The Runaway Teenager

Chapter 28

3 weeks later.

"It's currently on sales , ma'am ," I mumbled and flashed the middle-aged woman a genuine smile.

"Okay I'll come later on ," she said before walking away.

And yet , another lie. I knew she would not come again , just like any other typical customer whom I've encountered before.

"Alexa , can you place this on the shelf please ?" Ned asked me while handing me a tablet PC.

"Sure ," I replied while placing it on the wooden shelf next to the windowpane carefully.

"Where's Karen ?" I asked as I did not see her at all since I came in the shop.

"She went to town with her buddies today ," Ned replied me as he leaned against the counter , his right hand in his front pocket and his muscles flexed. Ah , scratch that part.

"Let's go for lunch ?" He asked while staring at me. "Well we can go if you are done admiring my muscles , Alexa."

"What are you talking about ? Let's go !" I said and pulled his wrist while leaving the shop. I tried my best not to chuckle at his response because I did not want the situation to become any more awkward.

It's been more than a couple of weeks since I have started working here and to be honest , I do not regret my decision at all.

Last week , I started going to the nearby gym where I meet Blair and Karen most of the times. On Saturdays , I usually go out with Ned and his sister either to the mall or to the beach. Oh yeah I forgot to point out , Ned is actually Karen's elder brother although they have no resemblance at all.

"What are you thinking of ?" Ned asked all of a sudden , breaking my thoughts at once.

"How we met."

"Oh ," was all he said before we entered the restaurant.

The place was not that crowded on that Friday afternoon and I was actually thankful for that. I opted for some calamari rings and fries while Ned chose a menu of Mac'n cheese instead.

"Wow it's been already one month that you left home ," he said while eyeing me attentively after removing his eyes from his phone calendar.

"I know right , I still feel like everything happened yesterday ," I replied while engulfing a calamari ring in my mouth.

"Don't you miss them ?"

"I'm grateful I ran away ," I replied instead of what he really wanted to hear.

"But don't you miss them even a single bit Alexa ?" Ned asked me in a serious tone without even smiling. He was frowning and his expression was inquisitive.

"I do ," I replied and bowed down my head in shame.

"Do you regret it ?" He asked all of a sudden.

"Nope ," I answered , popping the p at the end.

"Weird though , I still don't get why you ran away like that ," he mumbled while eating his macaroni greedily.

In fact , Ned did not know the actual truth behind my escape. When he once asked me about it last Wednesday , all I said as an excuse was that I was fed up with the rules of my house. I told him that my parents were too strict with me and that I was not able to abide to all the rules.

He thus found my excuse very stupid and blamed me for it all. But he never really took things too seriously and I was glad for it.

However , what he did not know was that all of my excuses were nothing but just a beautiful lie. He did not know that I was an adopted child and that I was just a burden to them all.