Taken away, hima [chrysanthemum read aloud TXT] 📗

I spoke the next words… “I wanted to be big girl and move on but it’s very hard to forget the only person that I ever loved…” “It’s not wrong to feel like that but time will help you heal your wounds… I promise…” he said squeezing my hands gently. That gentle touch broke away all the barriers that I have created so well. “I know… every time I think that I could manage…someone would remind me of her and then… my dad won’t even talk to me… he hates me and is never sober. I know that he lost his loving wife but I lost my mom too…” I cried slumping onto the floor. Mike wrapped his hands around me and pulled me closer.

“He’s been drinking too much and I worry about him…What if something happened to him…? He is the only left for me…” I sobbed. “He will be alright… he just needs time…” he said. “I keep myself saying that but I need him damn it…” I shouted. Mike sat there all the time comforting me… I cried to sleep.

“You got her at last…” a silhouette whispered. “Yeah! She is vulnerable at this time and it would be easy to get to her…” Mike replied. “Why wait then…?” the shadow whispered. “I can’t… I need to gain her trust first…This time I’m not going to let her go… I have waited all these years for this…” Mike said his eyes distant.


I couldn’t remember anything about last night; I hurried to school after fixing breakfast to dad. I knocked once before leaving and as expected he didn’t reply.
“Hey…how are you feeling…?” Mike asked leaning onto his locker. Images of last night flooded my mind…I fell asleep on his shoulders…? That explains why my neck is soar…I thought. “Thanks…”I mumbled.

He grinned. “You need a friend or crying shoulder…you know what to do…”he said winking. I nodded. At lunch he joined me at my table… why is he being so nice to me…? What does he want…? Maybe he wants some help with the assignments… “Hey…baby…”Mike’s current girl friend Lana walked in. “Hey…What are you doing here…?” I picked up my plate and began to walk away…Listening to her snide remarks is the last thing I want now. Mike held my hand and pulled me to sit… I was surprised by his move; “sit down…”was all he said.

Lana and her friends grabbed chairs and rounded me. “I’m sorry about your mother…” Lana said, she knew mentioning her would hurt me and she did purposely. I nodded silently…I didn’t want to hear anymore from them…I tuned them out of my mind and picked at my food. “You need to eat…you look pale…” Mike said. Was that concern I see in his eyes…?

The day was surprisingly long and dull…When I walked to my locker I saw Mike and Lana fighting over something… I ignored them and collected my books and made it to the class room. I saw Lana glaring at me the whole time; her puffy eyes said that she cried a lot. By evening the news of Lana and Mike’s breakup spread out through the whole school. I wondered why he broke up with her…. I mean she is the most beautiful girl in the school. They were all over each other a few days ago.

“Liz…”I woke up startled as I saw Mike standing over my bed in my room. “What…?” I shouted, he quickly pressed his hands to my mouth. “I waited for you by the bridge…you never came so I thought I should check over you…”he said. I gestured him to remove his hands off me.

“Why would you wait for me…?” I asked. “I thought you know the reason…”he said. I stared at him. “I love you…” he said. “How many girls did you say this too…?” I smirked. “None…” he whispered. “I’m not dumb…” I scowled. “No…I flirt with girls…true but I never loved anyone…It has been always you…” he said sitting on my bed. I stared at him wondering if I should believe him….

“I need some time to think over it…”I said. “ I understand…take your own time but don’t say ‘no’...”he said. “Now…if you will please leave…” I pointed him towards the door. He stood up tentatively; I sneaked him out the door. I didn’t give any more thought about him that night…I know I’m not yet ready for this thing…I was kind of having my own problems.

I saw that he left a red rose in my locker, I need a friend and it could be him and mean while I will decide if I could have a relation with him. Mike sat with me the whole day and that resulted in Lana glaring at me… Days passed the same way and I grew fond of Mike…he is like my support stopping me from falling down and breaking into pieces… I never saw dad anymore but I had strong feeling that he is still drinking… Mike brought some light into my dark and gloomy life…He never pushed me to see him more than a friend but I know that I fell for him.

“Liz… I was thinking…”Mike was about to say something when I heard a familiar voice… “Max…” My heart skipped with joy on seeing him. He and I are childhood friends… we were brought up together… I ran towards him and he picked me up the floor and gave me big hug. “Max…Where have you been…?” I asked. “I’m sorry Liz…I wasn’t there for you when you needed me…”he said. “Liz…”Mike said standing beside me…I saw them glare at each other.

“I think we need to head to our class…”Mike said looking at me. “Yes…”I said and walked away with him one last smile at Max.

