Prologue
"Where were you, Adam? I've made breakfast. Eat before you leave," said a thirteen year old Angela Saunders.
"I was at Damian's house. He had a fight with Freddie and his gang," informed Adam as he sat at the table to have his breakfast.
Angela's dad, Gerard Saunders was a professor of Physics at the University of Texas in Austin. He had already left for his university at 7 o'clock in the morning. Her oldest brother Arnold, who was eight years older was studying medicine, wanting to be an orthopaedic surgeon. He lived at his university dorm and came home on weekends. Her next brother, Alex was six years older and studying a course on Special Education. He dreamt of having his own educational institution for differently-abled children. He juggled an internship as well as his studies so he was hardly was at home. Her youngest brother, Adam was four years older and in the same school as her. While Angela was in the seventh grade, Adam was in his junior year. They usually went to school together. They had been living in a posh neighbourhood of Austin, Texas, for the last twenty years.
Angela sighed. Damian was becoming too rough day by day. Damian Anderson was her next-door neighbour's only son. Being of the same age as her, they were the best of friends. They grew up together and know everything about each other. He was in the same class as her and they usually stuck together. His father, Ronald Anderson was a famous heart surgeon working in the same hospital where Angela's mom, Stefanie Saunders worked as a nurse. Damian's mom, Erika Anderson was an event manger at a five-star hotel. They didn't have time for Damian and fought like cats and dogs whenever they were at home together. He had everything that money could buy apart from love, attention and care.
"You go ahead, Adam, " she said, walking towards the door.
"You won't go to school today?" He asked with a puzzled look in his face.
"Let me check up on Damian. I'll go five minutes later," she said, rushing outside their white painted gates, down the pavement to the house next door.
Damian's house was huge, three times the size of hers, looking like a palace almost. Damian hated his house as he mostly stayed there alone. After his grandfather's death, he was lonely since his parents didn't have any time for him. His grandfather left him this vast mansion along with a huge inheritance all of which would be his on his eighteenth birthday. But he didn't want any of it. He just wanted a little love, a little attention.
Angela went up to the huge ornate door and rang the doorbell. An injured Damian opened the door. His lips were bleeding, his forehead had a deep gash and his right eyebrow had turned a shade of purple.
Angela gasped seeing his state. "Oh my God, Damian, you're hurt," she said in a distressed tone, going inside his house and closing it behind her. Damian just stared at her without a blink, without a word as if he was hypnotised. Angela had noticed this new change in him this year. He was quieter and stared at her more. His naughty pranks and silly laughs had reduced a lot.
"Damian?" She touched his cheek tenderly.
He blinked, coming back to his senses,"Where were you? I'm hurt and you're coming now? What type of friend are you?" He complained.
"I just came to know now. Adam told me," she said. "Come here," she said pulling him by his hand towards the washroom near the living room. He sat on the counter while she hunted in the cabinets for the first aid box.
"Why do you need to do all this?" She asked as she came near him and placed the first aid box beside him. He kept quiet and looked down to see what she was doing. She picked up the disinfectant and dabbing it onto a piece of cotton, softly cleaned his wounds.
"Is it hurting?" She asked blowing over his wound on his forehead as she dabbed a little and cleaned it. Damian shook his head, staring at her face which was so close to his. His heart stopped beating and his breath caught in his throat as he stared at her spellbound. He didn't know what was happening to him anymore but he loved to have her near him.
"Damian why do you even talk to Freddie?" She asked, tired of his quietness. What was wrong with him?
"I don't talk," he said, still looking at her.
"Then why did you fight?" She asked, curiously.
"He was saying bad things about you," he confessed and looked down at his legs.
Angela looked at him in disbelief. She always steered clear of Freddie and his spoilt group of friends.
"What did he say?" She asked, curiously.
"I can't tell you," said Damian. Angela cleaned the wound on his lip as he quietly kept looking at her. She didn't know what was wrong with Damian and why he became so quiet suddenly.
"There, done. I'm getting late for school. I need to rush," she said, storing the first aid box back to the cabinet.
"Stay," said Damian, holding her hand.
"I can't. You know Miss Knightley will complain to my dad. He'd punish me for bunking school," said Angela.
Damian was upset as Angela walked away towards the door. He closed his eyes to breathe deeply as she walked out of his door. He jumped down from the vanity counter to get ready for school. He couldn't fathom this craziness to be near her all the time.
He quickly got ready and left for school. He rode his bike to the neighbourhood school in five minutes. He ran down the corridor to his class. He was five minutes late, but at least he would be with his friends.
"Ma'am, can I please come in?" He asked a pacing Miss Knightley who was asking the students to submit their homework assignments.
Miss Knightley whirled around and saw him. He knew, that he wasn't one of her favourites and she would go crazy if one was late to her class, but well, he could handle that. "Here comes Sir Damian Anderson, always late," she started but after looking at him, she surprisingly softened. "What happened to you, boy?" She asked in concern.
Freddie and his gang, sporting similar bruises stood punished at the back of the class for not doing their homework. Damian couldn't tell her the truth, she would lose her shit if she knew that they had fought.
"I had an accident, ma'am, " he lied. Miss Knightley looked at him with more concern than before.
"Come inside and sit down," she said and Damian released the breath that he had been holding. He walked inside and saw Angela staring at him in disbelief. He grinned at her and went to his seat. The classroom door opened and a breathless Xavion Alexander, peeped inside.
"Ma'am, can I come in?" He asked expecting a blasting from Miss Knightley.
"Why can't you boys come on time?" Asked a displeased Miss Knightley.
"Sorry ma'am. It won't happen again. My uncle woke up late and dropped me after getting ready for work," he complained. Miss Knightley sighed. The boy had lost his parents in a car accident last year and he was dependent upon his uncle. She couldn't say a thing to him.
"Ok, come in Xavion, " she gave her permission. He walked into the classroom and sat beside his best friend, Damian.
"What happened to you, dude?" He whispered.
"Later," said Damian and he tried to concentrate in class but all he could see was Angela as she sat on the front bench with her best friend, Helena. Her hair was looking more beautiful than before in the new hairstyle that she sported. Her eyelashes had grown more and he could see their curly length from such a distance.
"Yes Damian. You answer me," asked Miss Knightley.
Damian came out of his dreamland and blinked and stared at Miss Knightley with a blank expression. "Sorry ma'am, could you repeat your question please?"
"It seems you were lost somewhere. Tell us what you were dreaming about in just one sentence using a noun, verb, proverb, adjective and pronoun," she asked and Damian's eyes widened.
"What's a proverb?" He asked, scratching his head. He had forgotten what it was actually.
Miss Knightley, threw her hands up in the air. "Freddie, Carl, Sean, Brian sit down. Next time, do your homework before you attend my class," she said strictly. Then she turned to Angela,"Angela Saunders, do you know what a proverb is?" She asked her.
"Yes ma'am, " Angela answered. She had always been a grade A student and all the teachers loved her.
"Good. After class, you will teach Damian what a proverb is. Any questions?" She asked.
"No, ma'am, " Angela said.
"Good. I will ask you again tomorrow, Damian. I hope you will be able to answer me," said Miss Knightley. Damian nodded, his heart thundering in his chest at the prospect of spending more time with Angela. Miss Knightley, proceeded to teach more grammar while Damian eagerly waited for school to get over for the day.
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Featured picture: Matt Lanter as Damian Anderson