CHAPTER 17. All of a sudden
I ran inside my apartment as fast as I could. The rain was getting heavier by every second and it felt like the raindrops were dropping like hard metal upon your head. The sound of my footsteps was the only audible thing in the corridor as everyone was inside their homes.
I unlocked the door and entered in. I was drenched from head to toe. It wasn’t the chilly feeling which was making the butterflies fly in my stomach, it was what happened downstairs.
Did he really do that?
What happened all of a sudden? He was being so repulsive about my every word and then he did something so attractive?
There was something strange about him every day, I bet he was dropped on his head when he was a kid.
I walked inside my room and grabbed some clean and dry clothes to get a quick shower. After finishing getting cleaned up, I dropped the wet clothes in a basket and kept it a side, making a note in my head to wash it in the washing room later.
I was drying my hair with a towel when I went into the balcony to look at the raindrops pouring.
I leaned a little on the railing and looked downwards, just to take a peak of the one playing in the ground. The view was a little blurry but enough for me to take a tiny look of them.
Dillan, Ryan, Ashton, Garry and Ian were playing football, or according to Ian, Hand Egg and all of them were enjoying themselves. I could see a few more girls gathered in their balconies to watch the view, not the match as all the guys were shirtless. Of course, which idiot would play with his clothes on in the heavy rain, especially when he has such a great physic?
“I dip on that one with blond hair.” a feminine voice said, giggling.
I was first confused about who was speaking but later came to know that it was the girls from the apartment just down to mine.
There were three girls, all of them around my age or maybe older. I couldn’t blame for being like this though, the guys were really good looking!
The ringing of my phone interrupted me from watching the scene down in the garden. I grabbed it from the table and then went outside again.
“Hello sister, how are you?” I spoke.
“I knew you would greet me with some or other stupidity of yours.” Sage sighed dramatically from the other side and then continued, “I thought you would change with the change of place, but you didn’t.”
“You didn’t change, then how can I? I follow everything you do, Sagie.”
“Yeah, like you have always been the most obedient younger one.” she answered sardonically. “so, how’s my little, spoiled one?”
“The same, you?” I said, moving back and forth.
“Good.”
“Just that? Good? What an explanation Sage!” I replied.
“There’s not much to say, everything’s going good.” she said, with a hint of happiness in her voice.
I smiled and said, “Happy for you sister.”
“Yeah, I’m happy for myself as well.”
I laughed and said, “As always,”
“So, when are you going home?” she asked.
“Don’t know, maybe the next week, will you be there?”
“I guess so. Dad’s been quite gloomy since we left.” she spoke.
“Yeah, I feel bad for him.”
“Don’t worry, the old man will get better if we visit him.” we laughed and then exchanged our goodbyes.
I looked outside again to take a look of my favourite player but found no one.
“They are went inside just now.” one of the girls from downstairs said.
“Thanks for letting me know.” I snapped out and went inside. Why was she so concern anyways?
I ran to the door as the doorbell rang and opened it, to find Granny smiling at me.
“Hey Gran, back from your kitty party?” I said with a grin.
She laughed and spoke, “It wasn’t a kitty party.”
Then continued, “Oh, I made some pasta and snacks, would you like to join?”
“Of course, who can say no to your delicious food?” I spoke and gestured her to get in.
“Oh no, I’ll get the plates ready for you kids.” she smiled and turned toward her house.
“Wait Gran, what do you mean by ‘you kids’?” I asked, following her.
She smiled and answered, ”Oh, I invited Ryan his friends”
Damn it!
_
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After locking my apartment, I walked to Gran’s. Sound of people laughing and talking was audible clearly from inside.
I rang the bell and waited for someone to open, mostly Gran as I didn’t want anyone else to do so.
“Jade.” well, when have the God blesses me with such great luck because the person who opened it was the one I wanted the least to do so.
“Ryan.” I mocked him.
“Come on in.“,Ryan smiled at me charmingly,
I was filled with confusing up to the brim. What was going on in his head? He was talking to me?
I pushed him aside and entered in. Everyone was sitting on the dining table, talking and enjoying themselves.
Dillan, Ash, Ian, Garry and to my surprise, May as well.
Garry might have tagged her along.
Gran came out of her kitchen and spoke,”Hey Cookie, grab yourself a sit, we’re about to start.” She looked behind me and then continued,”You too Ryan.”
I turned my head a little to take a look at him. His hair looked darker as they were still wet, he wore a grey hoodie and looked extremely handsome. The part I loved a lot when he folded his sleeves and his strong forearm would be visible.
He cocked his eyebrow at me and that resulted me to quickly grab a sit next to Ash.
“Hey Jade.” He spoke, smiling.
“What’s up with the weirdo?” I hissed near his ear.
Ash seemed to be confused for a second but then he looked at Ryan, who was sitting next to me, and then he knew what I was talking about as his lips twitched into a smirk.
