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Somethings trouble you a lot at the beginning but later you feel like they were for the best. I was extremely upset that Carter had left the party at first but I realized it was only for good when I found myself laying on my bed in the same dress that I had worn to the party.

I couldn't believe what happened earlier was true. After I came to my senses I thought for about a million times. I tried to replay the events of that night in my mind again and again attempting to somehow prove my memories wrong. To somehow, try to believe that it was all a bad dream but I couldn't. I couldn't believe that because all of it was true. Sickeningly true. It was an awfully horrible reality that I couldn't escape from.

At that moment I wanted to run away from my parents who had taken the decisions themselves. I wanted to question them as to why they wanted such a life for me. Why they wanted to choose who I marry with and who I date. Why they wanted to do this to me.

I just completed high school for God's sake!

As I laid there I couldn't help but curve my body into a ball, hugging my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. I did not care that I was wearing a dress. I did not care that my head was all messed up. I did not care that my makeup was all over my face. It felt as If I didn't give a shit about anything anymore.

My parents we're monsters! They were dragons! They were dinosaurs! They were bloody vampires! They were ovarian cancers! Just when I had started to feel happy, they had to ruin everything. I couldn't accept my life the way they had planned it. And I decided to talk to them. I decided to confront them about their decisions.

A silent tear fell on my cheek as I wondered over the whole situation. Of all people they chose Lucas to be the one, the guy who I had brotherly feelings for. Another tear followed and rolled down my face. My eyes were now a pool of my misery and heartache.

Jh

Sure I had promised myself about not shedding any tears but how could I not? I wished to see my parents the moment I opened my eyes but the only time they seemed to remain at home was when they wanted to torture me.

Here I had been thinking that they might've planned a surprise for me but what I received of expecting from those monsters was a hard, awakening, deadly slap on the cheek. It was like a punishment for believing that we could ever solve the matters between us. It was a punishment for trying to get close to my birth-givers.

The hatred for Dad when he had restricted me from meeting Carter was nothing compared to the hatred I was feeling at that moment. My cheeks were now streams of rivers as the tears rolled down uncontrollably.

Rebecca had been trying to console me but I couldn't listen to a word she said. I couldn't talk to anyone. All I needed was silence and some space. I needed time to sort things out that had gone wrong with my brain.

Hearing a tap on my window, I shuddered reckoning that it might be the rain. I sighed and kept sulking but again, I heard a tap, a louder one. I stood up from my bed as I made my way towards the window and removed the curtains.

If it was any other day I would've been freaking out seeing Carter there hanging on my window but right now I was scared. I was scared to show him myself. I was afraid that he'll find out about something that I didn't want him to know. I was afraid he'll leave me.

I quickly shut the curtains to block my messy self from Carter's view because I couldn't let him see this weak person that was me. I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. The wide smile on Carter's face that I got a glimpse of was itself a picture of the fact that he didn't know about the shocking events of the party. I didn't want to be the one to unleash the truth because I knew it was going to be over soon and no one will remember it. I didn't want it to come in between our relationship.

"Sparkle!" His joyfully happy voice came fainted from the other side of the window. The cheerfulness in his tone was a prove of the fact that Carter was completely unaware of the happenings of earlier that night. And I couldn't be happier. Our relationship was at such a good stage that I didn't want to have anything like this coming in between us.

I knew that I could handle this and talk it out with my parents. And I was sure that Lucas wouldn't want it either. Bringing my breath to normal, I sighed, trying to block all kinds of emotions from my face.

Carter jumped in as I slide opened the window for him. He had a boyish grin of triumph plastered on his face. "Carter, why are you here?! Are you crazy? You could've fallen down! You could've hurt yourself!"

"I could climb Burj Khalifa for my Sparkle, these three floors are nothing compared to that," Carter answered making my heart melt due to the warmth his sentence had produced inside it. "Anyways, I thought my good girl would be sleeping at 3 in the morning but look at you. . ." He glanced at me from up till down and only then I noticed that I still had my shoes on.

