CHAPTER 5 - "Stay strong for me, baby. I need you."

ALAIN

Ryan made a very sudden stop causing me to jerk forward with force.

"What the fuck! Ryan!" I say.

"I'm so sorry, boss. It's the vehicle in front. Must be a drunk driver." He says.

My eyes narrow at the car in front. It's a cheap Mercedes. They never beat the allegations of drunk drivers. Even in broad daylight.

I watch as the car door opens and a lady steps out. A woman.

I scoff loudly. Of course, they'll always be a nuisance. I turn to Ryan sharply.

"Let's go," I say, sternly.

The woman turns to access my car, I had wound down the window at my side.

Our eyes meet and for a second I think I saw her eyes widen. A smirk forms on my face. How can it be so easy to get recognized by the ladies?

KENDALL

I stare at the car as it drives past me. A small smile of relief and satisfaction form on my lips.

Reality sets in again and I step into the car and drive off. Amira.

The school officials seems to be waiting for my arrival. I met them at the main entrance.

"Where is she?" I ask almost breathlessly.

"In the clinic. It's this way."

The door opens to reveal my baby lying on the patient's bed. She looks so pale, almost like there's no life in her. Wait.

I rush to her and hold her face. My face heats up again as I feel her cold skin on my palm.

"Amira," I whisper. "Baby, I'm here."

The tears fall freely with my vision becoming blurry.

"Can somebody say something!" I scream.

"The doctor said she's stable." A lady said in a very low tone and I nod.

She'll be okay. She'll be fine.

"Stay strong for me, baby. I need you." I whisper again and place a kiss on her forehead.

We were supposed to be having a date right now. My phone rings. It's Jayla.

"Hey."

"Oh my God, Ken. How's Amy doing?"

"She looks stable right now." I say and turn to look at her. "She's really pale." I hear my voice crack.

"She'll be fine, babe. She's a strong girl." Jayla says and I smile.

"She is." I affirm with a nod. A small smile forms on my lips. I felt hope.

I sit next to Amira, patiently waiting for her to wake up. The tiredness creeps in so I lay my head on the side of her bed.

Cold hands roam my face. I breathe in deeply as I turn to face another direction. The hands roams my face again, and almost immediately, my eyes fly open. Amira.

My eyes meet hers and I almost teared up again. I placed a deep kiss on her forehead before staring at her again.

"You scared the life out of me." I say.

She smiles a little, squeezing my hand.

"I'm sorry." She whispers and I smile.

The nurses walk in to do their thing while I give them space. My eyes are not breaking off my sister's face - my whole life as a stubborn little human.

After everything, I was free to take her home. I realized I had Riley's car for the whole day. A deep sigh made its way out.

"You look like you just escaped a war zone." Amiras' voice draw me out of my thoughts.

"I fought voices in my head. That's a lot." I say and she laughs.

The drive home was quiet and soothing.

Jayla rushes to hug Amira immediately as she steps out of the car.

"How are you, baby?" She says and Amira laughs. Amira was a little sister to not just me but Jayla too. Trust Jayla to be the dramatic one.

"I'm fine." Amira stresses as she tries to pull away from Jayla's hold. "If you hold onto me like this, I might as well pass out again, Jay." She adds, and Jayla's hands fly off her almost immediately. We all laugh.

"You need a lot of rest, baby." I say to Amira.

"So do you." Amira turns to me, "you look so tired."

I glare at her, and turn around to laugh.

"Stay with me tonight?" I ask as I turn back.

"Yes!" Amira answers eagerly, and I give her a weird look.

Jayla almost spit the water out of her mouth. "Don't be silly, you guys." She says.

Amiras' health improved greatly over the week. Doesn't change the fact that I've been really protective of her these past few days.

Sometimes, I feel I'm giving off the annoying parent vibe. I mean, I have to, since she begged that I don't inform our parents about it.

A message came in earlier this morning. From Romain. A reminder of the party tonight. Yes, it's a party for me. Rich people's problem, for real. I can't imagine going lengths as far as seeking a fake fiancee to impress my family.

I walk to my wardrobe and take out the first dress that catches my eyes. It's a blue sleeveless body con made of shiny duchess material. There's a slit on the right side that comes up to my thigh. I match it up with a pair of silver heels. Being 5'7 has been a good thing so far. I don't have to worry so much about wearing heels or not wearing them at all.

Jayla walks into my room with a suspicious grin on her face. She stares at the clothes well displayed on my bed before turning her attention to me.

"Leaving Amira to me, innit?" She says and a small chuckle escapes my lips.

"I have somewhere to be tonight."

"With a certain Mister Romain, right?"

"How did you...?"

"You told me." She cuts me off.

I slap my palm over my forehead. My mouth gets loose whenever I'm with her.

"Okay. Do take care of my baby tonight." I say as I sit on my couch.

"Your baby seems to be totally fine to me." She says as she walks towards the door. "Try to be home early too."

"You were going to say something to me. That's why you came, right?" I remind her.

"I was. But you killed that vibe with these." She says pointing at my outfit.

She never likes it when I go out when she's home.

"I'll tell you if you get home early" she emphasized before walking out.

My phone lit up. Another text from Romain. I heave a loud sigh then walk towards Amiras' room.

"Hey, baby"

"I'm not a baby, Ken." She says making an offended face.

"Hi, Amy." I say with an eye roll.

"Now that's it. Hi." She squeals.

"I'll be out for the night. Jayla will be home with you. Make sure to tell her about any changes in the way you feel. If it gets worse, call me."

"You sound like you don't want me to get better, Ken. It's been over a week and I feel just fine."

"I'm just being cautious. I know you're fine. Come here." I pull her into a hug while she wiggles. "Have a good night rest, baby." I say with a wink, and she laughs.

"Have fun! Don't worry about me." She calls out to me.

This party better be worth leaving my baby for.

I walk into my room to get ready.

My after look is stunning, as always. When it comes to my looks, I never really had to do too much. It's one of the reasons all my designs go viral. I body everything.

The make up is light and almost unnoticeable. But my gloss is shiny, probably the first thing anyone would notice when they look at my face.

A text comes in from Romain again, he's outside. I step out of the house calling out to the two people I'm leaving, "I'm out!"