Chapter Two

Chapter Two.

"That's a really beautiful name,"I replied as I took her hand in mine,amazed by it's softness and warmness "I'm Harden. I can call you Leesha right?"

She doesn't reply and all I could hear was the thoughts in her mind. She was contemplating whether to say yes or no. It caused me to smile. In the end,I'm still some stranger to her anyway.

"Sure"she replies "you're new here right?"

"How did you know that?"I slowly let go of her hand.

"Trust me I know practically everyone around here. Especially around this quarter and your face isn't one I've seen around. I can swear I've never seen you before. Plus,you didn't know patrick. Everyone knows him"

"Well,you do make quite the perfect observer. You're right,I did just move here today. Although,I've been here on tours and vacations many years ago"

"Many years ago?" She laughs unbelievably. "Well,Harden. It's nice to meet you"

"Same goes for me, Leesha. You should go and not worry about me. Your friends are probably waiting"

"They're gone. Patrick knows I'm not coming with him"

"Why is that?"

"Are you seriously asking me?"she throws me another smile.

"Yeah,"I replied "I hate to be a reason why......"

"Don't,"she holds her hand up to me "I can go home alone"

"I'm sorry,I didn't mean to....."

"No it's okay"she replied firmly,her eyes moving over my chest before looking back at my face and pointing to my chest again "where'd you get that?"

I look down at the antique circular ball connected to the golden necklace around my neck, draping down my chest. It consisted of a series of metal strings,bounded in interlocks to form a ball. In real sense,it was a cage housing a golden stone in the middle of it. It was a gift from my mother.

Looking up at her,I replied "I got it from someone as a gift"

Her voice catches mine immediately "it's beautiful"

"Thanks."

"Okay. But you've got to be careful with that though,"she points to the necklace "rubbery is way out of hand here and that necklace seems priceless."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind"I gave her a reassuring smile.

She nods "I'm running late. I better go home" she stands up straight.

"But it's barely 10"

"I know,trust me"she replied uneasily "I'll see you again...." She turns around and I watched her walk out of the store.

I hurried out after her. She has made a cross towards the other side of the road and is now standing for a cab. I crossed to her and walked up from behind, causing her to jump in fear.

"God,Harden you scared me"she breathes hard.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure you go home safely"

She smiles tenderly "thanks."

Just then,a cab stops before us and she turned back to wave at me before entering the back seat,me shutting the car door after her. I watched till the car disappeared from sight.

And I couldn't stop chanting her name in my head.

Alessia..... 

________________________________________________________________________________________

Alessia.

Stepping out from the black cab that pulled up right in front of the fountain before my lawn,I couldn't help the feelings inside of me. I felt strange all of a sudden and I felt goosebumps ripple through my exposed legs. The night felt crispy cold. Tonight had been a disaster. Again.

Watching the enormous mansion I lived in as I walked up the long,wide steps,I couldn't help feel that same feeling I always felt on my birthdays. Loneliness. I shared a huge mansion with an extended family yet it always feels so lonely. Maybe it's because I live with my mother's family and not with my birth father's.

My mother,Miranda Winters divorced my birth father eight years ago. I'd never seen him ever since. She remarried Phil afterwards and he moved in here. My mother was a strong and fearless woman and it was hard to live with her as I grew older but I don't exactly have any choice or any say in my life. The people around me pretty much run my life for me. My mom who irrevocably tells me what to do,what to wear,what to eat,what to say. Phil,who tries constantly to play the father role in my life but fails miserably. My mother's brothers who lives with us and contributes to making life unbearable for me. You pretty much get the drill now,don't you?

The cold was getting pretty intense and all I wanted right now was to get inside and lie on my bed. And probably never wake up.

Stepping into the porch,I stopped pulling the door knob when I heard my name. I stopped opening the now slightly ajar door and turned back to see patrick running towards me.

"Leesha,wait up!" He yells again.

I close the door back and stood facing him. "Patrick,what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean,kitty?"he asks as he stopped in front of me "I'm here to see you"

Unbelievable.

