Chapter 26: Chapter 26

I understood why my dad and Lauren were sending me to stay with Malcolm so they could arrange my grandma's funeral but I hated how they acted like I was a kid or a ticking time bomb. I was unpredictable at times yes but that's understandable I had a short fuse and that made me dangerous but I was learning to control my issues and my dad knew that yet he kept hiding me away from difficult situations thinking he was protecting me but rather making things worse.

"What's on your mind?" Malcolm asked me as he drove to his place. I was busy attempting to call Eve for the hundredth time but still, it went straight to voicemail.

"You can see what I'm doing," I said irritated wondering why he would ask me a stupid question when he could easily see what I was doing on my phone with just one glimpse.

"I can see someone is losing it," he raised his eyebrows with a scoff.

"I'm sorry for being a bitch I'm just stressed," I sighed, switching my phone off to give him my sincere apology for the way I acted.

"Oh no don't worry about me I don't take shit to heart, you of all people know that," he smirked.

"Oh I know," I chuckled, glad to have the tension in the car disappear. My laugh was cut short as my phone rang loudly giving me a bit of a fright.

Angelica

Why was she calling me of all people?

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Malcolm asked me with a raised brow.

"No," I said, still confused as to why Angelica was calling me, she was probably calling to annoy me considering she hasn't been a bitch to me in days. Now that I think of it as my phone continued to vibrate I wondered why Angelica didn't annoy me these past couple of weeks, she has been completely absent from my life and for a while, I even forgot her existence.

Maybe she found a new mouse to play with, I don't know why that thought bothered me.

Malcolm drove to his place with only the radio filling the silence between us since he noticed I wasn't in a talking mood.

A lot was on my mind from Eve to my grandma and even to the end of year exams, I hadn't even begun studying for. Considering everything that's happened at school was the last thing on my mind and falling from my A-plus pedestal at school showed me a lot of things from one being that I didn't see why I tried so hard to get good marks in school and two why I even tried at school.

School is meant to be a place to learn and grow your mind along with discovering who you are and where you fit in society. Sure you get to discover what you want to become as well but at what cost, being bullied every day and having social anxiety made me hate school even more because they didn't care about your mental health as long as you pay school fees you could commit suicide and they would turn a blind eye.

School was a nightmare and parents didn't realise how worse it had gotten. They think just because they grew up getting beaten by the teachers at school they think we are living luxurious lives at school but that's a lie. School is hell and the sooner people realise it the better because things need to change or more students will drop out or worse kill themselves because they can't handle the work stress, home stress and bullying everywhere.

People think we only go to hell when we die but they don't realise we are living in it.

By the time we arrived at Malcolm's place Angelic was blowing up my phone with missed call after missed call.

"Why don't you just answer it and find out what she wants," Malcolm suggested before he headed into his room.

I sighed, flopping on the couch before I answered her calls.

"What do you want?" I asked her the moment I answered the phone.

"If you fucking answered the first time you would know why I called," she angrily answered her voice breaking slightly like she had been crying. For a second my heart skipped a beat wondering why she sounded like that.

"What happened?" I asked, dreading the answer to come.

"It's better if I tell you in person are you busy right now?" She asked gently, I couldn't understand why she was talking to me like she had really bad news that could break me.

"Why can't you say it over the phone?" I asked her.

"It's better in person and I have to give you something," she said.

"Give me what?" I asked.

"Don't make me fucking slap you through this phone just come over," she angrily said and hung up. I sighed heavily dreading having to even get up again.

"Mal I'm going out for a bit," I yelled from the lounge.

"Where are you going?" He yelled back.

"To Angelica's place," I yelled back.

"How are you gonna get there?" He asked.

"Your car duh," I said.

"Over my dead body just wait for me, I'll take you," he yelled back.

"Fine then hurry up," I grumbled sitting back on the couch as I scrolled through my social media apps. Malcolm came out a few minutes later wearing different clothes and with a wide grin.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" I asked him with a raised brow.

"Why do I need a reason to be happy," he smiled ruffling my hair.

"What did I say about the hair," I grumbled, slapping his hand away. He merely chuckled, grabbing an apple from the fruit ball on the coffee table before heading to the door.

