CHAPTER - 2

"I did try. They were too big for me to handle. Obviously."

Trying to lie to Anwir was a low blow. I mean, he knew me inside out.

He of course knew I could've handled them.

He is aware of my abilities, given he's like a brother.

"Try learning some new moves from your dad and also, train up with your lying."

"That bad?" Just like I thought.

"Of course. You kicked his ass so many times, these high school bullies don't compare. What's holding you back? Why are you holding back at all, Ash?"

That was a dangerous question to ask. And the answer was going to be hurting. But I had no choice. I obviously couldn't lie to him anymore.

"Ira," I finally said.

"Don't you dare use her name like that!" His eyes stared me down. Rightfully so. I knew it would rub him the wrong way.

"She wouldn't have wanted this. Any of this. She would want us to remain the same old. She wouldn't want Grover to act out. She definitely wouldn't approve of me acting out too. But-" Futile attempt, I knew it.

But I had to try.

"Exactly. She wouldn't as hell want you to get beaten up like this too."

He was right. Oh, he was very right.

"Let's just get this over with and go home. All right?"

"Sure." He agreed reluctantly. I rolled my eyes.

"I had to ask you something. Do I look so bad?"

I hoped I didn't.

"Hey, I thought we sorted this out when we were younger. You got the better brains; I got the better looks. Not us, Stephenie Meyer laid it on us. Like Ian and Kyle. Why question that now?"

I punched him in the arm. The first and only comeback I could come up with, at that instant.

"Not that, jackass. Do I look bad as in bet up really bad?"

I didn't feel so much pain in my hands and abdomen, but there was a pounding of sorts. Maybe that's not as okay as I thought it would be. Maybe that IS the problem. Oh damn.

"Not exactly. I mean, you did manage to save your upper body. That's a start."

That's good news. Poor choice of words. Blessing in a worn-up disguise.

"Cover story for Mom and Dad?"

That was the biggest issue now, wasn't it?

"All set bro. You were defending a girl's honor from "The Gang". Cool?"

It was my time to roll my eyes at him, and I did it hard.

"Good luck for when they believe you. And I'm telling you, that's not in this lifetime."

It wasn't going to happen.

"Remind yourself to kill me for trying to help. I know they wouldn't believe my story. Of course. But it would be really fun watching your mom pull your leg about it later."

Ugh.

"Why do I hang out with you?"

It wasn't even a question. The whole of the Crystal River knew why. Because he's the only one I got. Sorry, because he's the only one who stuck around.

"Let's get you home," he said, grunting while helping me up.

My legs were bruised. Everything else? Better. We were going back. It was a hard ride. But the best part was that I wasn't dragging so much. I staggered on the stairs of my porch though. There was a note on the door.

The handwriting was Mom's. It read:

"Had to leave for an important meeting in London. Sorry honey, I tried calling you but your phone was off."

I checked my phone to make sure it was not completely broken. Thank God, it wasn't. But damn, she must've worried a lot.

"Guess I will be back tomorrow. Dad is with me too. But it might take him a little longer than me. Stay safe honey. Love you".

I felt a pang in my lower stomach. I mean, they've traveled before, not a big deal. But it just feels weird not having said goodbye to them before they left.

"Love you guys too" I whispered to myself and stuck it on Anwir's face. He peeled it off and read. I sighed and pulled out the extra key from my bag.

"So, I'll just tell Ma I'll be here tonight."

"Yeah, okay."

He looked hesitant about leaving.

"Just wash up, will you? Because we have things to talk about."

Uh-oh.

"We do?"

There was a gap. I looked at him. He had "that look" on his face.

"Oh, we do indeed."

I agreed with him, even though I didn't have a clue what he was referring to. I sucked at reading emotions. Even when it came to people that I was the closest to. Therapy is something I should consider taking time out for and prioritizing as well.

"Okay then, I'll be back in ten," he said and left.

I locked the door behind him and headed straight to my room to shower. I groaned, realizing something. STAIRS. I've never cursed them so much before. I kept humming the notes of my own song. Music has a way of healing, right? Immersing myself in the song, I couldn't care about the pain. A, I made it to my room in one piece. I took off my specs and put the phone on charge. My whole body was sore. God, those idiots did beat the living crap out of me. I wasn't exaggerating. I struggled to come out of my clothes but managed fine. And also, I didn't lose my balance. I thought I had started mastering it already. Pride surged through me, but it didn't last so long. I stumbled again. It had gotten to my head, guys. My bad.

Gripping on the edge hard, I looked around at the counter. Mom always put a fresh pair of night suits in the bathroom, so I was relieved from searching for them for starters. I went inside and took a quick shower because apparently, my legs had some other plans for me. The hot water felt so good on my bruises. Little pleasures like this were the ones that made life amazing, I thought. I got dressed and came outside to see Anwir sitting on the edge of my bed. No surprise, he came in through 'the bad boy route' we built when we were eight. And also named it when we were eight. Didn't care to rename. Our houses weren't so far away, but there was a reasonable distance though. The quote which almost said 'Ask a lazy guy to do something, he'll come up with something new' was the perfect explanation for the cart. We built a little cart and powered it from the little solar panel and also the ground because once we had the soil tested it had preferably high silt content. That made us incredibly lucky. The person sits in it and the cart senses the touch and starts moving. And on account of that little science project, Dad rewarded us with some tracks suitable for it. From his window to mine. We never knew why we did that, but always felt proud. Those were good days. I fell with my back onto the bed. He handed me a couple of pills.

"Tylenol?"

"Uh-huh." I took them.

Then Anwir took my Mac and pulled it in front of my face. It unlocked. Directly logged into his Facebook account and started typing something.

I got up a little to look at what he was doing and immediately regretted it.