28th July

Right, so get this.

I woke up in the greatest mood of my life.

Seriously, it couldn't have gotten better even if I tried. Now, the average person may be wondering why I'm in such a great mood. Well, Dear Candace says she wants to talk to me, which could only mean that we're discussing the terms of my breakup with Otto. If you remember the terms, it's gonna be a great day. Or weekend. You never know. But the earlier the better, innit?

I stepped out of my room with a wide smile on my face.

My Mom was already awake and was drinking a cup of coffee. I greeted her, "Good morning!"

"Morning," She greeted back before raising an eyebrow. "Did something good happen?"

"Yes, actually," I replied, sitting across from her. "Not telling you though."

"Does it have something to do with your boyfriend?" She teased.

I put a finger to my lips. "Maybe."

"Just don't do anything inappropriate, okay?" She requested. "Or get yourself hurt. Yeah, you want to just stay at home instead?"

"I can't miss another day of school, remember?" I reminded.

"Oh yeah."

I waved my hands to the side. "Weird ass school rules."

She smirked before draining her cup of coffee. She asked me, "Are you going to get some breakfast?"

"Uh, no."

"Then let's get ready to leave then," She told me.

Can you tell? I'm rather excited about whatever Candace wants to tell me. Hm… I just can't wait! This car ain't going 200 miles an hour, it's too slow!

Don't ask me if I remember anything from the car ride.

Flashing lights, I guess. Sue me.

"Have a good day," My Mom said as I left the car with my bag.

"Have a good day too," I responded.

"By the way, will you be home for dinner?" My Mom asked.

I tapped my chin before replying, "Most likely. I don't see what could possibly come up that would make me miss dinner."

"If something does come up, make sure you text me, okay?"

"I'll try to remember."

I waved her off.

When the car was out of sight, I started walking to the spot we had miraculously decided upon. Okay, it wasn't technically guaranteed that I got the right place, but I'm hoping it's the correct place.

I showed up at the dark, isolated corner of the school Candace would always bring me to beat me up in the past. We did all sorts of things here. I can recall all the memories. One time, she made her friends hold my arm and threatened to break it if I didn't give her my money. Another time, she beat me up so much that I missed the rest of school. She even cut my clothes and made me wait there hidden until everyone left.

Good times.

After waiting a grand total of two minutes, I sent Candace a text.

Me: Yooooooooo! Whr U at?"

Candace: Waiting

Me: Am I at the wrong place?

Candace: Where are you?

Me: The place you like beating me up

Candace: I'm in class

Me: There's someone there right?

Candace: I'll head to you

You know, I really thought I had the location down. What? It kind of makes sense if you think about it right? If she's gonna talk to me about something really important, surely she would pick a place that has a ton of memories.

Soon enough, Candace showed up.

"There's a girl wearing glasses in class, right?" I asked her in a light-hearted tone. "She's always there. I swear she lives in school or something."

Candace did not look too good herself. Her makeup was gone completely, and her hair was pretty frizzled. She had puffy eyes and dark circles that showed she probably didn't get enough sleep recently. She had a frown on her face. Her eyes were dark, blank… almost lifeless.

"Candace~" I called out to her, closing the gap.

I held her hand, smiling at her. "You look so beautiful right now~"

She would normally swipe my hand aside, but she just let her arm go limp in my hands. She told me, "Charlotte told me you said you would break up with Otto if I slept with you. Would you really?"

"Of course I would," I promised, sticking out a pinky in her direction. "Pinky promise."

"How would I make sure?" She demanded.

I shrugged, getting even closer to her. "Well, you don't have to worry. I don't like him anyways."

She squeezed my hand.

"Oh?" I sounded out.

She started tearing up again. "Then… then why are you dating him?"

I reached out and held Candace's face in my hand. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Before we went further, I explained to Candace while my face was basically right in front of hers. "I've heard a lot of things from Mr Popular the past couple of days. Just saying, he really, really hates you. But no worries!"

I laced my fingers through hers.

"I like you," I whispered.