"You don't have to come here,"I fold my arms across my chest "we just saw each other a few minutes ago"

"I know. I came to apologise. About today"

I sighed slowly, realizing that I'm probably just getting too hard on him. He is apologizing anyway. 

Unfolding my arms,I replied "it's okay, Patrick. I'm not upset anymore"

"Really?,"he smiles sweetly "did you have a nice day with me today?"

"Listen.....I really need to go"I told him,one hand on the door knob while totally ignoring his question.

"Is Miranda home?"he asks hurriedly, obviously sensing the urgency in my voice. The urgency to leave him.

"Ahm.....nope"I replied, pushing the door open.

"Alessia!" He calls at once, reaching for my hand on the door knob and pulling the door close as the same time. His body is right in front of mine, almost pushing mine as he shut the door before moving back again. He looks at me.

"I said am sorry" he said and I scoffed "what was that for?"

"Patrick. I just can't do this anymore,I told you already. I mean your attitude is way over board"

"I said....."

"Yes, patrick, you're sorry! That's what you say everytime. When you beat up a kid, you're sorry. When you force me to do stuffs with you, you're sorry"

"That's because you never wanna do anything with me, Leesha!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying,Pat! How can I do anything with you when all you ever do is so different from mine! You never even consider my feelings for once. You never even do stuffs that I want,that I like. You don't pay attention to me!"

"That's not true"

"Yes" I let out an exasperated sigh "today is just a perfect example, isn't it? I told you in school earlier that I couldn't go out to the city quarter with you because I had a freaking headache......"

"You didn't have a headache,you were gonna go over to Ashley's!"

".....but what did you do? You came right up to my mom because you knew she'd make me go with you! My opinion never matters to you, does it?"

"I'm sorry...."

"But you're right though. I'd have felt a little bit better if I had spent the day with Ashley rather than you. Maybe I wouldn't be feeling so upset right now"

"Why are you even upset, Leesha?"

"Did you see what you did back at the quarter? Hitting that guy on the face for nothing!"

"Now it's about that guy?"

"No,it's about you! That is why I never hang out with you. Beating up everybody all the damn time"

"So this is what this is all about,"he scoffed "I knew there was something off about how you defended him. He even walked you to a freaking cab"

"Yes! Because that's what a gentleman would do. Now are you gonna keep talking about him? cause I'd rather just go in and sleep right now"

"Wait,"he reaches for my wrist "I didn't mean for any of that okay? Now can you quit this your attitude?"

"Attitude?" I cut my wrist from his palm "you never change, Patrick. And I've had enough of you. This is why I broke up with you"

"I said am sorry! I've been saying this for weeks,kitty! Please just give us one last chance and I promise you..... everything will work out better this time. I promise. Please"

"How long am I gonna keep doing that to myself,Pat? To you? I just..... I can't......."

"Don't Leesha....."

"I'm ophicially breaking up with you, Patrick. When I took a break last two weeks,I thought things would finally set straight......but I was wrong. We cannot be and we cannot force this to work"

"What? You're breaking up with me? You know you can't do that"

"Well,"I shrug my shoulders "I just did. I got to go"

He looks down for a moment and I slowly started to open the door again.

"I'll pick you up for school tomorrow?"he said.

"Okay. Good idea" I replied and immediately wished I had turned that offer down. He always drove me to school and brought me back ever since we started dating. Although it wasn't entirely a good idea for him to still drive me to school now,I couldn't let mother know that I'd broken up with him so him still driving me would be a perfect cover.

"Yeah,"a small smile appears on his lips "good night"

Without replying,I disappeared inside,my eyes shut close and I let out a sharp breath.

"You're home late,young lady" the recognizable deep voice shakes me from my moment of peace and quiet and I turned quickly to see my uncle,Joxer standing at the foot of the long spiral staircase,his arms folded,a grim, disgusted look on his face.

