Song: Twenty Eight; The Weeknd

'There are no words to describe the depth of your difference, cause I see you're here to stay, should've known to pick my fate.'

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          "All right, Addy, Marjorie, your father and I will be back very late, but Miss Tatiana has offered to cook you both a full dinner. She thinks it's important for Shane and Liana to make some new friends around here. I think it's a kind offer." my mother said, fixing Marjorie's clip so it was perfectly fitted on her dark brown hair.

          I nodded in agreement. My father was going out for dinner with a client and my mother was having a high school reunion with some of her friends since they were finally back in town.

          "Addilyn, I'm sure you have more than enough homework so I do not want you wasting your time in their house. Marjorie, you can bring over a story book, maybe two for you and Liana. The four of you can work together while getting to know each other."

          My mother then turned to me and gently grabbed my shoulders, shook her head back so the loose strands of her hair would move away from her face, without her needing to use her hands.

          "Addilyn, this is an important year for you. I do not need to remind you how important getting scholarships are, I know you know well enough. But I will stop to remind you; that hard work is the key to success and I need you to go all out. You are a brilliant girl and I do not like to see you wasting precious time. So, please keep that in mind every single time. Okay?" my mother continued and pulled me into her warm embrace.

          I understood what she meant. This year was the only chance I had to work the hardest I ever had to get a scholarship. I had so many dreams. Maybe getting a few scholarships would help me put my thoughts into perspective so I'd be able to chase after my favourite dream.

           The doorbell rang and my mother pecked our cheeks. She took us by our hands and brought us across the road to drop us over in Miss Tatiana's house. She then waved at us one last time before getting into a red Honda that belonged to one of her friends; Gretel. Marjorie, Miss Tatiana and I waved back, sent flying kisses before the car was no longer in sight.

          "How was the first day of school, Addilyn dear? Make yourselves at home the both of you." Miss Tatiana said, tying the strings of the apron around her waist and then adjusting her hair.

           "I think it was almost like every other first day. But I know maybe this year, it's going to be a tough competition." I answered her, putting my bag of homework on a chair in the kitchen. Marjorie and Liana had found their ways to the sandbox in their garden. Miss Tatiana nodded her head as if agreeing to what I said.

           "Is there anything I can help you with Miss Tatiana?" I asked her politely looking at how many things she had laid out to cook. It was definitely something special she was cooking.

           "Please call me Kayla, dear. That is after all my name. Surprise, surprise!" she told me raising her hand mid-air as if she was displaying her name.

          "You could definitely help me with the peach pie later, but for now, I'd like to make this dinner for you both special. After all, it'll be special for Shane and Liana too. It would be the first dinner I cooked for them after 12 long years." Kayla told me, her eyes shining a little more than before, slightly glistening because of the tears caught in them.

          "I'd love to help, Kayla. Maybe I could start with a bit of the Literature assignment I have for my juniors in the mean time?" I asked her permission.

          "Oh darling, I wish I could see Shane in the exam momentum too. I would never have the rights to ask anything of him, but I just want him to be happy."

           "Miss Tatiana, I'm sure you have more than all the rights. He is your son after all. Plus, it's only the first day of school. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it in no time." I blurted out, hoping it'd be a form of consolation; if any. Almost immediately I regretted it, hoping I hadn't said anything to breach her privacy barriers.

          She said she agreed to what I said but in a very quiet tone. I proceeded to finish my assignment, my memories reconciling about what my mother had told me before. I was not to waste time. Time was after all precious.

***

          Dinner was a full, scrumptious meal indeed but the setting was awkward for the four of us. Awkward didn't even begin to describe it. Kayla was so interested in learning about what Shane had been up to for twelve years but he shut her out every time she asked something about him. It was like there was something dark inside of him which he didn't want to implode but she was begging for it to burst.

           It came to a point where Shane had yelled at her to stop caring about Liana and him so much because she had not been in their lives to watch them grow up and now she wanted to label them as her kids. The yells were followed by a series of pushed plates and cutleries and then a rush of footsteps and a loud slam of the door.

           Miss Tatiana broke into sobs. Liana started crying and so did Marjorie. They were all scared. Soon the three of them were wailing and I was at junction of who to console first. Luckily, Kayla wiped her tears off and went over to clean up the mess and try to help console Marjorie and Liana.

           "Please, darling, check on Shane for me." Kayla pleaded, her eyes welling up with tears.

            I nodded and made my way to the third storey of their house. I knew his room was there because Marjorie said she saw him in the room opposite to mine which was on the third floor of my house.

            Before I could knock the door, the latch unclicked and Shane opened his room door. Again, before I could muster up the words to say to him, he closed my mouth.

             "I want to get out of here for a while, do you know a good ice cream place around here? Also, if it's not a burden, would you like to accompany me? Just to you know, get the heavy things off my mind." he asked me, then brought motorbike keys to my face.

             I nodded my head, because everything was happening too fast my mind to process. He climbed down through the fire escape from his room window, asking me to follow along. I felt bad for Kayla, not knowing how she felt right this moment and I was hoping to help alleviate her pain. But I guess there was a word or two I could get out of Shane that could help me know why he was so salty towards her.

            It was my first time on a motorbike and I only had one rule to follow and that was to hang on tight. In no time, we found ourselves to the heart of the town, at it's peak dinner time. People were hustling and bustling on either sides of the streets, laughing and chattering, happiness radiating from each corner.

            "Come on, we're here." I told Shane, leading him towards Keller's Café. He parked his motorbike a few feet below and we were just two teenagers ready to indulge ourselves in the best ice cream in town and let our thoughts express ourselves.

             However, I felt the colour and excitement drain from my body and soul as soon as we started scanning the surroundings for an empty space for us to sit. I saw a familiar silhouette, one that I'd grown used to my entire life sitting opposite his client for tonight, opposite from each other. The left hands holding each others' from across the table, staring into each other's eyes as if love was the only language they spoke.

               The lady broke from her trance the moment she saw me staring at them from afar and stood up and moved back as far as she could from the initial place she was in. I guess her monotonous closet wasn't very monotonous after all. Her current outfit could easily camouflage the initial impression I had on her every time I had my Calculus lessons.