Chances of Fate

IV-A Choice To Make

"There are some rumors spreading around the manor about your grades decreasing. Is that true?" Was the first thing that came out from the mouth of Amirah's father.

The youngest Hearst gripped her fork and didn't dare looking into his father's eyes.

Those gossips again. Gossips from maids and butlers who has huge ears and doesn't know how to shut their mouths. Of course they were all lies. But would they believe it?

"Oh, don't stress her that much, dear. She's still a kid, let her do her own stuff for now." Her mother waved him off.

"You might be forgetting that our daughter's a smart girl, she can figure stuff out on her own." She continued, tucking away the stray locks behind her ear, the hair that has the same color as her daughter's.

"I know she is, Milla." He replied and stared at his daughter. "Amirah, I have high expectations of you. Don't disappoint us."

Amirah only nodded as an answer and played with her food. She already lost her appetite. Why was it always like this whenever she eats with her parents?

If her older sister was here, she'd force her to eat—but things aren't the same anymore. Starving herself for one night isn't that bad, right?

"So, about Maddison," Her father started yet again, "you haven't heard anything from her yet?"

Amirah sighed. "For now, I can't find any source of her." She lied.

Maddison, her older sister, had been talking to her ever since she left and their relationship hasn't changed that much.

Covering them up wasn't a big problem since Laura was always the one who cleans up their mess.

"Have you tried talking to Laura about it?" Her mother asked.

Of course, her parents would ask that kind of obvious question. Before, Amirah wasn't the only one Laura was serving.

"I did. She has no clue about her either."

"I see..." Amirah eyed her mother who looked down with her hands on her chin.

"Maddison's such a pain sometimes." Her father mumbled.

"Oh my, could it be that you're just frustrated because your oldest daughter outsmarted you?" Amirah's mother grinned.

"Enough about her." He fixed his tie, his eyebrows creased. "Amirah, you need to be home early tomorrow. I want you to meet someone."

She knew what this was about. It was gonna be business talk again. The same old routine where her parents find a suitor for her.

"Lucian, I thought this was gonna be a normal dinner." Milla pouted, a little disappointed.

"We're a family that runs a company. Discussing about business is normal for us."

Amirah silently nodded and let out her bitterness by slowly sinking her knife in the mouthwatering steak lying on her plate. She twisted it over and over with the assistance of her fork and finally placed the utensils down without taking a bite of the contorted meat.

She stood up, alerting her parents. "I'm gonna go get dessert. Please excuse me."

Amirah pinched the bridge of her nose as her body rested beside the pantry's counter.

There were different kinds of sweet courses on the counter and some house staffs were discussing something related to it.

"Lady Amirah, do you want some?" A maid asked as she dusted her apron which was filled with flour.

"No thanks." She answered with a smile and faked a yawn. "Tell my parents that I'll be in my room."

"Understood, my lady."

She nodded and took a different route to her bedroom to avoid passing through the dining room.

As soon as her room was unlocked, she collapsed onto her bed and covered herself in blankets as her body started to continuously tremble in result of breaking herself again.

---

Everleigh walked below the streetlights as she heard the vehicle's noise disappear behind her.

When she was near her house, a familiar warmth wrapped around her hands and her body froze—refusing to turn around.

Her body went cold and her eyes widened. But she soon let out a smile once she spun around and noticed who it was.

"Ash, you shouldn't scare me like that." She started, gently pulling away from his grasp. "Why are you out so late?"

"I should ask you the same." His brows wrinkled. "I was worried."

Everleigh's pissed off smile turned to something else—guilt. "I can take care of myself." She replied, placing a hand over his shoulder. "Thank you for worrying."

"Can you at least explain where you were?" He sighed and started to lead the way back to their neighborhood since the two of them live next door to each other.

"I was with Amirah the whole time and she walked with me here."

"That's nice of her. But really, you should've called me. It's really dangerous at night." He looked away. "Also, do you mind going home a little late with me tomorrow? I want to tell you something."

