“Who said I’m taking you to your house?" He said this without looking in my direction.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"I’m just doing you a favor." He says, and I give him a questioning look, "You haven’t walked for Nana this morning, and I didn’t get a chance to meet you at the campus. Surely you missed me. Fortunately, I’m a gentleman. I will spend my free time just for you."

"Because these following days, we will be busy with practice. You better get ready to watch me ace every game." He glanced at me and got a chance to wink, but I just rolled my eyes.

Heavy rain continues to pour outside. I stayed quiet for the whole ride. I’m a bit cold now and sleepy. I want to have my own bed and have a good sleep.

"We’re almost at home," he says. The gate of the village came into view. I still can’t believe that he’s really willing to take me to their house.

"Can you just go straight and I will tell you where my house is?" I asked as we entered their village.

"Don’t worry, I will do that later or maybe tomorrow after you get a good rest at my house. What do you think?" He says that makes me frown. He’s really out of his mind.

"Tomorrow? Are you crazy? And what do you mean by 'getting a good rest’? Are you implying that I cannot get a good rest at my house?" Is this his way of telling me that I’m not rich like him? I am a poor girl who’s worried about how to survive every day.

"No! That’s not what I mean. What I’m trying to say is, I want to take good care of you.” He smiles at me while maneuvering his car and blowing the horn to get the attention of their maid to open their gate.

When I saw their house, the only thing I could think to do was stare in awe. This is more glamorous compared to the house of Miss Denny. This looks like a house from a fiction book. We stopped in front of their main door. One of the maids came with an umbrella. Travis got out of his car and let the maid enter the home and came back to me. He opened the door and helped me get out of his car.

What title of the movie is this?

"Hmm... let me think about it later. We need to get you dry first." I frown.

"Did I just say..." I intentionally cut myself because I already knew the answer. I say aloud what’s on my mind.

"Oh, Travis, who is this girl?" asked an old lady.

"I will tell you later, Miss Liv." He answered politely.

He led me upstairs; we passed through their beautiful living room. There are some of their pictures hung effortlessly. Every corner of their living room screams money. There is a large television with expensive decorations around it. I remembered our first and last television. It was completely nothing compared to theirs. We didn’t bother to buy a new one. No one is interested in watching; we’re all busy, after all.

There is a gigantic chandelier hanging on their roof. I can clearly see the details of it while taking a step upstairs. I could see a few maids from here walking around putting things in their places.

"You can find rooms here on the second floor. My room is there. And some of the guest rooms." He pointed to the room at the end of this floor. Even here, there are still some displays. But what I can say is that it has a different ambiance here.

He opened the door of his room, "Welcome to my room." He grinned at me while I was in awe upon seeing his room.

This isn't what I expected from him. I thought he was unorganized and didn’t know how to tidy up his things, but I judged him early. His room was the opposite of what I was expecting. There is one king-sized bed and two nightstands on both sides. One has a lampshade while the other one has his random stuff. There are shelves parallel to his bed. In the center of it is his television.

The large TV downstairs is still not enough.

Trophies and anything connected to his sports are on the right side of the shelves, while on the other side are tons of books.

There is also a glass wall and a sliding door adjacent to his bed that looks like a large TV if you’re a fan of nature, and from what I can see, there is a veranda outside. Rain is still roaring outside. There are no creatures that can be seen outside. The room was silent. The only noise was the heavy pitter-patter of the rain as it hit the ground and house outside.

Of course, there is a veranda. What do you expect him to do with that sliding door?

Sometimes I ask myself a stupid question.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"It’s good. Why did you bring me here?" I tried to keep myself awake, but my head became heavier with each minute that passed by.

"To take care of you." I rolled my eyes.

"But you can bring me to one of your guest rooms." I scoffed.

"Ah, don't feel so special that I'll bother getting one of our guest rooms ready." I glared at him. I turned around to leave him here. He was just helping my headache become worse.

"I was just kidding. You are more than special. No one dares step inside my room. not even my mom." He grabbed my arm to stop me. He closed the door in front of me.

"Do you think I will believe you?" I stared at him with a questioning look.