Candace pushed me away, her eyes wide. Her breathing was unstable as she looked around. She extended a hand, apologising, "S-Sorry. It was reflex!"

She looked almost afraid.

"It's fine," I shrugged, laughing it off. "But my question is why you're willing to do this even though you know Mr Popular will never like you in return?"

"None of your business!" She yelled before covering her mouth.

Candace clutched her head and scratched at her throat before muttering, "I'm sorry… it was reflex…"

When I got close to her, she let out a scream and shoved me away. She fell to the ground. She was breathing hard as she kept looking around her. She locked eyes with me for a mere second before apologising again, "No… I didn't mean that…"

I crouched down beside her.

"What's got you so afraid?" I asked her, tilting my head.

Candace steadied her breathing slightly before shaking her head. She told me, "Let's just get this over with."

"Oh, you want to do it now?" I asked, a grin spreading across my face. "Kinky."

She said nothing.

"But I'm not doing anything until you tell me what's up," I countered. "I'm trying to build a loving relationship here."

She hesitated.

Candace said softly, "There's a stalker."

"Oh, that guy I saw with you back at the town fair," I recalled.

Candace sat up, hugging her knees. "He's been hanging around my place for more than a week. I always went back with my friends, but when I didn't, he tried to attack me. Tried to force himself onto me."

"How did it go?"

"Someone spotted us and stopped him," She continued.

She grabbed my arm forcefully. "Are you satisfied yet?"

I brought her in for a kiss. She showed no signs of resistance as I did so. However, my eyes were locked onto a certain someone hiding in the corner. She had her phone out as well. When she noticed me noticing her, she let out a small yelp and ran away. Candace heard the yelp and hurriedly turned around.

"Was someone there?" She asked.

I got onto my feet before brushing myself off. I extended a hand to help her stand up, joking with her, "Not the first time we made out, but definitely more pleasant than the last one."

"Was someone there?" She asked again, getting up on her own.

"I couldn't really tell," I determined.

She cursed and turned away from me. I asked her, "Weren't we gonna get all hot and steamy here?"

"Not in the fucking public!" She yelled back at me.

"Then when's a good time?" I asked. "Preferably today."

She hesitated, her hands balled into fists. She inhaled deeply before exhaling. Candace said with a great amount of control, "We still got time. Let's go to the gym storeroom. Nobody would be able to spot us there."

"Oh, really eager for me, huh?"

Pop all the party things you want!

I don't know about you guys, but I find this an absolute win! Not gonna go into all the hot details behind the locked doors, but know that we both came out of it with crumpled clothes and much messier hair.

Candace couldn't even look me in the eyes.

Feeling great!

I used my fingers to straighten out my hair as we walked towards class. Candace was looking off to the side as she asked, "You'll break up with Otto now, right?"

"Of course, I will," I confirmed.

"Good."

She then ran off in another direction. Wow, would you look at her go? Wonder why she didn't want to roll up to class together.

I walked into class. The first period had already begun.

"Sorry for being late," I apologised with a smile. "Overslept a tad."

The teacher didn't seem to want to bother dealing with me, so he just pointed to my seat with a warning, "Do not be tardy again, not go back to your seat."

I intentionally walked by Glasses Girl, who lowered her head and tried to cover her head with her hands when I walked by.

Don't worry~

I'm in such a good mood that nothing can stop me!

At my seat, I texted Otto.

Me: This is kinda sudden, but could we meet at the cafe later today?

Right, there are club activities.

Hm…

That's gonna be tough to deal with.

Lunch break.

I was just about to leave the classroom when I noticed a distinct lack of Candace in the class. Yeah, where has she been this entire time? She's been to school, that much I could confirm.

Her pals tried to talk to me, but my phone buzzed.

I put a hand up in apology. "Yeah, sorry, gotta check my phone real quick."

Otto had sent e a reply.

Otto: I'm not sure when club activities will end

Otto: Are u alright with having dinner there?

Otto: Wanna meet up after club activities end?

Me: Sure thing

I faced them. "Okay, I'm done. Kinda surprised you guys waited."

"Have you seen Candace?" One of them asked.

