Dear Spotlight

Everything that she was hearing was only confirming that Noah had never been treated well. It shouldn't be that way. It should never be that way for anyone. She didn't know what she expected from hearing Noah's story, maybe a bit of sadness from empathy, but instead, a burning flame of anger was lit.

His grandfather was sitting there and telling her everything with remorse on his face. She didn't want to blame anyone, but if she had the chance to tell off his parents from treating him this way, she would without a second thought. It made her wonder why his grandfather didn't do such a thing either. 

"If you knew something was wrong, why didn't you say anything?" Alice said flatly. 

"I've only recently seen him for the last four years or so. I've been overseas. The last time I saw him was when he was only five years old."

"That is no excuse," Alice deadpanned. She was being harsh, but she needed to know. That the man wasn't just washing his hands off the situation.

"I am a parent myself," Henry said. "I have given my input over the years, but I can't control my son."

Alice did not comment on that since it was not her place. But she had a better outlook on Noah and his grandfather's pure relationship. At least, she knew that Henry was conscious of the problem. Otherwise, she would not have been happy. She smiled at the old man to let him know that she had no hard feelings.

The wistful expression returned to the man's face. He keeps to himself at home and plays the part of whoever is calling him to play."

Alice wasn't surprised. In fact, a part of her almost always knew. It was the way that he presented himself that she didn't like at first. He was an amiable person always surrounded by people, albeit aloof. He would laugh with his friends at school, but from what she heard, no one had ever seen him outside of school.

Everyone held a high regard for him without even truly knowing him. She was the latter in that, held a negative outlook without knowing him, but they got over that hurdle. 

She would sit in the background skeptical even from way back when until she was in the spotlight. Even from the beginning, it wasn't as if she saw through his façade, but the silent competition somehow bore fruit through the friendship that they had made for themselves. 

Alice wondered if Noah held any grudges towards the ones that treated him that way, but he didn't even seem to be that type of person either. She could literally imagine him saying that it would take too much energy to hold onto anger for too long.

Alice thought that it would be weird for her to realize that she knew Noah better than she thought. But surprisingly, it wasn't.

It made her ponder if Noah would be able to read her too, but it held something heavier considering that they weren't open books. His grandfather was going on about a story about how Noah would come greet houseguests but would run away from the dinner table since he hated talking with them. His cheeks would puff up, saying that he was sick.

The old man's words made Alice smile. It was cute. Noah was definitely a cute kid. She would give anything to see his baby photos. But she would keep that thought to herself. It was embarrassing just to think about it. She wondered if Henry knew how much Noah worked to make sure that he had the best care.

But it goes so much farther than that as well. He was Noah's rock, the one place that he could go back to after a long day. Many people were lucky that the place was their home, but Noah didn't have that luxury. Noah wasn't tight on money, but it was the hard sweat and tears that were the actions that spoke of his reverence.

She did call Noah out on his stupid actions that were crossing with school hours. In hindsight, she literally could have walked away, letting him get in trouble in the long run, but she wasn't one to walk away after seeing something. But she wasn't one to be that petty since that was just stupid overall. 

Nothing would have led her to expect to sit next to the grandfather whom he would often fret over. It was like a weird world crossover. But one that she would gladly accept considering that she was doing her best as Noah's moral support.

However, it was kind of hard to be that if the person wasn't even in the room. She'll tell him off later.

"He loves you so much," Alice said softly. " Noah truly relies on you for support."

Henry's eyes softened. "He is my dear grandson. How could I not see? I can also see that he relies on you as well. I have nothing to fear since you're by his side, dear."