Dusk **UNDER CONSTRUCTION**

Chapter 24

They're arguing again.

It seems like all my Mother and Alexander have been doing the past few days is argue. It'll start with harsh whispers in the morning, sarcastic retorts at breakfast and passive aggressive comments at dinner before turning into a full blown screaming match by night time.

Alexander will ask where my Mother is all day and she'll reply with "I'm organising our wedding dear, spring isn't that far away when you think about it." He'll then ask her when she got her hickeys then and it terrifies me because I don't want to have to leave.

Not when I'm just starting to be happy.

There's a soft knock on my bedroom door that night, just when the yelling's beginning. The door opens after I offer a soft "come in". Abigail walks in a sits beside me on my bed.

"Can we talk?" she asks.

"Of course Abi, what's up?" I prop myself up beside her.

"It's just..." she trails off and draws in a deep breath. "I like this guy, right? He's my math's tutor and he's so nice and cute and so funny."

"I'm failing to see a problem here," I laugh.

"The problem is... he's not exactly..." she pauses. "Popular. In fact, he's kind of nerdy. My friends are really horrible to him. So if I date him, then I'm giving up my friends and my popularity."

"Is your popularity really that important to you?" I ask softly.

Abigail's silent for a few moments. "Well, I guess not but what about my friends?"

"If they're your true friends, then they're not going to abandon you because you're dating someone they don't approve of. Let me tell you a story, my brother and I were the most popular at my old school. We thought it would make us happy and get us approval from our Mo- someone but if anything we were even more unhappy. We were surrounded by fake friends and we never got the approval we wanted. My brother even liked this girl, and I mean really liked," I sigh.

"What happened?" Abigail asks inquisitively.

_______________

I knock softly on Ash's door after I hear faint sniffling. There's a choked "come in". I gently push open the door, only to find Ash sitting on the floor beside his bed with his knees to his chest. "Ash, what happened?" I ask as I sit beside him and wrap my thin arms around him.

"I lost her," he looks at me with red eyes.

"What happened?"

Tears run down his face. "I told her that she was a freak and I didn't need her. Didn't mean it May, I swear!" he leans his head against my shoulder. "I've never seen someone's heart break so fast," he sobs.

Woah, I mean I knew Ash liked this girl but I never knew he liked her this much, I thought it was a little crush but it's more. Way more.

"Then tell her, apologise, do a romantic gesture," I offer advice.

He then turns his face fully to me, his left cheek is slightly swollen and grazed. "I can't, May. Who do you think made me severe ties with her? This is what Mom did when she found out, imagine what she would do if we actually dated."

Mom hit him? No, I can't believe it.

I won't.

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"Julia really hurt him?" Abigail asks. Thinking about it now, my Mom really did hurt him and I may have pretended to believe him but I didn't. Not really.