Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Amelia's p.o.v;

At house,

After eating dinner, I walked to my room and put the lights out as if I were going to bed. I changed into a black clothing and grabbed a cap and a mask in case I needed to get away if I got caught.

I set my phone to vibrate and peered into Andrew's room through the blinds. There was nobody around. Where are they?

I received a message from Cathy when I was peering through the blinds.

"Andrew and I are having dinner."

I would then need to wait for a while longer. I looked over the internet while sitting close to the window. Seeing some amusing films of beautiful animals made me grin. An alert appeared. Not from Cathy, that is. I discovered Hannah when I opened the conversation box.

"Are you awake?" she texted.

I retorted, "In bed, getting ready for bed."

"We're in front of your house. Come out" she texted in response.

"What?"

"Come and have a look for yourself."

I let out a sigh and got up from the window. I changed my attire and went downstairs. My parents were in the living room, which I saw.

Looking at them, I said, "Hannah is waiting for me outside." And walked out of the house.

Hannah, several of our pals Jack and Lance, and a few more were standing in front of the gate.when I approached her and saw that she was holding something in her hands.

"What's that?"

Everyone started singing me happy birthday songs. I completely forgot that it's my birthday. They were singing, and I clapped my hands in appreciation for them remembering it.

Hannah told me to make three wishes before blowing out the candles when I tried to do so.

My mum and Andrew's parents should be friends once more, I thought as I closed my eyes. My brother ought to be content with Anna and settle down. Caleb, a senior, ought to find love soon.

I blinked the candles and opened my eyes. Jack gave me the knife to cut the cake, and I used it to cut the cake, serve it to my buddies, and repeat.

After saying "thank you," I entered the home and turned to face my parents. I approached them and said, "Today is my birthday, mum," before heading upstairs. "Why didn't you buy me a cake, Dad? ", I asked with teary eyes.

They both hugged me and expressed their love to me.

I pulled away from them and said, "I have to apologise to you both. I made a big mistake. I should not have spoken to you in that manner. Mom, I'm sorry. Dad, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for behaving like garbage. Even though I didn't mean those words, I'm sorry for what I did."

"Actually, we did purchase a cake for you" Dad remarked as he rose to his feet. "I'll bring it to you," he said before heading into the kitchen.

"What did you mean by 'boyfriend stealer,'?" Mom questioned me, "Did you uncover anything concerning my past?"

I nodded at her.

She hugged me and said, "I'm not sure how much you know about the past but I didn't steal anyone's lover, so trust me on that. Your father only favoured me. We loved each other."

I gave her another embrace and said I was sorry for being like a scum.

"Ask me if you want to know something; don't make assumptions on your own after this. Understand?" , she urged.

I gave her a nod.

Dad got a cake, set it on the table, and started to put candles on it. I helped dad to put the candles on the cake while mom was preparing for the candles.

While i was helping dad and mom, i got a message from Cathy, "We're going to bed, but I'm leaving the back door open for you", said Cathy in a message to me.

I returned her message by saying, "Got it. Will be there."

My father needed some assistance lighting the candles, so I put my phone back in my pocket and joined him again.

"I'll bring Asd also" , I added as I stood up.

When I brought Ash into the living room, he said, "Whose birthday is it? What's going on here?"

"How can you ask like that? Are you really my brother?"

He ruffled my hair and said, "I know it's your birthday, but I thought I'd surprise you at midnight, I swear."

"Don't tell lies."

"Okay, see for yourself," she replied before heading to the kitchen to get a cake.

"You also purchased a cake."

"I remember, I told you."

"What a beautiful family I have. Am I Going to Cut Two Cakes for My Birthday?"

Ash muttered to me while I was holding the cake he had brought me, "You started conversing with our parents?"

I gave him a smile and nodded at him.

He gave me a head pat and came to assist me.

While I was looking at the two cakes in front of me, I was confused about which one to cut.

Mom said, "Cut the cake your brother brought to you."

When I looked at dad, he stood there with a smile on his face. I turned at Ash, he said, "I don't mind. Cut their cake first."

I held wooden knives in both of my hands and tried to cut both the cakes at the same time but Mom stopped me from extinguishing the candles and reminded me that I had forgotten to make a wish.

I nodded and made the same wish I had previously with my companions outside the house. After wishing, I cut both the cakes and looked at them. They smiled at me in unison.

I ate the cake and then went to my room.

I once more changed into my dark clothes, pulled my hair back into a ponytail, and put on a mask and a cap. Given that the house will be dark, I brought a flashlight. Let's go, I'm ready.

In order to avoid making noise, I climbed through my window, left the room, jumped to the ground, and rolled on the porch. I approached the barrier and climbed up to jump over to the other side.

