It was not until Wednesday that Chris found out other people were saying that Maureen had entered the top seventeen in the October monthly exam, even ranking ahead of Bianca.
He felt both surprised and delighted.
Finally making it to lunch, he immediately dashed to the cafeteria on the side of the Senior Year area.
It had been a whole month.
Chris hadn't had a meal cooked by Maureen, and was no longer being dragged back to school by her when he skipped classes to play games.
He didn't believe the words Maureen previously told him; he didn't believe she was really capable of drawing a clear boundary between them and her family.
He had placed his hopes on his elder brother.
Yet, his elder brother seldom came home recently, seeming unsure how to talk to him.
Chris then knew that his elder brother was unable to persuade Maureen to come back.