Chloe laughed wholeheartedly. "Stop! Axel... AXEL! STOP" She said between her laughs.

He tickled her side continuously until tears came out of her eyes.

"Here comes the tickle monster!" he said, deepening his voice.

"I... C-can't... Breathe" she said laughing uncontrollably.

When her face turned red, he finally stopped. He stared at her adoringly while she leveled her breathing.

They were at his apartment studying for the test. The table before them was filled with books but they were too busy teasing one another that they barely studied.

She picked up her cellphone from the coffee table and checked the time.

"Oh my god! Dad's gonna be home soon!" She stood up and started packing her things.

"Uhh! I hate your dad" he mumbled.

She gasped. "Hey! He's still my dad. Be nice" she scolded.

"No can do" he replied

"I don't like your dad either but I don't go on telling you that," she told him playfully and steadied her back over her shoulder.

"My dad may be a dick but he doesn't rely on me for survival," He said on a serious note.

Chloe sighed. "Look, I don't expect you to understand but when my mom left him. He was heartbroken and I am the only person he has"

He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly and stared at her. "Your mom left you too. You needed someone too. He is the one who should take responsibility for his daughter, not the other way around"

She bit on her lips and muffled the smile that crept up. She liked having someone who cared about her. "Well, I gave up on that dream long ago" she shrugged.

He stood up and hugged her from behind. "You don't have to work two jobs, I can support you"

She turned in his hold and placed her hands on his chest. "Axel, not again. I told you I am fine and I don't need anyone's help. I can support myself and my dad"

He clicked his tongue. "Let me help you as a friend then"

She shook her head. "No, and can we not talk about this, please"

He nodded. "Fine! But can I come by your place later?"

Her heartbeat quickened. "Why?" She asked without thinking.

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "To see you... Two hours a day is not enough"

She gulped. "You can't... If dad saw you..." She wasn't afraid of her dad knowing because in his drunken state he barely knew what was going on around him but she didn't want Axel to see her house. Axel was arrogant and proud when it came to his wealth and she was afraid to show him the place where she lived.

"I get it," he said disappointedly and she sighed in relief. "But Chloe, I need more than two hours with you"

She cupped his face. "It's too risky. We don't want anyone knowing about us, now do we?" She asked like she was talking to a child.

He smiled. "No"

She smiled too. "Good" She kissed the tip of his nose. "I have to go now"

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm gonna miss you"

She smiled shyly. "Call me"

After leaving his place, she went straight to the bus stop and waited for the bus. The bus dropped her at the nearest stop to her house. She walked to her house and saw her father passed out in front of their house.

"DAD!" She ran to him and checked his pulse hurriedly. She heaved a sigh of relief when she felt his pulse. Suddenly, a smile crept on her father's face. Chloe frowned and then he burst out laughing.

"GOT YOU!" he laughed like a child. The stench of alcohol that came out of his mouth made her wanna throw up.

Chloe huffed. "Seriously, dad?" She shook her head and strode into the house with her father following behind.

She went straight into the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator to cook something for her dad.

"What do you want to eat?" She asked sternly

"Louie, are you mad?" He asked

"No!" She answered. "I am gonna make spaghetti for dinner, ok," she said and got to work.

Hugh noticed the frown on his daughter's face and that made him uneasy. "I... Umm... I got a job" he lied to lighten her mood.

"Really? How long is this one gonna last?" She asked keeping her attention on the vegetables she was cutting.

"Uh... Long enough" he answered.

She stopped cutting vegetables and stared at him. "You are lying"

He hurriedly shook his head. "No,"

She raised an eyebrow and squinted her eyes. "What kind of job?" She inquired

"At a store" he answered

"Which store?" She wiped her hands with a washcloth.

"Just a small liquor store," he said

She crossed her arms over her chest. "What did they hire you for?"

He cleared his throat. "As a manager"

She shook her head. "I don't believe you"

"I have been a manager before," he said embarrassed

"Before" She emphasized the word before and got back to cutting vegetables.

"I needed some money" he croaked out

She scoffed. "So, this is what it's about"

"It's for new clothes. I need new clothes to wear on the job" he scratched his beard nastily.

"You are not getting any money. I just got my paycheck and we need that for food" she scolded

"How am I supposed to work there if I don't have anything to wear" he snapped

"Last time I gave you money for your "so-called job", you wasted all that money on alcohol" she shouted

He slammed his fist on the kitchen counter. "You don't get to scold me. I am your father!" he yelled

"Then act like one!" She shouted

He needed that money for alcohol. He begged for the money on the streets but it wasn't enough. When he saw that she was not budging. He pulled the knife out of her hands and placed it on his neck. "I will kill myself" he shouted

She got startled and her hand began to tremble. "Dad put the knife down."

"I will kill myself, Louie" he threatened. He knew his daughter loved him, he always used her love as leverage to threaten her.

She breathed heavily, She was afraid. Hugh was suicidal and has attempted suicide many times. She could never forget the sleepless nights she spent praying for his life beside his hospital bed. She loved her father. He had his faults but he was all she had. She remembered being fourteen and crying for him to wake up when he was in a coma for a month. She was afraid to end up in the system. She was afraid to become a foster child. Mostly, she was afraid of having no one.

He pushed the knife more into his neck and she saw blood trickling down into his shirt. "FINE! I'll give you money but stop dad please..." She screamed as tears build up in her eyes.

He pulled his hand out for her. She dug into her bag and placed two twenty-dollar bills into his hand. He placed the knife back down and Chloe immediately picked it up and put it in the drawer. She grabbed the first aid kit and made him sit while she wrapped up the wounds on his neck.

After she was done, she made him lay on his bed and covered him with a duvet. He was out like a light. She stayed there for few seconds and then left the room. She went back into the kitchen and broken down completely.

Her phone rang and she wiped her tears with the back of her hands. She picked up her cellphone and answered the call.

"Hello" her voice came out rough.

"Are you crying?" Axel asked with worry laced in his voice.

"Umm... No. Just making dinner" she lied

"I was missing you," he said

She silently cried some more. "I missed you too"

"Then how come I am the one always calling you"

"I was busy" she answered

Sitting on the tiny kitchen floor she talked to Axel for hours. Never let him know what she was going through. He knew about some parts but he didn't know how bad it was for her. His father was a billionaire and his mother was a published author. She could never compete with that. Her father was a drunkard and her mother ran away with another man. She was ashamed of her background. She didn't want anyone to know.

After he hung up, she cooked dinner and filled a plate for her father. She went to his room and fed him. He could eat by himself but he made Chloe feed him. He was too dependent on her.

No one ever took care of her from the day she opened her eyes, she had to do everything herself. Her mother left them when she was four years old. She barely remembered her. Her father started drinking and completely forgot about her. She did her first babysitting job when she was only eleven years old. After that there was no going back, she became the one to earn for their family. Her father relied on her for everything. She got a job as a waitress when she was fourteen. She applied for several scholarships and juggled two jobs and her studies. She finally got admitted to Richmonte Academy over a grade-based scholarship. She had to keep a perfect score to maintain that scholarship.

She was a tough girl. She never asked for help from anyone. But sometimes she needed someone too. Someone who would completely understand her and not judge her.

All she needed was a friend...