EVIDENCE 2: THE LAST PETAL

CHAPTER-18

DEBBIE

Keith had dropped his notebook while we were cleaning the whole area , he had gotten a little better with me , he still behaves rudely sometimes but it's less now and yep he still makes me run his petty errands because of that stupid video.

I reached his house to return his notebook. His house was a whole mansion with so many glass windows and it was majestic. Fountain near the entrance and a beautiful garden outside. The guard let me in by seeing my uniform and Keith's notebook in my hand.

I was almost about to ring the bell but I saw him getting slapped by his father through a glass window near the door. I was completely shocked and frozen on my spot. The slap was so loud that even I could feel the vibration. I slowly started moving away from the door in an attempt to quietly walk away from there and pretend like I never saw anything because I didn't want Keith to feel more bad about it but before I could go , he came rushing out of the door and saw me still standing there. His face showed utter embarrassment and tense rage at that moment.

We ran away from his house and he took me to some nearby park. We sat on the bench and I was trying to catch my breath, it was uneven. I hadn't run in a while and the process of respiration wasn't coordinating so well with me right now.

"Forget what you saw there." He said with a blank expression and I did understand how he felt and maybe got the reason behind his absolutely trashy behaviour at school.

"I know you act tough from the outside , there's a little good human hiding behind these hard walls you built and maybe you can break through these walls and express yourself truly the way you are."

"Don't pity me Debbie , I'm not some average kid I'm supposed to be perfect and I am perfect.. I-" there was a lump forming in his throat and his voice started cracking.
"I tried so hard to be good at everything and still it's not enough."

"No one is perfect in this world , you have your flaws but your good overshadows your flaws and have people around you who will even love your flaws."

"Easy for you to say , you don't have people pressurizing you around."

"If you think being an orphan is that easy then you're wrong. I lost my parents in an accident and my sister... She's missing. You have people around you who love you , I know parents can be hard to deal with sometimes but sometimes you just have to let the grudge go , give in to things that makes them happy and moreover they are your parents they still love you. You should sit down and have a serious talk with them , make them understand your side too."

"I am sorry Debbie... You're going through a lot on your own and I had been troubling you about you since so long and still you're here listening to me being so nice and gentle to me. Even after all these times when I've been an absolute jerk to you. Just why?"

" I never thought of you as a bad person Keith , to me you're just like other kids who are trying their best to fit into this world. The paths you take are wrong but it's never too late to correct your mistakes. Give it a shot and who knows you might like it better than how it used to be."

"Take a look around you , you see different people with different perspectives. The whole words have their own set of thinking and I still think your point of view comes out to be the best.  I know it's a bit too late but can we get over our untrodden past and start fresh?" He smiled a little and it made me feel good from inside. His smile made him look even more admirable.

"I like it when you smile. Do it more often." He smiled more at my words. People tend to give cute reactions when you give them genuine compliments.

"Does this mean we are friends now?"

"I'll have a thought about it."

"Oh come on Debbie." He whined a little and I laughed at his reaction. We got interrupted by a particular someone.

"Having a bonding session without me , that's unfair of you two."

"How come you always take entry at the right time Steve!" I was amused by his presence and why I wouldn't be. He's such a nice guy and his warmth comes from within.

"What are you even doing here?" Keith raised his eyebrow.

"I always come to this park for an evening walk and have a look at the time."
Keith looked at his watch and frowned more.

"I don't want to go."

"Give it a chance." He nodded and got up. 

"I'll go now but you Steve , don't plan on doing anything to her."

"Jeez you're being so paranoid and over dramatic." Steve spoke in his light voice.

"Maybe but no. Anyways bye." And with that he left for his house.

"Silly guy." Steve laughed a little and sat down.

"So what brings you here pretty lady?"

"Keith."

"Wow that was unexpected, I thought you both hated each other."

"We do but we kind of don't. I know I'm not making sense but it's complicated." And that's how our conversation went on for the day.