That year's summer break was a turning point in my life.

It was my second summer of high school and my first week was just wasted in me being super lazy and doing practically zero human activities. Grandma hated my laziness saying my mom had the same habit and so did my grandpa. Well, sorry but I am your genes.

Grey and the others had left for their own family time. I waited for dad to call me and ask me if I wanted to go on our father-daughter fun trip but I barely got his morning texts.

-morning,stay safe and enjoy-

That's all I ever got. It got so suffocating to a point that I often didn't see his texts. I knew it was the same as every day, so much for being his daughter.

Well grandma had noticed something, she knew I was spacing out on life, so one day she asked me out on a hangout session with her.

"You sure you wanna do this?"I asked her for the 100th time, before we went out to the Hocking Hills State Park. "I may look old but I'm much healthier than James is in this age!"she boasted. Well I couldn't argue, I chuckled at her small five feet two inches, old and rusty body actually stumble at two feet tall rocks.

She stumbled on 20 rocks and finally sprained her ankle on the 21st one. So typical of her.

"Is it just me or is this place getting harder to climb by each time?"she panted. "I came here when I was ten grandma,"I helped her sit beside a fallen log,"it wasn't this long back then-"

"You came here when you were ten?"She asked. I nodded. "James should find more time for you,"she whispered to herself but I heard her. I knew that this place was one of the only places dad ever took me out to. He had changed in the past two years.

"Nora?"grandma called me.

I didn't notice it but I was spacing out, I got lost in my thoughts again. There was this weird churning in my guts, something pulling me in. I could tell that something wasn't right. Only that I couldn't figure what it was exactly.

"Nora?"she called again,"Nora?!"

"Uh yeah!"I snapped out. "You need to stop scaring me young lady!"she scolded.

"I'm sorry,"I went to help her up. She smiled,"I think we were here for a small our-time-together."

"We are..."I frowned. "Well no!"she scrunched her little-Japanese-nose up,"it's more like a I-MISS-MY-DADDY trip to me."

I couldn't help but laugh, this small woman here always knew how to make me smile. I chuckled at her cuteness,"Okay okay...let's go to where ever you wanna take me,"I pulled her up. She gave me a sweet smile and continued stumbling on her rocks.

By the time we came back, I was tired as hell. I could tell that grandma would have sour legs for weeks from this. I went to check up on her, she was taking her evening nap at 6 pm.  Grandma was from Japan, she came here with her parents and later on became a teacher. She gave coaching classes for Japanese and that's where one of her students did his thing. You know the typical teacher and student story.

Ugh such a cringe! just like that handsome-and-resting-bitch-face math teacher of mine. I don't know but romantic shit wasn't my thing.

Just the thought of him made me wonder what he's up to right now?I slowly walked to my room out of curiosity. Peeked inside it, his lights were off. That meant he was somewhere. I walked inside, turning my lights on and unplugging my phone from the charger. I checked for any text messages, none.

Tyler and Britt were on a trip to Spain with family so I could understand them not having time to text me, all the others were out as well except for my dad who wasn't even bothered with anything.

I know I blamed dad for a lot of things at that time. I always thought about myself, about what I was neglecting in life. I had never paid attention to what his perspective of things was. Whenever he were home he'd give me all sort of love and care he could. It was like that till he appointed this new secretary, ugh that woman was a snake in our lives.

She stepped in his office and I got thrown out of his life. She hadn't offended me personally but I always got a weird vibe from her, just that dark red lipstick said everything.

I checked my phone once again. No calls, no text messages, no nothing...wow I really felt unwanted that moment.

"That's rough buddy,"I patted myself. "Don't bother with them, just cooking something good will lighten up your mood!"I mustered up some fake confidence from a corner of my feelings. Cooking seemed like a traditional way of my mental coping.

I checked for the store, we had some instant black bean noodles and they're the best thing I've tasted in my life. I set the table for two, poured some soft drink for both of us. I was done in an hour.

Grandma came out of her room and I could tell she was highly surprised the moment she saw my work.

"Tada!"I applauded. She gave me a suspicious look,"It's not your birthday, nor mine and you do know I don't have any crackers in my cupboard."

I nodded showing I understood. "Then?"she raised her eyebrow,"why did you cook?"

"Becausee-" I grabbed her by the arm, dragged her to the table,"I believe I owe you something."

She looked up at me as she seated herself,"You do?"

I knew paying back in such little ways was never going to be enough but I've learned that all efforts count, no matter how big or small the outcome is, if it's from the heart it'll matter the most.

We started talking and eating when the phone rang. "I'll go get it,"I stood up but grandma asked me to stay. She had ordered some stuff so it was probably for her. She went inside.

I started cleaning up when my WeChat notification popped up. It was Joe.

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

Joe: nora?

yeah?

...

JOE?

Joe: you need to be see this!

see what?

Joe: it's your precious Mr.Eugene~

why are you texting me about it?

Joe: thought you should see this.

***attached a picture***

// I opened it. It was Mr.Eugene and a girl. //

uhh?i don't see any issue...

Joe: he's dating and you don't care?

duh!

why would i care?HE'S JUST A FREAKING MATH TEACHER.

Joe: UHUN! the CAPITALIZATION is so obvious!

get out of my inbox JOE!

Joe: BYE!

yeah yeah...see ya

Joe: seriously...bye and tc.

haha bye.

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

"Such a handful,"I whispered. I took a look at the pic again. It was nice for him to have a girlfriend. He wouldn't bother me anymore. I was satisfied that my days of being endlessly pestered were up.

I washed the dishes and took grandma's food into her room.

"Grandma are you going to eat i-"

The moment I entered I saw her sobbing. "What happened?!"I ran up to her. I hugged her. I saw the phone hanging from it's cord. Someone was on line. They were constantly saying something.

"Gomen'nasai..."her voice broke. I didn't know what took over me but I had a hunch, my body felt the sheer horror of the news lying beside that phone.

"Hello?"I picked up the phone.

"Hello is this Nora Bridges? Daughter of James Bridges?"a woman spoke.

"Yes?"I didn't want to hear anything that would shatter me within.

"Ma'am your father was involved in a very bad accident, kindly allow us to perform a surgery...we need a family member's..."

She continued with whatever she had to ask. All I could say was,"PLEASE SAVE MY DAD IN ANY POSSIBLE WAY YOU CAN!"

I fell down, my whole world seemed to jumble up. Was I so unlucky to lose the two most precious humans in my life just like that? I choked on my own breath.

"Nora...sweetie get up!"grandma pulled me,"we need to see,James." She sobbed.

Honestly that one memory is still not clear, I remember that we left within the next flight to L.A, we were delayed a bit by the sudden rain but I had to leave without notifying anyone. My bag and everything were done by grandma and a friend of her's Grandpa Kenji. He drove us off to the airport and left us. There was a flight at 10 pm and gladly we made it.

I turned my phone off before sitting at the window seat. My heart felt like someone was eating it from inside. My fears and weird thoughts catching up to me. It was a four hours and eighteen minutes flight but for me it was torture and endless thoughts of losing dad.

I should've texted him myself. I should have been there for him, I didn't know what the cause of that accident was and how bad was dad's condition.

I kept saying small prayers. Grandma hugged me,"He'll be fine, don't worry."

"Yeah,"I fake smiled and got lost inside the world below me, envying the people who had their moms and dads with them right at that moment. I hated the God for being so unfair to me.

'You never should've brought me into this world if this is what you wanted me to go through!'I yelled at him in my heart, for he never cared about my life!

~

"I lie to them, saying that we're frenemies...but it's just us. So us."

~