Strength |✔️

nineteen

Hey guys! The song above ^ really describes the setting for this chapter! Also, this chapter is going to be a bit special. There might be some chapters where Neil and Alisha will be POVing in the same chapter, which Is this one. In chapters like these, it is really necessary to grasp on two people in the story. Hope you guys like this chapter! I know you will ;)

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Neil

Feeling anger shoot up my veins, I close my hands around Aydan's neck and furiously pull him back, dropping him to the ground. He coughs and I grab Alisha away from him. Her eyes are detailing pain. What did he do to her?

When Alisha told me that she wasn't going to the pool with me, I felt rejected. Yes, I do know that she just went through a psychotic episode just a couple of days ago, but still: I want her to recover fast. I don't want her to suffer. I want her to smile more often, feel more happiness inside of her, not that negative energy that her dad had left her with.

Ever since Alisha and I started dating, I knew she was going to be protected by me. Though she doesn't need much protection because she's a spiky woman, she still has issues, and Alisha needs someone with her.

I look at Alisha and grab her shoulders. Her eyes are moving back and forth with fear, and she's shaking. "What happened, Alisha?" I ask, searching her eyes for answers.

Before she can say anything, her mouth opens up and she says, "Neil, watch out!"

I turn around see Aydan, about to punch me in the jaw, the same jaw that got punched by Nick. I stop his fist and and push him back, kicking him on the stomach. He tries to get up and sputters, "your- your boyfriend is crazy!" He runs away, clutching his stomach.

I take a deep breath and turn to Alisha. She looks scared out of her mind. I hug her very tightly and she hugs me back. She releases. "Neil you didn't have to do that. You don't always have to be there for me."

"What the hell are you saying, Alisha?" I massage her cheeks. "I will always be here for you." She smiles and kisses my cheek. "I don't deserve you, Neil. No one does."

I scoff. "I'm not a God or anything, okay," she laughs and her dimples show. I smile back at her and hug her again.

Once she releases, a bunch of people start to walk in the hall, where me and Alisha are standing. I see Aydan, clutching his stomach, and Faith looking worried, smoking an e-cig.

Faith runs towards Alisha and hugs her. "Oh my God, Alisha? Are you okay?" Faith looks towards Aydan and scowls at him. She looks back at Alisha and reassures her, "Aydan has no limits. He's a player, and he is kind of immoral about women, so don't be alarmed, alright?" She smiles.

Alisha weakly smiles. "I know, Faith. I've lived with him for thirteen years."

Faith laughs. She looks at me and gives me that "mom" look. "You need to take better care of my girl, Neil."

I shoot my hands up in surrender and roll my eyes. "Okay, mom."

Faith snorts and pats me on the back. "I'm kidding, Neil. You're a great boyfriend to Alisha."

I glance over at Alisha and see her smile at her, her eyes gleaming. I look back at Faith. "That's what I try to be, you know."

Then we talk for a couple of minutes. Aydan apologizes to Alisha and she accepts. I don't know why, but I feel jealousy shoot up through me. Then Alisha sees the worried expression on my face, so she grabs my hand and squeezes it.

Afterwards, Faith cuts her cake. Alisha loudly sings happy birthday to her, and I join in as well. Faith gleams at us and blows out the candles, but of course one is left. Faith struggles to blow out that one candle, but then her boyfriend, Connor, blows it for her. She grins at him and gives a huge kiss on his mouth, which leads to them making out. Alisha and I start laughing, and then we eat.