"You're so nice, Ash. I'll call you next time, then." Everleigh replied, completely ignoring his last statement.

---

"Lady Amirah!"

The mentioned girl then stared back at the person in curiosity. "Is something wrong?" She was just about to take her first step on the porch when her maid called.

"Master Lucian has been expecting you two hours ago."

As soon as she spoke of her father's name, she felt a chill run down her spine. But it was no surprise that she forgot about it—she actually wanted it that way, hoping that her parents would soon give up on finding her a partner.

"Ah," Amirah nonchalantly replied, "I'll get ready soon." She then forced a smile and left the maid by the doorway as her personal assistant followed her.

A clean dress rested on Amirah's bed when she opened the room. She quickly picked it up and admired it. "The only good thing here is I get a new outfit every 'meeting'."

She turned to Laura who was silently observing her. "Go tell my parents that I'll be down in a minute."

"Understood."

After hearing the door click as a sign that her assistant was gone, she started changing her clothes and took time to braid two sections of her hair.

She took a deep breath a few minutes later and stared at her appearance in the mirror while Laura patiently waited outside the wide-opened door.

"How do I look?" Amirah asked, turning to her side and trying her best to be lively.

Laura c****d her head a bit and looked at her master from head to toe. "You look like someone who's about to deceive people with that innocent facade of yours." She replied, earning a quiet laugh from Amirah.

"D-do I really look like that? I... I don't think I can do it this time, though." She chuckled nervously as her legs started to wobble.

"You've done this for the 25th time, my lady. There's no need to worry."

"Y-yeah, you're... you're right." Amirah smiled. "Have you told them already?" She was then replied with a slight nod.

She knew it was going to be a long night after stepping out of her room once again.

---

"Say, do you want to go to the mall with me after school? I don't like to shop while wearing my uniform so we have to go home first."

Amirah stopped writing to stare at Everleigh who was in front of her desk. "I'm grounded." She replied, earning a frown from her friend. "But it's not like they're home today to double ground me. I'll come with you."

"W-what? But you're grounded."

"Yeah? It's not my first time sneaking out though. My sister and I sneaked out a lot." She smiled and patted Everleigh's arm. "It's gonna be fine."

"What if the maids find out?"

"It's Laura's job to keep them away from me. It'll work out somehow!"

"What's gonna work out?" A voice behind Amirah asked.

Everleigh stared at the person. "Oh, nothing. You're not supposed to eavesdrop on girls, Ash." She let out a threatening smile. "What else did you hear from us?"

"N-nothing."

"Good. How about you and Luke have a conversation on your own?"

"Sure!"

Amirah looked at her friend who was still staring at Ash's figure. She could feel the hidden annoyance in her. "I think we're okay, Leigh." She reassured.

"I'm just making sure." Everleigh rested her eyes. "Let's have fun later." She said in a sing-song manner.

"Of course." Amirah smiled back.

"Amirah! Someone's at the door looking for you!" A classmate of theirs yelled across the room, quickly grabbing everyone's attention.

Amirah wanted to sink in her seat and die in embarrassment.

"I-I'm coming." She replied and stood up, trying not to have eye contact with her fellow classmates.

"Ah! It's Amy Sallow from class 1-1!" One of them exclaimed.

"Why's she here?"

"I heard that the two of them are part of the literature club."

"It's no surprise since Amirah's good at those stuff."

She hasn't even reached the door yet but mumbles and whispers quickly traveled around the room. Though, it wasn't like they were talking bad things about her.

Finally, the girl everyone was muttering about greeted Amirah as soon as she stepped outside the room.

"Is this about the club?" Amirah started, placing both of her hands behind her.

"Aw, you already figured me out." Amy Sallow, a first year, and the club's president, smiled.

"Well, it's not like you come around your senior's room everyday, Miss Pres." She giggled, anticipation arousing within her. "So, are we gonna have another club acitivity?"

"We're gonna meet up at a park for an activity after school. You can come if you're free."

