Struggling with dual life

"I should get going now, we have a group assignment to complete. "

Alizah started walking without waiting for his reply and Shawn said from behind, 

"See you later!"

'Why does he even want to see me later? Couldn't I have met some other nicer person, who wasn't related to that hipster ?' Alizah thought, cursing herself while going back to the classroom.  

•••

"Chloe won't be joining us today. Let's go to my home. "

Ronan said and although Alizah's blood was boiling in her veins, she dares did not to say anything about Chloe because she knew ultimately she would be the one to suffer if she badmouthed about her.

"Shouldn't we have left earlier, if that was the case? "

Ronan didn't pay any heed to her question as he walked past her and Alizah had no other choice rather than to follow him. 'How frustrating!'

"Sit! "

Ronan gestured for Alizah to come and sit behind him on his bike. It was a racing bike, well suited to Ronan's personality. 

"Are we going on this? "

She asked in obvious disbelief. She has never sat behind a guy on a bike, and especially when the seat behind Ronan's had such small space for her to sit. She had to get close to Ronan's back to prevent herself from falling. She shook her head at the thought. 

"What else do you expect? A private jet? "

Ronan questioned, pestered by Alizah's query. 'Why is she being overdramatic?' he thought. 

"No, public transport would do."

She said and started walking towards the bus stop where she hoped to find a bus to wherever Ronan's home was. 

"Don't be stubborn, come and sit behind me if you want to complete the assignment with us. "

Oh! The assignment, there was nothing that Alizah wasn't tolerating to get done with the damn assignment, so another word on assignment got her hushed and she sat on his bike. It was so uncomfortable for her to sit on it. Especially when she was wearing a dress but thankfully she wore shorts and tights beneath. Without even warning, Ronan raced the bike in the streets of London and the speed of the bike frightened Alizah. 

"Ronan, slow down. "

She shouted as the passing wind deafened their ears. Although Ronan knew, Alizah wasn't comfortable, he still didn't care. It was his usual way of riding and he was not gonna be changing it for someone he didn't even like. Alizah had to tolerate it if she wanted to get going with Ronan. She clutched a brief ending of Ronan's leather jacket and held on to it tightly as if it was the only thing that would protect her from dying now. 

Finally, Ronan stopped the bike in front of a big mansion. The colony was built for High-class people and all the houses were built with the best architecture and choosing the best one out of them would be a tough job, near to impossible. Such was the grandeur of each mansion. 

Ronan dialed the passcode on the device attached to the main door and opened the door. The inside of the house was as grand as it looked from the outside. The space felt so big and luxurious with fine furniture sets and walls precisely and delicately designed to create an aesthetic outlook of the hall. 

"It's beautiful!"

The words escaped Alizah's mouth as soon as she saw the place. 

"I know, right? "

Ronan said and started taking steps upstairs and Alizah followed as she had been doing for quite some time now. 

"Is this your room? "

She asked looking at the pictures of Ronan hung on the wall. In a few he was in his football jersey, in others he was with friends, his childhood photos and pictures where he was performing with guitar in his hands. He looked like a rockstar instead of a hipster with that guitar in his hands. There was no photo of his parents on that wall. Alizah didn't seem to realize that fact. 

"Yeah. "

He said looking at Alizah who was lost in looking at those pictures as if trying to build a movie through them. He just kept staring at her throughout the time she was looking at each photo and finally when she was satisfied with everything she saw, she turned back to him. 

"Where are the other teammates? When will they arrive? "

They were about to do the assignment as a team but no one was there except Alizah and Ronan. There was no one in the mansion except those two. 

"No-one is coming. It's just us two. "

Ronan said while pulling out few books from the shelf on the right side of his bed. 

"What?! Aren't we suppose to discuss the assignment? How are we gonna do it without teammates?"

"You know, I'm your leader, right? I think I can give you the necessary information about how it is to be done, so don't try to act over smart by asking so many questions. "

Ronan's rude words silenced Alizah. No one has ever talked to her in that tone, not even his father's creditors. She was not used to dealing with the harsh words of people and was soft at heart. She barely talked to anyone but when she did, everyone loved her sweet, easy-going nature but this was the first time she was struggling hard to communicate with someone. 

"Let's get done with it soon. Please. "

The desperation to leave the place as early as possible was evident in her voice. Ronan placed the books on the table and they both settled on the chairs near the window. 

"You need to research on these topics, I've marked and when your presentation is ready, inform me so that I can tell you what is to be done next. "

Ronan explained those topics in-depth and Alizah took her time to understand everything nicely so that she doesn't mess up anything. She even made notes so that she doesn't forget anything. 

When Ronan was explaining the last topic to be covered by her, she checked the time on her watch. It was time for her part-time job and she needed to leave so that she wouldn't be late. As a waitress in the cafe, she couldn't be late or the owner would not like it. She has never been late for any of her jobs and she did not want to break that streak. 

"Umm... I should leave now. I'm running late. "

She said and got up from the chair. 

"Do I have to drop you too? "

Ronan wanted to just chill in his room but if Alizah didn't have any other mode of going back then he'd had to drop her off. He possibly couldn't let her stay at his home for the whole day.

Alizah thought about the question for a while but then came to the conclusion, she couldn't let Ronan drop her at her part-time job or he would know that she was from a poor family. Most of the students in Avalon High didn't work at jobs, they never needed to. They all had rich families that provided them with everything they ever needed. 