"Oh yeah," I nodded, a wide grin on my face. "We fucked."

They must have gone into shock or something, 'cause they didn't really say anything afterwards. My phone buzzed again, but this time in a different way. I put a hand up, apologising again, "Yeah, sorry, busy day, innit?"

I picked up the phone and gained some distance from all sentient beings.

"Hello?" I picked up the phone. "Who's this unknown number?"

"---? Is this —?" A familiar voice called.

"Ms Granger! How have you been?" I greeted her happily.

Whatever she was doing, it must have been strenuous. I could hear how quickly she was talking and how desperate she sounded. She questioned me rather quickly, "Where are you right now?

"At school," I replied simply.

"Shit!"

It's rare to hear Ms Granger. of all people, curse in that manner. It's actually kind of funny in a way.

"So why did you decide to call me?" I asked the real question.

"Chloe's run off!" Ms Granger told me desperately. "We don't know where she ran off to! It must have been early in the morning! We've tried finding her, but we haven't been able to find her all morning! Do you have any idea where she might be?"

I almost let go of my phone.

"What?"

"Chloe's missing," Ms Granger repeated urgently. "Do you know where she could have hidden?"

"Okay, let's calm down here," I can't believe I, of all people, was calming down Ms Granger. "Let's evaluate certain facts, okay?"

"Yes, you're right," Ms Granger agreed.

"Chloe fucking hates me now," I stated.

"That's…"

Before she could properly come up with a response, I interrupted her, "I'm currently in school and I can't leave without getting my ass expelled. Even if you just want ideas of where to find her, I barely know the child, how would I be able to find her in the first place? Actually, it's your fault for letting a literal eight-year-old get lost."

"I know that!" Ms Granger snapped.

"Point is, I can't really help you in the situation I'm in," I said definitely.

I hesitated slightly, resulting in a momentary pause. "Besides, it's probably best that Chloe never sees me again."

"Besides, I'm just not that good of an influence on Chloe," I said softer, laughing a little.

Ms Granger let out an audible sigh before telling me, "Okay. If that's what you think then fine. We'll continue searching for Chloe on our own."

"Okay~" I signed off. "Goodbye~"

I faced Candace's pals and my feet were kinda jittery after that conversation. I pointed a finger-gun at one of them before asking, "Yeah, either of you know where Candace is at the moment? I wanna chat her up."

They whispered a couple of things I wasn't able to hear. Which is weird 'cause I would usually be able to hear whispers that are so close to me. I was tapping a finger against my leg as I waited for them to give me a reply.

"Are y'all gonna give a reply already?" I asked them.

They just walked off in a rush. What a waste of time!

I sat down, but my leg couldn't stop shaking. There weren't too many people in class since most of them had gone off for the lunch break. I did notice Glasses Girl was still in class though, so I approached her.

I put a hand on her arm, making her jump slightly.

"Hey there," I greeted, squeezing just a bit too hard.

I let go and stood beside her, saying, "So about this morning…"

"I didn't see anything!" She exclaimed before covering her mouth.

I laughed, patting her on the back. "No worries! You followed Candace 'cause you thought she was up to no good, huh?"

Glasses Girl did not reply.

I leaned closer, making her lean further away. I said to her rather softly, "I'm gonna need you to snitch on us, okay? If you got pictures or videos, mind helping me spread them everywhere? Thanks a ton."

I patted her shoulder before leaving the class.

Walking around, for the first time it felt like nobody existed around me. It felt like that, but I still bumped into a whole bunch of people. I had been walking mindlessly, kind of following a pattern of sorts.

I eventually came to a stop.

I was in the courtyard and the exit to the school was open. I stared at the gates, my foot moving forward but never touching the ground before I did a complete turn. I made my way over to the cafeteria where everyone else was.

The moment I stepped into the cafeteria, I stopped in my tracks.

A bunch of people were looking in my direction, and I was staring at the ground. I don't care for what expression was on my face, nor do I care for the insulting words leaving the mouths of the people around me.

I can't hear anything.

I looked up, then turned to look at the closest clock.