“Why are you smirking?” I whispered.
“Nothing.” he spoke with amusement, clear that he knew something that I didn’t.
“What have you done Ash?” I asked.
“Nothing much, just got some sense into your ‘weirdo’.” he pressured on ‘your’.
“Psst, how? You said you tried a lot before but it didn’t work, what happened all of a sudden?”
“Yeah, I know I said that but after talking to you, I understood what I needed to do. You know, when you talk to a person alike the another one, you can definitely find the perfect answer.” he chuckled.
“I am not like Ryan.”
“Oh, believe me, you two are a lot like each other. And about your question, all I had to do was to make some sentence about how he would lose everyone if he kept on doing what he is doing and say that it would affect everyone so I guess he just obeyed me” he shrugged his shoulder and looked in front, enjoying my situation.
“No, I know you said something else. He was been acting weird Ash.”
“He’s not a kid Jade, he don’t need other people to tell him what to do all the time. So, it can be a sudden change he brought himself.” Ashton said in a serious tone this time.
“So, he decided to take control all of a sudden?” I said to myself, only letting it audible for As to hear, “That’s impressive.”
“Yeah, must be some reason behind it. And he’s just talking so don’t take it so seriously.” he smiled at me and drank from his glass.
I nodded my head unconsciously and settled on my chair.
What the hell happened all of a sudden? It would take an eternal to understand the devil.
We began to eat the delicious foo that Gran made for us and enjoyed ourselves. The whole time May looked busy with Garry and passing a few looks to Gran. It was nice that they loved each other so much but when you are at a social gathering, please keep your hands to yourself and stop making it awkward for others.
We later shifted the party to the living room where everyone ate the delicious pudding. I taught Henry in the morning so there wasn’t any stress over my head to wind up fast.
I tilted my head to my side and saw Ryan talking Ash. Dillan came to my side and sat down.
“How are you now Jojo?” he asked.
“I’m good.”
“Nice to hear but what did you go out when you were so sick the other night?” he spoke like a parent.
“Um, because Ian asked me and I wanted to go.” I answered, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I told you to stay in, can’t you obey a single thing I say?”
“Nope.”
“Why are you so stubborn? I wish God never give me a daughter like you.” he spoke teasingly.
“You’re lose, you can never be able to experience the awesomeness of raising such an amazing daughter.” I joked.
He chuckled along with me and leaned to the couch. Ryan’s head turned toward us and he looked at me, smiling a little.
I couldn’t help but return the gesture. I was seeing him after such a long time, plus, he looked extremely charming whenever he smiled.
Then I felt someone’s arm around my shoulder. In confusing, I turned to look and saw Dillan doing so.
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
“What? Can’t I show a little gesture toward my friend?” he spoke innocently.
“I’m not dumb Dillan, I know what you are trying to do. You don’t like him, that’s why.” I narrowed my eyes at him and continued, “An hour ago, you were being all ‘besties’ with him and played football, what happened now?”
“That’s different.”
“Nope, it’s all the same Mercer.” I snapped out. He was acting childish and he knew it as well.
“Why are you taking his side?”
“I’m not taking anyone’s side Dillan. I am just stating what’s true. You don’t have to worry about me all the time. I’ve been tired of watching people getting their time wasted on looking after me. I don’t want to be a burden on someone anymore.” I said softly. That was true though, dad, mom, Sage, Ryan and everyone, they all have done a lot for me but I needed to do things by myself, to learn to take care of myself. Dillan was a sweetheart but I couldn’t let him to do the same thing, he had his own life.
“Don’t say that Jade, you can never be a burden, for anyone. Don’t say something like that ever again.” he replied and then smiled at me adorably.
“You’re too cute for your own good.” I chuckled and gave him a light hug.
“Come on kids, help me wind up.” Gran called out and we all went to help her.
After thanking her for her delicious food, we all went to our ways, except that May stayed back with me because she wanted to. Strange.
“So, why did you wink at me?” I asked Ryan, who was walking to his apartment next to me.
He shrugged his shoulders and spoke, “Don’t know, just wanted to.”
“You wanted to wink?” I asked.
He chuckled and spoke, “Can’t I?”
“No, it’s weird.” I answered.
He looked at me for a second and shook his head and began walking again.
“Wait, why did you do that?” I asked.
“Did what?” he said.
“That.” I spoke and repeated what he did a second ago.
“You’ve not changed a bit Jade.” he turned to me and smiled a little.
I sighed and spoke, “And you’ve changed a lot Ryan.”
His expression changed as I said that and he looked at me with a different expression on his face.
“Why?” I asked softly, eager to know all the answers.
“I just don’t to be like him, I don’t want to become like my own father.”
He spoke and went away, leaving me to think about what he actually meant by his sentence!