"No, just drop me till the bus stop. I'll take a bus back home. "

"Alright. "

He said, relaxed that he wouldn't have to drop her off home. And the bus stop was near so he could do that much at least. 

Ronan dropped Alizah at the bus stop and she took a bus to reach the cafe where she worked. She wasn't running late and had fifteen minutes to reach for her job. She knew she would make it on time. She plugged the earphones in her ears and calmed her mind while listening to the music until the bus stopped at her stop and she got out. 

The day at work was tiresome. Alizah was already somewhat tired after dealing with some unpredictable brats today. She didn't understand what their problem was. She has been nice to them but they seem to hate her presence so much. 'Did they find out that I'm not rich? ' she thought and at that moment it made sense to her. But then, they barely remembered her name. No one except Ronan, Chloe, and Shawn knew her in the school till now. So, how were they supposed to find out about the private life of Alizah? 

After cleaning the floor, she settled on the chair in the staff room and drank water while wiping sweat off her head. It was indeed a busy day, a new session of schools has just begun so most students were visiting to hang out with their friends. 

"We have more customers. "

Someone shouted from outside and the called was for Alizah. Her work wasn't over yet and she needed to attend to customers. She placed the bottle on the chair and went to the kitchen, where she was asked to deliver food to people's tables. She was just leaving the kitchen with a tray in her hands when she spotted familiar purple hair. It didn't take her much time to realize it was Chloe 'Shit what is she doing here?' Alizah thought, her eyes wide with shock. Then she realized Chloe wasn't alone she was there with a bunch of friends from their class. Alizah didn't know their names but she recognized them by their faces. She froze on the spot and refused to take any step ahead. Her life would be a mess if any one of them saw her as a waitress there. 

"What are you doing, Alizah? Why aren't you taking the food to the customers? "

A girl who worked with Alizah asked seeing her standing and staring instead of working. 

"Umm... I'm not feeling very well. Could you take this one please? I'll be back in few moments. "

Alizah handed the tray to the girl without even waiting for her approval on doing her job. She rushed towards the staff room and she was all sweaty as she sat on the chair and drank water from the same bottle she left earlier. 

Her god guardians Mr. and Mrs. Bradford have told her everything about high school life and also told her that it wouldn't particularly be easy when she was going to have high school life with children that belonged to upper-class families. Alizah was pretty sure that she would be a matter of great laugh in her high school, she suffered in her middle school as well because of poverty. She didn't have any good clothes to wear and she used to repeat the clothes after every second day. She was made fun, for that purpose. 

"I don't think I would be suited with them, Aunt. I don't match their standard. "

Alizah confronted her worry to Mrs. Bradford when she and her husband went to talk to Alizah and her father about how they desired to fund Alizah's high school education. They were nice people who believed in charity. Mrs. Bradford always loved kids but due to some medical problems, she wasn't capable of reproducing. She has known Alizah since her childhood. Her father used to work for Mr. Bradford and lent money to and Mrs. Bradford has always treated Alizah just like their own daughter. 

"You don't need to worry, honey. If anyone asks about your parents you can tell them you're our daughter, which is not a lie. You are just like our daughter, Alizah. If you face any problem just let me know about it, don't hesitate. "

Mrs... Bradford told Alizah as she stroked her hair and tucked it back behind her ear. Her smile was so genuine and sweet that Alizah wasn't worried about anything else at that moment. 

But today, if Chloe or any other classmate saw her working there, they would know that Alizah didn't belong to any rich family and those two years of her life in Avalon High would be ruined. High school is indeed one of the most important phases in one's life and even Alizah deserved to enjoy it like other kids. She was a hardworking and determined girl which needed appreciation from others. She didn't deserve humiliation. 

"Alizah, are you alright? Why did you leave in such a hurry? "

The same girl to whom Alizah has handed over the tray came inside the staff room and placed a hand on Alizah's shoulder to comfort her. 

"I wasn't feeling well, Linda. "

She lied. 

"We've been working together for months you've never acted like this before, I can tell something is wrong. "

Linda was a college student, senior to Alizah and she always helped Alizah in her work. She was the only person Alizah used to talk with, during working hours. Linda knew about Alizah and her father's financial condition but she never commented on it and always supported Alizah. She understood her pretty well. She was from a middle-class family and worked to provide herself extra money for her college life. The money her parents gave her wasn't enough for her to live a fancy college life, that's why she was working. 

"My classmates, Linda. They are here. "

Alizah told in a nervous voice and just wished that nobody calls for her while her classmates were having their fun time in the cafe she worked at. 

"And you fear that they would know about your part-time job? "

Linda didn't even need to ask this as a question. She already knew the whole story and was aware, how much importance it kept for Alizah to hide that fact from her schoolmates. 

"Yes, that's why I can't go in front of them. I'm petrified. "

"Okay, hold on. Calm down, no one will see you here, I'll go and fill in your spot. If anyone asks I'll tell them you are having a headache and will join after a short break, alright? "

Wasn't it perfect? How perfectly Linda understood Alizah and what was needed to her! Alizah couldn't thank more for the existence of such an amazing colleague. She hugged Linda for being so understanding and thanked her before she left. Alizah waited for her classmates to leave the place soon so that she could resume back to her job.