Chapter 12

Everyone except Arder had left the classroom. She tucked her bulky green binder into her bag and zipped it shut. The hallway was still cluttered with people pushing and shoving their way through, but there was one thing that stood out. Grey was standing on the other side of the hall, staring directly at her through the sea of bodies. Arder made her way across to where he was.

"Don't you have class?" she questioned.

He nodded before stating, "I need to tell you something." Arder studied his expression, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

"What is it?" she asked. Her eyes widened as a thought crossed her mind. "Is it about Cyrus?"

Grey shook his head. "Can we go outside?"

She hesitated, unsure of what this was about. Curiosity taking over her, she obliged and followed behind him.

Outdoors, the wind had stopped blowing. Arder could still feel the grip of winter in the air around her, but she wasn't cold. She jumped up onto the frozen concrete wall and sat down.

"Arder, your father.." Grey hesitated, but continued, "I knew him."  She stared at him, the smile falling off her face.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "That isn't possible; he died in a car crash before I was born."

"No, the car crash-" Grey cut himself off, hesitating again. "It happened after your mother had you. It was why Cyrus left this place."

The girl's eyebrows furrowed. She didn't understand. She knew her mom was lying about something, but it couldn't be about this. "What do you mean by 'why Cyrus left'?" she questioned. Grey jumped up and sat next to her so they were shoulder to shoulder.

"Your father was in Canada when he he got into the accident. The authorities had no emergency contacts except for the ones on his phone, so they called Cyrus," he explained.

Arder stared up at the dark blue sky. This couldn't be right. "How did you know him?"

"He stayed with us while Cyrus was here with you."

She frowned and moved so she was facing him. "Why was Cyrus even here? Why wasn't my father?"

"I shouldn't be telling you all this. Your mother can do it," Grey said, the gold in his irises sparkling in the sunlight. She saw that he wanted to tell her; his eyes were giving him away.

"She won't and you know it," the girl stated matter-of-factly, glancing around.

Grey flinched, not wanting to explain. "Arder, I can't."

"Fine. I'll go home to figure it out." She hopped off the wall, thoughts about what Grey had said swirling in her mind. Had her father lived to see her after all?

This can't be true. Why don't I remember him then?

She was itching for answers and angry with all the lies.

"I'll go with you,' Grey said, standing up. Arder nodded, wishing he would just tell her everything. She started walking towards the gates, but he grabbed her hand.

"I do want to tell you. But you'll understand why I can't when she explains." The girl, eyes wide in surprise, looked down at her hand held captive in his. Grey quickly let go when he noticed this. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Arder smiled lightly. "Let's go."

Grey nodded, following her out of the school yard and down the busy street.

___

Arder could see the expression on Grey's face when they reached Adam's house. It was the same expression she knew was on her own.  A forced smile caused by the idea of living in the mansion.

The house wasn't as beautiful up close. The door was unlocked so Arder just walked inside, leaving it open for Grey.

Inside, she could hear arguing. It wasn't just a normal disagreement though; it was more like a screaming match.

"This is my fault?" Arder frowned as her mother's voice rang down the halls. "This is because of you!"

"Screw you," she heard Adam yell. Seconds later it was the sound of his heavy footsteps becoming louder as he approached that she heard.

When he rounded the corner and spotted them, his features hardened. "Shouldn't you be at school?" he snapped. "Who is this?" he asked, noticing Grey.

"My-" Arder looked around the corner to see where her mom was- "My friend."

Her stepfather shook his head, clearly not caring. He walked up the stairs to the third floor without looking back.

"Mom," Arder called, walking towards the kitchen with Grey by her side. There, her mother was leaning against the marble counter with her head in her hands. Seeing them enter, she stood up straight and smoothed down her dress.

"You're back?" she questioned, her face emotionless.

"You lied to me, Mom," Arder stated, on the brink of tears.

Aubrey's eyes momentarily widened before returning to normal. "What are you talking about, Arder?"

"The fact that my father didn't die before I was born," the teenager exclaimed, her voice rising. She was angry, but she also felt a sense of control with Grey's presence behind her. If her mother didn't tell her the truth, he would. He was Cyrus's son, and she felt as safe with him as she had with Cyrus. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "What happened, Mom?"

Her mother waved her off, "Arder, I don't want to talk about it." She then noticed Grey standing by the entrance. "You," she said, staring at him. "You're his son."

Grey nodded, a dark smile on his face. Her mother just shook her head and walked back to the bar stools. "I don't know his name, if that's what you want," she mumbled.

Arder's face scrunched up in confusion. "How could you not know my father's name?"

"Arder," she sighed. She looked up from the counter. "I don't know who your father was or is. All I know is he died in a car crash."

Arder stepped forward, staring at her. "What does that even mean?" she demanded. "That doesn't make sense."

"We adopted you. Your biological father died when you were nine. At least, that's what I was told." Taking in Arder's bewildered expression, her mother stood up, shaking her head. "That obviously isn't the response you were looking for. You should have listened to me when I told you to forget about it."

With that, her mother left the room. Arder turned to Grey, feeling like someone had just punched her in the stomach.

"Grey?" she whispered, begging for him to say it wasn't true. He shook his head, a deflated look on his face. She reached out, steadying herself against the wall.

"I just-" Grey began, taking a step towards her, "I thought you would want to know."

"I'm fine," she muttered, nodding. She looked up at his green eyes and smiled weakly. "I'll be fine."

When he grabbed her hand this time, she didn't move.

"I should've known. How didn't I know?" she said under her breath. The boy stepped forward again until they were toe to toe and quickly pulled her into an embrace. Arder didn't back away. She just leaned into his arms and let the tears slowly fall.