"I'm in!" Amirah quicky replied. "What's the pla—wait! I have plans with Everleigh after school!" She frowned.

"Is that so?" Amy placed a finger on her chin. "Well, since you're always active at the club, you can choose Everleigh instead of us."

Amirah creased her eyebrows, wondering if Amy was using reverse psychology on her. "B-but, I have an idea!" An invisible lightbulb lit up above her head. "What if—"

"No, you're not going to be in two places at once."

"H-how did you know?"

"Because..." She trailed off, poking her senior's cheek. "You're reckless and illogical."

"Hey, don't talk to me like that!" Amirah scolded, but Amy was already running away.

"Call me if you change your mind!" She waved off before disappearing in the halls.

Now, Amirah's screwed.

She wants to be with the literature club but also wants to be with Everleigh. She lifted up her glasses and rested it above her hair to pinch her nose until it turned red.

After some serious analyzing and logical arguments that was held inside her head, she concluded to one answer and that was: "I'm hungry..."

She checked her wristwatch and gazed at the classroom which wasn't supervised by any adult and shrugged before walking to the canteen. "I'm gonna decide later."

---

"My Lady, I'm now stationed outside the bathroom." Laura reported. "If I calculated it correctly, he'll pass by here before reaching the classroom."

"Call me if you're finished. I'm quite busy right now." Amirah replied through her phone.

"As you wish." And with that, her master hung up.

She quickly placed her phone inside her bag and fished out a pocket watch to check at the estimated time she has left for Ash to bump into her.

Once it was under two minutes, she hid the watch and composed herself. She knew it wasn't going to be that easy.

A familiar figure then appeared in her vision, climbing up the stairs and so she started.

With her head facing the floor, she walked up to his direction and purposely bumped into him.

It was so smooth that you would think that Ash was the one who bumped into her.

The bump was enough for the books Laura had been carrying fall from her arms.

"Sorry about that." Ash was the one who started.

He picked up the books to help Laura who replied with an uninterested, "It's fine." Keeping her demeanor the same.

"There you go." He released a small smile and was ready to leave when Laura gave a little tug on his uniform.

The cold stare piercing through his eyes made him uncomfortable. He raised a brow, mentally asking if she needed anything else.

"You're going to look for Everleigh, right?" She said. "I saw her enter the student council's office. I think she was looking for you."

"How did you—"

"Asher Grey, I'm pretty sure the whole school knows what you're up to now." Laura began to walk away. "Good luck."

"What a weirdo." He mumbled before falling into her trap and following the directions she gave him.

As Amirah's assistant was hiding her faint grin while staring at the target, someone who just heard their conversation inside the bathroom finally revealed itself.

"Laura Linden," He called, placing his hands on his sides. "Another mission, I see?"

Laura kept her composure and walked towards him. "Me and my Lady would appreciate it if you don't interfere with our business, Mister Lowell."

"Lowell? What happened to 'Alec'?" He stepped forward.

"I'm not fit to call you that anymore." She gave him a cold glare. "After all, we're done."

Her face softened for a bit as her eyes were written in confusion when she received a small laugh as a reply.

"Just because we're done working together doesn't mean we should stop being friends." Alec gave a friendly smile.

"I refuse to think that way. I'm sorry, but I'm too busy to be talking with you right now. Please excuse me." She sternly replied and walked past him.

Her legs stopped working when again, he called out her name.

"Let's have a deal."

"You're sounding like our former Mistress." She responded without looking back, her arms wrapping the borrowed books from the library.

"If you start calling me by my first name, I'll keep him distracted for the rest of the day."

Now, Laura's grip on the books tightened as she pondered.

Of course, Alec is the student council's vice president and can order the secretary, Asher, into doing anything because he said so. It was the perfect distraction, right?

She took a sigh of defeat and spun around to see his friendly smile. She started to walk back to him to answer his so-called 'deal'. "Very well, Alec."