"Uh... yeah. The party ended pretty late and I was too tired to change. I know I might look like a crazy drunk witch right now-"

"You look beautiful, no matter what. But seriously, you look different. What's up?" Carter went ahead and jumped on my bed as he kept his eyes trained on my frame. I walked towards him and sat beside him.

I knew Carter would definitely catch me if I tried to make lame excuses because I'm extremely unprofessional at this task and this unprofessionalism gives it all away every time. This became the cause I changed the subject.

"Carter, you left without informing me. What happened?"

"Mom called me. This morning I had left all paintings on the roof of the house to sort them out. You know my Mom, right? She was like 'I want to clean this room and shit'. In the evening I had to be here, so I left them there. It was raining later and I had to run because no body was home. I'm sorry I had to go. If it wasn't for some of the best ones I would've never-"

"I'm glad you left Carter." My words had multiple meanings to them. I wasn't only glad because Carter's paintings were saved from drowning but I was glad because he was not present at my house to witness the scene Richard created.

"When you think of it, it wasn't possible for us to stay together because of Richard. Yeah you missed out on some fun but I'm glad your paintings were saved," I reached out for his hand and squeezed it. He nodded, the smile fading from his face as his eyes roamed all over my face.

His gaze was so intense I was afraid I'd crack up before him. If I'd have stared into those brown eyes of his for longer, I wouldn't have been able to control my waterworks. His eyes looked like they were searching mine for more evidences than what were on the base and I didn't want to give away any so I looked down at my lap.

"You have been crying."

Although it was just a statement and I was sure I could keep myself strong in front of him, I couldn't. I couldn't control that lower lip of mine from quivering. I couldn't control the shaking of my body and I could definitely not control my tears. To make matters worse a sob came out of my mouth that I had shut tightly to keep myself from bawling in front of him.

Has it ever happened to you that you think you're okay and that you're strong enough now, that you've come over your emotions and you no more feel like crying or wish to cry but just as someone notices some traces of your weeping from earlier, you start to shed tears more uncontrollably.

It's because you think you're strong and you've cried enough but the truth is that you try to stop yourself and try to appear strong but you're breaking more and more from inside.

Refusing would've been completely pointless and Carter wasn't a brainless person who couldn't tell if I was really crying. "Why are you crying, Sparkle?" He asked studying me, a hurtful expression on his face.

"Is it me? Is it something I did?" Another tear rolled down my cheek as I tried to calm myself down. I couldn't look up at him. It was no where near his fault. "It's me, isn't it? God, I keep fucking things up! I'm such a fucked up!"

Another sob left my mouth at my helplessness.

"God, what did I do? I keep making you cry! I keep hurting you!" Carter sprang of the bed as he started to pace around my room. "Stop crying, okay? Tell me what have I done?" Leaning down on his knees before my bed, Carter questioned. I shook my head.

"It–isn't you, Car–ter. It's not–you."

"Who made you cry then?" Carter was quick to ask. I sighed knowing that I needed to change the topic or I won't able to keep the thing from him for long. Carter had his hands wrapped in mine as he completely sat down on the wooden floor of my room.

"It's not you. It's Richard and Victoria. I hate them, Carter!" I took out an exasperated breath, tears piling in my eyes as I hung my head low and wheeled silently. Carter's hand reached up to rub my arm gently as he whispered sweet words to me.

This guy. . .

"After the party. . . I thought they might've been good with you." Carter trailed, his eyebrows creasing together In confusion.

"I thought so too," I gulped, my voice coming out as a small whisper. I braced myself to look at him only to find him looking undeniably furious.

"What happened?" Carter demanded with his veins popping. I tried to come up with an excuse for my crying earlier but I couldn't make myself to lie to him. More importantly I didn't want to. Looking down, I tried to not fidget with my fingers but it felt like my brain was not giving correct orders to them.

