CHAPTER 36

"Hey don't start acting all weird with me okay? If something's wrong you can always share it with me. Even though I won't be able to change anything, at least we'll share the burden. And besides! I share everything with you, so don't hide anything from me, okay?"

'Why do people just want to hurt this girl?' He thought. Her words seem to tug at his heart strings. Even with how depressing her life was, she was still willing to bear the burden of his problems with him. Little did she know that his problems revolved around her.

"Actually there's nothing wrong trust me. I was just thinking about a movie i had watched, you know how some movies just can't get out of your head and they keep replaying over and over in your mind. That's it." He lied. He couldn't tell her he wasn't thinking about how he would beat her Father to a pulp, he's her Father afterall.

Alice didn't ponder on it much, she trusted him and didn't feel he would hide anything from her so she just nodded.

In the living room, they both sat on the big round couch at the corner. Alice was feeling a bit thirsty so she asked;

"Uhm...Oliver could I get some water please?"

Oliver stood up immediately and went to the kitchen. Clara had been busy preparing dinner and when Oliver had come in, she was surprised.

"Oh what brings you here?" She asked .

Oliver took a quick glance at her knowing look and replied;

"Getting water."

"Dong you have water in your room?" She asked curiously.

"I do, but there's no water in the living and this is for Alice." He replied coldly.

After getting the water he needed, he left Clara speechless in the kitchen and went back to the living room.

"Here you go."

She took the glass from him while thanking him. She would be blind to not see how much he cared for her, she just couldn't see the other emotions behind it.

It was getting late and Oliver noticed, he didn't want her to walk home alone in the evening;

"Alice it's getting late you know?" He informed her, she looked out one of the windows and saw that the sky wasn't so bright anymore.

"Yeah, I should leave now."

Oliver wasn't going to let her go home alone, he didn't care if he was grounded, his heart would be unsettled letting her go alone. When Alice stood up, he got up as well.

"Clara! I'll be back soon, if my mom arrives before me, tell her I escorted Alice home!" Oliver yelled.

Alice didn't stop him and they both walked out of the mansion.

"Do you wanna take a taxi or should be just walk?" Oliver asked hoping she would say they could walk. Even though they had spent about 2 hours together, it didn't feel enough. He just so used to having her around him, but since he wasn't allowed to go to school the past few days, he had missed her a lot.

Alice said she wanted to walk, making Oliver overjoyed, but he didn't express his joy, he just agreed normally and continued the walk. He started to bring up topics which made Alice laugh a lot. And her laughter made his heart skip a beat, she was always joyful around him, he seemed to always figure out how to make her happy even if it was just for a little moment.

If he could, he would always want to smile with him alone, but the knew that was a selfish thought and he wouldn't want that.

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Alistair Residence...

"Are you gonna tell me what took you so long?"

When Rachel arrived Veronica's, she was told that Veronica was in her room. She then made her way to her room and undoubtedly was let in immediately she arrived. Veronica locked the door and turned to face Rachel who had made her self comfortable on the bed.

"You won't believe it." Rachel replied.

"I know right? You are looking so messed up." Veronica laughed.

Rachel stood up and went to check herself out in Veronica's standing mirror.

"Oh jeez."

Rachel untied her ponytail and put her hand through her hair straightening it quickly.

"Relax girl, there's no one to impress." Veronica kept on making fun of her friend.

Rachel didn't care and still straighten her shirt that wasn't so out of line.

"What kept you... or no forget that, how did i get home last night, what happened?" Veronica asked.

Suddenly Rachel remembered she was pissed.

" Remind me next time to NEVER let YOU get that drunk again. I mean what got into you. It was so hard carrying you and to top it all it was so embarrassing."

"Oh my goodness! What did I do?" Veronica was shaken at the thought of the trouble she might have caused.

"You did nothing, you just blacked out."

Rachel proceeded to explain to her how James ruined her fun calling her over to get her home. While telling Veronica all that had happened 'calmly' , she made it clear that she was mad at her do putting her through those stress.

She mentioned that it was so embarrassing carrying her unconscious body out of the club. It was risky trying their luck and leaving her outside, what if her dad had been the one to come out? Rachel also mentioned the part Mark has played in the whole situation, making her think about the short moment that had happened in school.

"I find it weird, Mark helping. We don't seem to have a close relationship or any relationship at all, so why did he help? Or could it be that he has a thing for me?"

Rachel felt irritated with Veronica's last words. Without thinking, she interjected immediately;

"No! He doesn't."

Veronica was beyond surprised by her friend's behavior. She was completely stunned.

"What's up with you?"

"Nothing, I just said he doesn't have anything for you." Rachel replied.

"Are you hiding something?"

"What got you delayed? I haven't forgotten about that topic you know." Veronica laughed.

"It was Mark." She didn't see any reason to hide it, there was nothing to gain.

"Hmm. What's going on?" Veronica laughed.

"He simply confessed his feelings and asked me to go out with me." She said plainly.

'Is confessed the right word? Neh...I'll go with that for now.'

"Confessed his...wait Mark likes you?" She asked surprised.

"Clearly what I insinuated." She replied coldly.

"And it seems to that you like him too. Why the fuck would you like him?"

Rachel wondered what Veronica's problem was, why in the world would she assume that she liked him?

"What makes you think so? Cause I never said I did."

Veronica laughed loudly, baffled by her friend.

"So you are saying you don't like him?" She asked

"Yeah! I don't." She answered.

"Don't tell me you agreed to go out with him!"

Veronica suddenly yelled annoying Rachel.

"I did. What's the problem?"

Veronica did not like the idea, she didn't feel mark was worthy enough to say her friend. It's could have been someone better, like Leo or Axel.

"Why would you? It's just Mark." Once again Veronica acted like she was above everyone, and Rachel wasn't gonna settle for that.

"So..? What's wrong about it?"

Veronica grabbed her hair like she Das going to run mad anytime soon.

"Gawd! There are better guys, why Mark?!"

Seems like there was gonna be a quarrel between the friends. Though Rachel didn't like Mark, she didn't like the fact that Veronica felt like she could control her decisions, it was her life not Veronica's. She was meant to support and not oppose, that was literally what she had always done for Veronica and Veronica couldn't even do the same.

Veronica on the other hand saw this as wanting the best for her Friend. She didn't think Mark was worth it. She knew he was handsome and charming, it couldn't be denied, but she had seen the better guys which she would have preferred for her friend.

"Marks not bad, Veronica. And i never said i planned to have things to do with him. I don't like him, he likes me. What's your problem if I go out with him?"

Rachel knew the answer to that already, she knew her friend really well, she just asked because she was hoping for a different answer.

"He's not good enough."

Turns out Rachel wasn't wrong after all, what was she expecting, Veronica would never change.

"I don't wanna argue. I am going out with him. I already said i would anyways."

Veronica was contemplating whether to oppose or not. Either way; she decided she'll stop anything from happening, she would not let it develop.

"If you say so. It's your life anyways and besides, it's a one time thing."

Veronica relented. She knew Rachel was very stubborn and hotheaded, so she would only go ahead with something if she was opposed.

"A one time thing, huh?"