I jumped into Andrew's house and slowly made my way to the rear door, where I opened it. I entered the pitch-black house. I now need to locate Andrew's parents' room.

I was crossing the living room when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Who the hell was that? Did I get caught even before I did something? I saw Cathy when I turned around and let out a sigh of relief.

"You gave me a scare."

She smiled at me and said, "Baby girl."

"What are you doing here?" I questioned.

And grinned at me, saying, "To help you. You can't find it on your own. And, what's with the outfit? For a second, I thought you were a burglar."

"Exactly. I can run from this house using this disguise. Now, Take me to Andrew's parents' room, and we'll start searching from there. Let's find something useful before getting caught by Andrew."

"He's in his room. We don't have much time."

"Then, we gotta hurry up."

"Follow me," she replied, nodding.

I followed her and went inside what appeared to be a master bedroom.

"Do you think we can find something relevant to our search here?" she asked while looking around the room.

"Maybe. Because people keep important items in their bedrooms."

"Acceptable."

"I'll look over here, you handle that portion, and let me know if you find anything sus."

We started searching the place, I found perfume bottles within the cabinet, and I also discovered some accessories inside another cabinet. I looked around the area, but I couldn't locate anything about either my mum or Andrew's mom. There is nothing crucial here. Except make-up and skincare products.

I approached Cathy and inquired, "Did you find anything?"

"What about you?" she questioned as she shook her head.

"Nothing. Is there a room in this house where important items are kept, like a storage room or attic?"

After searching the attic, we're still empty handed.

Cathy said, "Maybe we can find something at Andrew's father's place of employment. Come with me, it's not improper to give it a shot."

When we entered the room which Cathy mentioned, I discovered the table with both of Andrew's parents' photographs with some accessories related to the office desk.

I questioned Cathy, "Do they work here together?"

"I've never been here before so I don't know." she remarked, shrugging her shoulders.

I remarked, "I guess they do," after taking a glance at the items on the table.

While I looked through the desk and cabinet, I asked her to search every rack attached to the wall. I discovered a tonne of appliances and files in the desk. When I searched the cabinet, all I found was a pile of documents. There is also nothing here.

I advised Cathy to move on because it was a waste of time to look around because nothing was there related to the past I was looking for. It looked like the crime scene was wiped off clean.

I said, "Cathy, there's nothing before. Put the items back on the racks."

I accidentally dropped some files on the floor as we were wrapping up. I found something that shocked me when I tried to pick it up.

"Fu*k!"

Cathy approached me and inquired, "What happened? Did you discover anything?"

I showed the picture to her and I slumped back against the table.

Cathy said, "Looks like some event. What is this?"

"That's my father over there," and pointed to the subjects of the picture.

"Why was your father in the same class as Andrew's father?"

"I assumed it was just a misunderstanding between two schoolgirls, but I think there's more than that,"

"I can hear footsteps."

"What?"

"Go hide; I think he's coming."

I looked around the place and said, "There is nowhere to hide in this place. What should we do now? Should I hit him in the head and run?'

"No! You can't hit Andrew. Just go and hide somewhere. I'll distract him."

I ducked behind the door immediately.

"He can find you…"

"What are you doing here?" Andrew questioned her as he entered after opening the door.

She appeared to be trying to make up a lie as she pushed something on her leg and screamed in agony. She was led outside the room by Andrew. She received my "I'm sorry" signal.

Don't tell me you two are also pals, I thought as I waited for a while in the room while staring at the photograph.

I made my way to the kitchen after ensuring they weren't in the living room before moving on.

I came to my home, in my bedroom,

I had a look at the image. Ms. Green made no mention of Andrew's father when she recounted the tale of my parents to me. What part does he play in this narrative?

I concealed it under the blanket as Ash entered the room.

Ash asked me, "What's keeping you awake? "

"In the middle of my slumber, I woke up."

"Don't stay awake and go to sleep" , he murmured, nodding.

I nodded and sat down on the bed.

I watched the picture of Andrew's father in my father's class photo after he departed before turning out the lights and going to sleep.

The following day,

I came to the school where my parents and Andrew's parents studied together.

Ms. Green questioned me, "Why did you return here, and what do you want to know now?"

I pointed at the picture and told her, "I think you didn't tell me the whole story. I guess you left out some part."

"What do you want me to say?" she asked after looking at the picture.

"This photograph not only has my father's picture but it has Laura's husband in it. If Ms. Beckett had been after my father, why would she have married the man who went to school and class as my father?"

"Then you ought to consult your parents."

"Aren't you going to say something to me?"

It won't be good if I tell you about this, she shook her head and added, "Your parents should be the ones to tell you about this."

"Okay, I'll hear it from them then," I said as I nodded. "Thank you for cooperating, Ms. Green."

