This chapter is dedicated to Saritti3456. Thanks for checking out my book and for your votes❤

Character;

Zach.

*

I was in the kitchen, trying to cook up something for dinner, Ivy went out with her friends while Kelly was asleep upstairs.

I couldn't tell Ivy about Zach, I'd already made enough mess for one day.

For one week.

The noodles were already on fire, I tried to slice the onions before I heard the doorbell ring.

Who could that be?

It couldn't be Ivy, she would have just walked in, none of us had used that doorbell in a long time and besides, it was barely 5:30pm--to early for Ivy to be home.

I cleaned my hands with a napkin before heading for the door. A few metres away from the door, the bell rang again.

"Coming!" I yelled before taking a few steps and pulling the door open. It revealed a face...

A face I'd last seen six years ago.

A face I never wanted to see again.

I wanted to close the door on him...

"Cowry," he called, that was my middle name and I hope he realizes how much I hate it.

"Please, let me in," he stated.

"Why?! You don't deserve to be here! You can go back to wherever you came from! We don't need you anymore!"

"We can talk about this."

"Talk....talk! There's nothing to talk about!"

"Is your mom around?" He asked, his voice still as calm as ever.

"Stay away from my mom, you've done enough damage already," I spat.

"Cowry-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" I interrupted.

He looked away and ran his hands roughly through his jet black hair--just like mine--now, I feel like I should pull out every strand of my hair, I didn't want to have any form of resemblance with him.

"What can I do to get you to listen to me?" He asked.

"Leave!" I shouted before banging the door close, right in his face.

I felt tears well up in my eyes as I recalled the day he'd left, he'd gone without a reason and now, he wants to come back with an excuse.

Just like that. After six damn years!

There was a weird smell coming from the kitchen.

"Gosh! My noodles!

*

Exactly 30 minutes later, Mom came barging in through the door.

She was panicking.

"Where's your dad?" Was the first thing she said immediately she spotted me nibbling on my noodles infront of the TV.

Why does she even care?

"I sent him away," I replied finally staring at her. Her brown hair was curled into even waves and she was putting on a black gown that stops a bit above her kneels with a comfortable but fancy slippers on.

Seems like she was rushed home because she was only carrying her small black purse.

"I told him to leave," I blandly replied.

There was this horrified look on her face.

"Why? Stella, why?!" She asked with wide eye.

"Why not? Mom, why not?!" I replied.

There was this moment of silence.

"Your dad called me  about an hour ago that he was coming, I came as fast as I could," she said.

"Well...you don't need to worry, I had everything under control.

"He's your dad," she said, finally having some form of emotions in her eyes.

"But I hate him! He left! He left us all alone for years, he didn't even care!" I shouted.

"Mom...wasn't it hard for you?" I asked, my voice low and calm.

Her eyes began to water, she looked away but I didn't miss that expression on her face.

That same expression she always had on her face six years ago and she'd never shown for a long time.

Hurt.

"Is it dad?" I heard Kelly's voice from the staircase. She took fast heavy steps down to the sitting room until she got to where we were standing.

"Where is he? What happened to him? Is he here?" She asked, one question after the other.

"Come here," my mom said to Kelly before pulling her in for a hug.

"Do you really want to see your dad?" She asked Kelly and she nodded in reply.

"Fine, I'll invite him for dinner tomorrow," she suddenly said.

"No!" I yelled.

"Yes!" She retorted.

"I don't even understand you anymore," my voice cracked, looking straight to my mom.

"I really don't," I finally said before running upstairs.

*

My mom invited my dad for dinner! Is she insane!

I was in Physics class with Amber, Tianna wasn't in school and I knew I had something to do with it.

My big mouth!

"I hope y'all are almost done with your projects because it's due next week," the teacher announced.

Yeah! The project! I almost forgot about it!

"Y'all know how it's done, you and your partner would present your project and talk about it."

Talk about what? I knew nothing about my project, maybe only that it's an helicopter.

"Good day class," she said before leaving the class.

I searched the front row for Timothy, I couldn't believe I wanted to have a talk with him, I wonder how weird it will be, talking to him after our last encounter.

I spotted him and started walking towards him and then he started taking steps towards me too.

"About the project..." I started.

"Yes...um....I'm done with it," he said.

"Great! Now I just need to learn stuffs about it, that's all right now."

"Yeah."

"Soo...where do we meet?" I asked.

"I dunno..."

"Ofcourse, you have to know! You would have planned this before hand, I'm sure you saw this coming."

"Um..okay, maybe your house...I'll be there with the project after school."

My house? Ofcourse not.

My dad is coming over for dinner tonight. I can't stand him.

I could do anything to ditch that hell of a dinner.

"No...your place..."

*

We haven't had lessons after Physics class, it is Thursday but people were still talking about 'her'. I cringed at the thought came rushing back into my head.

Veronica.

I ran my fingers through my hair for like the tenth time, my once brushed hair was already a mess.

"Stella," A farmiliar voice that made my heart skip ten beats called out.

I ignored him.

