The Doyen

Chapter Five

AS VICTORIA DESCENDED the staircase of her house, she hadn't expected to see her father standing beside the dining table awkwardly.

In the Ade house, there was a big question hanging in the air. What was Victoria going to choose to study in university? Her father had feared that she would pursue an English degree, he found that he always felt uneasy at the thought. His daughter won numerous science-based competitions, and she would be an excellent doctor, so he just couldn't understand why she would want to apply for English. There were risks, he believed. Not everyone could become an author, and being a doctor held more merit in his eyes. Victoria disagreed completely. The life you live should express who you are, she thought, and who am I if not a writer?

"Morning...I made some breakfast.", he motioned towards the plate of pancakes on the table, glossed in syrup with a variety of fruits on the side.

"Oh...thank you."

Victoria sat down at the dining table, and her father quickly headed towards the door, grabbing his coat and leaving with a murmured goodbye. Victoria stared out the window as her dad's car began to reverse and drive away. Victoria would have asked her father if her car was fixed yet, but because of the awkward silence between them after their disagreement, Victoria found it hard to talk to her father causally.

Victoria had a lot to think about, and one of them was Nile. She couldn't help but think about him. His situation seemed dire, and the heaving of his chest during a cold chilly morning almost seemed like a cry for help.

She figured that it was best to speak about it with him again. She had known Nile for so long, and she had never seen him connect with anyone. It was clear to her that he needed someone on his side. Her parents could break her heart sometimes–but at least she had Ben to talk to. Nile had no one. And so, Victoria decided that she would talk to him more often as her way to show him that she would be there if he needed her.

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Victoria had promised that she wouldn't tell anyone that Nile was crying, but her worry about his behaviour led her to discuss his current behaviour in school with her best friend.

Benjamin sat cross-legged on Victoria's fluffy carpet, wringing his hands together in deep thought. "So....you think maybe somethings going on?"

Victoria nodded her head in agreement, "I just think he's not comfortable there with them you know? I mean, he hardly speaks and always leaves when he can!"

Even though Victoria and Benjamin were supposed to be working on their research essay, somehow their time spent together turned into a gossip session. Benjamin and Victoria sat face to face on the carpet, ignoring the research notes scattered across the table a few metres away from them.

"Not to sound weird or anything," he hesitated, "Buuut, I was stalking his Instagram account earlier and it was kind of weird.."

Victoria's head slightly tilted in confusion, and she opened her phone to see what Benjamin was talking about. As she swiped up on Nile's Instagram profile, she hummed in realization. All his family-oriented posts were missing, and he had stopped posting on his account the minute his senior year began.

"You're right... But also, why were you stalking his account?"

Benjamin sighed, "I know I was joking about him and Anika the other day, but he just seems different lately." He paused before a frown settled on his face, "He's distant, but it's not his usual kind of distant. Since we've known him since elementary school, I felt kind of worried so I decided to check his socials."

Victoria smiled softly to herself. She loved moments like these when she could spend alone time with Benjamin and see the empathetic, and kind side of him. Victoria felt that sometimes when they were at school, he tried not to be himself, especially after last year. Naturally, Benjamin was a sensitive and kind boy. She knew him better than she knew herself, and she knew that sometimes he was too scared to be himself.

"Maybe it's his parents", Victoria realized,  "Maybe, they don't agree with what he wants to study in university?"

Benjamin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Nile had always displayed a love for literature, and his older brother was already an accomplished author. His parents would be ecstatic if he followed in his brothers' footsteps. Benjamin mindlessly started fidgeting with his bracelet, "Are your parents bothering you about that again...?"

Victoria couldn't help but let out a depressed chuckle. Maybe they both knew each other better than they knew themselves.

She patted his knee before she stood up with a stretch. "We should really get started on this project Ben."

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A/N:

Short chapter so I did a double update! 💜