Chapter 6

He walked in. I mean, I could hear his giant steps. "You have a beautiful house," he complimented, making me to roll my eyes.

I looked at him with disgust written all over my skin. This man made my skin to creep. 

"Why are you acting like this is the first time of coming into my house?" I questioned, packing my hair in a loose ponytail.

"Hey, I was just complimenting." He raised his hands up in the air like I was pointing a gun at him. 

"I don't need your fake compliment."

"You're one rude, little lady." He shook his head like he was in awe. 

"Don't you have an office to go back to or something?" I questioned with irritation laced in my voice.

"I own that place. It's my father's company, automatically making it mine. " He sat on my brown couch. Mother's brown couch, remember? I don't pay any bills. 

"Don't call me lady." 

I tried to make him go back to his office, but he insisted on staying. "Okay, enjoy your stay," I muttered and turned to walk to my room. 

"Hold on." His voice reverberated in the sitting room, making it feel like it was empty. "Don't tell me you're going to leave me here, alone." He scrunched his face, but I gave him the i-don't-care look. 

"What if mother comes home and finds you alone with me?" I questioned, getting a bag of chips from my bag. "What would she think? You shouldn't be here." I closed my eyes for two seconds and plopped on the bean bag.

"Uhm, my closest friend's child at work left school, came to the office, looking all blue and was about to wonder about." He explained. "I can't leave you to wander. I mean, you aren't wonder woman," he said between laughs earning a frown from me. 

"Worst line ever." I rolled my eyes. "P.s you're not my mother's friend, you're her boss." 

"Thanks. Wait, why aren't you in school?" He asked with a look of concern, with his eyes never leaving my face. 

What should I tell him? He was just a persistent man. He was younger than mother and now I'm curious to know if he and mother fooled around.

"Can we drop that?" I scoffed. "First you said I wander about, I didn't take that personal, now you're trying to pry into my private life." I continued. "Don't I deserve a right to privacy or what?" 

"I'm just trying to help. I'm not trying to pry, I'm just worried and concerned about you," he said. 

"Well, I don't need your help. Keep it to yourself." I spat, trying my possible best for him to leave me alone. 

"It's okay." He sighed. "Not even a glass of water?" He cocked up his left eye brow and I walked to get him a glass of water. 

"Here." I handed it over to him and watched him gulp it down. He unbuttoned the first two buttons of his check designer shirt. 

I looked away. "I think you should le-" 

My phone beeped and cut me off. I glared at the screen and saw notifications from social media or whatever they called it. I sounded like this because I didn't have a social life. I preferred to read novels and listen to music than waste the day chatting endlessly on stupid topics. 

I swiped to unlock and read. Immediately, I felt a mixture of emotions whirling inside of me. The more I read, the more it felt like everything became small, everywhere became hot, dark, making it hard for me to breathe. 

I could feel my body shaking in anger. I was so angry that I didn't feel a tear slide down my right cheek. I realized it when mr Robert asked if I was crying, but I didn't answer him. 

I breathe in and breathe out. Why did everyone hate me? High school sucked so bad. 

"Hey," Mr Robert tried getting my attention, but I refused looking at him. I sat on the bean bag with my knees up and my head buried in them.

"Melanie," I sighed in frustration, balls of tears raced down my cheeks.

"Nicole." Mr Robert got to his feet. "Breathe," he said calmly, earning stare daggers from me. I hated it when people tell me that, like I'm breathing damn it! I've been doing that for the past fourteen years now.

He walked to the bean bag I was on and squatted. "Talk to me." He placed his right hand on my left arm, but I shrugged it off. 

"Why should I trust you?" I seethed.

"I'm an adult and believe me I've been through things. I was once your age, I might just be able to help." He gave me an assuring look.

I wondered what I was going to do with all of this out. I was slowly becoming the talk of the town. Mother would kill me and father would be devastated. 

It's all my fault, me and my big mouth. I wish I had a diary like Pandora from the novel Pandora gets jealous. I envied it, a diary that talked back. 

I wracked my brain to see if I've ever offended Sophia, but no. There was nothing I could think of.  

I shook my head in dismay and said, "well, I don't need your help." I rolled my brown eyes given to me by my dad.

"Oh okay," he sighed in defeat.

There was a moment's silence before I sourly said, "she betrayed me."

"Who did?" Mr Robert asked softly.

I stared at my palm and wondered what mother would do to me when she gets this message. Oh no, what if father finds out?

No, I don't want to be the reason behind a broken home. I closed my eyes and threw my head back. I believe mother would find a way to cover up. 

I glanced at my phone, ignoring the big lump in my throat. How could Sophia? 

"Nicole?" Mr Robert called. "Who betrayed you?"