"C-Carter, I'm tired. Let's not talk about it. . . right now," I asked, my tone more felt like begging. I was begging him to leave the topic because I didn't think it was in me to hide the truth from him any longer.

Carter appeared to be completely lost in his own thoughts. "Please? Let's talk about this tomorrow Carter, please?" I had started to give up hiding when he didn't answer. I had started to brace myself to tell him the truth when I felt his hands on my feet. One after the other, he removed both of my shoes.

"You said you were tired, right? Let's sleep okay? Go get changed because I can tell how uncomfortable this dress might be," a smile made its way on my lips as I stared into his comforting eyes. Nodding I pulled of my jewellery which now had made marks upon my skin due to how long I've worn them. Carter set them aside for me and then helped me get up.

Walking towards my cupboard, I searched for the most comfortable pajamas I had. Don't judge me, but I didn't like wearing my boyfriend's clothes. I think it was just my quirkiness but I didn't like to wear anyone else's clothes.

As I grabbed my clothes, I locked myself in the washroom and sighed out of relief. I loved Carter with everything in me and that was why I couldn't lie to him. I didn't either have the courage to let him know the reality. Hiding the truth from him was very selfish of me but I had no other option.

I glanced at myself in the mirror. Just that moment I knew how huge of a mess I looked like. My face matched that of a horrifying joker's and it made me embarrassed to the edge. I hated my weak self and I had promised to myself that I won't cry but my parents always were the ones who made me break that promise.

After taking a relaxing shower I made myself comfortable into my night dress as I proceeded outside. I wanted to be under the hot water for long but I was aware that my sweet boyfriend was waiting for me outside and I didn't like leaving him all to himself. My eyes caught a smiling Carter laying on my bed with his arm supporting his head. The thing was, he wasn't smiling at me. He was smiling at a frame he held in his other hand.

I walked towards my bed and jumped inside the warmth of my blanket close to Carter. As I laid there I was able to see the picture that made him smile. It was a picture from the day when Carter took me to the zoo on our first date.

I had never known that I'd fall in love with that idiot some months later. Heck, I hadn't even known it was anything close to serious. "I think we should go on dates more frequently now that we only have some months together before you go to California," Carter snapped his head up and smiled at me with his eyebrows raised.

"Uhm, s-sure," I knew staying awake would only lead him to ask more questions and me ending up revealing things that I shouldn't reveal.

"That's great! Tomorrow, I'll pick you up in the evening. Don't worry about your parents, they'll not know as long as Lia supports us," winking at me with a lopsided smile he kissed my cheek gently lowering his head on the pillow as he removed his arm from under it.

"Okay, done," I tried to smile, reaching out for my lamp so that I could switch it of. When my body collided with my bed, Carter's hands quickly wrapped around my waist pulling me close to him.

"You wore strawberry perfume today?" I looked up to meet his eyes when he asked. With a small grin I nodded. I snuggled into his body after that, inhaling his addictive scent.

I couldn't be in a more comfortable position than that and I wanted to sleep like that every night of my life. With Carter beside me. With me wearing an extra comfortable night suit and Carter's arm wrapped around me protectively, holding me close to him. With Carter's fingers gently massaging my head and my head resting on his chest hearing his heart beat.

"We should also use more of our time in cuddling Sparkle," Carter stated with a humorous tone, chuckling lightly. I agreed as I nod my head which was still on his chest. It was like I was sticking to a big comforting teddy bear that I was afraid to let go. That somehow the monsters would snatch it from me if I leave it.

"Carter?"

"Yes, Sparkle?" His voice was softer than a ball of cotton as he inquired, kissing my lightly on the forehead.

"I'm in love with you. Very deeply," I mumbled into his shirt as I admitted. Carter's breath fanned my head while he rubbed my arms soothingly.

"Not deeper than me, Sparkle."

