Chap. 7: Changing

When we got out of the house, I shivered. I didn't know the night was so cold. The worst was that I was wearing a sleeveless shirt as the afternoon was terribly hot. He noticed my trembling, and grinned. He snuck out of his jacket and placed it on my shoulders. I refused but he shook his head.

" You don't wanna catch a cold."

" Fine."

It was cozy, it had his scent which I loved in it. I smiled as I looked at the road.

The traffic was congested, a typical Saturday night. We walked down the pave way. He was walking close to me, I shifted further away from him, but he just came closer. In the end, I gave up and continued walking.

" It's a Saturday, don't you spend time with Kai?" I asked casually.

" Well, it's an off-day I guess, since you were coming. I was actually at Kai's house before you came. Then when I noticed the time, I made an excuse and went home." He explained.

" Oh, sorry about that. Must have been a rush huh?"

" Well, not really. Why would it be in a rush?" he asked. I blinked.

" But, you went to Kai's house and came back, didn't you?"

We stopped walking and looked at each other, puzzled. Apparently, there was a miscommunication. When he finally figured out my words, he chuckled.

" You don't understand… I thought you did."

" What?!" I growled, irked.

" You know, that house opposite my house-"

" Mansion." I corrected.

" Fine, that mansion opposite my house was actually Kai's."

My jaw dropped, I was sure my expression was priceless as he was laughing hysterically.

" I thought you knew that when you were staring at it in my room. I mean, it's obvious isn't it? Kai's the richest guy in the world." He grinned. " Maybe you're not the geek I imagined you to be."

" I wasn't a geek in the first place." I muttered. But it made him laugh even more. I rolled my eyes. He didn't seem to mind.

" Denial gets you nowhere, Liz. You stick with Kenny like superglue ever since the first day he came here." I think he's jealous. I smirked and continued walking. He followed me.

" Someone's jealous…" I grinned. He scowled.

" I'm not."

" I didn't say it was you. You admitted it yourself."

He shook his head, folding his arms defensively. " Anyway, you seem to… detest your family. I don't think any kid does that without a reason."

" It's none of your business Tal. Besides, I'm not a kid, I'm sixteen."

" I'm just concerned. Besides," he smirked, mimicking my voice, " I'm seventeen. Which makes me boss whenever I'm around a freshman like you, dearest Lizzie." I rolled my eyes.

" It's nothing, seriously."

" I was afraid it'd affect your life and personality."

" Nah, it won't. It's just a family, not some life and death situation."

" It's not just a family Liz… It's important you know…" he frowned.

" Sounds like you went through a lot of family matters in your childhood."

" I guess so, my dad was a strict person. And I didn't really like him. Even now, we don't really talk to each other. All he has in his crazy mind is his damned business."

" Dads huh?" A dad… Come to think of it, I never heard mum mentioning about my father, nor did I ever thought of my father… I kept thinking about it, trying to recall dad. Lily once said we had a proper family until I was three, and dad left us. But if so, I should have some memories about him. Hmmm… what the hell's going on? I kept on thinking, until I noticed him staring at me.

" What?"

" Something's troubling you."

" Was it that obvious?" he nodded.

" You were mumbling about something. I picked up the 'left us' word."

" Oh, it's nothing. Just something that struck me…"

" It is something. Don't deny."

" No, seriously." I tried putting up a convincing smile, he didn't buy it. Heck he didn't even glance at it.

" Lizzie…"

" Oh it's really nothing. It's just that…" I struggled to find the correct words. When I found them, I continued. " I never really heard mum talk about my dad. The 'dad' part seems like a missing hole in our family. But Lily said we were a family until dad left when I was three. But if so, I should have at least one memory about him…"

" That's complicated…" he frowned. " But you were so young then, maybe you just had a forgetful childhood." He smirked. I elbowed him playfully in the arm.

" It's a possibility."

-

We reached my house in about 30 minutes. My house was completely quiet and looked too shabby compared to his and Kai's. I was slightly embarrassed. It resembled a new and cleaner ghost house.

" Sorry about the house…" I apologized as we reached the door.

" Why do you apologize? It's not your fault either…" he sighed.

Silence emerged from the surface as we looked at each other. Feeling rude, I invited him into the house.

" You wanna come in?"

" Nah, it's late. Next time." He smiled.

" Oh, okay. Thanks for walking me home." I gave him a quick hug and closed the door before he could say another word. I ran –practically flew- upstairs and looked out the window, seeing him disappear among the crowd. Only then did I enter my room.

-

SUNDAY!! HOORAY!! I woke up at eight due to my sleepless night yesterday. I folded the comforter and brushed my teeth and washed my face, doing the usual morning routine. After a nice shower, I changed into a pair of old shorts and a baggy shirt. It felt so good to be at home when no one's around, although it does get lonely sometimes. Lily had a sleepover at her lackey's house while mum was spending the night at her boyfriend's house. I drank a glass of milk for my breakfast and went back to my room. It definitely needed cleaning. There were still some boxes of clothes that were unpacked, and yet my wardrobe was almost full. I opened it, and found my childhood clothes. I frowned. I definitely couldn't wear them anymore. Maybe I'll give them to the damned neighbours. I hope they don't mind hand-down clothes.

