Invisible

Chapter 23

After a short and surprisingly calm confrontation with Athena, I walked out of the studio's establishment with JK running after me. Do you ever feel like you're an outsider coz someone knows something about something that you've been yearning to know? That's how I felt when Athena told me that she knew a lot about my father.

JK and I walked in silence, he wasn't trying to speak or ask me something, which is definitely unusual of him. But I was thankful that he isn't getting a little nosy or curious right now, coz that won't really help.

"Hey," Darren greeted me with a kiss and a clap on the back for JK. His gaze turned to me and noticed that his paleness a while ago was now on me. "What happened?" he asked as he alternated his gaze from me to JK then back on me.

I was glad that JK took the obligation to answer. "We got a little confrontation with Athena back inside," he said, "Turns out; she auditioned in this contest too."

"You mean the brunette gal with the brown eyes in the contest we joined weeks prior?"

"Exactly," JK answered and my boyfriend looked at me again.

"What did she do to you?"

I didn't answer. The pain from Athena's grasp earlier was starting to sting on my arm and the shock from the knowledge she got about my family was still running in my head. I have no idea what to do right now. Whether if I should just slam my head a little hard to forget this, or sleep, or maybe both so there would be a slight chance of me getting into a coma. Shit, I'm getting all paranoid.

I felt warm hands cup my face. My eyes met Darren's and I could see worry in his orbs. I can also see JK with my peripheral, and I can say that he was having the same feeling of worry for me. "Hey, what did Athena do?" Darren asked me calmly, his voice alone calming my wrecking nerves.

With the thought that I must do this alone, I shook the part of my father off and just showed my arm to Darren. "Just a little arm gripping and bruising," I told him lowly, the hard grasp of Athena from earlier now turning into a circling round bruise on my arm.

Darren's eyes darkened. "I'll go talk to her."

"No," I tugged him back in the hand. "Everything's fine. I mean, it was all just some matter of misunderstanding Darren." I lied, the lines leaving my lips smoothly. "JK talked to her and I also did, so most of it is settled."

For a second, I saw Darren's eyes soften. "Are you sure?" I nodded at his question and loosened my grip from his hand. "Okay then. So, do you want to go somewhere or do you want to go home?"

"Home, please," I told him with a smile that made him feel assured. He nodded and went to the car, leaving me and JK outside as Darren waited for me to join him in his car.

"Why didn't you tell him everything?" JK whispered when he made sure that Darren is out of earshot. "You know that, that isn't all that he has to know, right? You're in a relationship with him, you should have told him about your dad issues."

I ran my hands from my hair then down my face. "I don't want him to get into this, JK." I told him and looked him in the eyes. "This is about me, so I have to handle this."

"But he has the right to know." He pushed.

"I know," I said, "But I don't want him or anybody else to know that I have faint information about my father." My hands went to my hair again, and I was shifting from foot to foot. "I want to get into this alone." I took hold on JK's wrists. "Please don't spit a word to him,"

JK looked at me as if I've grown a fifth eye on the nose but then he nodded. "So, this is just between you, Athena and me?" he asked.

I nodded. "Since you've heard almost everything, I guess you're into this."

JK pulled me into a hug and I tried my best not to break down and cry. "Whatever happens, I got your back, okay?"

"Thanks," I whispered before nodding to him as a goodbye and went to Darren's car, just beside the driver's seat.

"I saw that you hugged JK." He said.

"That didn't mean anything," I assured him and held his hands, needing the warmth of it against my own. "Nothing to worry about,"

He smiled and I was more than thankful that he believed me. A lovers' argument is the last thing I needed for the day and I might as well end up being into a jell-o when I get home. "Okay,"

-

The following day, in mid afternoon, I was dressed into a cool shirt, jeans and ballerina flats. My bag was packed with few of essentials, my wallet and my phone. I grabbed my satchel and went downstairs before making a bee line to the front door.

Just when I was about to leave the house entirely, my phone rang. "Hello?"

"Darling, I'm so glad you answered your phone, I thought it was in silent again," my mother gushed at the other line. "I just want to tell you that I'm going to be home early and I could cook you some dinner."

I breathed heavily as I exited the house. "That's great mom," I told her. "Listen, um, I have an urgent meeting with Darren coz he's a little ill," I lied, "And he thinks phones are a little irritating so I better run,"

"Okay, darling," she said, her motherly voice calming my skyrocketing nerves. "See you later,"

I told her the same thing and went to the car that TitaMadelle didn't use. Thankfully, it was loaded with some fuel and all I have to do was to drive. Thank god for early driving lessons in Canada, I don't have to struggle driving this sweetie.

I slumped myself into the driver's seat and started to fire up the engine into life. I breathed a big amount of air into my lungs before opening my eyes. "Okay," I said. "Everything would turn out to be great, there's definitely nothing to worry about so all I have to do is drive to the café, go home and live normally as if nothing happened." I said, trying to reassure myself, but it didn't work the slightest bit. With a sigh, I went off the curb and went my way to the café I was headed.

And so I did what I should do, I went to the café alone and slumped myself on one of the cushions for the customers. I tried to order something that would calm me, and it was definitely not coffee coz I would definitely end up having a seizure because of anxiousness if I drink any kind of coffee in my state right now. And trust me, the idea sucks.

As I waited for my refreshments to come, a lady went down to sit on the cushion just opposite from mines with a smirk on her face.

"Are you ready to take in everything that I would tell you?" she asked me, the devil sound of her voice making me wanna run from this place and fly my way back to Canada.

I inhaled then exhaled before answering her. "As much as I don't want to know anything about what you're about to tell me, I have to know." I answered, my voice trembling lightly. "I have to know everything you have to tell me."

She smirked again, the muddy brown eyes of her stared at me blankly. I don't know what's gotten into my guts when I considered this. There's no turning back. Sitting just in front of me is Athena, since I've been dying to know a lot about my father, talking to her is like now or never.