Maybe it wasn't that difficult to handle Asher today. Laura was lucky.

---

"I can be in two places at once! I know I can do it!" Amirah yelled in confidence. At this point, sparkling effects were the only ones missing in action.

She had explained the decision that she has to make right now so that Everleigh will understand the situation in case Amirah wishes to go with her club.

"I don't think so." Everleigh smiled—in empathy. "You're thinking like a protagonist in some kind of teenage fiction novel and it will go downhill, I'm sure of that."

Everleigh's honesty towards Amirah never gets dull.

"But—" Everleigh quickly shushed her with her finger.

"So, who do you choose?"

"I—"

"Amirah, someone's looking for you." A third voice interrupted their conversation.

It was Laura who returned victorious from a tough battle.

"Alright!" Amirah replied and excused herself before scurrying her way to Laura.

She locked the bathroom door, made sure that no one was near them and quickly got to the point. "Spill."

Laura smiled vaguely. "His distraction will last until the school's curfew."

"Great! As expected of you!" She stopped to think, placing her knuckles below her chin. "But what exactly did you do?"

"I prefer talking about it back at the manor."

"Alright," Amirah unlocked the door and glanced at her before walking out. "You can go ahead and tell Jacob that I won't be needing the family's vehicle for today."

"As you wish. But before you go, may I know if you already chose someone to go with?"

That's when she realized that she completely forgot about it just because they talked about a different topic.

Laura was ready to comfort her, expecting Amirah to weep, but she let out a confident smile and said, "I already made my decision and I chose to go with Leigh."

"That was quick."

"Why are you so shocked about that!?"

"But in all seriousness, why did you choose her?"

Amirah's face softened and looked away. "She told me something about her..." she placed her hands on her back. "And I'm not supposed to tell."

"Very well." Laura acknowledged with a nod, knowing that her master didn't want to talk about it any further. "Please enjoy your day with Miss Miracle."

"I will. Also, it's still alright to call her by her first name in private. We already told you about this." Amirah pouted.

It was those two words that triggered Laura's recent memories again. "First name..." she mumbled. "I'll be thinking about it."

"Wha—Laura Linden, what are you talking about?" Amirah stared at her in disbelief. "There's no need to think about it!"

"Is that... so?"

"Yes!" She let out an exasperated sigh and tried to compose herself again. "Oh!, I know!" Her eyes lit up. "Let's just ask her!"

"I don't want to give you such hastle, my Lady. I'll just ask her myself."

"Then, I'm coming with you!" Amirah yanked Laura's arm and marched out of the bathroom.

She wanted to call her master by the usual way that she addresses her but she realized that they were now out in the public. "A-Amirah!" Laura called, indicating her to slow down but she didn't.

The two fought their way through the chaotic halls, the students of Silverstone Academy were excited to leave.

"The three of us are friends. You'll—" Her breath hitched as her head collided with somebody's body.

"Move it! I'm in a ru—" The stranger also stopped, her scrunched up face softening when she realized who she bumped into. "Oh, it's you."

Amirah pierced into her familiar orbs and found out that the girl she just crashed with was the one from the stairs.

"Err—Connie, right?"

"I knew it," Connie dramatically sighed as she placed both of her hands on the side. "I'm too pretty to be forgettable."

"P-pardon?"

The blonde haired girl didn't reply since she was too busy looking for someone in the sea of crowds. "I'm going now, Tequila. See you around!" And without even looking back, Connie rushed past her.

The people surrounding the halls stopped to stare at another person yelling out Connie's name. He didn't even have to dodge the students who were on his way because they were making a way for him.

"He's making a ruckus again." One of the students whispered to a friend.

"What a troublesome guy. But he's cute though." Another one gossiped.

Amirah confusingly stared at the disappearing figure who was chasing Connie. "Wasn't that Azure?" She mumbled to herself, wondering if the two knew each other.

"She called you Tequila. Tequila is an alcoholic beverage made from the blue agave plant—"

"Laura, I know what a tequila is."