Chances

Chapter Twelve

Tina turned back to see him leaning over the table she had just almost tripped over. She thought how amazing it was to have this man nosing about again.

She knew she couldn't show any sign of pain. It was already normal for her to wince over her hitting her thighs. After all she was human and she couldn't resist pain. But if she showed too much pain, she was sure he would wonder why a grown up person would almost cry over bumping into a table.

He wasn't willing and ready to go even when she; without words told him she wasn't going to answer that. But as stubborn as he thought he was, he raised his eye brows to show how interested he was.

That got Tina's hair on her back pulling, threatening to pierce through her black dress. If he wasn't willing to go until he found out, then it meant he suspected her and would like to know if she was the possible girl who got shot.

Jad was a few foot away and she knew he was the smartest guy alive. If he called or got closer to where they stood, he wouldn't take time to figure out what was happening to her. If not sooner then she didn't know when the blood will show on her dress due to the physical contact she had with the table.

She looked at the man in front of her and faked a smile which made him smile back. That was a good sign he wasn't suspecting her.

He had this thing about his smile, that made her wonder sometimes if her foster sister fell for him each passing moment she got, lost looking at him. Truely he was handsome, kind, childish sometimes, helpful and full of potentials. It would be unreasonable to end such a person's life: which would seem impossible, considering where his interests were going.

Instead of Tina aborting her plan and living in peace, she had more plans forming in her pretty already nasty head.

“Dean I don't know why you are interested in knowing if I'm OK but I guess you should back off and let me be," she leveled him with a hard look which almost sent him running into his mother's arms. He didn't know she had that look in her.

The look that made you think you were going to die anytime soon if you didn't clear off. The look that stared hard and stayed longer on your face, making your face look fearful. The look that drew your lips in a thin line and made your face look straight and also thin.

When Tina realized how scared her face could possibly be, she smiled and shook her head as if she wanted to hug him as though he suddenly looked cuter.

“I just wanted to know if you were OK. It's nice to know you are OK. You are complicated as your sister," he said and almost got her running the table over his face. He dared to compare her sister to her. Foster sisters or real sisters, she wouldn't allow anyone to compare them together.

She watched as Dean finally backed away from her. Her eyes went back to Jad who was busily explaining things to them while she was dressing the dining table for early lunch.

When she first checked the day's menu, she hissed and couldn't stop the curses from flowing from her mouth.

She was allergic to every food on the day's menu. It was annoying she had offered to prepare it. It would've been easier for her to poison the food and everyone would be gone in just a few minutes like how Jimmy suggested but she wanted a clear shot.

She wished everything was OK and the man Jimmy almost sent to his early grave was getting better and Jimmy hadn't found him to finish him off.

He shouldn't have meddled in their chat. He could've just ran in and tell everyone but he chose to show himself off and brag about his love for them and how strong was. She sighed, taking a deep breath afterwards and headed to her bedroom. Getting in there, she quickly locked the door and started undressing her wound after lifting her dress.

She could see blood on the bandage. She cursed once again before changing the bandage. She quickly went to her washroom to neatly wash off the blood from the bandage.

She hadn't heard anything from Jimmy and surprisingly she didn't seem to care. After a while when she got away from him, she didn't get the slightest need to worry about him or feel how she missed him. She thought at first she was worried or wanted to see him, which she believed was what should be the feeling after moving away from a boyfriend, but due to some few reasons like how she went to live with her sister, she lost interest in his whereabouts.

But not her mind twisting revenge.

***

It wasn't long ago since Jad left. His partner; Red had called him to come to the office. He promised to see them when he got the chance. Food was all ready and set.

Everyone sat around the table, including Kourtney and Tyler who had just come back from the park. Marisca sat across Leah and beside David. She had a napkin sitting on her laps. She was still scared from all the crimes that were going on. She was scared it could be her the murderer was looking for or targeting at.

She had been through worse things but now that she had a son, she didn't want to leave her son as an orphan.

Kourtney asked Tyler to pray, which he gladly pressed his palms together and started to say a prayer.

Leah was starving and couldn't even wait for Tyler to finish praying. She just washed her hand and dugged her fork into the food. As always, Tina prepared the food deliciously.

The young prince finally said Amen. They all burst into laughter when they saw Leah was almost half way done.

“What? We all know how he prays and I'm so hungry. How can he be praying about toys while the food is getting cold?" Leah explained, not caring about the chicken she had picked up with a tissue to eat.

Everyone shook their heads and settled their forks into the food smiling before them.

Leah was keeping an eye on Tina: to see if she would eat the food she had prepared. And her guess was right. She had never seen a grown up who was as foolish as Tina was.

When Tina was about to push the food into her mouth, Leah held her hand. Her face was gradually turning pure red. Her chest heaved rapidly. She almost lost it.

“Why are you about to eat this food?" Leah questioned when she realized everyone was shocked about witnessing her holding Tina's hand and preventing her from eating.

“She's allergic to soya beans, today's meal has that in it and she...she cooked the food herself. God, are you trying to send me early to my grave?" She glared back at Dean for asking her to keep her cool together.

“I didn't want to be a burden, that's why. Forgive me," Tina simply apologized and tried getting up.

That night, it really for no reason, hurt her Leah made her feel like a small girl and she was going to enjoy every time she screamed out the pain Jimmy and her would be giving her.

With her own index finger, she wiped her tears that had threatened to fall on her chubby cheeks. Once again she ate something different from what ever the rest ate.

***

Marisca walked into Leah's room. She wasn't happy about how she shouted at Tina.

She reached for the door and slowing opened it and jumped on her once she got to the bed. Leah screamed her lungs out but the heavy singer didn't mind worrying her with her quest.

They both were wearing their night dresses. They both had their giggles spreading around the room.

Marisca sweetly called Leah's name and she knew her friend came to her to only talk about the way she treated Tina some hours ago.

“See, it's not that I intentionally did that. I was angry at her. She cooked the meals, she should've cooked something for herself. She always did that, the last time when mum and dad ate together with us, she deliberately cooked with something she was allergic to. And forced it down her throat. We had to run so many times to get her a doctor. It took her so many days to be OK," Leah angrily narrated as she secretly remembered the parents who took her in even when they had nothing.

They ate together, laughed and yawned together. She knew anytime she ate with Tina's parents, Tina didn't like it. Mostly they loved eating what she was scared to eat. She wanted to feel the joy. She knew how it felt to be left out.

She was their biological daughter yet they treated Leah as the princess instead of her.

They laughed and ate while they talked about where they last ate that from and so on.

Leah went further to explain to Marisca but Marisca only held her hand up. Then Leah got angry and sacked her, pulling her back out of the room.

Closing Leah's door behind her, David walked up to her. Suddenly she got nervous. She felt her breathing becoming faster than it normally was. She wasn't feeling right, but it was a good feeling.

They stood, admiring each other. Marisca cleared her throat and tried moving away but he quickly leaned into her, touching the door behind her with both his palms.

Marisca blushed all kinds of colours and David smirked.

“I can still see I have the same effect on you," David whispered softly into her ears, biting her soft ears.

That moment, she knew it was going to be a long night.