Don't hide your pain anymore.

Chapter 8

After the feuded fight with Eric, he hasn’t been around her. The short vacation went by, with a few books at hand and a break here and there with Aiden, who was still clueless about Eric’s sudden disappearance. A week went by since she received the note and grandmother was still missing from the equation. Each day, every second, every hour spent in that house…made her break down.

A piece of her went missing.

“ Hello, anyone there? I asked if you wanted to grab a snack after we finish math tomorrow,” Aiden asked waving his hands around her.

“ oh yeah…whatever I guess.”

“ fine, call Eric and ask him to come over.”

“ you call him.”

“ you’ve been avoiding him, for what reason exactly?”

“ I don’t know what you talking about.”

“ fine, I'll call him then. He has our study guides either way.”

“ Whatever.”

He grabbed Arylan’s phone and dialed Eric’s number, “ looks like someone blocked you.”

“ I blocked him.”

“ whatever is going on between the both of you should be dealt with abruptly….”

“ that isn’t up to me. Plus I need space he suffocates me, knowing someone too well isn’t as blissful as it seems.”

“ Whatever he did to make you think that way…I hope it’s not the end.”

“only time will tell.”

“ true, ” he said leaving the café with her.

On their way out they met up with Eric. He looked at them for a while before attempting to leave.

“ Stop, ” Arylan said grabbing his arm.

He turned around removing his hat. “yes…”

“ Meet me this afternoon, near the fish pond…the one at…"

“ the preschool…I’m not interested. You said I needed space and you were right. I always did whatever I did as long as you were beside me. With you missing from my shoulder I don’t know if I can stand being without you in the future. This is for the best.”

“ for the best?” she asked furiously, "of all the times you could’ve chosen to abandon me and show me your true colors you chose today?”

“ yes….I choose today, ” he said pulling his arm away as he walked into the café.

Aiden watched both of them confused and worried.

“are you okay?” he asked trying to comfort her

“ hmmm… I'll see you whenever.” She left the café.

Arylan rushed to the pond she and Eric use to play at as children. She threw pebbles into the pond, kicking the grass and swang on the newly built swings around the area. “space…” she mumbled, "Is that what grandmother wants as well. Am I really that big if a nuisance?”

On her way home she met a young girl and a woman, both looked quite familiar…the woman starred at her, before embracing her. Arylan pushed her away immediately rushing home. She felt chills up her spine, with uncomfort written all over her face.

She thought about the woman’s face for a while, even if it was familiar…she couldn’t grasp who it was. Her face looked warned out and tired and the girl looked confused. She grabbed her medication and went to bed. On that very night she dreamt of the woman…Arylan saw the same face occur frequently in her dreams, confused, she wakes up breathing heavily as if she had water in her lungs.

***

“ I just have one question, and one question only, ” she said sliding a picture to the woman

The woman still covering her face with a scarf and her eyes with sunglasses. They sat across each other in the private booth, two powerful women. One who hasn’t existed since the accident and the other who’s completely changed herself into something else.

“ I, I’m not answering that question, ” the woman with a scarf said, as her hands trembled.

How long would she have to hide for?

“ Okay then…thank you for your time," said the other woman standing up carefully

“ wait!” she yelled." when will I see you again?”

“ there’s no need for that…you weren’t the woman I was looking for. Have a good day, I have other business to attend to.”

In the meantime, Abdullah was still being tortured by Tim. Tim pushed all of his buttons daily and refused to reveal the whereabouts of grandmother Biel.

“one week down, four more to go," Aiden said handing Arylan a tissue.

“ Yeah, I guess.”

On their way out of the library, they bumped into Eric, who looked a little skinnier than usual.

“ hey!" Aiden yelled calling towards him.

He looked at them attempting to leave…but looked back again at Arylan, staring at her swollen face. Noticing her eye bags and the little cracks on her fingertips. He sighed rushing towards her…he stopped in front of the both of them, gently grabbing Arylan by the arm and leaving with her. Aiden confused by what was happening around him, decided not to butt in.

Arylan stopped in the middle of the road aggressively removing her hand from his hand. He stopped and stared at her, they both sighed and sat near the bus stop.

“ Why did you do that?” She asked stealing his lollipop

“do what?”

“ Why did you yell at me on that night, and then leave when I needed you the most?”

He took a few deep breaths in and threw his cigarette to the ground, “ I was just frustrated.”

“ that’s not an answer.”

“ let me finish…I was frustrated because before your grandmother left She came over, told me to take care of you, and said a whole bunch of stuff that left me in shock and lucky me got into a fight with my father a few hours after getting the news...we fought about him telling me how to live my life and what to do, it was a messed up day.”

“ I understand that your father pressures you a lot, I’m sure he wants the best for you.”

“jee I agree...but the way he does it, I can't take it anymore...aren’t you going to ask why grandmother said that to me?”

“ no. If she wanted me to know, she would have included it in the letter she left for me, she has her reasons.”

“I agree. I’m sorry for snapping at you Arylan I didn’t mean to.”

“And I’m sorry for always being selfish. I guess…or I thought that your life was way better than mine is. Guess I was wrong. And go easy on dad, just like someone I know he doesn't know how to express himself.”

