Chapter 3

Adam stuttered, "Did you call me here?"

Theodore nodded, "Yeah, I called you. And thanks for doing my work."

Adam feeling timid, replied, "No need to thank me."

Theodore then asked, "Have they hassled you again after that event?"

The memory of the past made Adam's heart race, but he assured Theodore, "No, they haven't hassled me."

Just then, Theodore's friend Mike showed up greeting them with a happy, "Hi Adam, what are you doing here? Anyway, let's go eat!" Without waiting for an answer, Mike grabbed both Adam and Theodore dragging them along.

As Adam and Theodore walked, their hands touched causing Adam's heart to race. They spotted an empty table and sat next to each other. Theodore handed Adam some orange juice. Adam said thanks and drank a bit enjoying the cozy atmosphere.

As Mike and Theodore's lunch break was ending, Mike looked at Theodore and said, "Don't you think your current actions might cause you a lot of regret later on? I know you've faced problems, but that happened with a different generation. You shouldn't drag him into this, I mean it."

Theodore got angry, "No, Mike. It's not that easy. I'll never forgive his family for what they did to my aunt, or for how my grandfather has had to suffer since then. I'll never forgive them, and I want him to go through the same misery."

Mike, worried, said, "But don't harm yourself in this payback across generations."

Theodore let out a breath and replied, "Yeah, I get it."

Out of nowhere, Theodore grabbed his phone and dialed a number. After a quick chat, his assistant wrapped up the call with, "Got it, boss. We'll handle it before the week ends, no need to stress."

Adam walked into his classroom and saw Sam sitting in his chair deep in thought. Adam had an idea to play a trick. He crept up behind Sam and yelled "AAAH!" right by his ear.

Sam jumped, shocked, and started to say, "Who the f—" but stopped when he realized it was Adam. He tried to stay calm. "Adam why did you do that?" he asked still upset.

Adam's friends laughed hard thinking the joke was funny. They kept laughing and didn't care that Sam was mad. Sam got even angrier and shouted, "Do you all think this is funny?"

Adam laughing, shot back, "No, no, not funny at all!"

Adam asked, "Why are you so angry?"

Sam sighed, "It's nothing. I was just thinking about what the teacher told me."

Adam wanted to know more, "So why did the teacher call you?"

Sam frowned, "He said I need to get better grades in Math and Science to pass the terminal exams. If I don't, he won't allow me to take the final exam. I'm upset because I don't like Math, but he said I must score above the cutoff this year, or he'll suspend me."

Adam gave a friendly smile, "Don't worry, I'll help you with it."

Right then, the bell sounded marking the beginning of the next class. The teacher entered, and the lesson started. At 12:30, the class finished. As always, Adam led the way to the ice cream shop where he savored his preferred vanilla ice cream before going home.

As Adam enjoyed his ice cream, he got the sense someone was watching him. He recalled what Theodore said, which made him nervous. He chose to keep walking home without looking back breathing easy once he got inside.

Adam cleaned up and went to the hall feeling hungry. He called out to his mom, but she wasn't around. His sister Lilly said, "Mom Dad, and our older brother are at work. It's just us here."

Adam went to the kitchen, grabbed some plates, and began to eat dinner. While he ate, Lilly asked, "How did your day go?"

Adam replied with sarcasm, "Did the sun come up in the west today? Why do you give a damn about my day? How does it affect you?"

Lilly shot back annoyed, "Listen, I asked you a basic question. Is this how you talk to your big sister?"

Adam fired back, "Big sister? Don't throw that word around, got it? You've never acted like a big sister to me so why should I play the role of a meek little brother?"

Lilly responded feeling frustrated, "Can't you just let go of that day? I've said sorry already so why do you keep dragging it up?"

Adam stopped, his fork above his plate. The air felt heavy with tension between them. He looked at Lilly, his face stern. "Because it wasn't just another day, Lilly. You can't dismiss it as if it meant nothing. It had a big impact on my life."

Lilly's expression changed, her anger turning to shame. "Adam, I understand what I did was bad, and I've felt sorry about it ever since. But to keep holding onto it this way... it's going to cause pain for both of us."

Adam tensed his jaw and looked away. "You can say that . The aftermath wasn't yours to handle. You didn't have to confront everyone, endure the whispers, the stares..."

Lilly cut in, her voice strained, "why didn't you just tell them it was me?"

Adam's eyes sparked with annoyance. "Lilly back then, do you think anyone would have believed me? And even if I had pointed the finger at you, do you think Grandfather would have touched you? Can't you see? It wouldn't have changed anything."

The baggage of their history stood between them making it tough for Adam to gulp down another bite . His appetite vanished. Feeling down, he pushed his chair back, got up, and went to the kitchen. He cleaned the dishes, set them on the rack, and without a word to Lilly, he headed straight to his room shutting the door as he entered.

Adam lay in bed unable to sleep. He tried to push away memories of the day he lost everything. The weight of it had an impact on him, a burden he couldn't shake off. People said he was at fault for losing his family. It didn't matter that he was just a kid, spoiled and carefree, who insisted on going out that day. If he hadn't been so stubborn maybe his family would still be here.

But they were gone. The crash took them away, and with it, his whole world. He couldn't remember much after the accident. His memory of that time was fuzzy, a dark empty space where his family used to be. When he woke up in the hospital, he called out to Lilly's mom thinking she was his own. That was when they chose to adopt him welcoming him as part of their family.

Adam got a new family who cared for him . Everyone except Grandfather. The old man showed his dislike for Adam . He blamed Adam for the accident that killed his daughter son-in-law, and granddaughter. Grandfather thought Adam's stubbornness led to the tragedy.

They didn't know Adam had his memory back. He now recalled everything—the crash, the screams, the quiet after. But he kept quiet about it to avoid stirring up past pain. He never told them he remembered because he didn't want to lose the love and acceptance he found in his new family from his mother. He loved her too much to take that chance.

As Adam tried to sleep, his mind raced with painful thoughts. He wanted to forget and avoid reliving that particular day. However, his guilt and memories prevented him from finding peace. Even with everything that had happened, he couldn't summon the courage to reveal the truth. The idea of losing his new family his mother's affection, terrified him too much.

Because of this, he kept everything bottled up inside wishing that someday the burden of his past would release its grip on him.