"This isn't what you're supposed to be…" I whispered to myself.

I turned around and started bolting in the direction I had come from. However, on my way to the courtyard, I ended up bumping into someone. I ran into the person and ended up falling backwards.

A guy with a short ponytail stood in front of me, obviously shaken by the sudden collision. It took him a couple of seconds to shake off the impact. He extended a hand to help me up before asking, "Are you in a rush?"

Right, this is the guy from my club.

Teddy, was it?

"Damn, didn't know you had the potential to be a linebacker," I joked, already starting to walk by him.

He followed after me. "Where were you going in such a rush?"

"I got my reasons," I replied.

"Is there any way I can help?" He offered.

I shrugged, not looking back. But he was matching my pace quite well considering how long his strides were. I responded to his offer, "Not really."

"Wait, are you leaving the school? What about club?"

I was in the courtyard once again.

"Looking for someone," I told him. "Gonna be off for a bit."

"What about your stuff?"

"Tell Otto to take them and text me, I don't know," I said, already starting to break into a run.

He just stood there and watched me run off. The security guard was probably distracted, so I was able to just run past the school gate with nothing but distant shouting behind me. My run eventually slowed to a jog and then to a walk. Instead of running everywhere, I have to be smart about this.

Being smart?

Where would Chloe go?

Maybe somewhere safe? Maybe she's been found by the police station?

Maybe she's been kidnapped? Knock on wood.

It shouldn't be too far from Kaster's considering how she might not know how to take public transport. Who am I kidding? She could easily take a bus. Besides, it's probably been hours, Besides, if she was near Kaster's, she would definitely have been found by now.

What if she was already found? What's the point of me running out?

Shit.

"This isn't like you at all…" I muttered to myself.

"I know bitch, shut the fuck up," I muttered to myself.

Scratching my head, I started by looking through the area near the school, occasionally asking people questions. I asked a random person, "Hi, I'm looking for a lost child. Around seven, choppy black hair and black eyes, I think. Uh… small child?"

"Sorry."

Someone else.

"Hi, have you seen a small child of the missing variety anywhere?"

"Sorry."

Someone else.

"Hi, have you seen a lost child anywhere nearby?"

"No."

Someone else.

"Hello, have you seen a small girl that might look lost?"

"Uh… don't think I have."

I was just about to give up. I thought about where Chloe might go. Maybe she would try to go home, her real home. But hell if I know where her real home even is. What would she be feeling at the moment?

What the fuck am I kidding? Talking about what she could be feeling…

Damn…

Somewhere that might cheer her up? Where? I don't know where she likes to have fun. I only know the one place I've brought her to. Even then she didn't look too happy by the end of it.

Uh… I don't have much of a choice left, do I?

I headed to the town fair. After running through it and asking a bunch of people, I still got the same result. No, they have not seen a missing child. Makes sense, unless the child was explicitly crying when alone or shouting for their parents, not many people would assume they were lost.

When I determined that she was not there, I ran off somewhere else.

But where?

It really made me think. I don't know Chloe at all, do I? What she likes and what she dislikes. I'm literally a stranger she calls 'sis'. What's worse is how people perceive me to be close to her like I was something special in her life. Please, give her ten years and she'll forget I even existed.

But still!

I want her to be safe at least.

I ran to the bus stop and managed to catch the bus. I got off near my apartment and went to the park nearby. If I remembered correctly, this was the park where I first met Chloe. She had been alone and crying. Something about seeing her like that…

Honestly, I don't know if she'll be here.

The sun's starting to set soon, and if I don't find her, hopefully, the people from Kaster's have already found her.

There were a bunch of people just hanging around the park. I had my phone in hand as I made my way through the park. The sun was starting to set, creating long shadows. A dog, followed by its owner ran by me on the walkway. I turned around to try and see what breed the dog was.

Laughter in the background. A family was happily playing catch. The father was throwing the ball at his son while the mother was seated on a blanket in the grass. They laughed when they made mistakes with the catch. I looked away and continued walking down the path. Whatever hope in me had already faded.

I stopped.

