interesting around him.Then Alex saw someone who looked very familiar. A man who was picking out some jewelry stores in front of him. The man looks familiar until Alex squinted to see the man more. And it’
“ Who called her? Did she meet someone else that day?” Alex wondered in his heart.Alex never cared about what Helena had done before, but now he's starting to care less about Helena. I don’t know if he’s starting to think about other people, or maybe he's starting to open his heart to Helena until he wonders if Helena’s seeing another man or not.“Hello, yes, I just got home. No, I don’t think I can make it today. Nothing happened, I was just going shopping with my friends. We’re going to the shopping center to buy camping equipment. Yes, see you later .” Helena said in her soft voice and hung up.“You look so happy, who is that?” asked Alex in his usual angle tone.“Just someone I know...” Answer Helena, who doesn’t want to go any further.Seeing Helena who seemed to not wish to discuss it further made Alex stop asking questions even though he still had a lot of questions.
Alex can fool everyone, but not with Drake, who can find out that Alex is currently trying to run. However, there is no point in running because the more he runs, the more Ruby’s shadow keeps coming towards him. The more Alex tries to forget Ruby, the more he can’t forget Ruby. That’s what happens when we get heartbroken for the first time because it’s the first time so it’s very hard to forget and Alex doesn’t know that rather than forgetting its better to let it live with it.The break bell rang, Drake approached Alex and asked him to go to the cafeteria with him, but Alex refused his invitation because he wanted to go to the library and borrow new reading materials. But Drake didn’t give up straight away and kept following Alex while continuing to talk to Alex, even though Alex continued to ignore him while continuing to read the book he was holding. Until when they were in front of the library, Drake became lost his temper and snatc
“ It’s not like that. Of course, I care about our son. It’s just that I think he’s an outstanding student, he’s going to be the best student we wish to be. Don’t get mad at me like this.” Mr. Maxwell replied while rubbing his wife’s hand to assuage her anger.Gretta fell silent. Yes, she knew this was what they wanted. Ever since Alex was a kid, they kept forcing Alex to study hard even when Alex didn’t want to. They kept instilling their idealists about what Alex had to do, what he was responsible for as a first child. They continue to lead Alex to think that he must be the perfect person by carrying his surname on both shoulders.They made Alex let go of everything he liked and fulfilled the day to learn and hone himself to carry Maxwell’s name on his shoulders. But seeing Alex immerse himself in the books like someone trying to escape reality like that worries Gretta. Gretta worries that Alex is pushing himself
They tell that man and desire are one unity because in fact that desire is always in man. It could be wealth, power, respect from others, office, anything. That desire depends so much on the person, but no matter how much they have, they will never be satisfied because people are greedy.But you always say that in this life I must not be greedy, to be grateful for what I have because greed is sin. I try, I try not to be greedy. But recently, I’ve become more greedy, indeed though I know I shouldn’t be.Every day, every minute and every second I see him greed grows and pile up in my heart. Even though I’ve been trying so hard not to be greedy, but why every time I stand next to him, I keep wanting many things. I’m getting scared, every day I go with her scares me so much.I want to stay by his side, hold his hand, make him smile and when I can do everything I get more greedy, and I want to stay with him forever. I know this is wrong, even though
Like Natty said, Helena is preoccupied with something more like someone. Helena doesn’t like to wait or watch someone do something. But Jasper keeps her waiting and watching Jasper practice skateboarding and learn some new tricks for the game.Helena doesn’t want to come, and she doesn’t want to get involved with Jasper anymore, but Jasper keeps getting her to show up and watch Jasper train. Helena doesn’t want to admit it even as she keeps trying to look cocky, but in fact Jasper has carried out to make her mind change about Jasper. Maybe it was a good impression, or maybe she had been awed by Jasper.Helena doesn’t realize that there’s a lot that has changed from her since meeting Jasper. Some changes she’s felt impossible to make. Although only a few days of getting to know Jasper has managed to make Helena wait for him, even though Natty who has been friends for a long time with Helena can’t make her do that.Helena