Alone

Chapter 7

She watched over her grandmother like a hawk, ensuring that her health was taken care of. With her juggling school and everything at home she hardly felt time go by, she had her finals coming soon, but first, her trial examination needed to be killed. Eric was hardly around since his father's arrival, which meant Aiden became Arylans shadow. They were together the majority of the time.

“ Okay, do you understand the congo chapter for history now?”

“ I get the fundamentals but…I still don’t understand how to write the essay.”

“ take these notes and go over them, they’re personalized.”

“ Okay thank you.”

“ you guys seem cozy,” Eric said putting his bag on the table.

“ Well hello to you too, ” Aiden said leaving to collect the takeaways.

“You're alive?”Arylan said handing him a note pad

“ if only you knew half of it, either way, what’s up with you and pretty eyes?”

“what do you mean?”

“ You guys are literally on top of each other these days, like two leaches.”

“ says the guy, who held my hand through kinder garden, cause he was shy. It's not what you assuming. Besides, I’m trying to forget that my best friend isn’t beside me as I fight this exam war.”

“ I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you I promise. For now, It’s not like I have a choice anymore.”

“ you don’t need to explain yourself. I understand. Eat with us for today, I always order double.”

“ I’ll have to pass, I have golf with my timer this afternoon.”

“sure thing greet him for me.”

“salams Arylan, greet Aiden for me as well.”

“ walikumsalam.”

He left after paying for their food.

“ I’m starving hurry up!”

“ I’m coming, relax.”

With Eric slowly becoming a ghost in everyone’s life, it was the least of Arylans problems. Eric had a secrete of his own…

Abdullah still left in a financial crisis after making sure that he wouldn’t go back to his old ways, had Tim taking his place near grandmother Biel. There wasn’t much that could be done about the change.

The trial exam begun, everyone was scarce, and little was said between the 3. Arylan left with only a month to reach her finals and a university application that needed to be filled out immediately. After much thought, she decided to go ahead and choose the University of Pretoria where she would be accompanied by Aiden. Eric on the other hand was forced to apply for a business course in England. He was slowly being sucked into his father's world away from the one he had created for himself.

“ grandmother,” she called out to her arriving home after her final trial paper.

There was no response. Her voice echoed. Afraid she walked into the house, and read the note. ‘ I’ll be back after a while dear…I hope you understand.’

A while she thought? A while…how long is a while, and where did her grandmother head off to in such a state. There was a bank card on the table with a recipe book beside it. Grandmother had abandoned her too. The one person she thought would always stick with her no matter what, the only person she looked for comfort in and tried healing the emptiness on the inside. But was grandmother really gone forever, there was that hope that she would be back eventually.

She broke down holding the small note close to her chest, she hadn't cried like that in years. The last time she shed a tear was that night….the night her father went missing, a sudden thing she recalled after feeling a thud on the back of her head. She stood up and took her medication, before calling her grandmother several times, calling uncle Tim, and even tried contacting Abdullah. With no response from anyone, she felt a piece of her leave…leave her heart and soul. She could taste loneliness.

Eric came over to drop off some food as always, looking for a light switch he found Arylan crawled up in a ball. It’s been a while since he saw her like that, so long that he has never seen her cry the way she did that night. He placed the food on the counter and rushed towards her.

She didn’t budge, no movement, no word. She sat there silently. The situation reminded him of when he first met her, how she would panic at the sound of the bell, and rush to the bathroom whenever she saw a van. Yes, she was braver than him, but he was the only one that saw how much pain she had faced.

“ Are you alright,” he asked holding her arm

She shook her head handing the note to him…he then sat beside her under the kitchen counter.

“ she’s not gone forever.”

She stood up and wiped her tears rushing to the table where the food was kept.

“ How would you know…you have everyone in your life?”

“ that’s not what I meant…”

“ then what do you mean! You complain about your father giving you a hard time, but me…I don’t even know where I came from. And this woman that put in so much hard work and effort left me as well…and you, you‘re leaving soon.”

He stood there silently with his hands in his pockets.

“ yes…im leaving soon….and yes I have my family. And yes I have money and everything. But I’m everything but happy. It has always been about you! What about my pain? My hurt my childhood frustration?” he said banging the table, " do you have any idea, as to how much I’m keeping bottled up on the inside?”

“You're right I’m selfish. I have never ever thought about you and your pain, and I don’t have to now either so leave!”

“You're chasing me away?”

“ I’m not, I’m giving you your space.”

“ what I’m trying to say is that grandmother will be back. And even if you don’t have your parents…you lived happily without them. You don’t have half of the pressure that I do and you most certainly don’t understand me!” he said slamming the door.

To think she lost her grandmother, and now her best friend. How does one pretend like everything is going to be fine?

18 years on this earth 10 of it blurred out and 1 of it falling apart.