In front of me, not too far away, I could see a child seated on a bench. The person had their back towards me, but hope swelled up in my chest. But when I tried to get closer, a woman walked to her and extended a hand, the child took her hand and they walked away. Right, the kid doesn't even look like Chloe.

The sun was setting… Everything had an orange hue to it.

If she hasn't been found, she has to be so scared…

Being alone is one thing. Knowing that nobody was coming to get you was another.

So I ran. I had to find her before it got dark.

I came to a stop. It was a playground. I remember being at the playground by myself in the past. Now, there were a whole group of kids playing. They screamed, laughed and played pretend.

My line of sight drifted over slightly to the side where a single girl sat, hugging her knees.

I was about to run to her, but I stopped myself. I took a step away from her and glanced at my phone. Maybe it was better if I called Ms Granger over…

Chloe sat on the ground, staring at the playground.

Her eyes were blank and she was barely moving at all. She hugged her knees, completely silent. None of the other kids even bothered to talk to her, or even noticed her existence.

If I just inform Ms Granger, she would probably be here quickly… right?

I shook my head and started to walk away, my phone buzzing as I tried to call Ms Granger.

She picked up about seven seconds after I called.

"Hello?" She answered the phone.

…

"Hello? —?" She called out to me again.

"I-" I started to talk but paused.

I glanced over to where Chloe was seated. Ms Granger said over the phone, "Why did you call me? Why are you out of breath?"

I inhaled deeply before shaking my head even though nobody was looking at me. "Have you found Chloe?"

"Not yet," Ms Granger told me, her voice dripping with worry.

"Oh, I see…"

"Has school ended?" Ms Granger asked me.

"I guess?"

"Could you meet me at the orphanage?" Ms Granger requested. "We can look for Chloe together. You're worried about her too, right?"

"Oh…"

Why am I like this?

"Actually… I've got something else going on at the moment," I told her. "Sorry, I can't exactly make it."

"It's alright," Ms Granger assured me. "I'm sure we'll find Chloe soon."

"Alright… bye."

"Bye."

I lowered my arm slowly as I stared at Chloe. To be alone in a world you don't quite understand, abandoned by the people who were supposed to raise you. Am I really the right person to be talking to her right now?

I covered the lower half of my face with a hand.

I inhaled deeply and put a smile on.

No. I dropped the smile and started walking to Chloe. My breathing was pretty laboured from all the running. Besides that, I was still in my school uniform. I walked into Chloe's line of sight and just stood there.

She slowly glanced up at me before lowering her head and staring forward once again.

I sat down beside her, my legs crossed and my hands pushed the skirt down. I just sat with her and watched the other kids play their games. Make-believe, challenges, all the things most kids should have experienced. I was about to ask Chloe a question, but I kept my mouth shut.

Chloe herself was completely silent.

The sun started setting more. The lamps around the area turned on while there was still light. It gradually got darker. Slowly, the parents of those kids called out to them. Slowly, they all left the playground. My phone was silently buzzing in my hands from messages, but I ignored all of them.

It was empty.

It was dark.

The only light was from a lamp that hung right above us. Chloe swayed and rested her head against my arm. I couldn't see her face, I just looked forward.

We stayed that way. I don't know how much time had passed.

Maybe Chloe would just fall asleep.

I thought she had dozed off. She was so still and her breathing was just about the same as well. She hiccuped before sniffling. She rubbed her nose and eyes, the sleeve of my blouse slowly getting wetter.

…

Chloe let out a wail.

She clutched my sleeve and just… let it all out. I didn't know what to do. I waited, just sat there, looking forward into the vague darkness. Pain flared up in my arm from a previous injury. It's fine, I don't really feel it anyways.

Her crying slowed down, but she had yet to say a word.

Her wailing died down, leaving her sniffling against my arm. She then weakly punched me in the arm and back.

I lifted the arm she had been crying on and slung it across her shoulder, hugging her with one arm instead. She hugged me from the side, clutching onto me before she continued her wailing.

It's fine.

My gaze drifted upwards to where there were almost no stars to be found. Only a couple could be seen amidst the dark skies.