* * * * *

I had not expected Jack to be there at Lia's house when I went there to share my sob stories with her. I was aware that Lia and Jack, both were present while Dad gave his grand speech and I couldn't be happier. Both of them needed to know that Carter shouldn't know about this.

If I had found Jack talking to her or sitting somewhere in her house it wouldn't have shocked me as much as when Jack was kissing Lia against her kitchen's refrigerator. I kept myself hidden outside the kitchen while blocking the view with my palm.

I couldn't go out shouting that Jack was kissing Lia because her mother was the one sitting there and she had sent me in telling me that Lia and her friend were making brownies. Little did she know the thing was totally not what she thought it was. It was more like Lia and her friend were making babies.

"Come on Lia, what's stopping you? I know you want me too."

Ewwww.

I could block my view but my ears could still hear them. I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop so I coughed, making them aware of my presence. Lia quickly sprang away from Jack, her face completely red while Jack found the floor to be the most interesting thing on this planet.

I coughed again bringing the both of them to snap their heads up. As I opened my mouth to let out a teasing remark Lia approached me and pulled me out of her kitchen. "Couldn't you even pick up your phone and explain to me what the hell happened last night, you idiot?"

And there was the question that I dreaded the most. At that moment I felt like running away from her house. Though I expected to have myself rewarded with innumerable questions the moment I stepped in her house but still I couldn't keep my heart from racing fast at the mention of last night.

"Sophia, I need to know whatever the fucking hell is going on!" Lia hissed with a glare on her face, making me gulp.

"First tell me about you and Jac-"

"Don't try to change the subject Sophia. I. Need. To. Know." It was her it's-final tone which didn't leave me any other option but to talk to her about it. And there, I told her everything. About my relationship with my birth-givers and how they treat me. About me having no clue of what happened last night.

"So you mean, that your parents don't consider you a daughter? It didn't look like it when he announced your name over the mike. . ." Jack said as he placed himself in the sofa in Lia's room. I had told each and everything to the both of them. Jack knew about my latest suicide attempt but not the ones before that and he was shocked hearing I had attempted suicide several times.

"And why didn't you argue? Why didn't you fight?" Jack hoped up and down on the sofa which was either because he had a crack in his brain by birth or because he was angry.

"She fainted just after that announcement you jackass!" Jack's mouth turned in an 'o' while he nodded, understanding.

"I know for sure that Lucas will never agree to this. And I can't leave Carter. In no condition, I can leave Carter. I love him and I'll do everything in me to be with him. So you guys don't tell him anything about last night because I'm sure I'll handle this. Just help me solve the mess Richard created."

"We hope you do, Sophia. And I'm here to help however I can." Lia said with an encouraging smile.

"I still don't understand why your parents are being such fucktards!" Jack yelled all of a sudden.

"Parents my ass!" I repeated Carter's words from this morning when he left for home and I restricted him from meeting Richard and Victoria. Though I had just whispered it but the intensity with which I pronounced the sentence caused Lia and Jack to snap their heads in my direction. What? I can swear!

"Any questions?"

Jack raised his hand like I had thought he would while Lia rolled her eyes at him. I nodded for him to continue. "Does Lucas know?"

I sighed because that was the same question which was running through my mind since I came to my senses. I shook my head as I replied, " I have no idea."

The three of us settled in a blanket of silence but suddenly Lia sprang up from her seat. Jack and I both stared at her like she's gone crazy. "Sophia, do you have any idea that Carter is going to be here in almost ten minutes!" She started to push me towards her washroom with my clothes in my hands.

Carter asked me to wear something casual. I loved how always Carter took me out on such comfortable dates. Because comfort and I had always been friends. Where you find comfort there you find Sophia and where there's no comfort there's no Sophia.

"Jack! We haven't even made the brownies, oh my God!" Lia hyperventilated as I heard her say. I tried to smirk as I looked into the mirror.