Chapter 129 - A friend's friend.

"We are getting a divorce." Mira's mother, Mrs Bill spoke first when she noticed her husband wasn't going to speak first.

Color drained from Mira's face and it slowly wrinkled to form a from as she looked between her parents who were sitting opposite each other in the sitting room.

"You are joking, aren't you?" Mira asked trying her best to believe they were both only messing with her.

"Sweetheart, we wanted to let you know before we complete the paper work." Mr Bill said.

Mira had gotten her looks from her father. Mr Bill was the type of man who cared more about his  health than he cared about his family and had refused to see himself as old even though he was already approaching 50.

Just like Mira, he wasn't very tall. His wife, Susan was taller than the both of them. But unlike his father, Susan was pretty much average looking and a complete workaholic who didn't seem to care about her looks at all.

Her father ran a big time publishing firm while her mother was the Vice Chancellor of Winster University– one of the biggest federal universities owned by the government of the state.

Her mother had spent many years of her life trying to get to that height and now that she was there at 43, she was dedicating the rest of her years to doing well while neglecting her home just like her husband was doing. 

Mira stood up without sparing them another glance and began to head towards her room.

"Darling…" Her mother called after her as she followed and tried to stop her before she could enter inside her room.

"I'm sorry." Susan said looking sad.

Mira turned to look at her with her misty eyes and tried to contain her temper.

"So it finally came to this huh?" She asked rhetorically before laughing humourlessly. 

"Look dear, we've been trying to make thing work believe me. But it's not just working" 

"Because you both are terrible!" Mira blew up at her and saw her father standing far behind her mother.

"You are both selfish people who think of nothing else but yourselves."

"Do you both ever consider how I feel? All you do is work and work. You even sent me to school in a different city and never came to visit me once!" She said as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"I am your daughter! Your only child. At least you both should show a bit of care to me. Don't you ever feel bad that I prefer staying over at James' place than in my own house? This house!?"

"Do you know how much I envy James for having such nice family and parents?" Mira paused to catch her breath and began to cry.

"Darling… its‐---"

"I'm not done talking." Mira interrupted her father who was about to talk in a choked voice.

"I. Am. Not. Done. Talking." She repeated sternly when her mother tried to talk.

"I am tired of the both of you treating me like this. I am tired of being neglected. It's not just all about the money you send to me. I've been praying everyday for the day this stupid ambition of yours would die but now it's this….? Breaking up without even thinking about me?"

"You both go ahead and do what you like. But I am going to be divorcing you both also! I will never see you two again!" She said before entering inside her room and slamming the door making her mother to jerk in shock. One of Susan's hand was covering her mouth as she blinked back tears.

"She's going to be fine. Let's give her time." Mr Bill said placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her."

Susan nodded slowly before turning to head towards her room.

Mira's back was against the door as she sat on the floor and cried with her head buried between her raised knees.

This was the reason she could understand what Mia was going through because her parents always did this. They were never around.

Whenever she ended up with a guy and think.. 'Yay! He is finally the one', she would later find out he was either a student in her mother's university and wanted her to help him talk to her mother concerning something, or he was an editor or content writer who wanted a job in her father's company. They all wanted to use her to get to the people she hardly even saw at home. 

She felt so alone and only found peace whenever she was with her friends or at James' house because his parents and siblings made her forget about what she was going through.

************

"Are you going to keep snubbing me?" Jeremy asked Ellie as he served her a freshly baked bread he had gone to buy early in the morning. 

"…" Ellie said nothing and just sat down on the seat he pulled open for her. 

"Come on, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't think she would be there while I was making the call."

Jamie said sitting opposite her.

"I was so embarrassed. I felt like an idiot. Now she'd think I'm nothing but a liar and its all thanks to you,  my wonderful brother" She said rolling her eyes at him. 

"Come on, I said I'm sorry. I was also embarrassed!" He said before touching her arm. 

Ellie sighed.

"Why do you even like her? She doesn't like you."

She said sadly. 

"Isn't she a great girl? Didn't you like her when you met her?" Jeremy asked her with a smile.

"I did like her. She is great, yea. But she doesn't look like she likes you. Why don't you meet some other girl instead? I know a lot of girls like you."

"Come on, how can I like any other girl after meeting a girl like Chloe?"

"You really can't stop?" She asked with a sad sigh. 

He shook his head. "Maybe I can, but I don't want to. Seeing her makes me happy." He said with a dreamy look in his eyes. 

"If I tell you the family she comes from, you'll be shocked."

He said with twinkling eyes hoping that would finally make Ellie to smile.

"I don't care about whatever family she is from. I don't just want anyone treating you like you are below them." She said before leaving her chair.

"Come on, you have to eat. I stood on the line for a really long time just to make sure I got you this bread." He said with a pout.

Ellie sighed for the hundredth time before sitting back down and continued to eat.

Although she was still a little girl, she was really protective and sometimes behaved like she was his mother which was always funny to him. 

"Can you sleep over at the next house tonight? I'll be going to a party." He told her.

"Whose party?" Ellie asked curiously.

"A friend's. More like… a friend's friend." He corrected.

"You have a lot of new friends lately." She said looking at him with a squint.

"I am going to introduce you to all of them one day" He said with a smile before moving over to the sink to wash the dirty dishes.

He could only pray for Chloe to follow him to the party even though he knew that was impossible. He didn't like the fact that she was always either in class or in her office. The only time he had seen her out was at the party Benjamin held at his house and he was able to find out then that Benjamin's sister was Chloe's friend.

He looked at the sky through the window. It was now clear with the sun shining brightly. He pouted sadly remembering it hadn't rained heavily like he had prayed for last night.

The rain reduced when Chloe was ready to leave so they had both stuck to their original plans but this time, she gave him an umbrealla to stand there and wait for a taxi before driving off. Immediately she drove up, the rain got heavier.

She had told him she was going to sleep in today and go to the office at late noon. He smiled remembering he was going to see her later. 

********

Mia remained inside her room. She couldn't even read at all. Her back was on the bed and her eyes on the ceiling. 

She hadn't been able to think straight ever since Leo left the room. 

She sat up abruptly as she tried to put her thoughts in order. 

'Why do I always feel this way around him?'

'Do I like him?'

'So what about Benjamin?'

'Do any of them like me that way?'

She asked herself. 

Maybe the best thing to do was to actually invite Benjamin to the party just like Mira had suggested. 

Mira had said it would help her know who she really liked if both guys were at the same place. She had also said Leo's real feelings would show if Benjamin was there. 

She made up her mind to just invite him. It was either he said a yes or no, no big deal. She told herself before dialing his number.