💞 HIDDEN PAIN
💞
( Can I be your friend?)
Chapter 37
Jayson's pov:
They were all done with saying whatever they had to say and now the only person left was me
It was my turn and as I lifted up my head, I could feel their face gazing through my eyes and boring holes in them
I felt this stingling sensation on my skin. I was the only odd one amongst them
I wondered how they would react if they find out about my family status?
Would they get mad and won't want to have anything to do with me again?
I was so nervous but I knew there was no way I would escape it
" Jayson!!" Stacy called and I slowly turned to her
" It's your turn and we are waiting" she said
" Oh!! " I said " well, I have three brothers" I started, not even knowing what to say next after the first sentence. I paused and gulped slowly, careful not to show my nervousness and the fast racing of my heart
" I...I..." I stuttered. They all were looking at me awkwardly
" Are you alright?" Aaron asked
" Sure...I am" I said and chuckled nervously
" I don't know anything about my parents" I said and I could hear their gasps
" What do you mean?" Ben asked me with furrowed brows
" I mean...I don't know who they are... I grew up in the streets with my brothers, after we ran away from the orphanage" I said and I could see the shocks on their faces
" What the...that's ridiculous!!" Stacy shrieked
" You don't mean that, do you?" Pecthra asked looking so serious
" You are an orphan?..I don't get this?" Aaron asked
" Guys, just wait for him to finish talking" Myra butted in and they kept quiet, but with the look of shock still on their faces
" They arent actually my brothers, but we bear similar names and became very close while there, and so we considered ourselves as brothers" I explained further and this time there was no interruptions. I studied their expressions from time to time and I could tell they were in utmost dismay
" We decided to run away from the orphanage when we werent finding it accommodating enough to stay any longer. We did and as time goes on, we wished we didn't" I said and smiled. A smile filled with sadness as I remembered all we had gone through
" We went into the streets and resulted to begging for alms when no one was nice enough to take us in. No one wanted to adopt us and no one was willing to take us to school. We were like savages and lived miserably"
" Living on the streets was one of the most difficult time in my life. Bo one was there for us. No mother, no father, no brother, no sister, no friend. It was...hard...not until she came" I said and smiled
" Grandma Pamela. She had seen us on the streets and took us in. She was so kind to us from the start. When she is going to her coffee shop, she would see us on the street and give us money. At times she would bring food for us when coming back and so... gradually, we got accustomed to her. We always looked forward to seeing her and eating the delicious meals she always brought. She became a ray of hope and source of strength to us. We lived on that, knowing that there was someone out there who truly cares"
" It was not until one day, she called us to her house and asked us to take our baths. We were so happy. We hadn't had our baths for a very long time. We did that day, and not only that...she only cooked for us and made sure we ate to our fullest. We were more than excited and thanked her countless times"
" It was after eating and everything that she asked us the question, I'm sure she had been meaning to ask; and that was 'how we ended up on the street and if we didn't have parents?. We explained everything to her and she told us she will take care of us as her own. At first, we couldn't believe what we had heard but then, she was serious about it and even took us to her coffee shop that same day. From there, we started staying with her and she kept to her promise. She took good care of us and we helped her out in her coffee shop. The coffee shop began to flourish and with the money she got from it, she sent us to School; and that's how we have been living, and now but she's very sick and there's no way for us to continue with our schooling and provide for her medications and medical bills. That's why I feel so lucky to have this scholarship" I said
" Wait! you're the scholarship student?" Ben asked in shock. I nodded slowly
I had no intentions of holding anything back
I wanted to tell them the whole truth and nothing but the truth
I know what it was for a poor person to attend this school, but then I wasnt a liar and will never be
I felt revealing it now will be so much easier than concealing it
If they wanted to hate me for it , then so be it
If they didn't want to be my friends again and have anything to do with me again, then so be it
" Yes" I replied boldly
" This is unbelievable" Stacy said
" It's so sad...you story. I thougt mine was" Pecthra said to me and I smiled at her
She was very understanding and with a good heart
" I know you guys might despise me or hate me for being poor, but..."
" We dont hate you and we will never...I fact, we were aware" Aaron said and it was my turn to be shocked
" What do you mean?" I asked with a raised brow
" When you told us about the coffee shop and always insisted that we dropped you off at a particular location, we figured it out one day when we decided to follow you both behind" Bryan explained
" What?" Myra shouted
" That's so...I dunno what to say" I said. It was just too... I was speechless
" We know how you are feeling, but we don't want you to feel bad. It's not your fault that things turned out for you and your brothers the way it did," Bryan said
" Yeah, and believe me when I say being friends with you is not gonna change because of that, and infact you just made us to trust you more because it was a very difficult thing to do but still you chooses to do the right thing. Left for me, I'll say you are very honest and worth being called a friend" Aaron said and looked round
" I'm I speaking what's in your minds?" he turned to them and asked, and they nodded
" We could even help if you want us to?" Mona said
" That'd be nice" I said
" That'll be lovely...thanks guys" Myra appreciated
" Yeah, but you guys have done alot and I wouldn't want to be a burden or a bother" I said
" No...it's not a burden and you're not bothering us" Ben said
" We insist" Aaron said
" And how exactly are you going to help me if I may ask?" I asked them.
They kept quiet for sometime, as they went into deep thoughts
" We would figure that out" Ben said
" How about we develop your grandma's coffee shop" Aaron said
" Or even help out with her medications" Bryan said
" I'm sure your brothers will love to go back to school as well" Stacy said and smiled broadly
" How about where you live in" Pecthra said
" A home is everything" she said and smiled. I understood where she was coming from and returned the smile
" There's alot to do" Mona said
" Sure" Myra said
" I know guys and thanks for all the contributions, but I'll let you guys know if I need any help" I told them
" That'd be fine with us" Aaron said
" And I think I have a request; if am not asking for too much" I said
" No!; Whats it?" Stacy asked me
They had turned to me
" I...uhm...I think this question is specifically for Mona because she's closer to the Skys" I said
" What is it?" she asked me
" I uhm... I wanted to know if its possible or speak with Skyler; I mean, as a fan?" I asked her nervously.
" There you go again with questions about her" Ben said
" I don't really know, Skyler's a hard nut to crack..even her friends don't get much in touch with her" Mona said
" Okay..I understand" I said
" What was the reason if you don't mind me asking?" Mona asked me
I hesitated a little bit nor knowing if I should tell her or not
" Nothing actually...just....just wanted to thank her for giving me this scholarship. It means alot to me" I told her
"Oh!! Well, I guess I can relate your message to Yvonne and she'll tell her if that's okay with you?" Mona asked me
I wanted to decline but I didn't wanted to give them another picture to paint, so I reluctantly agreed to it with a very dry smile