In the home,

"You arrived early from college? Are you sick?" my father asked me while I was stepping into the house.

I disregarded him and strode over to the couch, where I sat.

My mother asked, "Are you sick?" after taking my temperature and responding, "If it's normal, why did..."

I set the picture on the table and sat back while looking at both of them. Mom paused her conversation when she saw the picture.

"What were you saying, mom?" I questioned.

Dad approached us, stopped when he noticed the picture, and stood next to us.

"Why has everyone stopped talking? No one has anything to confess?"

Dad asked me, "Where did you get this?"

"You cleaned up pretty well, dad, but mom forgot to hide something in the basement, so why do you want to know where I got it from? I'm sure I didn't get this from this house."

I retained the image of my mother and Andrew's mother.

Mom snapped the picture and inquired, "Is this why you talked to me that way?"

I nodded and asked, "Dad, What are you hiding from me? I knew about Mom's past in bits and pieces, but I couldn't discover yours. What is it? I was pretty shocked to see you in the same class as Mr Campbell."

Mom answered instead of dad, "We're not keeping anything from you, Amelia."

"I believe you have already lied to Ash and me enough, mom. What more are you going to lie about?"

"We're protecting you, Amelia," said my dad.

"Protecting from what?"

I sighed and added, "Dad, I'm not here to accuse any of you. Hear me out, I know what happened between you four. It's not your fault. So from now on, stop feeling sorry for yourself. You and mom studied together at the same high school and you fell in love with my mother. My mother had a close friend named Laura Beckett, who's Andrew's mother. In light of your confession to my mother, Ms. Beckett felt betrayed by her best friend and cut ties with her. Mom gave her best friend the scholarship she received since she felt bad for her. Chaos occured. Mom asked for the scholarship back. Mom and Mrs Beckett got seperated and showed hatred till now. The story doesn't end here. Beyond this, there is something you should know about. Are you familiar with Gary Smith "

"Gary Smith studied in our class, that much is true. Why are you bringing him up right now?"

I yelled, "Mr. Smith, you can come inside now," and said, "There's a reason. And, you two have to know the truth at least now."

"What a surprise!", my dad said after seeing Mr. Smith. "I've heard you're abroad. When did you arrive back?"

"He's been here for the last two months, dad" I remarked as I rose up.

While dad and mom was surprised seeing Mr Smith, I turned to Mr. Smith and said, "Mr. Smith, now it's your turn to give them the rest of the story. Go on."

Mom asked, "Amelia, What's going on here?"

"Let him complete his narrative, Mom, and we can talk about it later."

Mr. Smith opened his mouth and started to speak, "After Caroline and Laura split up, I didn't believe that she would give Laura her scholarship. I got annoyed and talked to Laura about it. Laura stated she's not upset with Caroline but simply for hurt. I manipulated Laura that Caroline gave her scholarship so she could keep Jeffrey to herself. I also told her a lot of things to irritate Caroline. Laura questioned Caroline about this, just as I anticipated. Their altercation grew in size. Laura handed Caroline the scholarship, so Caroline went and fought for it. The teacher became enraged and offered the scholarship to me instead of the other two students who were fighting over it."

"It's not offered, Mr. Smith" I cut in and said. "Your mother, Ms. Green, who's also a member in deciding on who should get the scholarship, took advantage of the opportunity to give the scholarship to her son to make him study overseas. Mr. Campbell, who comforted Laura after a heartbreak, fell in love and married her. My mother and father married out of love too. However, the story didn't finish there, it went on until this point."

"I didn't realise that a little thing would turn out like this, I apologise for what I did back then. I regret it after hearing from Amelia." he continued.

"Does it look like a tiny thing to you, Gary? You separated me from my best friend. How could you claim that it's a small thing?" his mother snapped at him.

My mother let go of my hand as I comforted her and stated, "I can't believe I got fooled by him, Your mother is a fool, fool for hating my best friend for all these years."

"It's not your fault, mom. It's never been." I told her as I gave her a hug.

Dad came to us and gave my mum a big embrace after telling Mr. Smith to leave the house.

Mr Smith walked out of the house after apologising once again to my parents.

"Why didn't I know this before? I should have talked to her. I should have sorted it out with her long back.," mom says to her father.

"You can still talk to her, mom."

"It's too late, Amelia. We have come a long way."

Mom said to dad, "Amelia's right. I ought to tell her what actually transpired back then, I don't want this to be a source of friction between us any longer, Jeff."

"I apologised for interrupting. I originally went there before coming here. She is also aware of this now. And, mum, she felt bad too. She said she wanted to come here, but I asked her to wait so you could hear the truth as well."

Mr. And Mrs Campbell arrived at our home while I was talking with my mother.

