After a while, Clara was near her house. She had mixed feelings about what happened. She was really happy that Thomas awakened. But she was sad because she can't celebrate it with him. She leaned up against the wall and started crying. Just why did Thomas have to change so much? Why did he reject her? Was she such a bad friend that he couldn't rely on after his failed awakening? All Clara wanted, was to see him showing emotions again. When Thomas woke up in the hospital, he was more alive than before. He was angry, he was sad. For the past five years, all she wanted to see was him smiling. And when he woke up, he smiled! He smiled! But then he became angry at her. What's worse, she can't blame him.
She sobbed like she never did before. At the same time, her father went to his car. And then he saw his sweet daughter shedding tears. He was scared if something happened. Did that Sandra girl bully her again? He ran to her.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Mark Miller hugged his daughter. She hugged him back.
"I… *sob* I am... *sob* *sob*... fine." she couldn't even speak well anymore. Over five years she held back her emotions and now, all those pent-up emotions got lost.
"Did someone bully you?" Mark Miller asked.
She finally calmed down, sit down, and just stared at the ground. She didn't want anything anymore. She just wanted to be left alone. Birthday? What a joke. Is this how Thomas's felt before? She became depressed. Five years, she held back her emotions for five years. Now that she let them out, she felt empty.
"It's fine dad. I am okay now," she said while staring at the same dot. Her father knew something must have happened. And he didn't know what to do. If his daughter doesn't want to tell him, he can't force her to. Mother was still away at work. He helped her stand up and took her inside the house. She went to her room, and her father made her tea. He brought it to her room and put it on the table. She was lying in bed while hugging a pillow.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Mark asked her. He sat near her bed and gently pat her head. Then he heard that she started crying again.
"Dad… I don't know what to do." she started tearing u again. Then again, she buried her face in her pillow.
"What happened sweetheart? I'm here for you. I will help however I can." he assured her.
She finally got enough energy to sit up. She wiped her tears away, and just stared into the old photo of her and Thomas. This photo was about 7 years old. They were still children, playing around near the lake. Thomas's dad was the one who took this picture. In the photo, Thomas was smiling and together with Clara they held hands and posed like they were dancing. If only we could go back in time.
"Did… Did something happen with Thomas? Did he do something to you?" her father became suspicious when he saw her staring at the picture.
"No, dad. It was me who did him wrong. It was me who doesn't deserve to have friends. It was me who left him, and it was me who betrayed him and allowed my friends to bully him. "she started shaking while trying to hold back her tears. "And it's because of me and my friends, Thomas became suicidal and spent weeks in a psychiatric hospital."
Mark Miller was at the loss of words. What? What did she say? Thomas was in the hospital? Why did his parents never tell him? And it was because of Clara and her friends? He became furious. But he held himself back and calmly told her.
"From now on. I want to see neither Jake nor Mark nor that Sandra ever again. Did I make myself clear?" he was angry, however, he did not raise his voice. Clara already looked sad enough." Those kids are a terrible influence on you"
"It was *sob* Sandra… Who always defended Thomas" she said.
"And why you didn't?" he seemed calm. But right now his blood was boiling. How could his sweet daughter do this to Thomas? Even that thug Sandra was defending him, and Clara didn't. Mark was speechless. He went out of her room and called her mother.
"Forget her ******* birthday party," he told his wife.