I followed behind him, grabbing an apple for myself. I slouched in the passenger's seat turning the radio a little louder as a song I liked started playing. Malcolm and I jammed to the songs on the radio and in no time we arrived at Anji's place which looked a little more dead than usual.

I wasn't sure why the place that looked fit for a king could look so lonely and dead. I mean the house was shining in the sun yet the gloomy waves it was sending out couldn't be covered by its glory anymore.

Malcolm and I walked up the elegantly designed walkway before I knocked on the door. Anji opened up one side of the double doors, the moment she looked at Malcolm her demeanour hardened.

"Figures you'd bring the predator," she said through gritted teeth which had my blood boiling.

"Listen here you little -" I didn't get a chance to complete my death threat as Malcolm silenced me by placing his hand over my mouth.

"Now now cupcake is that anyway how to treat your guests," Malcolm pouted. I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous antiques wondering why he was trying to keep up this act.

"Set one foot in this house and I'm calling the cops," Anji threatened coldly.

"Wait a damn minute," I said once I removed Malcolm's hand from my mouth.

"What is wrong with you, how can you possibly stand being around him?" Anji asked, outraged as if this was a very touchy subject for her.

"There is nothing wrong with him, you simple-minded baboon, he never hurt me in any way it was just a cover-up," I angrily said, fed up with her giving Malcolm nasty looks he didn't deserve.

"Wait what?" Anji asked in shock, her eyebrows going through the roof as her eyes turned to Malcolm becoming soft and apologetic.

"Do I look like I could hurt a fly?" Malcolm asked with both hands outstretched and a lazy smirk on his face.

"Don't answer that," I flatly said, smacking Malcolm's hands down to which he just chuckled, linking our arms together. Anji was still in some sort of trans as she realised she was being played.

"What did you want to give me?" I asked her hoping we could get this over and done with.

"Oh yes that uh come in," she said her eyes glossing up as she stood to the side letting us in.

We walked into her massive lounge each sitting on the couch comfortably.

"Just give me a second to fetch the letter," Anji said before she left.

"Does she look alright to you?" Malcolm asked in a worried tone, now that he mentioned it I just noticed how slow she was being. Throughout the time we were here she hadn't yelled at me or made fun of me, better yet she was even wearing sweatpants and a plain tank top which she swore she would never wear.

Something was wrong.

"I'm not sure," I answered watching the spot Anji was just recently occupying.

We didn't have to wait long before Anji came back with an envelope in her delicate hands. She didn't look ok in the slightest, she had dark bags under her eyes and her eyes were slightly red as if she had been crying all night.

"You might want to open this alone," she said, giving Malcolm a calculating stare.

"What's with the stare he hasn't done anything wrong to you?" I asked her not liking how she was treating Malcolm.

"Oh trust me he hasn't done anything yet," she said through fitted teeth.

"What is your problem with him?" I asked angrily.

"Belle leave it," Malcolm said sternly but I was too fueled by anger to listen to him.

"No, I want to know what's your problem with him?" I demanded dismissing Malcolm's worried stare.

"It's men like him that make the world unsafe for women," she angrily said, throwing dangers at Malcolm.

"You can't fucking take a joke can you?" I was outraged and unbelieving of her attitude.

"Guys you don't have to talk about me like I'm not here," Malcolm said waving his hand in front of our faces attracting our attention. Anji and I looked at him like this was not the time for him to butt in.

"Right, let me give you guys some privacy cause, you need it," he said, getting up and leaving the room.

"I knew you were stupid but I didn't think you were also so fucking naive," Anji said with creased brows.

"What the hell is that meant to imply?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"It's meant to imply that you're stupid," she said.

"So this attitude was brought out because you think Malcolm is a predator?" I asked with a raised brow.

"You don't know him enough to know his intentions," she scoffed.

"Don't make me laugh, Angelica, I'm the only person who knows that boy back to front so don't come at me with that bullshit," I angrily said.

"I don't want to fight ok I'm just giving you a warning because I don't need another classmate ending their life because of a man," she said sadly her anger disappearing in the wind as she looked down.

"What?" I was confused as to who she was talking about.

