CHAPTER 16

'Was he always this good at lying' Alice thought. She was surprised that Oliver was this good at lying. She stared at him wondering how and when he had prepared this whole scenario.

"Mom! Don't call" he begged. All he wanted to do was to protect Alice. He knew if his mom called the principal, she'll discover that he lied to her and he was so sure Alice won't keep quiet and she'll tell his mom the whole truth. His mom would blame her for his injuries or even worse, he'll get suspended and he won't be able to protect her from their school mates.

"You are so silly! Why would you get into a fight in school? Evelyn where's the first aid?" His mom was obviously very angry. Clara got the first aid and gave it to Mrs.Evelyn. Evelyn opened the box and picked out a cotton wool and an anti-tetanus liquid. She poured some of it into the wool and gave it to Oliver's mom. She took the wool and started with the side of Oliver's busted lip.

"Ishh!" Came a pained sound from Oliver. The anti-tetanus was what Oliver feared the most. It made his wound hurt more.

"Sorry" Alice said softly at the side. Just then Oliver's mom noticed her. As she continued dabbing the wool on Oliver's wounded spots she spoke;

"And where were u when this happened? Couldn't you have stopped him or knocked some sense into him?"

"I..." once again before she could say anything Oliver cut in;

"She wasn't there when it happened mom. She only found me injured when she was about leaving the school then she decided to help me home" Oliver came up with a very convincing lie. His mom believed and never doubted him even once. But Evelyn knew him so well and she knew something was up, so she decided to keep quiet about it and not bring up the matter right there.

"Okay. So how's school going Alice?" Oliver's mom asked, taking her eyes off Oliver for a while and looking at Alice with warmth in her eyes.

"It's going well." Alice replied with a smile.

"And Oliver? Is he studying? Cause I know you are the only one who helps him study." Knowing fully well that Alice was a very brilliant and bright scholar she asked. Oliver's mom was so sure her son hasn't started reading.

"Uhmm..." Alice was speechless, she took a quick look at Oliver.

"There's no need to cover up for him, I know he hasn't touched a single book yet." Oliver's mom spoke with all certainty. Oliver just kept quite not willing to speak. His mom was digging a hole for him and he knew it. "And your mom? How is she?" She spoke again diverting the whole topic from Oliver to Alice clearly pitying her son.

"Oh! She's fine" Alice remembered that she was getting late and he mom would have been worried about her. And besides she didn't have a phone she could have used to inform her about her whereabouts.

"Okay" Oliver's mom replied. At this moment she finished treating Oliver's wounds and applied ointment to his wounds.

Oliver who was very good at reading Alice realized she was getting late. He stood up unbalanced though and went to Alice.

" You must be getting late right?" He spoke with a very husky voice.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me just rest and get better." She knew he wanted to escort her but he was too wounded to do so.

" Evelyn could you escort Alice?" His mom asked Evelyn who had no choice but to accept.

"Okay, I'll see you later then." Oliver said to Alice. He was unwilling to part with her but he had no choice.

"You! Come here let me take you to your room. Clara! Get him something to eat.

Oliver's mom gave instructions to both Oliver and Clara. Meanwhile Evelyn escorted Alice and called a cab for her which took her home.

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Back at Alice's small home, her mom was pacing up and down the house. She was worried, upset, angry and irritated. She wondered what could have happened to her daughter or what could have gotten into her daughter's head that made her this late.

(Sorry dear readers, I couldn't come up with the names for the moms in the novel. So if u have any ideas please drop it in the comment section, then I'll use the names you drop for the moms.

Thank you. Once again your writer Debbie know as Blackbeauty)