When her wailing died down again, she was left shivering in my arms. Chloe had wrapped her arms around my body and was gripping my blouse with all her strength. It doesn't matter, it was already crumpled anyways. I slowly patted her shoulder as she slowly took her time to gather herself.

"I'm… sorry I *hic* pushed you…" She whispered.

I shook my head. I whispered back, "I'm sorry for lying to you."

There was a long pause.

"A-Are mommy and daddy… really…" She started choking up.

I shifted my arm to pat her head instead. Thoughts ran through my head on how I was going to answer her.

"Yes."

She nodded, pressing herself harder against me.

"Sis…" Chloe muttered. "I wanna be like you… I wanna be happy."

Another long pause.

I rested my hand against her head. I told her, "If you want to be happy, don't be like me."

She looked up at me. I looked back at her, shaking my head. Perhaps it was the first time she got a proper look at me without a smile. "I'm not happy."

She nodded, staring at the ground.

"Mommy and daddy always argued," Chloe muttered. "They say mean things and sometimes fight…"

I said nothing.

"One day mommy said I could only see daddy once a week," Chloe continued. "She said daddy didn't want me anymore."

She choked up when she continued talking, "Mommy… Mommy brought me to the shop and said daddy was waiting outside…"

Tears started flowing again. "S-She told me to go look for him… I got lost and mommy never came to look for me…"

I could only slowly pat her head as she took shaky breaths.

"I wanna go home!"

Chloe cried, hugging me even tighter. Her voice was coarse and starting to get raspy. I let her cry.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, hugging her closer.

Chloe managed to calm down a little bit. I told her again, "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. I could feel her movements from the side of my chest. I said to her, "I can't bring your mommy and daddy back. When you grow older, I'm sure you'll understand."

I could feel Chloe's body move as she breathed.

"I don't wanna…" She muttered. "I don't wanna be in a world without mommy or daddy…"

…

"It's lonely…" Chloe whispered. "And scary…"

I wish I could tell her something like 'I'll be there for you!'. But I promised myself to stop lying to Chloe.

"I'm sorry," I apologised to her.

She shivered in my arms.

"I won't be with you," I told her.

"Why?"

I rocked her a bit as I talked, "I want to be honest with you. I don't want to live for much longer."

There was a pause.

Chloe looked up at me and shouted, "Then I'll go with you!"

I shook my head and let go of her. I adjusted my seating to face Chloe directly. I held her face and told her, "You're young. You don't know what you're doing yet. I… I am not a good person. But you?"

A smile showed up on my face, much to my own surprise.

"You're a good girl," I whispered. "You'll make the world a better place. So don't say things like you want to die, okay?"

Chloe stared into my eyes.

"Do you… want to hear what my dream is?" I asked her, no longer smiling.

"...Okay," She hesitantly answered in a soft voice.

I leaned in close and whispered into her ear. I don't think she understood everything, but I think she got the gist of it. Besides, this 'dream' of mine surprised even me with how much it had changed.

"I want to get close to people," I whispered. "And then die."

Chloe was silent.

"But I don't want to get close to you," I elaborated. "Because I don't want to hurt you. I don't want you to be in pain."

"This is me," I told her. "I won't lie to you anymore."

Chloe nodded, calming down slightly.

"So after today, I won't see you ever again, okay?" I told her. "You'll forget me by the time you grow up."

"NO!" Chloe yelled.

She lunged forward and hugged me. "I don't care!"

"Chloe…"

Chloe refused to let go of me. "I don't care!"

"I don't care!" She repeated.

She was tearing up as she gripped my uniform again. "I don't want you to leave me!"

"I'm gonna leave eventually, you know," I reminded her.

She shook her head. "I don't care!"

Chloe sniffled before shouting, "U-Until you need to leave!"

"I see…"

I patted her back. She sat up, her face an absolute mess. I could see a couple of scrapes on her knees from when she lunged at me. I stuck out my pinky and told her, "Then let's make it a promise."

"Let's be friends until that day," I told her, smiling slightly.

