Capítulo 1: Send me Away
Sunlight streams into the room to remind Khalilah Earhart that it is morning already, she pushes the comforter away from her body, because nothing about it was comforting her anyway. She couldn't sleep a wink in the previous night; after hearing that she would go and live with her grandmother starting today.
She didn't know why things like this always happened to her, it was much like she would never understand why her mother did these things to her.
Living with her grandmother wasn't the problem but why all of a sudden? She hoped that her mother would consider her when making these kinds of decisions. What about her life? What about her plans?
It would have been much easier if she just asked their grandmother to come and stay with them, but considering just how versatile she was it was impossible, or better still, ask one of her elder sisters to go in her stead. She sighed, and she shook her head, she knew she shouldn't be thinking like that, her grandfather died of a heart attack last week.
According to the news she heard, Mrs. Rose-Anne Earhart is very lonely and she would need the company of a family member, so her mother volunteered to make Khalilah go there instead. Even though she is just an awkward teenager, who can't even help her pathetic herself; Khalilah knew she was pretty much useless, so sending her there is like a total waste of time… especially since she didn't get along with any of her family members, but at least Grandma was nice, it is Grand-uncle Leo that isn't.
She got out of bed and went to take a shower; she had already packed her things since the previous night.
"Khalilah, hurry up you're going to miss the bus!" Vina, Khalilah's mother shouted, but Khalilah frowned, she was not so sure she heard her correctly… she was going to miss? The bus? Bus??
She flung the door open in anger.
"What happened to your car, Mom?!" She yelled back towards the bottom of the stairs and that was when her mother appeared with a small frown on her face.
"I have a meeting, so I'll drop you off at the bus station." She stated calmly, with a professional look that always irked Khalilah, she waved her hands motioning for Khalilah to come downstairs.
"I can't believe this is happening to me." She whispered to herself as she stared down at her mother in awe, she bit down on her lips, feeling some sort of frustration building up in her chest. "I always knew your meetings were more important than I am but I don't believe there'd be a day you'd do this to me!"
Vina rolled her eyes; she looked so tired of Khalilah's ramblings.
"I seriously don't have time for this, Khalilah." She hissed her blue eyes flashing some sort of irritation. "I don't want to be late for my meeting, hurry the hell up, girl."
"Mom, when do you ever have time for me? And I know the reason why you treat me like such a pest is because of Dad." Vina's eyes narrowed a bit after the last part of Khalilah's accusations. "Don't you think you are doing too much, is that also the reason why you are abandoning me?"
"You eat a three-square meal, you go to a very nice school, you have a roof over your head, and in this house is everything a girl your age would ever want. So, what the hell are you still whining for?" Vina retorted back, it was a terrible way to start her day and she knew it.
"You still don't know what I want? Is it too much to ask for? You're not like this with Malia or Jiyaan, why is it always me? I already know you don't care about me but at least make it less obvious." The frustration she felt, ever since she realized she was being neglected by her mother was now very obvious in her near tears voice. The infuriating part was that she knew that her mother didn't care, no matter how much she cried about it.
"When you're done crying, come downstairs and I'll drive you to the park." Vina turned on her heels, she was about to leave when Khalilah's voice stopped her.
"You don't need to worry mom, I'll get a taxi from here and get to the bus station on my own after all I'm nineteen years old." She jabbed but the next thing Vina said disappointed her even more.
"Thanks that should do it, give your sisters a call when you get there." She said as she climbed down the stairs and disappeared.
Khalilah just stood there unable to move, after what seemed to be like hours she went back to her room; she could finally realize why she was chosen to go live with her grandmother instead.
She was a nuisance to her mom, the black sheep of their imperfect family, after all, she was the cause of her parent's divorce, and this was probably the best way her mother could pay her back. She picked up her bags and went downstairs; she noticed her elder sisters glaring at her from the dining where they had breakfast, she sighed to herself as she ignored them.
You know what? Maybe she should be going away, maybe she will feel a little less unwelcome around her family. She sucked in a deep breath and head out of the house, she feels sad about these things but she don't cry anymore, because, after those lonely years, she realized that crying doesn't solve anything.
She was able to get a bus on her own, it's a little bit dangerous for a girl her age to travel such distance alone; it makes her vulnerable to thieves or even worse kidnappers and with the rate young girls were disappearing recently; it was in the news that it would be advisable to travel in pairs or groups but her mother literally just told her to go and die, but as long as she is in a crowded area, nothing bad could ever happen.
Right?
She plugged in her earphones as soon as the engine of the bus was ignited; this would be a very long eight-hour journey.
"Hey!" She felt someone shaking her and she groaned still half asleep.
"Wh...What's going on?" She stuttered as her eyes met the stranger who was shaking her out of her slumber.
"Miss I saw your ticket aren't you stopping at Moonlight Valley?" This middle-aged man asked nicely, his eyebrows knotted in a small frown. Right, right, the moonlight valley, she nodded immediately.
"We are at your stop, madam." The driver said impatiently, she looked around and saw the other passengers were waiting for her to get off so they could proceed to their stops. She got up in a daze pulling her bags along with her; she would never forgive her mother for this embarrassment.
She stood there for what seemed like hours, trying to get a taxi, this town was nothing compared to the city, it was impossible to get one; she was getting worried because the sun was setting and she was alone, it was dangerous to be out carelessly on the street like this, it's just as if she is begging them to take her, who knows the predators might be watching her already, getting ready to sell her organs.
She shut her eyes tightly, trying to shake off the discouraging thoughts out of her head, she jolted slightly when her phone suddenly buzzed, it was an unknown number but since she was stranded she had no choice but to answer it.
"Hello," She whispered hesitantly, she wondered if it was okay to speak first when a number she didn't know called her.
