Planning A Trip.

Arden ran in the direction Amira went. He ran for about 5 minutes when he saw her sitting on the garden chair looking at the birds chirping melodiously on the tree. Arden came near and sat beside her.

"What was your plan?" Arden asked.

"Umm… nothing special, just a week-long trip."

"We decided to plan something when everyone is done with their families. What do you think?"

"It's good. Where are what are we gonna do?" Amira tried her utmost to look normal, but she was unable to hide the sadness in her eyes, which Arden saw very clearly.

"Anywhere you plan, we are good with it. What did you plan, by the way? I knew from a look that you had something going on at the bus stand. What was it?" Arden knew that Amira has been feeling down inside since the moment Gayle mentioned her parents.

Arden knew that Amira was an orphan and lived with one of her seniors at the orphanage. But he didn't know the complete story. He knew this much because that senior of hers used to work at his mansion as a gardener for quite some time. He somehow knew her address and once saw Amira going there after school. At first, he thought that they were friends, but when he saw Amira getting a little sad every time someone mentioned their parents and she always exceptionally emphasized with the orphans wandering around on the streets. It was sure that she was an orphan. She never talked about her parents and Arden wanted to know it so that he can comfort her and tell her his story. But Amira never opened up and Arden was not sure if Amira felt the same way as he felt, so he never tried taking a step forward.

Arden used to seem cold and aloof to everyone until one day Amira approached him and they slowly became friends. Amira made him enter a normal high schooler's life after all the ups and downs he saw and now he wanted to help her out from what she has been suffering for ages.

"Really?! We are going by my plan? So let me tell you, you will enjoy more than you have done in your whole life."

"I know... we all know, so we left the planning for you. Let us know if you need something and tell us about our part of the expenses. By the way, if your plan is not secret, can you tell me about it?"

"This time it is not secret because it is a long travel plan, so we need to be well prepared."

"It's good, so tell me about your plan, and I'll inform others and help you with the preparations."

"Ok then, listen. I searched online a bit," sadness in her eyes vanished with every word she spoke, "and I found a small town. It is a little farther away, but it is really good. There are forests around it and a lake surrounding the resort I decided to book. It's a very famous place, so we won't be having any trouble with the basic requirements. And people would have almost already finished their part in that town until we'll start so when we will go I don't think there would be lots of tourists, and maybe we can get discounts."

"What are we gonna do there?"

"Ooh, I missed the main point," she giggled and continued. Arden was always smiling face around her. "We can go hiking or diving there, although it won't be that professional. Still, something is better than nothing. There are lots of lake activities and an adventure park in the forest."

"Adventure park?"

"Although it seems childish, we are only gonna grow older, so the best time to do it is now. And then who knows when we are gonna meet next? I have left 2 days free so that we can do whatever extra we find interesting." She finished with a deep sense of satisfaction and looked at Arden with expecting eyes.

"It seems our trust in your ability…" Arden's voice was low. "was the greatest and best decision Dayla ever made." His voice was still low but was smiling.

"I chose the riverside resort as our hotel. It is a good place with many facilities."

"Okay, everything is great, and what is our vehicle? And what is the amount of fare we should all pay?"

"Oh no, I forgot to book any vehicle. About the fare, I think it will be about 7000 per head."

"I'll book the taxi and tell others about our plan. You go now and start preparing for our travel journey." Arden said, while standing up.

"Okay!" she went back towards her home joyfully.

Arden smiled at her excitement and then sat there. His stony face came back, and he texted the details in the group chat. Then he got up and strolled in the opposite way.

Arden was glad to help Amira out. But now he was back in his usual mood. It scared him to go home, but he had nowhere else to go now. He was fed up with the mistreatment he had instead of a good morning and a ton of taunts he received as a welcome back. Arden would have run from the house a million times if it were not for his younger sister whom he had to take care of, and who can't live without him. His family liked her, but despised him to death. There were stereotypical and illogical reasons why his family hated him. Those made him want to kill himself. He kept on hanging with his life because of his sister. Now the reason he really got to live was Amira, who approached him when he was in a slump and thinking about committing suicide.

Amira came to him, talked to him, and smiled, even when he was rude to her. She melted his heart, which has been a stone, getting harder and harder. She became someone important in his life in just a few seconds.

He was going back to his home with his head down, unable to think straight. How am I going to bring the money needed for the trip? Should I drop the plan of going? But what will I do at home? I don't wanna stay at home. I want to spend time with Amira. Just if Amira could have opened up a bit more with me, I could have told her everything to her. I would have told her what I was suffering from. Soon, I will do something. Maybe I should simply go and tell her that I know everything, or maybe I'll first tell my story, or I can slowly make her feel close to me, but how?

Colder and calmer he was on the surface, the more nervous he felt inside.

After a slow walk of 30 minutes, he reached his house. It was an enormous mansion, but for Arden, it was just some beautifully decorated prison for him. He entered and saw his father and mother sitting on the sofa just in front of the main door. His father read a newspaper like usual and his mother elegantly embroidered some random stuff on the finest silk, like always. But his sister was nowhere to be seen. He looked at them to see if they had something to say and then walked towards the stairs to go to his room.

"Come back." His father said in the calmest voice he used till today.

"Ye… yes?"

"Your sister is in the hospital."

"Why?!"

Now looking closely, his mother was slowly weeping behind her glasses and his father held the newspaper upside down.

"Yes, your sister is hospitalized. She fell from the stairs in the school and got an injury to her head. She is in a coma now and hasn't woken up yet."

"What did the doctor say?" Arden regained his original distant look on his face, after realizing that they were overreacting instead of acting. If it was true, they would have already thrown a huge tantrum at him.

"That's not important now. Mrs. Mary told us that we should make you leave the house. You are the reason why your sister suffered like this. It is the result of your presence around her."

"So you are simply throwing me out?"

"You can say it like this."

"Ok then, when am I moving out?"

Another reason why Arden was sure that his sister's case was not as serious as his parents told or they wouldn't have told him.

"Your mom packed your stuff, and it's in your room, and there is a credit card in the suitcase and some cash. Take that money as pay we are giving you to stay away from our daughter. You are moving out tomorrow morning. You should be out before we get up in the morning, and now we don't care where you go."

"Ok."

There were no more discussions, and he went to his room. He didn't come out till the sunrise and with the early rays of the sun; Arden got out of his room along with his stuff and got out of the mansion. He didn't even look back once and went in some random directions.

...

BONUS.

'I got the money....' Arden thought, laying on his bed as if he was the king of the world.

'Yes, dear Arden, you are free now...' His smile got wider.

'Ok! Where will I live?? Hmm... I'll find a home near Amira's... Yes... nooo, I can not yet. Only after she tells me about everything. Yup, that's right.'

'for now, I'll just live in a rental one.'

'When she tells me about everything, I'll buy a house near her house, a small and beautiful one, with a garden. Then I'll invite her there every day...' He himself was unaware when he fall asleep in his thoughts.

...

The next day,

4 pm.

'Agghh!! It's hella hard to find a room to live in. It's frustrating.'

'I guess I will just live in a hotel room for now. But where is the hotel now...'