"It's all in the letter you'll understand once you read it," she simply said," I can see you seem to trust Malcolm but how far will that trust last when you discover his true colours?" She asked.

"First of all Anji I'm not sure what got you hating men all of a sudden but leave Malcolm out of it because he is not what you are assuming and if you continue with this bullshit I hold no mercy for my actions that follow because Malcolm did nothing wrong," I angrily too her fed up with her accusing Malcolm of things he didn't do.

"Suit yourself, just don't say I didn't warn you," she scoffed, rolling her eyes at me.

"Warning ignored," I said, returning her cold glares.

"I don't know what's your problem with me but right now you should thank me for even giving you that damn letter not giving me attitude," she said through gritted teeth.

"What's my problem with you? Wow, that's rich coming from you Anji, you made my school years hell that's my problem with you," I raised my voice at the end scoffing at her stupid question.

"Don't blame me for your weirdness," she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You are something," I rolled my eyes, shaking my head in annoyance holding back my anger.

"Someone you're obsessed with mind you," she reminded me with a raised brow.

"Obsessed with you? Darling, you're the only one obsessed with yourself," I scoffed.

"Don't kid yourself everyone is obsessed with me," she flicked her hair over her shoulder making me roll my eyes so hard it hurt. The way this girl could be so full of herself made me wonder how her parents were and if they were worse than she was.

"Keep dreaming Barbie," I rolled my eyes at her.

"You know what's your problem?" She asked, standing up abruptly.

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me," I said, standing up only to have her tower over me.

"You're naive, you think this world is all cupcakes and rainbows," she said, taking a step closer towards me.

My heart was racing through the roof and not because of her proximity but rather out of anger. The audacity of this girl thinking she knew me, no amount of eye rolls could explain how stupid she sounded in that second.

"Watch what you say you don't know me," I warned her, narrowing my eyes at her. She raised her eyebrows in shock before she scoffed.

"Oh trust me I know you. You're a spoiled good for nothing brat who gets everything handed to her on a silver platter," she said lowly in a tensed voice.

"Watch your next words very wisely Angelica," I warned her through gritted teeth.

"Or what, you're going to cry to daddy to come to fight your battles. Oh please I know you're all bark and no bite, people like you sicken me. You think life is tough just because you don't get the phone you wanted. It's pathetic, you're pathetic honestly," she shook her head.

"You don't know what I've been through," I said through gritted teeth clenching my fists. My body temperature was rising with each word that spewed out of her mouth, a fire brewing in my chest wanting to consume anything in sight. I didn't know why she was coming at me like I killed someone but it was irritating me beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"Oh please enlighten me, what have you gone through that's so tough about your life huh? Did you lose your car privileges?" She fake pouted, placing her hand on her hip tilting her hip to the side. Her stance alone was the final spark that lit the bomb inside me, a pure condescending rage roared out of me as flashbacks from that night in the alley invaded my mind. The feeling of being so helpless flooded through my veins as Anji made me feel unneeded and unwanted which just killed me inside a little more.

"I WAS FUCKING RAPED AND LEFT FOR DEAD, DOES THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY HUH? I WAS ATTACKED ONCE AGAIN BY MY RAPIST AND THAT BOY YOU HATE SO MUCH IS THE SOLE REASON WHY I'M EVEN STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU RIGHT NOW. SO NEXT TIME YOU START SPEAKING SHIT ABOUT PEOPLE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW DO THE WORLD A FAVOUR AND SHUT THE FUCK UP BECAUSE NOTHING YOU SAY OUT OF THAT PRETTY LITTLE MOUTH OF YOURS IS EVER NEEDED!" I yelled at her poking her chest with my finger as I stood on my tiptoes to come eye level with her.

She was speechless, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. She seemed hurt by my outburst but I didn't care for what she felt as I quickly grabbed my phone and the envelope she gave me, bumping her purposefully as I passed her.

"You know this house reminds me of you, cold and valued at a way too high price when it's worth not even a nickel," I said to her hoping to make her feel the way she made me feel.

"Now you're speechless, figures just continue using that mouth for what it's good for; sucking dick rather than talking shit about people you don't know." I spat leaving her with tears streaming down her face.