"Is this Miss Khalilah Earhart?" It was a man's voice and he knew her name too!
She nodded completely forgetting that this particular person couldn't see her.
"Y...yes I am." She answered nervously.
"Thank goodness, I've been trying to reach you. Your grandma is worried sick! Where are you?" The voice came back, but this time a little bit harsh as she felt them scold her.
She hesitated for a moment, even though he sounded worried, he was still a stranger and this could be the new kidnapping strategy.
"Wh...who are you?"
"Oh! Forgive me… I'm Roberts, I was sent here by Grandma Rosie to pick you up." Finally, someone noticed that she was supposed to be here and they decided to send help, thank goodness! Her legs hurt from standing for so long, she wouldn't mind being carried home.
"I'm at the Moonlight Valley." She answered and almost immediately a white truck, that looked like a delivery van drove up to her and the glass wound down, a very handsome man waved his phone at her; it seemed as though he had been watching her for a while.
"Miss Khalilah?" He questioned
"Roberts?" She asked as well and he nodded, immediately she opened the door and jumped into the seat next to him, she was so exhausted it felt as though she was going to break into pieces.
"Hello," he squeaks as he begins to drive, she jolts in surprise, she has completely forgotten about him, how rude…
"I'm sorry I'm just too tired."
"I understand you must have waited for too long." He noticed and she nodded after him, even though he wasn't asking her any questions in particular. "Why didn't you call your grandma?" He asked curiously.
The reason was because, she left home in a hurry and she didn't remember to take her grandmother's number, and she was also too proud to call her mother for help, so she just stood there and waited for a miracle and one happened.
"I completely forgot! I was too focused on getting a taxi since I have the address." she lied.
"Next time you could have asked a passerby, you'd never get a taxi where you were standing." He deadpanned and she paled what a total waste of time.
"Thank you, Robert." He smiled but then he proceeded to narrate.
"I work for your grandparents in their cake shop. It's the biggest in town here you're aware of that?"
"The last time I came to visit was when I was seven years old and I never knew they had a cake shop," she confessed and maybe she knew and she had just forgotten about it since her memories from childhood are a bit vague. She felt her stomach grumble, she was starving, and she felt she was going to faint if she didn't eat something.
"Um... D...Do you have anything I could snack on?" she asked a bit embarrassed; he slightly turned towards her with a neutral expression.
"Are you hungry?" he asked with wide eyes and she nodded. "I don't think I have any snack in this car, I know a restaurant close by so let's just use that."
"Isn't that a bit problematic for you? It's late don't you want to go home to rest?" He simply shrugged.
"This isn't a problem; your grandma has put me in charge of taking good care of you." That's new, nobody ever takes care of her, and so what is with the princess treatment?
She followed him to the small but overly decorated restaurant, decorations hanging from the ceilings; there has to be an event here today if not why will everywhere be so hum...hum...romantic?
Roberts handed her the menu as soon as they were seated, and she didn't fail to notice his very kind smile, and all of a sudden she was a bit interested in him.
He's tall and handsome and he had all the qualities she would want in a man. Gosh! He has such an ungodly amount of lashes, she watched them as they dropped over his eyes and he was busy studying the menu. Suddenly he raised his head, his grey eyes met hers and as if caught she quickly darted her eyes away as quickly as she could.
"Have you made your choice?" He asks knowing very well that she hadn't even glanced at the thing but she nodded immediately, and she picked the first order her eyes combated.
"Here... I'll have a plate of Greek pasta." He smiled seeming satisfied, he made their orders and she just continued what she was doing; which was appreciating the beauty of this man.
"How old are you Roberts?" she blurted out before she could stop herself, she pinched the insides of her palms and hoped that she wouldn't get ignored.
"Oh! Me?" He sounded surprised, anyone would be surprised if you picked the granddaughter of your boss from the street late at noon and she wants to know your age.
"Yes... it's awkward, right? I'm sorry just ignore—" he interrupted her sharply.
"I'm twenty-three years old." He said with a captivating smile on his face and another smile reached Khalilah's lips, he's quite young, there is not much of an age gap between them.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" For the second time today, she did something she had never done before, she didn't know why she was trying to pry into this man's life. Does she like him? But she met him just some thirty minutes ago! Don't you have any pride Khalilah?! She scolded herself internally.
What if he starts to think she is like that with every handsome boy she meets? Nevertheless, she was still expecting an answer.
He had this look of surprise and confusion mixed; she sighed and decided it was better to tell him to pretend he didn't hear that.
"Yes, I do." Eh? Did he answer?
"What?" Khalilah drawled and pretended she didn't hear him.
"I said yes I have a girlfriend." He repeated and she pouted because that was not quite the answer she wanted to hear, she should have known that a man like him couldn't ever be single.
There goes her first attempt at love! Their order came immediately but she wasn't quite hungry anymore, it felt as though she had just been dumped.
"You told me you were hungry, it's been an hour now and you've barely touched your food." He complained, not the annoying type of complaint. The sweet type of it, she could sit here and hear him complain all day, she pushed the plate forward as a sign to show him that she had given up on the meal. She let out a long sigh as they walked back to his van; he gave her a concerned look when he heard her sigh for the third time since they left the restaurant,
"Is there anything that you're not satisfied with?"
"No!" Yes, the fact that you have a girlfriend!
"Right, I remember you complained you're tired, it must be the fatigue that's why you couldn't eat." Robert, he is so sweet. I nodded completely agreeing with him. "Get in; I'll drive you to Grannies as fast as possible."
He said as he opened the door to let her in, a small blush crept on her face as she gladly climbed in the car. Coming here isn't as bad as she thought it would be who knows if another handsome man will cross her path soon?
She would make sure she falls in love here with someone big and strong, but just as nice as Robert.
Presentes
-- Presente
recebido Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder