" Who are you?" My mother asked looking at the young lady that walked into my room. She didn't look like Cassie. Cassie was the only lady I had introduced to her as my girlfriend. " My name is precious. I am.." she was about to say another word when her eyes darted towards me. " Are you feeling guilty?" I said with an icy tone. " Is that why you are here to apologise?" Precious was short of words. " You know, I saw a lot of potential in you and you could have really been the guy that I was going to use to make Jeremiah jealous but then he took you down in a minute like you meant nothing to him. I am sorry about the state you are in..." She was about to continue when my mother flared up in anger. " Was this about some girl again,son?" Eva asked and my heart skipped a bit. Out of everything I had always tried so hard to avoid was having a conversation with my mother. She was always on edge each time she learnt that I was in a tangle with some guy over a lady. " Mom, it is

Eva’s silence hung thick in the air, her lips slightly parted as if searching for the right words to say. The question had caught her off guard, and I could tell from the way her heartbeat sped up — yes, I could hear that now — that she wasn’t expecting it. "A hospital?" she finally asked, her voice almost inaudible. "Why would you say that, Pontius?" I leaned back against the couch, twirling the walking stick in my hand like a baton. The world around me still looked like sketches from an animation — lines, curves, and shapes — but clearer now. More defined. "Because you don’t belong behind that tiny counter of yours, packaging drugs for people who don’t even know your worth. You deserve more, Mom. So much more." Eva lowered herself into the seat opposite me, her hands clutched tightly in her lap. I watched her closely, the outlines of her face softer now in my eyes, but still readable. She was overwhelmed, maybe even scared. "Pontius, do you have any idea what it takes to own a

" Leave the blind! I am sure he doesn't know what he is talking about." Jeremiah said and yanked me towards the door right behind me. I smirked as I watched him and his friend walk out of the toilet. I adjusted my glasses. " Good thing they all don't know I could see." I said, getting up to my feet. I remembered how Jeremiah's father had walked into my house smiling. I wonder why she did it? Was she trying to test my patience or something? Eva knew how much I hated Jeremiah at school and how much I hated the fact that she toiled day and night only to be back in his arms. Her voice echoed in my ears once again. " You both need to get along." She said without taking my feelings into consideration. " Pontius, Mark, here is going to be your father." Eva dropped the bomb shell on me and I could feel my word growing tiny. " Was she being serious or she was just messing around?" I looked at Eva and then back at Mark. " You? You really think you can waltz into our life a

The prom night was just a few hours away. I was broke, and didn't have enough cash with me. I had offered the last cash in my account to help my mother sort out the bills for building her new hospital.I was beginning to see it as a mistake and wonder if this was a kind of a plan made by Jeremiah's father to know how financially stable we are. I knew he was going to be perplexed when he heard that I bought back the house. As I strapped my backpack to my back I saw Felicia staring at me. Probably wanting me to come over for a talk. I turned a blind eye and pretended I didn't see her. But then I walked into Zeo The pretty nurse I had met at the sick bay. I collided with her in a rush to get away from Felicia who was now walking right after me." Oh god!" Zeo said with some of their things falling down. I heard the crash of a bottle fall from her hand as when I stared at it, I saw it was a can malt. She probably had taken one at the cafe vendor. She raised her eye sadly and my face

I looked at all the students' faces, and I could see they were more than eager to see what I was really going to do. My cane was tightly grasped in between my fingers as I looked at their faces. Each has a cartoon face. I wonder why I have been seeing that anyway. But it didn't matter as long as I could see. My palm that was initially damp became sweaty. My glances began to shift between Cassie, Felicia and Zeo. Layla stood still with her gaze following my movements. Precious also walked in a few minutes ago. They all stood still, eyes on me. "Has he actually been spending Jeremiah's father's money?" "Is that what this was all about?" "I doubt he even has a cent in his account." "If he did, he would have shown us by now." "Little Pontius doesn't even have a hundred bucks." I could hear their voice and the way I was being shamed. I closed my eyes, and it was as if I asked, saying a silent prayer. I prayed the system would come back to my aid. All I needed was just