"I know things are hard on you but please take it easy on yourself," Lan said. I finally looked at him and my eyes bored into his dark ones.

'I'm really sorry about Daniel, my bestfriend can just be a dick head sometimes.

"Don't act like you're a Saint, you did same to my friend," I retorted.

"Now, you're just gonna bring back the past..."

"It's the past, but it still matters and it's still all the same, you're making it sound like it happened over ten years ago. You're just as guilty as he is!" I spat.

"Then maybe you can change me, you mean the world to me," he said, putting his hands on my arm and rubbing it slightly.

I felt electrified.

"Let go! Don't ever touch me!" I said, yanking my hand away from him.

I wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

He did as I said but one part of me wish he didn't, that part of me craved for his touch.

"I'll give you space," he briefly said before walking away.

*

I watched as Timothy fiddled with the key to the door. We got to his house with my car, I drove while he gave directions. Kelly would have to find her way home, besides it is almost her fault that man was going to be around this evening.

I was standing infront of a small apartment, painted all white with a brown door. There was really nothing more to it.

The door finally opened and we walked in, it led to the sitting room. The internal walls also had the same white color. It had a sofa, a couple of chairs, a table and a mini-sized TV.

The wall was blank, no pictures, no decorations. Just a calendar and a wall clock. The house was simple.

Too simple.

This wasn't my first time being here but it is gonna be my first time here under normal circumstances.

"Excuse me," he said before running into one of the doors I believed was the bedroom. There were only two connecting doors in the sitting room, one left to the bedroom and the other one probably leads to the kitchen.

How would someone live here?

I dragged one of the chairs towards the table and sat on it, flipping boredly through the pages of the Mathematics textbook I found on the table.

He came out, holding a smaller model of an helicopter, just like the one I saw in the drawings.

Wow! This is quite impressive.

He dropped it on the table and it looked even better when it's nearer.

"It looks so cool," I said, trying to stare at it from different angles.

"Can it fly?" I asked expectantly.

"Yeah...let me show you," he said, bringing out a small remote from his pocket, pressing a few buttons and moving a few keys on the remote. I watched it fly above the table before he landed it safely.

"Wow, can I try?" I asked.

"Yeah sure," he replied, walking over to me with the remote in his hands.

"Press this button, this other one at the bottom and then use the gear to control it," he instructed before handing it ovet to me.

"Okay..." I slurred, trying to assure myself.

I did exactly as he said and the helicopter moved up faster than I expected.

Fuck!

I tried to control it but the control didn't seem to budge.

"I can't control it! How do I make it stop!" I panicked, not wanting to destroy the project few days before the due date.

He slid his hands from behind me, putting his hands on the control, his hands right on top of mine.

He moved in so fluently before pressing a few buttons and landing it safely.

"Maybe, you still have a lot to learn," he said from behind into my ear, I felt his warm breathe on my neck and his heat on my body.

I suddenly removed my hands from the control before turning around so I could face him.

"Yeah...sure."

*

To my surprise, my notepad was almost full.

I really do have a lot to learn. I looked at the clock on the wall, it was over 5:00pm already and I was so exhausted.

"I'm so tired," I whined, dropping the notepad and the pen on the table.

"Should I get you something to eat?"

"No...I just need something cold to drink."

A few minutes later, I was already slurping down a glass of cold lemonade.

"Soo...are your parents usually around?" I asked.

"I...I don't live with my parents," he replied, I almost choked on my drink.

"You live here alone....like this is your own house?" I asked in awe.

"Yeah."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 18," he replied.

"Sooo...did you move out or they decided to let you go?"

"I moved out," he replied after a while.

I didn't want to poke into his personal life, but there was this part of me that wanted to know more.

"Why?"

There was this moment of silence, like he was contemplating on if to reply me or not.

"They all piss me off," he started.

"They don't just understand me...especially my dad," he finally said.

"So I decided to make a life for myself...by myself...alone," he continued.

It was a bit fascinating, he'd lived here alone, fend for himself, paid for his home...

I wondered how long he'd stayed alone...

"You have a job?" I asked.

"Yeah...I have a part time job at the restaurant down the street."

I'm 17...and I couldn't imagine myself doing any of these. I just looked away, not having any other thing to say about it. I didn't know if it was to apologize or tell him everything would be okay.

My phone suddenly beeped, at least it helped break the uncomfortable silence. I took it up from the table and I had an unread message.

I tapped it open, it was from an unknown number. The message opened.

'Hey, Stella' it read, that was weird...

I scrolled down and I couldn't believe my eyes.

A video was sent...

But not just any random video...

A video of Veronica and I in the bathroom.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" I screamed, flinging the phone away...

Far away from me.

"What's wrong?" Timothy asked, concern evident in his voice as he picked up my phone from where it landed.

The screen light flashed on his face and his eyes opened wide.

No doubt he has seen it.

I killed Veronica.

He looked up at me from the phone.

Now he knows...

That I'm a murderer....I'm a horrible person.

~~~~~~~~

Any guess on who must have sent the video? Please throw in your guesses!