“You can ask Miss Liv if you have a doubt about it. But first of all, you need to get a change. "

I’m about to protest, but before it happens, I sneeze three times in a row.

"Told you." He placed his hands on my shoulder and gently led me to his bathroom. "Take a shower and I will find you a pair of clothes." He closed the door to his bathroom and I locked it.

When I turned around, I saw myself in the mirror. My eyes are puffy and red, as well as my nose and cheeks. My face is pale and my lips quiver in the cold. I looked around. Just like in his room, things in here are very organized. It feels like I wouldn’t dare touch things and keep everything in its place.

I heard a soft knock on the other side. I opened the door and Travis came into view. My eyes diverted to his hand.

"Here, use this." I took it and closed the door again and locked it.

He gave me a towel, his sweatpants, hoodie, and white shirt. I was unable to contain my smile.

I folded my clothing after taking them off. As soon as the cold water touched my skin in the shower, I started to quiver. I don't want to use the heater because I'm not used to taking heated showers.

I completed my tasks, turned off the shower, and dried myself off. I'm unable to be here any longer. It's becoming steadily colder. I hastily put on my clothes and left.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked. He leaves whatever he’s doing and rushes to my side.

"You're burning!" he says as he touches my forehead. He scooped me up in his arms. I tried to protest, but I’m too weak. I can’t even open my eyes properly. They are getting heavy. All I can feel right now is heaviness.

He put me on his soft bed and tucked me in the blanket. I felt so relaxed in his bed. I never thought that I would get a chance to be in a bed like this. It smells like him; it also helps me to calm down. I attempted to keep my eyes open, but I failed.

"Sleep now, Alexa. Take some rest." As soon as I heard him whisper something, I was out like a light.
***
"Mother..." says the girl in pigtails. Maybe she’s around five years old. She tried to catch a woman in front of her, who I guess was her mother, but her mother dodged her attempt. She’s trembling, and there are a few beads of sweat on her forehead.

The girl’s eyes started to water. There’s a tear brimmed around her eyes. I was rooted to my place, watching them from a distance. I can’t move from my position. This feels very familiar to me.

"Don’t you dare touch me!" her mother yelled at her. And with that, tears flowed freely on her cheeks. I want to run to the poor girl, but I can’t. I somehow see myself in this scene in front of me.

"But why, mother?" The girl takes a deep breath, "I’m your daughter and I just want to feel your hugs. I’m scared." She put a smile on her face, but it didn’t meet her eyes.

"You're right, but you're my fucking daughter!" we both flinched at what she had just said.

I looked away from them. I can’t dare watch them. There are a lot of emotions whirling inside of me. I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself, but the moment I opened them, the woman from the distance was now in front of me. My hands were wet with my own tears as I moved them across my cheeks.

I looked directly into her face, and I quickly regretted what I did. I hated what I was seeing. Her eyes were filled with rage. She looked at me disgustedly. And it now registers with me.

I was the poor girl. I just watched how I made myself a fool for asking my own mother for a hug. Just one stupid hug was all I needed, but she chose to hurt me instead.

I tried to cover my ears to avoid hearing it, but there’s no sense because it will always and forever engrave on my mind, "I don’t fucking care about you. You’re just a piece of nuisance. And I’m looking forward to the day that you’re finally gone from my life. "
***
My eyes shot open; I quickly closed them again when it hit the lights. My eyes stayed closed until I had adjusted to the lights. I breathe heavily. I can feel a sweat forming on my forehead. I tried to sit but my head wouldn’t allow me. It still feels heavy, but lighter than earlier.

Why do I need to be awakened from that nightmare again? Why is it coming back to me?

"Alexa...you looked pale even more." I didn’t notice that he had already entered the room. He rushed to my side. He was holding a tray. He puts the tray on his nightstand and checks my temperature.

"You still have a fever but you’re not burning up compared to earlier." He smiled at me and I just stared at him. His eyes are full of concern. How I wish I could see those looks from my mother.

"Here, let me help you." He helped me to sit.

"Why was it the people you loved who hurt you the most?" I blurted out, looking directly into his eyes.