She interlocked her pinky with mine. I told her, "Pinky promise. If I break this promise, I'll cut off my pinky."

Chloe nodded.

I heard a growling stomach. I don't know if it was from me or from Chloe since I hadn't eaten since… last night? Was it last night?

Chloe blushed, hugging her stomach.

I got up shakily and helped Chloe stand up. She was also wobbly.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked her.

She nodded, though very hesitant.

"Let's get something to eat first, okay?"

She nodded, this time not as hesitant.

My phone has been buzzing forever. I held it in one hand and held Chloe's hand in the other. I apologised to Chloe first before picking up the phone. It was my Mom, and she was understandably upset.

"Where are you?" She demanded.

"You're home already?" I asked.

"Obviously, it's past eight!"

"Oh, I was busy," I gave an excuse.

"Get home this instant!"

Chloe was just walking with me as we followed the walkway that was illuminated with lights. She squeezed my hand and got closer to me.

"Well, do we have enough food at home for two?" I asked her.

"Huh?"

"I'm bringing a friend over, I'll explain later."

"Where even are you?"

I looked around me. "Uh… nearby?"

She let out a sigh before saying to me, "You're lucky I'm a patient person. Get home right now then we'll talk about the food situation. Also, I want to talk to you about something I heard from the school."

"Sure thing. Be home soon."

Chloe didn't say a thing.

I told her, "We're going to my house. It's really nearby. Is that alright?"

Chloe nodded.

I dialled a number on my phone while telling Chloe, "You know, the people at the orphanage have been trying to look for you. They're really worried."

"Oh…" Chloe's face reddened.

"It's fine."

I pressed my phone against my ear and waited for Ms Granger to pick up the phone. After about seven seconds, she picked it up.

"---?" She answered.

"I found Chloe," I stated. "And I'm taking her to my house right now, so y'all can stop your searching."

"Really?"

I brought the phone closer to Chloe, who looked up at me worriedly.

"Just apologise or something," I suggested.

Chloe said in a timid voice, "I'm sorry…"

Ms Granger breathed a huge sigh of relief before asking me, "You'll bring her here first thing in the morning, right?"

"I mean… if she feels like it."

"Update me."

I swung Chloe's arm as we walked. "People care about you, you know. Not many, but at least there are a few."

"Sis, what's your name?" Chloe asked me.

"Joy Kisa."

Chloe repeated my name several times while I chuckled at her intensity. She eventually shook her head. "I'll call you sis."

"My name's really easy to remember, you know?" I defended myself.

"Sis sounds nicer…"

We made it to the lift.

We made it to my apartment where the door was already opened. Right, I left my stuff at school, so my keys weren't with me at the moment. I stepped in with Chloe, my Mom seated on the couch and ready to scold me.

"This is my friend, Chloe," I introduced her to my Mom before she could scold me.

Chloe didn't say anything and just stood there. My Mom stared at Chloe, then at me. She asked me, "You didn't kidnap her… right?"

"I would do no such thing!" I defended myself.

Chloe looked up at my Mom. My Mom turned to face Chloe, asking, "What happened?"

I used my other hand to do the cutting-it-out motion. Which was me basically trying to cut my own neck.

Chloe whispered, "Sis helped me…"

My Mom noticed my sign at last and patted Chloe's shoulder. She asked her, "Are you hungry?"

Chloe nodded hesitantly.

"We have food, so let's eat."

On the dining table were two takeaway containers. I asked, "Wait, you bought two portions for me?"

My Mom shook her head before sighing. "Well, I got it for Fable, but he said something about going on a diet?"

"Ahhh."

I sat beside Chloe, she was hesitant to let go of my hand. Eventually, she had to in order to use the utensils. It was nothing special, just some rice with random ingredients. Chloe ate really slowly, occasionally glancing up at my Mom who was seated across from her. My Mom got both of us drinks before telling me to slow down while eating.

"When was the last time you ate?" She asked, more as a rhetorical question than anything.

"Last night?" I answered.

It was around that time that Fable stepped out of his room. He was sweating and had an empty bottle in his hand. He was staring at the ground for the most part as he said tiredly, "I'm getting water."

He finally looked up.

He stared at Chloe before saying, "Uh… hi?"

Chloe shrank away from Fable.

"Right, about what you were talking about, I had a discussion with your dad," My Mom brought up with Fable.

She gave him a double thumbs up. "We're all for it."

"What thing?" I asked out of curiosity.

Fable went to the kitchen to get more water. My Mom pointed in his general direction. "Well, he said he wanted to sell most of his gaming equipment."

"That's surprising."

"I know, right?"

Chloe kept her head low. Just before Fable reentered his room, dad stepped out of his room. He noticed the three of us at the dining table. He did a small, awkward wave at Chloe before pointing at Fable. "Yeah… I was just gonna talk to him."

Dad entered Fable's room.

"I'm not sure if we have any clothes for Chloe," My Mom commented. "She's most definitely going to shower, right?"

"Don't you keep my clothes from when I was smaller?" I asked.

"Uh…" My Mom tried to think about it. "Not really? Not from that time, no."

I shrugged. "I can lend her some of my smaller-fitting clothes."

After we were done eating, I allowed Chloe into my room to pick out some clothes from my dresser. I got the small ones I don't wear anymore and measured them against Chloe, eventually deciding on a set that would be just slightly oversized.

"You're lucky I'm not that big," I joked.

I was going to let Chloe shower first, but she was rather reluctant to go in alone. So I joined her and helped wash her hair and stuff.

When we exited the bathroom, she looked rather tired.

"You ready to go to sleep?" I asked her.

She nodded.

She laid down on my bed. I already had my glasses on as I waited for her to go to sleep. I laid down beside her. Chloe muttered, "Goodnight…"

"Goodnight," I said back.

I waited until I was sure she was asleep.

I got out of bed and exited my room where my Mom was waiting.

"So? What'cha wanna talk about?" I asked her.

"The school called me," She stated.

"Ominous," I commented.

"They've decided to expel you."

I nodded and shrugged. "Well, predicted as much."

"What happened?" She questioned me.

"Well, nothing much, really," I told her. "Probably because I left halfway through the school day."

"Yes, if you had left with a valid excuse, you would not have been expelled," My Mom stated. "I tried explaining to them, and it turns out they've caught wind of another situation."

"Huh?"

She pinched her forehead before asking me, "Is the girl asleep?"

"I think so."

She slapped me, the slap sounding throughout the house. I was looking off to the side. Somehow, it hurt more than when the girls at my school would hit me. Fable and dad both exited the room to see what was going on.

"WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" She yelled.

The pain was still lingering on my cheek.

"The school called me and said you were having a close sexual relationship with another female student," She scolded, her voice getting louder the more she scolded. "And you two had to do it in school?"

She smacked her own forehead before gesturing to me. "No shit they want to expel you!"

Fable slipped into his room.

Dad came out and tried to calm my Mom down. Which, to my surprise, actually worked out quite well. My Mom took several deep breaths before saying to me, "You're going to school to talk with the teachers tomorrow. Afterwards, we're enrolling you to a high school in the town next to us. No excuses, no 'but's' and don't even say a thing."

She pointed at my room.

I nodded and entered my room.

Wow, can't believe how fast the school is.

Great.

I pulled my phone out, the only light in the dark room. Despite how loud it was outside, Chloe was still sound asleep.

Otto: Someone told me to take your stuff

Otto: What happened?

Otto: Are u alright?

Otto: Have u left school?

Otto: How do I give ur stuff back?

Otto: Text me when u can

Otto: I heard about the rumours

Otto: Is it true?

Otto: She forced u, right?

Otto: I tried calling u, but u didn't pick up

Otto: Are u alright?

Me: Let's meet up tomorrow morning in my class. Bring my stuff along. A lot of things happened. I'm going to sleep now.

I turned my phone off and stared at my ceiling. Right, I'm meant to write something in my diary. Well, whatever, not important at the moment.

Wouldn't want to wake Chloe up.

I took my glasses off.

Goodnight.