Amanda's POV
"I'll kill him," Vince said, his eyes so dark they were almost as black as night. I inhaled sharply. This was a version of Vince that I'd never seen before. His jaw was clenched, and his lips were set together in a harsh line.
The Vince I knew was carefree, flirty and he always cracked jokes no matter the occasion, especially inappropriately. However, a different version of Vince became to emerge today. I was transfixed by him, unable to keep my intrigue out. I never knew he had the capacity to feel such anger and contempt against anyone.
I inhaled sharply. I didn't want things to go out of hand. After all, my dad just returned from prison after 5 years. Even though 5 years ago I vowed to myself that I would never forgive him, for what he did to me, gradually, I began to be able to let go.
Last year was my breakthrough. I decided to work extra hard for school, and I attained stellar grades in school. My teachers were all impressed,
Vince's POVAll of a sudden, Amanda's phone rang. She frowned slightly, and she looked like she was hesitating whether or not to pick it up. She glanced nervously at me. "I have to take this call, bye," she said, before hurrying away, her rose perfume still lingering in the air.Before I could respond, she bounded away like a happy rabbit. I chuckled, although there was a trace of sourness in my tone. After our kiss, she wants to ditch me again? Although I missed her presence, I knew she needed some personal time alone too. Fighting my instincts to know who she was talking to, I remained in my spot.Since today was examination day, the teachers decided to give us a break. We didn't have regular classes, only examinations. Since I had nothing to do, I decided to catch up with my best friend, Matt. Perhaps he was free today, and we could hang out.Whipping out my mobile phone, the latest Banana model, I flicked through my long list o
Amanda's POVI ran towards the history building, my legs feeling like air. "Hello, Amanda," Ms. Raymond said in surprise, looking up from her desk. Ms. Raymond always told the class where her desk was, in case we needed to look for her for consultations.This never came at a much handier time. I didn't think that I would actually say this, but I needed Ms. Raymond. I remembered the day that Vince had told me that Ms. Raymond was actually his biological mom.It was difficult to see the resemblance at first, no offense to Vince. Ms. Raymond's big burly size was vastly different from the slender-looking Vince. I've never really looked at Ms. Raymond closely before, but I could see, through her thick glasses, bright brown eyes that matched Vince's. Why didn't I notice it before? And the strange request for Vince to be my tutor.I should have seen it coming. Vince had explained to me that his parents had divorced a long time ago. He didn't say why, but I suppo
Vince's POVThe rest of the day passed by without much incident, and I was having a great time with Matt. We had the afternoon free, so we decided to play some video games. After some rounds on his Xbox, we were tired so we decided to call it a day."Thanks for today, Matt," I said, waving Matt goodbye. It was always fun and chill with Matt, nothing too high maintenance. I've missed these times, ever since I started spending more time with Amanda.Now that examinations were over, I guess Amanda didn't need any tuition anymore. Yet, I felt that our relationship as strong as ever. I needed to ask her to be my girlfriend. I hadn't really done that before with anyone, as girls automatically thought they were with me even though we aren't.I chuckled. Those were the days. "Just a question, Matt," I asked casually. "What's up, mate?" Matt said, his mouth still full with cheerios. "Uh... How do I ask a girl to be my girlfriend?" I blurted out. I was
Amanda's POV The plan was set. Now, we just had to put it into action. I didn't know why, but I felt more confident, with the help of Ms. Raymond. I just needed to wait until tonight. This was time to prove that I didn't need a man to come to my rescue. I was capable of doing things on my own, and despite my attachment to Vince now, it made me feel more empowered and in control. Perhaps, I didn't need Vince for once. I felt bad to burden him sometimes, especially with my friend Layla. It wasn't his fault at all. It was mine, for getting involved in the file and the Victoria business. I shivered involuntarily, goosebumps rising onto my skin. What was wrong with her, and what did she want from me? When I went back home, my mind was relieved after a fruitful and informed time with Ms. Raymond, who did share some of Vince's quirks with me. "You know, when Vince was younger, he would flap his wings like that," Ms. Raymond demonstrates,
Amanda's POVAfter my talk with Liz, I finally got the reassurance I wanted. Yes, no wonder it was confusing. This meant that the right file was still on the shelf somewhere. This was such a huge relief I almost collapsed onto the floor in happiness. Perhaps there was some hope after all.I had checked the cameras that were installed in the house before, but I hadn't found anything unusual. Liz had let me use her computer to access the tapes, and those videos in the daytime showed no hint of any kind of intrusion.This meant that whoever it was, he or she definitely snuck in at night when it was dark. I looked through my misty window and saw fogs upon fogs piling onto each other in the distance. A gloomy day, no doubt souring my mood a little.Perhaps it was why they couldn't identify the right file by checking its contents. They just acted on instinct, took the file, and left.A knock on the door startled me. I got up from my bed immed
Vince's POVWhen I spoke on the phone with Amanda, I had already known that she was lying. Layla was her best friend, there was no way that she would be this unconcerned about her. What was she hiding from me and more importantly, why was she hiding?Amanda was going to be my girlfriend, almost. We couldn't afford to keep any more secrets from each other, unless absolutely necessary. No doubt, I felt a little hurt by her evasive actions, but if she thought that this was going to stop me, she was wrong.I was stubborn and determined in nature, so nothing would stop me. Nonetheless, I hadn't always been badass. I was always shorter and less bright than my classmates, but I've always fought harder than them. In elementary school, however, I was continually teased for my size.Usually, I would just ignore them but the bullying had gotten so bad to the point that I couldn't take it anymore. I decided enough is enough, so I punched the biggest bully in the face
Amanda's POVI didn't know what came over me when I dashed into the apartment. Perhaps it was pure recklessness, or to save my friend, I didn't really know. Probably it was a combination of both.The person sitting on the chair had long dark hair, but I wasn't close enough to see her face. My legs just flew forward, before anyone could stop me at all. I was too overwhelmed with emotions to think straight. To think that she had been here since yesterday night, getting tortured by these beasts of a human... It was unimaginable."Layla!" I cried out, when I reached her chair. Never did I expect that it wasn't her at all. What was supposed to be Layla was just a mannequin with a wig. "Knew you'd fall for that," Victoria taunted. When I had realised my mistake, it was already far too late.The door was already clicked shut behind me, sealing me away from the outside world. I screamed in horror. The worst that could happen, had happened to me now. M
Vince's POV Nothing could describe how relieved I felt, when Amanda appeared in the doorway. Damien and I were here since 8pm, but we didn't know what we would do or find. I merely tracked Layla's celphone to this place and we had no other clues. This place was humongous. It looked less like an estate building than a giant shopping mall. Damien and I came in our motorbikes. We parked them discreetly inside the adjacent building so as not to attract too much attention. It was a big and vacant space, and as far as we could see into the buildings, it didn't seem like there were many staying here. The ground was covered in dirty concrete and the buildings looked like they haven't been refurbished for years. Was Layla trapped here? I couldn't imagine how that felt. Just moments ago we stepped into the place, and I already felt like leaving. There was a dangerous air about this place, and I didn't like it at all. We had to move fast. The best scenario was that we sneak in and rescue Lay