Now You Know ✅

Chapter 30: Boy with History

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Pelham didn't know how to perceive his feelings when he discovered that his mother, who was always in the kitchen during breakfast, didn't show up, let alone pass the kitchen. Of course, he was reasonably disillusioned to see this, especially when he simply wanted to talk. It particularly didn't help the fact that she returned home late the previous night - way past curfew. And Pelham's mother was the type of woman who tucked herself in at exactly ten o'clock, shutting out the world like children do.

Pelham had been sitting in the living room then, a book open on his lap and his phone sitting on the coffee table before him. It had been an adequately atypical sight of a teenage son - who was almost an adult anyway - simply waiting for his mother to return home. But fatigue had dominated his body, and he had dozed off right there on the armchair he was occupying earlier than he had expected.

His father had informed Pelham that his mother had left early for her book club meeting - earlier than his father himself, to be fair. Pelham wanted to question, for it was a rare occasion for his mother to leave home as early as seven in the morning, but he thought better of it. Judging by the look of discomfiture plastered across his father's face, he reckoned it was something that he knew they both didn't want to chew over.

Though, as he sat there on the stool by the kitchen counter all by himself, he couldn't help but muse whether his mother, like Roshon, was simply avoiding him.

No, he told himself. She can't be. Pelham simply believed that his mother had other things to do, and that him coming out and his mother getting suddenly wrapped up with her work were merely coincidental. Though, there was some part of him that said otherwise. Not that he paid it any attention. The last thing he wanted was the whole universe turning its back on him.

Aside from that, there was also the thing with Lucio, who couldn't seem to find a way to stop apologising to Pelham regarding his actions. Even though Pelham knew that Lucio Alves was a boy with issues at controlling his impulsive actions, he couldn't help but send the boy a text message asking the only obvious question that popped into his head after he went home the previous day;

Pelham: hey

Pelham: about today...

Pelham: do u like me or something?

It had taken a while before Lucio replied;

Lucio: no

Lucio: i dont.

Lucio: not at all

Lucio: dont worry about it.

Lucio: you're just cute idk maybe its just me

Lucio: saying you're cute doesnt mean I like you, right?

Lucio: wont do it again.

Lucio: good night, Pelham.

To say Pelham had been slightly nonplussed was an understatement.

It was an abnormally dreary morning, especially without Oris for Pelham to talk to. Not that the child was cognisant of all of the words that poured out of her step brother's mouth despite constantly bombarding him with questions that made him ill at ease. But at least she was a good listener. Other than that, Pelham couldn't talk to April, knowing well that she hated to be interrupted in the middle of a lesson. And Pelham clearly wasn't in the mood to wind people up.