CHAPTER 6

Glen arrive late at night in his apartment and exhaustingly laid on his bed. He remembered Williams asked to text him when he was done with his part times. He took out his phone from his coat pocket to text willaim's when he saw messages from the group chat.

What caught his eye were the party photos some students dropped in the group chat. Henry was in the background with a girl on his thigh, and in another he was kissing her.

He felt a sudden sharp thump in his chest, he knew Henry was a player right from high school but he wanted to stay oblivious to that fact.

Ding! He got a message notification from Williams and opened the inbox.

[Are you done with your part times?]

Glen tossed backward on his bed pulling his phone close to his face.

[Yes]

He patiently awaited another reply from William staring at his phone screen.

[Okay then, get rest, and see you tomorrow]

[Okay]

He switched off his phone, placing it on his chest and pondered momentarily slowly shutting his eyes.

— — — —

It was morning after Glen took his shower, he was about to put on his clothes when got a call from Charlotte.

<Glen, my grandma!, she's sick again!> her voice sounded tensed up.

"A-Again?…I'll be there, please don't panic."

He tossed the phone on his bed and hastily put on his clothes.

He did not want Charlotte to cry again as her grandmother was the only one left in her life. Charlotte have had her own fair share of loss during her childhood.

Her mother died shortly after giving birth to her. She was then raised by her father's mother and at the age of six her father suddenly left and never came back. News would later have it that a man committed suicide inside his car at the bridge—and it was her father. He was depressed and fighting mental illness for a long time after loosing his wife, her mother.

She was a kid at that time and didn't know how to express her feelings, she only watched her grandmother's agonizing cry every night from the loss of her son.

Charlotte have grown to lean on her grandmother since childhood, she was the only one who was left in her world as almost all her family members died from one ailments or another.

— — — —

He soon arrived at her house to meet the doctor examining her grandma's heart with a thermometer while she was was unconscious. Charlotte kept wiping the tears that wet her lashes sniffling as she sat on a wooden chair beside her grandma's bed.

"Charlotte." He called out her name with a compassionate tone and expression—slowly tapping her shoulder.

"Glen."

Her eyes were red and puffy, she had been crying for a while. Even the doctor had tried to console her before Glen's arrival.

"It's best to take her to the hospital, but i can't guarantee she would hold out for the next three days." The doctor said hanging his thermometer across his neck.

"Okay, we'll do that." She answered in a low voice filled with pain.

The doctor took his first aid kit and wandered out of the room.

"Glen." She sniffs—wiping her tears. "I don't want to loose my grandmother yet."

Glen did not hesitate to wrap his hands around Charlotte in consolation, tightening his eyes in distress. "Charlotte…pls don't cry, let's call the ambulance to move her as the doctor intstructed."

Charlotte kept sobing in his arms. The outcome she feared for had finally reached.

— — -

They moved Charlotte's grandma to the hospital and the results were still the static, her grandmother's heart has failed.

The doctor said she won't hold out for long even with an oxygen thank. She entered the ward to the sound of the heart monitor beeping continually and sat close to her grandmother clasping her hands onto her's while she breathe through an oxygen mask unconscious.

She knew what she was doing for her grandmother was pointless, but her heart had not yet come to terms with the reality that she was going to loose her grandmother.

While they sat in a daze, they had forgotten that they were supposed to be in school, but didn't have the will in them to return to college.

"Glen…you should hurry back to school." Charlotte interrupted their silence staring at the floor with a brooding eye.

"I'm fine…it's only for today."

Charlotte's phone rang and she slowly pulled it out of her pocket and answered in a low tone.

"Hey, victor…"

She was talking to victor. But Glen couldn't get what victor was saying through the phone.

"I can't make it to school today, my grandmother is in a critical condition."

~~~

"You don't have to come..."

"Okay."

She hanged up the call and continued with Glen. "It's victor…he said he would stop by after school, I should send him the address."

Glen suddenly remembered charlotte telling him victor confessed to her, well at least Charlotte might find someone that isn't him to lean onto. Isn't it high time someone steps into her picture.

"Okay, I'll stay for a bit and go for my part time job from here."

Ding!

He suddenly got a message notification from his phone and open the message; it was Williams.

[why didn't you show up to school today?]

"Who's that?" Charlotte asked in a low voice as she gazed intently at him.

"It's…senior William." He tapped his keyboard to reply Williams.

[something really urgent came up.]

****

[do you mind telling me?]

Glen thought for a moment if he should reply William's question. It wasn't his personal problem—so he didn't want to answer yes or no and decided to leave the message on read.

***

He studied for bit while he kept Charlotte company and didn't even realize it was evening.

He packed his stuff hanging his bag as he stood up. "Charlotte, I should go now."

"Ah…okay." She replied in a low voice, like she wanted Glen to stay a bit longer.

He would've stayed longer but he needed to work or he might get into an argument with the manager and possibly get fired. He hung his bag and walked to the door with slow steps and hesitantly opened the door frantically turning towards her.

"Charlotte, please be strong…Im here for you." He said to Charlotte softly but sadly.

In an agonizing expression and her face that had been smudged with dried tears, she nodded slowly.

— — -

He closed door behind him and made his way to the reception when he saw victor talking to one of the nurse and their eyes met, victor hastily walked up to him.

"Glen! where is Charlotte?" He enquired.

"Ward 4, just…walk straight and turn left." He said pointing to the direction and Victor strode to the direction whilst Glen watched him leave.

— — — —

Glen worked at his part time jobs as usual, scanning goods at a convenience store. He would greet customers one after another whenever they came in to buy stuff. It was tiring.

"Wel…come." He halted stunned as he greeted; it was Williams.

"Glen!." He called out his name stunned with a beam on his face.

"Senior…Williams.."

"Um excuse me?" One of the impatient customer grumbled interrupting their union.

"Ah sorry!" Williams apologized and hastily laid out his goods—it was snacks and a lighter. does he smoke? Glen scanned them and Williams paid for his stuff and walked outside the store. Glen could see him waiting outside from the glass door.

he's not about to wait for me is he?

After Glen finished his shift and came outside, Williams was still there puffing his cigarette. The moment he noticed Glen was there, he tossed it to the ground and stepped on it.

"Ah..Glen."

He patiently waited or him to finish? And it was unexpected that Williams who looked really decent smoked.

Glen was quiet for a moment with his head lowered down to avoid eye contact. Williams suddenly stretched his hands towards his cheek—Glen flinched at his hands approaching him and pulled back slightly.

"Sorry, I wanted to check if ur cheeks was still bruised from last time…"

He said slowly retracting his hands and shoved it back into his coat pocket with a guilty expression.

Glen became nervous fidling his fingers. "Sorry…I didn't mean to act all…all surprised…the bruising is fading a bit."

He chortled out a short laugh with a relived expression. "Then can I see for myself?"

Glen was a bit hesitant to approve. It was only proper for him to be wary about someone unfamiliar because of his past experience with Phil.

"…ah yes…" he responded.

Williams leaned forward to Glen and used his hands to carefully caress where those delinquents had hit him—Glen narrowed his eyes nervously and couldn't help but notice that Williams had a very long big hands and his face was small compared to his hand.

"It's improving." He said and retracted his hands shoving it back in his pocket.

Glen became a bit awkward with the atmosphere—nervously glancing at his feet fiddling his fingers slightly. "I…have to go for my s-second job."

"Oh, Let's walk there then?" Williams requested with a soft beam on his face.

Glen shrugged his hands in a defensive manner nervously. "You don't have to…"

"But I want to." Williams insisted, Slightly tilting his head with a soft smile.