At 38,Joxer was still unmarried. Handsome undeniably,which makes all the women who crosses his path run for his bed. He was a player and doesn't waste time before using his good looks to get what he wants, whenever he wanted it.

I stood straight, knowing fully well how he hated me staying out late at nights. He never took any excuses for it.

"Evening uncle"I greeted him, looking for ways to make him forget that I'm 'home late'. Who am I kidding? There's no way out of this. There's never a way.

"Tell me, Alessia. Why are you coming home at this late hour. It's...,"he holds out his wrist and checks the time on his watch "...10:44."

I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead as I casted my gaze down,lost of words. I felt choked.

"Leave the poor girl alone,Jox"My mom said and I looked up to see her walking down the stairs,a hand on the railing. "She's eighteen for God's sake"

Technically,I'll be eighteen soon.

My mom wears a sly smile as she falls beside Joxer,her perfectly polished wine colored nails pointing out.

Miranda was the oldest among all her siblings,at fourty seven,she was still looking vibrantly young with her straight black bob hairstyle, cutting sharply just above her shoulders. She looked like someone you'd mistake to be my twenty five year old older sister. She had predative black eyes,non of which I inherited. I looked nothing like my mother,I was rather the spitting image of my father.

"How was your date with patrick, darling?"she asked, flashing a smile at me.

"It went well,"I lied,wanting to quietly go up to my room before the other members of the extended family joined in.

"I'm with Joxer, Miranda" Phil says as he walked down the stairs too "I don't think Alessia should be staying out so late at night. You know the reason,honey"

Oh great,here comes the father. I felt the urge to face palm but I stay put, avoiding making eye contact with him. But he had to say that? Really? Bring matters back?

"Come on baby, she's just a girl"My mom replies sweetly "and am sure she can take care of herself"

"But still,going out at this hour isn't okay,just because she can take care of herself"Phil replied, adding fuel to my fire. And I just about had enough of this.

"Why do you even care,Phil?" I retort angrily "you cannot tell me what I can and cannot do,or when I can and cannot go out!"

"Alessia"Mom calls "don't talk to him like that"

"Why?,"I held Phil's eyes in mine "he's not my father"

"He is still your father,Leesha and you have to respect that okay?!"

"I do not care,mom! And he is not and would never be my father!"

I hurried up the stairs on the right which led to my room,not stopping till I got to my bedroom door. I angrily pushed the door open only to see my cousin,Allen crouched down at the foot of my dresser table. What the hell was he doing in my room?

"What the hell are you doing in my room?!" I screamed and he rises up to his feet.

Allen was my cousin whom I practically grew up with here. Since we were kids. Allen was one of the sweetest people I've known. Scratch that. He's the sweetest person I know while being the meanest pain in the ass too. I shouldn't be yelling at him but I couldn't help it.

"Nothing"he replied sternly, tucking his hands into his jeans side pockets.

"Well get out!!"

"Hey,hey,"he puts up his hands in surrender "why so cranky? Are you at it again? It's your time of the month,ain't it?"

I stared unbelievably at him.

"Oh wait,I think I know,"he continued "it's Patrick right? What did he do?"

"Nothing. Now leave" I tried to push him out but he wouldn't bulge.

"Something happened. I could hear you telling at him from your window some minutes ago"he turns around to face me "why are you so angry?"

"I said am fine!"

"Hold on. Did Joxer get on your nerves again? Wait,I know. The whole family ganged up on you again, didn't they?" He started to laugh before adding "I told you not to go out with that douche again"

"Aaah! Get out!"I screamed,pushing him towards the door.

"Alright"he steps out and I slammed the door on his face. I'm so upset.

I knew I couldn't hold any food in my stomach for tonight and couldn't care any less. Matching into the bathroom,I stripped my clothes and took a quick shower. Slowly,my anger began to subside but I couldn't help thinking about all that just happened downstairs as I stared at my reflection on the mirror. 

What a fucked up family,huh? I pouted as my mom's words flashed through my mind. Phil my father? That will never happen.