“well, partially my fault for always acting manly...and I wonder who that is?" They both laughed poking each other.

“ people deal with what they going through differently…you were not obligated to show that you were suffering emotionally."

“You're right. Anyways we cool now?"

“ of course we are after you pay up for all the study sessions and lunches you missed of course.”

“I'll be more than happy to.”

" see money does solve everything."

" take that back."

" Okay I take it back, food solves everything."

Arylan moved in with Eric, she stayed with his little sister. The exams went on as usual and everything was back to normal, or at least a small piece of the puzzle was put onto the board.

“ no no no, you have to convert the number after the decimal,” Aiden said pointing towards Arylan as he scribbled equations onto a small piece of paper.

“ pizza is here, fresh from the oven. You guys look like you need a break.”

“ yes please, Aiden has been forcing equations into my head like there’s no tomorrow.”

“Aiden, we spoke about this.”

“fine. But you only saying that cause you’re a top student, Arylan’s just lazy if she wasn't she'll be achieving like us.”

“ whatever, didn’t u hear the man? The pizza is getting cold,” she said walking into the kitchen to set the table.

“ see what I mean?”

“ dude chill, she'll perform in university, plus you’ll be there to keep an eye on her.”

“ true…”

Eric sat beside him turning the tv on, “ you like her don’t you?”

“Like who?”

“ don’t act dumb…I’m talking about Arylan. It’s written all over your face and those black eyes of yours sparkle whenever she’s near you.”

“ you just don’t understand black eyes,” Aiden said trying to leave.

“ dude, I have my answer without you even saying a word.”

“Whatever.”

“guys the tables all set, come eat!” Eric's mother yelled from the dining room.

He switched the tv off and dragged Aiden with him. A week left before the finals are over, and soon they will be going their separate ways.

With each of them finding peace with whatever their destiny is, and of course, Aiden being as secretive and mysterious about himself.

“ so how was that for a paper?” He asked clapping his hands

“Terrible! Who would’ve guessed that you were right about them repeating the trigonometry questions? “ Arylan said rubbing her eyes.

Eric hoped onto Aiden from behind and dragged him closer to him, “ forget about the paper, let’s talk farewell dates!”

“ count me out… I'd rather not honestly.” Arylan said walking towards the other side.

They were met with Arylans grandfather on their way home. He asked for alone time with her, but she refused, Arylan was steadfast about not spending any alone time with a man who waltzed into her life claiming to be a part of her family.

Given no choice, Abdullah took the 3 of them out for drinks.

“ I wanted to ask you if you know where your grandmother currently is?”

“ I have no idea, and if I knew I wouldn’t tell you…”

“ I understand that you hate me, but I am trying my best to make it up to everyone… I've made mistakes okay…but everyone deserves a second chance…”

“ From what I understand…this isn’t the first time you're trying to do this, and I’m sure that it won’t be the last either…just stay away from me and my grandmother!” Arylan said leaving

“ I know what happened to your father. And your mother!” he called out to her.

She stopped at the door, “ no…a man like you would know nothing about good people. Keep their names out of your filthy mouth.” she said before leaving.

with Aiden rushing behind her.

“ you’ve gone too far, ” Eric said before leaving as well.

Of all the days he could have chosen to bring up the past, he chooses the day that Arylan had lost her grandmother a month ago.

Aiden finally caught up and calmed her down, “ it’ll be over soon, ” he said trying to comfort her.

“ was I being too dramatic during the past few days?”

“ no…not one bit, you deserve to be angry, or upset or even act insane if you have to. I know I would do the same if I were in your shoes.”

“ Thank you, Aiden.”

“ no worries, I remember whenever my father would come home drunk..." He sighed, " He would beat up me, my older brother, and my mother. Till one of us passed out. I was always lucky enough not to get too hurt. But my brother and mother suffered a lot. I watched my father kill my mother one day and then on the same night watched my brother kill my father….i was Fostered for years until finally, my grandmother took me in…”

She wiped her tears standing up. She then rushed towards him, embracing him. “ I’m sorry that you had to go through so much….and I’m so proud of you for being nothing like your father. …and I’m sorry for giving you a hard time when we first met after years.”

Aiden felt his body freeze at that very moment, unsure of what to do. She let go and finally, he found enough courage to speak again.

“ don’t pity me, my strength is from my pain, ” he said scratching his back before Eric arrived breathlessly.

“ so this is where you guys were!”

“Yes..” Arylan said pointing towards the bridge.

“ you look better, lets take a walk along the bridge and then have a sweet treat shall we.”

" We both know that the sweet treat is for you," Arylan said pushing him

“sure Eric, ” Aiden said grabbing his arm as they ran across the paving of the bridge, “ Woah I’m still out of breath you know!”

“ that’ll teach ya for being as unfit as you are. Im glad the old Eric is back though.”

“ Hey, guys wait for me!”

“catch up! “Aiden yelled back.

For a moment, during that dreadful afternoon, they felt a little relieved, a little free, and most importantly happier than the broken child in them that made them who they are, they felt light, as if the lord sent his angles to carry them.