Angel stood before me with an annoyed expression, his gaze glancing at the food in the pan. "What are you making?"
I nearly wanted to snort, but answered, "Scrambled eggs with some French toast."
A hint of interest tugged on his brows, and I grinned and asked, "Do you want some?"
Angel frowned like I asked an offensive question, then he pulled the chair back, making a loud noise, before taking a seat, which was his answer.
I shook my head at his rudeness but ignored it. I was starting to get used to it. I fixed the plate and placed it in front of Angel. I walked a few tables away from Angel and took a seat, but started to feel a heavy stare on my face. "What?"
I looked at Angel, who looked at me with narrowed eyes, and at first, I thought there was something wrong with the food. Then his words cleared my thoughts. "Don't sit next to me. You make me lose my appetite."
I listened to his cold-hearted words and the way he said so carefreely, like it was so easy, and he began eating the food. He didn't look at me anymore, and I scuffed under my breath, and I pushed the chair back with noise, and I went back to my room.
In the hall, Elijah was setting down his jacket on the wall, and he waved his hand toward me and asked me, "Hey, how's your day?"
I forced a smile, "Good."
He looked at the plate in my hand and heard him ask. "What's that?"
I explained, "It's just eggs and some French toast."
Eliah waved his hand, shaking his head, "I couldn't take your food."
I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not hungry. You can eat, at least the food won't go to waste anymore."
Elijah had an eager look in his eyes, and I told him, "There's some left in the pan if you want, and there's another toast on the plate."
Eliah grinned like a child, and he thanked me and walked past me, his large body stomping across the hall heading toward the kitchen. I headed toward the room, setting the plate down, losing my appetite after dealing with Angel and his attitude. I went to lie on the bed and closed my eyes to fall asleep. Feeling tired more than usual, my dreams followed me as usual.
I woke up about five hours later, and I came to the living room, meeting Elijah working on his computer, doing something. Elijah got off his computer, and he smiled at me with his reserved polite smile, "Hey, you've been sleeping for a long time."
I smile. "Yeah."
I didn't know what to say, so I stayed silent.
Eliah spoke, "Come sit down. I have something to say to you."
I sat down by his side and waited for him to talk. "Tomorrow you'll start school with Angel."
I nearly wanted to open my mouth and refuse. I wanted to go to a different school, but looking at Elijah's face, which looked tired for some reason, made me hesitate.
I asked, "Does Angel know?"
Eliah shakes his head, his messy hair falling over his face. "No. He's been off lately, and honestly, we haven't been speaking eye to eye, but I'll tell him tomorrow. I know it's a lot, but I believe you can do it."
I narrowed my eyes. "Why? You don't know me."
Elijah smiled sadly at me. "True in some way, but I knew you as a boy, you were someone who didn't give up no matter what."
I nodded and asked, "What time?"
Elijah smiled, "You'll get up at 6a.m."
For some reason, I decided to ask a random question, but the most important one. "Why are you helping me after what mom did to you?"
Elijah's eyes went wide at my question, like he didn't understand, then he looked at me like he finally understood that I knew the truth. He sighed and pushed back his messy hair, and he spoke in a low, tired voice, "When did you know?"
I lowered my head, looking at the bottom floor. "When she died, she wrote a letter. "She talked about you. She regretted stealing from you."
Unaware of a bitter, saddest smile curling on Elijah's face and he spoke in a rough, hard voice's voice. "When I first learned what she did to me, I hated her. I felt really betrayed. I couldn't understand why. I thought I gave her everything she needed. A home. A family. But apparently it wasn't enough for her."
I looked at him and asked, "Do you still hate her? If you do, why are you helping me?"
He stared at me with a gentle gaze, "I thought I hated her, but that hate was born from hurt. Underneath all that was hurt. In the end, I only love her. I can't stop loving her. No matter what she does, I will love her to the bitter end."
He got up from his chair and closed his computer, and grabbed the end of my shoulders, "Someday you'll understand when you fall in love. Love is like an unstoppable storm, capable of leaving you ruined in both good and terrible ways that can leave you damaged forever."
His words haunted me when I remained sitting in the chair, and I decided never to fall in love. It sounded like a terrible thing. I walked toward my room when a tall body bumped into mine hard enough that it left me bruised. I nearly glared at the person who was glaring at me also.
"Watch where you're going."
He spat out.
I snorted and walked past him, which angered him, and he pulled my shoulder from behind me. His hands turned me around, and his angry face bored into me, and I pushed his hands away from my shoulders. I said through my gritted voice, "Don't touch me."
My words caused him to narrow his eyes into slits like a predator.