NORAI stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm. "Rather than going alone, let me see you off.” I said, my voice soft but firm. He looked at me, his eyes searching mine. After a moment, he nodded, and we walked out the door together. The night air is cool and crisp, causing me to shiver slightly. He might have noticed because he offered me his jacket. Which I accepted gratefully, pulling it around my shoulders."You didn't get a chance to eat to your satisfaction, should we grab something?" I made mention, concern evident in my voice. He shrugged and shook his head. "I'm not hungry." he replied, his voice low. We walked on in silence, our footsteps the only sound in the night. I noticed a pebble on the ground and he gave it a kick with my boot, sending it skittering across the pavement. I looked up at him, noticing how tired he looked. I watched as he got on his bike and put on his helmet. He waved at me, and a small smile played on my lips. I waved back, unable to keep the s

JORDAN I walked into a bar with my friends to see a woman sitting alone at the bar, an almost empty bottle of liquor in front of her. I can't help but feel a sense of dread as we approached the bartender to order a drink. I tried to focus on my drink, but I couldn’t help but glance over at the woman every few minutes. She's muttering to herself and looked like she's having a hard time staying upright. Until I realized with a sinking feeling that the woman is my stepmother, causing my fist to tighten against the glass cup in my grasp. As I'm watching my stepmother, I noticed my two friends, Nathan and Rodney, watching her as well. Their expressions are grim, and I know they're feeling the same sense of regret that I am. I had a slight bad feeling about this bar, I shouldn’t have entered. "Let's get out of here.” Palming my face embarrassingly, I motioned to my friends. "We can't just leave her here like this." Nathan and Rodney looked at each other, then back at me. Guess they wer

NORAThe amount of guilt I felt after taking Lucan in was incomparable. The fact I had to let him out through my window also didn’t fail to fill me with regret, while the amount of injury it impacted on him made me want to yank unto my hair and pull each and every strand of it out. What kept coming into my head and ringing lousy in my mind was how I could have saved him the suffering if I had not let him in. During the time Natalie and I had to assist him to his classroom, it incurred lots of rumors and preying eyes, and of course, I pretended not to care and just continued giving him the support. If anything, I know Jordan derived so much joy in the incident that when I saw his lips titled up in a mocking smirk, I knew I wasn’t wrong. I also shouldn’t have pushed him away that way but he was wrong to count an offense on Lucan, whom if I was asked, he’s the most cleanest and righteous person I know so of course, I’ve got to defend him. He’s been there for him so it would be silly o

NORAI tiptoed out the front door, careful not to make a sound. As I walked down the front steps, I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. I clutched my phone in my hand, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he'll text me. As I walked down the street, my footsteps echoing in the quiet night, I can't help but feel a little bit nervous and unsure. The night air is chilly, and I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering. Just when I’m about to give up and head back home, I heard the familiar ping of a text message. I whipped out my phone, eyes lingering with anticipation. When I saw the name on the screen, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. It's him! I opened the message, my hands shaking slightly. His message reads: "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there. Something came up. Can we talk tomorrow?" I let out a sigh, knowing that at least he's okay. I headed back inside, feeling a little disappointed but relieved all the same.Just as I walked back into my room, my phone ranged. The sight of

NORAI could feel the nerves bubbling up inside me as my mother stared at Jordan, her face unreadable. I held my breath, waiting for her to make a decision. Then, to my surprise, she nodded her head in approval. I exhaled in relief, and Jordan’s face lit up with a smile. I took his hand and walked us together towards the next corner, where we turned right and headed for the front door. As we walked, I felt a sense of anticipation. Whereas, a big part of me was at least relieved Mom doesn’t seem to recognize him. My heart sank as Jordan showed me the front page of the school newspaper, with a photo of me next to the headline, "The Secret Daughter of the Prime Minister." I couldn't believe it. My whole life had just been exposed to the entire school, and there was nothing I could do to change it. I felt like my privacy had been violated, and I didn't know how to handle the situation. I just stood there, frozen, as Jordan stared at me, waiting for my reaction.“I should have stayed