Mrs Campbell asked, "Amelia, Did you talk to your mom?"

My mom ran over to her when she saw her and the two of them sobbed together as they hugged, with my dad and Mr. Campbell joining them.

That's how the story of my parents ends, I thought with a sigh of relief as I grinned to myself. They looked happy together.

"Um, Mr Campbell, are you friends with my dad like the mother's?"

He said with a smile, "He's a soccer player and I'm a guitarist. We're not as close as the girls but we'll talk now and then."

Mrs Campbell asked, "Girls?"

They all laughed together.

Once everything was in order, I remarked, "Guys! I need your attention right now. Now, it's time to get to the main portion of the story," as they all turned to look at me.

Dad, "What is it?"

"My brother Ashton Scott and your daughter Anna Campbell are in love,"

They all exchanged glances after being startled.

"For six years," I added.

Mom, "Six years? How come I didn't know about this?"

Mrs Campbell, "Why didn't Anna inform us of this?"

"What would you have done if she had admitted to loving your competitor? She stayed mute because of this. My brother didn't say anything either. Their relationship remained silent since we were all occupied being competitive with each other."

Mr Campbell said, "I had no idea that our families would maintain such a connection like us."

I queried them, "I'm here to formally request their affection. They should be together, please. They should stop hiding and act like other couples, in my opinion. Will you help them realise their dream?"

"It's a yes from us, '' mom and dad said with a smile.

Mr. and Mrs. Campbell "We were going to say that. What made you say it before?"

"Does that mean you're all okay with this?" I asked while smiling.

Together, they all nodded.

I heard them accepting my brother's affection, and tears immediately began to fall down my face.

"Why are you crying?" Dad asked as he hugged me and wiped away my tears.

"Thank you, Mr. Campbell, Mrs Campbell and, Dad, and Mom. Thank you for accepting their love."

"We're the ones who have to thank you," Mom said. "You gave my bestfriend back to me." Said while she was looking at Mrs Campbell.

Mr. Campbell asked, "Witnessing you cry like this makes me want to give you a hug. Can I?"

I smiled, nodded, and gave him a bear embrace.

My dad asked, "My daughter has done pretty well in life, and she forced her mother to reconcile with a friend. Did you do all this underground work on your own?"

"Um, Cathy, who is a really excellent buddy, gave me some assistance."

Ash came home as we were still talking and he was startled to see everyone inside the house.

Mr. Campbell asked in a stern voice, "Mister, is it true that I've heard you adore my daughter?"

Mr. and Mrs. Campbell looked at him intently.

"Why did you keep it from us?" Dad demanded, raising his voice.

"You lied to us," Mom joined them.

"Everyone! Stop making my brother uneasy. Enough with your play. Go and crunch the biscuits like before," I yelled as I stood in front of my brother.

Ash inquired "What's going on here? They knew about me and Anna? Was there a major fight? And, why did you shout like that to them?" after everyone had left for the dining room.

"They approved of your marriage, Brother."

Dad shouted from the dinner table, "It's not marriage, it's love. Time is still available for that thing."

I said back to him, "Noted."

I turned and addressed Ash "Everyone's okay with your love for Anna. No longer must you keep it a secret from others. You can act similarly to other couples. You can go on dates, to concerts, to see the sunset, or to see a movie."

"What about the hatred they were having on each other?"

"It is finished. The situation was resolved."

"How did this occur?"

Mrs. Campbell extended her hand over my shoulder just as I was about to tell him, and she said to him, "It's because of your little sister. It was her who found and solved the issue between us. She was the catalyst for our reconciliation. You should be proud of your wonderful sister." then went.

"She told a lot", I said, grinning.

He hugged me tightly and asked, "Why do you like this brother so much when I couldn't even do anything for you?"

I murmured, "I can't breathe, let go of the hug before you want some answers from me." I said after breaking the hug, "We should not love others like a barter system. You've done a lot to me already like being always there for me. It's only a little favour I'm returning back, brother," I remarked when he released our embrace.

He gave me another embrace before jogging outside and saying, "I've got to tell this Anna. She'll be extremely thrilled." And left the house.

Mom asked me when I joined them on the table, "Where is he going?"

"To see Anna. Mom, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

"I'll prepare Ash's favourite steak since he's happy today."

"That's not fair. I want to eat curries and calamari fritters, mom.

Mrs Campbell, "Then feel free to visit our home. I'll make it for you."

"Thanks, Ms. Beckett. I appreciate your offering."

She patted my shoulder and said, "Don't be afraid. We are now a family."

I observed my mum talking to her friend and my father spoke with Mr. Campbell while I was eating. They seemed very animated. They ought to have been the same from the beginning. Possibly, the outcome might have been different. I shook my head and carried on with my meal.