The Fight Against Loved Ones #TFALO

Chapter 16: Bonding

A week passed since my parents left for Bridgeville. My Grandfather's health was still deteriorating so they couldn't come back yet. Mrs. Chase used to call Diana everyday to ask her how she's been doing. Although I never intended to eavesdrop I usually saw a kind of deep tension between them which Ana superbly hid from us when asked about it.

After the so called Alumni meet, Matt decided to make a trip with his ex classmates to a foreign country whose name I still can't pronounce.

Past week many surprising facts were revealed to me which mostly concerned my friends.

On Friday, along with dropping me to my home after school, Ry was also dropping Jason and Hannah as his car went for servicing. Not only did I found out that he actually lived in my locality practically just two blocks away but guess who was there to receive them?

Susan. Yeah, Susan was their mother all this time we were together and I never noticed the eerie similarities between the twins and Susan. How foolish can I be? I knew Susan shifted into the locality the same day Jason shifted to Abana. How did I miss so many coincidences?

After knowing this fact, I practically met Hannah everyday when I and Ana left for jogging early morning, and the whole group reunited everyday in our local park which included Nick, Ana, Hannah, Jason, Ry and myself.

During these days I also found out a lot about Jason. Sure there were awkward moments when neither of us knew what to say but each of our conversation ended up in a laughing fit for sure. I felt alive in their company.

I found out that my old friends Nick and Diana didn't change at heart at all, completely reverse of what happened to their looks.

Things were going too well and our vacations were starting after this week. So I was enthusiastic to get done with this week of school before launching a fully fledged plan to enjoy myself. Not that I was enjoying any less now but Nick and Diana were eating my ears out, explaining how bored they got when I was at school.

Yesterday (a Tuesday), I and Diana went to the nearest mall for shopping and decided to pick some stuff up on our way back from the local grocery store as we were running short on supplies. All the while, Nick was at Jason's and we were more than happy to drop him there after listening him crib for about an hour of how much he disliked shopping.

Today, after coming back from school, in what seemed to have been a fixed schedule for me for the past week, I came straight to the living room where Nick was waiting for me restless as usual. Ana was taking a phone call in the next room. I sat there for a while watching a stupid soap opera and then my saturation limit broke.

"Make me some sandwiches Nick. I am hungry on the verge of extinction. Please..." and I made the cutest puppy face I could make. At least I thought so. And then I heard a snap. Did he just take a picture?

"Oh! Look at you... You're looking so cute "he said without showing me the pic.

"Stop infuriating me and go make me a sandwich" I repeated harshly this time.

"Ok princess over-dramatic" he said smirking at me and then typing something on his cellphone as he left the room. As soon as I heard his footsteps down the stairs, I flipped the channel.

Hardly about 10 minutes later Ana entered looking tensed.

"Hey gal! Why the long face?" I asked all too chirpy.

"Nothing, it's nothing" she said trying to hide her worries as always but today I was not letting her go this easily.

"Seems like we're not as good friends as we used to be anymore." I said in a grim voice.

"And why would you say that?" she said settling herself in the armchair that now seemed like her usual spot.

"You've started hiding things from me. We never used to be like this. Remember?"

"Jenny! I am sorry. Lately life haven't been easy on me." she said rubbing her shoulders that looked sore.

"Why the stress girl? Tell me. Maybe I can help." I said enthusiastically.

"You can't" she said. After a long pause in which I didn't have a clue what to say, she continued, "things aren't good in Bridgeville, I mean with mom's lab." she said and let out a helpless sigh.

True. I can't help her with that. I didn't actually know yet how bad things were with Dr. Chase but her expressions said it was pretty bad. I stared blankly at the TV screen for 10 more minutes, bound speechless and hopeless about what to tell Ana to console her. The awkward silence was broken as soon as Nick barged in with 4 enormous sandwiches on a tray with a soda bottle.

"As much as I hate to admit it this Sandwich is fabulous." I said enjoying every bit of it as bite by bite my stomach started to fill. Nick sneaked the remote from me while I was enjoying the food and started flipping channels.

Suddenly he stopped and started increasing the volume. I turned to see what caught his attention and when I found the cause, I kept on staring at the screen flabbergast.

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Yay! Seems like things are going pretty well between the friends and they are coming closer with each passing day.

Forming new bounds with people whom you can trust is one of those priceless pleasures of life that can never be replaced!

But things don't seem so good in Brigeville!

A lot is at stake.
What might have caught their attention? Twists coming up!
Keep reading to find out!

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Happy Reading!

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