-

Around mid-noon, I was done. My room was clean and the damned boxes were solved. Suddenly, I spotted Tala's jacket in my bed. Oops, I forgot to return it to him yesterday… Shoot me… I sighed, making a mental note to return it to him later.

-

Ivanov residence.

Tal, it's me.

Oh. Wait a minute, the gate's opening.

As anticipated, the gates swung open as I walked in. He waited for me patiently as I took small steps, panting.

" I can't believe you're tired after such a short walk." He frowned, annoyed.

" For someone who doesn't really excel in sports, you can't really blame me. Anyway, here's your jacket. Sorry about yesterday. I forgot."

" It's okay. Anyway, come on in."

I hesitated for a bit. His smile was really inviting, but I had other stuff to do at home. In order not to disappoint him, I relented. We went to his room again. He nudged me to sit down while he went to get us both a glass of water. His computer was on, and I could guess he was online. The conversation boxes kept blinking. I didn't want to invade into his privacy, so I just ignored them. But what I was most curious about was the stack of paper in front of his seat. Before I could flip through them, he returned with two glasses in his hands. He handed me one, I paused.

" Don't worry, it's not poisoned." He assured. Finally, I took it and left it on the table.

" I'll drink it later. Anyway, your MSN conversations are blinking." I took this as an excuse to get up and drink my water. " I'll wash them." I took them downstairs, giving him privacy to reply.

When I entered the kitchen, all the maids stared at me. I gulped and ignored them, continuing walking to the sink as they went away. I sighed silently and washed the glasses.

When I got up, he was already done. The bars of conversation boxes were gone. I blinked and sat down.

" So… what am I supposed to do now?"

" I need your help, for a project." He said as my eyes lit up.

" Project? Where?"

" We're supposed to finish our assessment tomorrow. But I was quite occupied for the last few days." I nodded, agreeing.

" What's the title?"

" Something about global warming and the Earth's future if we don't take care of it. Sadly, I was teamed up with Tyson, so you know what I mean."

" Yeah, sucks much. But the topic is pretty easy. So it shouldn't be a problem for you." I scowled.

" Well, I have a few. But it's not enough. Two heads are better than one, aren't they?"

" Touché. Anyway, let's get started then."

(A few hours later)

We were almost done when Tala's mobile rang.

Beep. Beep.

He sighed. " Sorry." He excused himself and went out of the room.

I nodded and sat in silence, humming a favourite tune until he came in.

" Sorry about that. But you gotta go. I'll send you home." He said. I nodded as we went out of the room.

-

We took his car, which was a damned sleek Lamborghini I secretly wanted –if possible- when I got my license.

" What's up?"

" Nothing actually… That was just a reminder. Tami's coming home later so I gotta pick her up, along with Andrew."

" Oh…"

" Or you can go if you want to. I'm sure they'll be glad to see you." He opted.

I shook my head. " Nah, I don't wanna spoil your little reunion with your family. Besides, I have stuff to do at home. I'm slightly late for cooking." I smiled.

" I see. Sorry for wasting your time."

" It's not wasting. It was fun." We both grinned. A few minutes later and we arrived in front of my house. He leaned forward to kiss me on the cheek as I ruffled his hair before getting out of the car. I waved until he was out of sight. I stood out in the wind, thinking about the times we've been together lately. I had a hunch things wouldn't go so smoothly this time though.

-

Soon, Monday came. Nothing much happened. We just carried on with our lives until he messaged me during class. He asked me if I'd spend recess with the gang. Seeing that no one was noticing, I replied him, saying that I'd be spending it with my best pal Kenny, and that was the only communication we had for the rest of the day.

-

I regained my spirits and energy during work, so Penelope stopped her sudden checking on me. Oh yeah, and I got my first weekly salary too!! YAY!!

-

When I got home, mum was cooking dinner. I threw my bag aside and went to help her cut the vegetables.

" Lizzie, be a dear and pass me the tomatoes." She said. I obeyed.

" Lizzie dear, pass me the salt." I obeyed.

" Lizzie, pepper please." I obeyed.

I obeyed every single instruction, somehow hoping I would get her attention and stop comparing me to Lily. Yeah, I'm really a hypocrite… But I just want my parent to notice my good work and not my bad ones. Was I asking too much? In the end, I didn't say a word. When we finished dinner, I took a pail of water and a mop and started to mop the oily floor. Suddenly, mum just patted my head and smiled. I blinked.

" Good work Lizzie." She praised. I couldn't help grinning sheepishly. " Keep up the good work."

" Thanks mum,"

I felt a balloon swelling inside me. She praised me! She finally said something good about me besides praising Lily!! Others would probably just think it's nothing but a compliment but somehow, I didn't. It made me much more confident to continue living. At that moment, I felt as if life was different. I felt beyond happiness.

Humming my favourite tune, my work was done in a few minutes.