Our door bell rang… I ran to the door thinking it would be Mike…”Mike…”I said opening the door and was surprised to see Max standing at the door.

“Come in…” I said opening the door wide…He ducked his head to get inside which surprised me very much. “Wow! You have grown so tall…”I exclaimed. He smiled. “And you’re strong…”I said looking at his muscular body as he removed his jacket exposing his shirt that fitted well to his muscular frame. He laughed at me as I stared. “How did you grow so much in fifteen days…?” I asked. He shrugged his shoulders and relaxed on to the arm chair.

“Where have you been all these days…?” I asked sitting beside him. “I had some family business to take care of?” he said. “Since when were you interested in your father’s business…?” I asked. “I had no choice…”he said. I frowned at him that’s not an answer and the look on his face told me that he wouldn’t talk about it anymore.

“I waited up for you in the evening…I thought I could drop you…” he said tactically changing the subject. “Mike dropped me home…” At the very mention of his name he went rigid.

“Um…can I say something…?” he asked tentatively. I nodded. “Mike…he is not a good guy…I think it’s good for you to be away from him…”he said. “I mean…you know that he is a big flirt…” he said quickly. “Max…I know that he used to be a flirt but he changed a lot since you last met him…” I could see that he is not convinced. “He was the one who held me together when I…”I trailed off. “I’m sorry…I should be the one to…”I cut him off. “Don’t be…I know if you had any chance to be here you would surely come to me…” I said. “Thanks…”He said.

“Where’s Mr. Swan…?” he asked. “I don’t know…”I mumbled weakly. I haven’t seen him since a week, he locks himself up in the room, and the occasional sounds that come from the room are the only things that assured me that he is still there.

“What’s wrong…?” he asked raising my chin up to meet his eyes. “He hates me…he thinks that I’m the murderer of mom…”she said. Tears rolled down my eyes…

“Did he say that…?” he asked. There is no need to say it, I could understand that… he never talks to me and he keeps himself locked in the room. What else would be the reason for him to act like that? I thought. “He didn’t say that…right?” Max asked. “I know it…”I said.

“Liz…you know your dad well…he wouldn’t think like that of you… you know how much he loved you and your mother…it’s his way to face the grief…” he said. “I don’t know…Max…I need him now more than anytime and all he does is lock himself up in that room and when I get to see him; he is never sober… sometimes I feel like I’m all alone in this house…”I cried. Max enveloped me in his arms and hushed me. It felt really good to have him back after all these days…he was like my big brother always being there for me.

“Everything is going to be alright…okay…”he whispered. I know I have been hearing this for a while but hearing it from him somehow boosted up my confidence. He stayed up until late night and left after making sure I’m holding up good.


I recollected Max’s words about Mike as I went to sleep. I had a strange dream… A tall blonde with a dazzling smile was walking towards a thin framed girl with thick black curly hair, pixie face and twinkling, big, blue eyes, waving at him. Another tall, muscular, brown skinned with perfect features whisked the girl away from the blonde’s grip. The blonde snarled at him and the Tall guy glared at him with a big, throaty growl. The pixie girl ran to them trying to stop something and after what seemed to be hours, she saw each of them laying their head on her laps dripped in blood.

I woke up startled and couldn’t sleep after that dream. I was sure that the blonde was Mike and the tall guy was Max and the pixie girl is me. I understood that much but rest of the dream was a puzzle to me. I nodded my head in disbelief; it was just some stupid dream, I’m thinking too much… I scolded myself for my over thinking.

“It seems that you don’t need me anymore…” Mike said eying Max who was coming to join me at lunch. “Don’t say that…You’re my friend…I’ll always need you…”I said. “Too bad…I thought you would say something more than a friend…” He smiled. I blushed at his comment.

Max set his plate down on the table. “Is he going to join us…?” He said eying Mike. I nodded; I could see disappointment in his face. “I’ll talk to you later…”Mike said. When I asked why? He just shrugged his shoulders but I know that it has something to do with Max sitting with me.

The same thing happened throughout the day whenever Mike saw Max, he would just go away…I wondered what’s going on between them. In the evening Max dropped me at home…

“Hey…Are you sleeping…?” Mike was staring down at me, I woke up rubbing my eyes, and I was so used to his unusual appearances at nights so I didn’t shriek anymore.

He sat on my bed. “I’m never having enough time with you with that Max always around you…” Mike mumbled. I nodded stifling a yawn. “I was thinking…” “What…?” “May be we could go to the masquerade ball together…” he asked tentatively. “Sure…” I