Ben

Chapter Fourteen: Worrisome Ben

Today is Sunday and I didn't get out of bed till 12pm. I ate when everyone else already did. I tried to avoid talking to anyone as much as possible. I felt like they were all my enemies. My family...

I wish that this day would be over. I wanted to drown myself with studies and do anything to distract me. But it felt like forever when Haze came in and talked to me. He stood in front of me like a boulder, intimidating, while I sat there unmoving, unfazed.

"Crissa, I want you to warn that boy. If he ever gets near you again I swear, you won't be able to see each other again." He said.

Why is this so cliché? I'm 16, I got myself a boyfriend and of course, my family would not allow me.

Haze started walking out the door but stopped midway.

"I know where he lives."

That made me gasp, I didn't know to what extent my family could reach just because of this silly thing. They took away my phone, questioned my ability to fall in love, made a whole future ahead of me and now they're threatening me? What more could they possibly do?

I don't understand, everything is just so stupid. I feel like I'm a protagonist in a noon time drama. They're overreacting! I only had myself a boyfriend not get myself pregnant!

I want to shout at them, but no words come out of my mouth. I want to tell them how I feel, that they can't do anything for me to hate Ben, that I'd be willing to fight for Ben. But they see me as an idiotic and ignorant girl. And I found myself unable to make them realize that I own my emotions, that I know how I feel and I know what I want.

But even with a broken heart, I tried to understand them. They were just worried about my well-being. They don't want me to be like my other sister who I think traumatized everyone in the family.

My sister was pampered; my parents were never strict of her because she was treated specially. She was given freedom; my parents trusted her and gave her everything she asked for. What she did might've been a slap to my parents face, it might've awoken something or rather ripped away something from them. And right now, they're comparing me to her, they think they know how my future lies and that it's the same as my sister's. How cruel.

"Now what huh?! Are you gonna get yourself pregnant just like your sister? Are you going to get yourself wrecked? Will you also spread your legs for your boyfriend? Will you elope with him some day too?!"

My mother didn't hit me, she never did, but her words hurt more than anything. They were like daggers. Hearing such words coming from your mother triples the pain. I looked at her in the eyes, she was in tears. She was hurt, she was angry. And all that anger is directed towards me, all that disappointment fell down to me. My sibling's mistake were long forgotten, it was all about me.

For the past two weeks, my home didn't feel warm anymore. I dreaded dinner time where everyone sits down to eat. I refuse to speak, I refuse to smile and laugh with them, I leave early for school and take my time going home. I was beyond miserable, I might've been depressed.

As I was walking towards the junction, my thoughts were wandering.

What will I do when I get home? Should I go directly to bed? I don't feel like having dinner, I'm not hungry at all. Besides, I don't know if I still can act tough in front of them.

"Crissa!"

"Hey Crissa stop!"

I halted when I heard someone call out my name. I turned to look who it was and to my surprise, it was my student publication adviser ma'am Alie, and Frea-a staff member.