"I think a daisy chain would look pretty on him, Ally."
Thomas is a boy who doesn't know how to have fun. His time is spent either working or taking care of his 15 year old sister, as their father always leaves for business trips. Their father leav...
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Allison sat in the room Teresa let her stay in, her school books were spread over the desk in the corner, with Alex next to her. She had her head in her hands, her fingertips were in her hair.
"Allison, you're doing alright. You don't need to be studying yet. The test is in 3 weeks time." Alex told her.
"That's the problem Alex. I do need to study now. I'm actually genuinely stupid, okay? The last test was just luck. I've never got grades like that before. It's almost impossible for me to get them again." Allison argued. She could feel it all coming on, the sheer panic and stress. The hurt, knowing her father was always disappointed by her grades. She knocked a few books onto the floor.
The whole time she'd studied with Alex she hadn't cried. She hadn't broken down like she usually would, no instead she would laugh with him. Getting a good mark on the last test sent her into a frenzy though. She couldn't drop marks now that she was getting good grades.
"Allison, hey, shhh. It's okay." Alexander lightly wrapped an arm around the girl when she'd started crying. Her sobs echoed through the room, causing Teresa downstairs to become worried. Teresa walked up the stairs with a quick pace, stopping when she saw the door to Allison's room slightly open and school books on the floor. She stepped in and saw Alex holding Allison's broken down pieces together in a tight embrace. Allison was crying into Alex's shoulder and looked at Teresa.
He was saddened by Teresa seeming like she'd seen this before. She didn't look surprised at all. Alex raised an eyebrow, though his eyes still expressed worry, asking if this was normal. Teresa nodded sadly.
"Ally, do you want me to get you guys something to eat?" Teresa asked calmly. "How about I get you some strawberries and pears?"
Ally nodded against Alex's shoulder, so Teresa nodded and walked out of the room. She knew that Allison liked eating fruit when she was upset and it calmed her down from her panicking state.
"Allison? Does this happen a lot?" Alexander wondered out loud. Ally nodded so Alex frowned. "I promise you, I'll make this stop. Okay? I'll make this stop. I'll put every last drop of my energy into helping you study if I have to. We'll get through this." He reassured her and she calmed down. Her breathing became normal and she could wipe her tears without more falling.
"Thank you." Her throat was dry but he accepted the apology and didn't judge her for it.
"You're amazing, okay? You're not stupid, you just learn differently. I've figured by now that you have some sort of learning disability, but that doesn't make you stupid. You got 83% on a test without cheating. You just took longer time to study and a different method." Alex told her. She nodded.
"Your drawings helped me." Allison admitted. Alexander had started making important notes into little doodles, which made Ally remember them better.
"Well then. I'll keep that in mind. Now let's go downstairs to Teresa and get something to eat, yeah?" Alex lightly grabbed Allison's hand. Ally simply nodded and followed Alex down the stairs.
Teresa was surprised to see Allison being so calm after a breakdown. They'd usually last at least an hour but now it only took 40 minutes. She knew Alex had something to do with it but not even Thomas could calm her down that quickly, there was something different about that boy.
Teresa also noticed the handholding. She saw the way Allison had softly wrapped her hand around Alex's. It was adorable, absolutely adorable. She watched the two teens eat the fruit she'd sliced up for them. Their hands didn't separate once.
The moment was interrupted by rapid knocking on the front door. Teresa apologised and hurried over to the door.
Minho stood there. He was completely out of breath after running from the coffee shop.
"Mr. Carter is home. He's here for a day but he's home now. Looking for Thomas and Ally." He panted.
"Should I send Allison home?" Teresa wondered. They'd heard slight bits here and there about Thomas' father, but never enough to know too much about the man. They just knew he wasn't the best of people.
"I'd think so. I'm not sure if it's the best decision, but she's his child." Minho answered. Teresa nodded.
"Allison, your dad is home early. It's time to go home." Teresa called to the kitchen. Allison quickly sprung out of her seat and to the door.
"Papa is home?" She asked excitedly. Teresa nodded.
"I'll go grab your books." Alex offered before returning up the stairs and grabbing the books off the floor and desk. He frowned a little, thinking of Ally's breakdown earlier. To think that it was almost routine for the girl was very saddening.
Teresa drove to Allison's home, Alex tagging along for the ride. Ally was just excited, though in hindsight she had no reason to be.
He father watched her get out of the car and exchange a few words with the driver. He assumed the driver was possibly Thomas' girlfriend. There was no Thomas though. He watched a young boy step out too. He and Allison exchanged a few words before they hugged, tightly, and said their goodbyes.
"Papa?" Allison questioned as she walked through the looked door. The silence that followed would've warned Thomas to be careful, but Allison had never had to be careful around her father. "Papa?" She repeated.
"Allison Gina Carter. Who was that boy?" Her father asked loudly. It scared Allison. It was supposed to.
"That was Alexander, Pa. He helps me study. I got an 83 on a test because of him." Allison answered calmly.
"You shouldn't be hugging him. You're not old enough for a boyfriend. Anyway, what went wrong with the other 17%? Huh?" Allison was frightened. Her father had never acted that way around her. He was always calm, collected and caring. "Answer me then!"
She couldn't find any words. Not at all. So she had suffer the consequences of that.
